Prayer for a Compassionate Heart
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Your Divine Grace!
While writing this year’s offering, I am in Siṁhācalam, Germany, celebrating the auspicious appearance day of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva with hundreds of devotees. As I meditate on the Lord and His pure devotee, Śrī Prahlāda, it becomes clear how deeply you embodied his mood, especially when we reflect on his prayers: “My dear Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, I see that there are many saintly persons indeed, but they are interested only in their own deliverance. Not caring for the big cities and towns, they go to the Himalayas or the forest to meditate with vows of silence [mauna-vrata]. They are not interested in delivering others. As for me, however, I do not wish to be liberated alone, leaving aside all these poor fools and rascals. I know that without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, without taking shelter of Your lotus feet, one cannot be happy. Therefore I wish to bring them back to shelter at Your lotus feet.” (Bhāgavatam 7.9.43)
These are Prahlāda Mahārāja’s words, yet they so clearly reveal your heart. Just as Prahlāda was eager to share Kṛṣṇa consciousness with others, you dedicated your entire life to bringing the message of the Bhāgavatam to a world that had largely forgotten Kṛṣṇa. Inspired by the order of your spiritual master and moved by deep compassion, you showed us that the true quality of a Vaiṣṇava is to dedicate one’s life to uplifting the fallen souls.
If you had not embodied such compassion, what would be our position today? Reflecting on your example, we are encouraged to cultivate that same spirit. Yet in this world, compassion is often understood simply as empathy or concern for others’ suffering. Through your teachings, however, we come to understand its deeper, spiritual meaning.
Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura explains: “A natural human sentiment, compassion finds its highest expression in the works of devotees of the Lord. The tenderness of the heart experienced toward Kṛṣṇa is known as bhakti. All other jīvas are servants of Kṛṣṇa. When one experiences tenderness of heart toward them, it is known as dayā, compassion. Therefore, compassion is included within bhakti.” (Jaiva Dharma)
In this way, true compassion arises from deep love for Kṛṣṇa. The same love directed toward the Lord as prema naturally extends to all living beings as dayā. You taught us that real compassion is not separate from spiritual realization. Just as a physician must be healthy to heal others, a devotee must first taste Kṛṣṇa consciousness in order to genuinely share it.
Dear Śrīla Prabhupāda, you are eternally immersed in an ocean of divine love and therefore naturally compassionate toward all living beings. Seeing the suffering of the conditioned souls moved you deeply, and you dedicated your life to helping us rise beyond it. What makes you truly remarkable is that you did not only feel compassion – you also brought the remedy to end all suffering.
Thank you for coming to the West. Thank you for extending your compassion throughout the world. On this most auspicious day of your appearance, I pray for the strength and sincerity to follow in your footsteps by developing a genuine taste for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, cultivating true compassion, and dedicating my life to sharing it with others. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Your aspiring servant,
Kṛṣṇa Premarūpa Dāsa