Yearn for the Lord

Rasa Lila is a unique vignette in the Bhagavata Purana enacted by Lord Krishna to manifest the ecstatic delight of the Jivatma when it seeks and attains the Paramatma. Bhakti is a Bhava felt deep in the heart. The Gopis loved Krishna for His sake. They just longed for His company and wished to remain with Him at all times. The path is not easy for any seeker, leave alone the Gopis who were ordinary unlearned folk with their daily chores to attend to. Yet they rose above the mundane worldly pulls to remain focussed on Krishna.

This uninterrupted longing in their hearts for the ultimate is the goal of all great seers and realised souls, said Sri Hari in a discourse. Rasa Lila shows us we have to yearn for the Lord purely for His sake. When we love the objects of the world, they do not know that we love them. A gold ornament for instance, does not care whether anyone loves it or not. But when we love God, He is aware of the Bhakti in the heart of the devout. If we take one step, He will come nearer to us by ten steps.

Meeting and parting are always happening in our lives. Many a time it becomes an informal occurrence when this happens with people we come across in the many casual walks of our life. But it assumes a deep significance when people whom we love and cherish part from us. The full extent of the ineffable sorrow that parting can evoke is best exemplified in the hearts of those in Brindavan who were forced to bid farewell to Krishna and Balarama when Akrura was sent by Kamsa to bring them to his court.

Two other Bhaktas in the Ramayana faced a similar situation. Sita's love for Rama suffered a shock when she was abducted and had to face separation from Rama for 10 months. Later again, she spent the rest of her life in Valmiki's hermitage away from Rama. But never was she away from Rama in her thoughts.

Bharata too, did not have occasion to be near Rama. After the wedding of the brothers, Bharata was away in the place of his maternal uncle for 12 years. On his return to Ayodhya, he again had to suffer the pangs of separation for another 14 years.