18 Aug 2021
Smt. Priyanka asked: Pādanamaskāraṃ Swāmi, A) You mentioned that Madhura Bhakti is the highest form of devotion because it's not only the sweetest form, but also risky in nature. A soul can truly be tested to prove real love towards God crossing their comfort zone/ worldly-justice limits. This can happen provided the soul is born as a female only. Is it because of the reasons below?
Firstly, a female has a special bond with her children because she would have carried the baby in her womb, given birth with a lot of pain and continues to care for her child. Therefore, God can test whether a female has strongest bond with her children or God. For example, Gopikas stored extra butter (their wealth) for the sake of their children. When Kṛṣṇa stole their butter, some of them complained to Yaśodā, thereby failing the test. Here, God tested the gopikas if they could sacrifice their wealth for the sake of God to prove whether their love for God is stronger than the love for their children.
Secondly, society easily judges females for whatever they do including leaving family for the sake of God. This makes females naturally have more fear of society's rules and expectations than males. Lord Kṛṣṇa tested gopikas if they could cross even worldly-justice to leave their husbands and come to Him (real husband of all souls) at midnight to surrender completely to Him.
Thirdly, females are generally more emotional in nature and continue to be care-givers towards their family. They end up having more domestic responsibilities along with taking care of elders in the family. Lord Kṛṣṇa tested whether they could leave even their responsibilities and come to Him.
This makes tests of God (breaking bonds with husbands, parents, children and wealth) much harder for females in order to prove the highest real love for God. Since everything is more challenging for a female to prove real love towards God, it is understandable that ultimately a soul needs to be born as a female and cross all sorts of justice through injustice methods, not even fearing hell to reach God!
Swāmi, these are all points which You only have taught us. I'm merely thinking about all the reasons as to why a soul needs to be born as a female to reach God. Swāmi, are there more reasons?
Swāmi replied:- A) All these arguments given by you indicate that female-birth is the final birth for salvation. It is true that since Madhura Bhakti is possible for this birth only since God is treated as Male (Puruṣa) and soul is treated as female (Prakṛti). The idea behind this is the question of sacrifice of ego, which is inherent quality of males. But, there are several females, who are egoistic more than males. Hence, the female-birth itself is not the final criterion. Unless the ego is totally sacrificed, mere female-birth is not the final step. Apart from ego, all the other points of females like attachment to children etc., are also to be sacrificed. If all these spiritual qualities are acquired, then only, the salvation from all worldly attachments for the sake of God becomes possible. Hence, this does not mean that mere female-birth is the final birth for salvation. If a male devotee acquires all these spiritual qualities with total sacrifice, such a soul will take a female-birth in the final stage. A female, who has not acquired all these spiritual qualities with total sacrifice may take millions of births for salvation (Bahūnāṃ janmanāmante...—Gītā). When all spiritual qualities were acquired with total sacrifice, the soul is also tested in just one final female-birth about its attachment to its body and capability of sacrificing fear for hell in the line of traditional justice of the bond of life partner along with the greatest attraction for issues.
The sages took millions of births to attain all these spiritual qualities with total sacrifice of all worldly bonds for God. They took just one more birth as Gopikas to follow Madhura Bhakti. Hence, we shall concentrate on the hectic efforts put by sages for millions of births and not on the simple effort put by sages as Gopikas in just one birth! We shall concentrate to achieve sainthood, which is the real status of a true saint and not concentrate on achieving a saffron cloth! Anybody suddenly jumping by wearing a saffron cloth does not become a true saint. Similarly, any female jumping for Madhura Bhakti does not become Gopika! Before becoming Gopika through Madhura Bhakti, the soul shall concentrate on the penance done for millions of births of the same Gopikas as sages previously. Hence, patience is required in the analysis without which sudden jumps lead to very dangerous conclusions! A goat can’t become tiger if it simply covers itself with skin of tiger! Fast analysis concentrates on the skin of tiger only and patient analysis concentrates on the goat to actually become tiger by achieving strength and valour of the tiger.
The reasons given by you for the necessity of a female birth in the final stage are perfectly correct and you told that all these reasons were preached by Me only. How can I contradict the reasons preached by Me only? Whatever it may be, the reasons are perfectly correct. The female is always very strongly bonded with the family and responsibilities than a male. Certainly female-birth is the final birth, but this does not mean that the birth of every female is the final birth of the soul! All ores are minerals but, all minerals are not ores.
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