(We desire to see the face of Mohan. We are not happy without his darshan)
O Krishna! Please show at least once your lotus like face. We are longing for your darshan.
The bond of love is the best
Shreeji Maharaj describes love as the tenth type of devotion. Devout soul Punjabhai made up his mind to either to do darshan of God or to give up his life. He went to Gopnath and embraced the lingam, rising from the sea. The high tide of the sea threw him out. Punjabhai repeated again and again his attempt of embracing the Lingam. Finally, unsuccessful, he walked then to the deep sea to sacrifice himself.
He heard from the sky, “Don’t kill yourself. Go back home. You will attain your God.” He came back happily and saw some saints of Swaminarayan camping at the temple. He went to them and did Satsang with them. He received the teachings of the Sampraday and learnt Nitya Niyam to become a devotee of the sampraday.
Once, Satsangi Punjabhai said to Vasta Khachar, “Please send me a message, if Shreeji Maharaj comes to Kariyani.” Shreeji Maharaj graced Kariyani after some time. As promised, Vasta Khachar sent a message to Punja Bhagat. It was summer time and Punjabhai was at is farm. Punjabhai got the message at about noon. He sent his bullocks homeward and ran swiftly to Kariyani. He ran for five miles in the extreme heat of the sun. He was swift like a river flowing toward the sea. The devotee was anxious to meet his Lord!
Bhagwan was dwelling in Kariyani. There, he feet thirst and felt it repeatedly. Mukund Brahmchari served him cool water again and again to quench the thirst, but there was no end to Maharaj’s thirst. Muktanand Swami said, “O Maharaj! Why are you having lots of water and keep drinking it repeatedly?”
Shreeji Maharaj said, “Swami! My dear devotee Punjabhai is on his way to me, running fast in the hot summer to meet me soon. He is thirsty, but not stopping anywhere to drink water. He aspires impatiently to meet me at the earliest moment. My thirst will not be quenched unless his thirst is also quenched. Therefore, bring me a pot of cool water. I will walk to him with the pot to receive him with the cool drinking water.
Shreeji Maharaj himself ran hurriedly to his dear devotee. Punja Bhagat ran in the scorching heat without bothering about his thirst and the burning rays of heat. Shreeji Maharaj coming from Kariyani finally met mid way with Punja Bhagat coming from the countryside. Shreeji Maharaj took his devotee under a tree and helped him to sit comfortably beside him, beneath the shade. Shreeji Maharaj himself served cool water to quench his thirst. This shows the oneness of God and his devotees.
Shreeji Maharaj says in Vachanamrit, ‘If he is a faithful and trustworthy devotee of God, I shall be a devotee of his. I do devotion of such faithful devotees. This is my principal virtue. This is my cardinal attribute. Greatness of any kind will not be adorable in absence of this virtue.’
The Gopis were calling out helplessly. They want nothing except darshan of Bhagwan – darshan of their loved one. They desire desperately and pray to Krishna to remove their grief of separation:
(O Loved one! O Krishna! Please come soon. I love you very much. You are aware of my tender feelings. O loved one! Please come. I am torn by the pains of separation. This seclusion is unbearable for me. You have deserted us with your sudden departure to Mathura. We humble Gopis of Mathura long desperately for your blissful darshan. Please remove our pains with your blissful presence. Let us enjoy again the Raas leela as we had before. O Lord of Brahmanand Swami! Please grant our prayer. What more is there to say? Please come to us.)
The Gopis hate themselves for this pitiable condition of theirs. They try now to locate their own faults. They are arguing amidst themselves, “He had loved us, but what good did we do? We always opposed him when he was with us. When he came to our house, we had forced him to dance by tempting him with a lump of butter. We have accused him of being a thief and thieving the butter. At times, we had taken him to Yashoda Maiya to complain about his mischievous ways of teasing us. But he always loved us despite such complaints.”
(He has loved us to help and save us in this ocean of life by holding our hand.)
They are crying in pain as they talk about Shree Krishna. They would have drowned deep in the ocean of life, if they had not been helped by Shree Krishna.
(He has showered his pleasure by taking good care of us. He has acted accordingly to cheer us. When we sulked, he had pleased us with his unique ways.)
The Gopis are recollecting the happy times of the past. They were compelling Shree Krishna to join them in activities of their liking and choice. Krishna used to do things according to their wish. They remembered the occasion when they got Krishna tied tightly with a rope. But Krishna loved them without any limit. “Instead of appreciating his love for us, we Gopis have reacted harshly to him. O Friends! When will Shree Krishna come to replay those happy moments?”
They are refreshing their memory with such benedictory episodes. Shreeji Maharaj says in Vachnamrit (G.M.35): ‘You should recollect such divine occasions, visualise the divine episodes I had with you all in such sessions and reverently narrate them before others. If at the time of death, one reminisces of these divine incidents, he is sure to attain the divine abode of God. Therefore, such divine episodes from my life and the chanting of my names are all means of redemption.’