Call of the Divine

Every individual soul is inherently divine and yearns to seek

this divinity. But this yearning is suppressed by the delusion

caused by the dominant passions of the temporal world,

such as desire, anger, greed, ego and pride.

Moreover, divinity is on a totally diferent plane and

beyond the finite range of human thought, emotion and

faculties. So, when the soul merges with the bliss of the

divine it reaches its highest privilege and attainment.

That this is possible only with Divine Sankalpa is

exemplified in the case of the Gopis during the Rasa Lila

episode, pointed out Sri Damodhara Dikshitar in a discourse.

It is a unique night in Brindavan, one that never was earlier

and never will be again, when Krishna chooses to grant this

attainment to the Gopis. Each one of them is involved in

their household chores which Sage Suka describes in detail.

That night, though Krishna’s divine music is heard by all, it is meant to attract the devout Gopis alone. They run to Krishna without any other thought in their minds.

Krishna asks them if it is right on their part to be with Him

when their household duties demand their attention.

The Gopis reply that devotion to one’s duties is no doubt a

means to attain the goal of moksha; but now when the goal is directly available to them, is it not time to turn one’s back on worldly pulls and seize this chance to experience God realisation, a state which even sages steeped in meditation find diicult to attain?

The human goals of kama, artha and even dharma

interpreted as one’s commitment to duties have to be given

up in the pursuit of Moksha. This is an attainment beyond

human endeavour, but can happen by the Lord’s grace.