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Editorial

Para Bhakti: Supreme Devotion

We celebrate the birthday of Lord Sri Krishna, the Paripoorna Avatar (Descent of the Lord with all 16 divine attributes), on August 26, 2024. God has no birth or death, no beginning or end. That is why our beloved Swami, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, says that the true birthday of Lord Krishna is the day we experience His divine love. Lord Krishna is the embodiment of love, and so, His birthday is the day when divine love is born in our hearts. The sole aim of human birth is to realize our true nature, which is divine love. That is why  Swami says that love is the source, love is the path, and love is the goal.  

According to Bhagavata Purana (the glory and story of Lord Sri Krishna), the fifth goal of life (Purushartha), apart from the main four–Dharma (right conduct), Artha (wealth), Kama (desire), and Moksha (liberation)–is Para Bhakti or supreme devotion. This is love for love’s sake. Para Bhakti is considered equivalent to Jnana (supreme knowledge) by the lovers of God. Let us derive inspiration from a few blessed souls who attained God through Para Bhakti. One of the best ways to enjoy God’s love and glory is by listening to the stories of His love for devotees and the devotees’ love for Him.

The Power of His Stories

This facet is exemplified by the story of the great sage Veda Vyasa. He codified the Vedas and wrote the epic Mahabharata. In fact, the Mahabharata itself contains two great scriptures. The first is the Bhagavad Gita, the conversation between Lord Krishna and princely warrior Arjuna, which is the essence of all the Upanishads. The second is the Vishnu Sahasranama, 1008 names of Lord Vishnu, given by the prominent statesman, devotee, and great hero, Bhishma. Despite writing the great epic Mahabharata, Vyasa was restless, unhappy, and not at peace because, while writing the epic, his mind had to dwell on evil characters like Duryodhana, Dushasana, and Shakuni. This polluted his mind with impure thoughts. That was when he was blessed by a visit from the celestial sage, Narada, who gave him the remedy for his malady. He advised him to write the Bhagavata Purana, the sweet stories of the Lord. This is the elixir for parched hearts, the panacea for all the problems of the world. These stories remove all the impurities from our hearts and elevate us to enjoy divine bliss. 

When the noble king, Parikshit listened to the stories from sage Suka for a week, he was liberated from the cycle of birth and death. The scriptures also speak of the story of king Khatvanga, who contemplated on God with intense love for less than an hour and attained liberation. That is the power of Para Bhakti (supreme devotion). Listening to stories of such bhakti inspires, invokes, and nurtures love for God within us. 

Unmatched Love of The Gopikas

The highest and best example of supreme devotion is set by the Gopikas, the paragons of virtues extolled by all the great masters. They had pure, unsullied, divine love for Lord Sri Krishna. They loved His name, His form, and His sports. Such was their intense love that they lamented that their eyelids were a hindrance because when they blinked, they momentarily lost the darshan of their beloved Krishna!

Swami, in His divine discourses and also in private conversations with devotees, extols the devotion of the Gopikas. Once, Krishna feigned that he was suffering from a headache for which the cure was the application of the dust from the feet of a devotee to his forehead. The celestial sage Narada went on a mission to collect the dust from Krishna’s consorts, Sathyabhama, Rukmini, and others, whom he regarded as great devotees of the Lord. But all of them refused to give the dust from their feet because they considered it sacrilege and sinful to have such dust applied on the Lord’s forehead. Ultimately Narada visited the Gopikas, who did not have the slightest hesitation to offer the dust from their feet if only it would give immediate relief to the Lord, regardless of the potential consequences to themselves. The Gopikas did not discriminate whether it was right or wrong for them to offer the dust from their feet. Their only concern was to give relief to their Lord by any means. They jubilantly declared, “Our entire life is dedicated to Krishna. His joy is our joy.” 

Such was the spirit of oneness with which they offered the dust of their feet, and at that very moment, Krishna was rid of His ailment. By the time Narada reached Krishna, the Lord was beaming with smiles. Krishna told the sage, “You are boasting that you are devotees of the Lord. But none of you have the utterly selfless devotion of the Gopikas.” 

Experiencing such outpourings of love, Narada realized that it was not possible to separate Krishna from the hearts of the Gopikas. It is said that one who knows Brahman becomes Brahman. In the same way, the Gopikas became one with Krishna by knowing Krishna through and through. Narada realized his folly and foolishness, seeing the purity of the love of the Gopikas. 

Experiencing Krishna’s Omnipresence

The Gopikas had realized and experienced the omnipresence of Lord Krishna. When they saw the clouds, they would be reminded of the beautiful complexion of Lord Krishna. When they saw the leafy trees and bushes, they were reminded of the beautiful hairlocks of Lord Krishna. When they saw the creepers embracing the trees, they contemplated their relationship with Lord Krishna. Each of their thoughts, words, and deeds were focused on Lord Krishna and Krishna only. 

Swami speaks particularly about the Gopikas, Suguna and Radha. In those days, there was no electricity. People in the village used to go to the house of Nanda (since he was the chief of the village) and light their oil lamps from the first lamp lit in Nanda’s house. A newlywed daughter-in-law called Suguna once arrived in that village. Her mother-in-law instructed her to go to the house of Nanda and get her lamp lighted from theirs, as was the tradition. When Suguna went to the house of Nanda and lit the lamp, she saw Krishna in that flame. Enchanted by this divine vision, she lost body consciousness. She fixed her gaze on that beautiful form of Lord Krishna in the flame and was lost in bliss. She did not even realize that her fingers had caught fire, having touched the flame as she was lost in total bliss. In the meanwhile, other ladies from the neighboring houses had also arrived to light their own lamps. They were wonderstruck upon witnessing this precarious scene. They noticed that Suguna was not moving away from the flame even though her fingers were burning. Then they realized that she was having a vision of Lord Krishna in that flame. They even sang a song describing the incident, which Swami would sing melodiously. 

The other noteworthy Gopika that Swami speaks about is Radha. Swami has also written a play depicting her devotion, Radha Bhakti, which was enacted by His students. The climax of that play is a story that Swami narrates in many discourses. Before giving up her mortal coil, Radha was sitting on the bank of the sacred river Yamuna and feeling very sad that Krishna was not with her. She intensely prayed to Him to grant her His divine darshan. She sang, “O Krishna, speak to me and fill my heart with bliss. Distill the essence of the Vedas and make the eternal music emanate through your flute, O Krishna.” When she sang like this, Krishna appeared and fulfilled her desire by playing on His flute. While listening to this divine melody, she breathed her last. Her Jeevan Jyothi (life principle) merged with Krishna. Krishna threw the flute away and never touched it again. 

Swami says that the word Radha itself demonstrates the Krishna consciousness in which she always lived. If we repeat the name “RADHA”  rapidly and continuously, we get the next word as “ADHAR” (basis), the next as “DHARA” (ceaseless flow), the next as “ARADH” (worship), and finally back to “RADHA.” From this, we can see that Radha is one for whom the worship of the Lord is the basis of life. One who does this aradhana (adoration) continuously is Radha. One who always has the thought of God is Radha. 

Uddhava Humbled

When Krishna left for Mathura, the Gopikas were languishing in grief, unable to bear the separation from their beloved Lord. They were all the time eagerly looking towards Mathura to see when Krishna would return. To console them, Lord Krishna sent his friend and great devotee, Uddhava, to them. Like in the case of Narada, the stated reason was for the Gopikas to be consoled and educated, but the hidden motive of the Lord was to make Uddhava realize what true devotion is. Uddhava was a great devotee, but he had the subtle pride of knowledge. 

One day, the Gopikas espied a cloud of dust in the distance and thought that Krishna had at last relented and was returning to Gokula. They saw a chariot with a man seated in it. The chariot stopped, but there was no Krishna in it. With their hearts dedicated to the Supreme Lord, the Gopikas were not inclined even to look at the strange visitor, who was none other than Uddhava.

The moment Uddhava got down from the chariot, he started delivering a long exhortation to the Gopikas. “Oh, ye Gopikas! You are ignorant of the shastras (sacred literature). You have no wisdom. Like silly, dumb people, you are pining for Krishna. If you know the shastras, you will realize that Krishna is ever with you. He resides in your very hearts. Instead of taking delight in the Krishna that dwells within you, you are pining for the physical form of Krishna. This is due to your ignorance. I shall teach you the science of Yoga for which Krishna Himself has sent me.”

The Gopikas did not consider it proper to speak directly to a stranger. They adopted an intermediary and addressed a bee to reply to Uddhava. The Gopikas said, “Oh, bee! These words (of Uddhava) are adding fuel to the fire that is burning in us because of our separation from Krishna.” 

Uddhava then held out to the Gopikas the letter Krishna had sent to them and said, “Here is Krishna’s message to you. At least read that.” One Gopika immediately wailed, “We are burning in the fire of agony caused by Krishna’s absence. If we touch His letter, it may be burnt to ashes. We dare not touch it.” Yet another Gopika said, “The tears from our eyes will stain the pearl-like letters in Krishna’s epistle. We cannot endure seeing His message.” Uddhava then said, “At least listen to my message. I shall teach you the knowledge of yoga.” Another Gopika answered, unable to control her grief, “Oh, bee! We have only one mind and that has gone with Krishna to Mathura. If we had four minds, we could turn one to yoga, another to some other subject, and so on. But the only mind we have has been surrendered to Krishna. We have no room for any yoga lessons.”  This message is famously known as Bhramara Geetham (The Song of the Bee). Uddhava was stupefied when he realized the Gopikas’ single-minded devotion to Krishna.

The Lord’s True Instrument

The ‘murali’ or flute of Lord Krishna is an ideal for all devotees to aspire to. It is not only near to Him but also dear to Him. Swami says that we must yearn to not just be ‘near’ to the Lord but also be ‘dear’ to the Lord. Swami says that the flute is always at the Lord’s lips and with Him for three reasons:

1. The flute is straight, without any crookedness. This conveys that one must have harmony of thought, word, and deed. 
2. The flute is completely hollow. This implies that one must not be filled with ego. 
3. The flute is very light. This connotes that one must not be heavy with worldly desires. 

How To Make Krishna My Own?

Lord Krishna had two chief consorts, Satyabhama and Rukmini. In fact, Swami’s grandfather, Kondama Raju, constructed a temple for Satyabhama in the village of Puttaparthi when she appeared to him in a dream, getting drenched in the rain. Satyabhama is known for her intense love for Lord Krishna. But in the beginning, she was very possessive of Lord Krishna and wanted to have him all for herself and be able to control him. She was very beautiful, and she thought that she could use her beauty and wealth to capture Lord Krishna all for herself. Can God be ever bought for money? No! Love alone can capture Him, but Sathyabhama did not recognize this truth. The other consort, Rukmini, was pure and sathwic in nature. She was humble and kind.

Lord Krishna wanted to teach a lesson to Satyabhama. Sage Narada appeared on the scene at this stage, and the matter was placed before him. Narada is the one who imparts wisdom. He decided to stage a small drama. He asked for a big double pan weighing scale to be brought and then invited Krishna to sit on one of the pans and declared that the Lord could be bought for the right price. Krishna, of course, knew very well what Narada was up to and smilingly obliged the sage. Narada then asked Sathyabhama to place gold on the other pan. She was told that if she could match Krishna’s weight in gold, He would be hers completely. Else, she would lose Him forever! Satyabhama kept piling all the gold from her treasury. But lo and behold! No matter how much gold was placed on the other pan, the scale could not be balanced to equal the weight of the Lord. Sathyabhama felt utterly frustrated.

In desperation, she ran up to Rukmini to seek advice, who at that time was engaged in the worship of Tulsi (holy basil). After hearing what Sathyabhama had to say, Rukmini remarked, “God belongs to all and resides in every being as the eternal indweller. No one can have a monopoly on God, nor is it good to even entertain such a desire.” All the gold was then removed from the pan, and Narada now asked Rukmini to try balancing the scale to match Krishna’s weight. Rukmini replied, “O sage, I believe Krishna’s form can be balanced only by His sacred name, and that is what I am going to do.” Narada was not ready to accept such a scheme and said, “The form is visible and tangible, whereas the name is not. I want you to match Krishna’s form with something that has a form.” Rukmini agreed to this suggestion.

She took a Tulsi leaf in her hand and prayed, “O God, You are worshipped with leaf, flower, fruit, and water. If you are truly pleased when You are offered pure love instead of any of these, I pray that You be balanced by Your Name, and then tilt the scale with this Tulsi leaf.” So praying, Rukmini said, “Krishna!” Immediately, the scale balanced, even though one of the pans was empty, because the name of Krishna equals the form of Krishna. Rukmini then placed the Tulsi leaf on the empty pan, and the pan with Krishna went up instantly; the Lord had been more than matched!

This is a valuable lesson on the power of the name of the Lord and the fact that offering even a leaf with love from one’s heart wins the grace and love of the Lord.

Four Lessons from Draupadi’s Devotion

The other example is that of Draupadi, the wife of the Pandavas. She was a lady of noble character. The wicked Kaurava brothers humiliated her in the royal court’s public assembly by trying to disrobe her. There are many lessons to be learned from this single episode. 

The first lesson is that God is our only refuge. In that assembly were many great and valorous elders like Bhishma and Drona, including her own five strong and brave husbands, Dharmaraja, Bheema, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva. But nobody could come to her rescue. That is when Draupadi turned to her beloved Lord Krishna for help, and He provided her with an endless supply of sarees, which the wicked Dushasana was unable to remove to disrobe her. This incident shows that, ultimately, real help comes only from the Lord and not from anyone or anything in this world. That is why Swami would often say that the only friend and the best friend for everyone is God.

The second lesson we learn is that whatever we do for God comes back to us a hundredfold. Once, Lord Krishna cut his finger and needed a bandage. While everyone went looking for a bandage, Draupadi promptly tore her new saree and used it as a bandage for the Lord’s finger. For that little act of spontaneous love, she was rewarded with an unending supply of saree. That is why Swami says that if we take one step toward him, he will take a hundred steps toward us. 

The third lesson we learn concerns the true dwelling place of the Lord. When Draupadi called out to Lord Krishna to come and save her honor, there was a delay in Krishna’s response. When she asked Krishna why he was delayed, Krishna said that he responded as per her thoughts. When she prayed to Krishna to protect her and called out to Him as Dwarakavasi (resident of Dwarka), Brindavana Sanchari (one who wanders in Brindavan), etc, Krishna had to travel all the way from Dwarka and Brindavana, true to the words of her prayers. But when she addressed Him as Hridayavasi (indweller of her heart), He manifested before her that very moment. Where does God live? He lives in your heart. Therefore, there is no use calling Him with the feeling that He dwells somewhere outside. 

In Bhagavad Gita (18.61), Lord Krishna says that he is the indweller of the hearts of all beings. 

The fourth lesson we learn from this incident is about total surrender. When she is being disrobed by the wicked Dushasana, Draupadi tries desperately to hold on to her saree to avoid being disrobed. When all her efforts are of no avail, she realizes that her only recourse is the Lord. At that moment, she lets go of her grip on the saree and raises both her hands in total surrender to the Lord. Upon total surrender, the Lord immediately responds and comes to her rescue to save her honor. Since Draupadi is always absorbed in Krishna consciousness, she is also called Krishnaa. She had pure love for Krishna, and Krishna saved her honor on many occasions.

The Strength Behind Draupadi’s Patience and Forbearance

Once, during the exile of the Pandavas, Sage Durvasa visited their hermitage with thousands of his disciples. He informed the Pandavas that they were going for a bath in a nearby river and would return and have food with them. The Pandavas were gripped by panic and anxiety as to how to provide food to so many guests when they had nothing in the hermitage to serve them. Though they had been blessed by the Akshayapatra (mystic vessel given by the Sun God that provides an inexhaustible supply of food), it would cease to supply food once it had been washed for the day. Unfortunately, the vessel was already used, washed, and put away. Fearing the curse of Sage Durvasa, renowned for his quick temper, Draupadi prayed fervently to Krishna to save them from this embarrassing predicament. Krishna promptly appeared on the scene and asked Draupadi to give Him something to eat. Draupadi replied, “Krishna, if we were living in Hastinapur, I would have certainly given You a sumptuous feast. But alas! We live in a forest living on roots and tubers. In such a situation, what can I offer You?” Krishna told her to look into the vessel, which she had already cleaned, to see if there were any food particles left in it. She did accordingly and found a tiny piece of leaf sticking to the vessel. Krishna ate that leftover leaf. As soon as He did so, the hunger of Durvasa and his disciples was satiated, and they went away without bothering the Pandavas. In this way, Krishna saved the Pandavas from the curse of Durvasa.

All this was possible because of her complete and intense faith in Krishna and devotion to Krishna.

This incident shows that once we please the Lord, everyone is pleased. Always in life, one should work to please the Lord, not worrying about the comments, criticism, or compliments of other people.

It is said that Bhakta (devotee), Bhagawan(God), Bhagavatam (stories of the Lord, and Bhakti (pure love for God) are equally sacred and sanctify our lives. Contemplating the lives of these exemplary devotees is a source of inspiration and nurtures divine love in us.

Even as we celebrate Krishna Janmashtami, let us pray incessantly for that pure, unsullied, and unconditional love for our Lord, Sai Krishna. May we draw inspiration from the Para Bhakti of these stalwart devotees and achieve the ultimate goal of our lives—to merge with Him.

Jai Sai Ram