A question was raised whether a devotee fears going to hell.
We need to get out of this thinking about reward and punishment. If true love is there, a devotee doesn't care if he is in heaven or hell. We get glimpses of heavenly or hellish life even on this planet. Whatever is the Lord's desire. A devotee's only fear is to forget the Lord. His only sadness is to see the suffering of others.
Here's a little story. Once upon a time, Krishna manifested a "headache", so He told sage Narada that the only thing that will relieve His headache would be the dust from the feet of his devotee.
So Narada approached some brahmanas (priests) performing all ritualistic sacrifices, chanting mantras and prayers and reciting so many slokas and doing so many sacrifices and penances, "Quick", Narada alerted them, "Krishna has a headache. He says to take the dust from the feet of His devotees upon His head is the only remedy."
The brahmanas said, "We can't do that! Don't you know what a terrible offense that would be ( according to Vedic culture)! The reactions would surely be great! We cannot do it!"
Then Narada approached the gopis (village cowherd women) and made the same request. The gopis immediately dropped everything they were doing to gather dust from their feet to offer to Krishna.
Narada was surprised by the contrasting behavior of the brahmanas and the gopis so he just had to ask them. "My dear gopis, O best of the Lord's devotees, are you not afraid of going to hell for placing your foot dust upon His head?"
The gopis, who could never think of Krishna as more than their most beloved replied, "Let us go to hell, we don't care, just as long as Krishna is happy."
Of course afterwards, Krishna was very pleased by their behavior and could only bless them.
We need to get out of this thinking about reward and punishment. If true love is there, a devotee doesn't care if he is in heaven or hell. We get glimpses of heavenly or hellish life even on this planet. Whatever is the Lord's desire. A devotee's only fear is to forget the Lord. His only sadness is to see the suffering of others.
Here's a little story. Once upon a time, Krishna manifested a "headache", so He told sage Narada that the only thing that will relieve His headache would be the dust from the feet of his devotee.
The brahmanas said, "We can't do that! Don't you know what a terrible offense that would be ( according to Vedic culture)! The reactions would surely be great! We cannot do it!"
Then Narada approached the gopis (village cowherd women) and made the same request. The gopis immediately dropped everything they were doing to gather dust from their feet to offer to Krishna.
Narada was surprised by the contrasting behavior of the brahmanas and the gopis so he just had to ask them. "My dear gopis, O best of the Lord's devotees, are you not afraid of going to hell for placing your foot dust upon His head?"
The gopis, who could never think of Krishna as more than their most beloved replied, "Let us go to hell, we don't care, just as long as Krishna is happy."
Of course afterwards, Krishna was very pleased by their behavior and could only bless them.
