Expecting the Lord's Mercy

Srila Prabhupada explains, as quoted below, describes very wonderfully in his book, The Nectar of Devotion, how the devotee is always in joyful expectation of Lord Sri Krishna's mercy:

In the Tenth Canto, Fourteenth Chapter, verse 8, it is said, "My dear Lord, any person who is constantly awaiting Your causeless mercy to be bestowed upon him, and who goes on suffering the resultant actions of his past misdeeds, offering You respectful obeisances from the core of his heart, is surely eligible to become liberated, for it has become his rightful claim."

This statement of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 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 Kṛṣṇa conscious activities, because such activities do not produce reaction. Therefore, as soon as one becomes perfect in Kṛṣṇa 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 Kṛṣṇa consciousness seriously, even though there may be so many impediments. When such impediments arise he should simply think of Kṛṣṇa 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 dāya-bhāk. Dāya-bhāk 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 Kṛṣṇa conscious duties becomes lawfully qualified to enter into the transcendental abode.

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Here is the Sanskrit for this most wonderful verse:

tat te 'nukampāṁ susamīkṣamāṇo
bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaṁ vipākam
hṛd-vāg-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te
jīveta yo mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk

From these sublime teachings of Srila Prabhupada we learn that we should always be offering our respectful obeisances to our beloved Lord Sri Krishna!

Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom

Question: If Sinful Man Remembers Krishna When Dying?

Hare Krishna, Prabhu.
Dandavat pranaam.

If a person spends all his life in abominable acts and just before one year before his death he comes in contact by his great fortune with a devotee of Krishna and gets a taste for Krishna's service and regrets that what if he had became a Vaishnava in his youth, would he still not have to end his life miserably?

Certainly in one year he won't have been able to chant attentively. So how can he remember the holy name of Krishna in such a miserable condition? So is there any kind of hope for him? And what will be his journey in afterlife?

Yours servant,

Suraj Bhujbal

Answer: He Can Still Go Back to Godhead

My Dear Suraj,

Please accept my blessings.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Even at the last moment if he fixes his mind on Krishna, he can attain the spiritual world. Krishna is so kind.

Of course this does not mean that we should try to take advantage of this by continuing our sinful activities thinking that at the last moment we will remember Krishna and be liberated. If one tries to cheat in this way, he will not remember Krishna at the time of death.

I hope this meets you in the best of health and in an ecstatic mood.

Your ever well-wisher,
Sankarshan Das Adhikari

Remembering Krishna at the Time of Death

Sankarshan Das Adhikari is one of the spiritual masters of the worldwide Hare Krishna Movement. He has dedicated the last 50 years of his life for bringing a spiritual revolution to planet earth by spreading the teachings of Lord Sri Krishna all over the world. He is based in Austin, Texas and when there is no pandemic regularly travels all over the world teaching his audiences how to attain Krishna consciousness, the highest stage of spiritual awakening. He is available for media interviews and to speak to groups and organizations either in person or via the internet.