26 Apr 2023
1. Smt. Lakshmi Lavanya K asked: Namaste Swami. What is the difference between the Gopikas and the Wives of Krishna?
Swami replied: The Wives of Krishna were 16,108 and these were married as per the Hindu ethical scripture. They were legal because a king could have any number of wives as per the scripture. All these were daughters of kings, who loved Krishna and were prepared to commit suicide if Krishna refused to marry them. Krishna being God married them and generated 10 sons and 1 daughter for each wife. This itself proves that Krishna was not an ordinary human being and was certainly God. Gopikas were devotees of Krishna, who recognized Krishna as God without any doubt. These Gopikas were sages in the previous births trying for salvation, which means liberation from worldly bonds, the strongest being with money, children and life partner. Gopikas also threatened Krishna that they would commit suicide by jumping into the Yamuna river if Krishna refused to do romance with them by dancing at Brindavanam in the midnight. Krishna told them that it was a very serious sin, but Gopikas were prepared to undergo the punishment for the sake of Krishna. This love and lust of Gopikas on Krishna were based on the thorough knowledge of the Gopikas that Krishna was certainly the ultimate God. It is the purity and power of God that makes any sin get cancelled.
The love of Gopikas on God was so strong that they didn’t mind undergoing even serious punishments for the sake of God. The purity and power of God on one side and the climax of love of the Gopikas on God on the other side make this case unique, which can't be compared with routine cases of sins of humanity within the boundaries of humanity. The wives stand for Pravrutti whereas the Gopikas stand for Nivrutti. Nivrutti can violate Pravrutti. In the Narada Bhakti Sutram, it is told that the lust of Gopikas is based on the love to God (Na māhātmya jñāna vismṛtyapavādaḥ) and not based on the hormonal lust. If the lust is based on hormonal lust, such lust would be equal to the lust of prostitutes (jārāṇāmiva). The practical lust of the Gopikas on Krishna was the transformation of their devotion to God and not the transformation of their hormonal-lust provoked by the physical beauty of Krishna. God accepts anything offered with climax love. When the hunter offered flesh of a soft animal, God Shiva accepted it and did not refuse it telling that it is sinful flesh! Neither did the hunter get sin since it was offered to God (and not offered to a non-vegetarian human being) nor does God get sin because God is not fascinated to any item and is only fascinated to the pure love of the devotee.
2. Is there any difference between Rukmini and the remaining wives of Krishna? Were all devotees of Krishna?
Swami replied:- Rukmini is the incarnation of Goddess Maha Lakshmi whereas Krishna is the incarnation of God Maha Vishnu. Even Rukmini gets a very high position in the heart of God because she left parents, brothers and all other relatives for the sake of Krishna and this is the real salvation of Rukmini even before marrying Krishna. She is the entire power of Krishna and her sacrifice for the sake of Krishna shows her complete salvation even before marriage.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★