A Beautiful Story…🔗

Just the other day, I visited an ailing devotee. She has not done any of our programs, but she has achieved a far deeper state than anyone else. Actually, I went to heal her, actually, to bless her before she would pass away. After healing, I turned towards her feet and did namaskar. When I came out, one of my close disciples who had caught my action asked me, 'What is this Swamiji? You did namaskar to her, towards her feet, why? She has not even done any of our programs!' I told him, 'She has not done any of our programs. All she had done was heard about me, and she felt connected! That's all. She has seen me only once.'

I explained further why I did namaskar to her feet.

In Bhagavata Purana (ancient Hindu epic), there is a beautiful story where Krishna is painting the feet of Radha with mehandi (Hindu concoction for decorative coloring of hands and feet). The rishis got jealous seeing this. They asked Krishna, 'What is this? How can you do this to a girl? You may be in love with her, but you are God, so how can you touch the feet of somebody, and that too a girl? This is too much. We can't digest this.'

Actually their ego was hurt, that's all. They fall at Krishna's feet and touch them. Now, Krishna is touching Radha's feet! It means to them that they are indirectly touching Radha's feet, which they do not want! That is their real problem.

Krishna answers beautifully, 'Understand: purely by her devotion, she is more connected to me than this body is connected to me, so this body is feeling shy and offering its respect to that body, to that person.'

If you understand this one thing, the A*tma Spurana* is done, nothing else is needed!

Krishna says, 'She is more connected to me than this body is connected to me. I feel she is more close to me than this body. That is why this body is touching her feet and offering its devotion and respect!'

This one sentence has got so many truths. The first thing is, it clearly implies that Krishna is beyond his body. That is why he is able to talk of the body in that fashion. The second thing: the feeling of connectedness happens only through deep trust or surrendering or relaxing, as in the case of Radha. Third: when devotion happens in you, you become much more than God! Understand: when devotion happens in you, you become much more than God! That is what you need to understand by this one sentence, by this one statement.

So, I told the same thing to the disciple who questioned me. I felt that the ailing devotee was more connected to me than this body itself because of her simple faith and devotion. A few days later, she left the body so beautifully and gracefully. She never trained with the ways of intellect or logic in her life.

People sometimes think that if you are from the West, you will be stuck in logic and if you are from the East, you will be more towards the being. This is not true. I know so many Hindus who are so strong in the head and so many Westerners who simply melt when they see me for the first time! It is to do with the quality of your being, not with where you took birth.