Dog of Krishna!

By Raveena Emmanuel

I always wondered why Srila Prabhupada said we are Krishna's dog. This thought always bothered me — why did he choose a dog? A few days ago, one of my family's oldest friends engaged me in a long conversation. By Krishna's unlimited mercy, I am surrounded by souls who are deeply spiritual across many different faiths. This uncle mentioned the qualities of a dog. He said a dog has up to forty qualities, and that one of the most important is humility. No matter how much you hit your dog, scold them, or are rude to them, they will still wag their tails when they see you. They are so faithful that no matter what it takes, they will always try to defend you from any potential danger.

After he left, I reflected on our conversation and found myself wondering: we are not even as good as dogs, and yet we feel so proud of ourselves. I remembered that Srila Prabhupada often asked us to feel like a dog, and my doubt was finally resolved. H.H. Radhanath Swami explains the principle of opposites attracting each other in terms of spiritual success. He says Krishna is all-powerful, so if we try to show our power to Him, we will only repel Him. The power of knowledge, wealth, renunciation, or beauty cannot attract Him. Humility attracts Him. The more we become humble, the more Krishna will come running to us.

Such a simple attitude, and yet we find it so difficult to adopt. Because we simply cannot give up our egoistic identity of being a scholar, or supremely talented, or an excellent human being, or what is even more common: "I know and understand everything." If someone scolds us, worse still, we hold eternal enmity against that person. We can never forget that insult, let alone continue loving that person unconditionally. We are so conditioned in every walk of life, and yet we are proud. We can love only if we are loved. We can offer respect only if we are respected. We care only if we are cared for. And we talk about trṇādapi sunīcena.

I laughed at myself, thinking that we claim to have so much knowledge, but realization? None. Just then I came across this quote: "By reading you learn, but you understand by love." And it struck something deep. We may know everything, but we do not truly understand. No matter what we believe, we only love ourselves. Because if we were truly selfless, we would not be hurt, we would not feel enmity, anger, or hatred. We would only be concerned with the pleasure of our beloved.

Now, every time I see a dog, I think to myself: "I am not even as good as him."

Source: https://www.dandavats.com/?p=12342

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

🌙 Faith, Science, and the Moon (Part 1): Beyond the Conspiracy?

Image
In many spiritual communities—and very specifically in mine—the Moon landing is often the   "litmus test"   for faith. If you have ever lost yourself in the corners of the internet or listened to talks in temples and   ashrams , you have surely come across documentaries analyzing shadows, flags waving without air, and the suspicious silence of the stars. But before thinking this is just a "devotee thing," we should look at the data:  more than 20% of people worldwide  harbor doubts about whether we actually set foot on the Moon in 1969. It is a global human phenomenon—a mixture of institutional mistrust and the simple desire not to be deceived. For a practitioner of  Bhakti , however, this doubt often feels like an act of loyalty toward  Srila Prabhupada . But today, in the midst of  2026 , as we watch the  Artemis Missions  send humans back with ultra-high-definition cameras and total transparency, we are at a crossroads. Is our doubt t...
Read more

Drop the Rock, Destroy the Ring

Image
Today I feel inspired to share an analogy that emerged while talking with a friend, an analogy about the invisible and heavy baggage we all carry, and that we must learn to let go of if we truly want to move forward spiritually. In addiction recovery communities such as Alcoholics Anonymous, there is a very famous book and concept called Drop the Rock . It is a powerful metaphor about letting go of character defects, resentments, and fears. The idea is simple: if you are swimming toward the surface while clinging to a heavy rock, you must let it go or you will drown. Recently, while talking with my friend, he compared this idea of “dropping the rock” to my favorite fantasy saga: The Lord of the Rings . It hit me right in the heart. My mind immediately started racing, and the analogies kept lining up. The Lord of the Rings is a story about purification and service!  Dropping the rock IS destroying the Ring. But the way we carry that Ring, who walks with us to destroy it, where it ...
Read more

Emotional Freedom

Image
By H.H. Bir Krishna Das Goswami In my travels I have noticed many devotees suffering from the effects of emotional dependency, or attempting to free themselves from it. I am impelled by my desire and need to help devotees to write about this subject. Emotional dependency can affect GBCs, Presidents, Gurus, brahmacaries, householders, disciples, authorities, preachers, husbands, wives, gurukulis, sannyasis, vanaprasthas, children, women, and just about everyone else. The symptoms of emotional dependency differ from person to person and may include depression, anxiety, anger, backaches, headaches, heartaches, regressive traits, over-dependence, violence, and more. There are two basic categories of persons who are emotionally dependent in our society. One is the dominant authority figure, and the other is the person who is emotionally dependent upon that authority figure. Both types of personalities suffer due to this dynamic. In addition, one may be emotionally dependent upon an in...
Read more