07.25: We can’t violate Krishna’s rights
Ours is an age of rights; we recognize that every individual has certain inviolable rights. As our rights consciousness expands, it is befitting that we recognize Krishna’s rights. His right that has the most bearing on our relationship with him is his right to conceal or reveal himself according to his will.
As aspiring devotees, we often disrespect this right of Krishna when we make premature demands from him. Soon after we start studying his sacred scriptures, we demand prompt and clear understanding. Soon after we start chanting his holy names, we demand swift and steady taste.
While making these demands, we conveniently forget our own disqualifications:
- Our senses’ perceptions are finite,
- Our mind’s conceptions are fallible
- Our intelligence’s convictions are fragile
- Our heart’s commitments are fickle
When we have all these disqualifications, aren’t we being presumptuous in demanding insight and taste? No wonder that our presumptuous attitude makes Krishna exercise his right to conceal himself, as he indicates in the Bhagavad-gita (7.25): naham prakasha sarvasya.
When we recognize Krishna’s rights and cultivate humility, we acknowledge not just his supremacy but also his personality.
In this world, we can come close to a person only when we recognize his or her likes and dislikes, and modify our behavior accordingly. When we apply that same principle while approaching Krishna, then alone do we demonstrate that we have accepted Krishna to be a person.
Of course, Krishna is much more than an ordinary person; he is extraordinarily merciful. Despite all our disqualifications, he has mercifully given us some understanding of his message and some taste in his remembrance. Meditating on his mercy engenders gratitude.
When we approach Krishna with humility and gratitude, then our attitude inspires Krishna to exert his right to reveal himself, and grant us both penetrating insight and captivating taste.