Sai message for the day

[Guest guest]

Radha was an ardent, intimate and ideal devotee of Krishna. She

represents ananyabhakti, infinite devotion, matchless and

unconditional, and as we hear you speak on Radha bhakti we get lost

in the ecstasy of devotion. Would you please tell us more about

Radha's bhakti?

 

Sai Baba: Textual knowledge can't confer devotion. You can't get it

from any Guru. No friend can make a gift of devotion. It should be

born in one's own Heart. It can't be stuffed into your heart. The

devotion of the Gopis was pure and selfless. It was steady,

unshakeable and unwavering. Radha was the most prominent among them.

She felt herself one with Krishna, tadatmya, total identification.

Radha had only Krishna trsna, thirst or desire for God, and not

lokatrsna, worldly desire.

 

One day Krishna went to a nearby place in his vehicle along with

Rukmini. All the inhabitants of the place gathered there and gave

them a tumultuous welcome exceedingly jubilant

 

Rukmini noticed Krishna gazing intently at a person to her side. That

person too was casting looks on Krishna. Krishna slowly and softly

said, " Rukmini! Do you know Radha? She is an ardent devotee of mine " .

Hearing this, Rukmini got down from the vehicle and rushed close to

Radha and after exchanging pleasantries, invited her to spend some

time with her in the palace in Dwaraka. Accordingly, on the following

day, Radha went to Dwaraka. Rukmini received Radha at the main

entrance and escorted her into the palace. Radha stayed with Rukmini

in the palace for some time talking about Krishna and singing the

glories of Krishna. They began sharing the joys of their experiences

with Lord Krishna. Rukmini served hot milk to Radha so that she could

be with her for some more time and talk a little longer about

Krishna, as she would sip the milk slowly. But, Radha gulped the whop

cup of hot milk at once. All the same, the conversation went on for

some time and then Radha left the palace for her village.

 

Krishna returned in the evening, very much tired. He said to

Rukmini " Rukmini! Look ! I am very tired and exhausted; I have a

burning sensation in my feet, it is unbearable " . Rukmini noticed some

blisters on His feet and wondered how and why such - a thing happened

to Him. Krishna then said, " Rukmini! You served very hot milk to

Radha this afternoon when she came to visit you in response to your

invitation, didn't you? Radha drank the whole lot at one gulp. As my

feet are located in her heart, the hot milk spilt on my feet and so

you now find blisters there where I feel the burning sensation " . This

was the level of Radha's devotion.

 

One day to test Radha's devotion, a Gopi gave her a pot with holes to

fetch water from the river Yamuna. Radha didn't notice that. She was

constantly repeating the sacred name of Krishna as she was dipping

the pot in the river. With her every utterance of Krishna's precious

name one hole after another got cemented. The pot never leaked and

Radha brought home a pot full of water. That was the height of her

devotion!

 

In the very name ` Radha ', `R' , signifies 'Radha ', `A' is ` Adhar

or foundation, `D' signifies ` Dhara ' or continuous, uninterrupted

flow and the next `A' means ` Aradhana ' or worship. Her devotion was

unflinching like a dhara, continuous flow like oil.

 

As Radha repeated the name of Krishna, Krishna also thought of Radha

repeatedly. This is the link and the intimacy between a devotee and

his or her personal God or Deva.