Q. My question is a follow up to an answer in this last digest: “Krishna promises to forgive and deliver all sinful reactions of those who surrender to Him exclusively.”
Can you explain how this is different than Christians who say only those who accept Jesus Christ will be saved? I understand the point of how one sees God according to their level of realization, and the different levels of surrender to God. I’m wondering about the apparent limitation these statements seem to impose in an absolute sense, and the exclusive claims of salvation each appear to make.
Answer by Romapada Swami: Regarding how it differs from someone else who seems to make an exclusive claim, there is no difference in principle, *IF* such claims are made on spiritual principles and not merely dogmatic. The principle is that one must exclusively surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Cause of all causes, abandoning all other shelters, and an equally valid principle is that such surrender and redemption is possible only by accepting the shelter of a pure devotee and not on one’s own. The Vedic command for our surrender to Krishna is qualified, however, by the acceptance of regulative principles and living by the principles of surrender and is not merely a verbal or mental act of acceptance. This principle is exclusive and that is in the absolute sense.
Srila Prabhupada often remarked that if someone knows the Supreme Personality of Godhead by another bona fide Name or Feature or of another equally effective process by which to approach Him, by all means they should sincerely take to that Name or process. If such clear information or conception is lacking, however, a sincere seeker of Absolute Truth, whether a Christian or a Vaishnava, would eagerly accept when it is presented regardless of where it is coming from.
The ultimate test is how efficacious it is in transforming the hearts of a sincere practitioner, who is diligently applying themselves to the process, in awakening unmotivated, uninterrupted devotional service. (SB 1.2.6) We should expect such a transformation to reflect in their day-to-day life and character. Phalena pariciyate – a thing is judged on the merit of the result it produces. For example, the Bhagavatam gives us detailed accounts of the mechanics of surrender: how and why is Lord Krishna worthy of our surrender, the character of His devotees and how exactly the Lord protects them — completely rejecting all materially motivated religious processes. What we see in the pages of Bhagavatam is an unending stream of examples of the lives of unalloyed devotees of such impeccable and glorious character, and the Lord’s reciprocation with them. Further it gives us a detailed program how we, the common man, can attain to that stage step-by-step.
Similarly Bhagavad-Gita enumerates the qualities that a devotee develops by surrendering to Krishna (e.g. BG 12.13-20); there is nothing sectarian in these descriptions. Any religious system that systematically leads to such transformation of qualities is accepted and glorified by those who are thoroughly honest. There is one Supreme Godhead, He is non-dual and may be known through different features but anyone who develops these pure devotional qualities through whatever means become dear to that Supreme Godhead and attains Him.
