JKP

What is our relationship with Shri Krishna? Part 2

Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat
28 August 2023
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There is a story narrated by village folks which relates to this. Once a father scolded his son for a mistake and slapped him. The son felt so bad that he ran away from home. He was upset but then he found some work. And gradually, he became a millionaire. After attaining maturity, he thought he should go home and show his father that he too could be successful. “You threw me out of the house. It doesn’t mean I’m worthless!” He was going with this pride to meet his father. His car, however, broke down, so he stopped at an inn with the hope of getting his car fixed and leaving in the morning.

This boy’s father, meanwhile, had become half-mad since this boy left, out of love and attachment for his son. He would sometimes cry and sometimes scream in this state. This half-mad father coincidentally happened to be also staying in the adjacent room at the same inn. Neither the father nor the son knew about each other. In the night, the father would sometimes cry, move around, go in and out of his room randomly. The son was disturbed by all this, as he was a rich man now. Once a person owns a mansion and a car, he considers himself big.

So he called the manager of the inn and asked, “Why do you allow crazy people to stay here? I couldn’t sleep all night.” The father heard this and said, “Hey, Don’t talk too much! I’ll slap you like that.” The two of them began arguing. Suddenly, the son boastfully said, “Do you know that I’m a Thakur? (an elite caste)” The father said, “I am a Thakur too!” Now some things they were saying began to sound similar. Then after exchanging more harsh words, the son mentioned his father’s name, “I’m so and so’s son, who didn’t care for his own son, slapped him and threw him out of his house!”

Now the father realized, “Oh, He’s my own son!” Instantly, the anger in his eyes vanished and was replaced by love. The son too was surprised – this man is totally crazy! A moment ago he was fighting and now he’s looking at me with love. When the father cried, “Son!” and spread his arms to embrace him, The son thought, “What a strange and crazy person! He might bite me while hugging. How can I trust such a crazy person?” The father said, “I’m the same unfortunate father, from the same village, and I’m going crazy for you in your separation.” The son exclaimed, ”Oh, is that so? Then they both rushed and embraced each other.

Exactly like that, we are facing away from God since eternity, turning our back to Him. We have forgotten Him. If a Saint were to tell us, “Listen, God is yours, not the world, understand it clearly. You were in a pending state in mahapralay (final dissolution). Your relation, God created this world, manifested you in your mother’s womb and protected you.

After you were born, He made the provision for milk in your mother’s breasts, and for various grains and food as you grew. He gives you the consciousness that activates your mind and intellect and allows you to perform actions.

The Vedas state, “The energy we have in our senses, mind and intellect is given by God.” He’s helping us in so many ways, in spite of us forgetting Him? Yes! We are foolish. He’s all-knowing, so how can He make a mistake? He accepts us as His relations. That’s why He is with us always and everywhere.

The scriptures further say that the same God in uncountable forms gives us the power to perform actions. He also occasionally gives us a push and nudge from within. “Hey, this is wrong! Don’t do it. We go, “No, I will.” He says, “Don’t do it.” We resisted again, “No, I will.” He accepts quietly, “Alright, do it.” You all get this jolt from within when you do something wrong. “I’m stealing. It’s a sin, but I’ll do it anyway.” In other words, residing within us, He gives us the fruits of our actions, notes our actions, empowers our senses and accompanies us everywhere.

Even to Shishupal and Ravan, who scolded Him hundreds of times, He didn’t say, “If you drink water from My earth, I will turn it into poison for you, go ahead, drink it and die!” Ravan and Kumbhkaran, etc, are drinking the same water, eating the same food, roaming on the same earth and under the same sky, but God doesn’t treat them as enemies. In this world, even for a small mistake that we may make that clashes with someone’s interest, even the mother, father, wife, or son would tell us to, “Get out.”

God is our absolute relative. Even when we think adversely of Him, he remains favorable to us. Who can be a better relative than Him? Our worldly temporary relationships exist as long as there is accord. If just one insulting sentence is exchanged between husband and wife or son and father, then just watch the drama that would unfold. Thus, we must properly understand our relationship with God.

Every part serves its whole and has a natural tendency towards it. Just like a flame has a tendency to rise towards the sun, and the flowing water towards the sea, the part of anything is attracted to its whole. That’s why we desire Divine Bliss, knowledge, power and to live forever. It’s our nature. So we have to know this relationship and accept it.

It’s great to know this relationship with God, but truly knowing means accepting and believing in it always and everywhere. Our relationship is with Shri Krishna alone because we are a fraction of Him and it’s our true nature to be His servant. Gaurang Mahaprabhu said, “Souls are natural, eternal servants of Shri Krishna. Every scripture from the Vedas to the Ramayana extensively states who we have a relationship with and why.

The Vedas say that all its verses are pointing towards the supreme Brahm, showing us various paths to attain Him. They are affirming Him as the ultimate truth. Bhagwatam, Gita, and all the scriptures describe Brahm as the ultimate truth and talk about the soul’s relationship with Him. Not just the souls, but uncountable Param Vyomlok, Golok, Vaikunthlok, Saket lok, Shiv lok, and other Divine abodes also have an eternal connection with Shri Krishna.

The infinite planetary systems of the material world also have an eternal relationship with Him. Even inert matter, earth, water, fire, air, and space have an eternal relationship with Shri Krishna. Not an ordinary relationship! It’s so vital that without Shri Krishna’s power, nothing exists or could ever exist as Maya is a non-living power. How can it exist without God? Souls are His tatastha (neutral) power. The Governors of Divine abodes, like Narayan of Vaikunth abode, are his personal expansion only. The Vedas declare that there is nothing else besides Him.

Then what could possibly exist, that didn’t have a relationship with Shri Krishna? Try to understand it in layman’s terms. There is an ocean and infinite waves rise in that ocean. Some waves are very high, some medium and some small. The waves merge with one another. Similarly, Shri Krishna is like an ocean. Some high waves reside in Him and they are the powers of the celestial abodes. Humans represent the medium waves and demons represent the small waves. All these are the different types of waves. The relationship between the waves isn’t eternal.

You must have seen the waves rising. The waves vanish in a few seconds. Two waves rise. One ceases to exist, then the second also ceases, a third wave rises and that too ceases to exist. After ceasing to exist where do they go? Who are they related to? To the ocean. That relationship is eternal. The waves cannot exist without the oceans. The ocean permeates the waves. Likewise, there can’t exist a relationship between souls or between souls and Maya. It exists only between the soul and God and is eternal.

There are many other reasons too. The Vedas tell us that God created everything, including the five elements and all the souls. Everything is established within Him. If God merely manifested souls, one might say that our relationship existed when we were manifested. After that He stays in Golok, so the relationship is severed. This isn’t so. Our scriptures declare that no soul can live or exist without God’s power. He gives life to all the souls. When the soul manifests, He is within Him and they manifest together. The father and son manifest together. The son wasn’t born first and the father said, “Ok, I am coming now.” That isn’t what happened. There wasn’t a gap of even one second. Otherwise, the relationship would break and wouldn’t be called a complete relationship. When God created the world, Maya and all the souls existed in God in a subtle form. When souls manifested, God appeared and remained with them. Upon dissolution, they merged together and departed.

See how eternal and established our relationship is with Shri Krishna. The Veda mantras say that only Shri Krishna is the supreme Brahm and all are related to him. One does not and cannot have an eternal relationship with anyone else. Shri Krishna is our one and only true relative.

By Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj

(Credits: Narad Bhakti Sutra)

(To be continued in Part 3)

*A brief introduction of Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj*

(Known by His devotees as Shri Maharajji)

The original title of Jagadguruttam (‘Greatest Spiritual Teacher of the World’) was bestowed upon Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj on January 14, 1957 by ‘Kashi Vidvat Parishad’ (a council of 500 greatest scholars saints of India). He composed divine texts like ‘Prem Ras Madira’, ‘Prem Ras Siddhant’, and ‘Radha Govind Geet’ to lead us on the right path of devotion. He also gave priceless monuments as gifts to the world which include  -  Bhakti Mandir located in Bhakti Dham, Mangarh,  Prem Mandir located in Vrindavan Dham, and Kirti Mandir located in Barsana Dham. Shri Maharajji also built hospitals for the impoverished, the Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalaya in Vrindavan, Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalaya in Barsana, and another one in Pratapgarh. All three help millions of underprivileged to gain free access to medical care. His Kindergarten, School, and College for impoverished girls Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat Education is located in Kunda and provides completely free education.