KARTAVYA      SHIKSHA   TATHA   VAIRAGYA   PAREEKSHA

                   

(INSTRUCTIONS   FOR   DUTIES  TO BE PERFORMED 

             &  THE  EXAMINATION  OF THE EXTENT  OF RENUNCIATION)

                  From the  Book LEKH aur UPDESH

             Based on the Pravachan   By Swami Gangeshwaranandji  on 27/8/1938

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prabhu Shri Krishna was ready to speak to the Gopis when they came near Him after  being attracted  by the  melody  of the flute.

The best  among  all speakers—Shri Krishna , spoke  in a manner as if  welcoming  guests  who have come home.

This sets the example   of ‘atithi  seva’.

Shri Krishna says in the Bhagwat 10,29,18 —

“ Oh lucky Gopis ! I welcome you. How can I serve you? Is everything alright in Brij? Please  tell me the reason  for your arrival here. Oh fortunate Gopis you have come to me and I welcome you . What do you desire most?”

Gopis seemed a little scared  and this worried  Shri Krishna. The Lord has given such wonderful  instructions here!

The Lord instructs  that one should  greet a  visitor with sweet  words—‘madhur  shabd’.  Ask the visitor about his welfare and that of the others at home.

By asking  the welfare of Brij  the Lord instructs  us that we should always  be concerned  about the welfare of the country.

Shri Krishna tells us about the duties  of a king . Even though He was a Prince He was concerned about the welfare of the ordinary Gopis. A king should always care for the welfare of the most ordinary  man otherwise he does not deserve to be called a king.

Nowadays the kings feel it to be a great trouble to be concerned  about the people . Such Kings suck the blood of their people and try and make themselves immortal. The sighs of the unhappy  reach the skies but yet such kings pay no attention to the grief of their people.

Our Lord was not like that , seeing the Gopis He immediately asked about their welfare . Has anyone attacked our  motherland? Is anyone troubling or interfering with our brethren?  Oh! Gopis is their any personal problem or is it a social problem?

Does anyone ask about the welfare in such detail these days?

He further adds very beautifully –“Oh! Gopis if you have come to me with any desire or  _kaam bhavana, than let me tell you that these desires will vanish when you are near me! My form  is such that  anyone can be released from desires. Tell me what can I do for you?”

In the Bhagwat 10,29,19 the Lord says –“ Oh! Gopis , nights are scary  and this forest is also very scary as many wild animals live here. There are cheetahs etc moving around here. It is not proper for ladies to be alone here at night. “ ( ladies are called weak—‘abala’ here).

“Please return to Brij “.

The Lord uses the word  ‘su madhya’ here in the above quote from the Bhagwat. This does not indicate  a slender waist that normally poets  use  this word for.

He means to say that three kinds of people come to the forest.

The satvik ones are the yogis wandering  who are able to tame the wild animals by merely looking at them.

The Tamasic ones use weapons to kill and silence these wild animals.

You(Gopis) are of the middle order—Rajasic.

The word ‘su—madhyam’ denotes the middle order.

Here the Lord indicates that when a ‘Jignyasu’—a seeker , approaches a Guru , then the Guru deliberately puts many obstacles and hurdles in his way. This is done for examining the disciple.

If the student is adamant and fearless in spite of the obstacles the Guru accepts him and gives deeksha.

Shri Krishna is testing the Gopis here. If they are brave and not fazed by the obstacles than they will be confirmed as true devotees, and true renunciates. They will be proved fearless.

Another point that is illustrated here is that Rasleela is the way to ‘Nivritti Marg’—the path of renunciation. There is not an iota of desire here.

Shridharji ,the great commentator of the Bhagwat says that there was no lust in Shri Krishna and that is why He asks the Gopis to return back to their homes. Do we find such men these days who will advice the women to go back even if they have their privacy?

The setting of the full moon night was perfect as it can get the heart to throb , and also there was  quietude in  the forest and yet Shri Krishna asks them to return home. Only a Yogi Raj could say that.

The word –‘aghora  rupa’ could mean that the night is lovely and that there is no fear  of animals. It is quiet and there is solitude which is an appropriate place to practice yoga,

Thus the words have a dual meaning and it depends on the person to interpret it anyway.

If the Gopis were on the ‘Pravitti Marg’ then they would read that as an invitation by Shri Krishna. Words are interpreted based on the underlying emotions that are there in a person.

One day a wrestler , a muslim and a mahatma were going somewhere. They heard a partridge speak and they asked each other what the bird was saying. The wrestler spoke in the language that he understood and said—

“ Dand Mudgar  Kasrat”

The muslim said the bird is saying –“ Subhan –teri  kudrat  !”.

The Mahatma said the bird is saying—“ Seeta Rama Dasarath”

This proves that the interpretation of words are reflected  by the feelings that are inherent in  us.

The Lord tries to scare the Gopis by using the word –‘Ghora’( dark).

How can a full moon night be dark?

This word indicates that for a lady who is chaste the full moon night is dark because she has the fear of being attacked by lustful men as the full moon increases lust in men.

The Lord uses strong words to make the Gopis fearful but they were not scared. Shri Krishna thought that perhaps the Gopis were afraid of their husbands even though they loved them.

The Lord tried to invoke the  emotion of attachment in them –Bhagwat 10,29,20 –“Gopis , do not trouble your relatives.  Maybe your mother father son or husband are searching for you. The mother who kept you in her womb for nine months with great discomfort and the father that brought you up with the sweat of hard work and your young children will be crying from hunger. Do not trouble your brothers and other relatives.” ( Bhagwat 10.29,21)

“You have already seen the forest in all its glory and also the full moon. The breeze that has touched the cool water of Yamuna river has embraced you. Now do not delay further and go home.” ( Bhagwat 10,29,22).

“Return to Brij immediately and do not delay. You all are sati savitris

( faithful to  husbands) so  go back. The calves of your cows are crying and also your children are crying . Go feed them milk to the children  and also milk the cows.”

Gopis have come at the feet of the Lord but the He seems to  tell them that it is wrong .

He knows that it is wrong to be harsh to the devotees and so He uses sweet  words .

It is good etiquette to use sweet words when you are opposing some one and not to use humiliating words.

One should agree with the other’s viewpoint and then gently put forth ones own view point also .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bhagwat 10,29,23–

 I know you all have come here due to the love for me as all the people in the world love me and are happy to see me.

I know you are here due to the love- ‘Anuraag’ that you have for me. Everyone likes one’s own self and wants to be happy rich , immortal, progressive and famous . If one can have such thoughts for one’s own self then it can be easy to have similar thoughts for me says the Lord because there is no difference between the Atma and the Paramatma.

All living beings love me and just as the wave is not separate from the ocean the living being is not separate from me.

Whenever there is a glimpse of joy the relationship is made. Remember you would be torturing your own heart by having tremendous love for me says the Lord.

Even a single nail can cause tremendous pain and several nails could make the pain unbearable.

In your town you may have seen many people meet their death and perhaps you may  not have  been affected by their death but for those to whom you are related their death is unbearable.

The Lord explains to the Gopis that it is alright to come to me by breaking all ties with loved ones because this helps in crossing the ocean of samsara. My association gives joy and comes naturally to everyone.

All living beings are my creation –my ‘santaan’. They all thrive under the rules laid by me. Shrutis and Smritis are the books of law by me and those who trespass these laws can be thrown into hell  ‘narak’. They will attain pain and I have made these laws keeping in mind the welfare of the beings and not for myself. Similarly the king makes laws and punishes the guilty.

I have made the laws of the Smritis and Shrutis keeping in mind the welfare of the people so that they live within the means of  decorum.

Gopis you have crossed my laws . Your husbands are my sons and I have laid down the law to serve the husbands . You have come to serve me and that is incorrect.

A king sends his servant to the garden to play with his child but the servant abandons the child and comes to serve the king instead. The king is unhappy about this . Similarly the Gopis were responsibe for serving their families and they had disobeyed the Lord.

Now just reflect.

The main seva is the service of the King but the King is displeased about it. I have made the following laws for women—Bhagwat 10,29,24.

To serve their husbands is the dharma of women and they should do this unselfishly. It should be done from the heart and not due to pressure of society. Artificial emotions are sins and love for the husband can give mukti. A husband is the devta for the woman. A lady should hold the family together . Sometimes they feed their husbands well and not their brother in laws. This leads to friction in the house. A devout woman serves everyone equally. She should treat the children of her sister in law as her own .

This makes love flow in the family and that makes  Lakshmi flow in the house.  A woman therefore is called Gryah Lakshmi ( the abundance of the house).

Nowadays the reverse is happening in homes. They break up the homes and those brothers who were formally attached to each other become opponents.

Once in Amritsar a gentleman came to me and expressed his remorse at the world. He was fed up of the friction at home. At that time his brothers and their wives came  and I explained—“If the brothers seem to be having some enimity then it is your duty to bind them together with your excellent behavior. Do not break the existing bond.”

Similarly the Lord tells the Gopis –“ Ladies are by nature a blessing so how then have you brought grief   to your family? Your husbands are waiting for you and worrying about you . Your children must be crying .Normally you feed butter to them and their laughter pervaded Brij. Now there is grief .You are guilty of making my Brij a place of sadness . You should be punished for this.”

In this manner the Lord dissuades the Gopis but when they give their opinion on this matter the Lord will be silent. A good lawyer makes the judge silent and is unable to penalize.