15 Dec 2022
1. Why did Lalita always support Radha's love to Krishna?
[Smt. Priyanka asked: Padanamaskaram Swami, Among the Gopikas, why did Lalita always support Radha's love to Krishna and chose to keep quiet about her love for Krishna? At Your divine lotus feet, Priyanka]
Swami replied: The psychologies of devotees are not important because they are souls only. The mind of a soul is always working in unpredictable ways (Vicitrarūpāḥ khalu citta vṛttayaḥ). Perhaps Lalita found the love of Radha to be more pure and intensive than her love.
2. Did the Gopikas jump into the fire due to an excess of emotion?
[Smt. Priyanka asked: Padanamaskaram Swami, Gopikas arrived at the conclusion that whatever pleases God is punyam and whatever displeases God is paapam. Therefore, they must have known that ending their life doesn't please God. Hence, did they jump into the fire only due to excess emotion?]
Swami replied: Yes. They have jumped due to excess of emotion. In fact, Krishna told them many a time that suicide is a very serious sin. But, their love to Krishna made them blind at that moment.
3. Can we say that Gopikas knowingly accepted the punishment for the sin of committing suicide?
[You said that Gopikas made a choice to even accept hell for the sake of Lord Krishna. So, can we say that Gopikas knowingly accepted the punishment for the sin of committing suicide for ending their lives?]
Swami replied: In the situation of excess of emotion, memory is lost. Their brains did not work at all.
4. Was Lord Krishna displeased when His wives jumped in to the fire?
[Lord Krishna's 8 wives also jumped into the fire at the end. Is it a sin in their case as well? Was Lord Krishna displeased?]
Swami replied: Except Satyabhama, who went to forest for doing penance, all other wives jumped in to fire, which was a serious sin and accordingly they underwent punishments. Punishment is only for the reformation of the soul so that repetition of the sin is prevented. Due to the excess of their emotion, they forgot that Krishna is God who left His gross body without a trace of any pain just like a person changing the dress.
5. Is it sinful for the wife to end her life by sitting on her husband’s funeral pyre?
[A lot of Kshatriya women in India used to volunteer to sit on their husband's funeral pyre to protect their honor, etc. Was it sinful for those wives to end their lives as well? At Your divine lotus feet, Priyanka]
Swami replied: Certainly, it is very serious sin because God has given this human life to proceed with spiritual efforts and propagation of His true spiritual knowledge in this world. Suicide is against the will of God.
6. Can You please explain the meaning of the three Vedic accents?
[Smt. Priyanka asked: Padanamaskaram Swami, In the bhajan 'Shri Datta Brahma Gayatri', there is a verse - "sṛṣṭi kramavada puruṣasūktaṃ trisvarabaddhaṃ pāvanārtham।"
In the translation it said that sages recite with the three holy Vedic accents, the Vedic Purusha Suktam, which reveals the process of creation. Can You please explain what the three Vedic accents mean? At Your divine lotus feet, Priyanka]
Swami replied: The Vedic accents are just musical modes to increase the pleasantness in the recitation. Udatta is downward sound. Anudatta means upward sound. Svarita means the upwards long stretched sound.
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