God Is Friendly - The Eternal Companion of the Living Entity
In the material world, friendships are often temporary and based on mutual exploitation. Śrīla Prabhupāda reveals that the only true, unbreakable friendship is with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As the Supersoul, the Lord acts as our eternal companion, remaining with us through every birth and patiently waiting for us to reawaken our dormant love for Him.
The Constant Companion
The Supreme Lord never abandons His parts and parcels. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that in His Paramātmā feature, the Lord accompanies the conditioned soul from one body to another, acting as the ultimate, unfailing friend who silently guides the living entity from within the heart.
- God is not away from us. He is present. He is so friendly that He remains with us in our repeated change of births. He is waiting to see when we shall turn to Him. He is so kind that though we may forget Him, He never forgets us.
- The Personality of Godhead, in His Paramatma feature, enters the creation of this material world as Maha-Visnu, Garbhodakasayi Visnu and Ksirodakasayi Visnu, and in a very friendly attitude the Lord sits along with the conditioned soul in the body.
- The Supersoul is said to be friendly because the Supreme Personality of Godhead is so kind to the original soul that when the original soul transmigrates from one body to another, the Lord goes with him.
- The Vedas, like the Mundaka Upanisad, as well as the Svetasvatara Upanisad, compare the soul and the Supersoul to two friendly birds sitting on the same tree.
The Impartial Well-Wisher
Although God is the friend of everyone, He is not bound by mundane favoritism or prejudice. Śrīla Prabhupāda clarifies that the Lord provides equally for all beings from within the core of their hearts, but naturally exhibits a special, reciprocal friendliness toward those who surrender to Him in love.
- It is an imposition upon the Supreme Lord to say that He is envious of anyone or friendly to anyone.
- The Lord is equally situated in the core of everyone's heart. Thus He cannot be envious of anyone or friendly to anyone; for Him everyone is the same.
- In the Bhagavad-gita the Lord says - My dear Arjuna, I am equal to everyone. No one is the object of My envy, and no one is My special friend, but I give special attention to one who engages in Krsna consciousness.
- The Lord is everyone's friend, but He is especially friendly to the surrendered soul.
Merciful Reciprocation
Because the Lord is completely self-sufficient, He requires nothing from the material creation. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that when the Lord accepts our offerings or speaks sweet words to the conditioned souls, it is exclusively a manifestation of His causeless, friendly attitude toward all living entities.
- Although He (Lord Visnu) is self-sufficient and does not need anything from anyone, He accepts such offerings because, as Supersoul, He has such a friendly attitude toward all living entities.
- He (Lord Visnu) accepts the offerings of yajna because of His friendly attitude toward all living entities. When His share of the sacrificial results was offered to Him (in Daksa's sacrificial ceremony), He appeared very pleased.
- You are the friend of all suffering humanity, and for great personalities it is necessary to show mercy to the foolish. Therefore I think that You will show Your causeless mercy to persons like us, who engage in Your service.
- The demons were so captivated by the tricks and friendly words of Mohini-murti that although the demigods were served first, the demons were pacified merely by sweet words.
Taking Shelter in the Supreme Friend
The highest perfection of yoga is to realize the Supreme Lord as one's ultimate friend. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that by engaging in devotional service and taking shelter of Kṛṣṇa, a devotee cultivates a deep, liberating relationship with the Lord known as sakhya-rati.
- We have to take shelter of Krsna. Krsna is very friendly to all of us. Therefore He comes down from Vaikuntha to inform this. That is Bhagavad-gita. And that is elaborately explained in the Srimad-Bhagavatam.
- Krsna was so friendly and very loving friend, not ordinary friend. Therefore Krsna said - My dear Arjuna, don't be disappointed because you cannot execute this astanga-yoga. The first-class yogi is he who always thinks of Me.
- The Lord is so friendly to the living entity that He remains within the heart so that one can always contact Him without difficulty. One can do this simply by devotional service (sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam. pada-sevanam).
- Due to having a friendly relationship with the Lord, not only is one free from material attachment, but one believes in equal dealings with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is called sakhya-rati.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Śrīla Prabhupāda beautifully illustrates that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the most unfailing and intimate friend of every living entity. As vividly described in the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad and Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad, the Lord accompanies the wandering soul through countless lifetimes, sitting patiently within the heart like a friendly bird, waiting for the conditioned soul to turn its attention back to Him. Although it is a material imposition to accuse the Lord of mundane favoritism or envy—as He is situated equally in everyone's heart—Lord Kṛṣṇa explicitly declares in the Bhagavad-gītā that He holds a special, reciprocal friendliness toward those who actively surrender to Him in love. The Lord's causeless mercy is the ultimate proof of His friendly nature. Completely self-sufficient, He requires absolutely nothing, yet He mercifully accepts the offerings of sacrifice (yajña) and descends to the material world simply to deliver suffering humanity. Recognizing this supreme friendship is the true goal of life. By taking shelter of Kṛṣṇa and engaging in the simple, joyful process of devotional service (śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam), a living entity can easily contact the Lord within the heart. This perfect, friendly relationship (sakhya-rati) instantly frees the soul from all material attachments and establishes them in the highest perfection of yoga—eternal loving association with the Supreme Friend.
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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 Friendly. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.