Some people think of God as demanding, but Krishna’s self-revelation in the Bhagavad-gita shows him to be a very understanding God. A demanding God expects, even insists, that we meet some predefined moral and spiritual standard, or we will be rejected, even condemned to hell. In contrast, Krishna is an understanding God who accepts us where we are and facilitates us in rising to the next level. 

Consider four verses (12.08-11) where Krishna shows such acceptance by offering Arjuna various levels of practice:

  1. Be absorbed in Krishna (12.08): When his mind and intelligence are naturally attracted to Krishna, Arjuna will essentially be with Krishna, even if he is externally fighting on the battlefield. 
  2. Strive to focus the mind on Krishna (12.09): If his mind is not attracted to Krishna, he can invest some time for training his mind to focus on Krishna, while continuing his social role as a kshatriya. 
  3. Work for Krishna (12.10): If he can’t practice bhakti-yoga, he can fight as a service to Krishna, knowing that he is assisting in the sacred mission of establishing dharma. 
  4. Work for a higher cause (12.11): If he can’t connect with Krishna at all, he can still fight, not for winning a kingdom, but for promoting the greater good by overthrowing greedy power-grabbers.

Overall, in the Gita, Krishna objectively analyzes various spiritual paths and personally recommends bhakti-yoga; yet he respects Arjuna’s freedom to choose (18.63). Thus, he is so accommodating that he provides Arjuna space to choose not just among various paths but also among various levels within his recommended path of bhakti-yoga. 

By understanding how Krishna is so accommodating, we can gain hope and strength that we too can connect with Krishna from wherever we presently are. 

One-sentence summary: 

Far from being a demanding deity, Krishna is an understanding God who meets us where we are and provides us customized ways for spiritual growth from our present position.

Think it over: 

  • What is the difference between a demanding God and an understanding God?
  • How does Krishna’s self-revelation show him to be an understanding God?
  • How can understanding Krishna’s accommodating nature help us?

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12.11: If, however, you are unable to work in this consciousness of Me, then try to act giving up all results of your work and try to be self-situated.

To know more about this verse, please click on the image