KARMA OF MEERA

May 30, 2006

>From the light, a beautiful figure appeared before her. He was wearing his yellow robe, fully garlanded with beautiful roses, and held a flute in his hands.....

Mother Meera was a very strong devotee of Lord Krishna. Her heart was filled with love for him. She felt so much love for the Lord that she didn't want to do anything but think of him. She used to compose bhajans about Krishna, and sing them with her heart filled with devotion for him. The devotion of her heart spilled into her voice, and made her songs so sweet and beautiful that anyone who heard her singing would know that she was a true devotee. She would wake up in the morning thinking of Krishna, and go to bed at night thinking of Krishna. Everything she saw would remind her only of Krishna. She would spend long hours in front of her small alter, lighting incense and singing to the lord. She was very happy doing this.

Her family was unfortunately not very pleased with Meera's devotion to the Lord. They thought that it was impossible to really pray so hard to God. They thought she was lying, and only pretending to be have real faith in God. They told her she was crazy to spend all day in front of her small prayer room, filled only with pictures of the Lord. They did not like that she sang so often, and did not like to talk about anything but Krishna. When they would shout at her though, she would smile, and nod her head, so involved with her thoughts of Krishna that she would hardly notice their anger.

The rest of the village noticed Meera's strange behavior as well. She became the subject of everyone's conversation. They all thought she must be crazy, and wanted to lock her up in a hospital. No one could understand why such a young girl was always singing and thinking about God. They began to say very cruel things about her, and called her horrible names. They also did not believe that her devotion was true. Meera tried her best to ignore the hurtful words of her neighbors and family, but slowly it became too much for her to bear. Everywhere she went, she felt the eyes of the villagers following her actions. As soon as she would walk away she felt that people began to whisper about her.

Though she knew that what the others thought was not really important, it was hard for her to deal with the bad feelings of everyone else.

One night, she slipped out of her house and walked into the woods. She went to a favorite meditation place of hers, and began to cry.

"Oh Krishna!" she wailed. "Why are you allowing others to talk about me this way! All I ever wanted in life was to sing your praises, and now everyone is saying such horrible things about me! I don't understand why you are doing this to me."

Meera knew that everything in life was really because of God's will, and that night she cried from the depths of her heart to Krishna, asking him for an explanation for the horrible things people were saying about her.

Suddenly, a bright flash of light appeared. The heavens were all glow with a brilliance unlike anything Meera had seen before. The air was suddenly filled with the fragrant smell of jasmine flowers. Meera wiped her tears and stood up. From the light, a beautiful figure appeared before her. He was wearing his yellow robe, fully garlanded with beautiful roses, and held a flute in his hands. Meera had to see the face only once to know who this beautiful figure was. It was none other than Lord Krishna.

Meera fell before him, weeping. "Oh child," said the Lord. "Please, wipe your tears. Your devotion to me has moved me so much that I rushed to your presence when I saw your pain. Please let me explain to you why I have made others talk about you. In your past life, you had a lot of bad Karma that needed to be resolved in this one. They were like a black cloud hanging over your head. Your good deeds and loving nature has brought you very close to me. When we speak ill of others, we take on some of their bad Karma.

When the villagers and your family talked about you, your bad karma went away, and now that cloud has been lifted. Please understand, this happened only to help you in becoming nearer to me."

And with these words the lord disappeared. Meera finally understood, and her heart was filled with joy. She rushed back to her small alter, and sang some of the most beautiful songs, that are still being sung today. Soon after that, Meera merged with Lord Krishna, and took her place in his heart. We remember her today for her devotion, and continue to sing her songs.

Swami tells this story to teach us a very important lesson. When we speak ill of others, we take on some of their bad karma. We make it more difficult to reach the Lord.

We should always remember this before we say anything bad about anyone else. It is never right for us to judge anyone else. God will take care of that. Our duty is to love everyone, regardless of how they treat us. We must learn to see the good in everyone, by getting to know them before making a judgment. Bhagavan Karma cleanses the mind if it is done as a dedicatory act, the consequence being left to the will of the Lord. Repentance saves even sinners from perdition. With Love

Diana

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