Posted on: 22 Mar 2024
1. Is not the devotion of the Gopikas greater than the devotion of the Sthitaprajna – King Janaka?
[A question by Shri Kishore Ram]
Swami replied:- I have clearly told that the intensity of devotion of both cases to God is one and the same and hence, no devotion is greater or lesser. The Gopikas could not control the climax devotion and became mad when God Krishna left Brundaavanam. In the case of the Sthitaprajna, King Janaka, he could control the same climax devotion. Due to madness, the Gopikas could not do worldly duties and due to the lack of madness, King Janaka could perform worldly duties. In both cases, the climax devotion to God is without any aspiration in return from God. Therefore, at the very fundamental basis itself, their devotion never thought of any help from God in return. Since, in both cases, (i) the devotion is in its climax level and (ii) the devotion is pure without any aspiration in return from God, there is no place for comparing the two devotions. Neither Gopikas nor King Janaka asked God to help their worldly duties. Every ordinary soul prays God only to help in its worldly duties. Both these cases of sweet devotion and Sthitaprajna devotion have no idea of the help from God. God Himself helped the Gopikas in their worldly duties because they are in a mad state. God did not help King Janaka in his worldly duties since he could control his mad state and performed his duties. This difference in the states of worldly duties does not influence the climax devotion in any way and is completely out of the topic of devotion to God.
2. Was Krishna displeased with the suicide of the Gopikas by entering fire after the death of the gross body of God Krishna?
Swami replied:- Certainly, God Krishna was displeased by such act of suicide of Gopikas, but He was finally convinced with them because they were in a mad state unable to have the logic of discussion within themselves. Since He was convinced, He took on Him their punishment of the sin of suicide. In fact, ‘Satii Sahagamanam’ means that the wife should leave her life spontaneously as soon as the husband dies. Forcibly throwing herself into the cremation fire of the husband shall not be called as satii as per ethical logic. This logic cannot exist in the minds, which became mad due to climax devotion. Since a Sthitaprajna does not become mad even though the same climax devotion exists in his/her mind, such ethical logic works out to stop this suicide. This difference between the two cases also has no connection with the climax devotion of God. There cannot be any difference between a devotee of sweet devotion and a devotee of Sthitaprajna devotion in the eyes of God.
3. In the case of the Gopika called Chandralekha, is such sin of suicide existing?
Swami replied:- In the case of Chandralekha, it was not suicide because she was unable to resist her emotion developing like a Tsunami in her mind when she was obstructed by her family members in reaching Krishna. The reason for such Tsunami type of emotion is her climax devotion to God Krishna and such climax mad state was responsible for her spontaneous death. Here, God Krishna was alive and the case was simply a temporary separation for that one day. She can be compared to Satii devi, who also committed suicide because her husband God Shiva was simply scolded by her father. Chandralekha excelled Satii Devi by leaving the life spontaneously with emotion, unlike the forcible suicide committed by Satii devi. The heart of God Krishna was so much affected that He stopped the dance with the Gopikas (Raasakeli) due to her death. Chandralekha belongs to the category of sweet devotion and not the category of Sthitaprajna devotion.
4. Is bond with husband also very strong in those social conditions compared to present?
[The bond with the husband is also very strong like the bond with child especially in those strict social conditions. The bond may be weak in the present social conditions. Is it correct?]
Swami replied:- It is not correct. The reason is that those social conditions were with force without any freedom to women. If a couple did not divorce in those days, there is no surprise. But the present social conditions give full freedom to women. If a couple is not taking divorce in the present social conditions, such love is true and appreciable. Now, live-in relationship is also practiced, in which there is no force of the bond of marriage. Hence, if you view the bond with spouse in those days, in view of the present social conditions, the bond was weak and is weak and will be weak especially compared with the bond with the child. The child exists in her womb for nine months and drinks her milk for quite a long time. Due to this truth, almost all the Gopikas failed in the test of the bond with child and almost all the Gopikas passed in the test of the bond with spouse. The bond with child for even a father like Sage Vyasa was so strong that the father ran after His son while leaving the house! If the love of a father is so much, what will be the love of a mother? The Veda also says first the mother and then the father (Mātṛ devo bhava…Pitṛ devo bhava…).
5. Can we take Radha in both sweet devotion and Sthitaprajna devotion?
Swami Replied:- Radha is the incarnation of God Shiva, who is equal to God Vishnu. In fact, to say the ultimate truth, God Shiva and God Vishnu are one and the same God Datta. The same ultimate God splits into Krishna and Radha. Krishna and Radha put together become the total preacher of sweet devotion. The Gopikas are sages, who are human souls and they shall be tested. Radha is on the side of teaching faculty and not on the side of students. She only acted as the ideal student. Similar is the case of Hanuman–the incarnation of God Shiva, acting as the ideal servant to God Rama. Krishna and Radha, Rama and Hanuman are none but God Shiva and God Vishnu incarnating in this world to preach the path of devotion to God. Radha showed the path of sweet devotion and Hanuman showed the path of Sthitaprajna devotion. This means that God Shiva (Hanuman and Radha were incarnations of God Shiva) showed both paths of devotion to the world of devotees.
6. Which one is correct between i) intensive propagation of spiritual knowledge and ii) not giving time for worldly life?
[I know, one of my friends is intensively doing the propagation of spiritual knowledge. His wife complains that he is not giving any time for worldly life. Who is correct?]
Swami Replied:- If your friend has not gone into the mad state like the Gopikas, he is correct because he is in the climax level of devotion to God. But, if he is still going to office and is performing his duties, it means that he has not gone into such mad state of the Gopikas. He is in the state of the Sthitaprajna to attend to the worldly duties with detachment internally since he is attached to God internally. In such a case, your friend can attend to the worldly life with internal detachment and external attachment following the line of the Sthitaprajna. Whether a devotee is in the state of Gopika or King Janaka, God will test for the sake of giving information to the public so that the public will not blame Him with any partiality. In the path of Sthitaprajna devotion, exploitation is very much because anybody can say that he is internally detached in his external attachment to the world.