EPISODE : 73. UDDHAVA’S PRIDE. Uddhava was a close devotee, a dear friend and counsellor of Krishna. He was taught the processes of yoga and bhakti directly by Krishna. One day Uddhava expressed his dis-satisfaction to Krishna that in-spite of studying all Vedas ,Upnishadas and Sutras, he still was not recipient of the title “Maha-Rishi”. Krishna sensed the ego and pride of Uddhava. Krishna carefully listened to him and suggested Uddhava that he should go to Vrindavan and teach the gopis. Uddhava was very pleased and felt proud that he has been trusted by Krishna for considering him a knowledgeable teacher. So, off he set towards Vrindavan. The gopis received him gladly and all gathered around him as he began to teach the group, expounding his Vedantic wisdom. “Oh Gopis, you are so attached to Krishna, Please give up such attachments and bonds. Please think of Him as a supreme personality, look at Him with reverence and not love. Only then would you be freed from the cycle of birth and death.Only then would you achieve mukti. What I have preached is the universal truth. There is no truth higher than this one. Just accept my words and you will also be happy. You need to study the scriptures, the Vedas, the Upanishads to understand the nature of Krishna. If there is no point in pursuit of knowledge, then what is the meaning of life.” All the gopis listened to him with full attention. One Gopi spoke up: “Oh Uddhava, Shyama (Krishna) dwells in my mind, my whole wealth is Shyama, all what I have is Shyama and every cell of my body is filled with Shyama. If Krishna represents the Supreme personality and he has taken every inch of my body, tell me oh learned Uddhava! , where shall I put your knowledge?” Another gopi said , “ Constantly thinking of my Lord gives me happiness. There is no higher happiness than sitting here the whole day and thinking about Krishna. To me this is divine and bliss.” We are never separate. We are always together. “ Uddhava said , “ you mean your Krishna is with you right now? Can I see Him? “ All gopis said , “ Of course He is with us . You can see Him if you wish to.” Uddhava turns around and looks, immediately , he sees Krishna sitting there with every gopis , holding their hands, with a charming smile. Uddhava was humbled he bowed down to the gopis and left. On his way back to Dwaraka, he noticed a totally new world at the same place. An eternal, peaceful world where everything seemed beautiful. Uddhava sensed a big change within him. He sang to himself. He appreciated the sunset in the Western sky. He went back to Krishna and asked, “Oh my Lord, I am not that interested in the title anymore. why did you send me to teach the gopis? You knew all along how they feel and how they relate to you. No one can teach them; they not only know about your being, they are filled with you.” Krishna replied, “Uddhava, That is what was missing in your knowledge. Love is as important as Knowledge. Devotion is a part of God himself, so there is no separate need for salvation.” “Your journey is complete. You have arrived. I bestow you the responsibility of writing down my teaching in simple language for all those who do not have luxury of spending their life trying to be Maha-rishi. You will share the gems of knowledge to others. And for this great contribution to humanity, hereafter you shall be known as Maha-rishi”.
Posted on: Wed, 10 Dec 2014 10:05:40 +0000
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