Ecstatic Greeting

After flying last Tuesday from Copenhagen to Helsinki and then taking a ship across the Gulf of Finland from Helsinki to Tallinn, Estonia we were wonderfully greeted by an ecstatic group of chanting devotees both at the boat dock when we landed and at the temple when we arrived. At the temple we were even showered with flower petals. It was beautiful. When we are being given so much love by the Vaisnavas we cannot feel that we are deserving of such honor. We can only feel that we are most undeserving. But still it is our duty to accept such respect on our beloved spiritual master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

Srila Prabhupada explained to us in New Vrindavan in 1972 why the spiritual masters accept such worship. He compared this to India's British viceroy during the time of the British rule of India. Wherever the viceroy went in India he would be offered all honor and respect as the king would be honored. But he never thought that he was the king. He simply accepted the honor on behalf of the king and whatever gifts he received he would send them to the royal treasury in London. In the same way a bona fide spiritual master receives the honor and worship that is due to the Supreme Lord without feeling that it is for himself personally. He simply accepts it on behalf of Krishna.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Answers According to the Vedic Version:

Question: Qualification for Devotional Service

Please accept my respectful obeisances.

Sir, why is it that some people get interested in Krishna Consciousness quickly while some people don't get interested quickly? Is it because the latter people will get interest in Krishna Consciousness when they are ready to love Lord Krishna? If yes, what makes a person ready to love Lord Krishna?

Warm regards,

Sunil

Answer: Previous Contact or Special Mercy

Those who take a quick interest in Krishna consciousness do so because they had a contact with it in their previous lifetime. Even a slight contact with Krishna consciousness will revive the interest of such persons, who will then seriously try to cultivate love of Krishna.

But Krishna consciousness is so powerful that even if a person had no contact with it in a previous lifetime, he can still take an interest in cultivating love of Krishna by the combined mercy of Guru and Krishna.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

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