Krishna Wants His Children Back Part 1

so ‘sav adabhra-karuno bhagavan vivriddha-
prema-smitena nayanamburuham vijrimbhan
utthaya visva-vijayaya ca no vishadam
madhvya girapanayatat purushah puranah

Synonyms:
sah — He (the Lord); asau — that; adabhra — unlimited; karunah — merciful; bhagavan — the Personality of Godhead; vivriddha — excessive; prema — love; smitena — by smiling; nayana-amburuham — the lotus eyes; vijrimbhan — by opening; utthaya — for flourishing; visva-vijayaya — for glorifying the cosmic creation; ca — as also; nah — our; vishadam — dejection; madhvya — by sweet; gira — words; apanayatat — let Him kindly remove; purushah — the Supreme; puranah — oldest.

Translation:
The Lord, who is supreme and is the oldest of all, is unlimitedly merciful. I wish that He may smilingly bestow His benediction upon me by opening His lotus eyes. He can uplift the entire cosmic creation and remove our dejection by kindly speaking His directions.

Purport:
The Lord is ever increasingly merciful upon the fallen souls of this material world. The whole cosmic manifestation is a chance for all to improve themselves in devotional service to the Lord, and everyone is meant for that purpose. The Lord expands Himself into many personalities who are either self-expansions or separated expansions. The personalities of the individual souls are His separated expansions, whereas the self-expansions are the Lord Himself. The self-expansions are predominators, and the separated expansions are predominated for reciprocation of transcendental bliss with the supreme form of bliss and knowledge. The liberated souls can join in this blissful reciprocation of predominator and predominated without materially concocted ideas. The typical example of such a transcendental exchange between the predominator and the predominated is the Lord’s rasa-lila with the gopis. The gopis are predominated expansions of the internal potency, and therefore the Lord’s participation in the rasa-lila dance is never to be considered like the mundane relationship of man and woman. It is, rather, the highest perfectional stage of the exchange of feelings between the Lord and the living entities. The Lord gives the fallen souls the chance for this highest perfection of life. Lord Brahma is entrusted with the management of the complete cosmic show, and therefore he prays that the Lord bestow His blessings upon him so that he may execute its purpose.
[End of Purport]

so ‘sav adabhra-karuno bhagavan vivriddha-
prema-smitena nayanamburuham vijrimbhan
utthaya visva-vijayaya ca no vishadam
madhvya girapanayatat purushah puranah
The Lord, who is supreme and is the oldest of all, is unlimitedly merciful. I wish that He may smilingly bestow His benediction upon me by opening His lotus eyes. He can uplift the entire cosmic creation and remove our dejection by kindly speaking His directions.

So this is the last verse of Brahma’s prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So here Brahma is addressing that, a few points that Brahma made and Prabhupada emphasized those points, the first thing Prabhupada is saying is that the Lord is ever increasingly merciful upon the fallen souls of this material world. Prabhupada is emphasizing, just taking that point, “The Lord, who is supreme and is the oldest of all, is unlimitedly merciful.” He is unlimitedly merciful and Prabhupada is emphasizing that point by saying that the Lord is exceptionally merciful, increasingly merciful upon the fallen souls of this material world. There is no need to think that Krishna has forgotten us. There is no need to think that Krishna is not merciful upon us. There is no need to think that Krishna doesn’t care for us. Prabhupada is reminding us that Krishna is increasingly merciful, Krishna is exceedingly merciful, Krishna is inconceivably merciful to all the fallen souls.

In this respect there is a very nice anecdote in the Bible, the famous anecdote of the Prodigal’s Son. You see, Matthew was a tax collector and those days a tax collector was considered to be a very fallen person. He was collecting the tax for the Romans from the Jews. So naturally people were very antagonistic to him, and because he was a tax collector he was a wealthy person, he was indulging in all kinds of sinful activities and he was keeping bad association. One day Jesus went to Matthew’s house and everybody became very upset; why did Jesus go to Matthew’s house? Matthew was so fallen, so degraded. Then Jesus told him the story of the Prodigal’s Son. He said, “One son left the father and went away. So when the son came back, that prodigal’s son – who left the father and went away – when he came back the father was extremely merciful to him. He was very kind to him. He was very happy, “Oh my son, you have come back!” So then the other sons started to complain to the father that, “Father, why are you so merciful to him? He left you, he didn’t care for you, and we had been taking care of you for so long, we are with you and we are taking care of you, we have been so good to you and now you were never so kind to me.” So the father, “Isn’t it wonderful that he left and he came back? Isn’t that reason enough to rejoice? You all are with me, you’re very nice. You all have been very good to me and you are very nice boys. You are always with me, but he left and he came back.” So often this anecdote of the Prodigal’s Son is remembered in case of the living entities who have left the Supreme Personality of Godhead, suffering in this material nature.

So this actually shows how merciful Krishna is to the living entities or those who are conditioned in the material nature, the conditioned souls of this material nature. When they go back to Krishna, Krishna becomes exceedingly merciful to him. Krishna is waiting for these children to come back to Him, us! Krishna is waiting for us when will we come back to Him. So Krishna is increasingly merciful to the fallen souls and Krishna becomes very, very pleased when the living entity, the conditioned soul, turns towards Him because they left and now they are trying to come back. Like the son who left the father. How does the father feel about that son? The father feels extremely sad. The father cries for the son who left home.
Once, I remember, once a boy ran away from his house and the father and mother were so heartbroken and they were crying all the time. When the son was at home they were not crying, but when the son left, the father, the parents were crying. And when the son came back they both were so pleased. Often I remember that incident to think about how Krishna feels about the living entity, and I think how these parents were crying for the child, for the son who ran away from home. So that is, often I think, that that is how Krishna must be feeling about the living entities who left Him because He is the Supreme Father; how He must be feeling. And that is why Krishna becomes so pleased when we preach. In Bhagavad Gita Krishna said that those who preach the message of Bhagavad Gita, that is those who preach the message of the Supreme Personality, the message about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they are very dear to Him. Why they are very dear to Him? Because they are making an effort to bring those sons who left Him back to Him. They are trying to bring the prodigal sons back to the father. That’s why Krishna is so pleased with those who preach, those who make an effort to bring the children back home.

So Krishna is extremely merciful and especially Krishna becomes very pleased when we want to go back. And that’s why Krishna performs His pastimes. Krishna’s pastimes are actually showing that, “All that you are hankering for is available with Me, in a much better way, in a much greater way, everything that you are looking for. You think of protection? See how I give protection. For protection you are trying to make so many different kinds of arrangements: security system, police system, insurance policies.” We are trying to make all kind of arrangements to protect ourselves. Especially in the wealthy countries where the security is a problem, where there is a lot of violence, they make such elaborate arrangement for protection. Like, South Africa is one country where protection, security arrangement is inconceivable. Every house has an automatic door, automatic gate. When the car comes, the gates automatically open up. They have their number, security number, and the electronic device. Just as we have this device to start our air conditioner, they have the device. They press the button, the gate opens up. And every house has that. Why? Because there is a lot of insecurity. People are afraid that they will be robbed or they’ll be killed. People get killed also, many people get killed. Thousands of people have been murdered in that country. So people are afraid. They are afraid that they’ll be attacked and they’ll lose their life.

Now Krishna, through His pastimes, what He is showing? What is one of the most important features of Krishna’s Vrindavana pastimes? Demons and Krishna killing the demons, demons coming to harm Krishna and His devotees and Krishna is killing them. Krishna is in this way giving protection to the devotees. There so many demons come and the devotees’ life is in danger but Krishna is giving them protection. So through those pastimes what Krishna is showing? Through those pastimes what Krishna is showing? Krishna is showing that, “Don’t worry, I’ll give you protection. I’ll give you all the protection you need.”

Krishna’s friends, the cowherd boys, entered into the mouth of Aghasura. Innocently they just entered into the mouth of Aghasura, entered into his belly. And they were actually dead and Krishna was wondering now how to save them. Aghasura was waiting, “Only let Krishna enter and I’ll close my mouth and I’ll kill them all.” So then Krishna entered into Aghasura’s mouth and Krishna killed Aghasura. Aghasura thought he will swallow Krishna, he will close his mouth, but Krishna expanded Himself that Aghasura, who wanted to swallow Him, he found that Krishna got stuck in his mouth, in his throat. And then Krishna became like a ball of fire. Not only Krishna expanded Himself, but He became so hot that Aghasura tried to throw Him out of his mouth. But Aghasura couldn’t do that. He couldn’t get Krishna out of his mouth. Krishna got stuck in his mouth. So as a result of that what happened? Aghasura’s life was in danger, that is, his soul couldn’t stay in the body anymore and he wanted to come out of the body. But his mouth was locked. There was no way he could leave his body. So Aghasura then penetrated through his brahmarandhra: the only way that he could leave his body is through his brain centre. That is Krishna’s mercy. Who leaves his body through the brain centre? Siddha yogis. The siddha yogis leave their body through their brain centre and then they attain brahmajyoti. But here, by Krishna’s mercy, Aghasura came into a situation that he was forced to leave his body through his brain centre! [laughs] He achieves yoga siddhi just by Krishna’s mercy. So this is how Krishna, when a demon is killed by Krishna, achieves the ultimate perfection – siddhi. And Krishna’s friends were dead in the belly of Aghasura, so Krishna revived them, brought them out.

So many times Krishna saved His devotees.  So what does this indicate? That Krishna will give protection. You just take shelter of Krishna, Krishna will give protection. There is nothing to worry about. There is no need to have any doubt about it: Krishna WILL give protection. That is the faith Krishna wants the devotees to have, Krishna wants the living entities to have, that’s why Krishna enacts His pastimes. Otherwise what’s the use of Krishna’s pastimes? What is the use for Krishna to come and enact His pastimes? What is the use? Actually, for Krishna the material nature is a very dirty place. It’s worse than a toilet. [laughs] Now do you go to a toilet to enjoy? You go to the toilet, finish your business and come out as soon as possible. So why should Krishna come to this toilet to perform His pastimes? Krishna performs His pastimes so that the residents of the toilet get a chance to get out of this terrible place and go back to His spiritual abode. And that abode is the place of supreme joy, and Krishna shows what He is doing! What is the height of Krishna’s enjoyment? What is the epitome of Krishna’s enjoyment? The rasa dance. So Krishna is enacting the rasa dance. And what Krishna is telling through the rasa dance? “You also can come and participate in this dance. You also can come.” Or Krishna is having a feast with His cowherd boyfriends. Why Krishna is having the feast and all this fun in the forest of Vrindavana? Krishna is inviting, “You also can have this opportunity. You also can enjoy with Me, like these cowherd boys. You also can enjoy with Me like these gopis. The only thing is, don’t try to become Me! If you think that you’ll come to the spiritual sky and dance with MY gopis, that won’t work. [laughter] If you want to dance with My gopis then stay in the material nature and you go to the discotheque and dance with some toilet residents. But if you want to enjoy with Me, come here! If you want to enjoy with Me like the cowherd boys, the opportunity is there. If you want to enjoy with Me like My mother and father does, you can also have that opportunity. And if you want to enjoy with Me with the gopis, then also you can come and enjoy with Me as a gopi.” So Krishna will always remain Krishna – the Supreme Enjoyer. As Prabhupada pointed out the predominator, the predominator, dominator; He dominates, the Supreme Dominator. And what does He do as the dominator? He controls everything, everybody for His enjoyment, and we are predominated. We are dominated by Him for His enjoyment. He is the enjoyer and we are enjoyed. He is the master, we are the servants.

So that is a very simple thing to understand and when we act with that understanding we become qualified to go back to the spiritual sky. Not only that, when we act with that understanding then this material nature becomes the spiritual world. Then we can see how Krishna is actually enjoying through our actions. We are engaged now in whose actions? Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission, Krishna’s mission. And what is the mission? Spread the glory of the Lord. Spread Krishna consciousness all over the world and when we want to do that, Krishna makes all the facilities. “Come! Do it! Here are all the facilities. You need money? You’ll get all the money. You need manpower? You’ll get all the manpower. You get [want] facilities, you’ll get all the facilities.” So Krishna is inviting, “If you want to serve Me, you don’t have to worry about anything. I will provide with everything that you need.” And of course, you have to struggle also but that struggle is the fun. That struggle is the source of enjoyment. You struggle and you will see how you will enjoy, the enjoyment through the struggle. So that is the assurance that Krishna is giving to the living entities in this material nature.

So that is the thing; if we become engaged in Krishna’s service we don’t have to worry about anything, and Srila Prabhupada is the perfect example for that. Prabhupada is the perfect example for that. When he went to America he went without any resources, nothing, and what Srila Prabhupada did? Can you imagine? Like, to build one temple we have to make so much endeavor. To maintain one temple we have to make so much endeavor. Srila Prabhupada had more than a hundred temples build and maintained. How could it happen? That is how we can see Krishna’s mercy and Prabhupada himself used to say that, “Everything has been done by Krishna.” Prabhupada didn’t take any credit for himself. Although the whole world will be giving the credit to Srila Prabhupada, but Prabhupada himself didn’t want to take any credit. Prabhupada’s glory will keep on increasing with time. As the time passes the world will recognize Prabhupada’s glory. For thousands of years people will be singing the glory of Srila Prabhupada, for thousands of years to come, and the more the time passes, the more Prabhupada’s glory will expand. But Prabhupada himself did not take any credit. He said, “Krishna has done everything.” And that’s what happens. Krishna does everything but Krishna gives the credit to His devotee. Prabhupada used to say that also, “Krishna has done everything but He is giving me the credit.”  Krishna arranged the battle of Kurukshetra but He gave the credit to Arjuna. When we think of winning the battle of Kurukshetra what do we say? Do we say, “Krishna won the battle of Kurukshetra?” Does anybody say that, “Krishna won the battle of Kurukshetra?” No, everybody says, “Arjuna won. The Pandavas won the battle of Kurukshetra.” And we know, in the Pandavas Arjuna was the main hero. Arjuna was the supreme hero of the battle of Kurukshetra, by whose arrangement? Krishna did it. Why? Because Arjuna is a devotee of Krishna.

So similarly, when we try to spread the glory of Krishna, Krishna will give all the facility. Does Krishna lack anything? No, He is the Supreme Proprietor. He is the Supreme Controller, but in the material nature we forget that. We forget that Krishna is the Supreme Controller. Either we think that we are the Supreme Controller and when we realize that we are not the Supreme Controller we try to find some material personality who seems to be the Supreme Controller. Like, why people want to take a job? Because they know that they can’t maintain themselves so they want to look up to somebody. “Oh, he will maintain me.” So they are preparing themselves all their early years, throughout their early years, study so hard, get an occupation so that they can get a job. But who will give the job? Some ordinary, mundane person who himself is a beggar. Either he is a beggar or he is a thief. So we are taking shelter of some thieves for our maintenance. We are telling the thief [translated from Hindi], “Sir, please be so kind to give me a job?” We don’t hesitate to become the servant of a thief but we don’t want to become the servant of the Supreme Proprietor. What is the problem? Because we cannot see Krishna. We are not intelligent enough to see Krishna. Seeing is not always through the eyes: the higher seeing is done through intelligence. We can see Krishna! Like, people are concerned here now, there is water shortage and they are thinking of so many different arrangements, “Oh, we have to get water this way, we have to get water that way.” But we are not thinking that how Krishna is supplying the water already. Like Krishna is making a huge arrangement for evaporating water from the ocean. Krishna put the sun there and said that, “You give out heat so that the water will boil and the water will evaporate.” Water evaporates from the ocean and evaporates means it becomes vapor. Water vaporizes, becomes vapor and as becoming vapor it goes up in the sky. It goes up and becomes cloud. Then the cloud is transported. The cloud floats with the wind to different places. And then the clouds come there and then they condense. The vapor now becomes water again, water drops. So when it becomes water drops then it cannot stay in the sky. It comes down, it falls. Then it falls as raindrops. Now, who made these arrangements? Krishna made the arrangements but we don’t see that. We are not intelligent enough to recognize that. We are not intelligent enough to recognize that.

So in this way we can so often, in so many ways we can see Krishna, but not with eyes, with our intelligence. So higher perception is not through the eyes, not through the mind but through intelligence. And we have to see Krishna through our intelligence. There are so many ways we can see Krishna. We make some poems like, who made this building? Somebody made this building. Who made all the other buildings here? Who made the car? Who made this, who made the watch? Who made the glass? Somebody must have made it. Who made this universe? Who made this universe? At least through intelligence we can understand that somebody made it. That is intelligence. I may not see him but I know that somebody, I may not have seen who built the house next door, but we know somebody must have built the house. So this is how through our intelligence we can see. So this is how we have to see with our intelligence. There is a Supreme Creator and if we want to have the information about the Supreme Creator, if we want to find out who the Supreme Creator is, information about Him is there in the scriptures. So approach the scriptures and study under the guidance of a qualified teacher. So that is the intelligence. So that is how we have to see Krishna through our intelligence. And the more we see Him, the more we will be able to recognize His wonderful qualities, how inconceivable Krishna’s power is, Krishna’s qualities are! How inconceivable Krishna is! And then we can also recognize, through our intelligence, how merciful He must be to make all these arrangements for us! For whom did He make all these arrangements? Not for Himself. He doesn’t need any of these things. It is for us that He is making all these arrangements. So let us just depend upon Him. Let us reciprocate His mercy. Let’s reciprocate His love and that is Krishna consciousness. That is what Krishna consciousness is: just to reciprocate Krishna’s love. He loves us, now let us love Him! He loves us. It’s not that we love Him. He already loves us. We simply have to reciprocate that love. Then the love will be complete. And who is more excited in that love affair? The lover is more excited when he gets the reciprocation.

Thank you very much! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! Gaura Premanande Hari Haribol!

[To Be Continued]