“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 Śikṣāṣṭakam. The humble can feel grateful for God’s mercy. Inspired by feeling His mercy one chants his name incessantly in devotion.
“Just remain obliged!” Such an important message. Without that deep sense of gratitude what hope is there for ever developing devotion? And without developing devotion how can we ever repay him?
Thus, let us count the gifts he has given us:
“I bow down to the beautiful lotus feet of my spiritual master, by whose causeless mercy I have obtained the supreme holy name, the divine mantra, the service of the son of Śacīmātā [Lord Caitanya], the association of Śrīla Svarūpa Dāmodara, Rūpa Gosvāmī, and his older brother Sanātana Gosvāmī, the supreme abode of Mathurā, the blissful abode of Vṛndāvana, the divine Rādhā-kuṇḍa and Govardhana Hill, and the desire within my heart for the loving service of Śrī Rādhika and Mādhava [Krishna] in Vṛndāvana.” Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī’s Śrī Mukta-carita (4)
Just remain obliged!