Srila Prabhupada mercy Giver
Yogeshvara: At Bhaktivedanta Manor, Prabhupada would sometimes sit with us in a circle on the lawn and chant japa. Sometimes we'd ask a question, and sometimes he'd ask us something. Once I said, "Srila Prabhupada, say that there are two people equally unqualified for devotional service. One becomes a devotee, and the other doesn't. What makes the difference?" He shot me a look and said, "Don't try to find some formula for causeless mercy. It's causeless. Ultimately it's up to the mercy-giver."
Prabhupada was such a mercy-giver that he never asked us to fill out any questionnaires, he never asked about our history, our background, or what good and bad we'd done. There was never any such auditioning for becoming his disciple. He said, "Whatever you have done, that's behind you. From this point on, follow the rules and regulations." And that should be our disposition toward people in Krishna consciousness. There should be an effort to bend over backwards to anyone who's trying to serve Krishna, what to speak of people who, for one reason or another, have fallen away from the Movement. As Vaishnavas we need to see what their service has been and find a way to encourage them and bring them back by demonstrating to them the same kind of love and affection and concern that Srila Prabhupada showed us.
Prabhupada was such a mercy-giver that he never asked us to fill out any questionnaires, he never asked about our history, our background, or what good and bad we'd done. There was never any such auditioning for becoming his disciple. He said, "Whatever you have done, that's behind you. From this point on, follow the rules and regulations." And that should be our disposition toward people in Krishna consciousness. There should be an effort to bend over backwards to anyone who's trying to serve Krishna, what to speak of people who, for one reason or another, have fallen away from the Movement. As Vaishnavas we need to see what their service has been and find a way to encourage them and bring them back by demonstrating to them the same kind of love and affection and concern that Srila Prabhupada showed us.
Reference: Memories Anecdotes of a Modern Day Saint - Volume 2 by Siddhanta Dasa
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