A devotee’s prime goal is to develop love for Krishna. When we are trying to develop love for Krishna, we must know what is in the heart of Krishna. What is in a person’s heart is most dear to him or her.
It is mentioned that Vedas are the spotless heart of Krishna.
brahma te hṛdayaṁ śuklaṁ
tapaḥ-svādhyāya-saṁyamaiḥ
yatropalabdhaṁ sad vyaktam
avyaktaṁ ca tataḥ param
The Vedas are Your spotless heart, and through them one can perceive—by means of austerity, study and self-control—the manifest, the unmanifest and the pure existence transcendental to both. SB 10.84.19
Vedas have been manifested by the utmost mercy of Krishna. By giving an impartial view to the Vedas we can understand what is the heart of Krishna.
The Heart Imbued with Compassion
The purpose of Vedas is to show compassion. It is evident from the various levels and degrees in which the Vedas encourage a single living entity to engage in the Lord’s service, either directly or indirectly.
Vedas talk about karma-kanda that can yield benefits of going upto heaven. There is a mention of niskama karma whose benefit is steadiness in jnana yoga. Jnana yoga leads to Brahman realization, and the result of dhyana yoga is again Brahman and paramatma realization. Worship of demigods is given to yield different kinds of results. So much variety just to come to the dharmic fold! Krishna’s love encompasses everyone.
When Krishna spoke the Bhagavad Gita to Krishna, what was the purpose? To exhibit his unlimited compassion. Not only on Arjuna, but on all the conditioned souls. If any of the processes cannot give any result without bhakti, why doesn’t Krishna talk only about bhakti? The answer is compassion.
If surrendering our heart and soul to Krishna is the goal as mentioned in BG 18.66 – sarva dharman parityajya, why does Krishna give so many options? The answer is compassion.
The Heart Laden with Affection
Another thing which is the core substance of Krishna’s heart is Krishna’s devotees. Krishna resides in the hearts of His devotees, and the devotees reside in the heart of Krishna. Lord Narayana says to Durvasa Muni in SB 9.4.68,
sādhavo hṛdayaṁ mahyaṁ
sādhūnāṁ hṛdayaṁ tv aham
mad-anyat te na jānanti
nāhaṁ tebhyo manāg api
If Krishna cannot tolerate one thing, it is offense towards his dear devotees. If Krishna is ready to forsake anything for someone, it is for his devotees.
We can see throughout the scriptures how Krishna’s dealings with His devotees depicts His total love for them. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna goes to an extent to say that even if a devotee is engaged in an abominable action, but he or she worships only Him, then Krishna considers that devotee a saint! If this is the love shown for one who is doing something wrong, how much love should He possess for His unalloyed devotees?
Although the Vedas manifest from the heart of the Lord, Krishna prefers the devotee over the Vedas. SB 1.10.20 says,
anyonyam āsīt sañjalpa
uttama-śloka-cetasām
kauravendra-pura-strīṇāṁ
sarva-śruti-mano-haraḥ
“Absorbed in the thought of the transcendental qualities of the Lord, who is glorified in select poetry, the ladies on the roofs of all the houses of Hastināpura began to talk of Him. This talk was more attractive than the hymns of the Vedas.”
If devotees weren’t dearer to Krishna, what was the reason for the personified Vedas to pray for a birth wherein they would assist the Lord in His conjugal pastimes? And these Vedas came forth as sruti-cari gopis.
Krishna’s dealings with the poor brahmana Sudama, his dealings with Akura who was stationed in Mathura and came to Vraja to take Krishna with him to Mathura, his dealings with the Pandavas and all other devotees as depicted in the Srimad Bhagavatam enchant the heart of the devotee reader. What to speak of His dealings with the Vrajavasis who considered Krishna as dearer to them than their very life, and were ready to forsake anything for Him at a moment’s notice?
Mahaprabhu’s Compassion and Affection
When the self-same Lord Krishna came in the mood of His dear devotee Srimati Radharani, He broke all limits of compassion. Krishna gave various levels for various people, but Lord Caitanya, simply by his glance, elevated any person, fit or unfit, on the level of pure devotional service, and granted them pure love for Krishna. He didn’t even consider all the varieties where people can be engaged either in varnasrma, or karma-kanda, or jnana or dhyana yoga. His formula was to engage everyone in the loving service of Krishna.
Therefore, Krishnadas Kaviraja Gosvami says,
cirād adattaṁ nija-gupta-vittaṁ
sva-prema-nāmāmṛtam aty-udāraḥ
ā-pāmaraṁ yo vitatāra gauraḥ
kṛṣṇo janebhyas tam ahaṁ prapadye
The most munificent Supreme Personality of Godhead, known as Gaurakṛṣṇa, distributed to everyone—even the lowest of men—His own confidential treasury in the form of the nectar of love of Himself and the holy name. This was never given to the people at any time before. I therefore offer my respectful obeisances unto Him. CC Madhya 23.1
Just as devotees are in the heart of Krishna, through Mahaprabhu’s pastimes we can understand how lovingly he dealt with his devotees. He was not ready to leave his devotees for any objects of this world. He would be immersed in sankirtana day and night along with his devotees. He would beg and request permission from his devotees if he had to travel to any place outside Jagannath Puri. Such a high degree of dependence he had on his devotees!!
Taking the same love of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu – premera vanya – Shrila Prabhupada displayed unlimited compassion in delivering all the conditioned souls from the mire of the material energy. Taking the lowest of the people engaged in the most abominable acts, he transformed them into wonderful devotees of Krishna. He depicted Krishna’s and Mahaprabhu’s heart for the whole world.
Our hearts should resonate with Krishna’s and Lord Caitanya’s heart. If we take to our heart what is so dear to Krishna, the principle of compassion and the quality of affection for devotees, He will fill our hearts with unlimited love for Him. The servant becomes the most glorious by understanding, appreciating and manifesting in practicality the heart of the master.
