Special Mercy

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The eternal position of every living entity, in any species of life, is to

love Krishna: jivera svarupa haya, nityera-krishna-dasa. Krishna gave prema

to creepers, peacocks, cuckoos, parrots and He also made them mad with this

prema. Other incarnations gave the Vedas and instructions to respect your

parents, respect your elders and to live properly with your marital partner.

These instructions are included within the category of regulative

injunctions, but no incarnation before Krishna had shown so clearly that the

very svarupa of the jiva is to love Krishna.

 

Therefore the prema which Krishna bestowed is very special. Krishna had a

special method for giving prema. He had a scale with which He used to weigh

someone’s devotion before giving them prema. To one who had devotion worth

one paisa, He gave prema worth one paisa. To one who had a bhava worth two

paisa, He gave prema worth two paisa. He did not give more and He did not

give less than what was appropriate; He weighed their devotion and gave the

precise corresponding amount of prema.

 

ye yatha mam prapadyante

tams tathaiva bhajamy aham

 

In the Bhagavad-gita (4.11), Krishna says, “As one worships Me, I

reciprocate in precisely the same way. I will not give more, and I will not

give less.”

 

And there is one more point here: Krishna gave rasa only according to the

specific type of vessel one possessed. To those in shanta-bhava He was seen

as Brahman, to those in dasya-bhava He was seen as Prabhu and to those in

the moods of sakhya and vatsalya He gave rasa accordingly. But a vessel was

necessary.

 

When the same Krishna descended five-hundred years ago as the most

munificent Shri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He broke this routine. It was as if He

was saying, “Where will you all get the vessels? There is no need. Just come

to Me and I will give you the vessel, the rasa and the prema.” This is the

special mercy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He broke this rule, ye yatha mam

prapadyante. “I will give Krishna-prema to whoever comes to Me, even if they

desire something material. Even if someone approaches Me with a bhava worth

only one paisa, I will give him prema.” The great mercy of Caitanya

Mahaprabhu is that He not only gave the container, but He gave the highest

category of prema which even Krishna could not give.

 

 

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