The Affectionate Reciprocation in God's Remembering
Śrīla Prabhupāda highlights the vast difference between the forgetful nature of the conditioned soul and the perfect, loving omniscience of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By studying his instructions, we can understand the infallibility of the Lord's memory, the constant vigilance of the Supersoul, and the deep emotional reciprocation God shares with His devotees.
The Infallible Memory of the Supreme Lord
Conditioned souls are bound by the limits of time and material bodies, leading to inevitable forgetfulness. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that because the Supreme Lord's body is entirely spiritual (sac-cid-ānanda) and never changes, His memory is absolute, allowing Him to remember pastimes and instructions from billions of years ago.
- The difference between the Lord and Arjuna is that the Lord remembered the incidence, whereas Arjuna could not remember. That is the difference between the part and parcel living entity and the Supreme Lord.
- We may also note herein (BG 4.5) that a living entity forgets everything due to his change of body, but the Lord remembers because He does not change His sac-cid-ananda body.
- The Lord even remembers when He taught the Bhagavad-gita to the sun-god some billions of years before. The Lord can remember such millions and billions of years, as stated in the Bhagavad-gita.
- The Lord remembers them all, but His associates, although liberated souls, forget due to their being tatastha sakti, or marginal potency of the Lord. That is the difference between the visnu-tattva and jiva-tattva.
The Supersoul's Constant Remembrance
No living entity is ever truly alone, nor are their actions ever lost to the void. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that as the Paramātmā within the heart, the Supreme Lord travels with the soul through countless lifetimes, perfectly remembering every action and desire in order to supply the appropriate results.
- The living being undergoes many changes of body through many lives, but the Supersoul is always with him and remembers all his activities, despite his evolution through different bodies.
- The Lord remembers them all, whereas the associates forget due to their being very minute parts and parcels of the Lord; they are apt to forget such incidents due to being infinitesimal. This is corroborated in the Bhagavad-gita.
- One should always remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His localized representation as the Paramatma, who is situated in the core of every living entity's heart. Thus one should offer respect to every living entity according to that living entity's position.
- Prahlada Maharaja said: Hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of Lord Visnu, remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord - these nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service.
Affectionate Reciprocation with Devotees
The memory of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not a cold, mechanical record; it is brimming with supreme affection. Śrīla Prabhupāda vividly describes how Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Lord Rāmacandra are moved to tears of transcendental grief and ecstasy simply by remembering the pure, unalloyed love of Their surrendered devotees.
- Although He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, upon remembering the exalted qualities of mother Sita, He could not check His grief in transcendental love.
- My dearest Srimati Radharani, please hear Me (Krsna). I am speaking the truth. I cry day and night simply upon remembering all you inhabitants of Vrndavana. No one knows how unhappy this makes Me.
- Vidura was overwhelmed by the ecstasy of love when he understood that Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, thought of him at the last moment. Although he thought of himself as insignificant, he was remembered by God, by His causeless mercy.
- Let this temporary body be burnt to ashes, and let the air of life be merged with the totality of air. Now, O my Lord, please remember all my sacrifices, and because You are the ultimate beneficiary, please remember all that I have done for You.
Conclusion
Śrīla Prabhupāda makes it abundantly clear that the Supreme Personality of Godhead possesses an infallible and perfectly affectionate memory. Unlike the conditioned jīvas—who suffer from constant amnesia due to the trauma of birth, death, and the shifting of material bodies—Śrī Kṛṣṇa's spiritual form (sac-cid-ānanda) never degrades, allowing Him to remember events from billions of years ago with absolute clarity. As the Paramātmā, He intimately tracks and remembers the actions of every living entity, functioning as the ultimate witness to our material wanderings. However, the most beautiful aspect of God's remembering is reserved for His pure devotees. The Lord is so bound by their love that the mere remembrance of Sītā devī's virtues or the Vṛndāvana residents' devotion moves Him to transcendental tears. He never forgets the smallest service rendered to Him. Thus, the perfection of a devotee's life is to constantly remember Kṛṣṇa, resting assured that the Supreme Lord will affectionately remember them, especially at the critical moment of passing from this world.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category God's Remembering. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.