So how much are we willing to give for the pleasure of God? That is the spirit of Janamashtmi. It is when we capture this spirit, do not think it is simply all pain, but this is the extreme in the extent that Vasudev and Devaki gave us an example of what it means to be a selfless servant, what it means, what is the qualification of Krishna to appear within our life? It is not that you may necessarily have to go through all of that. Actually, Krishna consciousness is simply blissful, chanting, dancing, feasting. It is wonderful. But we have to capture that same spirit, we have to be willing to go through all those things for the pleasure of Krishna as it is his will. He may not make you go. He may or may not. That is His will. He may have everything go just your way, very nice. If that is His will, we accept. Unconditional trust and faith in the divine will of God, that is what we learn from Vasudev and Devaki.
When we come to the temple, with this feeling, Krishna how can I serve you? Krishna how can I make you happy? Of course, Krishna says mad-bhakta-pūjābhyadhikā If you want to make me happy, you have to make my devotees happy. Lord Krishna told Udhava “He who calls himself my devotee is not my devotee”. Sometimes we are very proud, I am Krishna’s devotee. If you’re saying like that, according to Krishna, you’re not His devotee. Krishna says he who calls himself the devotee of my devotee, he is my devotee. So, by coming to please Sri Radha Gopinath, we must come with a desire to please the Lord’s devotees, to serve the Lord’s devotees. We should not come to the temple for our pleasure, we should come to the temple for Guru and Krishna’s pleasure. Then we will come whether we feel like it or not. That is the proper consciousness by which we approach Krishna. Janamashtmi is most glorious. Actually, it is the most illuminating & enlightening night of the year, if you approach Krishna as His humble servant. Then Krishna will not only appear as a historical reference to our mind but he will actually appear within our life on that night. He is everywhere, He is in everything and He is anxious to reveal Himself, but we have to open our hearts in order to accept His divine mercy.
