Earnest Longing for Shyam Sundar
When a devotee, earnestly calls out for The Supreme God, then He spares no time and graces the devotee. He manifests Himself in His divine form in front of the devotee.
According to Bhagavat the milk maidens of Braj, called Gopis, were neither educated nor followed the instructions of the Vedas. They did not care about their personal dignity or the dignity of their families or the society. So, as per the decorum of the society they would be labeled as immodest, irresponsible women. Lord Krishna also said in Bhagavat:
श्रुतिस्मृती ममैवाज्ञे यस्त उल्लंघ्य वर्तते ।
आज्ञोच्छेदी ममद्वेषी मद्भतोऽपि न मे प्रियः ॥
shrutismrtee mamaivaagye yast ullanghy vartate .
aagyochchhedee mamadveshee madbhatopi na me priyah.
The words of the Vedas are My orders. Whoever disobeys them is like My enemy and despite performing devotion, cannot be dear to Me.
Yet, Gopis are the crest jewel of devotees. The creator Lord Brahma, says of the Gopis;
According to Bhagavat the milk maidens of Braj, called Gopis, were neither educated nor followed the instructions of the Vedas. They did not care about their personal dignity or the dignity of their families or the society. So, as per the decorum of the society they would be labeled as immodest, irresponsible women. Lord Krishna also said in Bhagavat:
श्रुतिस्मृती ममैवाज्ञे यस्त उल्लंघ्य वर्तते ।
आज्ञोच्छेदी ममद्वेषी मद्भतोऽपि न मे प्रियः ॥
shrutismrtee mamaivaagye yast ullanghy vartate .
aagyochchhedee mamadveshee madbhatopi na me priyah.
The words of the Vedas are My orders. Whoever disobeys them is like My enemy and despite performing devotion, cannot be dear to Me.
Yet, Gopis are the crest jewel of devotees. The creator Lord Brahma, says of the Gopis;
षष्ठिवर्ष सहस्राणि मया तप्तं तपः पुरा । नंदगोपब्रजस्त्रीणां पादरेणुपलब्धये ॥
shashthivarsh sahasraani maya taptan tapah pura
nandagopabrajastreenaan paadarenupalabdhaye
shashthivarsh sahasraani maya taptan tapah pura
nandagopabrajastreenaan paadarenupalabdhaye
I observed severe penance for sixty thousand celestial years just to attain the holy foot dust of the maidens of Braj (Gopis).
However
However
तथापि न मया प्राप्तास्तासां वाई पादरेणवः ॥
tathaapi na maya praaptaastaasaan vaee paadarenavah
tathaapi na maya praaptaastaasaan vaee paadarenavah
Despite my best efforts, I could not attain even their foot dust.
Not only Lord Brahma, all sovereign personalities like Lord Vishnu, Shankar, Goddess Lakshmi, the great sage Narad and mother Arundhati wish to attain the foot dust of the Gopis.
The great sage Ved Vyas, made the Supreme Lord Shri Krishna Himself reveal this mystery. Lord Krishna said, “Those material beings whose mind is not engaged in worshiping Me, are bound by the rules of the Vedas. The rules of the Vedas are a means to increase your love for Me alone. Those who love Me and Me alone are not required to abide by any rules.”
These Gopis loved Shri Krishna more than life itself. Their only desire was to please Shri Krishna. It is not possible for anyone to comprehend the depth of the selfless love of the Gopis. To them, every moment without Shri Krishna, seemed longer than an era. The fire of their yearning for Lord Krishna, burnt away the ties of Maya viz; trikarm, tridosh, tritaap, panchklesh and panchkosh.
Their deep yearning for the Supreme Lord elevated their mental state to the 7th level of love namely “Mahabhav”, while His 16,108 queens, who were physically in His close proximity were unable to proceed beyond the 6th level of love i.e. “Anurag Bhakti”.
When a devotee finds it impossible to survive without meeting Shri Krishna then Shri Krishna reciprocates the same feeling with the same intensity and manifests Himself in front of the devotee.
Not only Lord Brahma, all sovereign personalities like Lord Vishnu, Shankar, Goddess Lakshmi, the great sage Narad and mother Arundhati wish to attain the foot dust of the Gopis.
The great sage Ved Vyas, made the Supreme Lord Shri Krishna Himself reveal this mystery. Lord Krishna said, “Those material beings whose mind is not engaged in worshiping Me, are bound by the rules of the Vedas. The rules of the Vedas are a means to increase your love for Me alone. Those who love Me and Me alone are not required to abide by any rules.”
These Gopis loved Shri Krishna more than life itself. Their only desire was to please Shri Krishna. It is not possible for anyone to comprehend the depth of the selfless love of the Gopis. To them, every moment without Shri Krishna, seemed longer than an era. The fire of their yearning for Lord Krishna, burnt away the ties of Maya viz; trikarm, tridosh, tritaap, panchklesh and panchkosh.
Their deep yearning for the Supreme Lord elevated their mental state to the 7th level of love namely “Mahabhav”, while His 16,108 queens, who were physically in His close proximity were unable to proceed beyond the 6th level of love i.e. “Anurag Bhakti”.
When a devotee finds it impossible to survive without meeting Shri Krishna then Shri Krishna reciprocates the same feeling with the same intensity and manifests Himself in front of the devotee.
विरह तो है डोर सम गोविन्द राधे ।
श्याम हैं पतङ्ग सम सब को बता दे ॥
virah to hai dor sam govind raadhe .
shyaam hain patang sam sab ko bata de
श्याम हैं पतङ्ग सम सब को बता दे ॥
virah to hai dor sam govind raadhe .
shyaam hain patang sam sab ko bata de
Intense longing for Shri Krishna is like the thread that keeps the kite connected to the person flying the kite and Shri Krishna is like a kite, which is under the total control of the thread.
Once a seeker asked Jesus Christ, how can I meet God? Jesus Christ took him to a pond and submerged his head under water for a little while. The man began suffocating and starting flapping his arms and legs in desperation. At that point, Jesus lifted his head up from the water and asked him how did he feel? The man replied, “I felt suffocated and was desperate to get a gasp of air to survive." Jesus said, "The day you feel the same suffocation and desperation to see God, you will realize Him."
So, how can we cultivate that earnest longing, which forces the Almighty God to appear in front of you?
Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Maharaj, provides a simple and practical tip to increase our longing for God. The tip applies to anyone and everyone regardless of their age, color, situation etc.:
Once a seeker asked Jesus Christ, how can I meet God? Jesus Christ took him to a pond and submerged his head under water for a little while. The man began suffocating and starting flapping his arms and legs in desperation. At that point, Jesus lifted his head up from the water and asked him how did he feel? The man replied, “I felt suffocated and was desperate to get a gasp of air to survive." Jesus said, "The day you feel the same suffocation and desperation to see God, you will realize Him."
So, how can we cultivate that earnest longing, which forces the Almighty God to appear in front of you?
Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Maharaj, provides a simple and practical tip to increase our longing for God. The tip applies to anyone and everyone regardless of their age, color, situation etc.:
- Regular practice of Devotion - An aspirant should make it a daily practice to sit in a quiet, isolated place and practice meditating on the divine form of God (“Roopdhyan”). Initially the sadhak can take the help of a photo or idol to create the image of God and using the image try to focus their mind and visualize the divine form of Shri Krishna. Constant practice of “Roopdhyan” will purify the mind and take you closer to God. As time passes, your longing to see Him face to face will keep increasing and a time will come when you will be unable to live without seeing Him. Shri Krishna will then grace you with His divine darshan.
- Feel His presence - Wherever you go or whatever you do, feel the presence of God and Guru with you. With constant practice, this will become easy and effortless. Slowly you will develop a yearning to see Him, which you need to continue to grow. This fire of yearning will gradually cleanse your mind. Once your mind is fully cleansed, Lord Krishna will appear in front of you.
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