God Gives Benefits - The Causeless Mercy of the Supreme Lord
In the material world, relationships are generally based on mutual exploitation; people give to others with the expectation of receiving something in return. When conditioned souls project this mentality onto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they misunderstand the nature of religion. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that because Kṛṣṇa is completely self-satisfied, He requires absolutely nothing from us. Whenever God interacts with humanity, demands our surrender, or accepts our service, it is entirely for our own eternal benefit.
Self-Satisfied Benefactor
A common atheistic argument is that God must be egotistical to demand worship. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that the Lord is not poor or hungry. When we offer food, prayers, or service to Kṛṣṇa, we are the ones who are elevated. Just as a reflection in a mirror becomes beautiful when the original face is decorated, we become perfectly satisfied only when we satisfy the Supreme Lord.
- The Supreme Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is always fully satisfied in Himself. Therefore when something is offered to Him, the offering, by the Lord's mercy, is for the benefit of the devotee, for the Lord does not need service from anyone.
- The Lord is not hungry or poor, in need of our offering. Actually, it is to our advantage to offer Him something to eat. If the Supreme Lord kindly accepts our offering, then we are benefited.
- The more you give to God, the more you become benefited; it is in your interest.
- The man who worships the Lord, the Lord Himself who is worshiped, the cause for which the Lord is worshiped, the source of supply, the place where such worship is done, etc. - everything is benefited by such an action.
Absolute Nature of Krsna's Mercy
Because Kṛṣṇa is the Absolute Truth, anyone who comes into contact with Him—regardless of their motive—receives immense spiritual benefit. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains the profound theological truth that Kṛṣṇa's mercy is equal toward both His friends and His enemies. When a pure devotee serves Kṛṣṇa with love, they attain the spiritual world; remarkably, when a demon constantly thinks of Kṛṣṇa as a sworn enemy, they also achieve liberation.
- "God is good" means when He's favoring somebody and when He's killing somebody, both of them are benefited. Therefore God is always good, both ways. Nija-labha. He has no business to kill anybody as His enemy.
- When the Lord appears in His original form, He acts to deliver the pious and annihilate the miscreants (Bhagavad-Gita 4.8). Although He annihilates the demons, He nonetheless benefits them.
- The Lord is very kind to His so-called enemy because one who always thinks of the Personality of Godhead as an enemy also benefits, although he thinks of the Lord adversely.
- If a conditioned soul, thinking of the Lord as an enemy or a friend, somehow or other becomes attached to the Lord, he receives great benefit.
Tragedy of Ingratitude
The Supreme Lord has arranged the entire material cosmos to provide humanity with sunlight, water, air, and food. Yet, out of deep ignorance, human society claims these resources as their own property. Śrīla Prabhupāda strongly points out that atheistic society is fundamentally ungrateful, ignoring the supreme benefactor while simultaneously crying out for peace and prosperity.
- Ungrateful persons are those who do not understand how much benefit they are deriving by the arrangement of the Lord.
- We are receiving so many benefits through the agents of Supreme Personality of Godhead, and we do not acknowledge even, "God is great. He's supplying us nice foodstuff," so how much ungrateful the human society has become. And they want peace and prosperity.
- The Lord makes so many promises for the benefit of suffering humanity. Although the Lord is very compassionate upon suffering humanity, human beings are generally not very anxious to serve Him.
- Krsna is so kind, He leaves book, He leaves representative, and He comes Himself. In so many ways He is trying to give us the benefit. Asura: we do not take the advantage, and continually suffer, birth after birth we suffer.
Benefit of Hearing the Lord's Pastimes
Kṛṣṇa's causeless mercy is so immense that one does not even need to be a highly advanced philosopher or mystic yogī to receive it. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that simply by hearing about the uncommon, transcendental pastimes of the Lord, anyone can attain the ultimate spiritual benefit and return back home, back to Godhead.
- For persons who are not very advanced in absolute knowledge of the Supreme, Lord Krsna exhibits His transcendental pastimes. Such persons can simply think of the pastimes of the Lord and get full benefit.
- The pastimes and activities of the Lord are not material - they are beyond the material conception - and the conditioned soul can benefit by hearing such uncommon activities.
- By hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam in the matter of the Lord's glorious activities both in the material world and in the transcendental world, men can derive equal benefit.
- Anyone who is slightly in touch with the Lord, somehow or other, is greatly benefited, even to the point of salvation, due to the excellence of the Lord.
Conclusion
Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not an attempt by God to recruit servants for His own aggrandizement. Rather, because the Lord is causelessly merciful, He descends, speaks the Bhagavad-gītā, and sends His pure devotees solely to give us the highest spiritual benefit. By abandoning our ingratitude and taking up the simple process of devotional service, we can end our material suffering and eternally enjoy the Lord's association.
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 Gives Benefits. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience the teachings in their direct, verbatim form.