Enemies of Devotees of God - Ajāta-śatrava: The Friend of All
The path of pure devotion is marked by profound peace and unavoidable persecution. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains the fascinating dynamic between a pure Vaiṣṇava—who refuses to make enemies—and the envious material world, which relentlessly attacks them, inevitably provoking the absolute protection of the Supreme Lord.
The Compassion of a Pure Devotee
A fundamental symptom of spiritual advancement is the complete eradication of envy. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that a pure devotee is universally kind and never considers anyone an enemy, viewing even the most severe hostility as a purifying arrangement orchestrated by Kṛṣṇa.
- The pure devotee of Lord Krsna is never inimical to anyone, nor can any sane person be an enemy of a pure devotee.
- A highly advanced Vaisnava devotee is a friend to all living entities, and consequently he is a friend to his enemies also. In fact, he does not consider anyone to be his enemy.
- Vidura never became an enemy of Dhrtarastra but continued to be his well-wisher, and at the last stage of his life, it was Vidura only who proved to be his real friend. Such is the behavior of Vaisnavas like Vidura: he desires all good even for his enemies.
- A devotee knows that, Nobody can become my enemy unless Krsna desires. So why shall I think of him as my enemy? Krsna has desired him to act as my enemy just to correct me, to make me more advanced in spiritual life. Why shall I take any action upon him.
The Inevitability of Persecution
Despite their pure and harmless nature, devotees are frequently attacked by materialistic society. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that simply by preaching God consciousness, a devotee will attract the severe envy of the godless, sometimes even from within their own family.
- Suhrdah sarva-bhutanam. Sadhu is not enemy. Ajata-satrava. He does not create enemy, but the world is such that if you become devotee, even your father will be enemy.
- Even when performing devotional service a devotee has to create many enemies. Prahlada Maharaja himself had experience of this, for even his father became his enemy.
- Hiranyakasipu, he always defied the son's, the small child. His only fault was he was chanting Hare Krsna. And even the father, what to speak of others, he became his enemy. So don't think that Krsna consciousness will go without any difficulty.
- Jesus Christ also was killed by the sura-dvisam, those who were envious of him. What was his fault? His only fault was that he was preaching about God. Yet he had so many enemies, who cruelly crucified him. Therefore Krsna comes to kill such sura-dvisam.
The Protection of the Supreme Lord
While a pure devotee is perfectly willing to forgive and excuse their attackers, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not so tolerant. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that Kṛṣṇa is always in the background, ready to actively intervene and annihilate anyone who insults or harms His servants.
- This is Vaisnava. He is ready to excuse even the greatest enemy. But Krsna does not want. If you insult His devotee, the devotee may excuse, but Krsna will not excuse. This is Krsna's position.
- A serpent may be very angry and ready to bite, but the furious snake is helpless when faced by a blazing fire in the forest. Although an enemy of a devotee may be very strong, he is compared to an angry serpent before the fire of devotional service.
- The devotee must serve the Lord sincerely, and Krsna is always in the background to protect him and, if need be, to equip him fully to fight with his enemy.
- The five brothers, headed by King Yudhisthira, underwent all sorts of difficulties because of the conspiracy of their cousins, headed by Duryodhana. But in the long run King Yudhisthira was enthroned by Lord Sri Krsna, and his enemies were vanquished.
Purification Through Punishment
When the Supreme Lord or His empowered representatives take action against an enemy, the result is completely absolute. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that because Kṛṣṇa is pure transcendence, anyone who is killed by Him or His pure devotees is immediately cleansed of all sins and granted salvation.
- Because He (God) is all-powerful, He is not subject to the conditioned soul's arguments regarding His existence or nonexistence. He is pleased to protect His devotees by killing their enemies. He enjoys both the killing and the protecting.
- To protect His devotees, the Lord sometimes has to kill their enemies. For example, to protect Prahlada Maharaja, the Lord had to kill his enemy Hiranyakasipu, although Hiranyakasipu attained salvation because of being killed by the Lord.
- As soon as Arjuna shot an arrow at an enemy, that enemy became purified of all material contaminations and became eligible to be transferred to the spiritual sky.
- Vrtrasura told Indra, "If you want to kill me, since I am your enemy, take this opportunity. Kill me. You will gain victory, and I shall go back to Godhead. Your deed will be equally beneficial for both of us. Do it immediately."
Conclusion
In conclusion, Śrīla Prabhupāda perfectly illuminates the exalted, non-envious nature of the pure devotee and the fiercely protective nature of the Supreme Lord. A true Vaiṣṇava is ajāta-śatrava; they never consider anyone an enemy, viewing even the most vicious attacks as a purifying arrangement by Kṛṣṇa, and responding only with compassion and forgiveness. However, the material world is inherently treacherous. Simply by existing and preaching the message of Godhead, a pure devotee inevitably attracts the envy of atheists, demons, and sometimes even their own family members. While the devotee tolerates this persecution, Lord Kṛṣṇa absolutely does not. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is always waiting in the background, ready to actively intervene, protect His surrendered servants, and vanquish their aggressors. The supreme beauty of this dynamic is that because the Lord is absolute, His punishment is indistinguishable from His mercy. When the enemies of the devotees are finally defeated by Kṛṣṇa or His empowered representatives, they are instantly purified of their material contamination and awarded ultimate salvation.
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Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Enemies of Devotees of God. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.