27 Oct 2021
[Ms. Bhanu Samykya asked: Swami, You have recently said that the 11 Gopikas who reached Goloka excluding Raadhaa are ordinary souls only. But, You have also revealed about a Gopikaa named 'Chandralekha' who reached Goloka. She was the incarnation of Goddess Sati and not an ordinary soul. How can both these facts be true simultaneously? Please enlighten me. -At Your Divine Lotus Feet, Bhanu Samykya.]
Swami Replied:- When I told that Raadhaa, incarnation of God Shiva, came to guide the human souls regarding the path to Goloka, in that context, the main point is that God comes down in the form of devotee to guide devotees. I have taken Raadhaa as the incarnation of God and treated other 11 Gopikas as human souls. Even though Chandralekhaa was also the incarnation of Goddess Satii, she was counted among the devotees only since the point is not about who is incarnation and who is not the incarnation. The point raised by you was only a technical point, which does not disturb the main concept i.e., God comes down as a devotee to guide other devotees. In fact, Satii Devi is the power of God Shiva and Shiva and Satii are not different. Among the three divine forms of Datta (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva), when one form is excelled as the main deity, the other two forms are considered to be the devotees of the main deity. When Shiva is exalted in the Shiva Puraanams, Vishnu and Brahma are treated as His devotees. When Vishnu is exalted in the Vishnu Puraanams, Shiva and Brahma are treated as His devotees. When Brahmaa is exalted in the Brahma Puraanams, Vishnu and Shiva are treated as His devotees (Ekaiva mūrtiḥ bibhide tridhā sā, sāmānyameṣāṃ prathamāvaratvam…– Kumāra Sambhavam). Since all these three are the divine forms of the same God Datta, such difference in the importance need not be counted.
God can act in two roles of master simultaneously as in the cases of Raama and Parashuraama. God can also act in two roles of devotee simultaneously as in the case of Raadhaa and Chandralekhaa. We must remember that Raadhaa also acted in the role of devotee only along with Krishna, the same God acting in the role of master. God also acted as master and servant as in the case of Raama and Hanumaan or Krishna and Raadhaa. Chandralekhaa, the God, need not be objected to act as devotee and hence, Chandralekhaa mixes with other ten Gopikas as human devotee. By this, we can say that Chandralekhaa along with ten other devoted Gopikas makes the number as eleven devoted Gopikas. Raadhaa also acted as a devotee only and not as master Krishna. In this way, we can say that all the twelve Gopikas are devoted human souls only except Krishna. Raadhaa acted as a senior devoted Gopikaa only and not acted as master like Krishna.
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