Is Krishna’s giving kripa-siddhi an interference with the soul’s free will?

Transcript

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Is Krishna giving Kripa Siddhi an interference with the free will? And if it is not, then why does he not give Kripa Siddhi to everyone? Now Prabhupada gave an example of Kripa Siddhi. It’s a very insightful example. What is the example he said? Rabindranath Tagore never went to any college.
But, you know, he got honorary doctorates. Why? Because he wrote such a classic work. He wrote Gitanjali, got some big, big awards.
So, the college came to him and gave him a degree. Now the point here is not that Rabindranath Tagore was entirely unqualified. No, he had done some amazing work, but he had not done it in the normal system of education and accreditation.
But still, because he had done amazing work, he got the accreditation. So, now that example is quite significant. Because Kripa Siddhi doesn’t entirely mean that the person did not do anything at all.
What it means is that the person may not have followed Sadhana Bhakti the way most Sadhakas have done. But that devotee has done something. That devotee may have done some seva to a Bhakta somewhere.
That devotee may have done something in a previous life. So, even after Krishna, assume for argument’s sake, that devotee has done nothing. And still Krishna gives Kripa Siddhi.
Even after that, that soul still has to use the three ways to accept the Kripa Siddhi. Now when you say Kripa Siddhi, what does it mean actually? That means Krishna gives the higher taste. But after Krishna gives the higher taste, the soul still has the three ways to choose the lower taste.
And the soul, credited soul, does not choose the lower taste. So, Krishna’s giving Kripa Siddhi doesn’t interfere with the three ways in the sense that Krishna does not take away the three ways. Krishna just gives the higher experience more easily, more readily or more precisely by a non-standard process.
There is a standard process for getting the higher taste. And Krishna in some cases can give the higher taste by a non-standard process. But in all cases the three will still remain the same.
And Krishna is not taking away the three or interfering with the three. Now regarding why Krishna does not give Kripa Siddhi to everyone. Now, there is this important point to understand.
That we should not think of Kripa Siddhi only in terms of going back to the spiritual. Even the opportunity to get Siddhi is also a Kripa. Even coming to Krishna’s lotus feet, even getting the opportunity to practice Bhakti is also a great Kripa.
Of the millions and millions of souls that are there in just human forms in this earth. And there are billions and billions and billions of souls totally in the material existence. So few get the opportunity to come to Krishna.
That itself is a great Kripa. And the whole center of a devotee’s life is not focused on questioning Krishna’s actions. It is on reforming one’s own actions.
The whole attitude of devotion is centered on what? Not questioning Krishna’s actions. It is on reforming our own actions. Ask not why this, but how now? Why did Krishna do like this? Why did Krishna do like that? Why is this happening to me? Why is that happening to that? But why questions, they actually are not the attitude of devotion.
Attitude of devotion is, okay, Krishna, this has happened now, how can I serve? How can I serve Christ? So, what we should focus on in our devotion is, whatever opportunity Krishna has given me, am I using that opportunity? And we see that opportunity also as a Kripa. Just think about it. If we had not heard something from Krishna, we could have been drunkards, we could have fallen into all sorts of bad habits.
Or else we would have been wasting our life in material achievements. So that we are not doing that. That we have come to Krishna.
That itself is a Kripa. So we focus on cherishing and utilizing whatever Kripa we have got. And if we do that, then Krishna will give us more and more Kripa.
And ultimately he will get rid of us. And that way, we will also ultimately attain the same perfection which the Kripa has given us.