3 September 2025
Wednesday
God allows Himself to be captured easily by His devotees. To those who entertain negative feelings in them, He appears as an enemy. Purandaradasa sang, “O Rama! To Vibhishana who believed in You, You appeared as God. But to Ravana who defied You, You became the very lord of death, Yama. You are not only Rama but You are Yama as well. There is no Yama other than You in this world. You appear as Rama to those who love You. To those who oppose You, You appear as Yama. To Prahlada, who prayed to You at all times and under all circumstances, You appeared as Lord Narayana. But to Hiranyakashyapu who opposed You, You appeared as the God of Death, Yama." Hence, He is the Lord as well as the God of Death. To Kamsa, who, without a trace of compassion for his sister, was prepared to kill her, Krishna appeared as Yama. To Ugrasena, the pious father of Kamsa, He appeared as the Lord Himself. Hence, good and bad are both decided by our own feelings.
From Swami’s discourse of 28 May 1996
Also on words from this discourse: Nature Is God’s Nature, 22 August 2025
God allows Himself to be captured easily by His devotees. To those who entertain negative feelings in them, He appears as an enemy. Purandaradasa sang, “O Rama! To Vibhishana who believed in You, You appeared as God. But to Ravana who defied You, You became the very lord of death, Yama. You are not only Rama but You are Yama as well. There is no Yama other than You in this world. You appear as Rama to those who love You. To those who oppose You, You appear as Yama. To Prahlada, who prayed to You at all times and under all circumstances, You appeared as Lord Narayana. But to Hiranyakashyapu who opposed You, You appeared as the God of Death, Yama." Hence, He is the Lord as well as the God of Death. To Kamsa, who, without a trace of compassion for his sister, was prepared to kill her, Krishna appeared as Yama. To Ugrasena, the pious father of Kamsa, He appeared as the Lord Himself. Hence, good and bad are both decided by our own feelings.