More about Vasudeva and Devakis sufferings !

[Paramananda das]

Isvara Puri my student asked me about Vaudevas and Devakis suffering so I send him this as an email
More about Vasudeva and Devakis sufferings !
Here are some other thoughts about the tests devotees have in Krsnas service, Lord Brahma has stated :
ŚB 10.14.8
तत्तेऽनुकम्पां सुसमीक्षमाणो
भुञ्जान एवात्मकृतं विपाकम् ।
हृद्वाग्वपुर्भिर्विदधन्नमस्ते
जीवेत यो मुक्तिपदे स दायभाक् ॥ ८ ॥
tat te ’nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇo
bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaṁ vipākam
hṛd-vāg-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te
jīveta yo mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk
Synonyms
tat — therefore; te — Your; anukampām — compassion; su-samīkṣamāṇaḥ — earnestly hoping for; bhuñjānaḥ — enduring; eva — certainly; ātma-kṛtam — done by himself; vipākam — the fruitive results; hṛt — with his heart; vāk — words; vapurbhiḥ — and body; vidadhan — offering; namaḥ — obeisances; te — unto You; jīveta — lives; yaḥ — anyone who; mukti-pade — to the position of liberation; saḥ — he; dāya-bhāk — the rightful heir.
Translation
My dear Lord, one who earnestly waits for You to bestow Your causeless mercy upon him, all the while patiently suffering the reactions of his past misdeeds and offering You respectful obeisances with his heart, words and body, is surely eligible for liberation, for it has become his rightful claim.
Purport
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī explains in his commentary that just as a legitimate son has to simply remain alive to gain an inheritance from his father, one who simply remains alive in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, following the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga, automatically becomes eligible to receive the mercy of the Personality of Godhead. In other words, he will be promoted to the kingdom of God.
The word su-samīkṣamāṇa indicates that a devotee earnestly awaits the mercy of the Supreme Lord even while suffering the painful effects of previous sinful activities. Lord Kṛṣṇa explains in the Bhagavad-gītā that a devotee who fully surrenders unto Him is no longer liable to suffer the reactions of his previous karma. However, because in his mind a devotee may still maintain the remnants of his previous sinful mentality, the Lord removes the last vestiges of the enjoying spirit by giving His devotee punishments that may sometimes resemble sinful reactions. The purpose of the entire creation of God is to rectify the living entity’s tendency to enjoy without the Lord, and therefore the particular punishment given for a sinful activity is specifically designed to curtail the mentality that produced the activity. Although a devotee has surrendered to the Lord’s devotional service, until he is completely perfect in Kṛṣṇa consciousness he may maintain a slight inclination to enjoy the false happiness of this world. The Lord therefore creates a particular situation to eradicate this remaining enjoying spirit. This unhappiness suffered by a sincere devotee is not technically a karmic reaction; it is rather the Lord’s special mercy for inducing His devotee to completely let go of the material world and return home, back to Godhead.
A sincere devotee earnestly desires to go back to the Lord’s abode. Therefore he willingly accepts the Lord’s merciful punishment and continues offering respects and obeisances to the Lord with his heart, words and body. Such a bona fide servant of the Lord, considering all hardship a small price to pay for gaining the personal association of the Lord, certainly becomes a legitimate son of God, as indicated here by the words dāya-bhāk. Just as one cannot approach the sun without becoming fire, one cannot approach the supreme pure, Lord Kṛṣṇa, without undergoing a rigid purificatory process, which may appear like suffering but which is in fact a curative treatment administered by the personal hand of the Lord.
What to speak of Vasudeva and Devaki that where in prison by Kamsa for what I calculated to be around 20 years...Prahlada Maharaja was tortured by his demon father Hiranyakasipu ,Jesus Christ crucified in the mission of Lord Krsna. Haridas Thakura beaten over 21 market places..These great Vaisnavas suffer for the service of the Lord .Srila Prabhupada had two heart attacks on the rough sea on Jaladutta to USA.
We can simply bow our head and pay full obaisences to these Vaisnavas.Ambarish Maharaja was attacked by Durvasa Muni who tried to kill him by creating a demon, the Sudarshan Chakra killed the demon and then chased Durvasa Muni for one year.Amabarish Maharaja had fasted for one year, and just took a few drops of water before serving Durvasa Muni then he ended up in the same spot for one year waiting for Durvasa Muni to returne, how is that even possible? Without food and sleep and drink of water
Inline image
I think Queen Kuntis prayer to Krsna answer a pure Vaisnavas attitude.
ŚB 1.8.25
विपद: सन्तु ता: शश्वत्तत्र तत्र जगद्गुरो ।
भवतो दर्शनं यत्स्यादपुनर्भवदर्शनम् ॥ २५ ॥
vipadaḥ santu tāḥ śaśvat
tatra tatra jagad-guro
bhavato darśanaṁ yat syād
apunar bhava-darśanam
Synonyms
vipadaḥ — calamities; santu — let there be; tāḥ — all; śaśvat — again and again; tatra — there; tatra — and there; jagat-guro — O Lord of the universe; bhavataḥ — Your; darśanam — meeting; yat — that which; syāt — is; apunaḥ — not again; bhava-darśanam — seeing repetition of birth and death.
Translation
I wish that all those calamities would happen again and again so that we could see You again and again, for seeing You means that we will no longer see repeated births and deaths.
The materialistic devotee on the other hand wants to make Krsna ones order supplier and satisfy ones senses.Arjuna called Krsna for Govinda in Bhagavad gita ,please my senses oh Govinda so I do not have to fight this battle but Arjuna had to kill even Bhsimadeva his beloved grandfather
Srimati Kuntideva has also prayed :
ŚB 1.8.23
यथा हृषीकेश खलेन देवकी
कंसेन रुद्धातिचिरं शुचार्पिता ।
विमोचिताहं च सहात्मजा विभो
त्वयैव नाथेन मुहुर्विपद्गणात् ॥ २३ ॥
yathā hṛṣīkeśa khalena devakī
kaṁsena ruddhāticiraṁ śucārpitā
vimocitāhaṁ ca sahātmajā vibho
tvayaiva nāthena muhur vipad-gaṇāt
Synonyms
yathā — as it were; hṛṣīkeśa — the master of the senses; khalena — by the envious; devakī — Devakī (the mother of Śrī Kṛṣṇa); kaṁsena — by King Kaṁsa; ruddhā — imprisoned; ati-ciram — for a long time; śuca-arpitā — distressed; vimocitā — released; aham ca — also myself; saha-ātma-jā — along with my children; vibho — O great one; tvayā eva — by Your Lordship; nāthena — as the protector; muhuḥ — constantly; vipat-gaṇāt — from a series of dangers.
Translation
O Hṛṣīkeśa, master of the senses and Lord of lords, You have released Your mother, Devakī, who was long imprisoned and distressed by the envious King Kaṁsa, and me and my children from a series of constant dangers.
Purport
Devakī, the mother of Kṛṣṇa and sister of King Kaṁsa, was put into prison along with her husband, Vasudeva, because the envious King was afraid of being killed by Devakī’s eighth son (Kṛṣṇa). He killed all the sons of Devakī who were born before Kṛṣṇa, but Kṛṣṇa escaped the danger of child-slaughter because He was transferred to the house of Nanda Mahārāja, Lord Kṛṣṇa’s foster father. Kuntīdevī, along with her children, was also saved from a series of dangers. But Kuntīdevī was shown far more favor because Lord Kṛṣṇa did not save the other children of Devakī, whereas He saved the children of Kuntīdevī. This was done because Devakī’s husband, Vasudeva, was living, whereas Kuntīdevī was a widow, and there was none to help her except Kṛṣṇa. The conclusion is that Kṛṣṇa endows more favor to a devotee who is in greater dangers. Sometimes He puts His pure devotees in such dangers because in that condition of helplessness the devotee becomes more attached to the Lord. The more the attachment is there for the Lord, the more success is there for the devotee.
Please carefully study the prayers of Queen Kunti and also Lord Brahmas prayer to Krsna in chapter 14 of Srimad Bhagavatams 10 canto
your ever wellwisher, friend and servant
Paramananda das