The Devotee
107
“How can one take shelter of anyone else but Krishna, Who is so kind? Even though Bakasur’s sister planned to kill Him when He was an infant, by applying poison to her breast and offering it to Him to suck and thus to die—still that heinous woman received salvation, and was elevated to the same post as His own mother.” The verse refers to the time Putana planned to kill Krishna when He was a child, by poisoning her breast and offering it to Him to suck. Krishna accepted it and sucked the milk from the breast of that demoniac woman, and at the same time sucked out her life also. But the result was that Putana was raised to the same post as His own mother.
There is no essential difference between a fully surrendered soul and a man in the renounced order of life. The only difference is that a fully surrendered soul has the distinguishing symptom of being completely dependent upon Krishna. This surrendering process can be characterized by six different qualities: The first quality is that one should accept everything that is favorable to the discharge of Krishna duties or devotional service. One should be determined to accept the process. The second is that he should give up everything which is unfavorable to the discharge of devotional service; and one should be so determined to give it all up. Thirdly, one should be convinced that nobody else can protect him except Krishna, and therefore he has full faith that he will be protected by the Lord. It should be mentioned here that the impersonalists think that being One with Krishna, or One with the Supreme Lord, is their actual identity. A devotee, however, does not destroy his identity, but he lives with full faith that Krishna will kindly protect him in every respect.
Fourthly, a devotee should always accept Krishna as his Maintainer. Fruitive performers generally expect protection from demigods; but a devotee does not expect any protection from any demigod. He is fully convinced that Krishna will protect him from all kinds of unfavorable conditions. Fifth, a devotee is always conscious that his desires are not independent. Unless Krishna fulfills them, his desires cannot be fulfilled. Lastly, one should always think of himself as the most fallen, so that Krishna may take care of him.
Such a surrendered soul should take shelter in a holy place like Vrindaban, Mathura, Dwarka, Mayapur, and should surrender himself to the Lord, saying, “My Lord, from today I am Yours. You can protect me or kill me as You like.” The devotee takes shelter of Krishna in such a way. Krishna is grateful and accepts him and gives him all kinds of protection. This is confirmed in the  Srimad Bhagwatam , Eleventh Canto, Twenty-ninth Chapter. It is said there that if a person who is about to die takes full shelter of the Supreme