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Shri Hari
Dear Basheshur,
With love, Jai Shri Hari.
Shri Jada Bharata, the royal sage lifted the fawn out of compassion, took it to his ashrama and fed it with tender grass, protecting it from wild beasts. Soon he grew fondly attached and feared harm to his pet. Eventually he died and was born as a deer in his next birth.
A knowledgeable devotee like Shri Jada Bharata also got deluded by worldly attachment. The Vedic Scriptures affirm that a man is born as what he concentrates upon at the time of death, in his next birth. Thus wise men advise us to constantly focus on the Supreme Being so that we attain Vaikuntha after death. Because of his tapas the deer that was Bharata, could remember its past by the Lord's grace. Even on acquiring the body of a deer his knowledge and memory were intact. Later born as a human, he headed speedily towards his goal and obtained union with the divine.
Merciful pity sounds great since it is a great virtue but is forbidden for renunciation; hampering union of the individual soul with the Lord. Mankind whose perennial quest is for a divine and transcendental love should not get engrossed in acts prescribed by religion.Therefore at the end of the 'Bhagwad Gita' Lord Krishna has endorsed the abandoning of religious and social obligations which a devout Hindu is required to fulfil. They are a hindrance to Bhagvat Smarana or a concentrated internal practice of imaginative recollection by living through the countless playful legends of Radha and Krishna.
Once Maharajji related that a disciple having renounced the world lived next to a great saint of Vraja and did bhajan. Observing the plight of thirsty travellers in the searing heat, he kept earthen water pots of cold water for them. Soon enough, hordes of people thronged the place, leaving no time for him to worship and sing the Lord's glories. The saint watched the scenario for some days and eventually admonished the disciple. Had he come for union with the divine or to do meritorious acts? He must go back home if gathering virtues was his objective.
The cry of the enraptured soul for oneness with God is supreme and whosoever is an obstacle on this path should be uprooted. We awaken to a world of enlightenment with the episode of Jada Bharata; even after such aloofness from the mundane it does not take long for affectionate bonding to crop up.
"When will God take us under his shelter?" you ask. Your question is evidence enough that he already has. Only a person whom he blesses, ardently longs for his protection. The Supreme Being is very compassionate and is drawn towards a mortal who otherwise does not have the ability to move towards him. But a longing for union with God is essential and some effort should certainly be made in this direction.
"God is our own!" but we are not convinced of this truth. It is not certain that we can attain him by striving towards him. But a deliberate attempt must be made since it tenderly purifies our thoughts; never arrogant about our enterprise lest it vanishes.Shri Hari manifests in a pious mindset soon enough, precisely as we can see our face clearly in a spotless mirror.
"Beware, don't get involved in worldliness on the plea of serving your mother!" These are memorable lines. Several times we end up erecting a bhavan of worldly joys on the spiritual plane. Terming our actions as attending to the needs of the Lord, we often satiate our earthly desires. At the slightest negligence, the temporal plane takes over.
Listen to a weird incident. " Once a saint had great regard for the Bhagwad Gita. He reared a cat to protect the holy scripture from rats; brought a cow for the cat's milk. One fine day he got married so that his wife could look after the cow. Soon enough he was involved in a domestic household." The episode endorses that on the pretext of doing our duties and taking God's name, we are often ensnared in the web of illusion. Basheshur, never forget to japa the mala (to tell one's beads to perform devotions).
Gopal Krishna
Once darling Gopala (an epithet of Lord Krishna, the protector of cows) woke up at night and insisted' "Mother I will eat dry fruits and right now." Nonplussed, she reasoned,"Lala! From where can I get mewa at midnight, wait till the morning." The Lord persisted," Maiya I have a craving at the moment. If you allow, I can go get it knowing where it is stashed." She very well know his stubborn nature and gave in, asking him to come back soon.
Getting her permission, Gopalji fled and returned shortly with a handful of mewa. On the other hand, Poddarji's wife saw lots of dry fruit strewn on her bed in the morning which Gopalji had purposely scattered having taken out the goodies from her locked cupboard. Seeing the scenarion, Poddarji at once figured out that it was the naughty prank of Gopala, the son of Yashodha; which was later confirmed by the mother.
With love,
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