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Gopis
Gopis
Gopis
According to the seventh chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, all manifested world is a
work of prakriti while Krishna is the supreme purusha. What this suggests is that
everything in this world is an expression of the feminine creative principle. The
scriptures further define a woman as "one who fears." Thus, only one who has no
fear is a purusha. All of us have numerous fears hounding our lives, the most
intense of which is the fear of death. Therefore, it remains firmly established that
the only true male in this world is Krishna, while the rest all are females.
The objective of human life is to kindle in the heart loving devotion towards god. The
nature of this affection is exclusive, that is, excluding the entire world, all our
attachment needs to be directed to the feet of god. The Gita says:
The Supreme Purusha is attainable by exclusive devotion to him alone. (8.22)
Surya Namaskara
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Love is a lamp lighted inside the temple of the heart. Till the gate of the mouth is
closed it burns uninterrupted inside. However, once the mouth opens and the
outside air enters, it flickers and dies out. A love exposed requires much more care
to sustain than one kept secret. People of the world are not firmly established in any
one position. When they see you secure in love in one place, they get together to
shake it, trying to make it as shaky as they themselves are.
The love of the gopis with Krishna does not belong to the parks, or to the streets.
Therefore, if you want to keep your love intact, dont embrace at the Times Square
in front of a thousand eyes. Leave it for those sacred moments when you are alone.
Yashoda Krishna
Resolution: A mother, though extremely fond of her son, reserves priority for her
husband, and, if having more than one offspring, her affection is not exclusive as
mentioned above.
Also, there always will remain a thick curtain of modesty between a mother and
child, preventing a union without any inhibiting screen between the two.
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Indeed, no man and woman can get intimately intimate without first standing
undraped to each others gaze, even a mother cannot feed her child before revealing
her breast to him, nor can a husband and wife reach the peak of their affection
without first removing all screens concealing one body from the other.
Like
Krishna
who
divested gopis of their
clothes
and
exposed
them fully to his gaze, a
devotee in his home too
indulges
his
god,
undraping him and then
draping him in his choice
of clothes. Here it is the
creative power of love
transforming a piece of
stone into god.
Radhey Shyam
Objection: We can meditate on Vishnu Lakshmi or Rama and Sita as couples; why
meditate on the gopis games with Krishna, especially since their relationship in
formal terms remains ambiguous?
Resolution:
No
doubt
Goddess Lakshmi loves Lord
Vishnu very much; however,
he is somewhat of an
indifferent recluse and does
not assert his authority nor
expresses
any
possessiveness towards her.
The initiative is totally hers in
their relationship and even as
she tenderly presses his feet
with affection he dozes off in
his yoga nidra.
Shesha Shayi Vishnu
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Krishna then turned around, and to catch her attention, walked slowly in front of her
with a slow and dance-like gait (thumak), moving as if to the rhythm of his anklets.
When that did not work, he coughed a little which too was not sufficient to make her
raise her eyes. He then threw a small pebble at her and started playing a melodious
tune on his flute. Who could resist it? Her eyes met his and the bond which grants
one everlasting freedom was established.
Lord Krishna as
Shyam (Black) Sundar
(Beauty)
Gopi One Who Has Married off All Her Senses to Krishna
The eyes of the gopis are married to Krishna. Indeed, our eyes cannot have anybody
else as their lord.
Objection: You say that eyes are wedded to Krishna, but they go (like prostitutes),
to whatever attracts their attraction. Similarly do our ears go wherever they hear a
favorable sound. Thus, our sense organs do not have a single constant husband they
feel attracted towards.
Resolution: It is a common experience that when we see a beautiful form it churns
our mind enough to render us sleepless in the night. Meaning that our senses are
unable to "sleep" with their object of interest. However, when the same senses leave
the outside object, only then can they peacefully go to sleep with the Supreme
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Purusha resting within each of us. Thus like a wife who can only sleep with her true
husband, the sense organs too find rest only with our inner being.
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There are many aspects which make it amply clear that the lords sport with the
gopis is something beyond the physical. Some of these are:
2). When Krishna wanted to dance with the gopis (rasa lila), he let forth from his
flute a sweet melody. Hearing this music the gopis lost all external consciousness,
left whatever they were doing and rushed out to meet Krishna. One such gopi was
applying cow dung paste to the walls of her house. She too ran without even
bothering to wipe her hands. Would a woman desiring physical union with her lover
go in this state to meet him?
3). The gopis were intimate enough with Krishna to ask for the "nectar of his lips."
(Shrimad Bhagavata Purana 10.31.14). This demand however is loaded with
philosophical symbolism. The Sanskrit word here is a-dhara-amrit. The word dhara
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means the earth and the prefix a negates it, i.e. what the gopis were asking for
was a heavenly nectar, which did not belong to this world.
4). There have been innumerable instances of individuals, who, having studied the
gopis love with Lord Krishna, have given up their homes, becoming ascetics
wandering freely around the world, meditating solely on the gods lila. Is it possible
for a worldly tale made up of luscious physical love to have this kind of an effect?
Conclusion:
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