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Pinnacle of devotion

CHENNAI : Love of God for His own sake is the end that a devotee aspires for when he embarks on the spiritual path. Devotion to God is both a means to realise Him and an end in itself. Besides, there is no end to devotion because it develops into an all-consuming love of God that finds joy in serving the Lord in His transcendental abode eternally. The concluding sentiment of Andal in her hymn Tiruppavai is, "Through seven lives and forever we would be close to You, serve You alone. And if our desires be different, You must change them."

In his discourse, Sri Hari said when the Lord incarnated as Krishna and lived in Gokul, not only the Gopis but also all the birds and beasts loved Him. Krishna reciprocated their love as can be seen from the depiction of His divine deeds in the Bhagavata Purana. Even after the Lord's scene of action shifted to Mathura and Dwaraka to unfold the purpose of His incarnation, His childhood deeds in the midst of the simple folks of the cowherd community continued to enrapture the minds of both His fraternity and the generations of devotees and mystics who continue to be inspired by them to this day. The very mention of Krishna's name was enough for love to well up in their hearts that the Gopis abandoned their hearths and homes to be in His midst thereby proving that when love of God becomes all-consuming duties will fall off on their own accord.

It is no wonder that even celestials who witnessed Krishna's divine deeds in Gokul felt these simple folks were truly blessed. Sage Suka often went into a state of ecstasy relating His incredible deeds that it was King Pareekshit's question that would slowly bring him back to his senses. One such incident that the sage narrated was the privileges the cowherd boys enjoyed with Krishna. After allowing their cows to graze, the boys lunched with the Lord on the bank of Yamuna and this description defied imagination and elicited the feeling of wonder. He who cannot be grasped by the senses and the mind, and to realise whom the sages performed intense penance, sat at the centre surrounded by His friends sharing the food they had brought, laughing and tasting what they offered while the denizens of heaven looked on with wonder at their camaraderie and the liberties they took.

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