Fulfilling the Desires of God

The fundamental criterion of religion and spirituality is the alignment of the individual will with the Divine will. While the conditioned soul is busy manufacturing various plans for personal sense gratification, the liberated soul has only one engagement: fulfilling the desires of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This article examines the philosophy of bhakti as the direct execution of God's desire, distinguishing it from the self-centered activities of karma.

Alignment of Interests (Bhakti vs. Karma)

The difference between a materialist and a devotee is simple: a materialist works to satisfy his own senses, while a devotee works to satisfy Kṛṣṇa's senses. True devotion, or bhakti, means that the devotee's interest has become identical to the Lord's interest. There is no separate agenda. The devotee understands that the Supreme Lord wants everyone to surrender and think of Him, and he dedicates his life to fulfilling this specific desire.

• This is the difference bhakti and karma. Karma means to fulfill my desires, and bhakti means to fulfill Krsna's desires.
• Another meaning of the word avyavahita is that the interest of the devotee and the interest of the Supreme Lord are on the same level. The devotee has no interest but to fulfill the transcendental desire of the Supreme Lord.
• This is stated in Bhagavad-gita: man-mana bhava mad-bhaktah (BG 9.34). Krsna wants everyone always to think of Him. Everyone should always offer obeisances to Krsna. This is the will of the Supreme Lord, and devotees should try to fulfill His desire.

Constitutional Engagement of the Senses

Our senses are often compared to instruments. If we use these instruments for our own pleasure, we are acting unlawfully, much like an employee embezzling company property. The senses belong to the Supreme Lord, Aniruddha or Hṛṣīkeśa, and they are meant to be used for His satisfaction. When one engages the senses in this way, one is situated in the transcendental position.

• When the soul exists for sense gratification, he creates different desires, & for that reason he becomes subjected to designations. But when one is in the transcendental position, he is not interested in anything except fulfilling the desires of the Lord.
• We are now utilizing instruments without fulfilling the desire of Aniruddha, or the Hrsikesa. That means we are using it for sense gratification unlawfully. Therefore we are becoming implicated in sinful activities.
• Illusioned by the glaring reflection of the external energy, the living entities worship the senses instead of engaging them properly in fulfilling the desires of the Supreme.

Mission to Reclaim Fallen Souls

One of the Lord's most intense desires is to reclaim His lost parts and parcels who are suffering in the material world. He descends personally or empowers His confidential servants to execute this mission. A spiritual master is one who has been specifically empowered to fulfill this compassionate desire of the Lord on a global scale. Even material nature acts to chastise the living entities to bring them to this path.

• The Lord is so compassionate upon the fallen souls within this material world that He comes Himself or sends His devotees and His servants to fulfill His desire to have all the fallen souls come back home, back to Godhead.
• Without being empowered by the direct potency of Lord Krsna to fulfill His desire and without being specifically favored by the Lord, no human being can become the spiritual master of the whole world.
• The mother nature, therefore chastises her disobedient sons in order to bring them to the right path of fulfilling the plan of Godhead. This process of chastisement is necessary for the benefit of both the asuras and the gods alike.

Confidential Pastimes and Desires

Sometimes the Lord desires to experience something different, such as the thrill of fighting. Since no one in the material world can match His power, He arranges for His own associates, like Jaya and Vijaya, to descend and play the role of enemies. This reveals that even the apparent falldown or conflict of a pure devotee is actually a service to fulfill a specific, confidential desire of the Lord.

• Jaya and Vijaya, descended to the material world to serve the Lord by fulfilling His desire to fight. Otherwise, as Maharaja Yudhisthira says, asraddheya ivabhati: the statement that a servant of the Lord could fall from Vaikuntha seems unbelievable.
• The Lord also sometimes wants to fight, but who can fight with the Lord but a very confidential devotee of the Lord? Jaya and Vijaya descended to this world to fulfill the Lord's desire.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the perfection of religion lies in knowing God and fulfilling His desires. Whether it is through the simple act of offering obeisances, the broad mission of preaching, or participation in His intimate pastimes, the devotee exists solely for the Lord's pleasure. By giving up the futile pursuit of personal desire and embracing the Lord's will, the living entity finds his true, eternal constitutional position.

Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani

Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Fulfilling God's Desires. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.