Question: What is the meaning of mercy? Srila Guru Maharaja: If someone gives you something, which they are not obliged to do that, it is called mercy. If you make a business deal with some merchant that ‘I will work for you and you pay me Rs1000 a month’ and he pays you Rs1000 and that is the market rate for the job, then that is not a question of mercy, it is fair market. If he doesn’t need any employee and he says ‘Alright, you just stay here and I will give you money’, then you can say that he is merciful. That means that it is some kindness that he is doing something that is not necessary to be done. He is doing it because of some sentiment, some kindness on his part to help another. So in Krsna’s case, He gives His mercy. That means that He is not obliged to do so. There is nothing that we can do to actually get from Him some particular benediction; we are obliged to do that. That is why sometimes we say that when the Lord gives a devotee some material benediction, they say it is not merciful. Some pure devotee might out of his deep love, he may also even criticize that. To give a devotee some material thing, that is not mercy. That material thing is not so valuable. But if they can get pure bhakti, that is real mercy. But these are internal type of sentiments. Basically mercy means they are giving something more than what they need to give. Out of their own kindness, out of their own very broad heart, they are giving. Just like Vasudeva Datta. He prayed that all living entities in the universe, ‘Let them be delivered to Krsna, let me take their karma’. Not that those living entities did anything for Vasudeva Datta. Why is he telling that ‘Let me take their karma’? Everybody is hungry to get rid of karmas and he is saying ‘Give me their karma. Let them go back to Krsna’. Because that was his mercy. That was his very kind mood that he thought that ‘Somehow I tasted the nectar of Krsna’s seva, Krsna’s service and these people they are all bahir-mukhas. They are just absorbed in material suffering and enjoyment, missing out in the real happiness. Once I already experienced even for a second the happiness of Krsna, now my life is already fulfilled. Why should I, one person just be happy and others suffer? Better let me suffer and let them all go back to Krsna. Let me take their karma and let them go back. Then I can just suffer. For one person, if I suffer what is the harm? I am just insignificant if so many can be saved.’ This type of mentality, this sacrifice, wanting to help others, this is the nature of a devotee. There is no cause for that. They will be called fools. Many times if a person becomes a devotee and starts to preach and distribute books and starts to do devotional service, their family members will come and say ‘What are you doing? What is your use? You could be enjoying, who could be having good times, you be just enjoying in the world in so many ways. What are you doing giving up all this fun? You could be going to cinema, you could be dancing and like this doing so many things.’ They think that you are missing the good time of your life. But like Govinda Dasa prayed: ‘bhajahu re mana sri-nanda-nandana abhaya-caranaravinda re… e dhana, yaubana, putra, parijana ithe ki ache paratiti re kamala-dala-jala, jivana ṭalamala bhajahu hari-pada niti re ‘ What this ‘e dhana’ this wealth, ‘yaubana’ so called youth, ‘putra’ children, ‘parijana’ relatives, ‘ithe ki ache paratiti re’ what is the eternal spiritual value of all these things? ‘Kamala-dala-jala…’ life is just flickering like a drop of water on a lotus leaf. In one second everything is just topsy-turvy. In one second everything can be destroyed. Better that we give our mind and our thought s and our actions, words in the service of Hari. ‘Bhajahu hari-pada niti re’, this should be our daily activity. Let us only take this as our goal just to serve His lotus feet. Then we are fearless, and then we can have the perfection of life. Otherwise what is the value? (to be continued..) HH Jayapataka Swami Srila Guru Maharaja 20 July 1984, Madras, India
Posted on: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 02:31:51 +0000
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