Mukunda Mala Stotra 10 – 2 Krishna is competent and eager to reciprocate with us

alasyam vyapaniya bhakti-sulabham dhyayasva narayanam

lokasya vyasanapanodana-karo dasasya kim na kshamah

Cast aside all hesitation and concentrate your thoughts on Lord Narayana, whom one very easily attains through devotional service. What can that dispeller of the whole world’s troubles not do for His own servant?

Transcript

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Mukund Mala Stotra, verse 10, part 2. आलस्यं विपनियः भक्ति सुलबन्धायस्मि नारायणम् लोकस्यवि सनापनो धन्करो दास्यस्यकिम् नक्षमहा So, Kulashvikar Maharaj is praying that, O mind, just give up laziness. आलस्यं विपनियः भक्ति सुलबन्धायस्मि नारायणम् That Lord Narayan can be very easily, very felicitously attained through bhakti, सुलबन्धायस्मि नारायणम् Or what do you have to do for Him? धायस्मि नारायणम् Just meditate on Him.
Just think of Him by chanting His holy names. But we may doubt, will He respond to our prayers? So, Kulashvikar Maharaj gives a reassurance in the next part of the verse, लोकस्यवि सनापनो धन्करो that He actually removes the miseries of loka, of all people, whoever approaches Him, even for material benefits. He provides those material benefits to people.
If they are having material miseries, He removes their miseries. Krishna talks about आर्तो जिग्यासर अर्थार्थी People who come for material motives to Him, for financial gain like dhruva, for removal of distress like gacchendra, for just plain curiosity. Krishna caters to their needs.
So, He says that if the Lord is catering, fulfilling the desires of even people in general, दास्यस्य किमनक्षमह that does He not have the capacity to protect His own servants? Just like if a king is there, the king is providing for all the citizens. But, if the king has an employee in his own administration directly, the king will offer greater service than what to speak of if it’s his own son. So, Kulshikar Maharaj is reassuring us that actually if we just seek the shelter of Krishna, He is ready to offer a shelter.
So, He is giving us two inspirations by saying, first is Sulabham. He is easily obtained. All that we have to do is just think about Him.
And will He respond? Yes, why not? He responds even to those who come to Him for selfish materialistic motives and what to speak of those who are coming to Him with the intention of service. So, we may also have some material desires, but when we take the process of chanting seriously, we understand that the material desires will eventually mislead and cheat us. They will promise happiness, but they will give misery.
On the other hand, devotional service alone will uplift and reward us. It will grant us eternal life. So, though we may have material desires, that is not our primary motive in approaching Krishna.
Our motive is to develop our love for Krishna, to develop our relationship with Krishna. So, with this motive, if we approach the Lord, the Lord is so pleased by such a motive. And how can He not respond? How can He not protect? How can He not bless His devotees? When we are chanting the holy names, the main problem is our laziness.
It is no doubt difficult to control and focus the mind, but it is certainly possible. And it requires endeavour. And if we don’t do the endeavour, then chanting just becomes some sort of uttering of sound vibration, which doesn’t really purify our mind or transform our heart.
But if we can give up the laziness and become determined to put in the effort that is required to get the mind to focus on the Hare Krishna Mahamantra, wherever it goes away, bring it back, bring it back, bring it back, then we will start experiencing a profound connection with Krishna. So, if we are not experiencing the connection with Krishna, it is not because of Krishna’s lack of reciprocity, it is because of our own lack of industry. It is because of our own lethargy.
So, if we put in our endeavours, Krishna will surely reciprocate. Verses like these, where we understand the Lord is Sullabham, and he is Loka Sivas Na Banodhan Karo, boosts our confidence that if I put in the effort, the Lord will surely reciprocate. And I experience the magic of the holy name that the scriptures are talking about constantly.