Srimad Bhagavatham

In order to invite Balarama-Krishna, Kamsa sent the peak-devotee of Akrura to gokula.

Explanation

We find here Bhagavatham giving a direct way to attain the Lord through Kamsa’s intellectual game-play to invite and kill the Lord. This way is one of the easiest ways for each one of us to realize our own very nature of Lord. This is by becoming a true devotee of the Lord.

Kamsa knew that Krishna is the Lord. Thus both the Lord and Kamsa knew each other to enemies. Hence Kamsa knew the Lord wouldn’t visit him without alluring the Lord. Kamsa also knew that the way to allure the Lord is through a devotee of the Lord. This goes on to show that the devotee is very dear to the Lord. The Lord would go to any extent in order to protect, save and help his devotee. This is based on the Lord’s own statement in Gita in many places that “the devotee is very dear to me”, “I take care of my devotee’s good and bad”, “I will protect the devotees by taking them beyond all sins” etc.

Thus Bhagavatham is here telling each one of us to strive to become a real devotee of the Lord. Once we are real devotees of the Lord, that very moment the Lord will reveal his true nature of “pervading the entire world in and out beyond the illusory names-forms of the world”. What we need to do from our side is just try to become real devotee of the Lord. If we move one step towards the Lord, the Lord will move 10 steps towards us. This is not a mere statement but anyone with a desire for realizing the Lord can experience this clearly in their life. There are many times when we feel ourselves at the verge of emotional breakdown and suddenly feel help coming from some strange person. It is but the Lord who works through each and every person in the world. The Lord doesn’t differentiate between a devotee and non-devotee. But we will not be able to grasp the ever present grace of the Lord if we are not a devotee. This is like a person sitting inside his house and thereby unable to apprehend the ever present sunshine. In order for us to get the sunshine, we need to open our doors/windows or come out of our house. Similarly in order for us to apprehend the ever present grace of the Lord, we need to open our hearts. Once we open our hearts and become real devotees of the Lord, we will be able to feel the Lord working through each and every object of the world.

Thus the easiest way to lure the Lord into revealing his nature to us is by becoming a real devotee of the Lord. As to what is real devotion, Bhagavatham itself will be illustrating this with Akrura’s activities while going to Gokula in order to invite the Lord. We will see this in the next day.

Let us all try to lure the Lord into giving us eternal bliss through realization of the non-dual reality of Lord by striving for pure and real devotion.

Akrura got into the chariot in order to make it to Gokula. Being so excited about meeting Krishna, Akrura spent like a moment and reached Gokula by evening. On the way he saw Krishna’s feet impressions on the soil. He got down from the chariot; the very vision of the soil filled with Krishna’s feet made Akrura’s hair standing on their top in his entire body; a pulse of bliss was sent throughout his body; he played on the soil by rolling down on it like a kid. He saw Balarama and Krishna in the place where cows & calves where churned for milk. He got down from the chariot and prostrated them with his entire body (danda namaskaaram). His entire body was filled with excitement and bliss; tears of joy were flowing down his cheeks; he couldn’t utter even a word – thus he stayed like a post for a long period of time.

Explanation

We all have a lot of misconception about devotion. If somebody believes in God or somebody visits a temple once a day or somebody goes to a Mahatma, we term the person a devotee. JThis is being proved wrong here. The Lord is also clear about devotion and its description in the 12th chapter (Bhakthi Yoga) of Gita.

Mayi avesha mano ye maam nityayukthaa upaasathe
Sraddhayaa parayopethaah te me nityatamaa mataah

He is my devotee who

1. Fixes his mind (thoughts) unto me
2. Is steadfast in me (thinking about me)
3. Considers me as the ultimate goal to be achieved (thereby having all efforts towards realizing me)

The above description of the Lord very clearly gives us one way to find out whether we are real devotees or not – this is complete and total surrender unto the Lord. A real devotee is one who doesn’t know anything apart from the Lord. All his words are praises of the Lord, all his actions are pooja to the Lord, everything that he does is towards remembrance of the Lord and his only aim in life is realizing his very nature of all pervading Lord. The very sight of the Lord’s feet impression took Akrura to an elevated state. The moment a devotee remembers the Lord, he will not be able to speak or drink or walk etc. but he will be in absorption with the Lord.

Thus real devotion is not believing in the Lord but making the Lord pervade each moment of our life and each entity of the entire world. If we are able to do this, then we will have only one desire in life which will be realization of the reality of Lord. Everything else will not be as important as the Lord. The devotee’s all actions will be towards realization of the Lord even as Akrura didn’t even question when told to approach the Lord. Everything else would have lesser priority than constant remembrance of the Lord.

When we compare Akrura’s behavior with our behavior (or of those whom we term as ‘devoted’), we will find the difference equivalent to that between sky and earth. We will go to the temple, pray the Lord and do pradakshina for n number of times. On the way back from the temple we come across a vehicle which is going slow; immediately we will start cursing and abusing the person. We haven’t even reached our home yet the Lord is gone long ago from our minds. This is our devotion. This goes to such an extent that we stand in front of the deity and curse the person in front who is obstructing our view of the deity. We don’t even show attachment that is seen in young lovers towards the Lord – our view of the Lord is just as a means to get away from our sins and get things easily by doing part-time worship. This is thereby completely different from real devotion which is beautifully depicted by Bhagavatham through Akrura’s activities.

We will claim ourselves to be devotees of Krishna but speak about Gita or Bhagavatham, we will not even know one sloka from those. We will not even know the entire life history of Krishna. Yet we will claim ourselves devotees of Krishna or any other deity.

Being spiritual seekers seeking the ultimate reality of Lord, we all should take a resolution to stop speaking about devotion like it can be followed by any and every person in the world. We should understand what real devotion, stop interpreting religious as devotion and try ourselves to be a real devotee of the Lord. The next time either we or somebody else speaks about a devotee, we should immediately analyze whether the target person is a devotee or not. If we still make the same mistake of terming everyone who remembers the Lord once a week a devotee, then we will be the losers in not becoming a real devotee; unless we become a real devotee, we will not be able to perceive the ever-present grace of the Lord; unless we are able to perceive the grace of the Lord, we will not be able to realize our own very nature of Lord; unless we are able to realize our own nature of Lord, we will not be able to get eternal bliss; unless we get eternal bliss, our life will always be temporary and sorrowful.

We will see as to how the Lord reciprocates the devotee’s devotion in the next day.

Let us all try to be real devotees of the Lord by completely surrendering unto the Lord so that we are ever immersed in contemplation of the Lord as pervading the entire world and thereby realize our very nature of blissful Lord.