Hare Krishna Prabhujis amd Matajis,
Please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.
This is in continuation of the previous offering titled, "Do not Neglect" wherein we are discussing on the consequences of neglecting Krishna and His pure devotees as detailed in the pastime of Jaya and Vijaya being cursed by the Sanatkumaras. So let us try to meditate on this lesson in this offering.
1. We offend others when we fail to see Krishna in them.
a) Ignoring Krishna and His devotees means arrogant behaviour: Krishna is present as Paramatma in everyone's heart. Since Jaya and Vijaya, in this instance failed to see Krishna in the heart of the sages, they ended up offending them. We remember how our beloved spiritual master H H Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj, seeing Krishna in everyone, would render obeisances even to the disciples. Maharaj in one of his classes spoke wonderfully about how to see Krishna in every being and to be careful in our behaviour so that we don't cross the border of offense.
"amaaninaa maanadena- Mahaprabhu was very clever, extra clever. He knew our weaknesses. That is why He has advised us amaaninaa maanadenaa. 'Amaani' means - do not expect any respect for yourself. Maanadenaa - you give respect to others. This is very difficult because we want respect, but we do not care for others. And then we do not know who is coming to us. We have to remember one thing very clearly that during our life, Krishna can come anytime in front of us. If, we just behave arrogantly with everybody and then He comes and sees our reaction and vanishes. And that will be repaid when we are dead so that we have to answer that why we behaved like that. This is without fail. Krishna appears in front of us and that is why a sane person has to follow this instruction amaaninaa maanadena. Whoever comes to your door, we think that Krishna has come and we behave very well with him. Whoever is around us, is also Krishna; whoever meets us, he is also Krishna; whoever will meet us, he is also Krishna and so we are very humble with him. We are very respectful to him. Whatever help we can do, we do. There is no arrogant attitude."
b. Ignoring devotional service means ignoring Krishna: Maharaj says that if we ignore chanting, chanting will ignore us. If we ignore Srimad Bhagavatam then Srimad Bhagavatam will ignore us. If we ignore devotional service then devotional service ignores us. Devotee means who is devoted to Krishna, pure devotees and devotional service. He never ignores any one of them or none of them. He takes it very seriously. But how to develop this quality? Srila Prabhupada very nicely says in the purport to Srimad Bhagavatam verse 1.3.44, "One should hear with rapt attention from the real person, and then he can at once realize the presence of Lord Krishna in every page. The secret of knowing Bhagavatam is mentioned here. But somehow or other if someone hears with rapt attention from the right person, at the very beginning one can assuredly see Lord Sri Krishna in person in the pages of Bhagavatam."
Once we see the Lord in every page of Srimad Bhagavatam we automatically cultivate this habit of seeing Krishna in every being and in every circumstances. This is the highest stage but we can make a small step towards that objective of seeing Krishna in everybody and Krishna will mercifully help in purifying us.
Thank you very much.
Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva,
Sajjanapriya Krishna das
Abudhabi
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