न वा अरे पुत्राणां कामाय पुत्राः प्रिया भवन्त्यात्मनस्तु कामाय पुत्राः प्रिया भवन्ति।
न वा अरे वित्तस्य कामाय वित्तं प्रियं भवन्त्यात्मनस्तु कामाय वित्तं प्रियं भवति।
न वा अरे सर्वस्य कामाय सर्वं प्रियं भवन्त्यात्मनस्तु कामाय सर्वं प्रियं भवति।
आत्मा वा अरे द्रष्टव्यः श्रोतव्यो मन्तव्यो निदिध्यासितव्यो मैत्रेय्यात्मनो वा अरे दर्शनेन श्रवणेन मत्या विज्ञानेनेदं सर्वं विदितम्॥

Na vā are putrāṇāṃ kāmāya putrāḥ priyā bhavantātmanastu kāmāya putrāḥ priyā bhavanti.
Na vā are vittasya kāmāya vittaṃ priyaṃ bhavantyātmanastu kāmāya vittaṃ priyaṃ bhavati.
Na vā are sarvasya kāmāya sarvaṃ priyaṃ bhavant ātmanastu kāmāya sarvaṃ priyaṃ bhavati.
Ātmā vā are draṣhṭavyaḥ śhrotavyo mantavyo nididhyāsitavyo maitreyyātmano vā are darśhanena śhravaṇena matyā vigyānenedaṃ sarvaṃ viditam.

- Bṛihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 4.5.6.

Yagyavalkya is saying,

“It is not for the sake of the husband that the wife loves him, but for the sake of her own happiness. It is not for the sake of the wife that the wife is dear, but for the sake of the self. It is not for the sake of children that children are dear, but for the sake of the self. It is not for the sake of wealth that wealth is dear, but for the sake of the self.”

Everywhere, everything in the world is loved only because we think it can give us happiness. The fact is, no one can love another person for that person’s happiness and pleasure. This is impossible until we ourselves attain that supreme happiness, which is another name for Shree Krishna.

In other words, until we attain God-realization, nobody can love another person for that person’s happiness and pleasure. Before that, everything we do is only for our own happiness, which is swarth (selfishness). And it’s good. Just understand where to find it. Understand what we have to give happiness to.

So, the person who is striving,

“I can love others. I can give happiness to others. I can fulfill the selfishness of others. I can help others,” is like someone doing shram (hard work) with no fruit.

Take rice, for example. Before you get it in the shop to eat it, it is covered by a husk. You take the rice to the mill, and when it is milled, the husk is taken out, and you get the rice to eat. Somebody takes the husk and says,

“I’m going to get fine rice from that again!”

He starts pounding that husk, thinking,

“I can find rice!”

He will only make it into powder, churan (powder). He will never get rice. So, in the same way, if we keep thinking, “I can make others happy,” when we have not made ourselves happy as yet, this is just hard work without any fruit.

First, we have to find our own happiness. Only after finding our own happiness can we give it to somebody else. We ourselves are beggars. What can we give to another beggar?

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विषया विनिवर्तन्ते …

Viṣhayā vinivartante…

- Gita 2.59 (partial)

“If our mind is attached to the objects of the senses, then it’s just going to develop more and more māyic (related to maya, the material energy) impurity.”

If our mind is dwelling upon māyic things, if our mind is yearning for, hankering for māyic things, then we develop more māyic attachment, and the māyic qualities that we’re trying to cure become more intense.

विषयान् ध्यायतश्चित्तं विषयेषु विषज्जते।
मामनुस्मरतश्चित्तं मय्येव प्रविलीयते॥

Viṣhayān dhyāyataś- chittaṁ viṣhayeṣhu viṣhajjate.
Mām anusmarataśh-chittaṁ mayyeva pravilīyate.

- Bhagwatam 11.14.27

Shree Krishna says, “Engage, indulge your mind in thinking about worldly things, and you’ll take on more māyic impurities. You’ll become more immersed in maya.”

This is what we’ve done since eternity. And this is why our mind is in the state it is in, where we’re unable to control it. We’re unable to make it do what we want, and instead, it makes us do what it wants. हमारा मन हमको नचा डालता है. (Our mind makes us dance according to its tune). So this is the state of our mind. But don’t worry, we’re in good company.

Not only do all of us share these same problems, but even Arjun complained of the same.

चञ्चलं हि मनः कृष्ण प्रमाथि बलवद्दृढम्।
तस्याहं निग्रहं मन्ये वायोरिव सुदुष्करम्॥

Chañchalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛiṣhṇa pramāthi balavad dṛiḍham.
Tasyāhaṁ nigrahaṁ manye vāyor iva suduṣhkaram.

- Gita 6.34

In the Gita, Arjun complained to Shree Krishna, “I can’t control my mind! You tell me to attach it to You!”

That was the second half of the Bhagwatam shloka that I quoted to you. Krishna says,

“If you attach your mind to the world, then you take on more māyic impurity. If you attach it to Me, your mind gets purified.”

So Arjun says, “How can I attach it to You? I can’t control it! I can’t make it do what I want. It would be easier to control the wind than this fickle, powerful mind of mine!”

So Shree Krishna agreed that the mind is difficult to control.

असंशयं महाबाहो मनो दुर्निग्रहं चलम्।
अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय वैराग्येण च गृह्यते॥

Asaṁśhayaṁ mahā-bāho mano durnigrahaṁ chalam.
Abhyāsena tu kaunteya vairāgyeṇa cha gṛihyate.

- Gita 6.35

The mind is ‘durnigrah’a (difficult to control), but not ‘anigraha’ (impossible to control). It’s not impossible.

‘Abhyāsena tu kaunteya vairāgyeṇa cha gṛihyate’. Shree Krishna’s answer to Arjun is the same treatment we’ve come here to receive (at the temple): abhyās (practice).

If we practice correctly - in other words, if we adopt the path of bhakti (devotion) with the guidance and protection of a true Guru (spiritual teacher) - then, with the grace of that Guru, as we follow the path of bhakti prescribed by him, our mind will start to be cured of its māyic illnesses.

So Shree Krishna told Arjun, “Practice.”

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…अव्यर्थकालत्वम्…

…avyartha-kālatvam…

Chaitanya Charitamrit: Madhya 23.18 (partial)

If you have to waste even one minute without remembering God, then you feel like,

“I lost a lot today!”

Like, if you lost even one month’s pay, then you think,

“Oh no! I lost a lot! How will I survive now?”

In the same way, if we are bound to waste one minute without remembrance of God, we feel like,

“I have lost everything.”

And then, virakti (natural detachment). Virakti means,

विरक्तिरिन्द्रियार्थानां स्यादरोचकता स्वयम्।

Viraktir indriyārthānāṁ syād arohcakatā svayam.

- Bhakti Rasāmṛit Sindhu 1.3.30.

It means ‘natural detachment from everything’.

When we have virakti, natural detachment, then if you are given very delicious food, a variety of food, or you are given just roti (flatbread) without any dal (lentils) or vegetable, etc., you are equally happy. You enjoy the variety of food in the same way as you enjoy roti alone, without any vegetable or dal, etc., because you are not eating food. You are eating the prasad (sanctified food offering). It is the prasad of Shree Krishna, the prasad of your Guru.

That’s why everything makes you equally happy. If any problem comes, if any calamity comes in your family, even then you are happy because you are thinking that this is the grace of God.

“He wants to snatch all those things from me to which I am attached! Probably He did it for this reason!”

If you are given a lottery of one billion dollars, even then you are the same way. You are not very happy. You are normal. This is virakti.

Mān-śhūnyatā (absence of pride), when you give respect to everyone without any desire to have respect in return from anyone.

Āśhā-bandh (steadfast hope), meaning your hope to see God is increasing by leaps and bounds.

Samutkaṇṭhā (intense longing), vyākulatā (eagerness),

“I have to see God! I have to see God! When will I see God? I cannot live without Him!”

All these symptoms are bhāv-bhakti (devotion at the stage of spiritual emotion). So we have to check ourselves. Where are we? What are we doing? Where are we? This is the time when the end of the year comes. In fact, according to the philosophy of Shree Maharaj Ji, it is not the time for enjoying. It is the time for thinking and evaluating.

“What is our condition? What did I get? And what do I have to get? If I did not achieve this, if I resolved that I have to achieve all these virtues, all these conditions of devotion, and I could not do so, then repent for it! And resolve again that this year I have to be like that. I have to create these qualities in me as a devotee. I must realize God in this life!”

We have to firmly resolve. This is not the time for laughing.

But here, we are still lucky that we came over here to laugh, dance, or sing only for the service of God. If you are remembering God when you are dancing, when you are singing, when you are eating, if you are doing all that while keeping Shree Maharaj Ji in your mind, keeping Shree Krishna in your mind, then you are increasing your devotion anyway. Then it is good. This is what we have to do.

Lord Krishna said in the Bhagavad Gita,

यत्करोषि यदश्नासि यज्जुहोषि ददासि यत्।
यत्तपस्यसि कौन्तेय तत्कुरुष्व मदर्पणम्।

Yat karoṣhi yad aśhnāsi yaj juhoṣhi dadāsi yat.
Yat tapasyasi kaunteya tat kuruṣhva madarpaṇam.

- Gita 9.27.

Whatever you do (remember God), this is the practice of devotion. This is what we have to do.

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That’s why, firstly, we start the practice of remembering God, attaching our mind to God. All the scriptures and Saints say the same thing: we have to start our practice of devotion by detaching our mind from the material world and attaching it to God. But Shree Maharaj Ji, who was given the title of Jagadguruttam (foremost among the Jagadgurus) after four Jagadgurus, simplified it according to the time.

This is Kali yug (the age of Kali). He knows that the people in this yug are so badly attached to this material world that, if they start with this process that they have to detach their mind from the material world first and then attach it to God,it will take a very, very, very long time. That’s why he says that you don’t have to detach your mind from the material world. Forget it. You cannot do it. Don’t detach your mind from the material world.

Then what should we do? Just attach your mind to God. Think about God. Chant the names, the pastimes, the attributes, etc., of God. Think about His attributes. Think about His pastimes as much as you can. Thus, you attach your mind. You have to practice attaching your mind to God. That’s all. But if our mind is attached to the material world, then how can we attach it? No. If you detach your mind completely, which is not possible without devotion, even if you say,

“Yes, I can detach. I am totally detached from the world!”

Even then, it’s not sufficient. You cannot attain the ultimate goal of life. You cannot attain peace. You cannot attain bliss. But if you attach your mind to God without trying to detach it from the world, then your mind will naturally become detached from the world.

You can understand it very simply. If you leave Austin, you are going to Dallas. You have to go to Dallas. You just leave Austin. If you have gone 50 miles away from here toward Dallas, it means you are 50 miles away from Austin and 50 miles closer to Dallas. When you reach Dallas, then you are totally away from Austin.

In the same way, we have to practice attaching our mind to God. That’s why we have to practice according to the instructions of our Guru (spiritual teacher). As I said yesterday,

तद्विद्धि प्रणिपातेन परिप्रश्न‍ेन सेवया । …

Tad viddhi praṇipāten paripraśnen sevayā …

- Gita 4.34 (partial)

“We have to follow the instructions of our Guru.”

Whatever instructions he gives, we have to follow them. That is sadhana (spiritual practice). And what will this sadhana do? It will purify the mind.

Our purification means anarth nivritti (अनर्थ निवृत्ति) - the removal of unwanted tendencies and obstacles). Anarth nivritti means detachment. When we love God, then naturally we will not love the material world. In the same ratio, our attachment to God will increase, and our attachment to the material world will decrease.

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He has His maya shakti (material power). We don’t belong to that, but He activates maya and keeps it going.

We belong to His jeev shakti. So we are a part of His power, His soul power. That is why we are called His ansh, not because we’re a piece of Him broken off.

Nonetheless, a Ved mantra tells us that we have this sajatya sambandh (relationship of the same kind) with Him. We’re of the same family. He’s a bird, and we’re a bird. He might be the greatest bird of all, and we’re an insignificant bird, but here that’s not being discussed. We’re both birds. We’re both of the same type. So that’s nice to know. We’re just like Shree Krishna. This mantra goes on to tell us that we have a sadheshya sambandh (relationship of sharing the same place) with Shree Krishna as well.

So not only are we His ansh, not only are we a part of His power, and not only are we made substantially, but we’re made of the same stuff He is - sat chit anand (eternal existence, consciousness, and bliss) - but we live in the same place. We are roommates. This ved mantra says these two birds are sitting in the same tree. The tree is our body. Our physical body houses us and Shree Krishna (is there also). We’re side by side. We’re roommates. So that’s nice to know if you think about it.

“I’m never alone. Krishna is in here with me (in my heart) all the time! He’s my flatmate, my roommate.”

But this mantra goes on to say, “Oh no, not just are you roommates!”

The third aspect to our relationship, the first being sajatya meaning we’re of the same type. The second being sadheshya, ‘desh’ means ‘place’. We’re living in the same place. We’re sharing a space like roommates. Sayujya (union), means ‘we live with’ or ‘we’re combined’; we’re in total union.

“I live in Krishna, and He lives in me!”

That’s even closer than being roommates. Where is He?

“He pervades my soul! And where am I? I live inside of Him!”

Where else is there to live? He’s everywhere. This is sayujya sambandh (relationship of union). So we’re so close, not just like roommates living side by side. That’s one aspect of our relationship with Shree Krishna. We’re actually occupying the same space. You can’t do that with anyone else or any other soul. But you and Shree Krishna are occupying the same space. That’s how close you are with Him.

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मन्निमित्तं कृतं पापमपि धर्माय कल्पते।
मामनादृत्य धर्मोऽपि पापं स्यान्मत्प्रभावतः॥

Man-nimittaṁ kṛitaṁ pāpamapi dharmāya kalpate.
Mām anādṛtya dharmo’pi pāpaṁ syān mat-prabhāvataḥ.

- Padma Purana

“If you are remembering Me by heart, then even if you are sitting in a pub or in any dirty place, you are involved in dharm (righteousness).”

If you are lying and you have to come to satsang (spiritual association) but your family members don’t like it, they fight when you go to satsang, so you say,

“I am going to meet a friend.”

It is a lie. But this lie is dharma. This is punya karm (a pious act). But if you are not lying, you are a very truthful person, you are coming to the temple, and you are sitting in front of the deities, but you are thinking about your family, thinking about your business, then you are committing sin!

“I am sitting in the temple.”

So what? What is going on in your heart? What are you remembering in your heart? That is the word. So you are the sinner.

मामनादृत्य धर्मोऽपि…

Māmanādritya dharmo’pi…

(Even dharm performed without regard for Me becomes sinful).

Although you are doing something very good, and other people may say that you are a very dharmic (righteous) person, you are a very nice person, you are a good devotee, but God, who is sitting in the heart, knows what you are thinking. We are sinners. So, in this way, when we do not worship God, our sins are increasing. Every day, they are multiplying. And when our sins are multiplying, then naturally, in the next life, we will suffer more. Then we will perform more sinful acts, and in the next life, we will be more miserable.

That’s why Shree Maharaj Ji says that we should do it fast, try to understand, and remember God. From now on, think about how you never attained bliss in this world. Even animals learn by the trial-and-error method. But we are human beings, rational creatures, and still, we don’t understand. So many times we are deceived by this world. We have seen the real picture of this world so many times, and still we don’t understand.

And we especially are the most blessed people because we got Shree Maharaj Ji as our Guru, and he infused that philosophy into each and every pore of our self. Even the children know the philosophy of Shree Maharaj Ji. We know that. But still, we are not getting detached from that. We are putting it off.

“Yes, I understand. I will do it! I will do it!”

Because we don’t know that the time of death is chasing us (according to Ved our time of death is pre-determined at our birth) every moment; we are going nearer to death.

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“You know, we can’t enter that palace. We’re not qualified yet. We have to reach the status of the Gopis. Then we can become qualified to even hear about Mahārās, what Mahārās really is.”

But he said there’s no harm in just looking around the outside of the palace. You can see what the architecture is like from the outside, how beautiful it looks, where the doors and windows are, and how the gardens surround it. You can’t actually know what’s happening inside the palace, but you can take a little stroll around the outside.

Or, when you’re walking down a street and there’s a garden with tall hedges, you can’t see what’s inside. But you know it must be beautiful because there’s a fragrance, a very deep, subtle fragrance from many different kinds of flowers, wafting out of the garden. So, even though you can’t see the flowers in the garden, you can get some idea of what’s inside. Similarly, we can get some idea by hearing about Mahārās. What is it? Why is it so great? But we can’t really know what it is.

Even in the Bhagwatam, Shukdev Ji didn’t give a full, detailed description of Mahārās because Parikshit kept questioning,

“Okay, how did the Gopis attain the Divine world again? Because many of the Gopis loved Krishna in what seems to be a worldly way. Some of them didn’t even know He was God, and they just loved Him like you would love any boy in this world. And yet they attained the Divine abode. They crossed over maya (the material energy that keeps souls bound to the material world). How is it possible?”

He kept asking questions like this, and Shukdev Ji explained a couple of times that Krishna is Divine. So, if you attach your mind to any Divine personality, you’ll attain the Divine abode. Whether you know that They are Divine or not doesn’t matter. You love Them. You surrender to Them. So, you get the result of attaching your mind to that Divine personality.

He explained it like this a couple of times, but Parikshit kept questioning,

“But He’s meeting with the Gopis in the middle of the night. That’s against dharm (righteous conduct), and Krishna is the founder of dharm, the teacher of dharm. He’s supposed to set the example of what dharm is, and here He’s breaking all the rules of dharm!”

He kept questioning.

So, in the end, Shukdev Ji said, “Okay, I think I’ve explained enough about Mahārās. If he’s just going to keep questioning, then he’s not qualified to hear any more!”

We’re not even near the level of King Parikshit. Our minds are much more polluted with worldly desires than his.

पाँचे भूलै देह सुध, छठे भावना रास की। …

Pāṁche bhūlai deh sudh, chhaṭhe bhāvanā Rās kī …

Swami Haridas Ji says there are different levels of Divine absorption. He says that, at the fifth level, you’re so absorbed that you lose total consciousness of your physical body. Beyond that, at the sixth level, that’s where you’re qualified for Rās (Divine bliss and loving exchange).”

So, imagine, what is our state? Never mind losing consciousness of our body. All we can think about is our body: what our belly wants, what our tongue wants, what our eyes want to see, and what our ears want to hear. We’re so attached to our physical desires. So, we are not nearly qualified, but we are aspiring devotees. We are trying to follow the path of devotion.

So, out of their graciousness, God and the Saints have revealed little glimpses of what Mahārās is.

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A Gopi who heard a lot about Shyamsundar’s beauty, pastimes, attributes, etc., was listening to all the maidens of Braj talking about Shree Krishna. They admired the beauty of Shree Krishna, and they remembered the bewitching smile of Shree Krishna.

She was thinking, “What happened to all of them? Why are they talking so much about the son of Nanda? He is only an ordinary human being like us! He is also a gwala (cowherd). Why are they admiring Him so much?”

She was talking to her intimate friend. The intimate friend said,

“Yes, but I heard that His beauty is very magical. So, if you want to protect yourself, it’s better you don’t go near Him.”

The Gopi said, “Why would I go? I have no relationship with Him. Why would I go?”

“No, suppose He meets you somewhere. Then don’t meet Him!”

“No, no, why would I meet anyone who I see anywhere?”

“But I am giving you one more clue that don’t look at Him. If you see Him by the way, suppose you are going somewhere and He is coming from the other direction on the street, you may see Him by chance, but be careful! Don’t look into His eyes!”

Why? Because the Brajwasis (residents of Braj) say:

श्याम बड़ो छलिया बची रहियो गोरी।
जो कान्हा तोये मारग रोके।
ए घूंगशा नीचे किये रहियो गोरी।

Shyam bado chhaliya bachi rahiyo gori.
Jo kaaha toye maarag roke.
Ae ghoongsha neeche kiye rahiyo gori.

You have to pull your veil tightly. If you see Him by chance, pull it tightly over your face!

“Do not look into His eyes!”

जो गोरी तेरो घूंघट खोले ।
ए नैना नीचे किये रहियो गोरी ।

Jo gori tero ghoonghta khole,
Ae naina neeche kiye rahiyo gori.

“But I heard that He is very naughty! Sometimes He removes the veil as well!”

“If you want to keep yourself safe, then don’t look at Him. If He removes your veil, then keep your eyes lowered. Don’t look toward His face!”

She said, “Okay, I will keep these things in my mind.”

So, she used to go to Yamuna Ji every day to bathe, and she had to fetch water from there as well. Once, she was going to Yamuna Ji, and she took a bath. After that, by chance, she saw that Shree Krishna was also there. So, she looked at Him and thought,

“Everybody says that He is extremely beautiful. Probably they are very weak in character. They get very easily fascinated by someone’s beauty. But my character is very strong. Still, I will keep whatever my friend said to me in mind!”

So, what did she do? She tried to look at Him.

“At least I should see once why they are so enchanted by the beauty of Shree Krishna!”

But she thought, “I should not look toward Him.”

So, she kept that in mind. Then, when she came back from Yamuna, she said to her friend,

“Everything was ruined today! All the plans are ruined!”

“What happened?”

“I was trying to protect myself for a long time, but today something went very wrong!”

“What?”

“He cast a magic spell on me too!”

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So, it’s not favourable talk; It’s not what you do that is favourable like offering prasad (sanctified food), mala (prayer beads), or chanting. It’s not what you practice, but what you think, what your mind thinks. It is very important to note what your mind is thinking, how your mind is thinking. Is it doing anukul chintan and pratikulyasya varjanam?

We are absolutely forbidden by our scriptures, in the words of the Supreme Lord Himself, never ever to engage in adverse thinking. We are forbidden from doing adverse thinking, in other words, thinking unfavourably, of our Divine Beloved God and Guru. Since we don’t see God physically, we only worship Him through the help of the deities, or in our minds, we make a form and try to meditate on that form and think about God. So, the chances of engaging in unfavourable thinking are much, much less. But toward the Guru…

Oh yes, every moment the mind will have some unfavourable thinking in between the favourable thoughts. That’s where we need to be very careful with the Guru. But with the Divine Personality, we need to be doing anukul chintan only.

In the Bhagawad Gita (the sacred song of the Lord), Chapter 4, Verse 34, the Supreme Almighty Lord Krishna Himself, through Arjun, is revealing this secret, telling the entire world, all of us, about the practice of our sadhana (spiritual practice).

It begins with guru sharanagati (surrender to the Guru). We have to be very careful when it comes to the spiritual master, the Sadguru (true spiritual master), and always maintain anukul chintan. Because all the work will only be done in the spiritual phenomenon by the Guru, right from the beginning to the end.

तद्विद्धि प्रणिपातेन परिप्रश्नेन सेवया।
उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं ज्ञानिनस्तत्त्वदर्शिनः॥

Tad viddhi praṇipāten paripraśhnen sevayā.
Upadekṣhyanti te gyānaṁ gyāninas tattva-darśhinaḥ.

- Bhagawad Gita 4.34

The Supreme Guru, who is a God-realized Saint, the Guru who is a God-realized personality, remember, not just any Guru you choose and take. The personality has to be Divine whom we accept as our Guru.

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Like Shree Maharaj Ji was saying the other day when was delivering a lecture when satsang (spiritual association) was going on. This one person would get up, go out, and then come back and sit and listen. A very good devotee, but (he had) a very bad habit, a very bad attachment. Again, he would get up, go out, and come back.

So Maharaj Ji said, “What is he doing? Every time I see him…”

So one day, Maharaj Ji followed him. So when Maharaj Ji had finally given the talk and got up to go back to his room, that was the time this person actually was rather thinking of taking a longer time. So the devotee stood up, he got up quickly, and as Maharaj Ji had gone one way, the devotee went the other way. Maharaj Ji then turned around. He didn’t have to turn around, but he just turned around, and saw the devotee going there. The person didn’t see Maharaj Ji seeing him, and Maharaj Ji immediately went and followed him. The devotee had a packet of cigarettes in his front pocket, and that’s what he was doing. He was a chain smoker. He just couldn’t stop it. He was such a good devotee, but (he had) this attachment to cigarettes. Yes, tea, cigarettes, alcohol - these things create attachment. Just imagine! They take power over our mind when the mind is the most powerful tool that God has given us. And the key to the mind is in our hands, not even in God’s hands. Which way we switch it on or switch it off is up to us. And we just let it go (under the power of the attachment) like that, and then we become slaves.

So, Maharaj Ji took the packet out and took all the cigarettes. There was a match and he lit it and put it in his mouth! Maharaji put it in his mouth, and lit it all! And it kept on burning until it started burning Maharaji’s lips. And that devotee started crying like anything. He fell at the feet of Shree Maharaj Ji, and he vowed and made a pledge. He promised Shree Maharaj Ji that from today onwards, he was not going to do this.

The Guru has to do all that to teach us a lesson. So much the Guru has to go through to get this mind of ours engaged, involved, and attached to God and to the Divine Saints, to themselves, to the Guru Himself, so that we can continuously remember our Divine Beloved Lord. Our mind may continuously seek to drink that Divine nectar rather than these material, pleasure-giving, sensual, temporary things that are going to totally destroy us anyway one day.

So sadhana or remembrance is the key word.

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All the queens were trying their best, giving all kinds of herbs, all kinds of medicines, but He was not having any comfort. Then, Narad Ji came over there, and he asked,

“What’s the matter”?

And then, when he came to know that Shree Krishna is having a headache, he smiled.

“How can He have the headache? We have headaches because we have so many worries. What worries does He have? That’s why this pain is made by Himself! There should be some reason. There should be some leela (Divine pastime) of Shree Krishna!”

Then he went to Shree Krishna, and he asked, “I know this pain is created by Yourself, so tell me, what is the medicine? What do You want?”

Then He said, “If you bring the foot dust of any devotee who loves Me and let Me smear it on My forehead, then I will be okay!”

First of all, Narad Ji thought, “Why should I not do that? I am also a devotee! I love Shree Krishna!”

He was going to do it, but he said, “No, no, no! I should be away from this matter. I don’t know what His leela is! Once, He has given Me the face of a monkey. Now I don’t know what His leela is right now, so I should be away from this!”

Then he went to all the queens. They said,

“Narad Ji, what happened to you? He is our husband! An ordinary lady will not give her foot dust for her husband, and you are asking us for Shree Krishna? Are you okay? If you ask for our life, we can give life to Shree Krishna, but not the foot dust!”

Then he went everywhere, to all the great Paramahamsas (greatly realized Saints), yogis (spiritual practitioners), Indra, munis (sages), everyone who was claiming that Shree Krishna is my ishtadev (the Supreme Lord), that we love Him, and that we sacrifice our life for Him. They all denied, and all of them said that we can give our life for Shree Krishna, but not the foot dust to apply on the forehead!

He came back and he asked Shree Krishna, “I went everywhere.”

Narad Ji is called abadhagati, meaning he has to just resolve (traverse). Only by resolving, he can reach anytime within no time. So he came back to Shree Krishna and he asked,

“I went everywhere, but I couldn’t get Your medicine! You tell me, where is Your pharmacy? Where can I get it?”

Then He said, “Did you go to Braj?”

“No, I didn’t go there.”

“Go there.”

“When all these queens did not give, the Brajwasis (residents of Braj) are uneducated, uncivilized. How would they understand anything?”

“You know, just try. Go.”

Then he went, and when the Gopis came to know that Narad Ji is coming from Shree Krishna, they immediately surrounded Narad Ji and asked,

“How is Shree Krishna?”

Everybody was asking, “How is Shree Krishna?”

And he said with a sad face, “He is not well at this time because He is having a headache.”

“Oh, Narad Ji, then what are you doing here? You should go and bring some medicine immediately for Him.”

He said, “I came here for the medicine only.”

“Here for medicine? Yes, what medicine?”

“He wants the foot dust of any of His devotees to smear on His forehead. If you can give, then He will be okay.”

The Gopis said, “Only this thing? Take as much as you can!”

All the Gopis were ready to give foot dust.

“Take, Narad, as much as you want and go immediately, as soon as it is possible!”

Narad was stunned. “Gopis, what are you doing? Do you know that you are giving your foot dust to Shree Krishna? You know about Him? Who is He?”

“Narad Ji, this is not the time of argument. You just go, because He is having pain. You go! You want to say that Shree Krishna is His Divine Personality, is God, and if we give our foot dust to apply on the forehead, then we will go to hell? This is what you want to say?”

“Yes, you will go to Raurav Narak (a dreadful hell), the worst one!”

Then the Gopis smiled and said, “Narad Ji, if He gets comfort, if He is happy with this foot dust, then we don’t mind going to hell! We have been many times!”

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However, “jin vishayan dunubhavatā dusah dukh” (from the very objects of the senses, we experience unbearable suffering).

Although we’re being subjected to unimaginable suffering from the very things that we expect to give us happiness, the very people and objects that we hope to gain happiness from are constantly causing disillusionment, disappointment, and suffering. Either they don’t live up to our expectations or, like everything in this world, which is temporary, we eventually lose them. Even though we’re subjected to so much suffering from these very places, people, and things from which we seek happiness, yet we don’t develop detachment from the world.

We don’t develop even a little bit of detachment from this world. We keep going back to the same place over and over. “I didn’t get happiness from this thing yet, but today I’m going to enjoy this thing again, and I’ll enjoy it so much that I’ll get real happiness from it.”

“Oh, it didn’t work. Let me try again.”

We never give up. We never lose hope in the world. If we started to feel,

“No, this world is not giving me happiness. I’m getting suffering. I’m getting disappointment over and over from this world. There must be something better! Let me look toward God,”

If the soul starts thinking like this, it is called vairagya or virag (detachment). It means their mind is starting to turn away from the world and toward God. At least there’s a little bit of an opening for the saint now.

So, when the Saints come into this world and start telling us that there’s a Divine state of perfect happiness beyond all suffering, there’s some part of us that’s open to hearing that, and we feel,

“Yes, this is something I want.! This is what I’ve been longing for!”

But where there’s no vairagya from the world, there’s no openness. As I was saying, we’re running with everybody else at full speed, and the Saints are yelling,

“You’re going the wrong way! What you want is that way. I’m not telling you not to desire happiness. I’m saying there’s no happiness that way. It’s that way!”

And we say, “I have no time to listen to your sermon. I’m just running, too busy running in the wrong direction to listen to the one who’s telling us that that’s the wrong direction.”

So, this is what the Saints face. The souls don’t have enough vairagya to be open to listening to them. Now, there are some souls, very few, who because of the repeated beatings we receive from maya (the material energy that keeps souls bound to the material world), do develop a little bit of vairagya. So, maya and the Saints work in tandem.

Maharaj Ji has explained to us that the Saints teach us lovingly. They lovingly explain to us the philosophy and the path. But if we don’t listen to them, then our other teacher, maya, takes over. And maya is the disciplinarian.

Maya says, “Okay, you didn’t listen to the Saints? Okay, come here! I’ll take care of you!”

So, we never get tired of that. We keep saying, “Okay, I’ll take more beatings from maya.”

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अब मोहि भा भरोसा हनुमंता। बिनु हरि कृपा मिलहिं नहिं संता॥

Ab mohi bhā bharosā hanumantā. Binu hari kṛipā milahiṁ nahiṁ santā.

- Tulsidas, Ramcharitmanas, 5.6.4

Recognizing Hanuman, “Hey, Hanuman Ji, I have full faith, full faith that only because Prabhu Shree Ram showered His grace upon me, I am able to meet such a great Saint that I’m able to meet you, Hanuman Ji!”

Hanuman Ji says,

सिय राममय सब जग जानी। करउँ प्रनाम जोरि जुग पानी॥

Siya rāmamaya sab jag jānī. karauṁ pranām jori jug pānī.

- Tulsidas, Ramcharitmanas, 1.7.1

“Everywhere I look in the whole universe, everywhere I see my beloved Sita-Ram, in everyone and everything.”

And putting his hands together, he does pranam (a respectful bow). You all know the katha (story). When Hanuman Ji was given such a beautiful garland, a necklace with the most beautiful gems, that Vibhishan had given to Shree Ram, who had given it to His mother, Sita. Mother Sita looked at Shree Ram, and Shree Ram shook His head. She gave it to Hanuman Ji. Hanuman Ji took it and started breaking it. Everyone thought he had gone mad.

“Why is he doing that?!”

So they asked Hanuman, “Why are you doing this?”

Hanuman said, “I’m looking for my Sita-Ram. If something does not contain Sita-Ram, it’s useless. It could be the best thing in the world.”

“So, Hanuman, is Sita-Ram in your body? You’re saying if something doesn’t contain Sita-Ram, then it’s useless, and you’ll get rid of it. Get rid of your body!”

Hanuman said, “Yes, in my body.”

Hanuman ripped open his chest, and there, seated in his heart, were Sita-Ram. In every part, Sita-Ram, Sita-Ram, Sita-Ram, Sita-Ram!

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“Okay, enjoy the world, but do it according to these rules.”

Otherwise, if you try to enjoy the world only through selfish actions or even by causing harm to others you’ll be punished. You won’t get peace of mind in this life, and in your next life you’ll be punished.

So seek worldly happiness, but by following these injunctions of the Vedas. And if you really follow them carefully, you could even go to swarg (the celestial realm) and enjoy an elevated style of happiness over there which is still mayic (related to the material energy) but better than the pleasures that we have here on Earth. So the Vedas give that option, because not everybody is ready to listen about God realization. So Raya Ramanand Ji started at this level.

But Mahaprabhu Ji said,

“No, that’s not the ultimate thing. Tell me something more.”

So then he said,

यत्करोषि यदश्नासि यज्जुहोषि ददासि यत् |
यत्तपस्यसि कौन्तेय तत्कुरुष्व मदर्पणम् ||

Yat karoṣhi yad aśhnāsi yaj-juhoṣhi dadāsi yat.
Yat tapasyasi kaunteya tat kuruṣhva mad-arpaṇam.

- Gita 9.27

Quoting from the Gita, he said, “Everything you do, offer it to Shree Krishna. So perform your dharm (righteous duty), however, while performing that dharm, remember Shree Krishna. Offer everything you do to Him.”

Mahaprabhu Ji said, “Yes, you’ve come up one level. Because previously, what you described would still cause binding karm (the consequences of actions) on a soul.”

Even sattvic karm (actions influenced by goodness) is binding. Because anything that keeps you in maya, keeps you bound. Anything that requires you to receive the results in this world, being reborn in the cycle of birth and death in 8.4 million species under maya, is binding. So even sattvic karm, even good karm, is binding. Although it’s better than bad karm, it’s still a type of bondage.

So this next shlok he quoted would free a person from the bondage of those actions he’s performing. In other words, the good actions you perform with your mind on Shree Krishna will not bind you. Those are good actions, but they’re not going to have the same binding consequences that normal good actions do, because you did them while remembering Shree Krishna.

The binding quality of an action is caused by our mental attachment, not by the physical performance of that action. So if our mind is attached to the world while we’re performing an action, if our mind is attached to our family, or our mind is attached to the reward we’re going to get for that dharm that we’re performing, then it’s going to be binding. But if we perform the very same action, just remembering Krishna, then there’s no binding effect of that action.

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When Shree Krishna,

यस्य अंके विलुण्ठन…।

Yasya aṅke viluṇṭhan…

When Krishna lies down and keeps His head in Her lap…

…कृष्णदेवो गोलोकाख्यं नैव सस्मार धामपदम् ।

…Kṛiṣhṇo devo golokākhyaṁ naivasasmara dhāmapadam.

- Śhree Rādhikā Tāpanīya Upaniṣhad (verse 9) (partial)

…He completely forgets about the bliss of His Divine abode. He forgets He’s God. He forgets everything except Radha.

सांशा कमला शैलपुत्री…

Saśhāṅka-Kamalā-Shailaputrī…

Kamala, Lakshmi, and Shailaputri, Durga are but ‘aṁśh’ (portion) of Radha.

- Śhree Rādhikā Tāpanīya Upaniṣhad (verse 9) (partial)

Just like Vishnu is ‘aṁśh’ of Shree Krishna, all the female forms of God are ‘aṁśh’ of Radha.

…शक्तिधात्रीं नमामः ॥

…shaktidhātrīṁ namāmaha.

- Śhree Rādhikā Tāpanīya Upaniṣhad (verse 9) (partial)

“She is the giver of all the Divine powers, and we bow to Her. We surrender to Her!”

So said those Shrutis.

So just as Shree Krishna is Supreme God, absolute Supreme God, remember I used the words avatari (the source of all descensions), that also applies to Radha.

Radha and Krishna are avatari. All the forms of God emerge from Them. They are absolute Supreme God. So Radha is Brahm (God) just like Shree Krishna.

Here in Shree Raseshwari Radharani Mandir, you see Radha and Krishna together on the left side of the shrine in Ras pose, and in the middle we have Radharani sitting on the throne. Why is that? Because although I said Radha is Shakti (Divine power) and Shree Krishna is Shaktiman (the possessor of Divine power), which beautifully explains their relationship, Shakti cannot be separate from Shaktiman. A Shakti cannot live or exist outside of Her Shaktiman, and the Shaktiman is nothing without His Shakti. So Radha lives in Krishna and Krishna depends on Radha.

But in this case, the Shakti and Shaktiman…

See, in the world there are two types of examples. There is the example a rose and the fragrance of the rose. So the fragrance comes from the rose, but when the fragrance of the rose dissipates, the rose is still there. Then there’s another example of kapoor - camphor. The fragrance itself has taken a physical form as the kapoor, and when that fragrance evaporates, the kapoor is gone.

So in that case, the Shakti and Shaktiman are completely one. This is like Radha and Krishna. Shakti and Shaktiman are completely one in the case of Radha-Krishna. So Shree Raseshwari Radharani is Supreme Brahm who has taken the form of Shakti as Radha and Shaktiman as Shree Krishna.

So that is why we have Shree Raseshwari Radharani in the center on the throne, and She has become Radha and Krishna, who always do the leelas (Divine pastimes) in Vrindavan and who eternally reveal the Divine bliss in Their Divine abode.

Nonetheless, although we understand intellectually to some extent Radharani’s Divine status, we should never think that Radha is someone else and Krishna is someone else, or that we’re comparing Radha and Krishna in this way that one is more important or greater than the other. No, that would be a grave transgression.

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मन्माहात्म्यं मत्सपर्यां मच्छ्रद्धां मन्मनोगतम् ।
जानन्ति गोपिकाः पार्थ नान्ये जानन्ति तत्त्वतः ॥

Man-māhātmyaṁ mat-saparyāṁ mach-chhraddhāṁ man-mano-gatam.
Jānanti gopikāḥ pārth nānye jānanti tattvataḥ.

- Shree Caitanya-Charitāmṛit, Ādi-leelā 4.213

Lord Krishna is saying to Arjun, “Man-māhātmyaṁ mat-saparyāṁ mach-chhraddhāṁ man-mano-gatam.”

“What is My seva (service)? What is My puja (worship)? What is My shraddha (faith)? And what is in My mind? Nobody else knows about it. Nobody can know what is in My mind.”

But the Gopis knew it very well. Why? Because the mind of Shree Krishna had become the mind of the Gopis. The Gopis didn’t have their own mind. Why? Because they had already given it to Shree Krishna. It was totally dedicated to Shree Krishna. So the mind which was working in their heart was the mind of Shree Krishna. So because all of them were alike, all of them were thinking about only the service of Shree Radha-Krishna, and what could please Them.

That’s why - because all of them were the mind of Shree Radha-Krishna is why their thinking was matching. Everything was matching because they were seeing what leela (Divine pastime) was going to be played. Shree Krishna and Shree Radha were not telling

“What leela I am going to play?”

Everything was spontaneous, but it was blending. It was so matching because they knew everything. They knew what Shree Krishna was thinking right now. They don’t have to make any effort for that. So this was the state of the Gopis.

What (do) we do? We also surrender, but there is one lack in the surrender of other devotees.

Many devotees have surrendered themselves. But there is one thing which is not done by other devotees, but the Gopis did it. What is that? Surrender of the personality who is surrendering.

सब कुछ समर्पित करना है, और समर्पित करने वाले का भी समर्पण करना है। और समर्पण करने की भावना, समर्पण करने का जो ज्ञान है, वह भी समर्पित करना है।

Sab kuchh samarpit karnā hai, aur samarpit karne vāle kā bhī samarpaṇ karna hai. Aur samarpaṇ karne kī bhāvanā, samarpaṇ karne kā jo gyān hai, vah bhī samarpit karna hai.

Surrender means surrender of all what you have - body, mind, intellect, everything.

Plus, you have to surrender yourself also. Plus, you have to surrender the ज्ञान - gyan (knowledge), the cognition that I have surrendered everything. Then the surrender is completed.

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प्रीति की रीति न सखि सब जान ।

Preeti ki reeti na sakhi sab jān.

- Prem Ras Madira: Pad: 3.65

Preeti’ means love and then ‘reeti’ (the rules).

One sakhi (intimate female friend), a Gopi is the highest Saint of Vrindavan. The Gopis’ position is so high that even Brahma, Sanak, Sanandan, Sanatan, Sanat Kumar, etc., are begging to become creepers, grass, trees in Braj. So when these Gopis will walk, the dust of their feet will come on them, and they’ll be blessed. One such Gopi is saying to her very intimate friend,

“O sakhi! The laws of love are not known by everyone in the world!”

‘Sab nahi jānte’ - सब नहीं जानते । (Not everyone knows.)

A lot of people say, “I love you.” It’s a normal thing in this world to use this word, love.

Tumse bahut pyar hai in Hindi and ‘I love you a lot in English’, or ‘jān hājir’ - ‘जान हाज़िर’ (my life is at your service), all these things we say.

But what is love? Do we know love? What is love?

So this Gopi is saying, “Not many people know about love and the rules of love!”

Look, there are three things:

One is ‘lenā lenā’ - ‘लेना लेना’ (to take and only take).

One is ‘lenā denā’ - ‘लेना देना’ (to give and take).

And one is ‘denā denā’ - देना देना (to give and only give).

‘Lenā lenā’, to take and only take is called lust or kām (lust). ‘Lena dena’ is ‘give and take’ - it’s vyapar (a business). And ‘denā denā’, ‘to give and only give’, and want nothing in return, is called love or prem (love). We have been well taught and well practiced in only taking, ‘lenā lenā’, and also in the business of ‘give and take’.

“You love me, I will love you! Don’t love me, get lost!”

No one has ever taught us to only give. This is what we have to learn.

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रसिकन दीनी बताय, कृपा करि बैकुंठहू की पोल।

Rasikan dīnī batāya, kripā kari Baikuṇṭhahū kī pol.

Rasik sant (Saint) - there are many, many different categories of Saints. Ras means Shree Krishna. Anand (bliss) is a name for Shree Krishna.

… रसो वै सः, रसं ह्येवायं लब्ध्वानन्दी भवति …

… raso vai saḥ, rasaṁ hy evāyaṁ labdhvānandī bhavati …

- Taittirīya Upaniṣad 2.7.1 (partial)

Shree Krishna is ras, anand (bliss), and Shree Krishna is also rasik. He is a ras, and He is a drinker of that ras. Rasik means the one who is drinking, ‘jo pite hai’. Ras - the one who is drinking that Ras. So, He is rasik shiromani (the foremost of the rasiks). Rasik is the one drinking that Divine nectar, the Divine love, of Radha-Krishna is called a Rasik Sant (a Saint who relishes Divine love) - rasik Sant.

Having met a true rasik Sant, he has told me a secret - ‘wo pol khol diya’. He has told me a secret. What is the secret?

Don’t even think about Vaikunth - there is nothing there. Nothing doesn’t mean nothing, but ‘wo ras nahi hai’. There is no ras, no Divine bliss. ‘Wo aishwarya (Divine majesty), aishwarya hai’. It’s only aishwarya, pure aishwarya in Vaikunth.

‘Wo rehne wala hai na, wo Maha Vishnu (Maha Vishnu)’. The one who lives there is called Maha Vishnu,’ chār bhujā (four arms), holding the shankh, chakra, gada, padma, upholding weapons in the four arms named the kaumodaki, the Sudarshan Chakra, the mace, and lotus flower.

And He is always serious, gambhir (serious). He doesn’t even smile. Maha Lakshmi is pressing His lotus feet day and night. He doesn’t even look at Her. No pastimes, no leela (Divine pastime), no sweetness. Pure Aishwarya.

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“We do not know Her beginning or end. We can’t understand Her.”

She is agam (impossible to understand). Yet, at the same time, atisugam (extremely easy to attain). How? ‘Deenan hit sukumar’ (दीनन हित सुकुमार - by the humble souls).

One thing Radha Rani loves is humility. ‘Ab Radha Rani ke paas jana, to koi bal leke mat jao.’ (अब राधा रानी के पास जाना, तो कोई बल लेके मत जाओ। -Now, when you go to Radha Rani, do not take any strength with you.) We are going to Radha Rani, that entity whom Shree Krishna is worshipping, then don’t take any kind of strength to go to Her. We have so many strengths in the world. Somebody has money, somebody has knowledge, somebody can sing very nice, somebody can speak very sweetly, an orator. Somebody is very beautiful, very handsome. Someone has strength. Leave all this. Give up all this strength. Become powerless.

तृणादपि सुनीचेन तरोरपि सहिष्णुना।
अमानिना मानदेन कीर्तनीयः सदा हरिः॥

Tṛiṇād api sunīchena taror api sahiṣhṇunā.
Amāninā mānaden kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ.

- Shikshastak

Gaurang Mahaprabhu tells us in his Shikshastak,

“ First of all,” it’s the first lesson. “You want to go to Radha Rani, She is extremely easy to attain - atisugam.”

But how do you go?

First thing - one has to be humbler than a blade of grass. Give up all the strength. Forget that I am handsome, I am pretty. I have money. I can sing very sweetly. I can speak so sweetly. Give up everything. Like a newborn child, give up all the powers.

‘Taror api sahiṣṇunā’ (तरोरपि सहिष्णुना) Become more tolerant than a tree, than a fruit-bearing tree. You have to get angry, but you do not get angry. We get angry so easily as long as we are under maya (material energy, illusion). Everybody gets angry. Some of us like to think we don’t. Some of us can bear anger more than others, we can tolerate, and remain quiet. Inside is burning.

“I wish I could give him a slap! But we remain quiet.

No, no. You have to be more tolerant on the inside also.

Shree Maharaj used to say, “The more you can tolerate, ‘sahan ki shakti barhao’ (increase your tolerance), the more you can tolerate, the more bhakti (devotion) you will get.”

But we can’t tolerate. We can’t tolerate this person, how they look. We can’t tolerate how this one speaks. We can’t tolerate how that one looks. Hey Bhagwan (God)! All little, little things. We get angry.

And then we want Radha Rani. We forget Radha Rani is sitting in our heart, looking (at our actions). She is looking. How are we going to get Radha Rani? So She is so easy, extremely easy, to attain. But of course, humility is foremost.

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“Radhe! Radhe! Radhe! Ha Lalite! Ha Vishake!”

They were surprised by what happened all of a sudden to Him.

“Why does He love Shree Radha, the Gopis, so much? We are the queens, and we all are so beautiful!”

When He got His consciousness back, they then asked Shree Krishna,

“You were crying like this! Why? Who is Shree Radha?”

Shree Krishna was embarrassed a little bit, and then He said a little bit about Shree Radha - who is Shree Radha, and who are the Gopis. But still, Rukmini and Satyabhama were talking, and (thinking),

“I know that maybe Shree Radha is also very beautiful, but still, She is a cowherd lady! We are the queens!”

And Rukmini’s beauty was famous in the entire three universes. But still Shree Krishna loves them (Shree Radha and the Gopis); the queens couldn’t understand it.

Once, Shree Radha Rani went to Siddhashram. There is the Ganges River. On the special occasion of a festival, She went with lots of Gopis over there. And, by the way, Rukmini and all the queens also came over there. And when they came to know that Shree Radha Rani is also there, they asked Shree Krishna,

“We have been hearing much about Shree Radha Rani. Can we go and visit Her?”

Shree Krishna said, “Yes, you should go.”

And Rukmini, Satyabhama, and all the queens went to meet Shree Radha Rani. When Rukmini looked at the beauty of Shree Radha Rani, she was stunned. She was thinking that there is nothing beyond my beauty in all the three universes, but she realized that my beauty is nothing in front of Shree Radha’s beauty.

And then, when she started talking to Shree Radha, she also realized that the nectar of love was oozing from each and every word uttered by Shree Radha. She was so polite. She was so humble. She admired all these virtues as well. And she also noticed that because Rukmini was thinking in her mind,

“Maybe Shree Radha Rani will be jealous of us, because we are the queens. We always live with Shree Krishna. He is our husband.”

But all the time when they were there, Shree Radha Rani was admiring their fortune.

She was saying to them, “You are so adorable because Shree Krishna is your husband. You are so fortunate! I adore you!”

She started saying (things) like that. Then Rukmini was really surprised. She was impressed. And then she invited Shree Radha Rani to her tent. The next day, Shree Radha Rani went with lots of Gopis to the tent of Rukmini, etc. They gave a very warm welcome to Shree Radha and the Gopis. And then she asked one question. She said,

“Radhe, tell me only one thing!”

“What?”

“You love Shree Krishna as Your Beloved, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do!”

Rukmini said, “All these Gopis, who are your maidservants or your friends, also love Shree Krishna with the same kind of sentiment?”

Shree Radha said, “Yes, you know that?”

“Yes, I know! Are You not jealous of them?”

Shree Radha Rani surprisingly said, “Why? What’s the reason for jealousy over here? This is His choice.”

The queens were surprised, “They all love Shree Krishna and You are not jealous of them?”

Shree Radha said, “No! We love Shree Krishna. And love means giving and giving and giving. We are concerned about His happiness only! If He is happy to meet any Gopi, then we are more than happy. We are supposed to help Him. If anything is making Him happy, then we are supposed to help Him. We cannot be an obstacle!”

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How to Advance Spiritually