bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaḿ vipākam
hṛd-vāg-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te
jīveta yo mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk
TRANSLATION
My dear Lord, one who earnestly waits for You to bestow Your causeless
mercy upon him, all the while patiently suffering the reactions of his
past misdeeds and offering You respectful obeisances with his heart,
words and body, is surely eligible for liberation, for it has become
his rightful claim.
PURPORT
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī explains in his commentary that just as a
legitimate son has to simply remain alive to gain an inheritance from
his father, one who simply remains alive in Kṛṣṇa consciousness,
following the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga, automatically
becomes eligible to receive the mercy of the Personality of Godhead.
In other words, he will be promoted to the kingdom of God.
The word su-samīkṣamāṇa indicates that a devotee earnestly awaits
the mercy of the Supreme Lord even while suffering the painful effects
of previous sinful activities. Lord Kṛṣṇa explains in the
Bhagavad-gītā that a devotee who fully surrenders unto Him is no
longer liable to suffer the reactions of his previous karma. However,
because in his mind a devotee may still maintain the remnants of his
previous sinful mentality, the Lord removes the last vestiges of the
enjoying spirit by giving His devotee punishments that may sometimes
resemble sinful reactions. The purpose of the entire creation of God
is to rectify the living entity's tendency to enjoy without the Lord,
and therefore the particular punishment given for a sinful activity is
specifically designed to curtail the mentality that produced the
activity. Although a devotee has surrendered to the Lord's devotional
service, until he is completely perfect in Kṛṣṇa consciousness he
may maintain a slight inclination to enjoy the false happiness of this
world. The Lord therefore creates a particular situation to eradicate
this remaining enjoying spirit. This unhappiness suffered by a sincere
devotee is not technically a karmic reaction; it is rather the Lord's
special mercy for inducing His devotee to completely let go of the
material world and return home, back to Godhead.
A sincere devotee earnestly desires to go back to the Lord's abode.
Therefore he willingly accepts the Lord's merciful punishment and
continues offering respects and obeisances to the Lord with his heart,
words and body. Such a bona fide servant of the Lord, considering all
hardship a small price to pay for gaining the personal association of
the Lord, certainly becomes a legitimate son of God, as indicated here
by the words dāya-bhāk. Just as one cannot approach the sun without
becoming fire, one cannot approach the supreme pure, Lord Kṛṣṇa,
without undergoing a rigid purificatory process, which may appear like
suffering but which is in fact a curative treatment administered by
the personal hand of the Lord.
SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM 10.14.8
Comments
A small price to pay for eternal bliss!