Awarding Devotees of God - The Supreme Benedictions of the Lord
The Vedic scriptures describe the Supreme Lord as the ultimate benefactor who is always eager to bestow His mercy. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that when a living entity sincerely takes up the path of devotional service, the Lord actively intervenes in their life, awarding exactly what is required for their ultimate spiritual success. Whether awarding transcendental knowledge, material opulence to be used in service, or even temporary rectification for past mistakes, the Lord's benedictions are always perfectly tailored to bring the soul back to the spiritual world.
The Supreme Benediction of Direct Association
According to Śrīla Prabhupāda, the highest award the Supreme Lord offers is not material wealth or impersonal liberation, but the awakening of unalloyed love of Godhead. This transcendental realization grants the devotee the ultimate prize: eternal, direct association with Kṛṣṇa.
- Devotional service is able to award the pure devotee the highest result, namely direct association with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krsna.
- It is confirmed herein (Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.13.49) that a pure devotee, who constantly engages in the loving service of the Lord, is awarded all knowledge necessary to reach the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- The word hari has different meanings, of which two are foremost. Hari means that He takes away all inauspicious things from the devotee's life and that He attracts the mind of the devotee by awarding him transcendental love of Godhead.
- This awakening of divine consciousness enthralls a devotee, who thus relishes his eternal transcendental mellow. Such an awakening is awarded only to those convinced by devotional service about the transcendental nature of the Personality of Godhead.
Material Opulence Transformed into Spiritual Aid
Because pure devotional service is completely self-sufficient, a devotee has no need to rely on fruitive activities (karma) or speculative knowledge (jñāna). Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that if the Lord does award a devotee immense material power or a majestic realm—such as the eternal planet given to Dhruva Mahārāja—it is purely to facilitate their spiritual advancement.
- A devotee need not practice yoga, karma or jnana to achieve a successful result. Devotional service alone is competent to award a devotee all material power.
- Nothing in devotional service is material; everything is spiritual. Consequently a devotee is awarded so-called material opulence for spiritual advancement. This opulence is an aid to help the devotee advance toward the spiritual kingdom.
- The planet awarded to Prince Dhruva Maharaja is a fixed Vaikuntha planet, installed in the material atmosphere by the will of the Supreme Lord, Vasudeva.
- This planet (awarded to Dhruva Maharaja), although within the material world, will not be annihilated at the time of devastation, but will remain fixed in its place.
Awards of Rectification and Future Chances
The path of bhakti is uniquely forgiving. As Śrīla Prabhupāda points out, even if a devotee makes a grave mistake or fails to complete the process in one lifetime, the Lord mercifully awards them another chance. By granting birth in an aristocratic family, or even temporarily awarding an animal body for rapid rectification as with Bharata Mahārāja, the Lord ensures the devotee's continuous progress.
- Even if a devotee of the Lord cannot fulfill the complete course of devotional service unalloyed and uncontaminated by material association, he is given another chance in the next life by being awarded a birth in the family of a devotee or rich man.
- Although Bharata Maharaja was awarded the body of an animal, he did not forget what had previously happened due to his purposeful mistake.
- To immediately rectify his mistake, for a short time he (Bharata) was awarded the body of a deer. This was just to increase his desire for mature devotional service.
- According to Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti, there are two classes of paramahamsas, namely the brahmanandis (impersonalists) and the premanandis (devotees), and both are awarded their desired destinations, although the premanandis are more fortunate.
The Discerning Nature of Divine Awards
The awards of the Supreme Lord are always auspicious, contrasting sharply with the boons given by demigods, which are often misused by materially motivated individuals. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that while Lord Śiva may indiscriminately award dangerous powers to demons, Lord Kṛṣṇa and His authorized representatives only award that which uplifts humanity, such as bestowing the sacred title of gosvāmī upon qualified Western devotees despite mundane protests.
- The form of the Lord is described herein (Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.8.45). The Lord's face is perpetually very beautiful and pleasing in attitude. To the devotees who see Him, He appears never to be displeased, and He is always prepared to award benedictions to them.
- The lord (Siva), being very merciful, quickly awards all the blessings the devotee asks of him. The demons take advantage of this leniency and sometimes take benedictions from Lord Siva which can be very dangerous to others.
- The lord, being very merciful, quickly awards all the blessings the devotee asks of him. The demons take advantage of this leniency and sometimes take benedictions from Lord Siva which can be very dangerous to others.
- There is an undercurrent of protest against our awarding the title gosvami to the American Vaisnavas of the Krsna consciousness movement.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the most expert and loving benefactor, carefully awarding His devotees everything required to achieve perfection. Unlike the temporary and often dangerous material boons granted by the demigods, Kṛṣṇa's awards are fundamentally spiritual. Whether He is bestowing profound transcendental knowledge, manifesting a fixed Vaikuṇṭha planet for Dhruva Mahārāja, or arranging a swift, rectifying birth for Bharata Mahārāja, every action of the Lord is designed to increase the soul's loving attachment. Ultimately, by completely surrendering to the Lord and bypassing the mechanical paths of karma, jñāna, and yoga, the sincere practitioner is guaranteed the greatest award of all: eternal, blissful association with the Supreme Lord in the spiritual sky.
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 Awarding Devotees of God. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience the teachings in their direct, verbatim form.