Sharanagati

What is the best way to seeKrishna? Ah, once there was a story:

The gopis were very much disturbed. Gopis are the cowherd ladies of Vrindavana. There are young, and old, but all of them are very much concerned about Krishna. The elderly ladies, the elderly gopis had affection towards Krishna as mothers. But the young ladies are not attracted like mothers to Krishna. Young ladies are attracted to the beautiful young boy in a different manner. Not theoretically, but practically. Their attachment is unlimited. Unlimited in space, in time, in intensity, in depth, in height – it is unlimited in every respect. But the formalities sometimes check the gopis and Krishna to meet. There are so many rules and regulations to be observed in a small village. In a big city you also have to consider so many regulations, but in a small city everybody knows everything about the other. So there you have to be very careful. Therefore the gopis andKrishna also had to be very careful. Of course both parties wanted to meet, but how to do this? This was their daily meditation: “How can I meet my beloved Lord?” “How can I meet My beloved girls?”

And in one very difficult moment the gopis were praying like this: “A woman is living when she is together with her beloved and she is dying when she is separated from him.”

You agree? Yes? But we are not dying; and not living. This is our fate. This fate is written on our foreheads. It is impossible to change. Our freedom is none, zero. We are just moved by the waves and currents of fate.

But this verse was so much touching for Krishna, that He could not tolerate and somehow He wanted to console the gopis. Which is a difficult job, I tell you! Because the gopis have one mood always; what kind of mood? Some tears, right? So the gopis have this one disposition, crying disposition. When the weather is nice they cry: “Ah, Krishna is going out with the cows today. For the whole day we will not see Him!” And when the weather is bad, they also cry: “Ah, today Krishna is not going out with the cows! We shall not have His darshan[1]…” So they have this crying disposition.

And if you want to see Krishna, then it is suggested by the rasika acharyas to apply the same method.

Once a young devotee asked his guru: “Can you tell me how to see Krishna, God, always?” And the answer was one word, three letters: “Cry!” So, this is the crying school of yoga – following in the footsteps of the gopis, who were always crying to see God,Krishna.

But Krishnais not a cruel hearted. He is mischievous, but not a cruel hearted. When He heard this prayer of the gopis, He gave one solution: “Maybe I am far away from you, but still I am very close. You just close your eyes and call out My name – immediately I will come. I will be there with you.”

In order to seeKrishnawe need these closed eyes – so that the inner vision is awakened. Even by the Greek philosophers it is said that obvious things are not so important. But the real things are hidden deep. I think they must have learned inIndia.