03 Sep 2020
[Shri Anil asked: Swami, as per the following verses in the Bible, there is an incident where Jesus gave more importance to His devotees and followers over His own mother. Can You please explain why?
Mathew 12: 46 While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. 47 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” 48 He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”]
Swami replied: This shows that the Human Incarnation is untouched by worldly bonds. The purpose of the Human Incarnation is only to guide the people interested in the spiritual path and not to guide the people entangled in worldly bonds, who only seek guidance in achieving worldly happiness. These worldly relationships are only related to this external body and not to the detached innermost soul. Every soul is trapped in the net of worldly bonds. God comes to help people develop a strong bond with God, so that they can come out of their worldly bonds. This is called salvation. Firstly, devotion to God must be developed. It spontaneously liberates the soul from the worldly bonds and is the immediate second step. Without attachment to God, there cannot be detachment from worldly bonds. Unless one tastes the divine nectar (amṛtam), one cannot be liberated from the attractions of worldly drinks. Of course, the attachment to legitimate worldly bonds is better than the attachment to illegitimate worldly bonds. Drinking worldly drinks is better than drinking poison. But drinking divine nectar is better than drinking worldly drinks. It is in this context Jesus preached about hating even the legitimate worldly bonds and instead, choosing the divine bond with God.
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| Shri Datta Swami | Why did Jesus give more importance to His disciples than His mother? | Amrutam
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