Wednesday 28 March 2012

Supreme Lord's Love for His Pure Devotees

Srimad Bhagavatam 9.4.68
The Lord said: The devotees are always in my heart, and I am always in the hearts of the devotees. The devotee does not know anything beyond me, and I also cannot forget the devotee. There is a very intimate relationship between the pure devotees and me. Pure devotees in full knowledge are never out of spiritual touch, and therefore they are very much dear to me.





Purport: Since Durvasa Muni wanted to chastise Maharaja Ambarisa, it is to be understood that he wanted to give pain to the heart of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for the Lord says, sadhavo hrdayam mahyam: "The pure devotee is always within the core of My heart." The Lord's feelings are like those of a father, who feels pain when his child is in pain. Therefore, offenses at the lotus feet of a devotee are serious. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has very strongly recommended that one not commit any offense at the lotus feet of a devotee. Such offenses are compared to a mad elephant because when a mad elephant enters a garden it causes devastation. Therefore one should be extremely careful not to commit offenses at the lotus feet of a pure devotee. Actually Maharaja Ambarisa was not at all at fault; Durvasa Muni unnecessarily wanted to chastise him on flimsy grounds. Maharaja Ambarisa wanted to complete the Ekadasi-parana as part of devotional service to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore he drank a little water. But although Durvasa Muni was a great mystic brahmana, he did not know what is what. That is the difference between a pure devotee and a so-called learned scholar of Vedic knowledge. The devotees, being always situated in the core of the Lord's heart, surely get all instructions directly from the Lord, as confirmed by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gita (10.11):
tesam evanukampartham
aham ajnana-jam tamah
nasayamy atma-bhavastho
jnana-dipena bhasvata
"Out of compassion for them, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance." The devotee does not do anything not sanctioned by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As it is said, vaisnavera kriya mudra vijneha na bujhaya [Caitanya caritamrta. Madhya 23.39]. Even the most learned or experienced person cannot understand the movements of a Vaisnava, a pure devotee. No one, therefore, should criticize a pure Vaisnava. A Vaisnava knows his own business; whatever he does is precisely right because he is always guided by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur's comments:
One of them offers worship and the other one accepts it. The Lord allows the subordinate to serve him. The mood of servant and master makes the Lord's pastimes complete. "I will enjoy the Lord as my order supplier." This is the mentality of unfortunate materialistic people. Karmis and jnanis are sense enjoyers. They have a strong tendency to enjoy and they are not interested in the Lord's enjoyment. "Let the Lord serve us so that we become the master." This attitude is ridiculous. By speaking the above verse, the Supreme Lord has refuted this attitude. The devotees always serve the Lord. They do not waste their time serving dogs, cows, elephants, horses, and so on. If we act in a way that will simply help us in our enjoyment, then we become disinterested in Krishna's service.

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