Christianity v Krishna Consciousness

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 2005)

There are two aspects of mercy – qualitative or the quantitative of mercy. We can look at it like;

‘Where is the greatest mercy given? In which things?’

Recently I was in South Africa and during Ratha Yatra, we had a question answer session, and someone raised their hand and said;

“Jesus died on the cross and he died for our sins!”

Saying that;

“That’s it, you know, and all you have to do is believe in it – then you go to heaven…..that’s all”.

So it seems more merciful than Krishna Consciousness, where you have to follow so many rules……and so many regulations etc…..and then only after all of that, at the end you get your reward. Actually if one looks at it properly it is not like that, since in Christianity you get your reward in the end….right? If you just have the belief nicely then in the end you are suppose to get the reward to go to heaven.

In Krishna Consciousness during your very life, as one is practising the process, the transformation is taking place! So we are seeing that gradually the quality of our consciousness is changing. The transformation is taking place – visibly over time and that is the aim.

‘So which one is better, qualitatively speaking?’

Well one is a post dated cheque. You get a cheque at that the end of this life after so many years we are given this cheque and you are getting so much benefit. The other one is that you get your interest payments on going, and regularly into your account. So in this way we can see well. It appears to some persons that one seem to be better than the other. So we are seeing in here some quantitative mercy. When we say;

“Well, it seems that one mercy is really greater than the other!”

But qualitative means that;

‘So what are we getting?’

One is that we are getting heaven and in the other one we are getting love of God! In the spiritual world, in the intimate relationship with Radha and Krishna – so this is the qualitative aspect. So there is the qualitative and quantitative aspect of Krishna. I can give a better example maybe:

The Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta is also giving these examples;

‘Quantitatively as a devotee is getting more and more facilities from Krishna to worship Him, and then he is getting the quantitative mercy of Krishna. Qualitative if he gets closer and closer to the higher manifestations of the Supreme Lord, then he gets more and more mercy! Like one may realise Brahman Paramatma then Bhagavan, Vaikuntha and like when they gradually come out – Ayodhyā …to Goloka. Here we see the quality in that of Goloka through different rasas – onto madhurya – then one has the qualitative aspects of devotional service!’