Srimad Bhagavatam – day 705
Listening to divine glories amounts to drinking nectar with the ears
Narayana Krishna
As discussed yesterday, the wives of the Brahmins had supreme devotion towards Krishna and were eternally engrossed in listening to His glories, due to which their ears themselves had become ornaments. We, who fill the ears with wasteful gossip, spoil our minds and lead lives that lack peace.
More often than not we say, ‘I cannot fathom why my mind is restless today.’ This is the outcome of not filling the mind with God, not listening to His glories and not listening to subjects pertaining to spirituality. Since you listened to all useless gossip, your mind is tainted and you lack peace irrespective of the task on hand. These ladies unfailingly completed all their daily chores, nevertheless their mind was totally with the Lord. As such they experienced limitless enthusiasm, happiness and calmness despite their tight workloads.
“Due to repeatedly listening to the divine glories of Krishna, their minds were totally fixed upon Him. Now, when the Lord was standing before them, they used the gates known as the eyes to allow him to enter into their minds and then, they mentally embraced Him for a very long period of time”.
As discussed before, the Lord had decorated His hair with peacock feathers and tender leaves. He had rested one arm on another boy and was swirling a lotus with his other arm. His body was naturally glowing in many colours. As we describe the Lord, He appears before our eyes. He is barely six years old and we want to cuddle him.
“Just as, in the state of deep sleep, men discard their egoism and merge into that Supreme Self who is an embodiment of Knowledge, these women discarded their agony upon seeing him”.
The swan fervently awaits rainfall. It is overjoyed when the first drop of rain falls on it. With this it shakes off the agony caused due to lack of rain. Birds, animals and humans are filled with joy at the sight of the rain, more so when it rains after a very long time. Both the young and the old express their joy by drenching in the pure rain waters. The deep distress of the mind was relieved by playing in the rain waters. Likewise, these women were experiencing agony due to separation from Krishna. The endless tales of Krishna that had fallen into their ears had pulled their minds totally towards Him. Their minds danced in bliss listening to those stories. Yet, at the same time, their minds experienced deep pain due to separation from Him. Now, upon seeing Him, their eyes drank in His form completely. Without blinking the eyelid, they drank the nectar through their eyes.
Listening to the stories of the Lord means to drink nectar through the ears. Observing Him is drinking the nectar through the eyes. Enjoying the fragrance from His feet means to drink through the nose. Describing the glories of the Lord means drinking nectar through the tongue.
Thus, the ladies used the human body given to them in such wonderful method. Human body is very pure. More importantly, it is the easiest way to merge into God. Sadly, we are travelling away from Him. We falsely believe we are running, when in reality we have not put a foot forward. In the process, gradually we are slipping back. We are slipping to those levels from where we need to begin all over again.
While increasing our devotion and spiritual knowledge, we should strive to move forward so as to merge into Him. After listening to Bhagavatam for so long, after listening to Swamiji’s speeches for many years, if again you choose to grieve and entangle yourself in your bondages, then you are slipping down. You are slipping by many years.
In minute detail, these women had heard description of Krishna’s form. Now, they were seeing that wonderful form which they had heard all along and had imprinted in their minds. They were soaked in bliss. They experienced uncontainable happiness. At times people approach Swamiji and in great delight say, “Swamiji, many times we watched You in Etv, Bhakti Tv, Gemini Tv etc. Today we are seeing You directly with our eyes.” I allow them to stand and observe me from close distance. Once in Tenali, Andhra Pradesh, Hanuman Chalisa chanting was conducted wherein 2.5 lakh people had assembled. It was a joyous event. From far off villages, villagers walked to the event. When asked why they had come, they replied, ‘we have been seeing Swamiji on TV. We wanted to see Him in person.’ These villagers have firm faith in God. They are seeing God in Swamiji and are approaching Him with that devotion. They too are entitled for liberation.
Krishna showed to these ladies, that form of His, which until then was not visible to others.
“Srikrishna is none other than the Self, who resides within the intellect of the living entity and who is a witness to all the modifications of the mind”.
Srikrishna is the witness for the actions of every living entity. He is the Self who resides within everyone. We are unable to locate Him who resides within us. He is the supreme controller, due to whom we are able to walk, talk, eat and move. We have coffee-table discussions about Him, due to whose energy we are able to function.
Endlessly meditating upon Him is penance (tapas). The wives of the Brahmins are example of this. Irrespective of the task on hand, their mind was focussed upon Him. We should scale to such heights. With practice, we are bound to succeed. We will undoubtedly merge into Him, who resides within. He is the Self within every living organism in this creation.
“Krishna was well-aware that these women had discarded all other desires and had come there solely with the desire of seeing him”.
Sarva dharma partiyajya- they had abandoned every other desire and had come there only to see Him. Every entity has to reach this stage.
Narayana Narayana