69. Live at the peak.
- Oh! How tasty a Rasagulla (Hindu sweet) is!
Oh! How joyful it will be if we taste one! If we have two... three... four.....seven, eight…. Soon the joy turns sour and one is not able to enjoy the sweet with the same relish that one had initially when eating the first sweet.
- Enjoy! Must enjoy!
- This fury is there till something is enjoyed. Whatever we think does not happen to the extent we want it to happen; the body itself shakes a little. It sweats. This intense desire to enjoy, where did it go after it is enjoyed? Next minute the intense desire has become boring!
What was attractive till then, why is it not attractive now?
- Why is it, that man gets caught again and again in difficulties? Is it possible to get released from this web that man gets caught in? Reply: Yes. It is certainly possible.
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An e-mail which came to a lover...
My dear! My life! My breath! I will come and see you this Friday.
Then,
Making a garland with the sands of the beach as thread and the plucked stars from the sky as flowers,
Tearing off the blue sky and folding it to make a sari (Hindu traditional costume) for you,
To affix on your forehead as Thilak (a mark on the forehead with vermillion- An Hindu tradition), and enjoy your beauty, I will surely pluck and bring you either the sun or the moon!
Yours,
Living just for you.
Post script: If the weather is rainy on Friday, I will not come on Friday. Thanks.
- It is easy to speak dialogues bubbling with emotions and feelings; but living those words…..?
- It is easy to say, 'I will do this; I will do that.' But doing it???
- Don't speak about impossible things. Do what is possible. Even that you perform at the peak. When you do your best you will begin to live.
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Remaining at the zenith of joy is certainly possible – Meera was a lady enlightened Master who lived and showed that it is possible.
Meera was one who experientially realized God through Krishna (An incarnation of Lord Vishnu in Hindu mythology).
Meera is the peak of poetic quality, peak of devotion, peak of ecstatic devotional dance.
Meera lived at the peak with the clear understanding that all the persons in the world are females (Gopikas) waiting for the divine power and that Krishna, the male, is the total expression of the divine power.
She lived in that peak and consciously felt that blissful energy present within herself.
Krishna is the virtuous Master. Those who are with the spiritual quest are all gopikas. This is the Krishna – Gopika concept.
Wherever Meera went, devotional ecstasy would catch up. All of Meera's singing, devotional ecstasy and dance will together change the atmosphere of the place where she was present.
Those who were watching casually would be attracted and drawn by Meera's blissful dances. Those who were so attracted would get drowned in devotional ecstasy even without their knowledge.
It was a time when this news was spreading through entire Bharat like forest fire.
'Coming of Meera to Mathura' - On hearing this news, the head priest of the Krishna temple of that town was upset.
Reason:
Admission was permitted strictly for males only, in that temple. This was the rule they had been following for quite a long time.
But for Meera, Oh! She was a unique and revolutionary woman. A Krishna devotee! A woman who always met only with success in whatever she undertook.
So, if Meera came to Mathura, she would certainly enter the Krishna temple. What would happen to the rule followed so far? Somehow it had to be prevented.
This was the reason for the priest's fear. The priest kept two men at the temple entrance to stop Meera there itself.
Meera had entered Mathura. As she entered the town, the first thing she started towards the Krishna temple with devotional singing and dance.
The news reached the ears of the priest. His fear increased.
Meera reached the entrance of the temple along with the devotion-filled crowd with all the songs, bhajans, devotion, dance and musical instruments.
In a few minutes the enthusiasm and the ecstatic dance surrounding Meera caught up with the two persons who were guarding the entrance. Those guards were attracted even without their knowledge, by the bhajan (devotional Hymn) tunes and dances and became one with the crowd. Those guards, who stood there to block Meera from entering, changed as ushers to take her inside. Guards became ushers! They took all of them welcomingly inside saying, 'Welcome, welcome!'
The chief priest was sweating profusely!
The crowd had come right up to the place where the priest was doing puja (worship). After a few minutes, entire crowd finished singing devotional bhajans joyfully and became calm and silent.
The priest asked Meera angrily, 'Only males can enter this temple; women should not come in. That is the rule in this temple. Don't you know this?'
The reply given by Meera is proof enough to make us understand that Meera was not an ordinary person.
Meera asked, 'What? Males? So far, in this entire world, Krishna is the sole male. And all others are only females (Gopikas) – This is the way I was thinking. The first male after Krishna I am meeting in this world is you. Then you are not a gopika. From today, we will come to the conclusion that there are two males in this world. One is Krishna. The other is this priest!' she finished saying in a loud and bold voice.
The priest began shivering. The priest felt guilty from deep within his heart. 'Have I acted so far contradicting the Krishna concept? What a big mistake I have committed?'
The priest asked to be excused with great regret, saying, 'I am not a male... I am not a male... I am only a gopika. I am only a Krishna devotee. All of you please excuse me.'
Meera said, 'Then, let this temple's rule change from today. Hereafter there will be no admission for males in this temple. Admission is only for women (Gopikas). Only those who have the feeling, 'I am a gopika' can enter this temple. There will be no admission for those who come with the feeling, 'I am a male'.'
Declaring in this manner she changed the very rule which was being followed for very many years before. Meera lived at the peak of Krishna – Gopika concept.
Meera is a wonderful example for all.
The one that changed Meera from amongst the ordinary women to the blissfully dancing flower was only 'living at the peak'.
Whatever the work you do, whatever be the path that you follow, live with total involvement and be absorbed in that entirely.
No haphazard methods. Nothing should be left undone. No balances.
An easy method to live life properly, coming out from all sorts of boredom and difficulties is to 'live life at its peak'. Whatever it may be, it should only reach the zenith.
Try to experience the taste of a rasagulla (sweet) at its peak. Eating four or five rasagullas at a time in one bite or eating just a single rasagulla for many minutes in such a manner that the full taste of the rasagulla dissolves in the mouth itself – both is same.
If you tasted the peak of the tasting itself just once, only one rasagulla is enough. Ten are not necessary. Satisfaction will be obtained.
If the peak of tasting had not been experienced, then there won't be any satisfaction even if ten are eaten. Only boredom and trouble will remain.
Merely reading the above few lines, you may not understand. Taste it with awareness to such an extent that the sweetness gets dissolved entirely in the mouth itself. Then you will understand what is meant by 'living at the peak'.
Experience and enjoy steadily and carefully each and every thing at its peak Do this for all things about which you are extremely eager to such an extent that it should and must be enjoyed. A feeling of subtle dis-satisfaction - 'some more' will not be there. Boredom will not come near you.
Lastly one great truth.
It is only because of not reaching the peak of experience, the portions remaining un-experienced and un-enjoyed, trigger the feeling "some more again..." and later on give the feeling of boredom and frustration.
The root-cause of frustration is now known. Then, why do you hesitate still? Do not keep left-overs remaining in any thing. Begin to live at the peak.
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A meaningful incident.
Outside the palace of Krishnadevaraya when a person said in an escapist manner, 'Mind is wavering like a kite...For that what can I do?' Tenali asked, 'Why did you allow your mind to such an extent as to flutter like a kite? Answer me! If God asks you this question, what reply would you give?'
He struggled being unable to reply.
For a person who lives at his peak, his mind will be at the peak. As for the mind of the person who lives partially, because it has no other work to do, it will grow feathers and fly and flutters like a kite.
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Meditation chisels. Chisel No. 24.