Preaching Pada: Part 2

sudhaya · April 27, 2004

4. Krsna Consciousness Should Be Distributed to Everyone, Without Restriction

The sankirtana movement should be preached without restriction:

Not considering who asked for it and who did not, nor who was fit and who unfit to receive it, Caitanya Mahaprabhu distributed the fruit of devotional service.

This is the sum and substance of Lord Caitanya's sankirtana movement. There is no distinction made between those who are fit and those who are not fit to hear or take part in the sankirtana movement. It should therefore be preached without discrimination. The only purpose of the preachers of the sankirtana movement must be to go on preaching without restriction. That is the way in which Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu introduced this sankirtana movement to the world.

Cc. Adi 9.29

The preachers approach everyone impartially:

...vedanta-vadis, or the bhakti-vedantas, are impartial in distributing the transcendental knowledge of devotional service. To them no one is enemy or friend; no one is educated or uneducated. No one is especially favorable, and no one is unfavorable. The bhakti-vedantas see that the people in general are wasting time in false sensuous things. Their business is to get the ignorant mass of people to reestablish the lost relationship with the Personality of Godhead. By such endeavor, even the most forgotten soul is roused up to the sense of spiritual life, and thus being initiated by the bhakti-vedantas, the people in general gradually progress on the path of transcendental realization.

Bhag 1.5.24

Krsna consciousness should be distributed to everyone, without discrimination:

With great respect, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu requested Advaita Acarya, "Give Krsna consciousness, devotion to Krsna, even to the lowest of men [candalas]."

This is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's order to all His devotees. Krsna-bhakti, devotion to Krsna, is open to everyone, even low-class men like candalas. One should follow this order in the disciplic succession stemming from Sri Advaita and Nityananda Prabhu and distribute Krsna consciousness without discrimination throughout the world.

There are different kinds of men, beginning with the brahmana and going down to the lowest platform known as candala. Whatever one's position, everyone in this age of Kali needs to be enlightened in Krsna consciousness. That is the greatest need of the day. Everyone is acutely feeling the pangs of material existence.... everyone is feeling the resultant pinpricks of Kali-yuga brought about by human society's indulging in illicit sex, meat-eating, gambling and intoxication. Now is the time for the members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness to distribute krsna-bhakti all over the world and thus follow the orders of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The Lord has ordered everyone to become a guru (Cc. Madhya 7.128).... Everyone in every town and village should be enlightened by the instructions of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Krsna consciousness should be distributed to everyone indiscriminately. In this way, the entire world will be peaceful and happy, and everyone will glorify Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as He desires.

The word candala actually refers to a dog-eater, who is considered the lowest of men. Even candalas can be enlightened in Krsna consciousness due to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's benedictions. Krsna-bhakti is not the monopoly of a certain caste. Everyone is eligible to receive this great benediction given by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Everyone should be given a chance to receive it and be happy.

Cc. Madhya 15.41

The Krsna consciousness movement should be spread everywhere, to everyone, without restriction:

In distributing love of Godhead, Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates did not consider who was a fit candidate and who was not, nor where such distribution should or should not take place. They made no conditions. Wherever they got the opportunity the members of the Panca-tattva distributed love of Godhead.

...here is an authoritative statement that in distributing love of Godhead one should not consider whether the recipients are Europeans, Americans, Hindus, Muslims, etc. The Krsna consciousness movement should be spread wherever possible... Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu desired that His name be spread in each and every town and village on the surface of the globe.

Cc. Adi 7.23

Krsna-katha should be preached without restriction:

There are two important krsna-kathas current in the world- Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam.... Lord Caitanya advised all His disciples to preach krsna-katha all over the world without discrimination because the transcendental value of krsna-katha can purify one and all from material contamination.

Bhag. 3.5.10

Krsna consciousness should be distributed unconditionally:

"Now please hear from me about the process of devotional service, which is applicable in any country, for any person, at all times and in all circumstances."

The cult of bhagavata-dharma can be spread in all circumstances, among all people and in all countries.... Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu confirms that devotional service to the Lord-the cult of bhagavata-dharma, which is now being spread as the Hare Krsna movement-can be spread in every country, for every person, in any condition of life, and in all circumstances.

Cc. Madhya 25.120

sudhaya · April 27, 2004

5. One Who Preaches Krsna Consciousness Is Dear to Lord Krsna and Is Protected by the Lord

The preacher is recognized by Krsna:

If one gives the conditioned souls a chance to become Krsna conscious, all his activities are approved by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is extremely pleased.... Following the examples of the previous acaryas, all the members of the Krsna consciousness movement should try to benefit the conditioned souls by inducing them to become Krsna conscious and giving them all facilities to do so.... By such activities, a preacher or anyone who endeavors to spread Krsna consciousness is recognized by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As the Lord Himself confirms in Bhagavad-gita:... "For one who explains the supreme secret to the devotees, devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me. There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear."

Bhag. 6.4.44

A preacher in Brahma's party (Brahma-sampradaya) is very dear to the Lord:

The creation of the material world is not blind or accidental. The living entities who are ever conditioned, or nitya-baddha, are thus given a chance for liberation under the guidance of His [Krsna's] own representative like Brahma. The Lord instructs Brahma in Vedic knowledge in order to diffuse this knowledge to the conditioned souls. The conditioned souls are forgetful souls in their relationship with the Lord, and thus a period of creation and the process of dissemination of Vedic knowledge are necessary activities of the Lord. Lord Brahma has a great responsibility in delivering the conditioned souls, and therefore he is very dear to the Lord.

Brahma also does his duty very perfectly, not only by generating the living entities but also by spreading his party for reclaiming the fallen souls. The party is called the Brahma-sampradaya, and any member of this party to date is naturally engaged in reclaiming the fallen souls back to Godhead, back home. The Lord is very much anxious to get back His parts and parcels, as stated in the Bhagavad-gita. No one is more dear than the one who takes the task of reclaiming the fallen souls back to Godhead.

Anyone...preaching the mission of the Lord in the line of the Brahma-sampradaya is always dear to the Lord, and the Lord, being satisfied with such a preacher of the authorized bhakti cult, shakes hands with him in great satisfaction.

Bhag. 2.9.19

One who preaches is appreciated by and recognized by Krsna

...everyone should engage in preaching, following in the footsteps of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In this way one will be very much appreciated by Lord Krsna and will quickly be recognized by Him.

Cc. Madhya 7.153

The preacher is very dear to the Lord:

"Therefore, my dear young friends... show mercy to all living entities by enlightening them in devotional service, thus becoming their well-wishers."

The Lord says in Bhagavad-gita (18.55), bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yaS casmi tattvatah: "One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service." Prahlada Maharaja ultimately instructed his class friends, the sons of the demons, to accept the process of devotional service by preaching the science of Krsna consciousness to everyone. Preaching is the best service to the Lord. The Lord will immediately be extremely satisfied with one who engages in this service of preaching Krsna consciousness. This is confirmed by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gita (18.69). Na ca tasman manusyesu kaScin me priya-krttamah: "There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear." If one sincerely tries his best to spread Krsna consciousness by preaching the glories of the Lord and His supremacy, even if he is imperfectly educated, he becomes the dearmost servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is bhakti.

As one performs this service for humanity, without discrimination between friends and enemies, the Lord becomes satisfied, and the mission of one's life is fulfilled. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore advised everyone to become a guru-devotee and preach Krsna consciousness (yare dekha, tare kaha 'krsna'-upadeSa [Cc. Madhya 7.128]). That is the easiest way to realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Bhag. 7.6.24

One who preaches (to try to relieve Lord Caitanya of His anxiety for the fallen souls) is most dear to the Lord:

Everyone should adopt the cause of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to try to relieve Him from the anxiety He feels. This is actually service to the Lord. One who tries to relieve Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's anxiety for the fallen souls is certainly a most dear and confidential devotee of the Lord.

Cc. Antya 3.52

The Lord is pleased with the preacher (who performs the highest welfare activity):

It is said that great personalities almost always accept voluntary suffering because of the suffering of people in general. This is considered the highest method of worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is present in everyone's heart.

Here is an explanation of how those engaged in activities for the welfare of others are very quickly recognized by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord says in Bhagavad-gita (18.68-69), ya idam paramam guhyam mad-bhaktesv abhidhasyati... na ca tasman manusyesu kaScin me priya-krttamah: "One who preaches the message of Bhagavad-gita to My devotees is most dear to Me. No one can excel him in satisfying Me by worship." There are different kinds of welfare activities in this material world, but the supreme welfare activity is the spreading of Krsna consciousness. Other welfare activities cannot be effective, for the laws of nature and the results of karma cannot be checked....

If one tries to spread Krsna consciousness all over the world, he should be understood to be performing the best welfare activity. The Lord is automatically very pleased with him. If the Lord is pleased with him, what is left for him to achieve? If one has been recognized by the Lord, even if he does not ask the Lord for anything, the Lord, who is within everyone, supplies him whatever he wants.... The best welfare activity is raising people to the platform of Krsna consciousness, since the conditioned souls are suffering only for want of Krsna consciousness.... All the Sastras conclude, therefore, that spreading the Krsna consciousness movement is the best welfare activity in the world. Because of the ultimate benefit this bestows upon people in general, the Lord very quickly recognizes such service performed by a devotee.

Bhag. 8.7.44

The Lord is pleased by a compassionate devotee:

Devahuti continued: My dear Lord, please also describe in detail, both for myself and for people in general, the continual process of birth and death, for by hearing of such calamities we may become detached from the activities of this material world.... My dear Lord, You are just like the sun, for You illuminate the darkness of the conditional life of the living entities. Because their eyes of knowledge are not open, they are sleeping eternally in that darkness without Your shelter, and therefore they are falsely engaged by the actions and reactions of their material activities, and they appear to be very fatigued.

Sri Maitreya said: O best amongst the Kurus, the great sage Kapila, moved by great compassion and pleased by the words of His glorious mother, spoke as follows.

Lord Kapila was very satisfied by the request of his glorious mother because she was thinking not only in terms of her personal salvation but in terms of all the fallen conditioned souls. The Lord is always compassionate towards the fallen souls of this material world, and therefore He comes Himself or sends His confidential servants to deliver them. Since He is perpetually compassionate towards them, if some of His devotees also become compassionate towards them, He is very pleased with the devotees. In Bhagavad-gita it is clearly stated that persons who are trying to elevate the condition of the fallen souls by preaching the conclusion of Bhagavad-gita-namely, full surrender unto the Personality of Godhead-are very dear to Him. Thus when the Lord says that His beloved mother was very compassionate towards the fallen souls, He was pleased, and He also became compassionate towards her.

Bhag. 3.29.3,5,6

Brahmana-preachers of Krsna consciousness are worshipable, even by Krsna:

As admitted by Lord Krsna in Bhagavad-gita (18.69), na ca tasman manusyesu kaScin me priya-krttamah. The brahmanas preach the cult of Krsna consciousness all around the world, and therefore, although they worship Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord also recognizes them as worshipable. The relationship is reciprocal. The brahmanas want to worship Krsna, and similarly Krsna wants to worship the brahmanas.

Bhag. 7.14.42

Preaching activities satisfy the Lord:

The demigods are called sakama devotees, or devotees with material desires in mind, while the pure devotees are called niskama devotees because they have no desires in their personal interests. The sakama devotees are self-interested because they do not think of others, and therefore they are not able to satisfy the Lord perfectly, whereas the pure devotees take the missionary responsibility of turning nondevotees into devotees, and they are therefore able to satisfy the Lord more than the demigods.... Sometimes the Lord Himself descends for missionary activities, as He did in the form of Lord Caitanya, but mostly He sends His bona fide representatives, and thus He shows His causeless mercy towards the nondevotees. The Lord is so satisfied with His pure devotees that He wants to give them the credit of missionary success, although He could do the work personally. This is the sign of His satisfaction with His pure niskama devotees, compared to the sakama devotees.

Bhag. 3.9.12

By preaching, one attains the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya:

If one wants to be recognized as a devotee by Krsna, he should take to preaching work, following the advice of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Then one will undoubtedly attain the lotus feet of Sri Krsna Caitanya, Lord Krsna Himself, without delay.

Cc. Madhya 7.148

The devotees who, out of compassion, preach are as confidential to the Lord as Lord Brahma:

A pure devotee of the Lord like Brahma and persons in his disciplic succession are always unhappy to see the perplexities of the conditioned souls, who are suffering the onslaughts of the threefold miseries which pertain to the body and mind, to the disturbances of material nature and many other such material disadvantages.... The devotees of the Lord who voluntarily take the responsibility of raising the foolish materialistic sense enjoyers are as confidential to the Lord as Lord Brahma.

Bhag. 3.9.8

Preachers are very, very dear to Lord Krsna; their salvation is assured:

In the Bhagavad-gita, Eighteenth Chapter, the Lord also states that one who is engaged in preaching Krsna consciousness is very dear to Him. A preacher has to face many difficulties in his struggle to preach pure Krsna consciousness. Sometimes he has to suffer bodily injuries, and sometimes he has to meet death also. All this is taken as a great austerity on behalf of Krsna. Krsna therefore has said that such a preacher is very, very dear to Him. If Krsna's enemies can expect salvation simply by concentrating their minds on Him, then what to speak of persons who are so dear to Krsna? The conclusion should be that the salvation of those who are engaged in preaching Krsna consciousness in the world is guaranteed in all circumstances. But such preachers never care for salvation, because factually one who is engaged in Krsna consciousness, devotional service, has already achieved salvation.

Krsna, Ch. 29

Krsna takes the preacher back home, back to Godhead:

For one who explains the supreme secret to the devotees, devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me. There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear.

Anyone...who tries sincerely to present Bhagavad-gita as it is will advance in devotional activities and reach the pure devotional state of life. As a result of such pure devotion, he is sure to go back home, back to Godhead.

Bg. 18.68-69

Krsna is merciful to the preacher; He takes him back home, back to Godhead:

My dear Arjuna, one who is engaged in My pure devotional service, free from the contaminations of previous activities and from mental speculation, who is friendly to every living entity, certainly comes to Me.

A devotee situated in Krsna consciousness knows that only devotional service to Krsna can relieve a person from all the problems of life. He has personal experience of this, and therefore he wants to introduce this system, Krsna consciousness, into human society. There are many examples in history of devotees of the Lord risking their lives for the spreading of God consciousness.... Why such risk? Because they wanted to spread Krsna consciousness, and it is difficult.... Now, we can imagine how merciful Krsna is to those engaged in His service, risking everything for Him. Therefore it is certain that such persons must reach the supreme planet after leaving the body.

Bg. 11.55

We are protected when we execute our duty to preach:

Our actual duty is to carry out the supreme order of the Personality of Godhead. If we are fixed in our determination to carry out the supreme order of the Lord, we are always secure, regardless of where we are situated, whether in hell or in heaven.... The devotees in the Krsna consciousness movement are preaching all over the world in accordance with the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. They have to meet many karmis, but by the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, they are unaffected by material influences.... A sincere devotee who engages in the service of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu by preaching His cult all over the world will never be affected by visaya-taranga, material influences. On the contrary, in due course of time he will return to the shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and will thus have perpetual association with Him.

Bhag. 5.1.19

The Lord blesses the preacher:

Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the father and inaugurator of the sankirtana movement. One who worships Him by sacrificing his life, money, intelligence and words for the sankirtana movement is recognized by the Lord and endowed with His blessings. All others may be said to be foolish, for of all sacrifices in which a man may apply his energy, a sacrifice made for the sankirtana movement is the most glorious.

Cc. Adi 3.78

A preacher of Krsna consciousness is protected by Lord Nrsimhadeva:

The Supreme Personality of Godhead in His transcendental form of Narahari, Nrsimhadeva, is always ready to kill the demons, who always create disturbances in the minds of honest devotees. To spread the Krsna consciousness movement, devotees have to face many dangers and impediments all over the world, but a faithful servant who preaches with great devotion to the Lord must know that Lord Nrsimhadeva is always his protector.

Bhag. 7.8.51

Members of ISKCON should be assured of the Lord's protection and preach:

In all kinds of danger, they [the members of the Krsna consciousness society] should be confident of their protection by the Visnudutas or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (kaunteya pratijanihi na me bhaktah pranaSyati, Bg. 9.31). Material danger is not meant for devotees. This is also confirmed in Srimad-Bhagavatam (SB 10.14 58). Padam padam yad vipadam na tesam: in this material world there are dangers at every step, but they are not meant for devotees who have fully surrendered unto the lotus feet of the Lord. The pure devotees of Lord Visnu may rest assured of the Lord's protection, and as long as they are in this material world they should fully engage in devotional service by preaching the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Lord Krsna, namely the Hare Krsna movement of Krsna consciousness.

Bhag. 6.3.18

One must constantly pray to the Lord for protection and the blessings to preach:

Unless one is sufficiently protected by the Lord, he may fall down from his spiritual position; therefore one has to pray constantly to the Lord for protection and the blessing to carry out one's duty. Lord Caitanya also entrusted His missionary work to His devotees and assured them of His protection against the onslaught of material affection. The path of spiritual life is stated in the Vedas to be like the edge of a sharpened razor. A little inattentiveness may at once create havoc and bloodshed, but one who is a completely surrendered soul, always seeking protection from the Lord in the discharge of his entrusted duties, has no fear of falling into material contamination.

Bhag. 3.9.24

The pure devotee-preachers are the most confidential servants of the Lord:

...devotees of the Lord are honored equally with the Lord because they are engaged in the most confidential service of the Lord, for they deliver out of the material world the fallen souls whom the Lord wants to return home, back to Godhead.

Bhag. 1.1.15

Servants of God preach and thus become dear to the Lord:

...asuras are gradually rectified to God consciousness by the mercy of the Lord's liberated servitors in different countries according to the Supreme will. Such devotees of God are very confidential associates of the Lord, and when they come to save human society from the dangers of godlessness, they are known as the powerful incarnations of the Lord, as sons of the Lord, as servants of the Lord or as associates of the Lord.... Such servants of God are called mahatmas, or tirthas, and they preach according to particular time and place. The servants of God urge people to become devotees of the Lord....

The servants of God come to propagate God consciousness, and intelligent people should cooperate with them in every respect. By serving the servant of God, one can please God more than by directly serving the Lord. The Lord is more pleased when He sees that His servants are properly respected because such servants risk everything for the service of the Lord and so are very dear to the Lord. The Lord declares in the Bhagavad-gita (18.69) that no one is dearer to Him than one who risks everything to preach His glory.

Bhag. 1.2.16

Preachers are most pleasing in the eyes of the Lord:

...confidential devotees of the Lord are very much dear to the Lord because they travel everywhere to preach the glories of the Lord in different capacities and try their utmost to convert the nondevotees of the Lord into devotees in order to bring them to the platform of sanity.... when one becomes a nondevotee or nonbeliever, it is to be understood that the person concerned is not in a sound condition of life. The confidential devotees of the Lord treat such illusioned living beings, and therefore they are most pleasing in the eyes of the Lord. The Lord says in the Bhagavad-gita that no one is dearer to Him than one who actually preaches the glories of the Lord to convert the nonbelievers and nondevotees.

Bhag. 1.13.38

One should preach to relieve Lord Caitanya's anxiety for the fallen souls:

"How will these yavanas be delivered? To My great unhappiness, I do not see any way."

Haridasa Thakura replied, "My dear Lord, do not be in anxiety. Do not be unhappy to see the condition of the yavanas in material existence."

These words of Haridasa Thakura are just befitting a devotee who has dedicated his life and soul to the service of the Lord. When the Lord is unhappy because of the condition of the fallen souls, the devotee consoles Him, saying, "My dear Lord, do not be in anxiety." This is service. Everyone should adopt the cause of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to try to relieve Him from the anxiety He feels. This is actually service to the Lord. One who tries to relieve Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's anxiety for the fallen souls is certainly a most dear and confidential devotee of the Lord.

Cc. Antya 3.51-52

sudhaya · April 27, 2004

6. Preaching Is Based on Compassion

The preacher's mood of compassion:

One who identifies himself as a follower of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu should feel like Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who said, iha-sabara kon mate ha-ibe nistara: "How will all these yavanas be delivered?" Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was always anxious to deliver the fallen souls because their fallen condition gave Him great unhappiness. That is the platform on which one can propagate the mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Cc. Antya 3.51

Impelled by knowledge and compassion, the devotee preaches:

Whenever there is disease in any part of the body, the whole body takes care of the ailing part. Similarly, a devotee's oneness is manifested in his compassion for all conditioned souls. Bhagavad-gita says, panditah sama-darSinah: those who are learned see everyone's conditional life equally. (Bg. 5.18) Devotees are compassionate to every conditioned soul, and therefore they are known as aparakya-buddhi. Because devotees are learned and know that every living entity is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, they preach Krsna consciousness to everyone so that they may be happy. If a particular part of the body is diseased, the whole attention of the body goes to that part. Similarly, devotees care for any person who is forgetful of Krsna and therefore in material consciousness. The equal vision of the devotee is that he works to get all living entities back home, back to Godhead.

Bhag. 4.7.53

Out of compassion for living entities, the sadhu preaches:

The symptoms of a sadhu are that he is tolerant, merciful and friendly to all living entities. He has no enemies, he is peaceful, he abides by the scriptures, and all his characteristics are sublime.

A sadhu, as described above, is a devotee of the Lord. His concern, therefore, is to enlighten people in devotional service to the Lord. That is his mercy. He knows that without devotional service to the Lord, human life is spoiled. A devotee travels all over the country, from door to door, preaching, "Be Krsna conscious. Be a devotee of Lord Krsna. Don't spoil your life in simply fulfilling your animal propensities. Human life is meant for self-realization, or Krsna consciousness." These are the preachings of a sadhu. He is not satisfied with his own liberation. He always thinks about others. He is the most compassionate personality towards all the fallen souls. One of his qualifications, therefore, is karunika, great mercy to the fallen souls.... He is merciful because he is the well-wisher of all living entities. He is not only a well-wisher of human society, but a well-wisher of animal society as well. It is said here, sarva-dehinam, which indicates all living entities who have accepted a material body. Not only does the human being have a material body, but other living entities, such as cats and dogs, also have material bodies. The devotee of the Lord is merciful to everyone-the cats, dogs, trees, etc. He treats all living entities in such a way that they can ultimately get salvation from this material entanglement.

Bhag. 3.25.21

A Vaisnava shows compassion toward sinful, suffering entities:

Prahlada Maharaja is the topmost example of a Vaisnava who is always compassionate toward sinful persons suffering a hellish life within this material world. Krsna is therefore known as para-duhkha-duhkhi krpambudhi, or one who is compassionate toward others' suffering and who is an ocean of mercy. Like Prahlada Maharaja, all pure devotees of the Lord come to this material world with full compassion to deliver the sinful. They undergo all kinds of tribulations, suffering them with tolerance, because that is another qualification of a Vaisnava, who tries to deliver all sinful persons from the hellish conditions of material existence. Vaisnavas are therefore offered the following prayer:

vancha-kalpatarubhyaS ca

krpa-sindhubhya eva ca

patitanam pavanebhyo

vaisnavebhyo namo namah

"I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaisnava devotees of the Lord. They are just like desire trees who can fulfill the desires of everyone, and they are full of compassion for the fallen conditioned souls."

The chief concern of a Vaisnava is to deliver the fallen souls.

Bhag. 4.21.47

A bona fide devotee is aggrieved to see the fallen condition of the world:

A bona fide devotee of Lord Krsna is always pained to see the fallen condition of the whole world. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura used to say, "There is no scarcity of anything within this world. The only scarcity is of Krsna consciousness." That is the vision of all pure devotees. Because of this lack of Krsna consciousness in human society, people are suffering terribly, being merged in an ocean of nescience and sense gratification. A devotee onlooker is very much aggrieved to see such a situation in the world.

Cc. Adi 13.67

A devotee is not satisfied with his own salvation; out of compassion, he preaches to others, and Krsna gives him special protection:

A Krsna conscious person should free himself from the clutches of maya, and he should also be compassionate to all others suffering in those clutches. The activities of the Krsna consciousness movement are meant not only for oneself but for others also. This is the perfection of Krsna consciousness. One who is interested in his own salvation is not as advanced in Krsna consciousness as one who feels compassion for others and who therefore propagates the Krsna consciousness movement. Such an advanced devotee will never fall down, for Krsna will give him special protection. That is the sum and substance of the Krsna consciousness movement.

Bhag. 6.2.36-37

A devotee feels compassion for the fallen souls:

Devahuti continued: My dear Lord, please also describe in detail, both for myself and for people in general, the continual process of birth and death, for by hearing of such calamities we may become detached from the activities of this material world.... My dear Lord, You are just like the sun, for You illuminate the darkness of the conditional life of the living entities. Because their eyes of knowledge are not open, they are sleeping eternally in that darkness without Your shelter, and therefore they are falsely engaged by the actions and reactions of their material activities, and they appear to be very fatigued.

Lord Kapila was very satisfied by the request of His glorious mother because she was thinking not only in terms of her personal salvation but in terms of all the fallen conditioned souls.

Bhag. 3.29.3,5,6

Feeling compassion for conditioned souls, the devotee preaches:

A pure devotee of the Lord like Brahma and persons in his disciplic succession are always unhappy to see the perplexities of the conditioned souls, who are suffering the onslaughts of the threefold miseries which pertain to the body and mind, to the disturbances of material nature and many other such material disadvantages. Not knowing adequate measures for relieving such difficulties, suffering persons sometimes pose themselves as leaders of the people, and the unfortunate followers are put into further disadvantages under such so-called leadership. This is like a blind man's leading another blind man to fall into a ditch. Therefore, unless the devotees of the Lord take pity on them and teach them the right path, their lives are hopeless failures.

Bhag. 3.9.8

Out of compassion, saintly people preach Krsna consciousness:

Saintly people preach God consciousness or Krsna consciousness because they are anxious to save the general populace from the dangers of animalistic life.

Bhag. 4.14.9

The Lord is satisfied with a preacher who is tolerant and merciful:

The Lord is very satished with His devotee when the devotee greets other people with tolerance, mercy, friendship and equality.

It is the duty of an advanced devotee in the second stage of devotional perfection to act in accordance with this verse.... Sometimes devotees are ill-treated by envious persons. It is advised that an advanced devotee should be tolerant; he should show complete mercy to persons who are ignorant or innocent. A preacher-devotee is meant to show mercy to innocent persons whom he can elevate to devotional service. Everyone, by constitutional position, is an eternal servant of God. Therefore, a devotee's business is to awaken everyone's Krsna consciousness. That is his mercy.... His general view should be to see every living entity as part of the Supreme Lord. Different living entities appear in different forms of dress, but according to the instruction of the Bhagavad-gita, a learned person sees all living entities equally. Such treatment by the devotee is very much appreciated by the Supreme Lord.

Bhag. 4.11.13

Devotees, out of compassion, are kind to the ignorant mass of people and therefore preach (and are blessed by the demigods):

Pure devotees, out of compassion for the fallen souls, are krpalu, very kind to people in general; they distribute this Bhagavata knowledge all over the world. A kindhearted devotee is called dina-natha, protector of the poor, ignorant mass of people. Lord Krsna is also known as dina-natha or dina-bandhu, the master or actual friend of the poor living entities, and His pure devotee also takes the same position of dina-natha. The dina-nathas, or devotees of Lord Krsna, who preach the path of devotional service, become favorites of the demigods.... the demigods are automatically pleased with him and offer all the blessings within their capacity.

Bhag. 4.12.51

Out of compassion for materialists, devotees preach Krsna consciousness:

The duty of those who follow in the footsteps of Prahlada Maharaja is to teach the entire world how to be Krsna conscious and thus be really happy.... Materialistic persons are engaged in striving for temporary benefits, whereas persons advanced in spiritual knowledge, such as Prahlada Maharaja, are not interested in the materialistic way of life. Instead, they want to be elevated to an eternal life of knowledge and bliss. Therefore, as Krsna is always compassionate to the fallen souls, His servants, the devotees of Lord Krsna, are also interested in educating the entire populace in Krsna consciousness. The mistake of materialistic life is understood by devotees, and therefore they smile upon it, considering it insignificant. Out of compassion, however, such devotees preach the gospel of Bhagavad-gita all over the world.

Bhag. 7.5.55

Prahlada's prayer for delivering all conditioned souls:

"O best of the great personalities, I am not at all afraid of material existence, for wherever I stay I am fully absorbed in thoughts of Your glories and activities. My concern is only for the fools and rascals who are making elaborate plans for material happiness and maintaining their families, societies and countries. I am simply concerned with love for them. My dear Lord Nrsimhadeva, I see that there are many saintly persons indeed, but they are interested only in their own deliverance. Not caring for the big cities and towns, they go to the Himalayas or the forest to meditate with vows of silence.... They are not interested in delivering others. As for me, however, I do not wish to be liberated alone, leaving aside all these poor fools and rascals. I know that without Krsna consciousness, without taking shelter of Your lotus feet, one cannot be happy. Therefore I wish to bring them back to shelter at Your lotus feet."

Bhag. 7.9.43-44

Out of compassion great devotees travel and preach:

Great unalloyed devotees of the Lord are compassionate towards the fallen, and therefore they travel all over the world with the mission of bringing souls back to Godhead, back to home. Such pure devotees of the Lord carry the message of Godhead in order to deliver the fallen souls, and therefore the common man who is bewildered by the influence of the external energy of the Lord should avail himself of their association.

Bhag. 3.5.3

Preaching is based on compassion:

O my Lord, persons who are bereft of the all-auspicious performance of chanting and hearing about Your transcendental activities are certainly unfortunate and are also bereft of good sense. They engage in inauspicious activities, enjoying sense gratification for a very little while.

The Lord's pure devotees...take compassion upon such unfortunate persons and, in a missionary spirit, try to persuade them into the line of devotional service. Only by the grace of pure devotees can such unfortunate men be elevated to the position of transcendental service.

Bhag. 3.9.7

Vasudeva Datta's prayer to save all living entities (exemplifying Vaisnava compassion):

Vasudeva Datta told Caitanya Mahaprabhu, "My dear Lord, You incarnate just to deliver all conditioned souls. I have now one petition, which I wish You would accept.... My Lord, my heart breaks to see the sufferings of all conditioned souls; therefore I request You to transfer the karma of their sinful lives upon my head. My dear Lord, let me suffer perpetually in a hellish condition, accepting all the sinful reactions of all living entities. Please finish their diseased material life."

When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard Vasudeva Datta's statement, His heart became very soft. Tears flowed from His eyes, and He began to tremble....

A Vaisnava is so liberal that he is prepared to risk everything to rescue conditioned souls from material existence.... He [Vasudeva Datta] was a most exalted personality who wanted to show mercy upon conditioned souls.... He was a Vaisnava-para-duhkha-duhkhi-very much aggrieved to see others suffer.... One who executes Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission must be considered to be eternally liberated. He is a transcendental person and does not belong to this material world. Such a devotee engaging in the deliverance of the total population is as magnanimous as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself...Such a personality factually represents Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu because his heart is always filled with compassion for conditioned souls.

Cc. Madhya 15.160, 162-164 (Madhya: 6, pp. 82-85)

Impelled by compassion, the devotee preaches:

When a Vaisnava sees mismanagement in the government, he feels great compassion in his heart and tries his best to purify the situation by spreading the Hare Krsna movement.

Bhag. 6.2.3

Out of compassion, the devotee preaches:

Vaisnavas, or devotees, are usually very compassionate upon conditioned souls. Without even being invited, a devotee will go from door to door to enlighten people and to bring them out of the darkness of nescience by injecting knowledge of the living entity's constitutional position as a servant of Lord Krsna. Such devotees are empowered by the Lord to distribute devotional consciousness, or Krsna consciousness, to the people in general.

TLC Ch. 1

By the compassion and mercy of a devotee, the Lord delivers a conditioned soul:

BhaTTacarya's brother-in-law, Gopinatha Acarya, and the devotees of the Lord were surprised to see the BhaTTacarya transformed into a great devotee.

Gopinatha Acarya then began to thank the Lord: "It is by Your grace only that BhaTTacarya has been transformed from his stonelike position into such a devotee." Lord Caitanya then replied to Gopinatha Acarya that it was due to a devotee's favor that a stonelike man could be transformed into a mild, flowerlike devotee. Actually Gopinatha Acarya had sincerely wished that his brother-in-law, BhaTTacarya, would become a devotee of the Lord. He had sincerely desired that the Lord favor BhaTTacarya, and he was glad to see that his desire was fulfilled by Lord Caitanya. In other words, a devotee of the Lord is more merciful than the Lord Himself. When a devotee desires to show his mercy to a person, the Lord acts, and by His grace one becomes a devotee.

TLC Ch. 26

Advanced devotees are compassionate and try to preach:

When a person is advanced in spiritual consciousness or Krsna consciousness, he naturally becomes very sympathetic toward all living entities suffering in the material world. Naturally such an advanced person thinks of the suffering of the people in general.... If one is actually sympathetic to fallen, suffering humanity, he should try to elevate people from material consciousness to spiritual conscious.... By the grace of Krsna, we may raise a person to spiritual consciousness if we ourselves follow the rules and regulations. If we give up our own spiritual activities and simply become concerned with the bodily comforts of others, we will fall into a dangerous position.

Bhag. 5.8.9

The preacher is the most compassionate personality towards all the fallen souls:

His [a sadhu's] concern, therefore, is to enlighten people in devotional service to the Lord. That is his mercy. He knows that without devotional service to the Lord, human life is spoiled.... He is not satisfied with his own liberation. He always thinks about others. He is the most compassionate personality towards all the fallen souls. One of his qualifications, therefore, is karunika, great mercy to the fallen souls.

Bhag. 3.25.21

sudhaya · April 27, 2004

7. The Preacher Should Practice Tolerance

Devotees must humbly tolerate opponents while preaching:

Vaisnavas must meet many opponents while preaching the glories of the Lord, but Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommends that they not become angry while preaching. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu has given this formula: ... "One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly." Those engaged in preaching the glories of the Lord should be humbler than grass and more tolerant than a tree; then they can preach the glories of the Lord without difficulty.

Bhag. 6.4.5

The preacher must practice tolerance (in meeting opposing elements):

While engaged in preaching work he [the sadhu] has to meet with so many opposing elements, and therefore the sadhu, or devotee of the Lord, has to be very tolerant. Someone may ill-treat him because the conditioned souls are not prepared to receive the transcendental knowledge of devotional service. They don't like it; that is their disease. The sadhu has the thankless task of impressing upon them the importance of devotional service. Sometimes devotees are personally attacked with violence. Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, Haridasa Thakura was caned in twenty-two marketplaces, and Lord Caitanya's principal assistant, Nityananda, was violently attacked by Jagai and Madhai. But still they were tolerant because their mission was to deliver the fallen souls. One of the qualifications of a sadhu is that he is very tolerant and is merciful to all fallen souls.

Bhag. 3.25.21

The preacher should tolerate envious persons and go on preaching:

When one is engaged in devotional service, he is often surrounded by envious people, and often many enemies come to try to defeat him or stop him.... The atheists are always prepared to harass a devotee; therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu suggested that one be very tolerant of these people. Nonetheless, one has to continue chanting the Hare Krsna mantra and preaching the chanting of this mantra because such preaching and chanting constitute the perfection of life. One should chant and preach about the urgency of making this life perfect in all respects.

Bhag. 4.24.67

The preacher should be humble and tolerate impediments:

Following the orders of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, one who preaches the glories of the Lord all over the world or all over the universe should be humbler than grass and more tolerant than a tree because a preacher cannot live an easygoing life. Indeed, a preacher must face many impediments. Not only is he sometimes cursed, but sometimes he must also suffer personal injury. For example, when Nityananda Prabhu went to preach Krsna consciousness to the two roguish brothers Jagai and Madhai, they injured Him and made His head bleed, but nevertheless, He tolerantly delivered the two rogues, who became perfect Vaisnavas. This is the duty of a preacher. Lord Jesus Christ even tolerated crucifixion.

Bhag. 6.5.44

The preacher must tolerate inimical persons:

[After discussing "enemies" of the Krsna consciousness movement-caste brahmanas and parents of devotees:]

We have no business creating enemies, but the process is such that nondevotees will always be inimical toward us. Nevertheless, as stated in the Sastras, a devotee should be both tolerant and merciful. Devotees engaged in preaching should be prepared to be accused by ignorant persons, and yet they must be very merciful to the fallen conditioned souls. If one can execute his duty in the disciplic succession of Narada Muni, his service will surely be recognized. As the Lord says in Bhagavad-gita (18.68-69):

ya idam paramam guhyam

mad-bhaktesv abhidhasyati

bhaktim mayi param krtva

mam evaisyaty asamSayah

na ca tasman manusyesu

kaScin me priya-krttamah

bhavita na ca me tasmad

anyah priyataro bhuvi

"For one who explains the supreme secret to the devotees, devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me. There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear."

Let us continue preaching the message of Lord Krsna and not be afraid of enemies. Our only duty is to satisfy the Lord by this preaching, which will be accepted as service by Lord Caitanya and Lord Krsna. We must sincerely serve the Lord and not be deterred by so-called enemies.

Bhag. 6.5.39

The devotee (preacher) accepts reverses as Krsna's mercy:

When something is arranged by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one should not be disturbed by it, even if it appears to be a reverse according to his calculation. For example, sometimes we see that a powerful preacher is killed, or sometimes he is put into difficulty, just as Haridasa Thakura was. He was a great devotee who came into this material world to execute the will of the Lord by preaching the Lord's glories. But Haridasa was punished at the hands of the Kazi by being beaten in twenty-two marketplaces. Similarly, Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, and Prahlada Maharaja was put through so many tribulations.

The Pandavas, who were direct friends of Krsna, lost their kingdom; their wife was insulted, and they had to undergo many severe tribulations. Seeing all these reverses affect devotees, one should not be disturbed; one should simply understand that in these matters there must be some plan of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Bhagavatam's conclusion is that a devotee is never disturbed by such reverses. He accepts even reverse conditions as the grace of the Lord. One who continues to serve the Lord even in reverse conditions is assured that he will go back to Godhead, back to the VaikunTha planets.

Bhag. 3.16.37

A preacher must tolerate the asuras and make them become devotees:

It is the nature of demons to give devotees trouble, just as in the West, Lord Jesus Christ was crucified because he was preaching God consciousness.... Actually everyone in the material world is more or less an asura, an atheist. If one preaches, one has to learn to tolerate the asuras and speak in such a way that they can also become devotees.

TLK Ch. 15, text 35