Only True Love Earns God’s Grace

The Bhagavata Glorifies Divine Love

The Bhagavad-gita gave to the world a unique universal message of oneness. It became popular all over the world. It is revered not only by the Bharateeyas but by western countries also. Many people have adopted into their lives the injunctions of the Gita and derived immense benefit.

Get Rid Of Attachment, Fear And Anger

The message of the Gita is not confined to a particular country, community or religion. It propagates a philosophy that is universal and is pertinent to every human being. Life culminates in victory when lived on the path of righteousness, as propounded in the Gita. The seeker is required to stick to certain principles for his own benefit as well as that of society. The Gita insists that a seeker must give up Raaga, Bhaya and Krodha (Veta Raaga Bhaya Krodha). Raaga means attachment, Bhaya means fear and Krodha means anger. Only a person who conquers these three enemies can realise Divinity. Besides controlling them, one should have intense love for God. Love should not be expressed as a formality. Love should be an experience as much as an expression. There are three steps known as Jnaatum (knowing), Drashtum (seeing) and Praveshtum (entering or merging). You must experience what you see, and absorb the experience into the core of your being.

Due to Raaga one feels that there is something different from him which he aspires to possess; and after getting it, he is immersed in fear that he might lose it. In the beginning, the fear is about possession of a thing and thereafter, fear is about retaining it. A person becomes angry when he fails to get the desired thing or when it is lost. Therefore, there is an inseparable connection between Raaga, Bhaya and Krodha. They are intertwined. Attachment leads to fear and fear leads to frustration. One should have only fear of sin and not of the world.

Once a Gopika named Niraja told her other Gopika friends, “Chase the devil of fear out. One should be afraid of sin. Why are you afraid of the world? God entered into Nature as Jiva (living being) and is manifesting Divinity on earth. People of the world may cry like crows. Will the cuckoo care when crows make noise? So, friends, do not be afraid of the world. We are following the royal path of aspiring for the bliss of Krishna’s proximity. We need not be afraid of what people say”. You should be afraid of Paapa (sin), but not Loka (world). You should always observe two things – fear of sin and love for God.

Love For God Only Is True Love

Mother stands for patience and forbearance. She bears the child in the womb for nine months. She is prepared to sacrifice her life for the sake of the child. In Sanskrit, woman is called Streey. This word has three letters in it – Sa, Ta, Ra. Sa denotes the quality of Sattva or piety, Ta stands for Tamas or passiveness, and Ra denotes Rajas, indicating passionate care. All these three qualities are in balance in Stree (woman). Even Avataras take birth from the womb of their mother. Could Rama come to earth without Kausalya? Could Krishna take birth without Devaki? Only mother’s love is true and pure. Worldly love cannot be called Prema; it is Anuraaga.

There is a vast difference between Anuraaga (passion) and Prema (love). Most of the worldly relationships fall under the category of Anuraaga. Anuraaga is attachment to worldly relationships, materials and objects. It is not love in the true sense. There is selfishness in a husband’s love towards his wife. Similarly, there is some amount of selfishness in the love of a wife for her husband. In everyone, there is selfishness to some degree or the other. People are mostly full of passion, not love. Love towards God is true love. Passion is related to worldly objects, whereas love is related to God. The former is Padaartha (materialistic) and the latter is Paraartha (spiritualistic). The entire life of man is based on this two-lettered word, Prema (love). Gopikas were perfect examples of true love because their hearts were totally dedicated to Lord Krishna. They never cared for anybody or anything other than Krishna. They spent every moment of their life in the thoughts of Krishna and reached a supreme state of bliss. The Gopikas indeed craved to see Krishna and yearned to see His beautiful form.

People travel long distances to go to a temple. But when they stand face to face with the idol in the temple, they are prone to close their eyes. What does it imply? A devotee must see God with the eyes of wisdom, not the physical eyes. Just when the Gopikas closed their eyes, Krishna disappeared. They started searching for Him in the garden, in the forest and everywhere. One Gopika stood in front of a tree and asked, “Oh tree! Have you seen Krishna passing this way”? This is an indication of Gopika’s concept of God. The Gopikas knew that God is present in a rock and a tree as well as a human being. They believed that Lord Krishna is perceptible to all beings.

Another Gopika sought to know from a jasmine creeper: “Oh jasmine! Please tell me if Krishna, the dark-complexioned one, the lotus-eyed one, the one who showers nectar of compassion through His looks, with a bewitching smile on His face, is hiding in your shrubs”! You see, the trees and shrubs are also sentient objects. Everything is brimming with life. The Gopikas were always lost in the thoughts of Krishna just as the Chakora bird always looks at the moon only; it never cares to look at any other light.

Some students asked Me about the significance of Krishna stealing butter. Just as we obtain butter after a long churning of curd, one can obtain the butter of love after churning the heart. This kind of butter is what pleases Krishna. One day, a big group of Gopikas went to Yashoda and complained that Krishna was stealing butter from their houses. Yashoda held Krishna by hand and sternly asked, “When I give you a plate full of butter, you will not touch it; but you go to every house to steal butter. Why are you causing trouble in the village”? Looking like a most innocent lad, Krishna said, “Mother! Why do you chide Me? Those Gopikas wanted to offer butter to God, and God took the offering. Why should I be punished for this”? It was indeed an indication that Krishna was none other than their object of worship.

One day, Radha went to the Yamuna river to fetch water. Even while collecting water, she was lost in loving thoughts of Krishna. Krishna saw her and laughed spontaneously.

Krishna’s bliss (Aahlaadam) turned into a flame of light and entered Radha’s heart. That is the reason why Radha is known by the epithet ‘Aahlaadini’. Krishna was intensely pleased with her devotion and love. From that moment till this day, people look at Radha as always associated with Krishna, and Krishna associated with Radha. They became inseparable. Because of this sacred quality of love, woman’s name always precedes when we talk of couples such as Radha-Krishna, Sita-Rama, and Parvati-Parameshwara. Woman stands as an ideal of devotion. Many husbands become devotees by the influence of their wives.

Woman represents Bhakti (devotion), while man represents Jnana (wisdom). However, man can reach only the audience hall of God’s palace, whereas woman has direct access into the inner chambers of His abode. Jnana can take you only up to the doorstep of God. There were however many pious people, such as Surdas, Tulasidas, Kabir and Ramadas, who could attain mergence with God through the path of devotion. Their names are etched in letters of gold in the annals of history because of their one-pointed devotion to God. Educated people these days strive to acquire material knowledge, forgetting the real knowledge, that of God.

Never Use Your Knowledge To Deceive Others

One day, a Gopala (cowherd boy) was grazing his cows, sheep and goats near the Govardhan mountain. Suddenly, there came a downpour of rain. So, he took shelter in a small cave. There he found a beautiful shining white stone. Its beauty filled him with great joy. He thought, “This shiny white stone will look brighter if it is tied to the neck of my calf which has a beautiful black color. One day Krishna will certainly notice this, and thus I can please Him”. He then picked up the stone and tied it around the neck of his beautiful black calf. Looking at his beautiful calf and the shining diamond on its neck, the Gopala was lost in joy and started singing: “Beauty is joy, joy is nectar of life...”

One day, a jeweler passed by the Govardhan mountain area, where the Gopala was grazing his cattle. The jeweler was attracted by the brilliance of the stone. He went near the calf and examined the stone closely. Instantly, he knew that it was a diamond of high value. So, he asked the Gopala, “Why don’t you sell this stone to me! I will give you a good price”. The Gopala felt that he would be able to buy with this money many more stones of this kind, and adorn the necks of all his calves. Thus, the jeweler got the valuable diamond from the Gopala for a pittance. On the way, the jeweler was looking at the diamond, feeling proud that somehow he could trick the cowherd and obtain a diamond worth lakhs of rupees. He was shocked when the diamond broke into pieces. The broken diamond spoke to him, “You have tricked the guileless Gopala who loved my beauty. He is the one who knows the real worth of a diamond. You are only a selfish and deceitful man. You have used your knowledge in trickery. So, my heart is broken”. You see, sincere devotion is superior to worldly love.

Gopikas Are True Examples Of Love For God

Once Krishna sent Uddhava to Brindavan with His letter addressed to Gopikas. He called all Gopikas and asked them to read the message of Krishna. But not even one Gopika looked at Uddhava. The very mention of Krishna’s name sent all of them into ecstatic joy. The Gopikas spotted a bee on a flower and talked to Uddhava addressing the bee. Uddhava pleaded with them to read Krishna’s letter. Without looking at Uddhava, the Gopikas started talking to the bee. One Gopika said, “O bee! I have little education. I cannot read. So, you read yourself”. Another Gopika said, “Seeing the beautiful writing of Krishna, my eyes may shed tears and spoil the letter. Therefore, I do not want to read”. The third Gopika said, “O bee! My entire body is seething with heat due to the pangs of separation from Krishna. The heat may scorch the letter. Tell Krishna to come here in person and pacify our burning hearts”. Shedding tears, she started singing:

O bee! Go and tell dearest Krishna to come here just once and shower His Divine nectar of love on us. Let Him come closer and glance at us.

(Telugu Song)

Another Gopika said:

O bee! Tell dearest Krishna to come once and irrigate our parched hearts with the water of His love.

(Telugu Song)

Radha said:

O bee, won’t you tell Him that our garland of hearts is in shambles and ask Him to set it right and wear on His chest. We cannot sustain our lives any longer.

(Telugu Song)

This garland of messages from Gopikas became highly popular by the name “Bhramara Geet” (song of bees).

Gopikas were always filled with sacred, loving thoughts of Krishna. They never had any desire other than for Krishna. But, unfortunately, some scholars belittle this Divine love, calling it mundane and sensual. The Bhagavata expatiates on the oneness of Jiva (individual soul) and Deva (Supreme Being). The essence of Gopikas’ lives is Divine love. They are shining examples of unsullied yearning for proximity and mergence with God.

This is how a Gopika expressed her intense longing for Krishna:

Were You a tree, growing upwards,
I would cling to You like a creeper;
Were You a blossoming flower,
I would hover over You like a bee;
Were You the mountain Meru,
I would cascade like a waterfall;
Were You the boundless sky,
I would be in You like a star;
Were You the bottomless deep ocean,
I would merge in You like a river;
Where are You, Oh Krishna?
Whither have You gone, Krishna!
Have You no pity, Krishna! Krishna!

(Telugu Poem)

One day, a Gopika complained to Yashoda, “O Yashoda! Whenever we Gopikas step out to sell milk, your Krishna asks us to pay tax. He throws stones on our milk-filled pots and makes holes in them”. Yashoda held Krishna by hand and sternly asked, “Why should You demand tax from these Gopikas? Stop this mischief”. Krishna replied, “Mother, I do not know anything. God gave them milk, and He is demanding tax”. Thus, in every act and speech of Krishna, there was proof of His Divinity.

In the Gita, Krishna told Arjuna:

Man-manaa Bhava Mad-bhakto
Mad-yaaji Maam Namaskuru.

(Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me.)

Sarva**-dharmaan Parityajya**
Maam Ekam Sharanam Vraja
Aham Tvaa Sarva-paapebhyo
Mokshayishyaami Maa Shuchah.

(Abandoning all duties, take refuge in Me alone. I will liberate you from all sins. Have no fear.)

The Lord assured Arjuna that He would save him from all sins when he took refuge only in Him. Gopikas of the Bhagavata are also true examples of total surrender and selfless love. They never desired any worldly things. Theirs was true love that never expected any return. The entire Bhagavata is about Divine Love only.

Radha’s end was nearing. One day, she sat on the bank of the Yamuna with her heart filled with melancholy. She cried, “O Krishna! For whose sake am I living? There is no meaning to life without You. There is no refuge other than You. I live for Your sake only. My mind is ever transfixed on Your form. Won’t You come to see me? Appear to me at least in a dream once”. This is eternal love. This cannot be termed Raaga or Anuraaga. True love follows only one path; there is no other path.

One day, Yashoda was very angry with Krishna. She wanted to tie Him to a grain-pounder with a rope. Krishna started running. Looking at it, one Gopika said, “Krishna, You cannot run like this for long. Your mother will catch You somehow. I can show You a place where You can hide safely. Look, your complexion is dark, and the inner chamber of my heart is also dark. Hide yourself in it. Yashoda cannot find you, and at the same time, my heart will get filled with happiness”.

At the time when Krishna was dancing on the hoods of the dreadful snake Kaliya, one Gopika prayed to Him, “Krishna, this snake Kaliya is dark, this river Yamuna is dark, Your complexion is dark and the sky is getting dark. Please do not fill our hearts with darkness. I pray that You brighten the lakes of our hearts with the flame of Your love. I wish that You project brightness on the background of darkness”. There was not an iota of selfishness in Gopikas. The sweetness of the Bhagavata can be explained and experienced for ages. The purity of the characters of the Bhagavata will turn readers’ hearts pure. Bhagavata is an ocean of devotion. Vyasa, the great sage of wisdom, became restless after writing the magnum opus the Mahabharata. He could regain peace only after writing Shrimad Bhagavata.

You should rise from the level of worldly attachments to the level of selfless love for God. Worldly attainments have no reality. All the worldly attachments are temporary; they are not permanent. You should realise that there is a spark of Divinity in every being. Ekam Sat Vipraah Bahudhaa Vadanti (truth is one, but the wise refer to it by various names).

– Bhagawan’s Divine Discourse at Sai Sruthi, at Kodaikanal on 29th April 1992.