"Then you mean bad people will be punished in the right course of time?"

He held the brass bowl in front so that she could get a better access to it while serving the prasadam among the devotees.

"Certainly." She replied politely.

He followed her close behind as the queue of devotees continued to the end down the temple stairs. "Then what about experiences? Why do we store bad experiences more than good ones? And why do we often receive contempt and obloquy even when we chose to be righteous? Why don't good people get the result as they desire but the opposite kinds do?"

She pulled forward her head scarf and finished serving the prasadam. Once the distribution got completed the returned back to Gobinda, the worshipped deity, standing tall in all its glory.

"Well", she replied quietly, "that is entirely the results of your perspectives."

His eyebrows scrunched together, "What do you mean by that?"

She smiled and went in a corner and stood there leaning on the wall. He followed her and stood beside.

"Experiences are the outcome of your interaction with the universe. It's like a user-interactive software program, really. Whatever input you give, it will give output based that particular input. Say, if you think good, you have a better understanding of a particular thing and you know what result it will yield if you put the right actions."

He nodded solemnly.

"It's the beliefs, the right understanding towards the world that you have, for both spiritual and material world of course and your right actions which you put into, in turns get you something, you call experience. Often when these inputs are misleading, it yields bad experiences and we name it suffering. Similarly, for the good outcome, we have named these experiences as fortune."

He noticed outside the temple and his eyes fell on a cow eating the leftovers of the prasadam on banana leaves, thrown away by some devotees.

"See, it's all about your own interpretation of your thoughts, desires and understanding. How you see the universe, the universe appears to be exactly that for you. Now, as you ask, why do we have more bad experiences than good ones?"

He nodded, "Yes."

"It's like we chose to have the bad experiences. What we should actually be thinking of is Krsna and detaching ourselves from this material world of Maya. Maya is indeed very strong, but Maya is not real, it is not permanent. Even though we get attached to this world, it'll have no significance at the end of our lives. So why even raising attachments with this material world, having an identity that is not really ours and remains devoid of the true knowledge, which we should always keep in mind?"

She looked at him sideways, "Now tell me, who really is responsible for bad experiences and sufferings?" 

Seeing him silent she sang, 

"yadā te moha-kalilaṁ buddhir vyatitariṣyati
tadā gantāsi nirvedaṁ śrotavyasya śrutasya ca (BG 2.52).

In Bhagavad Gita, Krsna says, When your intelligence has passed out of the dense forest of delusion, you shall become indifferent to all that has been heard and all that is to be heard. Which means if you can escape the Maya, you don't have to worry about all these things."

His frown deepened. His eyes observing the cow eating the prasadam and his mind analysing the unavoidable truth. "But why do we suffer even after choosing the right?" The fickle mind of his drifted again towards those ever hurting questions he's been seeking answers for.

"karmaṇo hy api boddhavyaṁ
boddhavyaṁ ca vikarmaṇaḥ
akarmaṇaś ca boddhavyaṁ
gahanā karmaṇo gatiḥ.

Translating as per Bhagavad Gita as it is, The intricacies of action are very hard to understand. Therefore one should know properly what action is, what forbidden action is, and what inaction is.

How much you may try, the karma of your every deed will always fructify. Nothing ever gets unnoticed by karma. So one must be very thoughtful and cautious about their actions. You may have forgotten, however, this is not the only life we're living. Many lives we've already lived in our past and every suffering we're getting today are the consequences of our past actions. So, without getting caught in the miseries by overthinking what bad actions you've done in the past, surrender unto Krishna now and forever. Because, Krishna is loving enough to guide us through our journey back to him. He keeps protecting us even when sometimes we totally forget about him. That is this. Be righteous always, and do not get tangled with the thoughts of the fruits it may deliver."

He frowned.

"The same is applied in the case of getting desirable results. Like, people must have done some pious activity in their past lives and the results they're receiving in this life."

Two little boys she noticed wandering around the temple and the deity. She went to them and gave them laddoos. The kids were happy having them. She smiled at them then turned to him. His curled eyebrows giving out his ardency.

"You see the cow?"

He frowned then nodded.

"You consider it like this. The cow is getting closer to Krishna because it is eating kanha's prasad, however, the devotee who has thrown it away, going opposite. Also, if the devotee had given the cow the prasadam consciously or wilfully, he'd be getting the good results. But if not, he's done it wrong. He only came to eat, not to savour the prasad of Kanhaji. However in either ways, the cow is getting the good results. You see, there is always a choice we're making. Krishna is so loving that he always gives us choices. It is up to us whether we chose a good decision or bad, and thereafter we receive the results accordingly. Now take it and go home." She gave him a laddoo.

"But I have a question..."

"Yes, I know. We all have questions. But Krishna is here to answer each of them. For today, just go home."

to be continued...