06 Oct 2022
1. Is there a correlation between anger and intensity of love?
Smt. Priyanka asked: Padanamaskaram Swami, I have a series of three questions regarding the connection between Radha and Sage Durvasa.
A) Is there a correlation between anger and intensity of love? I am asking this because Radha was an incarnation of Sage Durvasa and her intensity of love for Lord Krishna was highest compared to other gopikas. Sage Durvasa is generally portrayed as quick and hot tempered in nature and is believed to be an incarnation of Lord Shiva's anger. Therefore, can we say that the quality of anger from past life as Sage Durvasa translated into intense love in Radha's case? Even in today's world, there is a saying that passionate people are usually angry in nature.
Swami replied:- The passion creates anger when the desire is not fulfilled and this is true in worldly life. In spiritual life, if the anger is based on love, it is good for progress. But, if the anger is based on hatred as in the case of demons, the progress will be in the fall. Of course, the six demons (Hiraynaaksha and Hiranya Kashipu etc.,) are special cases since they were strong devotees of God for very long time. The other demons are different. The anger of God Shiva or sage Durvaasa is on bad souls only and not on deserving good souls. Hence, anger should not be taken blindly in one angle only since anger on bad people is good and anger on good people is bad.
2. Did Sage Durvasa know that his soul was born as Radha?
[Sage Durvasa was one among the sages who saw Lord Rama in the forest in Treta yuga. When he was born as Radha, he existed as Sage Durvasa also at the same time. Swami, I'm asking out of curiosity. Please forgive me if this question is not appropriate. Did he know that his soul was born as Radha, since sages were told that they have to be born as women in their next life? Similarly, were other sages who were born as gopikas, also present at the same time and aware of their souls being born as gopikas? Can we consider that their souls were duplicated?]
Swami replied:- Sage Durvaasa is the incarnation of God Shiva and He can exist as Durvaasa as well as Radha because apart from these two, God Shiva also exists. The case of sages born as Gopikas is quite different because they are only evolved souls. Hence, Radha is quite different from the other Gopikas and Durvaasa is different from other sages.
3. Why is it told that Radha is Lord Shiva's incarnation even though the divinity from Sage Durvasa went away?
[Swami, once You said that Sage Durvasa gave away his divinity from being Lord Shiva's incarnation and joined the other sages as an ordinary sage. Also, we know that Radha is an incarnation of the same Sage Durvasa. Therefore, my small doubt here is - why is it told that Radha is Lord Shiva's incarnation even though the divinity from Sage Durvasa went away? While I don't doubt this point at all, I am only curious to know whether we must only look at the main source, Who is Lord Shiva and consider Radha to be incarnation of Lord Shiva even though divinity has been given away by Sage Durvasa. At Your divine lotus feet, Priyanka]
Swami replied:- There is no difference between God Shiva and His incarnation sage Durvaasa. Even though Shiva became the incarnation of Durvaasa, Shiva did not lose His divinity. Similarly, even though sage Durvaasa became the incarnation of Radha, Durvaasa did not lose His divinity. All this is due to the unimaginable God present in God Datta, God Shiva, Sage Durvaasa and Radha.
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