As per Gita 10.10 does Krishna help only those who serve him constantly and with love or does he help all his devotees?
From Achinta
I always have this doubt about Gita 10.10. In this particular verse Krsna specifically uses words like “satata yuktanam”, “priti purvakam”. Constantly engaged in serving me with love. Such is generally for the pure devotees and not for practicing devotees. So I develop the doubt that does Krsna really help as he poibts out in this verse. Is it meant for all or just for the pure devotees? Please clarify prabhuji.
I’m dependent on Krishna for that which is not in our control.
Question from Achint Prabhu. This is based on the Gita Delhi article. Be intelligent enough to know what to do when you don’t know what to do.
I always have this doubt in this particular verse. Krishna specifically uses words like Satata Yuktanam, Preeti Purvakam. Constantly engage in serving me with love.
Such is generally for the pure devotees and not for practicing devotees. So, I develop the doubt that does Krishna really help as he points out in this verse. Is it meant for all or just for the pure devotees? Please clarify for me.
Answer, Krishna is reciprocal. So, to the extent we are serving him with devotion and we are doing that constantly, to the extent the guidance will be more and to the extent our desire show him that we want to do other things, that we really don’t want to serve him, we want to indulge in other desires, then to that extent he will withhold his guidance. So, the principle is given in 4.11 in the Bhagavad Gita.
So, does this verse apply to us as devotees, as sadhakas? Srila Prabhupada applied it reputedly in many of his letters when some of his disciples would come up with good creative new ideas for expanding the Krishna consciousness movement. He would appreciate it and he would write letters telling them that because you are sincerely trying to serve Krishna, so Krishna is giving you intelligence about how to spread his movement. So, for example, Tamal Krishna Maharaj has written a book called Servant to the which is largely based on how Srila Prabhupada’s letters guided him in spreading Krishna consciousness and in so many of those letters, Srila Prabhupada has talked about this verse.
So, Srila Prabhupada did apply it to his disciples who at that time were just a few years old in Krishna consciousness. So, we shouldn’t think that Krishna resides and reciprocates only with a small circle of intimate devotees and all of us are left out. Krishna loves all of us and Krishna guides all of us.
Krishna cares for all of us, but he doesn’t force, thrust or impose his care, love and guidance on us. So, when Krishna is telling that, we hear in this verse, So, is it like Krishna is setting a precondition, only if you do this, then I will do this. Krishna is not a businessman, unless you pay the price, you will not get the goods.
Krishna wants to give the highest blessings to everyone and in fact, that’s why he comes to the material world, although he is surrounded by his devotees. If Krishna just wanted to reciprocate love with his intimate devotees in the spiritual world, then he wouldn’t have had to come to the material world also. He comes to the material world because he wants to expand his circle of love by re-inviting those who have left that circle.
So, therefore, Krishna does speak to us also in the Bhagavad Gita. Certainly, this verse applies far more for pure devotees than for us sadhakas, but to the extent we are aspiring for pure devotion, to the extent we want to serve Krishna and want his guidance about how we should serve him, to that extent, Krishna will guide us too. So, this verse definitely applies to us, but not as fully as it will apply to the pure devotees.
Thank you.