DEVOTION TRANSFORMING TO SUPREME LOVE TOWARDS GOD (contd…)
Essence of Rasa Lila
King Parikshit said: “O sage; the glorious Lord of the universe did incarnate Himself by a portion only to establish Dharma (righteousness) and uproot Adharma (unrighteousness). He is the author, the teacher and the defender of Dharma. He must set the example. How then did He choose to act against Dharma by making love with others’ wives and touching them?
Bhagavan Sri Krishna is the Perfect Being. He has nothing to desire or gain. He has done what is detestable. Why did he perpetrate this unworthy act? What could be His idea? O holy sage! Please remove my doubt on this point.”
Suka Deva replied:
“O King! It appears as if Lord of beings violate Dharma and perform daring acts. But such acts do not affect those powerful beings.
“By devotion to His feet and by power of Yoga, even sages are freed from the bonds of good and evil. They are not fettered by the consequences of their actions or ties of Karma. They act as they like. How then can any bondage be ascribed to the glorious Lord who has simply assumed a form at His own free will for the benefit of mankind?
“He is present in the hearts of the Gopis and their husbands and in the hearts of all other embodied beings. He is the Ruler of all things. He assumed a body only for His Lila or sporting. He assumed a human form for bestowing His grace on His devotees and exhibited those sports, the hearing of which creates devotion in man towards Him.
“O Parikshit! The men of Vraja never indeed found fault with Sri Krishna, because they were kept spell-bound by the Lord’s supreme power (Yoga Maya) and found their wives always by their side.”
Dear All,
Thus, Rasa lila symbolizes and gives us the essence of over powering divine love which consumes everything, including the individual identity of the devotee (represented by Gopikas here). From the first post onwards, we have been learning only one thing- “The giving up/annihilation/ transcending our individual ego leads to merger with Lord and only merger with Lord is supreme surrender”.
Swami also explained this clearly while answering to Prof. Anil Kumar’s question on difference between Devotion and Surrender.
For a normal human being, who has not experienced what is divine love, Rasa lila may appear to be at physical level. Enough has been explained in Rasa lila to make a perverted mind get convinced that Rasa lila was at physical level and gopikas were passionate about Krishna at sense level.
However, only when one tastes the nectarine divine love, can one actually experience the divine love of gopikas for Krishna.
For a human mind, gopikas were women and Krishna was a man. Arey, become a gopika and then understand that they had long forgotten that they were women, Krishna was a man and they were indulging in a Leela with a man.
When their individual identity is lost, when there is no difference between them and Krishna, when their soul had merged with Krishna, when the atman had merged with Brahman, then where is woman, where is man? Where is physical body? Where is sensation? Where is lust? Where is sensation even when Krishna’s hand caresses their bosom? Where is the woman in them who is to be bothered about their pallu not covering their bosom?
Rasa lila is a divine sport, given to us only for getting a glimpse of what is Divine Love. What it is to be absorbed in Divine Love. What it is to transcend one’s mind, one ego, one’s very identity and to get totally merged with the Divine.
Efforts were made in a subtle manner only to bring about the essence of the divine love of Radha and Gopikas through few bhajan talks, reproduced below:
KR44. RADHEY SHYAM PANDURANGA VITTHALE RAKUMAI
PANDURANGA PURANDARA VITTHALE RAKUMAI
RADHEY SHYAM PANDURANGA VITTHALE RAKUMAI [2 VARIATIONS]
PANDURANGA PURANDARA VITTHALE RAKUMAI
(Thus spoke a holy saint about Radha’s devotion-“Water flows from a higher to a lower level. It is called a stream (dhara). When the letters of the word dhara are reversed the word becomes radha. That stream which flows from below upwards is called radhagati. When it reaches the origin, it gets a spiritual experience of being Radha Herself. Acquisition of this state itself is called “blending into zero”or “sainthood”. In other words, Radha and Krishna were one and the same. Hence, although Radha had merged into Krishna, She continued to worship Him for the sake of guiding the other gopis. One will think that once a gopi reaches the zenith, she will see several Radhas. Those following Radha, that is those seekers following the Path of Devotion, will see only one Radha because there is no duality in spiritual love, only non-duality.”
Let us pray to Lord Krishna, Lord Panduranga, to elevate us to the level of Radha’s devotion and to attain the stage of spiritual love, where there is no duality)
KR47. MORE SHYAM MORE SHYAM
DARSHAN DO MERE SAI GHANASHYAM
SUNDARA SHYAM NAYANABI RAM
MIRA KE SHYAM RADHA KE SHYAM
SHIRDI KE SHYAM PARTHI KE SHYAM
SAI GHANASHYAM BOLO RADHEY GHANASHYAM
(Grant me Your cosmic darshan O Krishna, which You gave to Arjuna, out of Your divine love & compassion. Purushottama, the one whose beauty is incomparable, the one who is the consort of Radha and Mira, the one who is verily the Para Brahman, incarnating from time to time in different forms, as Krishna, as Sai of Shirdi and Sai of Parthi, I am absorbed in your glory. The form of devotion which Radha had and then Mira, is Madhurya-Bhava. The lover and the Beloved become one through the intensity of love. In Madhurya-bhava there is the closest relationship between the devotee and the Lord. There is no sensuality in Madhurya-Bhava. There is no tinge of carnality in it. To understand and internalise the glory of Sri Krishna, a saint observed that it is enough if we meditate the following four most important verses from Srimad Bhagwatam, the leading two verses and the closing verse are the prologue and the epilogue respectively:
"Hear from Me the most secret knowledge coupled with the essential experience and its component
parts.
"May you realise by My Grace, the knowledge of Myself and what form, qualities and actions I am endowed with.
1. "Before creation I alone existed. There was nothing, neither existence nor non-existence. I am that which remains after dissolution.
2. "Understand that to be Maya or illusion which is devoid of any purpose, which is not to be found in the Self and which is unreal like light and darkness.
3. "As the primary elements are amalgamated, with one another and also separate from one another at the same time, so I pervade the whole universe and am also separate from it.
4. "The aspirant should, by the method of positive and negative, know that thing which exists always and everywhere.
5. "Experience this truth through the highest super conscious state so that you will not be disturbed evenby illusory objects".)
KR51. RADHEY GOVINDA RADHEY GOPALA GHANASHYAM
BANSIDHARA (2) HEY CHITACHORA
RADHEY GOVINDA ….
HEY NATAWARA.. HEY NATAWARA NANDA KISHORA
GHANASHYAMA SUNDARA MEGHA SHYAMA SUNDARA SAIRAM
(Chant the name of govinda, chant the name of gopala, the one who played the divine music with his flute, the one whose name radha breathed till her last, the one who was the darling son of nanda. Prostrations to you, o sweat Krishna with enchanting beauty and charm)
What Swami say’s about Radha’s love for Krishna?
“Krishna asked Radha what she wanted at the last moment other life. Radha said: I don't want anything except to listen to the music of your flute once more before I pass away.' (Sing, Oh Krishna, speak to me to fill my heart with bliss', sang Radha. 'Distil the essence of the Vedas and make it flow into the eternal music of your flute. Oh Krishna). Krishna took out his flute and played on it and when Radha closed her eyes, He threw it away. He never touched it again. He dedicated the flute to give delight to Radha." Sai Baba, SS, 10/96, p. 257
And about the love of gopikas for Krishna, Let us hear in Sai Krishna’s own words.
Paata Paadu Maa Krishna!
Paluku Teneloluku Natula
Maatalaadu Maa Mukunda
Manasu Teeraga!
Sing for us, our Krishna!
With your words sweet as honey.
Talk to us, our Mukunda,
Till our hearts are full!
Veda Saaramanta Teerchi,
Nada Brahmamuganu Maarchi,
Venuvandu Tirugabosi,
Gaanaroopamuganu Maarchi.
Paata Paadu Maa Krishna!
Take the essence of the Vedas,
Change it into Sabda-Brahman,
Fill your flute with this sound,
And convey it to our hearts as music.
Sing for us, our Krishna!
Suddenly, he was shocked to notice that the right eye was now bleeding the same way! He now knew the solution and decided to offer his other eye too. But once he had taken his right eye out, how would he see where to place it? He pondered for a minute, and came up with a solution. Lifting his leg, he placed it on the place where the Lord had His right eye, and with his knife, proceeded to take out his right eye from its socket!
