Tattva-viveka
Mercy...
Hari-priya Dasi - October 10, 2005 5:35 pm
I stated this question previously in Classroom. It didn’t arouse any discussion there, so I thought I try again. I find the theme “mercy” very interesting. It is also something that my family and some other people ask me about when I talk with them about God and how I am interested in “hindu-philosophy”.
If anyone can help me with this question I appreciate it a lot! Thank you all! 
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When I was reading the first chapter of the book: Nectar of Devotion I ran (once again) into the question about the nature of devotional service. It is emphasized here that devotional service is rarely achieved and how it still is the only means to attract Krishna. On the other hand there are also descriptions how devotees can easily get rid of material attachments by practicing Krishna-Consciousness, how bhakti-yoga is meant for everyone and how anyone can become a goswami as it was mentioned in preface.
I am kind of confused with this (apparent?) contradiction. Srila Prabhupada also writes that devotional service can be attained only through mercy of a pure devotee. Can anyone explain “the mechanism” of mercy? I think I have heard an explanation according which if we work really hard and are sincere in our efforts then Krishna will notice that we are serious and give us his mercy… But then again mercy can never be earned. It has nothing to do with this “if you are nice to me I’ll be nice to you” –mentality. So how does Krishna (or pure devotees) actually decide whom to give mercy and whom not to give it?
Audarya-lila Dasa - October 10, 2005 8:35 pm
Hi Hanna,
Sorry about not saying anything in response on the classroom thread. These are good questions.
What Rupa Goswami is saying is very rare in BRS is 'pure', or suddha bhakti. This is the perfectional stage of devotion. On the other hand, bhakti devi extends her mercy to anyone who is willing to accept it - that's why the emphasis is given that it is being given to the lowest. The nature of compassion is that it is given freely to all - but not everyone will accept it. The analogy of the rain falling indescriminately everywhere is often cited - or the sun shinning everywhere - still one needs to put themselves in a proper position to recieve the gifts of rain and sun. If one stays sheltered away in a cave they will not recieve the blessings of the sun and the rain, for instance.
Guru Maharaja explained in one lecture that he is giving his mercy to all of us in the form of the practices he is recommending. If we are sincerely practicing, he said, we should know we are recieving his mercy.
In this vein, Guru Maharaja often cites the Damodara lila. Mother Yashoda is trying to bind Krsna with the rope but finds that no matter how hard she tries or how much extra rope she adds to the equation she is always 'two finger lengths' short. Finally, when Krsna gives his mercy, she is able to bind him with the orignal ribbon from her hair that she started the attempt with. The two fingers represent the two essential ingredients for our advancement - our effort and mercy from above.
Krsna is a person and although he is partial to no one - still he pays special attention to those who pay attention to him.
So, Krsna consciousness is meant for everyone and by practicing sincerely the devotee can overcome material desire. The potential is there for us all to become Goswamis. Now, depending on how you define that term it may be differently thought of. One definition given in the classroom was 'controller of the senses' - that is certainly a very difficult task, but that is not as rare as pure devotion.
If we are to describe the 'mechanism' of mercy we will definitely have to say that Krsna gives his mercy through his devotee. When a jiva cries sincerely for help and doesn't want anything except to love Krsna, he presents himself to such a sincere soul in the form of Sri Guru.
So, if your following this - the answer to your final query is that Krsna and the devotee are giving mercy to everyone - it just appears that they are partial because not everyone is receptive. It's that free will thing....
Babhru Das - October 10, 2005 8:40 pm
I didn’t respond earlier for a couple of reasons. One is that I wanted to see how others would respond (a teacher’s habit, I suppose). Another is that I felt that this was a question that would require some dedicated time and energy. Unfortunately, time worked its magic and this slipped as a priority. Thanks for bringing it up again, Hanna. I think I’ll post my responses here and in the classroom.
One thing that makes this a little tough is the idea of the “mechanism” of mercy. I suppose I never thought of it in those terms, but I think it’s certainly a fair question, and sorting the issues out are good exercise, at the very least.
My first response is that, at least in one sense, there may be no easily discernible “mechanism.” Magnanimity is one of Krishna’s personal characteristics, as well as Srimati Radhika’s, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s, and certainly Lord Nityananda Prabhu’s. It is also one of the ornaments decorating the character of the devotee (kripalu). Mercy has, as Hanna says, nothing to do with business. Instead, it’s like a characteristic of a rain cloud, which distributes its mercy on land and sea alike. The Lord’s mercy is often called causeless; it’s available to those who will avail themselves of it. How do we become eligible for being drenched by rain? By being below a cloud and not seeking shelter. How do we become eligible for Krishna’s (and his devotees’) mercy? By being needy, by being in their presence somehow, and by not doing anything that would impede that mercy. We need, further, to keep ourselves open to that mercy in whatever form it appears. It may appear as something that’s apparently materially “good,” or as something that’s more evidently a spiritual grace, or it may appear as something apparently unfortunate. In Bhaktirasamrita-sindhu, Sri Rupa give this verse from Brahama’s prayers to Lord Krishna as evidence that always expecting and/or perceiving Krishna’s mercy as one of the items of sadhana bhakti:
tat te 'nukampam su-samiksamano
bhunjana evatma-krtam vipakam
hrd-vag-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te
jiveta yo mukti-pade sa daya-bhak
“My dear Lord, one who earnestly waits for You to bestow Your causeless mercy upon him, all the while patiently suffering the reactions of his past misdeeds and offering You respectful obeisances with his heart, words and body, is surely eligible for liberation, for it has become his rightful claim.” (SB 10.14.8)
Jiva Gosvami explains that these two acts--seeing Krishna’s mercy in all our pleasure and pain, and offering obeisance to Him in heart, words, and body—both yield bhakti as their fruit.
Srila Prabhupada explains this verse in The Nectar of Devotion:
This statement of Srimad-Bhagavatam should be the guide of all devotees. A devotee should not expect immediate relief from the reactions of his past misdeeds. No conditioned soul is free from such reactionary experiences, because material existence means continued suffering or enjoying of past activities. If one has finished his material activities then there is no more birth. This is possible only when one begins Krsna conscious activities, because such activities do not produce reaction. Therefore, as soon as one becomes perfect in Krsna conscious activities, he is not going to take birth again in this material world. A devotee who is not perfectly freed from the resultant actions should therefore continue to act in Krsna consciousness seriously, even though there may be so many impediments. When such impediments arise he should simply think of Krsna and expect His mercy. That is the only solace. If the devotee passes his days in that spirit, it is certain that he is going to be promoted to the abode of the Lord. By such activities, he earns his claim to enter into the kingdom of God. The exact word used in this verse is daya-bhak. Daya-bhak refers to a son's becoming the lawful inheritor of the property of the father. In a similar way, a pure devotee who is prepared to undergo all kinds of tribulations in executing Krsna conscious duties becomes lawfully qualified to enter into the transcendental abode.
Srila Prabhupada often points out that we may become eligible for the Lord’s mercy by following the practices of sadhana bhakti. At the same time, I think it’s worth pointing out that there’s ultimately nothing we can do to earn Krishna’s--or the vaishnavas’--mercy. Rupa cites a verse from the Uddhava Gita (In sb 11th Canto) showing the extraordinary nature of Krishna’s mercy. Here’s how Srila Prabhupada presents it in NoD:
Moreover, Krishna was merciful to Putana, even though she came to kill him; to Bhisma, even though he opposed Krishna's dear friend Arjuna and shot the Lord with arrows; to Sisupala, even though he was accustomed (through three lifetimes!) to insulting Krishna.An example of such extraordinary mercy is given in the Eleventh Canto, Twelfth Chapter, verse 7, of Srimad-Bhagavatam, wherein Lord Krsna tells Uddhava, "The gopis in Vrndavana did not study the Vedas to achieve Me. Nor had they ever been in holy places of pilgrimage. Nor did they devoutly execute any regulative principle. Nor did they undergo any kind of austerity. It is simply by My association that they have attained the highest perfection of devotional service."
There’s undoubtedly much more to discuss on this, but I need to attend to other things, and to let someone else contribute something.
And I want to thank you again, Hanna, for bringing this up. As I put this response together, I found myself re-examining some of the things going on in my own life.
Robertnewman - October 10, 2005 9:36 pm
Can anyone explain “the mechanism” of mercy?
In a sense, that's not really possible, because "mechanism" is a material concept. Having been indoctrinated in a scientific, material culture, we naturally want to understand "how things work," but in my opinion it's mostly misleading to try to understand spiritual topics in that way. Hence, there's a point at which a preacher will say, in answer to a "how does it work" question, "That's a great mystery." And if the preacher is bona fide, that's not a cop-out; it's really the most correct answer possible. Any other answer is bound to be incomplete, and may be downright misleading.
Babhru Das - October 11, 2005 1:46 am
It is a great mystery, indeed. All the same, I think it's a sign of thoughtfulness that Hanna has some desire to understand how it works. The best I could come up with was something like rain.
Nanda-tanuja Dasa - October 11, 2005 2:39 am
I would like to add that mercy, although causeless, requires some action from the receiver.
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.—Matthew 7:7-8
That’s why praying for mercy is quite important.
Gauravani Dasa - October 11, 2005 4:16 pm
I remember reading once that Sridhar Maharaja said that simply the ability/opportunity to carry on with our sadhana/seva is mercy.
Also, after expressing that I had been experiencing some apathy, Guru Maharaja mentioned to me one evening, "The effort is the reward."
When I have a difficult day and it is hard to approach my service with a devotional attitude, I really begin to appreciate those days when it seems easier. I consider the "easy" days mercy because that is when my sadhana/seva probably has the most beneficial effect. Although really sticking it out on the hard days, along with prayer, seems to occasionally turn those days around.
I like how Babhru put it: its always there we just have to position ourselves to receive it.
Nanda-tanuja Dasa - October 11, 2005 5:35 pm
Igor - October 11, 2005 5:43 pm
Mercy is mystical topic – it is acintya. We can not understand how it works by our limited sences. It’s two fold process – like love – both side are required. And at the same time it is without cause! That is acintya-bheda-bheda mercy!
In one vaisnava song it is said
Gurudeva, tomara karuna sara –mercy of spiritual master is everything. We are made by this mercy.
Hari-priya Dasi - October 11, 2005 7:38 pm
Robert, I totally agree with you! Sooner or later we come to the point, where rational explanations dry up. I didn’t mean to reduce the great, spiritual mystery to some mundane machinelike thing. Yet I think that for a person who is not necessarily mystically oriented by nature (that’s me!) it’s important to look first for the rational explanations before abandoning them as insufficient.
Thank you all for analogies ~rain and sun, I really liked those~ and cited verses! That was inspiring and opened my mind for new point of views! It’s nice to learn some examples from the vaishnava-tradition. I grew up in a Christian home and even though I haven’t had much contact with Christianity for the past ten years, I guess I can still cite the Bible more than I am able to cite vaishnava-literature. 
Thank you also for reminding that even opportunity to carry on with our sadhana is mercy. I tend to forget this point all the time.
Nanda-tanuja wrote:
"I would like to add that mercy, although causeless, requires some action from the receiver. "
Couldn’t you also argue that action itself requires some mercy? 
In a worldly level if a criminal behaves nicely (=action) he might be granted amnesty (=mercy). In Lutheran doctrine good deeds are consequence of God’s mercy, not requirement for it. Your answers here seem to indicate the third way of understandng the relationship. Could you actually say that mercy and effort are in a way two separate processes? You need both and they support each other but there is not direct, single causal relationship between these two…
Nanda-tanuja Dasa - October 11, 2005 8:16 pm
Couldn’t you also argue that action itself requires some mercy?
Absolutely!
Gauravani Dasa - October 11, 2005 10:15 pm
Yes, couple that with the fact that our personal existence is dependent in essence. Even our ability to be conscious or aware of anything at all! Contemplating that for a while is enough to bring one to their knees, not to metion contemplation of our great fortune to be in contact with Mahaprabhu's mission and in Guru Maharaja's company.
Guru-nistha Das - October 23, 2005 4:11 pm
A verse that is related to this topic came up this morning when Guru maharaja was reading CC after the mangala arati:
"The conditioned soul cannot revive his Krsna consciousness by his own effort. But out of causeless mercy, Lord Krsna compiled the Vedic literature and its supplements, the Puranas"
(CC, Mad. Ch 20, vs. 122)
Again, the idea of "taking advantage" of mercy is presented. The practices, the sadhus, the scriptures and the Supersoul are there, we just have to get aligned with them..
Swami - November 4, 2005 5:01 pm
The previous quote fron Cc cited by Gurunistha tells us that the scipture is a prominent manifestation of Sri Krsna's mercy. Here is another relevant quote from Sri brhad-bhagavatamrta 2.1.120: "My dear child, if you want to fulfill all of your desires, please bathe at Kesi-ghata and then accept from me this mercy of the Lord of the universe." This verse is part of a conversation between Gopa Kumara and his guru, who is about to give Gopa Kumara mantra diksa. Santana Goswami remarks that Goap Kumara's guru speaks about mercy as if it were a tangible object that he is about to place in Gopa Kumara's hands. In the following verse Gopa Kumara receives the his diksa mantra from his guru. So to recieve the mantra from Sri Guru is to recieve the mercy of the Krsna. Then of course we must make and effort to chant it.
Note that this topic has also been discussed previously on another thread. My comments on that thread are here
Babhru Das - November 4, 2005 10:05 pm
. . . to recieve the mantra from Sri Guru is to recieve the mercy of the Krsna. Then of course we must make and effort to chant it. here
Hmm . . . We'll see what reports come out of this weekend.
Swami - November 5, 2005 2:44 pm
Bhrigu - November 5, 2005 2:56 pm
We are eagerly waiting for it!
Babhru Das - November 5, 2005 9:10 pm
I get no credit here! You will do what you will do, moved by the mercy of Sri Nityananda-Balarama. I just had this thought because of the context: the originator of the thread is there, Govardhana-puja is celebrated there this weekend, Giriraja is very merciful, and you are a reservoir of magnanimity . . .
Jaya Krishna-Balarama! Jaya Giri-Govardhana!
Swami - November 5, 2005 9:45 pm
Bhrigu - November 6, 2005 7:03 pm
Call her Hari-priya
guru-bhakta-giriraaja-
k.rpa-sa.mdhi-jaayai tu te/
daasyai zrii-haripriyaayai
pramodena namaamy aham//
Happily I offer my respects to you, Sri Haripriya Dasi, who is born of the combined mercy of Gurudeva, the devotees and Giriraja!
Babhru Das - November 6, 2005 7:38 pm
Um, ditto here! (Damn, I wish I could do that!) This is wonderful news, and a wonderful name. We look foward to more news.
Babhru Das - November 7, 2005 6:14 pm
The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy.
Portia to Shylock in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice