Water is life for a fish. The Moon is life for a Chakora (Indian red-legged partridge). Similarly, the son of Shree Nandrai is the soul and life of the Gopis. His darshan is their eternal pleasure and blissful happiness. They think and meditate eternally on the blissful image of Shree Krishna.
Install the image of God in the seat of your heart
One Gopi said, “Look! How beautiful and shining his hair is?” Another Gopi said, “Look at his fingers. How tender and charmful they are! We like to play with them.” Another said to her friend, “How endearing are the feet of Lala! I’d love to caress them.” Then said the fourth Gopi, “His lips are so sweet and red! I’m unable to draw my eyes away from them.” These are not words spoken by the Gopis, but the words of the devotion and affection inherent within them.
To strengthen devotion and love for God, concentrate steadily on each organ and limb of God. Concentrate your eyes steadily on the eyes, lips or face of God. This is true devotion. Devotion will not be fruitful without devout worship of the image of God. The Gopis are absorbed mentally in the image of God whilst doing domestic chores. Even in their dream state, they do darshan of God.
(The Gopis remeber Shree Krishna in their domestic duties. They are possessed by devotional love. They have lost the sense of discrimination between day and night. They have lost consciousness in the divine love of Lord Shree Krishna. Whether they eat, drink or walk, they act unconsciously. They wake up suddenly from deep sleep and chant loudly the names of Shree Krishna.)
The Gopis have merged their heart and soul in the blissful image of Shree Krishna. Wherever they look, they see there the blissful image of Shree Krishna. Do darshan of Lord Thakorji in all your acts, if desired such oneness with the supreme Lord. God should be visible in all your acts, if desired oneness with the supreme Lord. God is visible in all objects. Do darshan of God dwelling in those objects.
Shreeji Maharaj says in his Vachanamrits: It is great to have love for God. All their acts lead to devotional love for God.
(In every walk of life, their body and mind is attached to Lord Shree Krishna. They have put aside social decorum and Vedic rituals to be with Shree Krishna.)
The Gopis have lost physical consciousness by falling in love with God
One Gopi’s father-in-law was having his meal. He asked “Daughter! Please give me some Murabba (jam).” She took the bottle from the hanger and served a spoonful of Murabba to her father-in-law. While serving it, she remembered Shree Krishna and his liking for jam. She desired earnestly to serve jam to Shree Krishna and how it would be if he came there to have a meal. She lost her mind in such reminiscence of Shree Krishna and instead of the bottle; she placed her child back in the hanger! The child cried loudly to get himself out.
The father-in-law witnessed the scene and said to her, “Dear daughter! Work consciously. Look where you have placed your son!” He stopped having the meals and brought the child down from the hanger. She returned to conscious state when she saw her father-in-law helping the young one down from the hanger. Thus the Gopis had lost their mental presence whilst carrying out household chores and had become lost mentally in the divine form of Shree Krishna.
(Imaginary echoes reflect in their ears and in front of their eyes, they envisage and see Lord Shree Krishna. They feel like having a face-to-face dialogue with Balkrishna.)
The Gopis’ absorption and concentration are wonderful. They are so attached mentally to Shree Krishna that they find themselves absorbed eternally in the divine presence of Shree Krishna.
Though spoken by someone else, the words resemble the sweet dialogue of Balkrishna. This is similar to how we as householders would often mistake the words spoken by others for our own son’s words when we are waiting for him. When the Gopis talked to others they felt like they were talking to Shree Krishna.
Due to the oneness in Shree Krishna’s image, the Gopis are not able to attend properly to their domestic chores. They have lost themselves in the love of Shree Krishna and therefore they act bizarrely and speak out of context. The true devotees of God should bear such love and oneness in Shree Krishna’s image. That is the right kind of devotion.
To remember God is real greatness
Lord Shreeji Maharaj at Vadtal Dhaam graced a grand assembly of saints and senior devotees. Meanwhile, Gunatitanand Swami came there. Other saints at the sabha said “Please spread a carpet for Gunatitanand Swami.” Shreeji Maharaj looked at them and said, “He is not great because of a carpet, but because of the divine abode of Akshardham. He dwells eternally in the divine memory of God.”
Greatness received in a temple or in an association or received due to knowledge and other attributes is nothing but material – ephemeral. Real greatness – true greatness - rises through the unbroken memory of God.
I will not leave you unredeemed
An old lady happened to live in a small house at the back of the temple at Kariyani. She never came to the temple to do darshan of God and never attended any aarti or pooja. She never did japa of any kind or penance. She never tried to join in holy company or Satsang sessions. She never remembered God. She spent time gossiping about others instead.
Shreeji Maharaj knew about this and desired to get her to say “Swaminarayan” for her own salvation.
Next morning, Shreeji Maharaj asked Bhaguji to throw one rupee coins on the roof of her house. Bhaguji took a few coins and threw them on the roof. The rupees landed on the roof making stone-like noises.
The old lady shouted in anger, “These Swaminarayan followers have crossed all limits. They are throwing stones on my tiled roof.” She rushed to the small courtyard of the house to check the stones thrown on the roof, but was taken aback when she found the one-rupeecoins rolling off from the roof. She picked up the coins from the ground and said, “Swaminarayan has given me money!”
Shreeji Maharaj found his resolute fulfilled when she admittedly spoke the name of Swaminarayan. Shreeji Maharaj said to Bhaguji, “I have accomplished my vow. I was expecting her to speak ‘Shree Swaminarayan’, now I will take her to my Akshardham.”
Usually in our villages, people warn each other by saying “I will not spare you, if uttered my name.” On the other side, Lord Shree Hari says, “I will not spare you (in terms of leaving you unemancipated), if spoken my name – Swaminarayan.” This is the basic difference between God and human beings. The Swaminarayan Mahamantra is majestic and divine.