as devotees son

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Here is another explanation of the bewilderment created by the pastimes of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord is the Supreme in all circumstances, as already explained. Here is a specific example of the Lord's being the Supreme and at the same time a plaything in the presence of His pure devotee. The Lord's pure devotee renders service unto the Lord out of unalloyed love only, and while discharging such devotional service the pure devotee forgets the position of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord also accepts the loving service of His devotees more relishably when the service is rendered spontaneously out of pure affection without anything of reverential admiration. Generally the Lord is worshiped by the devotees in reverential attitude, but the Lord is meticulously pleased when the devotee, out of pure affection and love, considers the Lord to be less important than himself. The Lord's pastimes in the original abode of Goloka Vrndavana are exchanged in that spirit. The friends of Krsna consider Him one of them. They do not consider Him to be of reverential importance. The parents of the Lord (who are all pure devotees) consider Him a child only. The Lord accepts chastisements of the parents more cheerfully than the prayers of the Vedic hymns. Similarly, He accepts the reproaches of His fiancees more palatably than the Vedic hymns. Lord Krsna, when He was present in this material world to manifest His eternal pastimes in the transcendental realm of Goloka Vrndavana for an attraction of the people in general, displayed a unique picture of subordination before His foster mother Yasoda. The Lord, in His natural childish playful activities, used to spoil the stocked butter of mother Yasoda by breaking the pots and distributing the contents to His friends and playmates, including the celebrated monkeys of Vrndavana who took advantage of the Lord's munificence. Mother Yasoda saw this, and out of her pure love she wanted to make a show of punishment for her transcendental child. She took a rope and threatened the Lord that she would tie Him up, as is generally done in the ordinary household. Seeing the rope in the hands of mother Yasoda, the Lord bowed down His head and began to weep just like a child, and tears rolled down His cheeks, washing off the black ointment smeared about His beautiful eyes. This picture of the Lord is adored by Kuntidevi because she is conscious of the Lord's supreme position. He is feared often by fear personified, yet He is afraid of His mother, who wanted to punish Him just in an ordinary manner. Kunti was conscious of the exalted position of Krsna, whereas Yasoda was not. Therefore Yasoda's position was more exalted than Kunti's. Mother Yasoda got the Lord as her child, and the Lord made her forget altogether that her child was the Lord Himself. If mother Yasoda would have been conscious of the exalted position of the Lord, she would certainly have hesitated to punish the Lord. But she was made to forget this situation because the Lord wanted to make a complete gesture of childishness before the affectionate Yasoda. This exchange of love between the mother and the son was performed in a natural way, and Kunti, remembering the scene, was bewildered, and she could do nothing but praise the transcendental filial love. Indirectly Mother Yasoda is praised for her unique position of love, for she could control even the all-powerful Lord as her beloved child. (More...)

Then the Lord appeared: "What do you want?" "Sir, I want a son like You." "Where can I get another son like Me? I'll become your son." So Krsna, or the Lord, is father of everyone, but He voluntarily accepts to become a son to His devotee. Otherwise His position is always father. (More...)

The followers of Ramakrishna and Meher Baba, as well as adherents of other cults generally found in India, proclaim their spiritual masters to be God Himself. Usually a spiritual master does not contradict this flattery because in this Age of Kali there are many pseudo-spiritual masters who claim to be God. But we do not understand the position of the bona fide spiritual master to be cent percent identical with that of Lord Sri Krsna. For example, in our daily prayer to the spiritual master (nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhū-tale srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine) we offer our respectful obeisances to our spiritual master Srila Prabhupada "who is most dear to Lord Krsna on this earth, having taken shelter of His lotus feet." Srila Prabhupada is most dear to Lord Krsna on this earth because he has indeed taken shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. "The definition of a pure devotee, as given by Rūpa Gosvami in Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, can be summarized thus: his service is favorable and is always in relation to Krsna." (NOD, ii) Lord Sri Krsna Himself states that one who explains the science of Bhagavad-gita is most dear to Him: "There is no servant in the world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear." (Bg., 18.69) In Srimad-Bhagavatam the position of the pure devotee is further explained: "The asuras [demons] are gradually rectified into God consciousness by the mercy of the Lord's liberated servitors in different countries and climates according to the supreme will. Such devotees of God are very confidential associates of the Lord, and when they come to save the human society from the dangers of godlessness, they are known sometimes as the powerful incarnation of the Lord, the Son of the Lord, the servant of the Lord or the associate of the Lord, but none of them declare falsely that they are themselves God. This blasphemy is declared by the asuras, and the demoniac followers of such asuras also accept a pretender as God or His incarnation." (Bhag., Canto I, p. 123-124) (More...)

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So here is explained that how spiritual life is eternal and without any destruction. Here in the material world, whatever we have, it is destructible. It will be destroyed. Today one is my son, so tomorrow the son may be destroyed. But if you accept Krsna as your son, He will never be destroyed. That is the difference. Here, whatever opulence we have got... We may have family, friend, sons, daughters, and so many things we possess. We enjoy life in the varieties of representation. Ato grha-ksetra-sutapta-vittair janasya moho 'yam aham mameti [SB 5.5.8]. Here we aspire after having good apartment, good house, grha, ksetra, possession, property. Ato grha-ksetra-suta, children; apta, friend; vitta, riches. We possess here. But this possession is illusion, janasya moho 'yam, because it will not stay. This grha... Either the grha will be destroyed or-I am the inhabitant-I will be destroyed. There will be separation. Here nothing is permanent. Grha-ksetra-sutapta-vittaiḥ. Therefore it is illusion. We do not understand it. We take this, permanent, and Krsna, not permanent. But that is not the fact. (More...)

The Vasudeva and Devaki, in their previous life they underwent severe austerities. After their marriage, they immediately were not anxious to beget child. They went to the forest and began practicing austerity and penances, severe, some hundreds of years. Then Krsna appeared, that "What do you want? Why you are undergoing so much severe...?" "No, we want a son like You. Then we enter into the family life." So Krsna said that "Where is another Krsna?" Because God is one. "So if you want a son like Me, then I will have to become your son. There is no competitor." God has no competitor. God is one. Ekam brahma dvitiyam nasti. This is the... Krsna therefore says, mam ekam. Mam ekam. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam [Bg 18.66]. (More...)

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There are different stages of devotional service and God realization. Strictly speaking, anyone who accepts the existence of God is situated in devotional service. To acknowledge that God is great is something, but not much. Caitanya, preaching as an acarya, a great teacher, taught that we can enter into a relationship with God and actually become God's friend. In Bhagavad-gita Krsna showed Arjuna His universal form because Arjuna was His "very dear friend." Upon seeing Krsna as the Lord of the universes, however, Arjuna actually asked Krsna to forgive the familiarity of his friendship. Caitanya goes beyond this point. Through Lord Caitanya we can become friends with Krsna, and there is no limit to this friendship. We can become friends of Krsna not in awe or adoration but in complete freedom. We can even relate to God as His father. This is not only the philosophy of Caitanya-caritamrta but of Srimad-Bhagavatam as well. There are no other literatures in the world in which God is treated as the son of a devotee. Usually God is seen as the almighty Father who supplies the demands of His sons. The great devotees, however, sometimes treat God as a son in their execution of devotional service. The son demands, and the father supplies, and in supplying Krsna the devotee becomes like a father. Instead of taking from God, we give to God. It was in this relationship that Krsna's mother, Yasoda, told the Lord, "Here, eat this or You'll die. Eat nicely." In this way Krsna, although the proprietor of everything, depends on the mercy of His devotee. This is a uniquely high level of friendship in which the devotee actually believes himself to be the father of Krsna. (More...)

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