Question on surrender:

We hear acaryas (e.g. Bhaktivinoda Thakura) say the Lord only listens to and fulfills the prayers of one who practices saranagati (surrender). On the other hand, in the Bhagavatam (e.g. 8.3.17) we find statements that say Krsna is always attentive to us. How can we bring these two statements together?

Answer: These are two different things. You must know that with your very birth or by your very existence you are loved by God. Why? You are His part and parcel. In the Gita the word pita (father) is used for Krsna. So, you belong to Krsna. He is yours. He is always there and He always wishes you well. This, and because he gives all souls free will, is the reason why it pinches His heart to see how much suffering the souls inflict on each other. And it gets especially intense when they inflict suffering in the name of religion. The suffering of the Lord gets even more intense when the members of the same spiritual lineage quarrel amongst themselves. It is not pleasing to the Lord because He is like a father. He doesn’t like his children to quarrel.

So, there is attention from the Lord. He loves you, but He does not intrude into your life. That is made very clear in the work Brhad-bhagavatamrta where the Lord says, ”My dear friend, you have passed many lifetimes without paying any attention to Me at all. For so long, hope had me dancing like a fool, thinking, ‘Perhaps in this lifetime, or this, or this, or this, he will finally turn his face towards Me [and chant my Name]’” (2.4.82-83).

His attention and desire is there, but you will need to turn to Krsna. He will not force His love upon us. He will wait until we turn to Him. Sadly, that is usually the last thing we do – when we have problems. We may also do it because we are trained to do it, like on autopilot. However, the voice of our soul is not loud, it is covered by many things. So, when we do turn to the Lord, He is there, and quickly.

I very much believe in prayer, because I see it works. It started when devotees were asking me to pray for them when they were in difficult situations. Over the years I have seen miracles.

2023.12.31_SSNS_SB8.3.17_Sanga-Mela5–The-overlooked-key-for-good-chanting2_GD_EN4

Form a lecture by Sacinandana Swami at Goloka-dhama, Dec 31, 2023.

Srila Prabhupada: Everyone likes the pure devotee

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is situated everywhere as the Supersoul, and He can dictate to anyone and everyone as He likes. […] A pure devotee of the Lord sees the presence of his worshipable Lord everywhere. The Lord reciprocates in such a way that all living entities in whom the Lord is dwelling as the Supersoul also like a pure devotee because the Lord is present in their hearts and can dictate to them to be friendly to His devotee.

From Srila Prabhupada’s purport to Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.14.47