Total love is an advanced stage of devotion comprised of unconditional love for God. The word “bhava” here means love and it is said, “Love for God and other divine things is called bhava.”
The love within the soul is called atmabhava, “Our sons are not loved for their own sake, but for the sake of our own soul.” (Brahadaranyaka 2.4.51)
As one loves oneself, similarly there should be love for God. Then there is a unity between the Supreme and the soul. In the Path of Grace, love of God is not based on duality, but occurs because the Self naturally possesses a feeling of unity. Kamsa always viewed Krishna with hostility and was awarded liberation because of his focus on Him. Now just imagine the divine condition of those who love Him!
Total love is to have a feeling of identity between the Lord and all things. Lawful love and grace-filled love are the two types of Total love. Lawful love makes one feel God’s presence in all things. In grace-filled love, like the love that the Gopis experienced in their separation from Krishna, one experiences Him everywhere. This love is greater than the total love in the Path of Law because of the many amorous sentiments for the Lord that are included in their Total love. These and other devotional moods are very useful in experiencing the great joy of devotion.
THE REWARD OF DEVOTION
When a bhakta becomes possessed by Krishna, the Blessed Lord’s presence is experienced in the world as He sports with His unimaginable powers.
Nirodha is when the Blessed Lord possesses His beloved ones according to their individual nature. Through His different types of lilas, He makes His bhaktas forget the world and creates an everlasting link with them. Shri Vallabhacharya remarks, “Those that Hari possesses are blissful day and night.” (Nirodha Laskhana)
A person absorbed in the mayic world is not qualified for nirodha while attachment to Shri Krishna allows the bhakta divine entrance. This transforms the bhakta and makes her unattached to anything that is unrelated to Him.
The bhakta’s reality is related in the Bhagavata, “While sleeping, eating wandering about, speaking, playing, bathing and sitting and moving about the residents of Vrindavan were unaware of themselves. They were completely engrossed in Krishna.”
LILA
The divine sport or lila that the Lord performs is always increasing in bliss. The realization of Krishna’s lila is the devotional dharma of the soul.
Shri Vallabhacharya says, “The Lord’s birth occurs when Hari incarnates in the world with all powers of action, in order to bless everyone with His sight. Those bhaktas who adhere their minds to Him forget the false world and become divinely attached.”(Bhagavatartha 10.20)
THE GOPI’S DEVOTON
The bhaktas of Braja cherished obstinate love for Shri Krishna and were devoid of knowledge unrelated to His lilas. They transgressed the rules of the world and Vedas because they were only interested in Krishna. Shri Krishna praises them, “They have left the world, the Vedas and their relatives for Me.”
The Gopis of Vrindavan are the gurus of the Path of Grace. The way they serve and love Shri Krishna is the highest example of devotion and Shri Vallabhacharya teaches that their devotion should be emulated. Their lives were full of Krishna and they found Him everywhere. To attain Gopihood is the height of devotion.
Shri Gusainji has provided us with a beautiful description of the Gopis’ bhava .
“I adore the divine Vrindavan wishing tree that grants total love for Shri Krishna to the deer-eyed Gopis. At first, the Gopis’ bhava for Krishna is a sprout that has been nourished for a very long time. When their love becomes firm, it becomes a sapling. When longing to be with Krishna increases, their devotional saplings grow into hundreds of branches. Then when Shri Krishna fulfills the Gopi’s divine desires by interacting with them in numerous ways, their devotional branches fill out with lovely leaves. The joy that arises from their exchanges with Shri Krishna blossoms and when their desire to join Him increases even more, those blossoms become flowers. Finally, when Shri Krishna engages with them according to their bhava and fulfills their every desire, the blessed wishing tree becomes laden with fruit.”
HOW SHRI KRISHNA IS PLEASED
A follower of Shri Vallabhacharya once explained to another bhakta how to know when Shri Krishna is pleased with a bhakta’s seva. He explained, "There are four indications. First, devotees naturally go to homes where seva is made. The second indication is that Shri Nathji’s form fills their hearts with bliss as they reflect, ‘Through the grace of Shri Mahaprabhu Vallabhacharya and Shri Gusainji, Shri Krishna comes and accepts my water and cooking.’
“The third sign is that just as they adorn Shri Krishna, so He appears. The fourth way of knowing is that the offerings that are made to Shri Krishna in Shri Mahaprabhuji 's name, have many different divine tastes and the plate of prasada does not diminish. When all this occurs, know that Shri Krishna is pleased with the seva."
Then that bhakta went to another follower’s house and asked, "How can we please Shri Krishna?" The second bhakta explained, "Shri Krishna is pleased with the ones that Shri Svaminiji (Shri Radha) is pleased with. Then She showers her blessings. Know that Shri Svaminiji is pleased when the bhakta’s faith becomes firm and there is one-pointed devotion to Shri Mahaprabhuji, Shri Gusainji, Shri Nathji, as well as to Shri Svaminiji and all Their bhaktas. Then know that Shri Krishna has blessed the bhakta. This path is solely Shri Svaminiji's. When She is pleased, Shri Krishna allows the soul entrance into the lila and when that happens, know that Shri Krishna is delighted."
Then the bhakta went to Krishna Bhatt and told him, "We want to know how to please Shri Krishna?”
Krishna Bhatt replied, “Know that Shri Krishna and Shri Svaminiji are so absorbed in Their own bliss and that Their attention does not wander elsewhere. They are perfectly enchanted with Their own lila and lost in each other’s forms. There is one intimate sakhi, a friend of Theirs, who always remains nearby. When she is pleased with someone, she sings that bhakta’s glories to Them. This pleases the Divine Couple and then they fulfill that bhakta's wishes.
“There is yet another Gopi who cares for all the outer arrangement of the lila. She is an attendant of the lila-bower and arranges the bed and ornaments. She stands by the door of the lila-bower and sings very sweetly. She praises the Divine Couple in various ways. Sometimes she makes divine requests on behalf of certain individuals to Shri Svaminiji’s intimate Gopi at just the right time. In turn, that Gopi keeps it in her heart and when Shri Krishna and Shri Svaminiji are in a celebatory mood, she reminds them of that bhakta. Then Shri Krishna becomes pleased with that bhakta."
“Just as a woman who desires a man can arrange the meeting through her female messenger, similarly in the path of loving devotion, the bhakta who knows God is the messenger for other bhaktas. Know that Krishna is found when we please such a bhakta.”
LILA CONTEMPLATON
After making your lunch offering, a devotional contemplation should be done. Quietly reflect how Shri Krishna takes His meals at home during the winter season. Follow Krishna when He is invited to the Gopi’s house. During the hot season, contemplate Shri Krishna’s lunch in the forest by the banks of the Yamuna or in the forest at Shyamdak or at other places where His cows graze and He plays with His cowlad friends. When Shri Krishna is hungry, see how He climbs a tree to look for the Gopis who are bringing His lunch. Sometimes when the Gopis lose their way, Krishna sounds His flute to show them the path. Feel the groups of Gopis coming from their homes with lunch baskets balanced on their heads. Shri Krishna enjoys their offerings and gives the leftovers to His friends. Krishna plays in so many ways.
Sometimes He grabs the food, laughs and then gives the Gopis secret messages about an evening rendez-vouz. There are so many bhavas to contemplate. During the rainy season, Radha and Krishna come to the Vrindavan forest which is delightful to behold. Dark clouds fill the sky and when Shri Svaminiji gets wet from the rain, Shri Krishna dries her with the edge of His blanket. Shri Krishna enchants Radha and takes her to bowers filled with precious jewels. She implores Krishna, ‘You enjoy the offerings first.’ They exchange sweet words while Lalita and other Gopis serve the Divine Couple and enjoy the lila. Know that Shri Krishna responds directly to the bhava of His pure bhakta.” (From the 252 Vaishnavas)
PRESENT DAY SOULS
Shri Krishna tells Uddhava, ‘Uddhava, by following dharma and surrendering one’s soul to Me, devotion is received.” To give the special reward, the Blessed Lord plants the seed of devotion within those who belong to the Path of Grace.
Present day bhaktas learn about obstructions to devotional life from the guru’s teachings. By performng Shri Krishna’s worship ignorance can be removed. When Shri Krishna incarnated and slayed the demoness Putana, He removed the ignorance from His bhaktas’ hearts. Present day bhaktas need to seek Hari’s shelter to remove their ignorance and they should avoid all impure association. After hearing the divine names from other blessed bhaktas, they should remember the sacred name’s precise form, attributes and lila connections while repeating them. Then without them even knowing it, the Lord removes numerous obstructions.
As mother Yashoda remembered and sang about Shri Krishna’s lilas when she churned the curds, present day bhaktas should sing Shri Krishna’s praises while engaged in wordly tasks.
Those senses that are turned away from God can become purified through devotional practices and then adhered to the Lord. Know that Bhakti yoga has been highly praised because those who practice it can overcome the three material qualities and achieve perfect love for the Lord. The sacred Sruti texts have also advised transcendental enjoyment with the Supreme Being.
THE GRACE-FILLED REWARD
“The reward of Shri Vallabh’s path has manifested for those who have flawless devotion. The scriptural type of devotional practice can also be used, but the experience of the highest reward is found in the devotion of the Gopis of Vrindavan. They have beautiful eyes and dance with Krishna right in their homes! … In the Path of Grace, whatever, whenever and in whatever way the bhaktas offer Shri Krishna something He desires, He appears to them directly as the Lord of the Gopis. Then His lotus face laughs as He affectionately accepts the offerings.” (Shri Gusainji)
