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Shri Datta Swami

Posted on: 26 Aug 2021

               

Gopikas are supposed to expect nothing from God including His love. Isn't it?

[Ms. Laxmi Thrylokya asked: Pādanamaskāram Swami, Your answer about Madhura Bhakti is just mind blowing. You said, "A devotee is a servant of God in Brahmaloka and God becomes the servant of devotee in Goloka. It is not the question of owner or servant, but, it is the question of the extent of love of God. In Vaikuntha (Brahmaloka), God shows highest love to devotees whereas in Goloka, God shows higher than highest love to the devotee. It depends purely on the aspiration of the devotee for the extent of love of God. Aspiration for the love of God is not like other wrong aspirations". But Swami, You always say that we should love God without expecting any fruit in return. And that love for God should be one-directional. In the case of climax devotees, they were aspiring for the love of God and surrendered everything becoming females. This contradicts with Your general statement as these devotees were expecting more love from God. They are supposed to expect absolutely nothing from God. Isn't it? Kindly enlighten me. -At Your divine lotus feet, Laxmi Thrylokya]

Swami Replied:- The general aspiration from God means some benefit from God that makes the soul happy. If you analyse carefully, their total surrender to God was not bringing happiness to them, but, was bringing horrible pain in the hell for which they were prepared. Hence, the fruit of aspiration here is not giving happiness or heaven, but, is giving lot of pain due to social criticism and also horrible punishment in the hell for which they were ready for the sake of extent of love of God. Love from God in the form of benefit to soul is lower form. But, love from God in the form of worldly pain and horrible punishment in the hell is certainly of highest form. In such fruit of Nivrutti, there is no selfishness because the fruit is giving topmost misery in this world as well as in the upper world. Anywhere, at any time, anybody will aspire love from God that gives happiness in this world as well as in the upper world.

The Veda also says that every soul loves any other soul in order to get happiness from that soul and not to get pain from that soul (Ātmanastu kāmāya sarvaṃ priyam…- Veda). But, Gopikas loved Krishna even though the fruit of their love was terrible pain in this world as well as in the upper world. Gopikas never aspired for any materialistic benefit or solution for any worldly problem as any general devotee aspires. Love is only theoretical, which was aspired by them from Krishna and not practical form of any worldly boon. In prostitution devotion, devotees aspire for practical boons by exchanging their theoretical devotion to God! Here, it is exactly reverse and must be the greatest because the reverse of this (prostitution devotion) is the worst.

 
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