God Takes Away - The Special Favor of Lord Hari
Śrīla Prabhupāda teaches that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the absolute proprietor of everything. Consequently, He has the supreme right to bestow opulences and the supreme right to take them away. In the Vedic tradition, one of the most beloved names for the Lord is Hari, which literally means one who takes away. While the materialist trembles at the thought of losing their temporary possessions, the pure devotee welcomes the Lord's interference, knowing that whatever He takes away is ultimately for the soul's eternal benefit.
The Meaning of Hari
The material world is a place of anxiety and fear. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the true meaning of the name Hari is the Lord who removes these anxieties. By connecting with Lord Hari, the devotee's inauspicious conditions are completely eradicated.
- Hari means who takes away all subjective things of fearfulness. That is Hari. He takes away all our miserable condition of life, Hari.
- Lord Visnu is here described as harir isvarah. The Lord is so kind that He takes all miserable conditions away from His devotees. Consequently He is called Hari.
- Simply by hearing about Him, one develops love for Him. That is the gift of the Lord. On one side He takes away inauspicious things, and on the other side He awards the most auspicious things. That is the meaning of hari.
- The Lord is so kind that He takes away their material desires and gives them the highest benediction.
The Special Favor of Deprivation
Sometimes a sincere soul wants to advance in spiritual life but remains foolishly attached to money, prestige, or family. To cure this, the Lord performs a painful but necessary surgery. Śrīla Prabhupāda frequently cites the verse yasyāham anugṛhṇāmi, explaining that the Lord's first act of special mercy is often to completely bankrupt His devotee.
- It is said by the Lord: yasyaham anugrhnami harisye tad-dhanam sanaih. The Lord told Yudhisthira Maharaja that His special favor is shown to His devotee when He takes away all the devotee's material opulences.
- If a devotee is not mature, the Supreme Lord will take away all his opulence. This principle is stated by the Supreme Personality of Godhead: yasyaham anugrhnami harisye tad-dhanam sanaih: "My first mercy shown to My devotee is to take away all his material opulence."
- This is the special favor of the Lord toward a sincere devotee, taking away all his possessions, especially his material opulence, his money.
- Sometimes He does this by taking away a devotee's material attachments by force and baffling all his material protective agents, for thus the devotee must completely depend on the Lord's protection.
The Example of Bali Mahārāja
One of the most dramatic historical examples of God taking away material opulence is the pastime of Lord Vāmanadeva and Bali Mahārāja. Śrīla Prabhupāda highlights how the Lord tricked the great king, taking away his universal dominion to elevate him to the highest platform of pure devotion.
- Although Bali Maharaja was a devotee, he was attached to material possessions, and therefore the Lord, being very kind to him, showed him special favor by appearing as Lord Vamana to take away all his material possessions, and his mind as well.
- Prahlada Maharaja said: My Lord, it is Your Lordship who gave this Bali the very great opulence of the post of heavenly king, and now, today, it is You who have taken it all away. I think You have acted with equal beauty in both ways.
- Here Sukracarya says that this dwarf brahmacari would take away everything. Thus he indicates that the Lord will take away all one's material possessions and also one's mind.
- The Almighty God can bestow upon anyone the kingdom of the universe from a very small beginning, and similarly, He can take away the kingdom of the universe on the plea of begging a small piece of land.
The Final Taker: Supreme Time
While the Lord takes away from His devotees out of love, He takes away from the atheists out of strict justice. Śrīla Prabhupāda warns that for those who refuse to surrender their possessions voluntarily, the Lord will eventually arrive as all-devouring death and take away everything by force.
- Mrtyuh sarva-haras caham. When Krsna will come and put you to death, what you will do, with your clapping and your bank balance? You will be taken away.
- The Lord in the shape of death takes away everything that is created by the conditioned soul. Everything in this material world is subject to perish in due course of time.
- At the time of death, the atheist must submit to the supreme kala, and then the Supreme Personality of Godhead takes away all his possessions and forces him to accept another body.
- Everyone was afraid of Hiranyakasipu's atheistic principles. When Lord Nrsimhadeva appeared in order to kill him, Hiranyakasipu's atheistic principles could not save him. Lord Nrsimhadeva killed Hiranyakasipu and took away all his power, influence and pride.
Conclusion
The supreme authority of the Absolute Truth means that nothing in the material world actually belongs to us. Śrīla Prabhupāda establishes that whether one is a pious devotee or an arrogant atheist, the Supreme Lord will eventually take everything away. The difference lies in the nature of the taking. For the defiant materialist, the Lord appears as the terrifying force of time (kāla) and death, violently snatching away their bank balances, properties, and false prestige, forcing them into another temporary body. However, for the sincere devotee, the Lord appears as Hari. If a devotee is struggling with material attachments, the Lord may smash their temporary comforts and take away their wealth, but this is an act of supreme compassion. By removing the obstacles of false prestige and material dependence, the Lord clears the path for the soul's ultimate liberation. When the Lord takes away the miserable conditions of material life, He perfectly replaces them with the eternal, blissful opulence of pure devotional service.
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