God Is So Kind to His Devotees - The Affectionate Protector
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that while the Supreme Personality of Godhead is impartial and equal to everyone, He harbors a special, boundless affection for those who have surrendered their lives to His service. Because a pure devotee relies on nothing but the Lord's mercy, the Lord reciprocates by acting as their personal guide, protector, and ever well-wisher in all circumstances.
The Supreme Instructor and Guide
To ensure that His devotees are never lost in the darkness of material illusion, the Lord personally takes charge of their spiritual education. Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that from His position as Paramatma in the heart, God gives the exact intelligence needed to advance.
- God is situated as the Supersoul in everyone's heart, but He is so kind to His devotees that He gives them instructions by which they may continue to progress. When they receive instructions from the all-perfect, there is no chance of their being misled.
- O my Lord, O supreme instructor of the entire world, You are so kind to Your devotee that You could not induce him to do something unbeneficial for him.
- My dear boy, you also should take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is very kind to His devotees. Persons seeking liberation from the cycle of birth and death always take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord in devotional service.
- Queen Suniti advised her son that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is known as bhrtya-vatsala, which indicates that He is very kind to His devotees.
Protection and Strength During Trials
The material world is full of dangers, and sometimes devotees face severe hardships or persecution. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda assures us that the Lord is always present to protect His devotees, either by annihilating their enemies or by giving them the internal strength to endure.
- Although Lord Nrsimhadeva appears as death for an atheist like Hiranyakasipu, He is always kind and is the reservoir of all pleasure for the devotees like Prahlada. A pure devotee is not, therefore, afraid of birth, death, old age and disease.
- The Lord is so kind to His devotee that when severely testing him the Lord gives him the necessary strength to be tolerant and continue to remain a glorious devotee.
- The sakama devotees are sometimes disturbed by the demons and Raksasas, but the Lord is so kind that He always saves them by appearing as an incarnation.
- To a devotee who is engaged in Krsna consciousness the Lord is very, very kind. In spite of all difficulties, he is eventually placed in the transcendental abode, or Krsnaloka.
Forgiveness and Rectification
Because the Lord considers His devotees to be His own family members, He is extremely lenient regarding their faults. Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that if a devotee accidentally commits a sinful act (vikarma), the Lord does not subject them to ordinary karma but lovingly rectifies them.
- The Lord is so kind to the devotee who is fully surrendered to His lotus feet that even though the devotee sometimes falls into the entanglement of vikarma - acts against the Vedic directions - the Lord at once rectifies such mistakes from within.
- The Lord is very kind and affectionate toward His devotees, and therefore a devotee, in any condition, is not subjected to the results of karma. A devotee never aspires for the heavenly planets.
- The Lord is so kind to His devotees that He took all the responsibility for the doormen's offense and requested the sages to give them facilities to return to Vaikuntha as soon as possible.
- The Lord is very kind to His devotees, and He is very grateful, able and magnanimous. It is our duty to believe His words, and if we are intelligent and educated enough, we will follow His instructions without hesitation.
Rewarding the Devotee with His Presence
The ultimate manifestation of God's kindness is the gift of His own association. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that for those who constantly desire to serve Him, the Lord reveals His beautiful form and eventually calls them back to the spiritual world.
- A devotee whose eyes are anointed with the ointment of love of Godhead can see the Supreme Personality of Godhead always within his heart. Lord Syamasundara is so kind to His devotee.
- The priests are pointing out that the Lord's personal presence is very rare even for such elevated sages but that He was so kind to them that now He was personally present. Therefore the priests were very much obliged.
- The great sage Maitreya continued: My dear Vidura, when Dhruva Maharaja, who had good intentions in his heart, finished his prayer, the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, who is very kind to His devotees and servants, congratulated him, speaking as follows.
- The Supreme Lord is so kind to His pure devotees that in proper time He calls such devotees up to Him and thus creates an auspicious circumstance for the devotee.
Conclusion
The supreme compassion of the Absolute Truth is most brilliantly displayed in His dealings with His surrendered souls. Śrīla Prabhupāda concludes that the Supreme Personality of Godhead acts as the perfect, affectionate protector for anyone who takes shelter of His lotus feet. Whether by providing perfect inner guidance, delivering them from danger, or excusing their unintentional mistakes, the Lord ensures that His devotee's path is ultimately successful. A sincere soul who understands this divine kindness abandons all fear of material existence, fully confident that the Lord will always supply the necessary strength to overcome any obstacle and eventually return to the eternal joy of 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 God Is So Kind to His Devotees. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.