Is the Special Mercy of Guru & Krishna only for selected devotees?
A woman devotee (Name hidden) asked this question:
“Radhe Krishna…I have a question : It is said that there is ‘vishesh kripa’ of Guru and Krishna on a particular person, and hence he/she is progressing in Krishna Bhakti. Can you please tell me how and why Guru and Krishna showers VISHESH KRIPA ON ANY PARTICULAR PERSON AND NOT ALL. Also after coming into Krishna Consciousness, we should Love and surrender 100% to our Guru and Krishna.”
REPLY:
Very interesting question. Mercy of Guru and Krishna can’t be explained, but, should be felt.
Mercy of Guru and Krishna is available for all. However, there are a certain things to be followed to get the special mercy of Krishna. That’s all.
WHY SHOULD A DISCIPLE GO TO A GURU?
Let me explain this with a few examples. See them just as examples for understanding.
(i) There is a flower with sweet honey. It is motionless. Only the flies go to the flower and taste the nectar of honey. Honey gives equal sweetness to all the flies. If any fly is defective in its taste related organs, it can’t realize the taste of the honey. But, sweetness is always available to all.
(ii) Do you know that a guru’s ashram is like an emergency ward of an hospital? Why? Because, all of us are the contaminated or diseased souls and are living in a very painful and diseased condition. Our consciousness is affected by the effect of maya. We can’t take the treatment casually because, maya will tightly bind us with this material life day by day.
So, we have to be relieved from maya ON AN EMERGENCY BASIS, within THIS BIRTH ITSELF. Otherwise, we have to take birth again and feel the pains of birth, disease, old age and death. That is why, the ashram of a guru is an EMERGENCY WARD to relieve the diseased souls like us within this birth itself through an emergency treatment.
(Surrender to Krishna and Surrender to Guru – which is important? A detailed analysis READ HERE!)
What is the emergency treatment for this disease of maya for us, from the doctor (guru)?
It is the sufficient dose of Hari Nam (atleast 16 rounds a day) – Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.
That is why, the first Diksha is called HARINAM DIKSHA in most of the sampradhayas. This “Harinam medicine” is the medicine given by our guru to get relieved from this material world that is full of pains.
Now, tell me, should a patient go to a doctor, or a doctor should come to the patient? Mostly, the patient should go to a doctor!
Similarly, we only should approach a spiritual master. He is waiting for all. If you go to him, speak to him and prove your readiness to follow devotional life seriously, he will accept you.
(iii) Srila Prabhupada himself went to his guru Srila Bakthi Siddhanta Sarasvathi. His guru gave him diksha and asked him to spread the Harinam throughout the world using his proficiency in English and sanskrit and sastras.
(RITVIK INITIATION (DIKSHA) AND LIVING GURU INITIATION – DIFFERENCES READ HERE!)
(iv) Another example. Even in Bhagavad Gita, Krishna did not start to preach Bhagavad Gita immediately. Only when Arjuna accepted Krishna as Guru, surrendered to Krishna as a disciple and requested Krishna to preach him, in Ch-2, T-7, then, Krishna started to preach Bhagavad Gita.
Arjuna tells Krishna in C-2, T-7:
“Now, I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of miserly weakness. In this condition, I am asking you to tell me for certain what is best for me. NOW, I AM YOUR DISCIPLE AND A SOUL SURRENDERED UNTO YOU. Please instruct me”
So, only when a disciple goes to a guru and asks him to accept, a guru will accept. Krishna Himself accepted Arjuna and preached him only after he surrendered to Him. What else do you want?
(Why Krishna delivered Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna, not to Other Pandavas or Duryodhana? READ HERE!)
(v) Another example from Bhagavad Gita:
In Bhagavad Gita (4.34), Krishna advises all of us TO GO AND SURRENDER TO A GURU AND ENQUIRE HIM IN A HUMBLE WAY:
“Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.”
Krishna did not tell Arjuna to wait till a guru voluntarily comes to him.
Another important thing we have to note is: We will not respect a guru if he mercifully & voluntarily comes to us giving Harinam. We will doubt him whether he has come with a motive of collecting more and more disciples.
We must think ourselves like the straw on the roadside. So, we only have to look for a good spiritual master and approach him. When we approach him, he is ready to help us in Self realization and Krishna Consciousness.
(Why should we worship the guru and devotees of Krishna? Why not directly Krishna? READ HERE!)
In the Bible, King James Version – text-7 says:
“Ask, and it shall be given you; Seek, and you shall find; Knock and it shall be opened unto you”
Text-8 says: “For every one that asked received; and he that seeked.”
Kop Meyer, a popular thinker and the author said:
“If you like to get anything, you must ASK. If you don’t get it, ASK AGAIN.”
This is applicable in the case of guru and Krishna also. If you SINCERELY desire to have a bonafide guru, Krishna himself will ‘SOMEHOW’ show the bonafide Guru’s place to you. Then, it is your duty to make use of your guru by serving him. He will show the same mercy as he was showing to other disciples also.
(QUALIFICATIONS TO BE A GURU AND A DISICPLE – FROM THE SCRIPTURES! READ HERE!)
WHOM DOES KRISHNA SPECIALLY CARE? WHY?
As you have added Krishna too in your question, let me add further:
Krishna’s mercy is available to all. However, He keeps His Surrendered devotees who loves and serves Krishna, in High position because, they show devotion to Krishna without any expectations. That is why, Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita about four types of devotees who approach Him and finally says that the devotees worshiping Krishna without any expectation of favours are very special to Him.
Srila Prabhupada writes about this special care of Krishna on certain devotees in NECTAR OF DEVOTION-Text-3:
“The neophyte devotees are classified into four groups–the distressed, those in need of money, the inquisitive and the wise–according to their gradations of pious activities.
(Four Classes of People who worship Krishna! Is it wrong to expect Material Benefits? READ HERE!)
Lord Krsna, however, has explained in the Gita that out of these four types of neophytes, the one who is wise is very dear to Him, because a wise man, if he is attached to Krsna, is not seeking an exchange of material benefits. A wise man who becomes attached to Krsna does not want any return from Him, either in the form of relieving distress or in gaining money. This means that from the very beginning his basic principle of attachment to Krsna is, more or less, love. Furthermore, due to his wisdom and study of sastras (scriptures), he can understand also that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead”
Of course, Mercy of Guru and Krishna is available for all. That is why, Krishna cares all by providing their food, shelter, clothes, etc. But, His special care is reserved for the selfless devotees of Krishna.
Now, Are you able to understand that Krishna specially treats only such exalted devotees? Now, it is our duty to come to that stage of wise devotee to be cared by Krishna.
This is like all children are the same for mother; However, she is very attached to her last child. There is no point of partiality.
More you are detached from this material world, closer you will be with Krishna, because, in such a detached condition, you will not ask anything from Krishna, except His Love and opportunity to serve Him wherever you are.
So, don’t feel that a guru or Krishna is selective in showing their mercy.
Right?
(How to become a pure devotee and attach with Krishna? READ HERE!)