Passage 6

In English

After all the questions were answered, Krishna proceeded into the inner apartments to meet the gopikas. It is here that we have to carefully assess the actions of Krishna. He has the form of ananda. There is no scope for anything else in his form. Although he used to pretend that he was living in a family like an ordinary person, it was not so in reality. You might shape gold into different ornaments and give different names, but the basic thing is the same gold in all of them. Although God might undertake different actions for the world, he is basically Ananda Swarupa. Whether it is in friendship or in attachment or relationship, the only quality that he demonstrated was ananda and nothing else. For those who experienced these situations, it may look as if it is in different forms but for Krishna there is no difference at all. With a view to give happiness to the devotees, he might conduct himself in different ways but he always had a feeling of grace in his mind. He recognised the ideals in women. If he appeared in the house of one gopika first and later in the house of another gopika, he knew that he will then be the cause of a certain amount of jealousy. In order to avoid this among the gopikas, he demonstrated that he can take different forms at the same moment. At the same time, a thousand and one hundred and eight gopikas were longing for the grace of Krishna in Dwaraka. Krishna simultaneously entered the houses of all the one thousand one hundred and eight gopikas. It is in this context that he taught them that all the forms that exist everywhere are forms of God. Here, there is an opportunity for us to see the difference between Radha and the other gopikas. Each one of them had the feeling that Krishna should belong to her and not to any other woman. This was a narrow outlook. They always conducted themselves with the feeling that Krishna belonged to them and to no one else. Radha is different. Her thought was not like that. Radha used to feel that Brindavan belongs to all and that Govinda belongs to all. Radha always proclaimed the feeling that Govinda was as much divine to her as to any other. She had an equal-minded approach. In this way, when Krishna entered all the houses at the same time, each gopika used to feel that Krishna first entered her house. They were all thus immersed in happiness. The gopikas were anxiously waiting for a long time for the vision of Krishna. During this time, they gave up food, they gave up proper dress, they gave up decorating their hair. In such a neglected state, Krishna could not recognise them. They refused to wear jewels or use flowers because they felt that they should not do so when Krishna was not there. As soon as they saw Krishna, they shed tears. Here, the tears became decoration for their faces, and it showed the fact that there is no better decoration for one’s face than tears of joy. It is their gunas that have been giving them their beauty. In Kannada there is a poem which says that the houses constitute the beauty of the village; the lotus constitutes the beauty of the lake. For the sky, the moon is the best decoration. Similarly, for a woman, good qualities are the best decoration. In this manner, for these gopikas their tears of joy became their decoration. Krishna saw the gopikas in this condition and his eyes were glowing with compassion. He started conversing with them. He asked one gopika if the deer that she was bringing up was coming up well. He asked another gopika if the peacock that she was bringing up was keeping well. In this manner, Krishna was asking about the welfare of various human beings and animals. They realised that his compassion spread equally to all living things. Easwara is present in all the living beings in God’s creation. This was the truth spread by Krishna. Not only this, as soon as the gopikas saw Krishna, they forgot all their troubles; but Krishna was asking about the safety of the gopikas. The Atma Swarupa is one who is able to give you happiness under all conditions of both pain and pleasure. So, Krishna was giving happiness at all times. This aspect of his was described by calling him a Nitya Brahmachari. As all the rays come from the same sun, here all kindness seems to come from Krishna. All the jivas have come from one source, and they have to merge into the same one source. Krishna proclaimed that he is present in all the living creation. Without being able to understand these broad aspects of God, we sometimes inject our own narrow ideas and apprehensions when we picture God. God’s aspect is such that it is ever ready to take you along the royal road on which you can see him. Our life is like a taxicab and we try to go into bylanes with this taxi. In that context, our thought of going into bylanes and God’s presence on the royal road do not go together. The thoughts that we get by looking at the cinemas and the thoughts that we get by looking at the books written about him are very different from the true nature of Krishna. All these thoughts are merely man’s creation according to his own imagination. But God is always permanently present in one single concept. In action, he may demonstrate different and diverse aspects coming from the one single form. The important strength which God has is the strength of love. His life is full of Ananda. In this type of divine ananda, there is no room for any impurity coming in. “Ekam Eva Adwaitiyam, Brahman.” What exists is only one and that is Brahman. There is no parallel to this. Krishna has shown this path of truth and he has himself set an example. His prema is the destination for everyone. However, for the prosperity and good of the world, he may undertake some action which might appear as being different. He will never undertake any action unless it is intended for the good of the world. The gopis and the gopalas were among those who recognised this basic truth.