Lord’s mercy follows that of His devotees
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Paramhamsa Vani
Mar 15, 2026, 11:31:28 PMMar 15
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Sree Sree Guru Gaurangau Jayatah!
The lives of the saintly are rich with the sweetness of loving service and are worth repeated study because they are most dear to Gaurasundara. Without such study, we will never be able to understand the nature of devotional service. When we relish the lives of the great devotees we become attracted by their compassion and develop affection without artifice for their lotus feet. Since the Lord is so kind to His devotees, this is the road to becoming the object of His mercy.
Scriptures have said that the Lord’s mercy follows that of His devotees. Lord Krishna Himself has said in the Bhagavatam that the worship of His devotee is dearer to Him than His own worship (mad-bhakta-pujabhyadhika). Vrindavan Das paraphrases this statement in the Caitanya Bhagavat: ‘The worship of My devotee is even greater than Me; this has been confirmed by the Lord in the Veda and the Bhagavatam.’ No matter how great a show of commitment one makes to Krishna’s worship, Krishna will never pay the slightest attention to it if one disregards the service of His devotees. Indeed, Krishna will refuse such worship because of the performer’s pride. In no way can one be engaged in the worship of the Lord without following in the footsteps of the devotees. Thus the scriptures have ordained that one should begin one’s puja with the worship of the guru, who is the best of the devotees and most dear to Krishna. Krishna stated as much to His foremost devotee and associate Uddhava, when He said “O Uddhava! Know that it is I who Am the acharya. Never show disrespect for the acharya by thinking that He is an ordinary man, for all the gods reside within him.”
The compassion of the Lord has become incarnate in the form of the guru. Worship of the Lord can have no meaning if one disregards the spiritual master.
---Jagad-guru His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj
The lives of the saintly are rich with the sweetness of loving service and are worth repeated study because they are most dear to Gaurasundara. Without such study, we will never be able to understand the nature of devotional service. When we relish the lives of the great devotees we become attracted by their compassion and develop affection without artifice for their lotus feet. Since the Lord is so kind to His devotees, this is the road to becoming the object of His mercy.
Scriptures have said that the Lord’s mercy follows that of His devotees. Lord Krishna Himself has said in the Bhagavatam that the worship of His devotee is dearer to Him than His own worship (mad-bhakta-pujabhyadhika). Vrindavan Das paraphrases this statement in the Caitanya Bhagavat: ‘The worship of My devotee is even greater than Me; this has been confirmed by the Lord in the Veda and the Bhagavatam.’ No matter how great a show of commitment one makes to Krishna’s worship, Krishna will never pay the slightest attention to it if one disregards the service of His devotees. Indeed, Krishna will refuse such worship because of the performer’s pride. In no way can one be engaged in the worship of the Lord without following in the footsteps of the devotees. Thus the scriptures have ordained that one should begin one’s puja with the worship of the guru, who is the best of the devotees and most dear to Krishna. Krishna stated as much to His foremost devotee and associate Uddhava, when He said “O Uddhava! Know that it is I who Am the acharya. Never show disrespect for the acharya by thinking that He is an ordinary man, for all the gods reside within him.”
The compassion of the Lord has become incarnate in the form of the guru. Worship of the Lord can have no meaning if one disregards the spiritual master.
---Jagad-guru His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Goswami Maharaj
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