Who Really Loves Krsna?

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The 22nd text of the Gita’s 9th chapter, and the preceding short section of texts that it concludes, very profoundly answer the question of “Who really loves Krsna?”

In the previous short section of texts, Krsna said, “People perform so many aspects of religion and spirituality without coming to the point of loving me – the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Those people attain heaven for the duration that their good deeds allow, and then return to the mortal world again.”

Now, concluding this section in the 22nd text, Krsna says, “But anyone who really loves me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in a personal way – I preserve whatever that person has, and carry for them whatever they lack.”

Getting It

In one sense this text illustrates something so very important:

If I don’t “get it“ then I won’t get it, though I may go through the motions as elaborately as I like. The previous 4 or 5 texts illustrated how we “go through the motions” of spirituality – doing different rituals, or thinking different philosophical thoughts, but not getting the point.

In contrast, today’s text 9.22, if I do “get it” then I will get it, no matter how much I fail to go through any other proper motions.

That, to me, is one very important meaning of “I carry what you lack.” If I really get that spirituality and religion is truly about loving God in a personal way then I will surely get the utmost reward: svarupa-siddhi prema bhakti. EVEN IF I do nothing else correctly! Even if I screw up and fall down as a sanyassi, even if I steal, even if I eat meat, even if I break every religious principle, and then invent a few more and break those too. If I really and truly have my heart set on loving godhead in a personal way, Krsna will take care of all “the paperwork” to get my passport for goloka vrindavana.

If however, I don’t get it, If I think that Krsna consciousness is about tilokas, or sects, or rituals, or philosophies, or arts, or whatever, and don’t get the simple point that Krsna consciousness is ABOUT KRSNA – then even if I try to fill out unlimited paperwork for unlimited lifetimes, I will never get citizenship and a passport for Sri Vraja Loka.

How to Get The Point: Divine Love?

In my opinion, from what little I do know of the path, it all depends on who you hang out with and more importantly how you hang out with them. Love of Krsna cannot be created by any effort. Only love of Krsna generates more love of Krsna. So we have to hang out with people who love Krsna, and we have to hang out with them in a way that causes them to openly express their love for Krsna so that our own hearts can be affected (“infected”) by their love.

There is an important correlary point I would like to express:

If: One who is focused on loving Krsna in a personal way is the really fortunate one

If: It is inconsequential whether that person is illiterate and can’t fill out paperwork (in other words, can’t follow religious priniciples, or otherwise be “qualified” in terms of ritual, philosophy, arts, behavior etc.)

Then: We should not evaluate the merit of a person based on their literacy in religion, ritual, philosophy, art, behavior etc.!!! We should evaluate the merit of a person based on the inclination of their heart to love Krsna.

Understanding this we should not criticize the faults of any one who may have a heart inclined to loving Krsna. Yes, those faults are real. No they are not important. Because Krsna will make up for the lack that person has, “I carry what they lack.”

How Do You Know Who Loves Krsna?

Question: You say, “ We should not evaluate the merit of a person based on their literacy in religion, ritual, philosophy, art, behavior etc.!!! We should evaluate the merit of a person based on the inclination of their heart to love Krsna.” But how do I know a person’s heart?

Answer: Our behavior follows our heart. By a person’s behavior you know their heart.

Question: Then if the person is smoking pot, for example, or otherwise showing bad behavior by not understanding philosophy, or by being a prostitute or sleeping with prostitutes, etc. — does this behavior not clearly show that their heart is not inclined to loving Krsna?

Answer: No.

Question: That is radically revolutionary to say.

Answer: “Apicet suduracaro” (forthcoming in this chapter) and many other texts from sastra are decidedly on this side. It is not about quoting out of context either, this is actually the main thematic message of the sections of scripture from which these quotes are taken. If it is “revolutionary,” great – spiritual evolution requires a personal revolution.

Question: Then by what behavior do we know that a person loves Krsna?

Answer: When you say, “Krsna” or otherwise discuss Krsna, the person who falls asleep regularly does not love Krsna. It is as simple as that. It makes no difference if this person is the most “religious” or “spiritual” person in the world.

On the other side, when you say, “Krsna” the person who wakes up and whose ears become alert, mind full of inquisitiveness, eyes bright and moist, and heart accelerating… that person loves Krsna. Again it is that simple, and it is irrelevant if this person is a whore or a priest.