"If Krsna's love is truly unconditional, then why would He want me to be perfect? If perfection is a requirement for His love, doesn't that contradict the very idea of unconditional love, which should accept me as I am, flaws and all?"
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Hare Krishna,
Yes He is accepting you with all flaws. Isn't it?
You are faulty always every second you are doing bad karma. Even when you breathe in and out sitting quiet you are killing so many bacterial and viruses without your knowledge stepping on so many ants and insects. Every action that you are doing is faulty. Yet HE is so kind to you ..
He is providing you food, shelter and air to breathe and sunlight. If He starts to make a list of all you bad qualities and activites the list is ever ending. But Lord is very kind to all beings.
He says- sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śharaṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣhayiṣhyāmi mā śhuchaḥ ( 18.66)
Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.
how much love He has see.
He is saying simply surrender to me. I will deliver you from all sins and flaws.
What else is the proof for his selfless unconditional love?
Can you show this much in return back ?
Can you love unconditionally?
He is accepting you will all flaws and all sins but just saying just to Surrender to HIM-- simple.
Apna remote uske haath mein dedo. Unless you surrender He cannot accept your sins and flaws.
So first Surrender then He will unconditionally accept you.
KRISHNA's Love for all beings is ALWAYS UNCONDTIONAL.
But love is always two sided. If one sided then this unconditional nature of HIS love is not understood at all by the Jivas ( us).
Krishna Love is by default Unconditional. He loves everyone equally ( suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ) means He is benefactor and well wisher for all living entities as well as ( sama-darśinaḥ) sees everyone equally with equal vision.
What matters here is our reciprocation.
Krishna is feeding animals, plants, us and insects all get the same sunlight same air to breathe same water to drink. If rain falls it falls on all. If sunlights shines it shines on all equally. BUT HOW you are receiving is important to consider.
Plants and insects or stones do they show reciprocation can they show love back to Krishna? Can they reciprociate? Not possible.
But humans can reciprocate and show love back to Krishna isn't it???????
But many of us are not reciprocating Krishna's love properly.
Well yeah.. some of us behave like a STONE. Some of us show minimal reciprocation sometimes more sometimes least.
Ofcourse Krishna's love is plenty and we give back a handful but that also we cannot everytime.
Even than He accepts you.
For example lets say-- There is this wealthy person who is giving away money ...he has plenty of money his stock of money never exhausting and keeps giving giving giving and you are in recieving position always accepting accepting accepting and show no gratitute and you are not thankful .. nothing you return back. because we are lacking we don't have anything to give back. But someday you must also realize atleast a small thank note to the wealthy man. ( well he requires nothing as he is full) but you show some kind words. .. atleast can make the Wealthy man feel nice ..
the poor man wrote a letter to the wealthy man praising his generosity and said I want to serve you. I can give nothing much in return to you generous donation but I want to show my gratitute by being in your service. If you want any help or any work to be done even if it is small service like cleaning your home or driving you across the town or running errands. please call me sir. I want to serve you. Now the Rich man read this letter and felt very happy that someone has reciprocate his service. Even though the person is not even worthy to be chatted with also. The wealthy man called the poor man and gave him a job of his PA ( personal assistant) and as a personal assistant now the poor man gets all that the wealthy man has as he follows the wealthy man where ever he goes and gets all the recognistion.
Thats how Krishna's love is unconditional always but how you reciprocate matters the most.
You are no doubt with lots of faults. Every step you do is full of faults.
but still His mercy and grace is so infinte as ocean >> IT IS CAUSELESS MERCY.
IF Krishna feels you are knowing that you are full of FAULTS AND YET YOU Still recogonise Him and fully surrender HE WILL MAKE SURE THAT YOU BECOME PERFECTED AND BECOME WORHTY TO BE CALLED HIS PA ( PERSONAL ASSISTANT)
Look at SUDHAMA?
Sudhama was in rags had nothing to eat ..SUDHAMA did one mistake when he was studying with Krishna at Sandipani Ashrama. WITHOUT giving food to Krishna he ate it. For that flaw he suffered whole time poverty but when he got Krishna a small pouch of parched rice to Krishna to shower his love .. Krishna accepted his small offering also. Even though a King of DWARAKA He didn't even feel offended with that small offering and gave Sudhama everything in return. LORD made Sudhama perfected removed all flaws.
When you become humble and understand Krishna is the one who is supporting you since time immemorial and He is the one who our well wisher a best friend. And you offer your small service ( though small) Krishna accepts you with all ur faults and make YOU BEST AMONG THE BEST DEVOTEES and just like the wealthy person got very much pleased by the poor man's offering and accepted him and made him worthy by giving him PA ( personal assistant position) Krishna will make sure that you are perfected.
Hare Krishna
Hare Krsna. Every line you’ve written is a mirror, showing me both my endless flaws and Krishna’s boundless, causeless mercy. His love is unconditional, yet He longs for our tiny, trembling steps toward him. Your message is my wake-up call: to surrender, to serve, to whisper thank you with every breath. May Krishna bless you endlessly for guiding me (and so many others) back to His feet. Hari Hari.
Hare Krsna
Krsna's love is unconditional or conditional?
Krsna is impartial
samo ’haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu
na me dveṣyo ’sti na priyaḥ
I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. (BG9.29)
Krsna is reciprocal.
ye yathā māṁ prapadyante
tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham
As all surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly. (BG 4.11)
Sri Krsna is not conditioned by any material conditionings and he above all conditionings & conditions.
If perfection is a requirement for His love, doesn't that contradict
Sri Krsna has no demands from non-devotees. There are almost unlimited plants , animals, birds etc in this one universe, who have no practical way to love Sri Krsna. Yet Sri Krsna provides them food, water, protection etc. That can also be considered as Sri Krsna's compassion.
the very idea of unconditional love, which should accept me as I am, flaws and all?"
Sri Krsna has accepted living beings who want to be away from Sri Krsna and has created this material world for them, further Sri Krsna has given them material bodies through which they can enjoy independent of Him. Sri Krsna has also provided means for humans if they want to get back to Him. This is complete acceptance of living beings by Sri Krsna.
Hare Krsna
Hare Krsna. Thank you for this profound discussion. Hari Hari.
Your thinking that material love can be turned into bhakti. ?