Srila Prabhupada – An Ocean Of Mercy
Respected Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my most humble obeisances on this most auspicious day of the anniversary of your divine appearance in this world.
You have descended from Lord Krishna’s abode simply to deliver the fallen conditioned souls of this world.
You have been sent by Lord Chaitanya Himself for such deliverance of the conditioned souls like myself, who are misled by the powerful material energy and are busily engaged in sense gratification.
In your “The 1966 New York Journal” you have made an entry on Sunday, 6 March 1966 “According to Mayapur Panjika today is Adhivas day of Gour Purnima. Devotees at Vrindaban and Nabadwipa are enjoying the celebration. I am here alone without any devotee companion. But I have come here to serve the Lord and not for personal happiness. I am prepared to live in hell even if I am able to serve the Lord. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu wanted that His mission should be propagated all over the world and that is my objective. I do not mind the inconvenience personally felt.”
Exactly like Sri Narada Muni, you are prepared to go anywhere and everywhere simply for delivering the fallen conditioned souls because you are an ocean of mercy. But for your merciful appearance, we conditioned souls will rot in this material world for millions of lifetimes under a false bodily conception of life. Who else can tell us the truth about our suffering condition and give us a practical viable alternative for coming out of this dangerous entanglement? Even though you are blissfully situated in your pure devotional service to Lord Krishna, you feel sorry for the millions of suffering souls. Therefore, you are working tirelessly to relieve all the suffering souls from their miserable condition by preaching the powerful message of Lord Gauranga (gaura vani pracarine) all over the
world. You are not only personally doing this preaching, but you are engaging your sincere devotees also in preaching this message of Lord Gauranga.
In a conversation dated June 22nd, 1976, you describe God’s merciful nature:
“When there is sunshine, you see the sinful man and the pious man, both enjoy. That is His mercy. When he bestows His mercy, it is for all of them, either you are sinner or you are pious. That is God's mercy. Just like the cloud when it pours water, it does not make any discrimination. On the sea, there is also rainfall; on the rocks also, there is rainfall, where there is no necessity of rain. Therefore, where is necessity of rainfall on rock? What is the use? There is no use. It is simply waste. So, God also wastes: "All right, you take. You don't require; you also take." In the ocean there is no need of water, but the cloud pours water on the ocean also. Only on the land we can utilize, but God is so merciful, exactly like the raincloud, He is so merciful, where there is no necessity, they are also getting rain, "Take rain". That is merciful. Without any discrimination, whether you want or not want, "Take it".
That is mercy.”
Because you are a pure devotee of Lord Krishna you share His qualities. In one of the prayers to Lord Krishna, He is described as “karuna sindhu” or “Ocean of Mercy”. Therefore, you are also an ocean of mercy.
In the same conversation dated June22nd, 1976 a devotee asked you the following question:
Devotee (2): What hope is there for Krishna consciousness in these countries like Russia and China, (where the governments are opposed to Krishna consciousness)?
Your reply:
Prabhupäda: “Everyone will be benefited. Simply you have to preach. You have to preach in the same way that where there is no necessity, there also the preaching will go on. You have to become like cloud. Therefore, you sing every day:
saàsära-dävänala-léòha-loka träëäya käruëya-ghanäghanatvam
Ghanäghanatvam means deep cloud. You have to become deep cloud and pour water. This blazing fire will be extinguished. When there is blazing fire in the forest, the small fire brigade or bucketfull of water will not help. It requires cloud, ghanäghanatvam, to pour water, finished. You have to do like that. Vande guroù sri... One who can do this, he is guru.
Saàsära-dävänala-léòha-loka-träëäya käruëya-ghanäghanatvam . How one can become so? Präptasya kalyäëa, one who has received mercy of the Supreme Lord, he can do it. A cloud is formed by receiving mercy of the ocean. Cloud is never formed by receiving the mercy of tap water. You can say, "Here is also water. Not that water, the ocean water". What you will gain by receiving the mercy of tap water? We have to receive the mercy of the ocean, präptasya kalyäëa-guëärëavasya. Guëärëava. Arëava means ocean. So, it will be possible. If the cloud is there, bona fide, he can pour water, finish all blazing fire.”
I beg to follow your above instruction to preach by receiving a drop of your mercy. May I give up my selfishness after having been saved by your merciful sincere devotees. I pray that I may stop making material calculations to travel and preach only in so-called favourable places. May I give up my bodily comforts and become ready to accept some austerities for preaching vigorously the message of Lord Chaitanya which you have mercifully given to the whole world.
Begging to remain eternally at the service your sincere devotees,
Aspiring to become your humble servitor,
Stoka Krishna Swami.