How Can Omnipresent God "Long to Meet a Devotee"?
In the Bhagwat Gita, Shri Krishna says to Arjun, "I fully reciprocate the feelings and sentiments of my devotees". Gita 4.11.
This means that when a devotee sheds tears of Love and longing to meet God, the almighty, all powerful God also sheds tears of Love and longing to meet the devotee.
Question: There appears to be a contradiction in this statement, as scriptures universally declare that God is omnipresent and He also resides in the hearts of His devotees. One would wonder that if this statement from the Vedas is true, then how can omnipresent God experience feelings of separation from His devotee. And if He does not experience feelings of separation, then why would He long to meet His devotee and shed tears of longing? Furthermore, if he merely puts on an act, then why should any devotee ever Love Him wholeheartedly!
Answer: The scriptures universally also declare that God’s Love is pure and unselfish. There is no pretense in His Love.
So, let us ponder on this point deeply.
God is the upholder of innumerable powers. All powers are subservient to the power holder i.e. all powers of God are controlled by God Himself. Supreme-most amongst all these powers is the power of Love. Love is unique.
And you may wonder what is so unique about "Love"?
Love is the only power of God that does not remain under the control of God. Instead, it controls the almighty God Himself. It is by virtue of this power of Love that the Almighty God forgets his majesty and behaves like an ordinary being, crying and throwing tantrums to demand the attention of Maiyya Yashoda or dancing to the tunes of the gopis (milk maidens of Braj) to get a small helping of buttermilk.
Such is the intensity of this unique power of Love that when a devotee cries out to get a glimpse of his Divine beloved, the Divine Lord also yearns to meet His devotee. When the scriptures indicate that God sheds tears of separation for His devotee, it is not a mere pretense. God actually experiences those emotions, because at that time, all other powers of God become dormant and the only over-riding power is the power of Love. Please be aware that all His other powers are not lost, they simply become inert in front of the supreme power of Love.
This means that when a devotee sheds tears of Love and longing to meet God, the almighty, all powerful God also sheds tears of Love and longing to meet the devotee.
Question: There appears to be a contradiction in this statement, as scriptures universally declare that God is omnipresent and He also resides in the hearts of His devotees. One would wonder that if this statement from the Vedas is true, then how can omnipresent God experience feelings of separation from His devotee. And if He does not experience feelings of separation, then why would He long to meet His devotee and shed tears of longing? Furthermore, if he merely puts on an act, then why should any devotee ever Love Him wholeheartedly!
Answer: The scriptures universally also declare that God’s Love is pure and unselfish. There is no pretense in His Love.
So, let us ponder on this point deeply.
God is the upholder of innumerable powers. All powers are subservient to the power holder i.e. all powers of God are controlled by God Himself. Supreme-most amongst all these powers is the power of Love. Love is unique.
And you may wonder what is so unique about "Love"?
Love is the only power of God that does not remain under the control of God. Instead, it controls the almighty God Himself. It is by virtue of this power of Love that the Almighty God forgets his majesty and behaves like an ordinary being, crying and throwing tantrums to demand the attention of Maiyya Yashoda or dancing to the tunes of the gopis (milk maidens of Braj) to get a small helping of buttermilk.
Such is the intensity of this unique power of Love that when a devotee cries out to get a glimpse of his Divine beloved, the Divine Lord also yearns to meet His devotee. When the scriptures indicate that God sheds tears of separation for His devotee, it is not a mere pretense. God actually experiences those emotions, because at that time, all other powers of God become dormant and the only over-riding power is the power of Love. Please be aware that all His other powers are not lost, they simply become inert in front of the supreme power of Love.
During Lord Krishna's incarnation on earth, over 5000 years ago, Lord Krishna being completely oblivious of His divine powers, was sharing food with His friends and sometimes even playfully fighting with them to snatch a morsel from their hands to feed Himself. Such was the naturality in this childhood pastime that even the creator Brahma was confused and started doubting His divinity. He decided to put Lord Krishna through a test to verify his Divinity. On a bright shiny day, as Lord Krishna was taking a post lunch siesta, Brahma arrived at the location and kidnapped all His friends and cows and took them with him to Brahma Lok. When Lord Krishna woke up, by the power of Yogmaya, He realized what had happened and immediately manifested Himself in the form of thousands of gval bals (cowherd boys), their accessories and the cattle.
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After almost a year, Brahma came back to check on the state of affairs in Braj. He was hoping to see wailing mothers as none of their children and cattle would be there. Instead he was shocked to see everything normal, with mothers playing with their children and cows feeding their young calves. In fact , such was the attraction in each and every cowherd boy that the mothers, fathers and family members felt a very strong attraction towards their children.
It took Brahma very little time to realize the blunder he had committed by mistaking the Supreme Lord to be a mere cowherd boy. He fell on the lotus feet of Lord Krishna to beg forgiveness for his insolence. अहोभाग्यमहोभाग्यमं नंदगोपब्रजौकसाम् ।
यन्मित्रं परमानंदं पूर्णम ब्रह्म सनातनम् ॥ भागवत
Ahōbhāgyamahōbhāgyamaṁ nandagōpabrajaukasām.
Yanmitraṁ paramānandaṁ pūrṇama brahma sanātanam. bhāgavata
"Who can sing the glories of the fortune of these cowherd boys of Braj, whose friend is the Supreme Lord Himself!”
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Brahma prayed at the lotus feet of Lord Krishna, to bless him with the exclusive fortune of being born as a bird in the holy land of Braj, so he can obtain the foot-dust of the cowherd boys of Braj, who enjoy the eternal friendship of the supreme Lord himself. Love blossoms amongst equals. With His inexplicable power of Yogmaya, the Supreme Lord is able to please his beloved devotees, by behaving just like one of them, with no Godly opulence or majesty.
