Reflections On the Kindness of Bhagavan

“Besides this inferior nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is a superior energy of Mine, which are all living entities who are struggling with material nature and are sustaining the universe.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.5)

Download this episode (right click and save)

अपरेयम् इतस् त्व् अन्यां
प्रकृतिं विद्धि मे पराम्
जीव-भूतां महा-बाहो
ययेदं धार्यते जगत्

apareyam itas tv anyāṁ
prakṛtiṁ viddhi me parām
jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho
yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat

There is nothing I can do for Him. Literally, He has everything. He is known as Bhagavan, which His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada translates as, “Supreme Personality of Godhead.” There are many personalities in the universe. The Sanskrit word is purusha. This has several meanings. Purusha is a person, to distinguish from an energy. Purusha also indicates a human entity, depending on the context that is used.

Purusha is also the enjoyer. The corresponding term in this context is prakriti, or that which is enjoyed. Prakriti is one of Bhagavan’s energies. In the understanding as purusha, Bhagavan is the greatest person. Another name for Him is Purushottama. He is the topmost person.

Bhagavan is also the best enjoyer. Everyone else by comparison is prakriti. Though at the local level we are purusha, as we dominate and enjoy the material energy, in the grand scheme we are prakriti. We are meant to be enjoyed by the greatest enjoyer.

From the beautiful paintings depicting the pastimes in the forest of Vraja, we see that the Supreme Lord already has a sufficient number of companions. He enjoys with each one individually. He can accomplish this since He is unlimited. He simply expands Himself so that each damsel of Vrajabhumi experiences the interaction in a personal way.

Bhagavan expands in the unlimited sense through the feature of Paramatma. He is inside the heart of every living being. Though we have fallen to this land of birth and death, the material world, all hope is not lost. We have our greatest well-wisher close by. He is as much available to me as He is to everyone else.

To such a person, what can I really offer? I am nothing. It is like the person lowest on the organizational chart. The leader of the company takes a stroll through the corporate offices. He wants to see how the operation is going, if everyone is providing high quality service and working as hard as they should.

The employees want to make a good impression. The leader is under no such obligation. There really is nothing anyone can do for him. He has no reason to flatter anyone; they are in the subordinate position.

We are in a similar position when compared to the Supreme Lord. Though I cannot do anything for Him, He is kind enough to always be by my side. He treats me with the utmost kindness, though I tend to forget Him. Sometimes, He is the target of my wrath due to frustration.

समो ऽहं सर्व-भूतेषु
न मे द्वेष्यो ऽस्ति न प्रियः
ये भजन्ति तु मां भक्त्या
मयि ते तेषु चाप्य् अहम्

samo ‘haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu
na me dveṣyo ‘sti na priyaḥ
ye bhajanti tu māṁ bhaktyā
mayi te teṣu cāpy aham

“I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.29)

Shastra supports this idea of endless compassion. In the avatara of Shri Rama, Bhagavan makes friends with lowly forest dwellers. They barely qualify as civilized beings, and the mighty Rama still accepts service from them. He does not view them with contempt. He does not think they have been cursed by the laws of nature to take birth in inauspicious forms.

Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu accurately and fearlessly declares an illiterate brahmana to be an expert on Bhagavad-gita. Though the person cannot even read, they have the proper vision through physical contact with the pages of that sacred text. They see Shri Krishna as the charioteer to the bow-warrior Arjuna. They are so moved by the compassionate nature of this relationship that they can never forget.

Though I have no qualifications, somehow the words of the acharya have descended to me. They have rescued me from the darkness of ignorance, lighting the way through proper association, the renunciation of anartha behaviors, and the gathering of numerical strength through the routine of chanting the holy names: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

With such kindness and compassion shown to this most unworthy soul, I have no choice but to continue. If not for the hope of liberation at the end of life, then at least to repay the favor. I will try to help others in the same way, to guide them out of this world of misery and despair. The world of transcendence is without limits in emotion and ecstasy, as the self-effulgent Bhagavan is the proprietor.

In Closing:

So much already gave,
This unworthy soul to save.

Who previously in despair,
Of proper goal unaware.

To him shining the light,
Of eternal future bright.

So now with Bhagavan to stay,
Those before showing the way.