Assisting Kṛṣṇa - The Perfection of Devotional Service
The Supreme Lord is entirely self-sufficient, yet the very essence of bhakti lies in the loving exchange of service. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the Lord deliberately expands Himself and invites His parts and parcels to assist Him. From the majestic management of the cosmic creation by His divine expansions, to the intimate services rendered by His pure devotees in the spiritual realm, the act of assisting Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate perfection of existence for every living entity.
The Expansions of Lord Balarāma
To manage both the spiritual and material worlds, the Supreme Lord expands Himself into various forms. Śrīla Prabhupāda outlines how Lord Balarāma, the first bodily expansion of Kṛṣṇa, generates numerous viṣṇu-tattvas whose primary purpose is to assist the original Personality of Godhead in His unlimited activities.
- These two are one and the same identity. They differ only in form. Lord Balarama is the first bodily expansion of Krsna, and He assists in Lord Krsna's transcendental pastimes.
- Maha-sankarsana, Karanodakasayi, Garbhodakasayi, Ksirodakasayi, and Sesa. These five plenary portions are responsible for both the spiritual and material cosmic manifestations. In these five forms Lord Balarama assists Lord Krsna in His activities.
- Sesa is called Ananta, or unlimited, because He assists the Personality of Godhead in His unlimited expansions by performing an unlimited variety of services.
- There are nine alternative transcendental means of attaining the stage (of personal attachment to Krsna, with a resulting effect of detachment from anything "non-Krsna"): (5) worshiping, (6) praying, (7) assisting.
The Demigods and the Lord's Mission
When Kṛṣṇa descends to the material world, He orchestrates a grand display of pastimes to attract the conditioned souls. The Vedic literatures describe how the Lord requests various elevated beings, including demigods, to take birth in specific dynasties to assist Him in His divine play.
- When Krsna appeared, He came in the association of His eternal servitors, but some of the demigods also were requested to come down to assist Him, and thus they took their births in the Yadu dynasty.
- Some of the demigods were asked to appear on this earth to assist in the transcendental pastimes of Lord Krsna.
- Actually, all these boys were demigods descended from higher planets to assist Krsna in His pastimes. The demigods garbed in the dress of the cowherd boys were encouraging Krsna in His dancing, just as one artist encourages another with praise.
- Assisted by the descendants of Bhoja, Vrsni, Andhaka, Madhu, Surasena, Dasarha, Kuru, Srnjaya and Pandu, Lord Krsna performed various activities.
Assisting in the Preaching Mission
The Lord's primary mission in the material world is to deliver the fallen souls and establish religious principles. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that pure devotees, like Arjuna on the battlefield or modern preachers spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness, actively assist the Lord by dedicating their lives to this exact endeavor.
- As a pure devotee of the Lord (Krsna), Arjuna agreed to fight in preference to his own decision, and thus Arjuna fought to assist the Lord in His mission of diminishing the burden of the world.
- Krsna appeared for the mission of diminishing the burden of the world, and Arjuna was assisting Him by fighting on His behalf. Arjuna personally declined to fight, and the whole instruction of the Bhagavad-gita was given to Arjuna to engage him in the fight.
- He (Lord Sri Krsna) tries to induce them to surrender unto Him. Similarly, the brahmanas do the same thing. After assimilating the Vedic instructions, they assist the Supreme Lord in His endeavor to deliver conditioned souls.
- I am glad that you are working very hard in assisting your good husband. So my idea of combining you as husband and wife is now fulfilled, and you both continue to render your important service to Krishna.
Intimate Service in Vṛndāvana and Dvārakā
In the highest realms of the spiritual sky, the Lord is surrounded by confidential associates whose only desire is to increase His pleasure. Śrīla Prabhupāda highlights how friends, queens, and maidservants constantly assist Kṛṣṇa in the most intimate and loving ways.
- As Subala always assisted Krsna in His dealings with Radharani in krsna-lila, so Ramananda Raya assisted Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu in His feelings of separation from Krsna.
- He (a devotee) will want to serve the Lord by assisting Him in controlling the cows in the pasturing ground.
- In this situation, Lord Sri Krsna sat very comfortably and enjoyed the service of Rukminiji, who was assisted by her maidservants.
- Putting flower garlands on His (Krsna) neck, dressing His hair, getting Him to lie down on the bed and assisting Him in taking His bath. Thus they (Krsna's wives) served always in every respect, especially when Krsna was eating.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the concept of assisting Kṛṣṇa bridges the gap between the infinite majesty of the Supreme Lord and the minute capacity of the living entity. As Śrīla Prabhupāda masterfully teaches, the Absolute Truth lacks nothing, yet He graciously accepts the assistance of His devotees to facilitate the sweet exchange of transcendental love. This principle operates on every level of existence: from Lord Balarāma and His majestic viṣṇu-tattva expansions managing the cosmos, to the exalted demigods descending to enliven the earthly pastimes, down to the intimate associates in Vṛndāvana and Dvārakā who lovingly bathe and feed the Lord. Most importantly, this privilege is open to everyone today. By dedicating one's life to preaching the message of the Bhagavad-gītā, just as Arjuna fought on the battlefield, any sincere soul can actively assist the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His mission to deliver the fallen, thereby achieving the highest perfection of life.
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Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Assisting Krsna. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience the teachings in their direct, verbatim form.