“Any Questions?” Śrīla Prabhupāda had just finished the morning class and looked out at his audience in the large temple room in the ISKCON Dallas Radha Kalachandji Mandir. It was July 1974 and I had joined ISKCON there just weeks earlier. I sat in awe of my master. After a long moment of silence, 6’6” Jñānagamya stood up and inquired, “How can we repay you?” Śrīla Prabhupāda’s sober three-word response has remained etched in my consciousness ever since: “Just remain obliged!” Ingratitude stunts devotion. Like a spoiled child who never feels the love of its parents no matter how generous they are, a devotee who is proud and feels entitled can never feel the mercy of God. On the other hand, the humble devotee who can feel God’s mercy easily feels the awakening of devotion for Krishna. In other words, without feeling such love from God, how can one deeply feel love for God? This is also the message of arguably the most important verse in Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism, verse three of the…
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