Give solace

Expressions researched:
"give her all solace" |"give him solace" |"give me great solace" |"give me solace" |"give solace" |"give them a message of solace" |"gives him solace" |"gives me great solace"

SB Canto 3

Who will give me solace after your departure as a sannyāsī?

SB 3.23.52, Translation and Purport:

My dear brāhmaṇa, as far as your daughters are concerned, they will find their own suitable husbands and go away to their respective homes. But who will give me solace after your departure as a sannyāsī?

It is said that the father himself becomes the son in another form. The father and son are therefore considered to be nondifferent. A widow who has her son is actually not a widow, because she has the representative of her husband. Similarly, Devahūti is indirectly asking Kardama Muni to leave a representative so that in his absence she might be relieved of her anxieties by a suitable son. A householder is not expected to remain at home for all his days. After getting his sons and daughters married, a householder can retire from household life, leaving his wife in the charge of the grown-up sons. That is the social convention of the Vedic system. Devahūti is indirectly asking that in his absence from home there be at least one male child to give her relief from her anxieties. This relief means spiritual instruction. Relief does not mean material comforts. Material comforts will end with the end of the body, but spiritual instruction will not end; it will go on with the spirit soul. Instruction in spiritual advancement is necessary, but without having a worthy son, how could Devahūti advance in spiritual knowledge? It is the duty of the husband to liquidate his debt to his wife. The wife gives her sincere service to the husband, and he becomes indebted to her because one cannot accept service from his subordinate without giving him something in exchange. The spiritual master cannot accept service from a disciple without awarding him spiritual instruction. That is the reciprocation of love and duty. Thus Devahūti reminds her husband, Kardama Muni, that she has rendered him faithful service. Even considering the situation on the basis of liquidating his debt toward his wife, he must give a male child before he leaves. Indirectly, Devahūti requests her husband to remain at home a few days more, or at least until a male child is born.

When the Lord appears, His main purpose is to give solace to His devotees.

SB 3.28.29, Purport:

The Lord descends to the material world out of His deep compassion for His devotees. There are two reasons for the Lord's appearance or incarnation in the material world. Whenever there is a discrepancy in the discharge of religious principles and there is prominence of irreligion, the Lord descends for the protection of the devotees and the destruction of the nondevotees. When He appears, His main purpose is to give solace to His devotees. He does not have to come Himself to destroy the demons, for He has many agents; even the external energy, māyā, has sufficient strength to kill them. But when He comes to show compassion to His devotees, He kills the nondevotees as a matter of course.

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

Kṛṣṇa immediately wanted to send Uddhava to give them a message of solace.

Krsna Book 46:

As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (4.11), ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham: Kṛṣṇa is very responsive. He responds in proportion to the devotee's advancement in devotional service. Thus, as the gopīs were thinking of Kṛṣṇa in separation twenty-four hours a day, so Kṛṣṇa was also always thinking of the gopīs, mother Yaśodā, Nanda Mahārāja and the other residents of Vṛndāvana. Although He appeared to be away from them, He could understand how they were transcendentally aggrieved, and so He immediately wanted to send Uddhava to give them a message of solace.

Kṛṣṇa has sent you to Vṛndāvana to give solace to His father and mother.

Krsna Book 47:

When the gopīs understood that Uddhava had a message from Kṛṣṇa, they became very happy and called him to a secluded place and offered him a nice sitting place. They wanted to talk with him very freely and did not want to be embarrassed before unknown persons. They welcomed him with polite words, in great submissiveness: “We know that you are a most confidential associate of Kṛṣṇa and that He has therefore sent you to Vṛndāvana to give solace to His father and mother. We can understand that family affection is very strong. Even great sages who have taken to the renounced order of life cannot give up family affection cent percent. Sometimes they think of their family members. Kṛṣṇa has therefore sent you to His father and mother; otherwise He has no further business in Vṛndāvana. He is now in town. What does He have to know about Vṛndāvana village or the cows' pasturing grounds? These are not at all useful for Kṛṣṇa because He is now a man of the city.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

The fact is all these nonsense books could not give solace.

Lecture on SB 1.5.2 -- Los Angeles, January 10, 1968:

Just this morning or yesterday morning I was walking on the street. So many books were thrown in the street. Very nice book. Gaurasundara, you remember. Because the fact is all these nonsense books could not give him solace. He has thrown it on the street. Very nice book. Not nice book, very binding nice. It must have been very costly book. Big, big book thrown away. Why? There was no peace. There was no peace. Therefore... Just like in your country I see bunch of newspaper. Just after one second, turning this page, that page, thrown away. Why? There is no pleasure. There is no pleasure. Simply the old story. Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). Chewing the chewed. In your country we don't find such things. In our country, India, the sugar cane is chewed, the juice is sucked, and it is thrown in the street. Now, if somebody goes and chews the chewed sugar cane, what relish, what taste he will get? Similarly, because we have no information of spiritual life, we are simply chewing the chewed. That's all. In a different way. This way or that way, this way or that way. And that is sex life. That's all.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Gandhi used to say that he believes in Gītā and Gītā gives him solace in difficult times.

Room Conversation with Endowments Commissioner of Andhra Pradesh -- August 22, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: They are doing that. You can see from this big, big person. Gandhi used to say that he believes in Gītā and Gītā gives him solace in difficult times and so on, so on. But has he ever preached about Kṛṣṇa? Tilok has ever preached about Kṛṣṇa? Radhakrishnan has ever preached Kṛṣṇa? Nobody. Their policy is take Sītā and kill Rāma. Rāvaṇa's policy. Take away Sītā. Take away Gītā and kill Kṛṣṇa. So Rāvaṇa's policy will never be successful.

1970 Correspondence

When BTG will be published not in hundreds of thousands, but in millions, that will give me great solace.

Letter to Madhudvisa -- Los Angeles 14 April, 1970:

It is very encouraging to learn that you are so enthusiastic to sell BTG. I consider sale of BTG so valuable because in the beginning I worked for BTG day and night alone in India. I still remember the hardship for pushing on this BTG. In the beginning, when I was householder, I did not care if somebody paid or not paid; I used to distribute liberally. But when I left my household life and I was living alone sometimes in Vrndavana and sometimes in Delhi or sometimes travelling for pushing on BTG, they were very hard days. Therefore, when BTG will be published not in hundreds of thousands, but in millions, that will give me great solace.

I am anxious to know how different centers are working, and when I get good reports from them it gives me great solace.

Letter to Brahmananda -- Los Angeles 2 June, 1970:

I was so much anxious to hear from you in letter. Sometimes when there are many letters I think how I shall reply, but if I do not get letters from you I become still more discomfortable. So you please send me a letter at least once in a week, that will give me a great pleasure. Naturally I am anxious to know how different centers are working, and when I get good reports from them it gives me great solace.

1971 Correspondence

I am sending herewith one letter for his wife which please hand over to her and give her all solace.

Letter to Danavir -- London 24 August, 1971:

I was very much shocked on hearing of the accidental death of Professor Dosa. I am sending herewith one letter for his wife which please hand over to her and give her all solace. Everything is under Krishna's control. Krishna is the supreme controller. Maya is only an instrumental agent. The example is given generally that in the rainy season the rain falls down equally everywhere but on the ground different seasonal plants and vegetables grow. Similarly when the material world is created it is set in motion by the Supreme Lord through the instrumental agency of maya. But according to different fruitive actions of different living entities different phases of happiness and distress appear exactly as after the rainfall there are varieties of vegetables. So everything takes place according to one's past individual karma but those who are in Krishna Consciousness their resultant action of karma becomes summarized. Professor Dosa took initiation, or shelter of Krishna. He will always be protected. In the next life he will get birth in a very good devotee's house so that from the very beginning of life he will get chance to devote himself to Krishna Consciousness. This is the observation from the sastra angle of vision. So no one should be agitated for sudden death of Professor Dosa. He is always blessed. Now he will get a very good chance for advancing in Krishna Consciousness. Be sure.