Volume 15 - Issue 10
October 2017
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Posted on: Oct 13, 2017



How Krishna Recreated Brindavan

Dr. K. Anil Kumar

Part 2

 

The Range of His Love

We often chant a beautiful couplet in Mahanarayana Upanishad which Swami used to quote very often:

Anoraneeyan Mahatomaheeyan
Atma Guhayam Nihitosya Jantoho
Tamakratum Pashyati Veetashoko
Dhatuf Prasadan Mahimanameesham.

‘Anoraneeyan Mahatomaheeyan’ means ‘He is the subtlest among the subtle and the mightiest among the mighty’.

‘Atma Guhayam Nihitosya Jantoho’ means ‘Such a Lord is present as the Atma within every jivi’.

Tamakratum’ means ‘Beyond this veil of ignorance’ and ‘Pashyati Veetashoko’ means ‘Having seen Him and getting rid of the sorrow’. How can this happen?

The crucial word in the next phrase is ‘prasadan’. ‘Prasadan Mahimanameesham’ means ‘By the grace of the Lord alone it is possible’. This means that the Lord alone has to part the curtain. We cannot part it! We can only be alert.

The other meaning for ‘Anooraneyan Mahatomaheeyan’ could also be that He gives messages or He interacts with us and He shows us His love in the subtlest of the subtle ways and the mightiest of the most profound and easily recognisable ways.

But He knows when to respond. He knows what kind of response to give and when.

For instance, this happened when I was in my twelfth standard in 1980. It was again in Brindavan.

After His birthday Swami used to invariably come to Brindavan and that year being the 55th birthday, all of us thought that we should have a good celebration again in Brindavan hostel when Swami came.

In fact during the 55th birthday all of us, students, worked in Puttaparthi as sevadal. There were hardly any other volunteers. We were there two months prior to the celebration and did all the work right from vibhuti packing to making arrangements in the canteen.

After returning to Brindavan we thought that we should again have a good celebration of Swami's birthday in the Brindavan hostel. Swami came around first week of December and it was decided to have the festivities in the hostel on December 9.

In those days I used to celebrate my birthdays according to the Indian lunar calendar. It happened to coincide exactly on that day.

Birthdays used to be unique opportunities. The birthday boy would be standing in the Bhajan Hall with a garland. There would be no one else there.

Once Bhagawan came down the steps, the boy could garland Swami and touch His feet. It would be the boy's personal moment with Swami.

After that Bhagawan would go out for darshan. That was the routine for the 'birthday boy'.

On December 9, Swami was supposed to come to the hostel in the evening. The whole hostel had to be washed, mopped and decorated. There was lot of work. Therefore our warden said, “We have to do a lot of preparations. No one will go to Mandir for morning darshan today. Let us get the hostel cleaned.”

On one hand I was happy that Swami was coming to the hostel. On the other hand I was extremely sad because I was losing the most wonderful chance of garlanding Swami which one gets to do only on his birthday. I was feeling really miserable.

Swami did come in the evening. We had the music programme on the lawn where we have a Krishna statue. This was followed by His discourse and a sumptuous dinner.

The outgoing batch of students received all the chances for good reasons. I was a fresher then. I did not know the vantage points where I could stand to get a moment with Bhagawan. So I was always behind.

Yes, I enjoyed the programme but there was this lingering sorrow that I had missed something precious.

The function ended by 9 pm and Bhagawan started walking back to the Mandir. All the boys followed Him. Some of them ran and placed their hands on the staircase of His residence. Bhagawan touched their palms as He went up.

I missed this too. I was late. I had no clue.

Once Swami went up to His bedroom, all the boys returned to the hostel. But I just stayed on. Unable to contain the deep pain within, I just broke down. Silent tears rolled down my cheeks. There was no one there. Bhagawan had retired.

All of a sudden I heard the sound of the bedroom door opening and then came a call “Aye!” I knew it was Swami. I ran up the stairs.

Bhagawan was standing there.

There were four steps after the staircase ended which led to a small platform. Swami's door was next to it. So I went up to the platform.

Bhagawan stepped out and gave me a kerchief and said, “See, I brought this 'towel' from the hostel. Give it back.”

I took it. I was quite dazed. I couldn't speak anything. I came down the platform and the four steps.

Bhagawan now again said, “Aye!”

I turned. He smiled and sweetly said, “Today is your birthday, is it not?”

I was stunned!

Swami then said, “Take namaskar”.

I just fell at His feet with overwhelming emotion. My heart was full.

After that Bhagawan went inside.

The Lord knows how and when to respond. I had told no one about my birthday. But Bhagawan knew my heart's prayer and answered in a manner I can never forget.

I always wanted that I should have my one-to-one moment with Bhagawan and it happened in such a beautiful and unexpected way.

In a couple of minutes I too would have returned to the hostel. But in the nick of time He enacted such a lovely drama.

Even there He conveyed a message. Since he had brought the kerchief from the hostel He wanted that it should be returned.

Swami is the smallest of the small. It also means He is present in the subtlest of subtle part of our being – our thoughts.

It is because every response of Him has been so sweet and enjoyable that all of us love Him, are so bound to Him and think of Him all the time. Just the recapitulation of these moments fills us with joy.

So that was the playful Krishna.

 

Part 1 | Part 3

- Radio Sai Team

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