01 Sep 2010
[Krishna Ashtami Evening Message] Gopikas were the sages born as ladies. The sages propagated the ethics as word of God for the sake of balance of the society. During such propagation, some sages were overcome by the sacredness of ethics and thought that God became sacred by ethics, since He always supported ethics. Such sages born as Gopikas, failed to reach the Lord in the night when His flute was heard. The sages, who always thought that the sacredness of ethics is always due to God only, could run to God, violating the ethical tradition. The reality is that the value of any ethical principle is due to the fact that it is valuable since it is the word of God. It means that every word of God is ethical and it does not mean that God speaks only ethical principles. The ethical principle has no individual value and its total value is due to God only. God said that you should speak truth always (Satyam vada… Veda) and everyone should follow this because it is the word of God. Otherwise, speaking truth has no individual value. Krishna asked Dharma Raja to tell a lie in the war. This applies to that individual and to that context only. Otherwise, the word of God as the Veda is applicable to everybody in every context. God is greater than ethics and the reverse is not true. Dharma Raja did not follow the instruction of Lord to tell the lie because the word of God is greater than God Himself in his view. He felt that the ethics has individual value by itself and the value of God is due to His sincere following of ethics. God told that you should always follow ethics (Dharmam chara – Veda). But, He gave salvation to Gopikas, who violated ethics by running after Him.
The difference between the Bhagavatam and the Bharatam is the difference between nivrutti and pravrutti. Nivrutti is the subject of realization of God as ultimate with highest value. Pravrutti is the subject of the realization of ethics as ultimate with highest value. Pravrutti is true as long as God does not enter. When there is a competition between God and ethics, God should be voted for against ethics. God is the protector of ethics and not reverse. If this truth is understood, in pravrutti itself, the real background of pravrutti is realized. Then, nivrutti is very easy and will not contradict pravrutti. If you have not realized the true background of pravrutti, nivrutti is also not understood. Therefore, the Gita says that ignorant people do not understand both pravrutti and nivrutti. It means that if either is not understood, the other is misunderstood. However, nivrutti should not be misinterpreted and misused. Thinking that a cheat is God, ethics should not be violated. You have to confirm the human form of God and should not violate the ethics misunderstanding an ordinary human being as God. You should not tell a lie based on the advice of an ordinary human being. A lady should not run after her illegal lover stating that he is the human form of God. On the advice of Krishna, Arjuna killed his grandfather. This should not be misused. On the advice of some cheat, you should not kill your grandfather. Shankara left His old mother and Prahlada agreed for the death of his father for the sake of God. For other purposes, this should not be allowed. Buddha left His wife, son and wealth for the sake of God. This should not be done for other purposes. To satisfy the followers of ethics, God interprets the violation of ethics as ethical procedure only. If nivrutti is not understood, it is better to follow the superficial ethics at least to support the balance of the society. The killing of Bhishma was explained as the punishment for his silence over the insult of Draupadi before him. Such explanation makes the Lord to bow before ethics and satisfies the blind followers of pravrutti in the interest of balance of peace of society.
The sages, who wrote ethical scriptures, were tested by God regarding their realization of the real background of ethics. They were born as women [Gopikas] and it is very difficult to break the ethical tradition in the case of a woman than a man. Those, who understood the real background of ethics, became successful in the test and violated ethics for the sake of Lord. Their husbands were unhappy about this, who were their wives in their previous birth. The wives of the sages were also unhappy since their husbands were interested in God neglecting them. The same state continued in the next birth also. As husbands, they became unhappy since their wives were always interested in Krishna, who is God. Gopikas could recognize Krishna as God and hence, they could boldly violate ethics for the sake of God. Narada says this point in the Bhakti Sutras (Maahaatmya jnaana…). They clarified this point in their songs called as Gopika-Gitas in the Bhagavatam (Nakhalu gopikaanandano bhavaan…). Since they have understood the real background of pravrutti, they did not feel for violating ethics for the sake of the Lord. The songs of Gopikas clearly mention the sexual interaction between Krishna and Gopikas (Suratavardhanam…). You should not run away from the truth and you should give the careful analysis to explain the truth. There is nothing to fear if the truth is understood in its original sense. If you have murdered somebody, accept the truth and explain the special background of it, instead of hiding your crime and negating it. The explanation of the special background may justify your act limited to that occasion only without generalization. Ofcourse, misuse is very easy and fearing for this only, some have interpreted that Krishna was a small boy and all this is not true. There is a saying that a scholar should be tested in understanding the reality of the Bhagavatam (Vidyaavataam Bhaagavate parikshaa…). The above explanation is the critical reality to be understood and to understand that Krishna is a child is not that much critical reality! If the truth is not understood, the topic becomes very delicate and the ignorant people of other religions try to mock at this and they do not know that they mock at their own Lord only because there is only one God in different forms, who created this one earth and one humanity!
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