॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
2 May 2023, Tuesday - X a.32 - Bhagavan comes back to the Gopis and answers their questions about love.
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श्रीशुक उवाच
इति गोप्यः प्रगायन्त्यः प्रलपन्त्यश्च चित्रधा । रुरुदुः सुस्वरं राजन् कृष्णदर्शनलालसाः ॥
तासामाविरभूच्छौरिः स्मयमानमुखाम्बुजः । पीताम्बरधरः स्रग्वी साक्षान्मन्मथमन्मथः ॥
T: Sage Shuka narrated: "The Gopis had been singing of their beloved Sri Krishna, and speaking out their fervent pleas to him to come back to them. Now they began to sob aloud in their distress, desperate to get Sri Krishna back."
"Just then, Bhagavan Sri Krishna reappeared in their midst, with his characteristic irresistible smile on his lotus-like face. Wearing Pitambara (yellow golden silk cloth), a garland of wild flowers, Sri Krishna was the God of Love far excelling the god of love, Manmatha (literally meaning the god who churns the mind with desires)."
तं विलोक्यागतं प्रेष्ठं प्रीत्युत्फुल्लदृशोऽबलाः । उत्तस्थुर्युगपत्सर्वास्तन्वः प्राणमिवागतम् ॥
काचित्कराम्बुजं शौरेर्जगृहेऽञ्जलिना मुदा । काचिद्दधार तद्बाहुमंसे चन्दनरूषितम् ॥
काचिदञ्जलिनागृह्णात्तन्वी ताम्बूलचर्वितम् ।
एका तदङ्घ्रिकमलं सन्तप्ता स्तनयोरधात् ॥
एका भ्रुकुटिमाबध्य प्रेमसंरम्भविह्वला । घ्नन्तीवैक्षत्कटाक्षेपैः सन्दष्टदशनच्छदा ॥
अपरानिमिषद्दृग्भ्यां जुषाणा तन्मुखाम्बुजम् ।
आपीतमपि नातृप्यत्सन्तस्तच्चरणं यथा ॥
T: The Gopis rose as if life had returned to their limbs, and beheld their beloved Sri Krishna with wide-open eyes. A Gopi went and clasped his hands in hers, another placed his sandal-anointed arm on her shoulder. Another placed his lotus feet on her breasts. Another Gopi had not got rid of her anger yet and bit her lips as she stared hard at Sri Krishna. Another Gopi looked at her beloved, unblinkingly, unable to satisfy her desire just as ascetics are not satisfied with a Darshan of his lotus feet.
तं काचिन्नेत्ररन्ध्रेण हृदिकृत्य निमील्य च । पुलकाङ्ग्युपगुह्यास्ते योगीवानन्दसम्प्लुता ॥
सर्वास्ताः केशवालोकपरमोत्सवनिर्वृताः । जहुर्विरहजं तापं प्राज्ञं प्राप्य यथा जनाः ॥
ताभिर्विधूतशोकाभिर्भगवानच्युतो वृतः । व्यरोचताधिकं तात पुरुषः शक्तिभिर्यथा ॥
T: One Gopi captured her beloved Sri Krishna through her eyes, and encased him in her heart. Closing the eyelid doors of her eyes, she was athrill in the ecstasy of union, just as Yogis experience bliss in Samadhi. The Gopis were totally absolved of distress now, immersed in the bliss of Sri Krishna, just as people are relieved of worldly miseries by contact with a holy person. Bhagavan Sri Krishna now looked, encircled by the blissful Gopis, exactly as the Paramatma surrounded by the various Shaktis of Prakriti.
ताः समादाय कालिन्द्या निर्विश्य पुलिनं विभुः ।
विकसत्कुन्दमन्दारसुरभ्यनिलषट्पदम् ॥
शरच्चन्द्रांशुसन्दोहध्वस्तदोषातमः शिवम् ।
कृष्णाया हस्ततरलाचितकोमलवालुकम् ॥
T: Bhagavan now led the Gopis to the bank of the Yamuna/Kalindi river filled with soft sand. Myriad flowers like Kunda and Mandara were full of fragrance wafted by the cool breeze and attracting buzzing bees to them. The place was lit with the splendid autumnal moonlight.
तद्दर्शनाह्लादविधूतहृद्रुजो मनोरथान्तं श्रुतयो यथा ययुः ।
स्वैरुत्तरीयैः कुचकुङ्कुमाङ्कितैरचीकॢपन्नासनमात्मबन्धवे ॥
तत्रोपविष्टो भगवान् स ईश्वरो योगेश्वरान्तर्हृदि कल्पितासनः ।
चकास गोपीपरिषद्गतोऽर्चित-स्त्रैलोक्यलक्ष्म्येकपदं वपुर्दधत् ॥
सभाजयित्वा तमनङ्गदीपनं सहासलीलेक्षणविभ्रमभ्रुवा ।
संस्पर्शनेनाङ्ककृताङ्घ्रिहस्तयोः संस्तुत्य ईषत्कुपिता बभाषिरे ॥
T: The Gopis were cleansed of all their woes now, filled with ecstasy by the Darshan of their Lord just as Vedas feel fulfilled in experiencing Brahman! The Gopis spread their upper cloths, smeared with the vermilion from their bosoms, and made a lovely seat for Bhagavan. Bhagavan graciously took his seat, just as the Paramatma Ishwara, Lord of the three worlds, exhibiting the full opulence of divinity, takes His place in the hearts of great meditators. The Gopis feasted their eyes on the beloved of their hearts smiling enticingly, placing his feet on their breasts. Then they began to speak.
This is a most fascinating conversation. It is love and wisdom combined like nothing else I have read so far!
गोप्य ऊचुः
भजतोऽनुभजन्त्येक एक एतद्विपर्ययम् । नोभयांश्च भजन्त्येक एतन्नो ब्रूहि साधु भोः ॥
T: The Gopis asked. "Lord, some love in return those who love them. Some love others in a one-sided way even if others do not love them in return. And yet there is a third category of those who do not show any love even when loved! Pray clarify this matter of love to us!" We can easily understand what the Gopis are implying here, right!?
श्रीभगवानुवाच
मिथो भजन्ति ये सख्यः स्वार्थैकान्तोद्यमा हि ते ।
न तत्र सौहृदं धर्मः स्वार्थार्थं तद्धि नान्यथा ॥
T: Bhagavan replied. "Dear Gopis, those who give and take affection in exchange are indeed doing it merely out of self-interest. In such a relationship, there is no love deep within. It is simply selfishness, nothing else.
भजन्त्यभजतो ये वै करुणाः पितरौ यथा । धर्मो निरपवादोऽत्र सौहृदं च सुमध्यमाः ॥
T: "Dear beautiful ones, those who give love to others even when not loved back are full of compassion. Examples are parents. This is the practice of Dharma and heartfulness without demand."
भजतोऽपि न वै केचिद्भजन्त्यभजतः कुतः । आत्मारामा ह्याप्तकामा अकृतज्ञा गुरुद्रुहः ॥
T: "And what about those who do not return love? Either they are spiritually advanced and free from emotion, immersed in the Atma. Or perhaps they have attained fulfilment of worldly desires, and hence care for nobody. Or perhaps they are ungrateful and mean! Some of them are capable of even betraying their superiors and Gurus out of selfishness."
नाहं तु सख्यो भजतोऽपि जन्तून्भजाम्यमीषामनुवृत्तिवृत्तये ।
यथाधनो लब्धधने विनष्टे तच्चिन्तयान्यन्निभृतो न वेद ॥
T: "But coming to me, if I appear to be lukewarm to those living beings who love me, know indeed that I am waiting for their love to intensify towards me. This attitude on my part drives them to extreme anxiety. It is like someone who found some wealth and then suddenly lost it. This drives them to become totally absorbed in me, incapable of thinking about anything else. That is anyway my intention!"
एवं मदर्थोज्झितलोकवेदस्वानां हि वो मय्यनुवृत्तयेऽबलाः ।
मया परोक्षं भजता तिरोहितं मासूयितुं मार्हथ तत्प्रियं प्रियाः ॥
न पारयेऽहं निरवद्यसंयुजां स्वसाधुकृत्यं विबुधायुषापि वः ।
या माभजन् दुर्जरगेहशृङ्खलाः संवृश्च्य तद्वः प्रतियातु साधुना ॥
T: "Thus, dear Gopis, you have forsaken your ties of family, unmindful of worldly norms of conduct or prescribed rituals, and thereby have greatly intensified your love for me as I wanted. Even though I went missing from your sight, know well that I was always engaged in love with you all. I never left you. Beloved Gopis, your love for me is totally blemishless, and I shall never be able to reciprocate your love adequately even in one lifetime of Brahma! The fact that you have cut off familial ties and duties that are difficult to give up, all for the sake of my love, is so great. Your love can be truly its own reward. Nothing else can match it."
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॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
