Devotee can bind Krishna by devotion

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Hare Krishna,

Innumerable are the instances of men having fallen from grace and being wiped out because of their arrogance. Conceited as they are, they will not listen to reason and slight even the genuine and sane advice tendered to them by wise men. They will stick to their decisions not aware of the dire consequences. A comparison of a person so proud and insolent will be to that of making a dog sit on a throne. It will only pursue its usual path.

How then can a person avoid retaining the quality of displaying haughtiness? Humility can be cultivated by doing service to Lord Krishna through various spiritual exercises like worship and meditation. Before Krishna, such sincere men, yearning to develop good conduct, will realise their smallness. It is not that Krishna wants a display of lavishness while conducting such a process of submission. Even a flower, offered with absolute dedication and faith at His feet, will fetch His grace. Through devotion, it is possible to bind Lord Krishna making Him immobile. Other means to compel Him will totally fail as seen by the action of a man (Duryodhana) with all powers at his command, attempting to tie Krishna, who was in his presence to advise and reform him.

Another aspect to be remembered while surrendering to Krishna is the affection with which offerings are made to Him. The food that is placed before Krishna should be pure as it has direct relationship with the moulding of one's character. In the Mahabharatam, when Krishna went on His peace parleys, He ignored the reception of all rich people and chose to stay with one hailing from lower class (Vidura) who showed

his deep debt of gratitude for what Krishna has provided him. He was one who was aware that Krishna's decision is final and that all should abide by his order.

True devotion to Lord Krishna expresses itself in the firm conviction that one owes everything one enjoys in life to Him. A devotee partakes even a morsel of food only after offering it to Krishna with love. This attitude manifests itself into loving devotion to Him and further blesses the devotee with the knowledge of the nature of Krishna which will ultimately liberate him from transmigration.

Lord Krishna reciprocates such devotion and in the Bhagavad Gita He has promised that, ``The devotees who loving no one else constantly think of Me, and worship Me without any motive, to those ever united in thought with Me, I bring full security and personally attend to their needs.'' So Krishna takes on the responsibility of looking after His devotee's needs in worldly life and also his eventual liberation from bondage.

Devotion to Krishna must not be mistaken for ostentatious display of offerings to Him during worship. What was more important was the love with which it was offered . This has been proven in the lives of many devotees and in the Gita Lord Krishna has declared, ``Whosoever offers to Me with love a leaf, a flower, a fruit or even water, I appear in person before that devotee of sinless mind and delightfully partake of that article offered by him with love.''

In one of His glorious deeds (Lila) during His advent as Krishna, if the Lord eagerly accepted even that which was offered to Him with the motive of killing Him and blessed the person with the supreme state of liberation, what then will He grant to those who offer Him anything with love? Dispatched by Kamsa to kill all the infants in his anxiety to ward off the danger to his life from the eighth son of Devaki and Vasudeva, the ogress, Putana, disguised her terrible form and came to Gokul in the guise of a woman so that she would be able to feed Krishna poison without arousing suspicion.

Intuiting her evil design Krishna not only complied with her wish by allowing Himself to be fed by her but also sucked out her life breath. When she lay dead having reverted to her large terrible form the cowherd community was terrified imagining how providentially Krishna had escaped little realising that He was responsible for her end.

This episode has caught the imagination of many saints in their hymns. The Harivamsa says that the Lord granted liberation to Putana and Vedanta Desika in his hymn, Yadavabhyudaya, notes that even those who listen to this episode are released from the trauma of being born again and again in this world.

Please Chant:Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare HareHare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare HareAnd Be Happy.

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