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Can we say that the twelve Gopikas were not Sthitaprajna since they jumped into fire?

[Shri Anil asked: Padanamaskaram Swami; Please give Your answers to the following questions. At Your Divine Lotus Feet-anil. Swami, 12 Gopikas were successful in 3 tests, however after God Krishna left His body they could not control their emotions and jumped into fire and committed suicide. Since they could not control the emotion; can we say that they were not Sthitaprajnas?]

Swami replied:- From the angle of 12 Gopikas, living here without God Krishna is something like final dissolution (Mahaa Pralaya). For them, this issue was beyond justice and injustice and also beyond the policy of Sthitaprajna. Since this issue is related to God and not a human being, we have to appreciate their climax devotion from the angle of devotion. Sthitaprajna-status was maintained by them throughout their life. You cannot ignore this. Atleast, they are far better than those, who did not remain Sthitaprajna during their lives. Such failed Gopikas did not jump into fire after the exit of God Krishna. Ordinary routine death in which worldly bonds are to be broken can stand as a test for Sthitaprajna. Jumping into fire by the 12 Gopikas cannot be taken as an ordinary death or as an ordinary suicide done by failures in life. They stopped their lives since they were unable to live in this world without God. In view of the unimaginable extreme specialty of this situation, you cannot pass such cruel comments like failure of Sthitaprajna.

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