God Is Dear - The Supreme Object of Pure Love and Affection
In the material world, people constantly search for the perfect friend, lover, or companion, unaware that the ultimate object of all affection already resides within their hearts. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is constitutionally the dearmost person to every living entity, and reawakening this dormant, loving relationship is the true perfection of human life.
The Dearmost Friend and Supersoul
We search for love externally, forgetting that the source of all love is the Supersoul. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that because God is the origin of the soul, He is factually the dearmost person to everyone, whether they are currently wandering in the material world or liberated in the spiritual sky.
- Factually for a living being there is no one dearer than the Lord.
- The soul is extremely dear to everyone, and similarly the Supersoul is also dear to everyone. Thus there cannot be any faulty action on the part of the Supersoul.
- The Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, is the dearest in both the conditioned and liberated states.
- Why should we be very anxious to know Visnu, or God? Prahlada Maharaja gives a reason: Visnu is the dearmost person. That we have forgotten.
The Reciprocation of Pure Love
Spiritual life is based on a dynamic, mutual exchange of affection. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that while the Lord provides for everyone, a special, intimate reciprocation awakens between the Lord and those pure souls who regard Him as their most dear object of love.
- Devotees are dear to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead is only dear to devotees. On this platform only can one make progress in Krsna consciousness.
- The Lord says that those who are advanced in transcendental knowledge and know the science of Krsna consciousness are very dear to Him, and He also is very dear to them.
- The living entity in his pure condition is always very near and dear to the Lord, and the Lord is dear to him. There is no question of partiality or enmity.
- The Lord declares that although He is undoubtedly equally kind to all living beings - because all of them are part & parcel of Him - those who are especially attached to Him by love, who regard nothing dearer than Him, are particularly dear to Him.
The Names and Glories of the Dearmost
The deep affection the Lord shares with His devotees is immortalized in His holy names. Śrīla Prabhupāda describes how the Lord is glorified by titles indicating how dear He is to His pure devotees, and how chanting these names evokes overwhelming spiritual ecstasy.
- He (King Kulasekhara) first addresses the Lord as Sri-vallabha, "He who is very dear to Laksmi." The Lord is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and His consort, Laksmi, is a manifestation of His internal potency.
- O Mukunda, my Lord! Please let me become a constant reciter of Your names, addressing You as Bhakta-priya - He who is very dear to His devotees, Bhava-lunthana-kovida - He who is expert at plundering the status quo of repeated birth and death.
- Although He (God) is the Supersoul of all living entities, He is specifically manifest to those who are self-realized, and He is especially dear to the hearts of His transcendental devotees.
- A person engaged in devotional service becomes heartsick when singing the glories of the Supreme Lord. Because the Lord is very dear to him, when he glorifies the Lord's name, fame and so on, he becomes almost like an insane man.
Prayers of the Surrendered Souls
When a devotee recognizes the Lord as their ultimate friend, their prayers become intimate expressions of surrender. Śrīla Prabhupāda highlights how pure devotees address the Lord with deep endearment, desiring nothing more than the privilege of serving Him.
- Dear Lord, You are the killer of all inauspicious things. You are compassionate upon Your poor devotees through the expansion of Your arca-vigraha. You should certainly think of us as Your eternal servants.
- Dear Lord, we offer our respectful obeisances unto You because Your existence is completely independent of all material influences. Your Lordship always takes away the devotee's miserable conditions, for Your brain plans how to do so.
- Worship of Your lotus feet is never useless because You are the supreme friend and dearmost Supersoul of everyone. You have therefore manifested Your form as a fish.
- When he was offered a benediction by Lord Nrsimhadeva, Prahlada Maharaja said: My dear Lord, I have no problems and want no benediction from You because I am quite satisfied to chant Your holy name. This is sufficient for me.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Śrīla Prabhupāda beautifully illustrates that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not an impersonal force, but the supreme object of pure, personal affection. Factually, there is no one dearer to the living entity than the Lord, who is the original Supersoul and the dearmost friend in both conditioned and liberated states. Unfortunately, under the spell of material illusion, the conditioned souls have forgotten this eternal bond. When a living entity reawakens their Kṛṣṇa consciousness, a perfect, mutual reciprocation takes place: the Lord becomes exclusively dear to the devotee, and the devotee becomes exceptionally dear to the Lord. This intimate affection is glorified in the Lord's holy names, such as Śrī-vallabha (very dear to the goddess of fortune) and Bhakta-priya (very dear to the devotees). Recognizing this matchless relationship, pure devotees offer their heartfelt prayers, addressing the Supreme as their "dear Lord." Like Prahlāda Mahārāja, they realize that because they have already attained the association of the dearmost person, they require absolutely no material benedictions; they are entirely satisfied simply to chant His holy names and bask in the eternal bliss of His loving service.
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Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category God Is Dear. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.