The Gopis said, “O Uddhav! We Gopis are a servant and slave to our Lord Shree Krishna. Who would leave a heap of grains to take some bran? Who would give up gold for a lump of mud? Who would wear a string of shells instead of a diamond necklace? Who would accept ashes instead of fragrant sandalwood? Who would wear deerskin instead of precious dresses? Who would leave sumptuous sweets to eat poisonous leaves? Who would give up their bed to sleep on the bear ground of a place of burial? Who would chew the tasteless branch of Aaval (a wild bush) after having a Tambul (a tasty mouth freshener)?
(How could we consume Aaval – a wild bush – when we have already consumed tasty Tambul – a delicious mouth freshener? How could we allow something else in our heart in place of Shree Krishna?)
Only God should reside in our heart. Nothing shakes firm and faithful devotees. Be firm in your mind and heart. Love nothing except God. Attach yourself to God. Sadguru Muktanand Swami sings:
(I am in love with Shree Krishna. O my friend! I am mad after him. I have accepted the everlasting life of a married woman and all my illusions are removed by playing raas with Him. Muktanand Muni says that he will not leave his God even for a moment. Son of Nand is not available easily even at the cost of life.)
Sneh Gita teaches us to merge the self in the blissful form of God. To listen to Katha Varta is the subject of virtuous reward – Punyas. The fruits or rewards of a virtuous act can be had after a long time, but the fruits of listening to Sneh Gita are available instantly. Katha-Parayan helps us to forget the world. It helps us to concentrate on God. Wealth and body are not important on the path of devotion, but the mind is most important in the devotional ways.
A word of wisdom
Do devotion within the limits of ethical duties. Ethical duties are a must on the path of devotion. The duties assigned by God, should be executed perfectly. Devotion cannot be successful, if it is without ethical duties. God will not accept the service of a Brahmin devotee if he has ignored his ethical duties of receiving and transmitting knowledge and learning.
A husband was ailing at home. He asked his wife not to leave him unattended. But the wife ignored her husband and visited a temple to do devotion and stayed there for two hours by leaving her husband alone at home. The devotion in such case will not be accepted by God. God says that ethical duties are very dear to him.
Devotion and ethical duties should go hand in hand. Concentrate absolutely in the image of God. This is true devotion. Worldly wisdom involves counting money to determine a person’s wealth. They do not count Japa of God’s name. Worldly wealth does not accompany man in his journey after death, but the wealth of Japa will surely go with him! What would be more important? Wealth or worship?
Japa is the best
Japa is the cardinal means to attain God. The Gopis said to Uddhav:
(Our body and mind are submitted to Shree Krishna. Nothing is in our possession. We would prefer death if not able to chant Shree Krishna - Shree Krishna. We will not do anything else.)
God’s name and Japa of the name are the true wealth of a devotee. Japa sustains a truthful life. To do Japa is true living. God hides his perceptible person but exhibits his name.
There is no end to the Gopi’s waiting. There is no limit to their solace. The Gopis said, “Krishna has promised us that he would come back. He will come back on any day. O Uddhava!”:
(Our tongue speaks nothing else. It chants ‘Shree Krishna’. Even after our death, if we were to be tested by making a pipe or a flute from the bones of our bodies, then it would sound ‘Krishna’, nothing else.)
“O Uddhava! Perhaps we will die remembering Shree Krishna. If our bodies are tested after death, the body without soul would speak out Krishna, Krishna.” The Gopi’s mind is merged in the memory of Shree Krishna. They chant day and night the names of Shree Krishna. Sadguru Brahmanand Swami sings:
(My heart remembers day and night the blissful form of Sahajanand.)
God dwells forever with the devotee who chants the divine names of God. Only brave people can walk on the path of devotion. There is no room for cowardice. Shreeji Maharaj says in Vachanamrit (G.M. 33): ‘I am not at all away from the devotee who is firm and free from desire. And my love for him never recedes.’ Here is a story to explain this subtle issue:
In his religious tours, Shreeji Maharaj graced once the village Ganf and sat there on a bedstead to favour his devotees with his blissful Darshan. His faithful devotees paid obeisance with humble salute and sat before him to receive his nectar like preachings. Shreeji Maharaj preached to them to make best use of their life as a human being. He asked them to adhere to their personal ethical duties and the tenets of Shikshapatri. He told them that these were the best means for emancipation.
Devout lady Avalbai was a faithful follower of Lord Shree Hari. She prayed to Maharaj, “Shreeji Maharaj! My Lord! Please grace my home to have a meal.” Shreeji Maharaj consented to her prayer. Avalbai came back to her home to prepare thaal for Shree Hari. Her mother came to know about the forthcoming graceful visit of Shreeji Maharaj. She said to her daughter, “My Daughter! You are used to cooking thaal meals for Maharaj. I have never had a chance to serve Shree Hari. I will cook the thaal meals for Shree Hari today.” The God-
fearing daughter consented happily to her request.
Her mother cooked the complete thaal of chapatis, daal, vegetables and rice. Shreeji Maharaj graced their dwellings at the appointed time and had thaal meals. But after the meals he went to the backyard and vomited out the meal. Avalbai was worried about the health of Maharaj and assumed something wrong in the prepared food.
Worried Avalbai ran to Maharaj and prayed with the folded hands, “Maharaj! My Lord! Is there anything wrong with the food?”
Maharaj said, “There is no lapse in the food, but there is serious lapse in Vartamaan of your mother.
I am unable to take food from such a defiled person. I repulse it. Avalbai was very sorry for Shreeji Maharaj. She requested him to wait for a while so that fresh meals could be prepared by her to serve to Maharaj. Shreeji Maharaj said with compassion, “My child! It doesn’t matter. Just cook supper. I will come again in the evening to have your thaal.” Shreeji Maharaj graced her house in the evening and had thaal-meals from Avalbai. The core of the episode is: God likes services from desire-free devotees. He dislikes the service offered by a slave to desires.
Shreeji Maharaj says in Vachanamrit, “Mulji Brahmchari is a desire-free soul. I enjoy the services rendered by him. I don’t enjoy services received from others. The desire-free devotees who practise vartmaan are very dear to me. I have a good rapport with them in this loka and in my divine abode.” We devotees need to attach our mind in devotion and devotional music.
The Gopis said to Uddhava:
(Our minds are typical. If they like something, they will like it forever without change. We are attached to Shree Krishna and this oneness is forever.)
The Gopis explain to Uddhava, the typical ways of a woman’s mind. A Woman’s love is natural and steady, without any break or change.
Pada - 8
(We are attached to Shree Krishna. O Uddhava! We cannot survive without him. A minute in his separation becomes unending like an era. We cannot survive without Shree Krishna.)
The Gopis said, “O Uddhava! We cannot live without Shree Krishna. A minute without him is long like an era. His blissful episodes reside in our heart. Our heart burns without his darshan. There is no medicine to heal the pain in our heart.” Unfathomable love is evident in the Gopis’ devotion.
Intense love is the first condition of devotion and affection.
Jivuba, daughter of Ebhal Khachar, was a single-minded devotee from her childhood. She was a devotee of Shree Hari. Her father, Ebhal Khachar, tried occasionally to reduce the intensity of devotion in her, but it continued to be stronger and firmer as time passed. Bhagwan himself used to come personally in his visible form, to have thaal, presented by Jivuba. She would not consume the food, if Shreeji Maharaj missed an appointed day and time in his return journey to Gadhada. This showed the intensity of her love.
Because of the selfless love of Dada Khachar and both the sisters – Laduba and Jivuba – Shreeji Maharaj dwelled always at Gadhada.
Detachment is the basic requirement on the path of ultimate knowledge and love is the basic necessity on the path of devotion. As seen in the Gopis, we too, will have to love heartily, our God. We will have to follow the devotional path of Laduba and Jivuba. This will strengthen our devotional fervour.
An aspirant came to Sant Eknathji. He saluted the saint and took a seat before him. He then prayed with his folded hands, “O Holy Man! Your mind dwells steadily in God. It is steady and firm. When I visit, I have found you to be absolutely detached, firm and steady in your innermost.”
“My mind and senses are so agile and unsteady that they cannot concentrate steadily even for a moment. They roam here and there during pooja and worship of God. Kindly teach me to control and discipline my mind and sense organs.” Eknathji Maharaj gave thought to the predicament and resolved to teach him through practice. Eknathji believed a demonstration to be worthwhile here. He stared silently at the aspirant and said, “That is not important at this moment. I am afraid your death is very near. It is better if you renounce your desires and family relations of your householder life. Discard your desires. Discard relationships. Desire will spoil your life after death. The soul will be very sorry. Come to me after a week.”
The aspirant lost his sense when he heard about his forthcoming death. The world and worldly relations now looked dry and illusive to him. Affection and attachment receded. The journey was inevitable. Death was nearing him steadily. He was a God fearing man – a true aspirant and therefore was positive that worldly wealth and relatives would not accompany him in his final journey to the ultimate destination. Devotion and worship were the true companions in this final journey. He withdrew himself from the world and concentrated steadily in the divine form of God. He steadily did poojan and worship of God. His lifestyle and mental powers were changed into total perfection in meditational concentration and devotional worship. He concentrated fully during poojan and devotion. The cognitive senses were within his control. He concentrated easily in the image of God and prayed, “O God! Please receive me forever in your benign refuge. Please hold me firm at your lotus like feet.” Now he was a true Sadhaka ruling over his body, mind and the sense organs.
The aspirant came back to Eknathji after a long period of one week. He saluted the holy man and prayed for his blessings. Eknathji said to him, “What did you do during the week?”
The aspirant said, “Maharaj! The fear of death has discarded all my relations. It has removed my delusion and ephemeral pleasure. I am now able to control my mind and sense organs. I am concentrating well in devotion and meditation. Now, my sense organs and mind are concentrating fully in the image of God.”
Eknathji said, “My child! This is the secret of my meditational concentration. I remember daily my death. I do devotion by placing death in front of me. Fear of death helps me to concentrate absolutely in the blissful image of God. That fear withdraws my mind from the alluring sense objects and concentrates it in God.”
There is nothing to worry about if meditation and worship are less, but there should be no increase in the pleasures of the sense objects. Force your mind to face the fear of death, if it fails to concentrate in God. The mind will concentrate steadily in God. Devotion is the greatest benefit in human life.”
Shreeji Maharaj has preached five major points to educate his devotees and aspirants. We should learn them well. Shreeji Maharaj has said that he is in constant touch of these five major points:
1. Death is immanent and unpredictable. The soul has to leave this body without prior notice.
2. What have you already accomplished and what remains unattended before your death?
3. Have you destroyed the desires for the sense objects before death?
4. Have my senior saints renounced the desires or not? I should observe their hearts constantly to ensure their desires are eradicated.
5. All have to die, but devotion is the biggest benefit of the life that we live.
Shreeji Maharaj has preached these points in his Vachanamrit.