Testing God means questioning His existence, or at least his benevolence. Whenever we face difficulties, if God frees us from those difficulties in response to our prayers, then we accept that He exists and cares. Otherwise, we think that He has failed the test and deserves to be dismissed from our life.
However, it is we who have failed to understand the standard of our relationship with Krishna, which is to relish eternal love and joy therein, at the transcendental level of consciousness. After all, everything in this world is temporary, and people’s desires far outnumber the world’s resources. So, no material adjustment, even if divinely ordained, can provide enduring happiness.
The Bhagavad-gita demonstrates a consciousness that has risen far beyond testing Krishna, exemplified by Arjuna’s desire to hear Krishna’s glories endlessly (10.18). Arjuna’s desire is especially significant because of where it is expressed – on a battlefield. Although he is about to begin the biggest war of his life, he doesn’t reveal any concern over whether Krishna will help him survive and succeed, or not. Instead, he is absorbed in feasting on Krishna’s glories through his ears, and longing for more and more of that transcendental pleasure.
To similarly raise our consciousness from testing Krishna to tasting Krishna, we need to practice bhakti-yoga diligently and focus on Him, irrespective of what happens at the material level. By such steady connection with the all-pure Krishna, our consciousness becomes purified and elevated to the spiritual level. Therein, we find deep fulfilment and illumination in our divine absorption. With the resulting security and clarity, we get the necessary intelligence to respond wisely to whatever happens at the material level. And in due course of time, we realise how whatever had happened was for our ultimate good.
O Janārdana, again please describe in detail the mystic power of Your opulences. I am never satiated in hearing about You, for the more I hear the more I want to taste the nectar of Your words – Bhagavad Gita 10.18
