Posted on: 25 Jun 2021
Ms. Thrylokya asked: Pādanamaskāraṃ Swāmi, I have heard this story of Śrī Rādha Devī where She happened to go to Dvārakā to visit Lord Kṛṣṇa. When Rukmiṇī tells that Devotion reduces by close association, She immediately leaves the place in order to protect her devotion. Can we take a lesson that after gaining knowledge from Sadguru, we should never meet the human incarnation (Sadguru) to protect our love towards Sadguru?]
Swāmi replied:- This is extrapolation of the concept. The concept is that continuous association with human incarnation like that of Rukmiṇī leads to negligence in the case of souls. This concept does not apply to climax devotees. Garuḍa, Ādiśeṣa, Nandī etc., are in continuous association of God and yet, are in climax devotion. In the period of continuous association with God Kṛṣṇa, Rādhā and Gopikās maintained climax devotion. Rukmiṇī is Goddess Lakṣmī maintaining continuous association and climax devotion. Rādhā also belongs to climax devotion. Both Rukmiṇī and Rādhā along with God Kṛṣṇa played this drama to preach the concept related to ordinary devotees. Here, continuous association with human incarnation as a family member is said to lead to negligence. Getting knowledge from Sadguru through continuous association and leaving Sadguru forever afterwards involves both extreme ends. One shall learn knowledge from Sadguru through frequent visits, which are neither continuous association nor permanent leaving. Middle path is always called the Aristotle’s golden path.
Leaving alive Sadguru permanently is not a wise concept because when Sadguru leaves His body, anyway, permanent separation is inevitable. The negative effect of continuous association and the negative effect of continuous separation can be avoided, which are extreme ends and the middle path of frequent visits is the best golden path. Moreover, this story has no authority from any scripture. Even then, we can take the good logical points after doing logical analysis. We must do logical analysis on the points present in the scriptures also because some points might have been insertions. That story does not end there because there is some extension, which was factual. Rādhā went back to Brundāvanam based on this statement of Kṛṣṇa with a decision not to return. But, she could not live in Brundāvanam for long time in separation of Kṛṣṇa and returned to Dvārakā shortly. She was making frequent visits to Dvārakā avoiding both extreme ends, which are continuous association and continuous separation. Rukimiṇī had no such option, but, understood the reason for her negligence and tried to rectify it by becoming a climax devotee. Kṛṣṇa also tested the devotion of Rādhā to see whether she can stay away from Him forever in the attraction for avoiding negligence. The ultimate aim of Kṛṣṇa is to advise Rukmiṇī about the possible negligence through constant association and to test Rādhā about her true love, which can’t tolerate continuous separation. Only logical analysis reveals total true picture.