Ananya Bhakti [The Highest Form of Devotion]

Following is an excerpt in which Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba emphasizes that devotion has to arise from pure thoughts. He illustrates such devotion as what the gopikas exhibited toward Krishna.

Swami came to the mandir [temple] and sat on the throne. Swami  asked Sri Lakshminarayana Sastry of Salem [a priest] to talk on spiritual matters. He [Sastry] started by saying that Akrura [of Mahabharata] met Krishna during the auspicious time at dusk. 

Swami asked, “Sastry, how do you know that Akrura met Krishna exactly at that time?”

Sastry replied, “Swami, my knowledge is based on books. I have conceded that to You [Swami] many times. I was not present in that age, but You were. You will re-veal the secrets of the bygone ages only after I commit some mistake.”

Swami said, “You were telling about Akrura. Tell my devotees about gopikas.” 

Sastry said, “Swami, I leave that to You. You were the one who knew their longing for Krishna. Hearing [the details] from You would be wonderful. What do I know? I know only what is written in the books.”

Swami did not respond to Sastry’s comments. Sastry then continued with the story and said that Krishna went to Mathura at the age of eight. Swami intervened and said, “How is it possible? Krishna went to Mathura at the age of 14 years isn’t it?”

Sastry replied, “Swami, How do I know? Bhagavata tells so. Only You know at what age Krishna went to Mathura. Now tell us all Your secrets.” Swami laughed gently, turned towards the devotees and started telling the story:

Krishna went to Mathura at the age of 14 years, and not at the age of eight years. Up to the age of 11, He [Krishna] was with gopalakas [the cowherd boys]. From His 11th year up to His 14th year, He was with the gopikas [milk maidens].

Once Kamsa [Krishna’s evil uncle] sent a giant python to kill Krishna. At that time Krishna was staying in a village called Repalle. This place was surrounded by hills and the only way in and out was through a small path in between two hills. On the path lay a huge python, with its mouth wide open. Krishna knew about this. He was returning with all the gopalakas after their cows had finished grazing in the fields. Krishna led all the gopalakas into the mouth of the python.

As Krishna walked through the body of the python, He slit open its stomach. All the gopalakas and their cows came out safely. After coming out, Krishna explained to them what had happened. If they had known about the snake earlier, they would not have ventured to follow Krishna into the snake’s mouth.

Till the age of 14, Krishna would tease the gopikas by play-ing pranks on them. They would complain to Yashoda [Krishna’s mother] about the unbearable and provocative mischief of Krishna. Once, when Yashoda expressed her displeasure at His pranks on the gopikas, Krishna told her, “Mother, did I not sleep near you all night? Why do you believe their words that I harassed them?” Placating Yashoda like this was not a problem for Krishna.

Despite all this, the gopikas could not bear separation from Him even for a moment. Seeing this, the villagers became jealous and moved Krishna from Gokula to Brindavan. Anyone who en-tered Brindavan had to pay an entry tax.

Just as the villagers tried to separate the gopikas from Krishna, the villagers of Puttaparthi also tried to drive Me [Swami] out of this place thinking that I will amass a lot of wealth! (Swami’s wealth is His devotees.)

But Radha [Krishna’s devotee] made it to Brindavan. The old man guarding Brindavan refused to let her enter and demanded that she pay the entry tax. Radha said, “I am poor and cannot pay the tax.” When the old man informed Krishna about it, He said, “Is that so? When she comes again, don’t allow her inside. Hold her and inform Me. I will come and make enquiries.”

Radha came the next day and on hearing that Krishna would come, she was extremely happy. Krishna came and asked her, “Why did you come? Pay the tax.” She answered, “Krishna, I do not have anything except a basket of cow dung.” Krishna said, “In that case, offer yourself (atma-arpana).” She agreed and totally surrendered her soul to Him. To attain liberation there are many paths; eligibility is essential.

The cowherds of Gokula regularly celebrated a festi-val propitiating Lord Indra.  Krishna asked Yashoda, “Mother, why is this festival celebrated?” She replied, “Indra is responsible for the timely rains, which help keep our fields green and for the well-being of our cows. So we worship him.” Hearing this, Krishna said, “Indra may give rains, but it is because of Govardhana Giri [a mountain range] that we have greenery all round us. Why not worship it?” Henceforth, cowherds worshipped Govardhana Giri.

After some time, Krishna asked His mother, “Mother, why do you worship Govardhana Giri?” She asked Him, “What else should we worship?” Krishna replied to His mother, “Govardhana Giri is responsible for the green trees and grass. But it is the cows that feed on them and give us milk and butter. Why not worship the cows?” Consequently, the gopalakas started worshipping cows.

Sometime later, Krishna asked His mother, “Why do you worship the cows?” She replied, “You told us to do so.” Krishna said, “Then, why not worship Me?” The gopikas worshipped only Krishna, and none else. Their husbands and mothers-in-law could not tolerate their undivided devotion to Krishna and hence, harassed them. But, the gopikas endured all the problems by chanting the name of Krishna.

Their despair when Krishna left with Akrura for Mathura cannot be described in words. Some of them slept in front of the chariot. Some held the reins of the horses. Some tied their hair to the wheels of the chariot. Some of them tried to stop the wheels of the chariot from turning. Akrura saw how these gopikas tearfully pleaded with Krishna, asking Him not to leave.

Unable to bear their sorrow, He stopped the chariot. Krishna got down from the chariot and consoled them. They [the gopikas] were badly hurt and were bleeding due to their efforts to stop the chariot. They were too tired even to speak to Krishna. They allowed Krishna to leave only after He promised to return. After Krishna left, entire Gokula became desolate and the residents were sad and in tears. Krishna did not return to Gokula for a long time. He only came once, with [His wives] Rukmini and Satya-bhama, to attend a festival honoring Govardhana Giri.

Radha had a sister called Chandravali. They were poles apart in their approach to life. Chandravali hated Krishna because she believed that He was a mischief maker who created problems for the gopikas. She blamed Krishna for stealing their hearts and causing trouble between their husbands and relatives. As she did not want to succumb to Krishna’s charms, she stayed back in her husband’s house. Her mother, how-ever, was not happy about this and persuaded her son-in-law to send his wife to attend the Govardhana Giri function.

Reluctantly, he agreed to send her to the festivities for just three days. Upon reaching her mother’s house, Chandravali shut herself in, as she hated Krishna intensely. Radha, on the other hand, wanted to take Chandravali to the function. She knocked on her door and called her Krishna instead of calling her Chandra. This infuriated Chandravali further.

Somehow Radha convinced her to go to the riverside to fetch water, assuring her that they would not come across Krishna as He was busy attending the function at Govardhana Giri. After they had walked a little distance, Chandravali saw Krishna coming toward them. For a moment, everything—the pot she was holding, the dress she was wearing, the trees, the creep-ers, the flowers, the sky above, the earth beneath and Radha who was accompanying her—appeared as Krishna. Blinded by fury, she slapped Krishna on the cheek. Radha was shocked at this. She turned around and began to scold Chandravali. Pointing to the three welts on His cheek, Krishna smilingly said, “No, don’t scold her. She has shown that all the three of us are one and the same” and He left the scene.

When Krishna returned home, Sathyabhama saw the welts on Krishna’s cheeks and told Rukmini, “Sister, see Krishna’s cheeks; someone has slapped Him.” Rukmini being a person with satwaguna [gentle nature], was unruffled. Krishna consoled Sathyabhama and went to Chandravali’s house.

While Chandravali was relaxing in her house, Krishna went to her in the form of Radha and said, “Do you know that when I think of Krishna, I take His form?” Believing it, Chandravali spent three days in Krishna’s com-pany. Occasionally, Krishna showed His true form, but Chandravali thought that it was Radha in that form and kept silent.

When she was about to go back to her husband’s house, Krishna took the form of her husband and came to her. Meanwhile, Chandra-vali was convinced that she had neither seen nor talked to Krishna. On the way, riding with her in the cart, Krishna told her, “Look, Krishna might even come in the form of your husband. Don’t believe Him.” At that very moment, her husband was coming in search of Chandravali. With the hatred for Krishna raging in her, she got down from the cart, rushed over to her husband and started to beat him. The husband, infuriated at his wife’s behavior, cursed her and left. The villagers, unaware of Krishna’s pranks, were alarmed at these developments.

To prevent other women from going astray, they [the villagers] built a pyre and made Radha and Chandravali sit on it. They wanted this to be a lesson to all those who were running after Krishna. When the pyre was lit, Radha saw Krishna standing just in front of the pyre. She told Krishna, “Let any disaster fall on us, we do not care. Keep looking at us like this. We will not feel any of the torture.”

When the fire started to rage, Radha and Chandravali suddenly disappeared from the pyre. Even Krishna was not seen. In the sky above, the villagers saw Lord Vishnu [God as protector] riding on Garuda [the eagle—Vishnu’s vehicle] with Bhudevi and Sridevi [His consorts] on either side of Him. They were astonished at this marvel. This incident opened the eyes of villagers and they understood that Krishna was none other than Lord Vishnu. They conveyed the meaning of what they saw to others. They understood the Krishna principle—the all-knowing, all-pervading Lord does not abandon even those who hate Him. That being the case, how easy it is to obtain salvation through devotion.

People view this sacred, unsullied love of gopikas for Krishna from a wrong perspective. You project bodily feelings on to all sacred things. God has no physical relationship. The transparent love of gopikas can only be understood by a clean mind, and God can be reached only with pure feelings. God will never be attracted to impure feelings. Such transparent and sacred feelings were present only in gopikas. No one can match their transparent love and singular devotion.

You can have them as your ideals. You may ask, “What is the greatness of gopikas? Was not the devotion of Ramadasa, Kabir, Surdas [saints of India], and others equal to that of the gopikas?” Nobody’s devotion will ever be equal to that of the gopikas. Devotion of others is a shade lower than that of gopikas. God is pure, and so have pure feelings toward Him and attain Him.

Swami concluded the discourse with the message that one could attain Him through pure thoughts and ananya bhakti.

Source: Anandayi, p. 120