How to understand scriptural promises about result of hearing pastimes?
Answer Podcast:
Transcript
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but it is not our ultimate understanding.
So, how can we believe that hearing or narrating a pastor gives some results? And, how can that narrating a pastor help us in our journey? The scriptures give some promises of certain results. Those promises make the Lord’s heart. But, Krishna is so much simple that he is even ready to give results, so much results for so little effort.
But, ultimately, as all people say, so, you know, love is not calculated. It is love is reciprocated. Love is not calculated.
I have done so much for you, so you have to do so much for me. That is business. Just like in business, I have worked so many hours, you have to pay me this much.
We have to work so. You have not worked this many hours, I have not paid you this much. So, when the Lord is approaching with a compassionate heart, as he is, when he is giving his promises, we have to reciprocate with a repentant heart.
Not a calculative head. If you reciprocate with a calculative head, the Lord will also reciprocate with a calculative head. Oh, this karma, this karma, this karma, this karma, you have to deal with all of that.
So, as devotees, we don’t make demands from the Lord. We understand that the scripture makes some promises. Krishna can make those promises come true.
He has an omnipotence. Just by hearing one story, we get purified of all sinful reactions. But, will that happen in every case? That depends on our disposition.
The mood of a devotee when a devotee hears extraordinary scripture promises, is not that those promises that the devotee demands, that these promises should happen to them. Rather, the devotee sees the merciful heart of the Lord behind them. And then the devotee dedicates oneself more and more to invoking the mercy of the Lord.
Ajamil, who was chanting one name of Narayan, was saved from Yamapasha, a Mucchad. He was freed from Yamapasha. But both, Shuddha and Goswami, while narrating that pastime, and Srila Prabhupada commenting on that pastime, neither of them say, therefore, all of you can do sinful activities throughout your life.
Just Sarcha and Narayan at the time of death. Now, the conclusion is what? That if Ajamil chanted just one name at that time and that too unintentionally, and that gave him so much benefit, then if we chant his name regularly, many times, intentionally, throughout our life, will the Lord not bless us? He will surely bless us. So, extraordinary promises should not lead to extraordinary demands from us.
Rather, extraordinary promises should lead to increased commitment to the ordinary process that will arouse mercy. So, extraordinary promises reflect the extraordinary merciful nature of the Lord. And we upheave to that merciful nature by steady commitment to the standard process of life.
And how can this inspire us in our chanting? We can meditate on those past times in which we find the Lord very merciful, very loving, and then try to connect that the person who made our chanting is basically the same person. So, we don’t have to think about why we are chanting, but before we chant or during our rounds, we can just pause for a few minutes and think, this is the person, the person who reciprocated the call of Draupadi, the person who helped Arjuna so many times in the war of Kurukshetra, the person who empowered Amitabh to do such wonderful things, that means he is the person I am calling right now. Let me beg for this each’s mercy.
That way, we can, by remembering the Lord’s merciful nature as manifested to us in past times, we can trigger or evoke some spiritual calling, call within our heart for Him with some spiritual emotions. And thus, animate our chanting with that calling and those emotions.