Gopi and Krishna

Gopi is a prime pillar of Bhagavad Gita rather Bhagavad Puran. Without Gopis I believe Krishna would not have been able to teach us the lesson of devotion, love, oneness with God, salvation (भक्ति सायुज्य प्रेम मोक्ष).

The relationship of Gopi and Krishna is interesting. The more I study it, the more I read it I realize that through the example of Gopis, Krishna wanted to show us, being busy in cores of day-to-day life you can attain nearness of Krishna…if your efforts are strong and you have confidence you can get oneness with Krishna.

Some scripts says Gopis were saints performing meditations since ages to attain nearness with Krishna. These saints took birth as Gopis to live with Krishna.

They taught us a good way to be near with Krishna.

1. Chanting – While working in home, doing day-to-day activities like cooking, cleaning, etc they chant the name of Krishna and sign his glory.

2. Work offered to Krishna – Though they use to cook for their family and work for their family members the center of all their work were Krishna. While cooking they use to think what Krishna would like to eat. Krishna is center of their attention.

3. Longing for Krishna – While Krishna was away in forest with cows they use to be eagerly waiting for him to return. When he would return they stand out in the entrance of their house with smile on their face welcoming Krishna.

4. Forgoing every barrier – For Krishna they forgo barrier of their family and went to meet Krishna, they forgo barrier and came out of river to take clothes.

 

Living life is loving life

Always while reading Gita and Bhagavad Purana I wonder how extensive is the character of Krishna if it is a song or an epic. After reading each every time I find a new horizon of his character.

Everything revolves around Krishna and Krishna is in everything. He is like butter hidden in milk. But this post is not all about him or his form.

While reading Gita, I came across a question, “why Krishna had pain or complain about his life as a child?” He was son of a King, yet he was living his childhood as a shepherd. Instead of servants taking his care, he used to take care of cows.  If we would be in his place, I am sure we would have some regret or complain about such a situation.

The way he took his life, his childhood. No matter where you are born and brought up or you live, it is you who make yourself. As a child any act of Krishna was very clear and full of confidence. He knew what he was doing. Even if it was killing devils or teasing “Gopis” he was very clear in his thoughts. He was not focused on pleasures of Palace. He was not focused on knowing whose son he is. He just knew everyone is a part of his family. He was related to everyone. Rather he is related to everyone.

It also makes me realize, he was living his life and thus loving his life. When you are happy with what you have; what you chose and what you do; then you live life in that moment. As a child we are always happy being enjoying sleep, food and games. But as we grow put this happiness in fences. Before going to sleep either we think of upcoming tasks, events, money, and our fights with others or others behavior towards us. We hardly take a note of good things we had done in the whole day. So we end-up with sadness. A pile of such days, months and years make us away from our life. We forget to live. We forget when last time we enjoyed ice-cream, a nap or a ride.

Instead of having plate full of sweet and delicious dishes, if you have bread with some vegetable and if you eat with “Thanks” to God for giving you that food; definitely you will enjoy that food. It will give you happiness same way as Krishna was happy having meals in forest with fellow shepherds and cows. There were no coolers; no A.C., no fans and the plates were filled with some bread that they would have taken with them before leaving home. Oh!!! I forgot, there was no oven to warm up bread. He was still enjoying his food.

Take the example of his poor friend “Sudama” who came to meet his friend Krishna, who was then a king. Sudama had brought with him some rice which was the only food left in his house when he left home to meet Krishna. Krishna was happy to eat that rice. He saw love of his friend not the food.

So it is all about how you see the life and events. If you fail in exam and start crying for failure, you will never find out a way to success, because your eyes are filled with water. If you complain about your past, you will never be able to find best things in your past and this will not let you live in your present. When you are not living in your present, you are not living your life. Thank you, Krishna for teaching, living life is loving life.

A divine bridge between souls – love

I always have arguments on this topic with friends. Even today my stand is same, I don’t agree with their views of love.

Last days I had been through an experience again. As usual I helped someone and later the work was appreciated. The person followed the suggestions and applied all the efforts for the best. It was those efforts that earned appreciation, I was given thanks. I could sense it was from heart.

It reminded me about the same feel I had when someone stopped smoking on my repeated request. On asking myself this question how to describe this feeling I got following answer,

It was appreciation from heart to heart which transformed into divinity which could be termed as bridge between souls. A soul has expressed gratitude, affection and love towards another soul.

Almost all of us feel such feeling when we do good to others or when someone does good to us.

An injured bird when get warm in someone’s arms, its soul expresses the same gratitude, affection and love, which could be felt and which is Love.

A lesson taught by clouds.

Today it was a special day for me. I was flying to Bangalore to attend a workshop. It was my dream to learn about BA and so I was excited to reach there.
I had a direct flight from Ahmedabad to Bangalore and which was going to take me 2 hours and 15 minutes. It was early morning flight, and it rained when I was leaving home.
I reached airport completed all security check-up and other formalities and then took a comfortable seat waiting for boarding announcement. Finally boarding announcement was done and we all started to board in air craft.
I took my seat which was near to wings and luckily got window seat. My heart was delighted to find that seat, after all I was going to spend 2 hours watching sky, clouds and earth from the height. I could feel like I became a child.
All kind of announcements were made in flight and then finally the flight started to walk on run way. I was getting impatient and wished it finish this walk on run away and start take off.
Finally it reached a point from where it was going to take off, suddenly the spead increased and the front of air craft was lifted and then slowly the whole cart was in air. WOW!!! I am in air now. I wished to jump like a little kid. Don’t get mistaken, I had sat in air cart earlier but all the time I become a kid.
If I would have got chance I would have been in air-force or in navy, flying all the time air-crafts or walking on water. But I didn’t get such chance, still I am happy, I am on earth which gives me feel of air and water both when I touch it, it gives the warmth of mother when I feel it.

Then I was in sky, passing each layer of clouds. It looked as if clouds were making cap of that part of land. Slowly I was able to see that craft was passing each layer of cloud and before it was dark due to black clouds but now its bright, sun is there with its bright rays. Then I was 35000 feet above earth and WOW!!! what a view it was. A Heavenly blue sky, with some beautiful color at the edge (where your vision of eyes ends). When I use to stand on top of a hill I could see sky and earth kissing each other. But today I can see clouds have taken form of earth and they are kissing sky. As my craft was progressing towards its destination, I could see lots of clusters of clouds. Some have formation like huge mountain, some have formation like shrubs, some like trees and some other in various other shapes. Some were dark and some were eternally white. It was all delighting my heart. I could see myself becoming a kid again and enjoying that view from the window. I even noticed that many eyes took note of my activity.

There in between clouds and in the sky, I learned a lesson, when you under clouds you look for small small things, but when you are above clouds your vision broadens, now those small things are not in your view, all those small things have disappeared or dissolved to become “one”, ie, “universe”.

So, I thought lets learn not to look up on small small issues in daily life. Lets cultivate a “view of universe”.

The other lesson that I learned from clouds was to be patient, cool and calm. In whatever situation they are, they don’t forget to perform their duties. They tolerate the heat of sun but under them you fell cool, comfortable.

So, I thought lets be like them, even while facing hardship of life I should not lose to be cool and calm. I should be protective shield for my subordinates and handle them with care and love. They should feel comfortable working with me.

After the memories of Kashmir, memories of this sky which is every where present above me, hypnotized me. After Kashmir, I felt like even if death comes here in the sky no questions, no pain or sorrow would be there in my heart. And I thank God for showing me this view of Sky again in my life. As a child I had no idea of what I had seen when I was in flight but today I know I have learnt a lesson that universe is one, it know only one language and it gives peace, love and warmth to all of us who are under that sky.