Shree Krishna says in the Gita:
समोऽहं सर्वभूतेष्ा न मे द्वेष्योऽस्ति न पि्रयः ॥
“I have neither friend nor enemy.” This was said only to fool others. He does in fact have an enemy, and it is pride. He has a friend too, and that is humility, the opposite of pride. We can enslave God with humility. And even if he has come into our heart, he will run away if there is pride.
Pride is man’s worst enemy. Just as light and darkness are opposites of one another and cannot reside together in one place, likewise, pride and God cannot dwell in the same heart together.
The more pride a person has, the greater the trouble he is in. We are singing nectarean devotional songs, the depth of which we will only be able to appreciate after realizing God.
We have to make an effort to feel the loving emotions expressed in the songs. What prevents us from making an effort is the ego.
Narad Ji states:
ईश्वरस्याप्यभिमानद्वेषित्वात् दैन्यपि्रयत्वाच्च ।
“God has an aversion to pride and दैन्यपि्रयत्वाच्च “He loves humility.” Pride is such an enemy of His that no matter how great the personality, He grants no concessions in this matter.
Take the case of Garud, God’s personal mount and eternal associate. Once in Dwarika, Shree Krishna’s chief queen, Rukmini, developed pride in her beauty. His Divine Disc, Sudarshan Chakra, developed pride in its effulgence. At the same time, Garud developed pride due to his distinguished position.
Shree Krishna thought, “I have to rectify these three. But they are not going to listen to any lecture of mine. I have to think of something else.”
So He summoned Garud and said, “I want you to fetch me a flower from the pond of Kuber. I have heard that flowers there have an exquisite fragrance.” Garud replied, “Lord, I will bring the flowers immediately.” This was not a difficult task for Garud who has access to the three worlds and can reach anywhere in the universe without making an effort. So he immediately flew and reached Kuber’s lake in heaven.
There, he saw a beautiful lotus in bloom. He was about to pluck it when a voice stopped him. It was Hanuman, the great devotee of Shree Ram.
Hanuman asked Garud, “Who are you, and why are you plucking that flower?” “I am Garud, and I am taking the flower for Shree Krishna.” “How dare you pluck this flower without permission?” “Whose permission do I need?”
Hearing this, Hanuman took two steps forward, grabbed Garud, and held him under his armpit. Garud tried frantically to free himself from Hanuman’s hold but he could not move at all. Hanuman then flew towards Dwarika with the lotus in his hand, in the hope of seeing his Lord.
When he came close to Dwarika, Sudarshan Chakra stopped him, because it was his job to protect the kingdom against intruders. Sudarshan Chakra would circle Dwarika, guarding it at all times. The Chakra saw a majestic and fearsome form traveling at great speed towards Dwarika, and confronted it.
But Hanuman caught him promptly, and put him under the other armpit. Then he walked grandly into Shree Krishna’s palace without bothering to ask for permission anywhere. Which gatekeeper could possibly stand up to someone who is capable of holding Garud and the Chakra under his armpits?
Shree Krishna, expecting Hanuman’s arrival, said to Rukmini, “Hanuman will soon be here and he is very angry.” Why? “Don’t ask why right now, we have to hurry.” “What do we have to do?” “I will become Ram and you become Sita, or else he will devastate the entire Dwarika in a second.
He singlehandedly burnt Ravan’s Lanka; nothing is impossible for him.” Saying this, Shree Krishna became Ram instantly. But who could become Sita? Rukmini was not capable of it. So Shree Krishna advised His queens, “Pray to Radha. She will come immediately and become Sita. Otherwise, Dwarika is lost. No one will survive.”
So Rukmini meditated on Radha, “O Queen of Vrindaban! Have mercy on us. We are all in great danger.” Radha Rani arrived immediately, assuming the form of Sita. In this way, Rukmini was displaced from her place on the throne.
Hanuman reached there in an angry mood but when he saw Shree Ram and Sita he was pacified. Shree Krishna questioned him, “What do you have under both armpits?” Hanuman said, “I was in the garden of Kuber, and this bird came in. He was misbehaving and speaking rubbish. So I grabbed him and put him under my armpit.”
“And the other armpit?”
“There was a shiny object spinning around Dwarika, like a top, so I caught it and put it under my other armpit.” Shree Krishna asked, “What will you do with this helpless bird? And this spinning top must be a toy. It must belong to someone. Let them both go.” Hearing this, Hanuman immediately released them.
In this one drama, the pride of Rukmini, Garud, andSudarshan Chakra was crushed.
This Divine play was enacted to reveal the fact that God does not tolerate anyone’s pride. He spares no one, not even His loved ones. It may be his friend, wife or father. The moment He sees pride, He devises ways and means to destroy it.
When a woman’s only son has an abscess, she pays the doctor to operate on it. But if the neighbor’s son has one, she is not concerned in the least. She may advise her neighbor to consult the doctor to prevent further damage. But if the neighbor does not pay heed, she does not care.
Similarly, Shree Krishna is particularly concerned for His devotees. He cares for those who are already surrendered or are in the process of surrendering themselves.
योगक्षेमं वहाम्यहम् He removes the deficiencies of surrendered souls.
So, the quality dearest to God is humility, and the quality most abhorred by Him is pride. Pride is extremely dangerous for us. We should be constantly aware of this. We must protect ourselves from pride, and increase our humility.
