Category:God As a Friend
Theme Analysis
The concept of God is often limited to that of a distant creator or a strict judge, but the Vedic literatures reveal a profoundly intimate reality: the Supreme Lord is our most loyal and eternal friend (suhṛdam sarva-bhūtānām). Śrīla Prabhupāda frequently references the Upaniṣadic analogy of two birds sitting in the same tree (the material body). One bird, the individual soul, is busy trying to enjoy the bitter and sweet fruits of material life, while the other bird, the Supersoul (Paramātmā), sits patiently as an onlooker and a well-wishing friend. Even when the living entity completely forgets his relationship with God and falls into the lowest species of life, this supreme friend never abandons him. He constantly sits within the heart, providing intelligence and the facilities needed to fulfill the soul's desires, while gently guiding him back home, back to Godhead.
Beyond this Paramātmā feature, pure devotional service allows the living entity to interact with the Supreme Personality of Godhead in a direct, personal relationship known as sakhya-rasa (friendship). This is one of the nine primary processes of devotional service. In this highly elevated stage, devotees like Arjuna, or the cowherd boys of Vṛndāvana (Sudāmā, Śrīdāmā, etc.), treat the Lord as an equal companion. The Lord takes immense pleasure in these informal, loving exchanges, willingly becoming a charioteer, an advisor, or a playmate to satisfy the pure love of His devotees.
- The Two Birds: The Upaniṣads describe the soul and the Supersoul as two birds in the tree of the body; the soul tries to enjoy material fruits while the Supersoul sits as a patient, witnessing friend.
- The Unfailing Companion: Regardless of how far the living entity falls into material illusion, the Lord remains within the heart as the supreme well-wisher, never acting as an enemy.
- The Peace Formula: True peace is achieved only when one realizes that Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate proprietor and the only actual friend of all living entities.
- Sakhya-Rasa: In the perfectional stage of pure devotion, the Lord reciprocates with His devotees as an equal, personal friend, as seen in His relationships with Arjuna and the cowherd boys of Vṛndāvana.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: The Eternal Companion - Understanding God As Our Best Friend.
Subcategories
This category has the following 8 subcategories, out of 8 total.
D
Pages in category "God As a Friend"
The following 63 pages are in this category, out of 63 total.
A
- A foolish person cannot understand that the Supersoul is sitting as a friend within and conducting his actions. BG 1972 purports
- According to the sruti-mantra (dva suparna sayuja sakhayah), the Lord is sitting within the heart of every living entity as suhrt, the best friend
- After surpassing the brahminical perfection, one has to become a devotee of the Lord so that His loving affection in the form of proprietor, master, friend, son and lover can be transcendentally achieved
- All one's activities depend on the will of the Supersoul, who is seated within the heart as a friend. BG 1972 purports
- Although he (the living entity) is changing bodies, he is not affected by the material conditions. He is placed under the material conditions, and he acts according to the directions of his friend, the Supersoul
- Although the Lord follows him as a friend, the living entity, because of forgetful material existence, does not recognize Him
- As a friend, the Lord is always anxious to get back His friend, the individual soul, and bring him back home, back to Godhead. As a witness He is the bestower of all benedictions, and He endows each individual with the result of his actions
- As friend, He (God) is living with the soul as Supersoul. That is stated in the Vedas, that two birds are sitting on the same tree
- As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (SB 7.5.23), there are nine kinds of devotional service: hearing, chanting, remembering, serving, worship of the Deity, praying, carrying out orders, serving Him as a friend and sacrificing everything for the Lord
F
- For the pure devotees He (God) is the constant companion, as in the case of His becoming one of the family members of the Yadu dynasty, or His becoming the friend of Arjuna
- From this verse (SB 3.25.38) we can learn that we can love the Supreme Personality of Godhead as our dearmost object - as a friend, as a son, as a preceptor or as a well-wisher - and there will be no cheating and no end to such love
H
- He (God) is always with the individual as a friend sitting by the side of a friend, and He gives facilities to all living entities according to their desires
- He (God) is the controller, friend and maintainer of all living entities
- He (God) is the proprietor of all planets, and He is the friend of every living soul
- He (the Supreme Lord) treats every living being as a friend yet maintains Himself as Paramatma regardless of the circumstances of the living entities. BG 1972 purports
- He holds no one as very dear and no one as inimical. He has no one for His own relative, and no one is alien to Him. He is actually the soul of the soul of all living entities. Thus He is the auspicious friend of all living beings
- His (God's) becoming the associate neighbor of the inhabitants of Vrndavana, as the son of Nanda-Yasoda, the friend of Sudama, Sridama and Madhumangala, or the lover of the damsels of Vrajabhumi, etc. That is part of His personal features
I
- If a conditioned soul, thinking of the Lord as an enemy or a friend, somehow or other becomes attached to the Lord, he receives great benefit
- In BG, SB, CC, or any Vedic literature or any other literature in any other religion, the same fact is presented: God is the proprietor. God is the only friend. If you understand this, then you'll have peace. This is the peace formula
- Intelligence is supplied by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who accompanies the individual soul as a friend
- It is natural that sometimes Lord Visnu wants to fight. Just as He has the tendencies to create, to enjoy, to be a friend, to accept a mother and father, and so on, He also has the tendency to fight
- It is very easily understood, because Krsna, or God, is also situated within your heart. If you sincerely want association of God, He is already there with you as a friend
N
- Narayana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the well-wisher and friend of all living entities, formerly explained this transcendental knowledge to the great saint Narada
- No one can be a greater well-wishing friend to any living entity than the SP of Godhead. He is so kindly disposed towards everyone that in spite of our completely forgetting our relationship with the Supreme Lord, He comes Himself - sometimes personally
O
- O my Lord, Supreme Personality and eternal friend, although You are full of bliss and knowledge, You have become the friend of the residents of Vrndavana. How fortunate are these devotees
- O my Lord, the unborn, You have shaken hands with me just as a friend does with a friend (as if equal in position). I shall be engaged in the creation of different types of living entities, and I shall be occupied in Your service
- On account of the Pandavas' faithful devotion to the Lord, He agreed to become their charioteer, their advisor, their friend, their messenger and sometimes their bodyguard. Such is an example of the result of devotional service towards Visnu
- One can attain direct contact with the Supreme Personality of Godhead in full Krsna consciousness and revive one's eternal relationship with Him as lover, as Supreme Soul, as son, as friend or as master
- One must pray to the Deity for His mercy. 26) One should remember the Deity. 27) One should meditate upon the Deity. 28) One should render some voluntary service. 29) One should think of the Lord as his friend
P
- Please tolerate the wrongs that I may have done to You and bear with me as a father with his son, or a friend with his friend, or a lover with his beloved. BG 11.44 - 1972
- Pure devotees of the Lord are absolutely in harmony with the Personality of Godhead, or in other words, they always think of the Lord as their only dependable friend and well-wisher
- Purusottama is the Supreme Person, and the Supreme Person by His expansion as the Supersoul is present in everyone's heart. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam. He's guiding, as friend
S
- Sakhyam. In regard to worshiping the Lord as a friend, the Agastya-samhita states that a devotee engaged in performing devotional service by sravanam and kirtanam sometimes wants to see the Lord personally, and for this purpose he resides in the temple
- Serving the lotus feet of God, offering God respectful worship, offering prayers to God, becoming His servant, considering God one's best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him - these processes are accepted as pure devotional service - SB 7.5.23
T
- The devotee forgets, by the internal potency of the Lord, that his friend or son is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, although sometimes the devotee is bewildered by the acts of the Lord
- The four Kumaras came to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead Narayana. The word suhrttama, "best of all friends," is important. As Lord Krsna states in the Bhagavad-gita, He is the best friend of all living entities. Suhrdam sarva-bhutanam - BG 5.29
- The God, He is also with me always as friend. So it is said in the Upanisad, there are two birds in one tree. The two birds means I, individual soul, and God, the Supreme Soul
- The Lord is addressed here (in SB 4.9.8) as arta-bandhu, which means friend of the distressed
- The Lord is always perfect in Himself, and thus He has no hankering for Himself. He, however, becomes a master, a friend, a son or a husband to fulfill the intense love of the devotee concerned
- The Lord is compared to the sky because the sky is vast yet within the reach of all, not only of human beings but even of the animals. The Supreme Lord, in His Paramatma feature, exists as the best well-wisher and friend
- The Lord is everyone's friend, but He is especially friendly to the surrendered soul
- The Lord is never an enemy to any of the millions of living entities, but is always a friend to everyone. This is true understanding. If one thinks that the Lord is an enemy, his intelligence is pasu-buddhi, the intelligence of an animal
- The Supersoul is also living along with these ordinary living entities as friends. That is described in the Upanisad, that two birds are sitting on one tree
- The Supersoul is eternally the friend of the living entity and always remains with him
- The Supersoul, being seated in everyone's heart, can witness everyone's activities - past, present and future. In the Upanisads the Supersoul is described as being seated with the individual soul as friend and witness
- Their (devotees) relative, son, preceptor, benefactor and Supreme Deity, they cannot be deprived of their possessions at any time because they accept Me as their friend
- There are nine different kinds of devotional service, which are listed as hearing, chanting, remembering, serving, worshiping the Deity in the temple, praying, carrying out orders, serving Him as a friend and sacrificing everything for Him
- There are nine processes of devotional service - serving the Lord as friend, and sacrificing everything for Him - and one should always keep engaged in at least one of these nine processes
- They (pure devotees) always think of the Lord as their only dependable friend and well-wisher. They do not care for any mundane creature, up to the status of Brahma, the lord of the universe
- This does not mean that the Lord is someone's enemy and someone else's friend. He helps everyone; one who is not bewildered by the influence of material energy is saved, and one who is bewildered is destroyed
- This one tree is this whole body, and the two birds - one the individual soul and the other is the Supersoul - both of them are sitting as friends. One bird is eating the fruits of the tree, and the other bird is simply onlooker
W
- We are searching for a friend to give us peace and tranquillity. That friend is Krsna, God. Just make friendship with Him; you'll find everyone to be your friend
- We do not know that our dearest friend is Visnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- When a mother loves a child, she is not forced to do so, nor does she do so out of expectation of some salary or remuneration. Similarly, we can love the Supreme Lord in so many ways - we can love Him as master, as friend, as child or as husband
- When Jatayu died, Lord Ramacandra did the duty of a son by performing the funeral ceremony, and then He made friends with the monkeys to deliver Sitadevi
- When one attains that stage he can understand how he is related with the Supreme Personality of Godhead as a servant or friend or as a parent or conjugal lover. This stage of understanding is called svarupa-sthah
- When the living entity wants to enjoy himself, he falls down into the material world. Even while he is in that position, the Lord remains with him as the Supersoul, his intimate friend. Because of his forgetfulness, the living entity does not know