11 Feb 2005
[I received a letter from Shri. Krushnanad Baba who is the Inspector General of Police. He loves Lord Krishna and feels that he is the wife of Lord Krishna. He wears the ornaments etc. for the sake of the Lord. Can you please explain about his case?]
Sage Durvasa was very powerful and furious and He was reborn as Radha. Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa stayed in Brindavanam for one month decorating Himself with a sari and ornaments and felt that He was one of the lovers of Lord Krishna. The sages requested Lord Rama to allow them to embrace Him by turning themselves into ladies through the power of penance. But Rama did not agree to this. He asked them to be born as Gopikas [milkmaids] in the next birth. The reason is that one’s masculine egoism will not vanish unless one is born as a female. All human beings, whether males or females are actually females in essence and are also the wives of the Lord as said in the Veda (Striyah Sateeh Pumsa ahuh). In the Gita it is told that the soul is also a part of nature or creation or Prakriti and is called as Para Prakriti. Prakriti is considered as female and the Lord is considered as male (Purushah). The Veda says that the Lord is the only male (Atha Purushohavai Narayanah). Meera asked Tulasidas whether there is any male among human beings. She considered Lord Krishna as the only male. The ultimate idea in this point is the removal of masculine egoism. The sages had the three types of egoism.
To get rid of these three types of egoism they were born as illiterate non-Brahmin females called as Gopikas. Therefore, it is not the question of the gross body, which may be male or female. There is no difference in the gross bodies of a male and a female except for some organs. The inner subtle body and the inner most casual body are exactly the same in both. Even in gross bodies there is no essential difference since they are both made of the basic five elements. There is no importance of the act of sex between a male and female because it is only a physical abrasion of the skin and muscles of the external gross bodies as said in the Gita (Eehi Samsparsajaah Bhogaah…). Thus sex is only an inert process between two inert bodies and has no significance in the spiritual field.
Being born as a female is only to remove the masculine egoism and not to have sex with the Lord. However, the sages took the female births and interacted with the Lord with their bodies too. This desire of theirs was personal but not essential. Such interaction is called as ‘Sweet Devotion’ (Madhura Bhakti). When such desire exists, the devotee will get a female birth and will certainly become the beloved of the Lord. The Lord just responds to the desire of the devotees and He Himself does not have any desire as said in the Veda (Apta Kaamasya Kaa Sprihaa). He is the ocean of bliss and does not require happiness from external agencies. The fire itself is hot and does not require heating from outside. The Love of the Lord takes the same colour of the love of the devotee to satisfy the devotee and this is not needed for the Lord because He is always in a satisfied state as said in the Gita (Name Karmaphale Sprihaa, Naanavaaptamavaaptavyam). The Lord has attained everything because everything is in Him alone. There is nothing for Him to attain from outside.
If egoism is removed, there is no need of these external agencies. Of course for the beginners the external agency affects the internal psychology. If you can get rid of these three types of egoism, you can be liberated even if you belong to the higher caste and even if you are a male scholar. The internal meaning should be taken. The ancient sages established the traditional domination of male over female only to indicate the concept of how an individual soul should submit to the Lord as its husband. The male stands for the Lord and the female stands for the individual soul. This does not mean that every male human being is the Lord and the female human being is the only an individual soul. Both males and females are individual souls in essence.
In a drama two girls acted. One acted as Rama and the other acted as Sita. The domination of Rama and the submission of Sita indicate the domination of the Lord and the submission of the devotee. It does not mean the domination of one girl over the other girl. If this secret is understood every man will loose his masculine egoism and will treat every female member as equal to him. The final birth to get salvation must be that of an illiterate non-Brahmin female. The inner meaning of this statement is that final salvation is given only when the egoism of male, caste and knowledge vanishes. The meaning should not be taken literally. Shri Rama Krishna Paramahamsa got salvation directly even though He was a male, since He lost His masculine egoism completely. Therefore, one should try for the internal spiritual effort and need not attach any importance to the external agencies in the advanced stage of spirituality.
Whenever we think of Lord Krishna and the Gopikas, we only think of the sexual relationship between them. We have a wrong notion that the sexual relationship is the highest form of love. If that is so then why did Buddha leave His wife and why did Meera leave her husband for the sake of the Lord? Sex is only one of several forms of love. Among the Gopikas who got the highest abode (Goloka), some loved Lord Krishna as their son, some loved Him as a brother and some loved Him as their husband. The Lord does not consider the form of the love but estimates the intensity or the quantity of love. There may be shapes of parrots, swans or even donkeys molded out of sugar. Whatever may be the form, the price depends on the weight of the sugar in the form. A lady devotee, Kubja developed lust on Lord Krishna. Krishna satisfied her, sleeping with her for one night in the Mathura town. Kubja was not given Goloka. She had lust but not love for the Lord. Lust is related to simply the physical form. Love is related to the total personality. One day the finger of Lord Krishna was cut when He was eating sugarcane. All the wives ran here and there in search of a piece of cloth for tying a bandage. But Draupadi, who loved Lord Krishna as her brother, tore her expensive sari and bandaged the finger. The love of the sister excelled the love of the wives. Therefore, it is not the form of the bond but it is the weight of the bond that matters for the Lord.
All the Gopikas who had different types of bonds with Lord Krishna became mad after the departure of Lord Krishna from Brindavanam. Not only Radha who had the sexual relationship, but also Yasoda who nourished Lord Krishna as a mother became mad after His departure. Both Yasoda and Radha reached Goloka because their intensity of love was equal. Therefore, one should love God by cutting all the worldly bonds and must be prepared even to sacrifice one’s life for the sake of the Lord like Prahlada. Jesus said that he who does not leave his wife, children, wealth and even life for His sake is not His beloved disciple. This refers to any human being, whether male or female. The extent of sacrifice of these worldly bonds, indirectly gives a measure of the intensity of the bond with God. The more you are attached to God, the more you will be detached from the world. Therefore, the form of the bond with Lord Krishna is not important but the intensity of love for Lord Krishna, which is measured by your ability to sacrifice the world, is important. No particular form of bond with the Lord is the invariable path to the Lord. Other forms of bonds are also alternative ways to reach the same goal. All the paths are parallel to each other and it is like a running race of different candidates. The speed in running is important and not the path assigned to him. I am neither encouraging nor discouraging the path because it is purely of personal taste. But the success depends on the intensity and vigour in the love to the Lord.