Hare Krsna
Please accept my humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada
Told By mother Govinda dasi :
In the late afternoon in New Jersey, Srila Prabhupada would often sit downstairs in the garden beside our bungalow. New Jersey is known as the garden state, and the town of Long Branch was certainly testimony to that. There were gardens everywhere, roses were blooming and their fragrance filled the air. On one particular afternoon, Srila Prabhupada was comfortably seated in a chair, and I was sitting on the ground beside him. He was softly chanting japa, enjoying the fresh ocean air, mixed with the fragrance of roses and other flowers. Occasionally he would say something but mostly he would chant softly. Suddenly beside my sitting place I saw a large brown slug in all its slimy ugliness. Somewhat repulsed I leaned away from the creature. Srila Prabhupada looked at me quizzically and I said: "Ugh, look at this", pointing to the slimy, sliding creature. Srila Prabhupada leaned forward and looked at the slug, his face grew full of love and compassion, and he said to me: "Chant to the poor creature", and so I sat there, chanting Hare Krsna to the slimy, yet benedicted slug for some time until he slithered away. He had incredible compassion even for the most abominable creature. Srila Prabhupada, I can never forget the sound of your voice when you gave me that instruction. In it, your whole mission was encapsulated. "Chant to the poor creature."
So if this is how Srila Prabhupada cared for a slug; how much more compassion he has for humans and how much more for devotees!
Even an infinitesimal understanding of this should be enough for any person to spread KC and educate the whole world .
Activity Questions
Q1. What does compassion even for the most abominable creature mean?
Srila Prabhupada saw every living entity as part and parcel of krsna irrespective of the kind of body the living entity was in.
Q2. How does Krsna show us His care?
He comes along with us as Paramatma
2a). Is that all He does to show He cares?
He comes externally too to care for us like the king visits the criminals in prison to extol them to work towards freedom...or sends his innumerable representatives amongst various other innumerable and inconceivable ways.
For example:
Krsna fulfilfs some of our desires through His management. The post occupied by the helpers as managers are those who are called demigods/through souls/through devotee. Our Iskcon Society is an example.
Emotional Support by providing us with a family/Iskcon Family/Group Family
Social support by establishing a system of Varnas to filter souls/ Levels of devotees(Levels of devotees in spiritual platform means Kanista Madhyama and Uttama)
Mental Support by giving relationships Grades of Devotees (Grades of devotees in spiritual platform means Santa, dasya, Sakhya, vatsalya Madhurya...)
{In material relatonships the internal support is given by Mother and external support is given by father. In similar vein as the external guidance given by Brahmanas/Vaisnavas/Guru/Acharya and internal guidance given by Sastras [our mother] and through the Achar of the Lord as Rama, Sadhu, Acharya & Guru)
Physical support through Occupation/Asramas/ Serving for devotees - Nama seva, Vaisnava seva, Vigraha seva, Jiva seva
Internal Spiritual Support as Parmata and external Spiritual support as Bhagavan/ Guiding Principle as Guru (King), Acharya (emperor) Personal guidance by Krsna Himself when required.
Krsna is the all pervading. He is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent. He fulfils all our desires by facilitating it through all His energies
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