Madhura Bhakti (sweet devotion) was discovered, developed and dragged to climax by the devotees only and not by God. It is the main theme of the scripture Bhāgavatam. Without understanding the topic, some religions try to mock at Hinduism. For the first time in 5000 years, Shri Swami is explaining why this is the highest scripture that gives salvation to the soul in 7 days. The triad (Tripuṭī) of this topic is also highest since 1) Gopikas (Gantā) are the highest reborn sages, who were being worshipped even by angels, 2) Kṛṣṇa (Gamyam) is the highest form of incarnation (Paripūrṇa tamaḥ) and His highest abode is Goloka, which is higher than Brahma loka and 3) The path (Gamanam) adopted to reach the highest goal was liberation from all worldly bonds including the bond with life-partner in which even worldly justice is opposed (Sarvadharmān... Gītā).
Read these articles to know more on Madhura Bhakti.
[Ms. Thryloka asked: Pādanamaskāraṃ Swāmi, in recent times, You revealed the below facts about Gopikas whom You often consider as the climax devotees of God.1. God likes to remove this Rūpabhrānti (fascination for beauty) by appearing in forms lacking beauty completely. For the sake of climax devotees, who are not yet liberated from the fascination for beauty, God Datta appears in beautiful forms only. Devotees attached to God through sweet devotion (Madhura bhakti) like Gopikas...
[Ms. Laxmi Thrylokya asked: Padanamaskaram Swami, I read about Kubja in Bhagavatham. She was a Trivakra (hunch backed) and Krishna miraculously made her beautiful. She became a devotee of God and also entered into Madhura Bhakti. Is she one of the 12 Gopikas who reached Goloka?]
Swami Replied: Even though Kubja is not among 12 Gopikas...
Ms. Thryloka asked: Swami, God's love is an ocean and soul's love just a drop. Any soul cannot love God to the intensity with which God loves the soul. Even the Gopikas who are considered to be the climax devotees of God are also souls only. Even the love of a Gopika in Goloka is also a drop before the love of the Lord towards her. Then, what makes a Gopika (soul) the highest devotee of God when no soul can love like God does?]
Swami Replied: A good question indeed. The love at the human level has a range of values of intensity...
[Ms. Laxmi Thrylokya asked: Swami, it is said that man proposes and God disposes. But when Sages wanted to embrace Lord Rama, He accepted the proposal and made them Gopikas. Isn't this incident standing against the first statement? Please enlighten me.]
Swami replied:- This statement belongs to souls...
Smt. Priyanka asked: Pādanamaskāraṃ Swāmi, A) You mentioned that Madhura Bhakti is the highest form of devotion because it's not only the sweetest form, but also risky in nature. A soul can truly be tested to prove real love towards God crossing their comfort zone/ worldly-justice limits. This can happen provided the soul is born as a female only. Is it because of the reasons below? Firstly, a female has a special bond with her children because she would have carried the baby in her womb, given birth with a lot of pain and continues to care...
Smt. Priyanka asked: B) On a different note, what if a devotee has unconditional love towards God without having the feeling that God is their real husband? A person may think of God as the real father, brother, son, friend, etc. These relationships can still be sweet or 'madhuram' because everything about God is 'madhuram'. Is this type of devotion...
Smt. Priyanka asked: C) Is Madhura Bhakti possible for a woman, provided that a woman is devoted to Lord Kṛṣṇa only because Kṛṣṇa is the only incarnation of God, who displayed Madhura Bhakti with gopikas? What if a female devotee is attracted towards Lord Śiva or some other form of God in the same manner? Will all the tests still remain the same, irrespective of which form of God a devotee is attracted towards...
Smt. Priyanka Seethepalli asked: Namaste Sarma garu, Swami advised me to send mine and Thrylokya's follow-up question on Madhura Bhakti directly to you. Can you please show this to Swami? Pādanamaskāraṃ Swāmi, I have a doubt regarding a specific statement You made regarding Prahlāda, that he had to be born as a gopika to reach Goloka even though he reached the abode of God. You also said that Nivṛtti was discovered by souls themselves because the soul itself had a desire to embrace God...
Śrī Ganesh V asked: Pādanamaskāraṃ Swāmiji, I believe that devotees who practice vāmācāra are climax devotees and are associated with God for many Janmās. If they are climax devotees, they do not expect anything in return from God. But You said that the divine Mother gives boons sooner to them rather than those who worship her through dakṣīṇācāra? At Your divine feet, Ganesh V.
Swāmi replied:- Worship means love to God. Love is the life of worship. There may be different types of love. God may be loved as Father, Mother, Brother, Son, Husband, Darling etc. One shall not think that loving God as husband or darling (Madhura Bhakti) is greatest unless all other worldly bonds are sacrificed. Draupadī loved God as brother and excelled all the wives confined...
Ms. Laxmi Thrylokya asked: Swāmi, You said that God doesn't like homosexuality and that's why He discouraged the sages in Daṇḍakāraṇya when they approached Lord Rāma to embrace Him. Hence, they were given birth as females to embrace Lord Kṛṣṇa. When it came to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Lord Kṛṣṇa came to hug Him every day. Isn't it Homosexuality? We often see the photo of Lord Rāma hugging Lord Hanumān. Isn't that Homosexuality...
[Ms. Laxmi Thrylokya asked: Pādanamaskāraṃ Swāmi, You have revealed a mind boggling truth in the 23rd point of Guru Pūrṇimā Satsaṅga (24-07-2021). Till now, I have learnt that only some sins acquired by us (souls) will be personally taken by God (i.e. suffered by human incarnation) depending upon our reformation and non-repetition of sin. And some punishments of the sins will be postponed by God upon the worship of God. But now, You have revealed that all the sins will be taken by God for a climax devotee...
[Ms. Laxmi Thrylokya asked: Gopikas were ready to go to Hell for the sake of Lord Kṛṣṇa and they gave the foot dust to Nārada Muni to reduce the headache of the Lord. If the Gopikas didn't believe in the existence of Hell and Heaven but loved God crossing justice, how would the Lord test them?]
Swāmi Replied:- Lord tested them to show the true love of Gopikas towards Him. When Sage Nārada asked Kṛṣṇa that who is the highest devotee of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa replied that Gopikas were the highest devotees. Sage Nārada...
[Now that we know this truth, the real devotees would never want God (human incarnation) to suffer for their sins. Hence, true devotees would decide not to cross justice for the sake of God because they very well know that God will suffer their sin of crossing justice and perhaps all their sins. Hereafter, we can define true devotee as the one who doesn't vote for God against justice for the above reason. Isn't it? Please correct me. -At Your Divine Lotus Feet, Laxmi Thrylokya]
Swāmi Replied:- God never asked any devotee to cross justice and go to hell for His sake. He also warned Gopikas...
[Śrī Ganesh asked: Swāmiji, in Guru Pūrṇimā message, 11th point, You mentioned that the public criticised a spiritual leader for having sex with an actress, because they were jealous of him. It can also be the case of ignorance of the public that it might be a Nivṛtti test for the devotee. Can the public criticise the contemporary human incarnation only because of jealousy? Can it also be because of ignorance of spiritual knowledge?]
Swāmi Replied:- Whether it is an ordinary Saint (Spiritual leader) or God Kṛṣṇa (the human incarnation), the ignorance of Spiritual knowledge from which ego and jealousy come out as two sprouts is the reason. Ignorance is the source...
[Swāmi, forgive me for asking this question. You mentioned in the 'Pravṛtti-Nivṛtti Sūtram' that legal sex is divine in the service of God and hence, it is depicted on the walls of temples as holy subject. But when I see some erotic sculptures on Khajuraho monuments, they seem to resemble orgies (indiscriminate illegal sexual activity) rather than legal sex. Please enlighten me. -At Your Divine Lotus Feet, Laxmi Thrylokya]
Swāmi Replied:- All the sculptures depicting legal sex indicate Pravṛtti, which is meant for the general lot of souls as said in the Gītā (Dharmāviruddhaḥ kāmo'smi…– Gītā). This is generally found everywhere...
[One converted Christian from Hinduism (Shri Shastri), who is a Sanskrit scholar, visited Swami on this festival day. He told that he was attracted to Christianity by the spotless character of Jesus and was very much repelled by the bad character of Krishna regarding Gopikas. Swami replied him, which is given below as the divine message on Deepavali. After hearing the reply from Swami, which was spontaneous discourse, Shri Shastri bowed to the divine lotus feet of Swami with tears and went away silently.]
Reply of Swami: If you are converting your religion just for the sake of your liking to Jesus, there is no objection, because liking has no reason. But, if your conversion is based on repulsion to Krishna, I will not agree to it. Similarly, if a Christian is converted to become Hindu, due to liking on Krishna, I have no objection. But, his conversion should not be due to repulsion to Jesus...