26 Jun 2025
| Q & A | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4-8 |
| 9-12 | 13-20 | 21-26 | 27-31 |
| 32-36 | 37-39 | 40-47 | |
QA:27-31
(Some of my friends, who are atheists, have asked these questions on sweet devotion and related topics. I have sent those questions to H.H. Shri Datta Swami, who has answered these questions. - Ms. Thrylokya)
27. Can Radha distinguish between real Krishna and unreal Krishna?
[Ms. Thrylokya asked: Can Radha distinguish between real Krishna and unreal Krishna? If she simply has to believe the words of Krishna that herself and Krishna are one and the same, she is just like every other Gopika, who is believing the same since Krishna says the same sentence to every Gopika. How did Radha believe Krishna? Didn’t she doubt Krishna at any point of time?]
Swami replied:- Assuming that Radha is not the incarnation of God Shiva and assuming that she is an ordinary Gopika, the understanding of true spiritual knowledge is based on both the preacher and disciple. If both are human beings, the reason for misunderstanding may lie in both the human preacher and the human disciple. Krishna is well established as God through His miraculous powers and almost all the residents of Brundaavanam have experienced the divinity of God Krishna. If Krishna says that He is God only to Radha without the support of all these residents of Brundaavanam, then we have to doubt Krishna and there is possibility of Krishna being wrong. It is a very well-established fact that Krishna is the human incarnation of God. If Radha, assumed as ordinary human Gopika, does not consider the experiences of others, then Radha should have been a perfect ignorant rigid disciple. Even great sages like Garga declared that Krishna is the incarnation of God. If Radha (assumed as ordinary human Gopika) feels that Krishna is only a human being even in the presence of the experiences of others, then, Radha cannot be convinced even by God. All this is told by Me assuming that Radha is an ordinary human being having the nature of an atheist. But, in reality, Radha is the incarnation of God Shiva, which means that she is the incarnation of Vishnu or Krishna.
Hence, Radha knows that Krishna is God, who is none other than herself. Radha may doubt Krishna like an ordinary human being because even God covers Himself with ignorance for the sake of entertainment. In this case, even though Radha is God, you can assume that Radha is an ordinary human being due to the influence of her covered ignorance. Now, under these conditions, Radha became a real ignorant human being. This means that all human beings are ignorant. But, in the world of ignorant human beings also, the experiences of others are taken into consideration to believe that Krishna is God. Hence, assuming that Radha is an ignorant human being, Radha cannot deny that Krishna is God. Even in this human world, an atheist does not consider the experiences of others as guiding authority and hence, if Radha doubts Krishna, this means that Radha has fallen even below the human level, which is an atheistic level.
God covers Himself with ignorance for the sake of entertainment so that He can become an ordinary human being to enjoy the entertainment. But, God will never cover Himself with so much ignorance that He becomes an atheist! Hence, Radha doubting Krishna does not arise. Radha might have got jealous of other Gopikas since she has become an ordinary human being. Due to this jealousy, which is superimposed on her by herself for the sake of real entertainment, she may appear as if she is doubting Krishna and this is a part of entertainment only, but not the real atheism. In such case, her imposed ignorance was removed by God Krishna by stating that she is His own real form and the other Gopikas are entertained with His created illusory forms, who look like Him. Except physical appearance, nothing is common between real Krishna and illusory Krishna. Since Radha never became atheist, she understands this quickly and becomes enlightened. The jealousy of Radha due to her excessive possessiveness on Krishna is only a drama created by God to get entertained in such scene.
The same statements told to Radha by real Krishna are told by the unreal Krishna to the unreal Gopika. Don’t you agree to this possibility in this human world, where a person says the same statement to X with real sense and with Y in false sense? If this is possible in the human world, which is limited to the possible things only, can’t it be true with the case of God, who can make even impossible things as possible by His omnipotence (power of Maayaa)? Moreover, the statements uttered by mouth and the feelings coming from mind belong to theoretical phase only, which are not practically real. In this unreal theoretical phase, there is possibility of a person uttering a statement with real feeling to X and with unreal feeling to Y. The actions of the union like kissing, hugging, etc., are not touched by real Krishna since He is standing at the centre with Radha only.
Shankara gave the same answer to Goddess Sarasvati that His body (actions) is pure since His body was separately present. Since the romantic feelings and romantic statements are from the mind and body of unreal Krishna, they cannot touch the real Krishna. The unreal Krishna is exactly similar to the real Krishna in the external appearance, but both have separate individual souls, subtle bodies and causal bodies. An unreal Krishna is like an individual ordinary human being from all angles. Even if you assume that the unreal Krishna told the same statements with real feelings, they cannot touch the real God Krishna, who is existing separately. This is the reason why the unreal human beings created by God through His power of omnipotency are able to do sins based on their individual nature and these sins cannot touch the real God, who created them. If you consider the unreal forms of Krishna speaking these sentences with feelings and assume that these feelings and statements are from the real Krishna only, even in such case also, you have to accept the possibility of dual nature, which is speaking with intention and without intention. This is present even among the ordinary human beings (a human being in original state can talk with intention in its real life, but, can talk without intention in a drama while acting in a role) and which is not at all impossible for the real Krishna, who is behaving like an ordinary human being. Actually, even the real Krishna is not talking with Gopikas through illusory Krishnas since the illusory Krishnas (who are just ordinary human beings) themselves are talking about their feelings and acting accordingly without any sort of interference of real Krishna. In anyway, the real Krishna is not touched by this sin in the phase of actions or in the phase of speaking words or in the phase of mental feelings. In the case of Radha, even though real Krishna is having romantic feelings, talking accordingly and also acting the romance, there is no dualism for the scope of sin since Radha is Himself (Radha is Krishna).
It is very important to note that Krishna never aspired for the dualistic enjoyment of sexual union with any soul. Everywhere, the souls were after Krishna threatening Him that they will commit suicide for the sake of His association. Even an ordinary person will develop a lot of sympathy towards a person trying to commit suicide even though he is not responsible for it in anyway. In such case, God, who is far far greater than human beings, showing sympathy in such case, especially when they are craving for His association only, shall be appreciated. Such case is not existing in the case of Krishna and Radha or Krishna and Rukmini, because both are Himself only. Therefore, He protected His real celibacy on one side and delivered the devotional justice to Gopikas on the other side. You also cannot argue that God Krishna cheated Gopikas with His unreal forms. Gopikas were also unreal forms only because the entire creation is inherently unreal and Gopikas are also a part of creation only. Hence, the unreal Krishnas were having equal reality of Gopikas. Hence, the reality of Gopikas and the reality of created illusory Krishnas were exactly same. You have no scope to say that the real Gopikas were cheated by unreal forms of Krishna.
The entire creation including the created illusory forms of real Krishna is inherently unreal and becomes real by the gifted reality of the absolute God called Parabrahman, who is merged with real Krishna. The only difference between real Krishna and unreal Krishna (or even any created human being) is that the God-component (Parabrahman or unimaginable God) exists in real Krishna only and does not exist in any other form. The same unimaginable God exists in Radha and Rukmini or Hanuman and Sita also and hence, they are not different from Rama and Krishna. Therefore, when real Krishna says to Radha and Rukmini or real Rama says to Hanuman and Sita that we both are one and the same, it is a perfect real statement. Same statement can be told to a devotee (human being, which is unreal) also, but such statement should be treated as Arthavaada, which is a sinless beneficial lie told in view of encouraging the spiritual progress of the devotee. This is the duty of God, which is self-imposed and is the professional justice of the incarnation for which purpose only God comes down to this world. Hence, God Krishna is declared as the real celibate in this entire creation as told by God Brahma.
In spiritual knowledge, every concept is interlinked with other concepts through specific angles. Unless all the specific angles of the question connected to other concepts are revealed, any concept of spiritual knowledge cannot get complete clarification from all sides. The knowledge of a student is mostly misunderstood or confused truth covered by ignorance that creates limitations from all sides. The answer of a teacher is the enlightened truth with transparent language revealing the angles from all sides destroying the darkness of ignorance. If the student limits himself/herself to the limitations of ignorance, even God cannot clarify such student. Hence, Ravana could not be convinced by Hanuman and Duryodhana could not be convinced by Krishna. If the student is in the minus side, even the God preacher cannot enlighten him. The student should be on the plus side or at least on the zero side so that with little or more efforts respectively, the student can be brought into the light of the truth.
28. In what way did Radha or Rukmini get a better practical fruit than Gopikas?
[Swami, You pity the Advaita Philosopher, who believes himself/herself as God although he/she is practically not God and lives the same ordinary life as others. I pity Radha and Rukmini, whose situation is similar to an Advaitin. They must believe that they are the real forms of Krishna although they receive the same fruit as rest of the Gopikas. Compared to Gopikas, in what way did Radha or Rukmini get a better practical and theoretical fruit being His own real forms?]
Swami replied:- There is lot of difference between Advaitin and Radha. In the case of Advaitin, he/she is not really Brahman. In the case of Radha, she is really God Shiva and is the same Vishnu or Krishna. Leading the life is not important, but, attaining the real status is important. God Shiva lives in burial ground applying ash on His body, but, He is the ultimate real Lord of this entire creation. The association of external atmosphere is not at all significant compared to the inner real stature. The value of the diamond is not reduced even if it exists in the dust. The value of the gravel stone does not increase even if it is kept on the throne.
The fruit obtained by Rukmini and Radha is the real Krishna in all the times. In the case of Gopikas, this is not true in all the times. Whenever there is romantic life, illusory Krishnas alone are associated with the illusory Gopikas. Any female in this world is an illusory individual only and her husband is an illusory human being only. In this way, the illusory Gopikas with their illusory Krishnas are not at all different from the ordinary human beings. But, the illusory Gopikas get the association of real Krishna and real Radha sitting on throne in general meetings conducted in the gardens of Goloka. In such meetings, the real celibacy of real Krishna is not affected at all.
29. Did real Krishna entertain Kubja with sex?
[In the Bhagavatam, it is said that God Krishna went to the house of Kubja (Shurpanakha in previous birth) after killing Kamsa and entertained her with sex since she got a boon from God Shiva due to her rigid penance that she must enjoy God. In this case, we don’t see illusory Krishna going to her house. We see the same real Krishna, who killed Kamsa, going to the house of Kubja. In this context, thousands of Gopikas are not present to say that God Krishna created His illusory forms for Gopikas and His real form stood with Radha. How can we understand this, Swami?]
Swami replied:- Within no time, the real Krishna disappears from there and in His place, illusory Krishna with the same form of real Krishna appears. This transformation cannot be recorded even by the most intricate electronic devices and not to speak of a human eye.
30. Can we say that the God-component leaves the medium of Krishna before He does romance with a soul?
[Swami, can we say that the God-component leaves the medium of Krishna before He does romance with a soul and the same God-component merges again with the same medium of Krishna after the romance?]
Swami replied:- It is not so. The real Krishna, which is the original medium with which God-component merged, will disappear and in His place, the illusory Krishna created by real Krishna (a homogeneous mixture of human being-component and God-component) appears at once. This illusory Krishna is another human being only, who appears exactly like real Krishna.
31. Will Radha be pained seeing an unreal Krishna calling Gopika to bed?
[Real Krishna calls Radha to His bed when she is present. His illusory forms call other Gopikas to their beds in her absence. Is it not a pain to the ignorant Radha to see this until the end of the creation since she will be following Krishna in His future incarnations also?]
Swami replied:- While real Krishna was standing by the side of Radha at the centre, Gopikas danced in a circle along with illusory Krishnas created by the real form of Krishna. This was seen by Radha. During the dance, a lot of external romance happened. She very easily understood that the form with her is real Krishna and the forms with Gopikas are created by real Krishna. Krishna also told her about this well before such raasa-dance because she was covered by very strong ignorance to suit to the role of a devotee. Since the form is same, sometimes she was mistaking Krishna and became jealous of Gopikas. All this was shown by her only to preach the devotees that jealousy shall be avoided in devotion. The role of devotee means to commit mistake and rectify it with the help of God so that the role can stand as a model for other devotees. Radha is the incarnation of God Shiva and nobody can estimate her courage and she will never go to such pitiable state. Even God Brahma Himself participated in the role of a devotee by committing the sin of telling a lie and receiving the subsequent punishment from God Shiva. All this is to be taken as the external role and not as the internal actor.
Actually, Radha is the power of Krishna (Hlaadinii Shakti) and she is not at all different from Krishna. Even if she is considered as incarnation of God Shiva, she is not different from Krishna (God Vishnu). She is the Maayaa Shakti of God, who herself created the illusory Krishnas on the wish of God Krishna. I don’t find any place for such words like ‘pain’. In fact, Krishna and Radha are one and the same since God and His power are one and the same. Although there is dualism externally, only monism exists internally. Radha already has the highest status as God and there is nothing else for her to attain. She belongs to the staff of God, who comes down to earth as incarnation to uplift the devotees. She is not a student like Gopika to attain any fruit from God. She is God Herself and she imposed ignorance on herself to play the role of a devotee like Gopika. Gopikas are the devotees, who are really ignorant and need guidance to progress in their spiritual path and attain permanent salvation. Radha doesn’t need any salvation and is the giver of salvation along with Krishna. It is said that without the recommendation from Radha (Mahaa Maayaa), God Krishna doesn’t give salvation to any soul. Hence, there cannot exist any comparision between Radha and Gopikas since Radha is the giver of salvation and Gopikas are the receivers of salvation. You have confused yourself by comparing a teacher with students and asking Me why the teacher is never passing out from the school although many students are passing out from the same school every year!!!
To be continued...
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