Srila Gurudeva: We can practice like anything to have darsana of Krsna, but by sadhana we cannot do anything. Krsna is also merciful. Even if you are not doing any sadhana but Krsna is merciful, He may give His darsana. So there are two things. Those who are actually sadhakas, who are always doing sadhana like Yasoda, always binding, binding, binding, seeing this, Krsna is so merciful. When he saw that sweat was now coming from the face of Yasoda and that she was restless and her face was becoming reddish, Krsna became merciful.
In the svarupa-sakti of Krsna, there is a vatsalya-bhava, a mercy of Krsna. This krpa-sakti, the sakti of mercy, is the topmost sakti of Krsna. When Krsna became so happy and His heart was melted, at once His krpa-sakti came. His opulence of svarupa-sakti at once disappeared that was stopping Him from being bound. So, the practice of the bhakta, the labor of the bhakta or sadhaka, the labor in sadhana, his endeavor in sadhana and the mercy of Krsna, both, when they will be together, only then can anyone control Krsna, otherwise not. This logic is of two kinds, markata and marjara. Markata means monkey. There is monkey logic and kitten logic. Kittens never do anything. They only cry, “Meow, meow, mother, mother, meow, meow.”
The mother comes and catches hold of that kitten with her mouth and takes that baby any place she wants. But monkeys are of the opposite type. If monkeys are running or jumping, they will stay for a moment and their baby monkey will come and will at once jump anywhere here or there on the mother monkey. Either on the back or on the stomach or anywhere and they will catch hold of the mother with four hands. The mother will jump so much here and there and the baby monkey will have to try not to fall. If that baby will fall down, then the mother will never touch that baby again. She gives up that baby forever and the baby monkey dies.
So, we should not be like either. We should not be like the monkey and think that by our effort we can, by our sadhana we can have krsna-prema or Krsna’s mercy. But, without mercy, we cannot do anything. But if you depend only on mercy, doing nothing like a kitten, then there will also be no result. Both should be there. Our sadhana, and Krsna’s mercy, if both are there, then this will help us control Krsna.
[Spoken by Srila Gurudeva on December 7th, 1998, Malaysia, published as part of the Bhakta Bandhav Anthology, Volume 25]