In the Bhagavad-gita (07.16), Krishna mentions four categories of people who approach him. Among these people, the majority fall into two categories: those who see him as a solver of their worldly problems and those who see him as a provider of their worldly desires. Such people don’t really care for Krishna; they care primarily for what Krishna can do for them. Though their reason for connecting with him is self-centered, Krishna doesn’t reject or condemn them; he appreciates them as good souls (sukritinah).
Why?
Because Krishna’s mood here is like that of a parent with a long-estranged child. Even if that child contacts the parent just because they need something from the parent — not because they have felt an upsurge of love for their parent — the parent still feels relieved, even delighted. Similar is Krishna’s mood when anyone connects with him. His mood is not cold and distancing, as might be conveyed in: “Did you come to me just to ask for this?”; instead, his mood is warm and welcoming, as might be conveyed in: “Why did you wait for so long to ask me?”
But doesn’t Krishna want us to love him purely? Yes, certainly; he wants us all to realize that he is not just the fulfiller of our desires; he is also the fulfillment of our desires. When we realize him thus, we evolve from being good souls to becoming great souls (07.20: mahatmas). Though Krishna fondly longs for us all to become great souls, he understands where we are and appreciates when we take even baby steps forward from there, as conveyed in his lauding as ‘good souls’ those who take the significant step of connecting with him.
One-sentence summary:
When we connect with Krishna, even if it is for our own self-interest, he doesn’t think: “Did you come to me just to ask for this?”; he thinks: “Why did you wait for so long to come to me?”
Think it over:
- What metaphor can help us understand Krishna’s mood in using the laudatory reference, ‘good souls’?
- What can good souls evolve to? How?
- Why does Krishna appreciate those who connect with him?
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07.16: O best among the Bharatas, four kinds of pious men begin to render devotional service unto Me – the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.
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Everybody yearns for money, but a few earn it