Posted on: 13 Mar 2023
1. Why did Gopikas want to have illegitimate sex even when Lord Krishna warned against it?
[Shri Ganesh V asked: Padanamskaram Swamiji, Why did the Gopikas want to have illegitimate sex even when Lord Krishna warned against it? According to a recent answer given by you regarding lust Vs love, you clearly mentioned that Gopikas aim to have sex with Lord Krishna was to please Him and not their selfish lust which was non-existent. Then why did the Gopikas want to have illegitimate sex despite Lord Krishna warning against it? If Lord Krishna warned against it, then they should have stopped it. At your divine feet, Ganesh V]
Swami replied: Krishna warned Gopikas and this was testing the intense love of Gopikas towards God. Gopikas were sages having the knowledge of previous births. Gopikas knew that Krishna was Rama, who promised them to have sexual embracement in the next birth when He descends as Krishna. Krishna was already prepared for the sexual embracement with Gopikas as per His previous promise given to them. It is certainly illegitimate sex, which is also questioned by king Parikshit to sage Shuka about the abnormal sex of Krishna with married Gopikas, He being the protector of justice (Pratīpa mācarat Brahman, Para dārābhimarṣaṇam- Bhagavatam). The point is that why Krishna chose illegitimate sex with married Gopikas instead of a mere sexual embracement as promised by Him to them in the previous birth? If He developed desire for sexual union instead of sexual embracement, He could have married the unmarried Gopikas and could have had the legitimate sex with them because Rama promised just a sexual embracement only to the sages and not the actual sexual union! If this is asked by anybody, such fellow is the most ignorant!
Now, let us analyze thoroughly the whole background. The sages thought that they had already defeated the bond with money and the bond with children with reference to the bond with God. They thought that only the bond with life partner was leftover to be defeated. Hence, they approached God Rama praying Him that they will embrace Him after becoming real females (using their miraculous power) proving that all souls are women and wives of the only male God. The sages thought that by this, they have got themselves liberated from all the three strongest worldly bonds (eshanaa trayam). But, God felt that they had not given the tests for money and children. Moreover, by changing the gender with miraculous power does not change the gender thoroughly. Hence, even for this test, God asked them to be born as real females in the next birth. Apart from this test of the bond with life partner, God also wanted to test the other two bonds by stealing the butter preserved for their children and this was the most important test because even sages failed to cross the bond with children. The bond with life partner can be tested only when Gopikas are married and the physical union was the complete test, which involves the sacrifice of life partner for the sake of God. Hence, the total program was planned perfectly for the Gopikas to give them total salvation. Total salvation was possible only when these three strongest worldly bonds are tested in which God competes with the life partner, the money and the children. Now, you can understand the reasons for Krishna advising them to go back criticizing the illegal sex as the greatest sin.
2. Was the test towards the life partner or issues and wealth conducted first?
[Padanamaskaram Swamiji, Which test was conducted first for the Gopikas? Was the test towards the life partner conducted first or the test towards issues and wealth conducted first? In popular life stories of Lord Krishna it is shown that the test towards issues was conducted first and later the test towards life partners took place. If the hardest test was conducted first and many of them failed, what was the purpose of the second test for all Gopikas? He could have conducted the second test only for those who had passed the hardest test. At your divine feet, Ganesh V]
Swami replied: The hardest test was conducted first to show that even sages have failed in this test, which was wrongly thought to be the easiest test by sages. They never asked God to test these two bonds because they themselves gave the pass certificate. The test for the life partner was conducted to show that almost all Gopikas easily passed over this test since this bond is very weak. When all passed this test, it clearly shows that the test of the bond with life partner can be got through by anybody in the creation. Krishna did not conduct the hardest test first and did not call the passed candidates only for the life-partner-test. The reason is that the plan of the tests was maintained confidential. If the sages were to know the whole sequence of these three tests, they would be very careful at least for one time only to pass the tests. The test is done to know the general tendency of any bond without giving test-precaution. Then only, it will be a test for their natural behavior. If the test is known, emergent precautions will be taken for the sake of passing the test. The first test was about issues and as the issues are small, the mothers possess excess of fascination. Hence, the childhood of their issues was the proper time. If Krishna allowed only passed candidates, again it will denote the test.