Posted on: 24 Feb 2022
[Ms. Laxmi Thrylokya asked:- Swami! Hindus may support You regarding Your explanation about Krishna and Gopikas. Even among Hindus, there are some devotees liking Rama and disliking Krishna. Hence, please give me a perfect logical analysis of the Sweet Devotion of Krishna and Gopikas, which will be very useful while arguing with even atheists.]
Swami replied:-
1) Krishna Is the Highest God:- You shall not say that Krishna is not God because the scriptures say that Krishna alone is God (Kṛṣṇnastu bhagavān svayam). The scripture also say that Krishna is the most and most completest incarnation of God (Paripūrṇa tamassākṣāt, Śrī Kṛṣṇo nā'nya eva hi). Devotees say that Krishna is the original God, who has taken all the incarnations (Daśākṛtidhṛte…-Jayadeva). All Gods are one and the same possessing the same power, but Krishna expressed all the powers required for the program.
2) Sages Are the Highest Souls:- For Pravrutti or Nivrutti, everybody refers only to the authoritative scriptures written by our ancient sages. These sages are worshipped even by the angels. The sages sometimes also cursed the angels. Hence, there cannot be any higher soul other than the sages in the line of God especially.
3) Goloka is The Highest Fruit:- For the devotion of the sages born as the Gopikas, God gave the highest fruit to these sages, which means that God is not so much pleased with anybody other than these sages.
4) Total Salvation Means Liberation From All Worldly Bonds:- The meaning of the word salvation or Moksha is the liberation of the soul from all the worldly bonds. The meaning of the word salvation or moksha is decided like this in the scriptures. Of course, salvation shall not be attained by any self-effort, but shall be attained due to the over attraction of the soul towards God and such over attraction is called as devotion to God. No worldly bond is exceptional because in total salvation, all the worldly bonds must be spontaneously dropped due to the over attraction to God. In such a case, how can anyone say that such and such a bond shall not be dropped? No exception in the worldly bonds is mentioned in the scriptures in order to attain total salvation.
5) Nivrutti is Not Mandatory:- Nobody forces a soul to follow Nivrutti. Nivrutti is completely optional. In fact, Nivrutti is developed by the sages only and not by God. God never asked the sages to embrace Him by becoming females. It was proposed by the sages. God Rama refused it saying that in that birth, the test for the bond with life partner will not be perfect by such proposal. God Rama asked them to be born as real female Gopikas in a natural atmosphere having all the natural problems. In such an atmosphere only the test can be conducted in a natural and complete way.
6) Gopikas Were Warned:- Rama was born as Krishna and the sages were born as the Gopikas. The sages did not remember the previous birth and what all had happened in the previous birth. Krishna warned the Gopikas to go back to their homes. But, the Gopikas refused saying that they would end their lives. Here, we must note that the Gopikas did not tell “O Krishna! You were Rama in the previous birth and you asked us to be born as Gopikas. Why are You refusing us now?” This means that God made them forget their previous birth, which would be inconvenient for the test. Here, we must note that Krishna or God emphasized Pravrutti only and not Nivrutti.
7) Gopikas Continued To Know That Krishna is God:- Even though the Gopikas forgot their previous birth, they did not forget that Krishna was Rama and both are different forms of the same God. This basic thought about Krishna always continued along with them throughout their lives that made them neglect all their worldly bonds in view of their attraction to Krishna. God has the power to keep past memories or remove the past memories as per His plan (mattaḥ smṛtiḥ Jñāna mapohanam ca— Gītā). Whatever was necessary for the test was maintained and whatever was not necessary was removed by God Krishna. The memory of their faith to God was very very strong and if such strong memory is removed, it will be injustice against the examined candidate. Here, the strength of the memory of faith and devotion on God has to be tested in the light of all the worldly bonds.
8) Why Some Gopikas Passed And Others Failed in The Test:- Even though all the devotion strengthened for the past millions of births continued into the new births of Gopikas, their strength was not uniform. There was variation in the strengths of their past devotion. When such devotions with different strengths appear, a uniform test will yield fruits of various grades and hence, only twelve Gopikas could reach Goloka and not all the others. The candidates for the examination were allowed along with their different intensities of studies and such a difference would result in various grades of results of the examination. The details of the previous birth are only masked by God so that the examination can start in a fresh atmosphere without any previous impact. But, their wealth of devotion was allowed to come to the next birth by God since if that devotion were also masked, it would not be a fair way of examination.
9) Test of Love Only And Not a Test of Lust:- The sages have tremendous miraculous powers, which are controlled only by God. They have burnt their lust in their penance long long back. Even heavenly dancers failed to create lust in them. Throughout their lives, they were filled only with love or devotion to God, which transformed into lust. It is not the lust transformed lust on either side. God need not run after Gopikas for the sake of lust because He can create unimaginable beauties if He wants for the sake of lust. Lust cannot be doubted on both sides and it was only the devotion to God that transformed into lust, which could break their bonds with their life-partners. Hence, this topic shall not be viewed as a topic of Dushpravrutti or sin.