Posted on: 06 Feb 2005
The Gopikas who won the test of Datta are called as the Siddha Gopikas. The the Gopikas who were defeated are called as Sadhaka Gopikas. The former went to Goloka and the later were reborn on earth. The main reason for Swami [the Lord] to come in human incarnation is to preach divine knowledge and not to kill the demons. Kartaveeryarjuna who was a disciple of Datta, could have killed Ravana. Rama came to the forest for the sake of sages. Rama did not show any super power. But the sages had super powers. Therefore the sages treated Rama only as a king or their protector. The sages might have left the towns and might have lived in the forest. But their family bonds were as usual. They stayed in their Ashramas along with their families. Sage Vyasa had infinite blind love for his son Shuka. Egoism and jealousy are the two layers covering the eyes, which obstruct the recognition of the human form of the Lord. Therefore the sages did not recognize Rama. Only Shabari and Hanuman could recognize Rama as the Lord. When these sages were born as the Gopikas, some of them realized the Lord, who showed the super powers. The Lord gave them divine knowledge through the songs played by Him on His flute. Only Shabari gave the fruits to the Lord without aspiring for anything in return and therefore she was rewarded and she attained Brahma Loka.
Some sages believed Rama as the Lord and served Him like Shabari. But they prayed to the Lord to protect them in the upper world. The results were deferred because of the difference in the intentions in the same type of service [Shabari served Rama but did not expect anything in return. The sages expected protection in the upper world. So their service to Rama was not entirely selfless]. Therefore you will lose the highest fruit even if you have done service, if you do not have the proper intention. Some people do service but do not have the intention that Swami is the Lord. They are unlucky because they lose everything just due to the lack of the right feeling. Some the Gopikas gave butter to Lord Krishna because He was a beautiful boy. Some other Gopikas gave butter because Krishna was the son of their ruler (Nanda). These Gopikas lost the highest fruit because of the defect in their feelings. Some Gopikas gave butter to Krishna, fully realizing that He is the Lord. They were given Goloka. All the Gopikas donated the same butter but the fruits were different because of the difference in their intentions.
Krishna tested the faith of even the Gopikas who believed Him to be the Lord. Some liberated souls live with their families, but are not bonded mentally but some other souls live with their families and claim that they are also mentally detached. These people dream that they too are liberated souls. They are actually on the 10th step but imagine as if they are on the 100th step. The tests of Datta reveal the truth to them so that they can realize their real position. People need not fear for the troubles and losses that happen in the tests of Datta. They are the fruits of their own sins, which have to be suffered by them at that time even if the tests of Datta are absent. Instead of enjoying the fruits of sins [suffering] without any use, it is better to enjoy the fruits of sins as the Datta tests because they will be spiritually useful. Therefore Datta uses one’s own sins as His tests. If you are really detached in the mind, why don’t you prove it externally? External detachment is very easy compared to internal detachment.
Several Gopikas failed in the tests of the Lord. Krishna used to compete with their husbands, children and wealth. In such tests the Gopikas realized that they were not detached from the bonds completely. A detached soul will never fear. The Gopikas feared about the breakage of their bonds. Krishna never wanted to destroy their families. He only wanted to destroy their family bonds. The Lord is the Protector of His devotees. Will He destroy their families? At this point, the Gopikas lost faith in Krishna. They became furious with Krishna thinking that He was also an ordinary human being. Krishna appeared as if He was disturbing their families, only to test the attachment of the Gopikas with their family bonds. Why should they fear for anything if they have really believed in Krishna as the Lord? Why should they fear about their families? It is only the Lord who can protect their families. Due to lack of strength in their faith, they were always defeated.
Some of the Gopikas were subjected to final tests (Rudra Pariksha). They were utterly defeated. Only a few could succeed. A soul is always surrounded by the three qualities and therefore jealousy is inevitable. This jealousy-ghost grows and swallows your bond with the Lord. Even the Devas [angels] could not escape this ghost. Then, what to speak of human beings! One day Bhima was explaining to his younger brothers about the defeat of Lord Krishna in the hands of Jarasandha. Krishna ran away from Mathura when Jarasandha attacked it. Bhima was explaining this incident again and again. His intention was to show that he was greater than Krishna because he had killed this Jarasandha. Dharma Raja heard this and criticized Bhima for this. Bhima did not insult Krishna directly because he was a devotee of Krishna. But Bhima was explaining about the insult of Krishna again and again only to satisfy his hidden jealousy-ghost. He did not know that Krishna enjoyed the insult because He was fond of insult. The Lord was bored with His continuous victory. Therefore only by His will, He got insulted. Bhima did not realize this.
Rama was fell unconscious by the Nagastra [enemy weapon]. Rama was insulted here. Hanuman brought Garuda and got Him released. But Hanuman never narrated this incident to anybody because He always liked the victory of Rama. Therefore one cannot attain the grace of the Lord unless egoism and jealousy are completely removed. The Gopikas would give butter to Krishna secretly and would sell the remaining butter in Mathura. They told lies in their house to cover for the loss of butter. They said that the butter was sold at a low price. They were hiding the love for the Lord secretly in their hearts. The word Gopi means a soul, which hides the divine love (Gopayati Iti Gopi). But in the higher stage, the devotee should rebel against his family members if they obstruct his love for the Lord. Krishna made this secret sacrifice of butter known in their houses. Family members obstructed the Gopikas. Most of the Gopikas could not cross this obstruction and were defeated. They did not like to hurt their family members for the sake of the Lord. This means the love for the Lord is not complete and their detachment from the family bonds was also not complete. Thus most of the Gopikas came to know about their real position in the spiritual path. By this test, the Lord helped their family members also. Till then the family members were thinking that the Gopikas loved them alone and therefore they had infinite blind love for the Gopikas. Once the love of the Gopikas for Krishna was known, their blind love for the Gopikas was also reduced. Thus they were also partially liberated from the bonds.
The Lord wanted to help all the souls and not just the Gopikas. Why did the Gopikas not have the highest love for the Lord? The reason was that the Lord was constantly present with them. Continuous association brings negligence and reduction of love. This is the reason why the Lord left Brindavanam and never returned back. He transferred only the Yadavas of Mathura to Dwaraka but not the Yadavas of Brindavanam. When the Gopikas were far from the Lord, their love for Krishna reached its climax. When Krishna was in the village, they were always quarrelling with Him and were complaining to His mother. But when He left and never returned back, they became mad after the Lord.
The three qualities are Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. All the three qualities are equally pure and sacred. Therefore the Maya of the Lord that is exhibited is fully pure even though the Maya contains all the three qualities. Some people slip from the Lord by seeing the Rajas and Tamas (bad qualities) in His Maya. All the three qualities are equally pure and sacred as long as they are associated with the Lord or diverted towards the Lord. All the three qualities are impure and bad when they are diverted to the world. Krishna and any ordinary human being are similar as far as the external human body made of five elements and the internal awareness mixed with three qualities, are considered. But in Lord Krishna, the extra component is the Lord who is recognized by His power i.e., exhibited through Krishna. It is only due to this power, that the difference arises. The power is never independent. It must have a source. Therefore the Lord, who is the source of this power, definitely existed in Lord Krishna. If one realizes this concept, he will never fail in the tests of Datta.
The Lord is not the external human body (outermost shirt) and He is also not the internal awareness in which the three qualities are mixed (inner shirt). A human being consists only of these two shirts. But Krishna is the Lord who is wearing these two shirts. Since you are in this human body made of five elements, the Lord comes to your plane with a similar human body. When the soul made of energy leaves this human body and goes to the upper world, the Lord comes in that plane with a body of radiation i.e., Vishnu. You must recognize the Lord in your own plane. If you cannot recognize Him in your plane in this world, you cannot recognize Him in your plane even in that world. The same egoism and jealousy, which obstructed you here, will obstruct you in the upper world. Therefore if you recognize the Lord here, you can also recognize the Lord there. Salvation here is called ‘Jeevan Mukti’ and salvation there is called ‘Videha Mukti’. Human rebirth is impossible. Becoming spiritual is still very rare. Even if you are born as a human being and develop spiritual interest, catching the Sadguru (The Lord in human form) is very very very rare. If you see Him but not recognize Him, you are unlucky. If you recognize and lose Him by doubt, you are very much unlucky.
[Swami sang the following song spontaneously:]
We are going to Mathura. We will never come back to Brindavanam
O Gopikas, farewell to you. You live with your families here.
You say that you have the only bond with me. But not even one family bond is cut!
How can you withstand My tests? The pig can never come out of its mud pit!
We came down to this world on the request of Goddess Anagha.
We have preached the divine knowledge. Only those who practice can be liberated!
Those who believed in us always and those who suffered for our sake
They alone can follow us to Brahma Loka. The lie masters will be cut off from our list!
The many plays of Gopala which disturbed the Gopikas
The sweet songs of Muralidhara while dancing in Brindavanam
The powerful preaching of Parthasarathi in the battlefield
I am remembering now all the words of the Lord of Mathura!
The smiles of Govinda, who lifted the Govardhana Mountain on his nail
The Tandava of the jumping Gopabala on the head of Kaleeya
The dance of Nirajaksha while the peacock feather vibrates
I am remembering now all the songs of the Lord of Mathura!
The smart walking style of Vasudeva while His golden cloth is dazzling
The words of the messenger of the Pandavas while His Tulasi garlands move
The roaring laughter of Narayana while showing the Viswarupam
I am remembering now all the games of the Lord of Mathura!
The beauty of Madhusudana while blowing His conch shell called Panchajanya
The anger of the wounded Chakrapani while rushing against Bhishma
The deep pain of Dwarakapati for the weeping Radha in Brindavanam
I am remembering now all the words, songs and games of the Lord of Mathura!!