How is it possible for a devotee to love everyone including sinners?
A male devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Anna. You always say love all. Most of my classmates are jealous. My father was cheated in business by his partner. How can we love these people?”
REPLY:
Nice question.
It is possible and necessary for a devotee to love everyone including sinners.
A matured devotee of Krishna, ie, a Vaishnava never hates anyone.
He sees a brahmana, a dog and even a dog eater with mercy. Because, he knows that Krishna resides in those dogs and even dog eaters.
(Who is called Krishna Conscious? Is it possible for sinners? How? READ HERE!)
You may ask: How can Krishna stay in a sinner’s heart?
Krishna is just waiting eagerly, when this person will think of Him. But, this sinner is involving in sinful acts again and again. So, Krishna feels for that sinner. Still He is waiting for his change of consciousness, birth after birth.
He is mercifully waiting to uplift him even if that sinner puts a small step towards accepting Krishna. But, the sinner forgets Him, as he is very much attached to the enjoyments and engaged in solving his unending problems.
Whatever we desire materially, Krishna through His representative maya shows the ways and means to achieve it.
Maya shows a house even for a thief to steal.
She shows a house whose resident has stolen others’ goods in his past births. Thus, Krishna allows this thief to add new karma and the lost person to clear his past karma.
The cheating partner was sent to teach your father lesson to be careful and to clear the karma of his cheating his partner in his previous birth.
The more and more jealous people around us make us matured and not to be jealous with others by teaching lessons thru their cheating. They are our practical teachers assigned by Krishna’s karma network.
(BEST TIPS TO THE DEVOTEES FOR GETTING LOVED BY KRISHNA! READ HERE!)
Thus, even pretenders and cheaters are necessary in a society to make others clear their previous karma.
But, when we get the real knowledge that material happiness is temporary and binding, we will turn to self realization. Once self realization starts, then, automatically God realization also starts.
As we realize our real position AS ATHMA, AND ALL THE LIVING BEINGS AS THE PART AND PARCELS OF KRISHNA and KRISHNA LIVES IN ALL OF THEM, THEN THE BODILY DISCRIMINATION STOPS.
IF WE STILL CONTINUE THE BODILY DISCRIMINATION, THAT MEANS, WE HAVE NOT YET ATTAINED PERFECTION IN SELF AND GOD REALIZATION.
When we insult an animal, we insult Krishna also. When we insult a person who is working under us in our home or office, that means, we are insulting Krishna also.
When we disrespect the devotees of Karthikeya, Ganesha, Shiva, and other religions, that means, we are actually disrespecting their creator and the source Krishna.
(How to love Krishna? READ HERE.)
So, a true devotee of Krishna never insults anyone and anything.
IF ANY PERSON HAS PARTIALITY AND SELECTIVE APPROACH IN LOVING OTHERS, AND IF HE HAS HATRED FOR ANYONE, HE CAN’T “TRULY” LOVE KRISHNA.
He may say outside that he loves Krishna much and some people may believe that. But, Krishna knows how His real devotee will behave.
So, Krishna will take some period or give another birth to correct that devotee to love everyone and everything.
Finally, Krishna makes everyone to attain perfection. It will happen either in this birth itself or in a few births depending on our present level of contamination.
Love all the creations of Krishna. Then only, Krishna will get pleased with your love towards Him.
(Why should we love materialistic family members also? READ HERE.)
NOTE:
Loving all does not need having close rapport or interaction with him. Don’t see anyone with hatred. That’s all. If anyone seeks your help, if you can do and if he seems to be a needy person, help him without seeing his caste, religion, sect, etc. But, help for needy person. You need not marry and live with a criminal when you know that he is a criminal. But, you can just see him mercifully. That is enough.
WHAT THE SCRIPTURES SAY?
Srimad Bhagavatham 11.2.45:
Sri Havir said: The most advanced devotee sees within everything the soul of all souls, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna. Consequently he sees everything in relation to the Supreme Lord and understands that everything that exists is eternally situated within the Lord.
(Why should we love Krishna If He does not need pleasure from outside? READ HERE!)
Srimad Bhagavatham 11.2.46:
Sri Havir said: An intermediate or second-class devotee, called madhyama-adhikari, offers his love to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is a sincere friend to all the devotees of the Lord, shows mercy to ignorant people who are innocent and disregards those who are envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Srimad Bhagavatham 11.2.47:
Sri Havir said: A devotee who faithfully engages in the worship of the Deity in the temple but does not behave properly toward other devotees or people in general is called a prakrta-bhakta, a materialistic devotee, and is considered to be in the lowest position.
Srimad Bhagavatham 4.8.34:
Every man should act like this: when he meets a person more qualified than himself, he should be very pleased; when he meets someone less qualified than himself, he should be compassionate toward him; and when he meets someone equal to himself, he should make friendship with him. In this way one is never affected by the threefold miseries of this material world.
Hope you are now clear about the possibility for a devotee to love everyone including sinners.
(THREE CLASSES OF DEVOTEES EXPLAINED BY SRILA RUPA GOSVAMI! READ HERE!)