Krishna and the Gopalas

Continuing the series on ‘Immortal Devotees’, the following is taken from Bhagavan’s discourse on 26-5-1995, when He spoke about the devotion of gopalas and gopikas. This year Krishna Ashtami is on 14 August.

Balarama [krishna’s older brother] and Krishna were in the habit of taking the other cowherd boys with their cows for grazing in the forest near Gokulam [the cowsheds]. Once, while the cows were out grazing, the gopalas [Krishna’s cowherd playmates] were engaged in dancing and singing, quite unconcerned about the time. Suddenly they found that the cows had disappeared and went to search for them.

They found the cows grazing at a distant place. There was a fire blazing all around and the cowherd boys could not approach the cows. In desperation, the boys cried, “Krishna, Krishna.” When Krishna called the cows by their names, they responded by running toward him, crying “Amma (mother).” The cows could always recognize Krishna’s voice and understand His call. The cowherd lads were terribly shaken by the sight of the advancing fire. Balarama and Krishna told them, “Why fear when we are here?” Krishna asked them to close their eyes and not to open them until He gave the order. The cowherd boys had full faith in Krishna and always implicitly obeyed His command.

When Krishna asked them to open their eyes, they found themselves in the same place where they had been dancing, and it was cool all round. The fire had disappeared. Immediately they fell at Krishna’s feet and hailed Him as the supreme Lord.

When such miracles were performed they used to hail Krishna as God, but after some time the boys would revert to their old habit of calling Him their friend. Even now people consider the Avatar as God only when miracles happen, but at other times they consider Him an ordinary being.

Krishna wanted to teach the gopalas about the atma [soul]. It was the rainy season, and dark clouds were hovering over the sky. There was lightning followed by thunder. Krishna said that the dark clouds represent the tamasic (ignorance) quality in man, thunder the rajasic (passionate) quality, and lightning the satwic (enlightening). Tamoguna prevents you from seeing the vast sky that is the Divine. Just as lightning shines in a dark cloud, jnana (wisdom) shines beyond the cloud of ignorance.

A lesson for pundits

On another occasion, Krishna gave the gopalas a sublime experience. The cowherd boys had taken the cows to the forest to graze. When they felt hungry, they asked Krishna and Balarama to give them food. Krishna said, “When you have the all powerful Being with you, why do you worry about food? There is a yajna [ritualistic sacrifice] being performed by some pundits nearby. All of you may go and tell them that you are hungry. They will feed you.”

Accordingly the cowherd boys went to the place and asked for food. The pundits told them that they could serve food only after the poornahuti (completion of the sacrificial ritual). The disappointed lads returned and explained what had happened. Krishna told them to go to the wives of the pundits who were cooking the food behind the yajnashala [the ritual hall], and not to the pundits who could not recognize the nature of divinity.

The boys went there and informed the ladies that they were Krishna’s friends. With great devotion, the ladies asked where Balarama and Krishna were. When told that they were nearby, the wives took all the food in their vessels to Krishna. They forgot body consciousness and were in ecstasy at the sight of Krishna. They made all the cowherds sit and served the food.

The pundits came in search of their women and found them serving food to Balarama, Krishna, and their friends. Krishna showed the form of Narayana (He who resides in all beings) to the pundits, who prostrated before Him. The pundits then realized that the God to whom they had been making offerings at without considering the consequences. I suspect that He must have got into some trouble. I shall find out what has happened.”

Vinayaka & Gajasura’s head

Vishnu, who is the director of the cosmic play, staged a minor drama. He converted Nandi (Shiva’s bull) into a dancing-bull and led it before Gajasura [the demon], while assuming the role of a piper playing music on a pipe and the bull danced. Gajasura was in ecstasy over the dancing performance of the bull. He asked the piper (Vishnu) what he wanted. The piper replied, “Can you give what I ask for?” Gajasura said, “What do you take me for? I shall readily give you whatever you ask for.” The piper said, “If that is so, release from your stomach Shiva who is dwelling there.” Gajasura then realized that the piper was none other than Vishnu Himself, who alone could know the secret of Shiva’s presence inside his stomach. He fell at the feet of Vishnu, released Shiva from his stomach and prayed to Him for a boon. He said, “I have been blessed by many boons from You. My last request is that all should cherish my memory by worshiping my head after I pass away.” Shiva thereupon brought His son and placed Gajasura’s head on Him.

As the result of Shiva’s boon to Gajasura, the tradition has prevailed in Bharat (India) that every auspicious function of any kind commences with worship of Ganapati.

What is the inner significance of worshiping the elephant-faced deity? The elephant is a symbol of might and magnitude. The elephant’s foot is larger than that of any other animal. The elephant can make its way through the densest jungle. In this way, it signifies the quality of a leader who shows the way for others. The elephant is highly intelligent. The elephant is also known for its fidelity and gratitude. It will not forget its master in any circumstance. Even in its last moments, if it hears the voice of its master it will open its eyes and look for him. It will sacrifice its life for its master. These are the lessons man should learn from the elephant. Intelligence without gratitude is valueless. Every man should be grateful to those who have helped him.

Offerings to Ganesha

There are some inner secrets that should be noted in the worship of Ganesha. Bharatiyas
make some special food offerings to Ganesha. These preparations are made entirely by using steam instead of heat from the flame of a stove. Combining rice flour with jaggery [raw sugar] and til (sesame) seeds, balls are prepared which are steamed. In Ayurveda jaggery is a remedy for various ailments while til seeds purify the arteries. It also helps to improve vision. The inner meaning is that food offerings to Ganesha have health-giving properties. Edibles cooked in steam are easy to digest. In the Super Specialty Hospital, steam-cooked idlies (rice cakes) are offered to heart patients the day after surgery. Oily preparations are not given. Idlies are given because they are easily digested.

The Vinayaka principle, in short, symbolizes health, bliss, peace, wisdom, prosperity, and many other things. Unfortunately most people do not recognize this truth. People are content to offer some kind of mechanical worship to any odd fi gure made of clay and add to the pollution around them. What should be offered to God are things that will please Him. This is what Parvati enjoined on Nandishwara. She told him, “Offer to my son what will please Him and what is most pleasing to you.”

Symbolism of the Mouse

Another notable fact about Vinayaka is His vehicle, the mushika (mouse). What does the mouse represent? It represents darkness, which is the symbol of ignorance. The mouse moves about in the dark. Ganapati is regarded as controlling the darkness of ignorance.

The mouse is also known for its strong sense of vasana (smell). The mouse finds its way to an object based on the smell emanating from it. The inner significance of vasana in relation to humanity is the heritage of vasanas [tendencies] that they bring from their previous lives. These vasanas account for the actions of human beings in their present lives. They also signify desires. Without recognizing the underlying significance of desires, people merely wonder how a large being like Vinayaka could ride on a tiny creature like a mouse.

Vinayaka signifies the triumph of wisdom over ignorance and of egolessness over desires. Once there was a contest between Vinayaka and His younger brother, Subrahmanya, as to which of them would go round the world first. Vinayaka was highly intelligent and had extraordinary powers of discrimination. Above all, He was totally free from self-interest of any kind. This is the supreme attribute of the Divine. There is no trace of self-interest in what the Divine does. Few people can understand the true nature of God’s love. Men tend to compare their own love with that of God. They do not realize that their love is based on attachment to what they like or what they are accustomed to enjoy. The attraction or lack of attraction is not inherent in the objects but in the vasanas of the individuals concerned.

Vivekananda’s discovery

Vivekananda discovered this truth by observing the reactions of different persons to the same situation. A man had fallen on the side of the road after taking intoxicating drinks. Two thieves, who were themselves drunk, remarked that the man must be a thief like themselves who had got drunk after a thieving expedition in the night. A man subject to epileptic fits thought that the man must have fallen in a fit. A sadhu, seeing the unconscious state of the man, thought that he might be a yogi in a state of nirvikalpa samadhi (super conscious state of meditation) and started massaging his legs reverentially.

These varied reactions showed that men judge things not as they really are, but on the basis of their own feeling and experiences. Vivekananda then realized that his doubts regarding the spiritual eminence of Swami Ramakrishna were the result of his own misguided thinking and had no relation to Paramahamsa’s qualities.

He realized that there was no blemish in Ramakrishna and the fault lay with his own feelings. He regretted having come away from Ramakrishna and confessed to his mother his grievous mistake. He appealed to his mother to permit him to go back to Ramakrishna. She allowed him to act according to his inclinations. Vivekananda realized that man’s wayward thoughts accounted for his doubts and confusion regarding the Divine. The Divine is beyond blemish and defi ciencies. Hence God is described as perfect, free from any taint, formless, and attributeless. Ganapati has been described as aprameya (transcendent and all-encompassing). Hence He can be worshiped in any manner.

Prayers and tests

In his speech earlier, Chittibabu [a devotee] appealed to Swami to give you all good qualities, good thoughts and the strength to lead a good life. He spoke about receiving favors from Swami, but said nothing about what he was offering to Swami. God is ready to offer anything you want. But you must be eligible to receive it, like a depositor who can withdraw money up to the amount of his deposit. The same rule applies to what one can receive from God. It depends on the size of his deposit with the Divine. Then the check of his prayer will be duly honored.

To enable your prayers to reach God, you have to affix the stamp of ‘faith’ and address it with ‘love’. If you have faith and love, your prayers will reach God regardless of distance. You must see that your love for God is pure and unsullied. You must be prepared to subject yourself to God’s tests. The sooner you pass these tests, the nearer you will get to God. There can be no spiritual advance without going through these tests. Students should be aware that they have to pass the prescribed tests before going to a higher class.

In life, you are tested on how much you are attached to the ephemeral things of the world and how much you yearn for the Divine. If your love for God is a tiny fraction of your love for mundane things, how do you expect God to shower His grace on you? (Swami sang a song of Jayadeva in which he exhorts men to devote at least a fraction of the time they spend on their possessions and family to contemplation of God who will come to their rescue at the time of death.)

How much more sacred would it be if men thought about God even for a few moments out of the many hours they waste thinking about worldly things? People should develop their faith in this truth. They should have as much faith in God as they have in themselves. That is the mark of greatness. How can one who has no faith in himself have faith in God? Turn your faith away from the temporal and the transient to the unchanging eternal reality.

Power of faith

The power of faith is illustrated in an incident from the life of Christ. Once a blind man approached Jesus and prayed, “Lord! Restore my sight.” Jesus asked him, “Do you believe that I can restore your sight?” Without hesitation, the man replied, “Yes, Lord!” “If that is so, then open your eyes and see,” said Jesus. The blind man opened his eyes and got his sight. Likewise, people pray to Swami to give them something or other. Do you believe that I have the power to give what you seek? My response is dependent on your faith.

Even a person like Vivekananda had doubts about Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa’s saintliness. There have always been doubting Thomases. To test Ramakrishna’s aversion to wealth and possessions, Vivekananda once put some gold coins under Ramakrishna’s pillow. The moment he reclined on his bed, Ramakrishna felt as if he was lying on a bed of thorns. Immediately, Vivekananda realized that his doubts were baseless. He felt that to rise to the heights of the great souls he should elevate his soul. Men today are like a man on the ground that wishes to see the pilot of a plane moving in the sky. The only way he can see the pilot is to get into the plane. To experience God you have to aspire for a vision of God. That is the way to lead an ideal and blissful life.

Ganapati should be worshiped for this purpose because He is the master of the senses and only the mastery of the senses can make man turn his mind God-ward. If you want to lead a life of happiness, free from troubles and difficulties, you have to pray to Ganapati, the remover of all obstacles. There is no need to go to any temple. Vighneshwara dwells in each one of you as your buddhi and vijnana. When you make proper use of your inherent intelligence and wisdom, you will be successful in life.

People must realize the inextricable union of prakriti (nature) and purusha (the supreme divine) and base their life on this sense of oneness. Humanness is a combination of the body and consciousness. Man has to embark on self-scrutiny as the first step in spirituality. Only then the reality can be comprehended. No one undertakes self-examination, though everyone is ready to condemn others. Only the person who is prepared to examine and punish himself for his lapses is competent to judge others.

Ganapati festival is for 10 days

Students! Realize that you have a conscience that is your guide and consciousness that represents your divinity. Ganapati, who presides over the senses, should be your guide in acquiring mastery over the senses. There is an inner meaning in worshiping Ganapati for 10 days. The idea is that each day should be dedicated to acquiring control over one of the indriyas. Students and devotees should realize that control of the senses is quite simple. What is necessary is not to encourage negative feelings when they arise, but to adopt positive attitudes. For instance, Buddha confronted the anger of a demon with his love and transformed him.

Many students today are subject to depression and are confused. The reason for this is their weakness due to lack of self-confidence. When there is total faith in God there will be no room for depression.

Students! There is need for observing festivals like Vinayaka Chaturthi for external satisfaction, but it is more important to realize the inner significance of Vinayaka worship that is likely to have a lasting effect. The worship of inanimate idols should lead to contemplation of the subtle spiritual entity represented by the idol. This is the process by which realization of the atma takes place.

Realize and act on the basis that the living divinity is within you. Ganapati represents the ideal person who is guided by intelligence and wisdom. Engage yourself in acts that will please the Divine such as moderation in speech, giving up ill will and hatred, eschewing all bad thoughts, and restraining desires. Combining spiritual practices with academic studies make your life fruitful.

Source: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 3