I have been wondering about faith, and I would appreciate it if someone could please tell me, why does Krishna want our surrender? Why does he want humans to bow down to him? I hear that this worship leases Krishna, but why? Why did he create worshipers? I am not trying to be disrespectful, I sincerely just want to know.
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Hare KRsna Prabhuji,
PAMHO.
It is the constitutional position for jiva to be subservient to the almighty. It is our desire to be independent of the lord that landed us in the material world (jail) in the first place. Unless we rectify our desire to enjoy independent of the lord, how can we attain our true nature?
WHen we try to establish relationship with anyone in the material world, it is reciprocal, right? If the person is interested in us or shows interest in our interests. we are naturally inclined to such persons thinking we have a connect with this person, we are able to relate to this person. In the spiritual world, the relationship is of servitude mised with any of the primary rasas of Shanta, Dasya, Sakhya, Vatsalya and Madhurya. In all of these rasas, there is an element of servitude.
So if we consciously try to cultivate this attitude of service towards the lord, we are able to re establish the lost relation we have with Him. Then we can purify further and arrive at any of the 5 rasas mentioned above.
Haribol,
YOur servant,
Radha Rasamayi DD
Hare Krsna
Why does Krishna want our surrender ?
Lord Sri Krsna is not in need of anyone's surrender. The Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna is complete in bliss. Kunti devi in Srimad Bhagavatam addresses Sri Krsna as
ātmārāmāya śāntāya (SB 1.8.27). It means that Sri Krsna is blissful in Himself and is self-satisfied. There is nothing lacking for Sri Krsna.
Why does he want humans to bow down to him?
There are 2 aspects to consider for living entities in material world. One is eternal constitutional disposition of the soul with Sri Krsna. Another is the conditional disposition of living entity with respect to material world.
Constitutional relationship - Constitutionally all living beings are spiritual souls or atma which have an eternal relationship with Sri Krsna of love. Sri Krsna is source of everything and everyone. Spirit soul is eternal and relationship of living entity and Sri Krsna is also eternal. But living entity in material world have forgotten their relationship with Sri Krsna. So living being has been given a material body in material world. Living beings epecially human beings have a chance to revive their eternal spiritual loving relationship with Sri Krsna. The process to revive our eternal relationship of love with Sri Krsna is called yoga. Among all types of yoga Bhakti yoga is the topmost and quickest. Essence of bhakti yoga is that we living entities express our interest in serving Sri Krsna out of love. So wherever Sri Krsna mentions worship Me, it is mostly in response to questions by Arjuna of how can we long lost living beings re-connect to Sri Krsna.
Conditional relationship - Having forgotten our true identities , we have material desires (to enjoy spearate from Sri Krsna), we have been granted material bodies. Sri Krsna has created material world (like a prison house) where we can try and fulfill our material desires. But living being cannot enjoy alone. Living being needs a lot of other things to enjoy like Sun, land, food, air, water, etc. All these are provided by Sri Krsna through material energy. But nothing is free. Living entities have to cooperate with nature and each other to get these benefits from nature. For other living entities they have no choice but to cooperate with nature. But humans have to deliberately cooperate with nature. This cooperation is in the form of sacrifice or expressing gratitude to the natural arrangement that has been provided to humans. This expression of gratitude is a form of worship to demigods which eventually is to Sri Krsna. But those who worship Sri Krsna directly need not worship demigods like Sun, moon, fire, water etc.
If some human only takes from nature but does not give anything back, then he will incurr debt. However there are also people who understand this natural arrangement and do not want to accept anything to satisfy their material desire, such people minimize their needs and practice astanga yoga or hatha yoga which is also a form of yoga or worship of God. So some form of worship/dependence of god direct or indirect is required for living entity. This again is for the interest of living entity and not for Sri Krsna.
What happens if some does not cooperate with natural arrangement and does not do any form of worship ?
If a person is not grateful for anything provided by material world and still wants to enjoy material world, then they will not get human birth. They will either get birth of plants or animals or if they have lower tendencies they will get birth in lower planets. The previleges of human life like - speech, movement, intelligence, hands for performing activities will not longer be provided. Plants and animals have almost no choice. They are not expected to do farming or mining or construction etc. They are forced to participate in the cycle of nature like food cycle etc. Humans who do not give back anything to nature will get lower births.
To summarize, humans can worship Sri Krsna to revive their eternal loving relationship with Sri Krsna. Other option they can worship Sri Krsna directly or worship Sri Krsna indirectly by worshiping demigods out of gratitude for making natural arrangements for human enjoyment.
I hear that this worship pleases Krishna
Actually only pure love pleases Sri Krsna. Duryodhana invited Sri Krsna, to his palace in Hastinapur. Duryodhana made elaborate arrangements of everything that is to Krsna's liking. It was thought that Krsna likes butter, sweets, music, dancing girls etc. So Duryodhana make the best arrangements for all these things. But Sri Krsna did NOT accept Duryodhana's invitation. Because Sri Krsna knew that Duryodhana has no love for Him. On the other hand one minister of Duryodhana - Vidura invited Krsna. Krsna accepted Vidura's invitation. When Krsna went He was received by Vidura's wife. She was crying tears of ecstacy overwhelmed with gratitude by the presence of Sri Krsna in her house. She was so ecstatic that while serving bananas to Sri Krsna, she removed the skin and served banana skin to Krsna and threw away the fruit. Sri Krsna was so pleased with her service attitude that Krsna was eating the banana skin and enjoying it. This went on for a while till Vidura entered the house and stopped his wife. But Krsna never complained. Because Sri Krsna was tasting the love of His devotees. Whatever we or anyone offers to Krsna is just a means of expression. Krsna is after only the love of His devotees. Only pure love please Krsna.
Why ?
That is the nature of relationship. If a little girl makes an unprofessional drawing of her mother and father, the parents will still love it. The colors, pencils, eraser, paper everything was provided by the parents. So whatever the girl gives them is nothing unobtainable for the parents. But the parents are filled with emotion. Because they understand that the drawing made by their child is an expression of love. This love touches the parents. Same is with us and Sri Krsna. There is nothing that we can offer to Krsna because is the lord of the whole world. But Sri Krsna says
patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ
yo me bhaktyā prayacchati
tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam
aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ
If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I will accept it. ( BG 9.26)
Why did he create worshipers?
Sri Krsna is not a tyrant King who forces all citizens to pay tributes to Him. Sri Krsna is equal to all. Whether a person worships Sri Krsna or not, She Krsna still will provide whatever the living entitiy needs to live.
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. ( BG 9.29)
Plants and animals are not worshipping Krsna, still Krsna created them. Sri Krsna is perfectly fine with someone not worshipping Him as long as they do not harm others. If someone can survive on fruits that have fallen on ground, water and air then Sri Krsna or material nature will not have any problems with them. But that is not possible. Humans means they need to eat. And eating means harming other lving beings. And this means they will get entangled in material nature and karma. This means they need to be grateful to what they are accepting.
Hare Krsna