mercy

Vidura accepted Maitreya as his spiritual master. A disciple always inquires from the spiritual master, and the spiritual master answers the question, provided the disciple is very gentle and devoted. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura said that by the mercy of the spiritual master one is benedicted with the mercy of the Supreme Lord. The spiritual master is not inclined to disclose all the secrets of transcendental science unless the disciple is very submissive and devoted. As stated in the Bhagavad-gita, the process of receiving knowledge from the spiritual master entails submission, inquiry and service. (More...)

Knowledge of the Absolute Truth is not very easily understood by ordinary, less intelligent men; but if the spiritual master is kind enough to the disciple, however unintelligent he may be, then by the divine grace of the spiritual master everything is revealed. Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura therefore says, yasya prasadad, by the mercy of the spiritual master, bhagavat-prasadah, the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is revealed. Devahuti requested her great son to be merciful towards her because she was a less intelligent woman and also His mother. By the grace of Kapiladeva it was quite possible for her to understand the Absolute Truth, even though the subject matter is very difficult for ordinary persons, especially women. (More...)

The causeless mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is first appreciated when one comes in touch with a bona fide spiritual master

The Vaishnavas or devotees are generally very compassionate toward the conditioned souls, and even being uninvited by any conditioned soul, a devotee goes from door to door to enlighten people from the darkness of nescience, and to inject in them knowledge in various ways about their constitutional position of being engaged in devotional service, or Krishna Consciousness. Such persons are devotees empowered by the Lord, and they are especially empowered to distribute devotional consciousness, or Krishna Consciousness, to the people in general. They are known as authorized Spiritual Masters. It is just by the mercy of such an authorized Spiritual Master that a conditioned soul gets the seed of devotional service. The causeless mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is first appreciated when one is in touch with a bona fide Spiritual Master who can enlighten the conditioned soul to the highest position of devotional life. Therefore, Lord Chaitanya said that by the mercy of the Spiritual Master, one can achieve the causeless mercy of the Lord; and by the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one can get the mercy of the bona fide Spiritual Master. (More...)