Hare Krsna,
The Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna is known as bhava-grahi janardana because He takes only the essence of a devotee’s attitude. If a devotee sincerely surrenders unto Him, the Lord, as the Supersoul in everyone’s heart, immediately understands this. Thus, even though, externally, a devotee may not render full service, if he is internally sincere and serious the Lord welcomes his service nonetheless. Thus, the Lord is known as bhava-grahi janardana because He takes the essence of one’s devotional mentality.
This means Krsna sees our intentions and not our actions. If our intentions are pure and without any material motives and executed even if faultily, Krsna accepts it. One beautiful example in this regard is of Vidura’s wife. Vidura’s wife was totally lost in her intense devotion for the Lord. Once when Krsna walked into her house and seated Himself comfortably on an asana, He told her that He was hungry. She immediately ran into the kitchen. She had not cooked anything. When she looked around she saw a bunch of bananas lying there. She brought them and sat down below His asana. She picked up a banana, peeled the skin and instead of giving the fruit to Krsna, she gave the banana peel to Krsna to eat and threw away the fruit. She was totally beyond her body consciousness and the surroundings. Krsna, who accepts anything offered with love and devotion, very happily accepted the peel and ate it relishing it all the time. She continued to give the Lord peel after peel and the Lord continued partaking it.
Therefore, Krsna says in BG 9.26: “If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I will accept it.”
The pastime of Putana is very interesting because in this case, Krsna, instead of considering her evil intention, saw her action and mercifully accepted it. Even though she came with the intention of killing Him by feeding her breastmilk, Krsna took her motherly act into consideration and ignored her demoniac intention. Not only that, He even granted her a position of a nurse in the spiritual world. Remembering this Uddhava went into ecstasy and narrated this merciful nature to Vidura.
SB 3.2.23: Alas, how shall I take shelter of one more merciful than He who granted the position of mother to a she-demon [Pūtanā] although she was unfaithful, and she prepared deadly poison to be sucked from her breast?
In his purport, Srila Prabhupada explains that this is an example of the extreme mercy of the Lord, even to His enemy. Lord Kṛṣṇa accepted the motherhood of Pūtanā because she pretended to be an affectionate mother, allowing Kṛṣṇa to suck her breast. The Lord accepts the least qualification of the living entity and awards him the highest reward. That is the standard of His character. Therefore, who but the Lord can be the ultimate shelter?
Another similar example is that of Ajamila. Even though He cried out the name of his youngest son, Narayana, at the time of his death, the all-merciful Lord immediately sent His Visnudhutas to rescue him from the agents of Yamaraja. This is another instance of the Lord taking into account the action of Ajamila even though his intention was not really to call out the Lord but his son.
This pastime of Putana therefore gives me tremendous hope. The hope that just by chanting the Holy Name of the Lord even though impurely or somewhat offensively or even inattentively, Krsna will accept our chanting and bestow on us the right benedictions. This is why Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is considered the most merciful incarnation.
namo mahā-vadānyāya | kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te
kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-nāmne | gaura-tviṣe namaḥ
“O most munificent incarnation! You are Kṛṣṇa Himself appearing as Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, and You are widely distributing pure love of Kṛṣṇa. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You.” (CC Madhya 19.53)
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Krsna Katha 