If Closeness Brings Negligence, Why Do Devotees Try to Reach God Through Yoga?

(This question is part of a mahā satsaṅga or a great spiritual discussion between Swami and several devotees who had come from various places, seeking the clarification of their doubts.)

Swami replied:- Yoga means the first meeting with God. After meeting God in human form, the word Yoga ends. After that, continuous close stay with the human incarnation will bring negligence to any human devotee because the properties of external human medium are common to God in human body and the devoted soul in a similar human body. Birth, hunger, thirst, sleep, illness and death are such common properties. Observation of such common properties in the external medium of God forces the devotee to think that God is also a human being like him or her.

Both Rukmini and Radha met God Krishna and became His climax devotees. But, Rukmini always stayed with Krishna closely whereas Radha stayed away from Krishna in Brundavanam. One day, Radha came to see Krishna. Rukmini gave hot milk to Radha which she was also drinking every day. The hot milk drunk by Radha was not at all more hot than the hot milk drunk by Rukmini every day. After Radha finished the drinking of hot milk, both went to the room of Krishna. Krishna was found effected by heat. When Rukmini asked for the reason, Krishna replied that since He is in the heart of Radha, such effect appeared on His body. Rukmini asked Krishna that the same hot milk was drunk by her every day, but, such effect was not found on Krishna on any day! Krishna told that Radha had immense love for Him being far from Him, which means that Rukmini had not so much love on Him due to her close stay with Him. Realising this truth, Radha went back to Brundavanam and never came back to see Krishna till her death. Radha, along with other seven Gopikas (Chitraa, Lalitaa, Vishaakhaa etc., who passed the three tests of Krishna) reached Goloka to become queen of it, which is above the abode of God and the dust from her feet was continuously falling on the head of God! Rukmini, along with other seven wives reached the abode of God and sat near the feet of God as servant pressing His feet! This story reveals that closeness always brings negligence whereas staying far away brings climax love. Devotees try to reach God for the first time (Yoga) and this Yoga is not subjected to any negligence, which is not continuous stay with God. After Yoga only, continuous close stay brings this problem due to repulsion between common media of God and devotee. The Veda says the same concept “Paroksha priyaa iva hi devaah pratyakshadvishah”.

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