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Raya Ramananda: Dasya Prema is the best form of Bhakti.
Mahaprabhu: This is right. But let us discuss about the deeper aspects of Bhakti.
Raya Ramananda: Sakhya Prema is the best form of Bhakti.
In the previous article, we discussed about Dasya Prema. Now, let us discuss Sakhya Prema where the sadhak considers Krishna as his closest and dearest friend. Dasya, Sakhya, Vatsalya and Madhura moods of love exist in Dvaraka too, but they are mixed with the Aishwarya mood of Bhakti. These moods of love exist in their purest form only in Vraja Dham. The multifaceted beauty and sweetness of these moods are present in their fullest form in Vraja Dham while those moods outside of Vraja are mixed with the Aishwarya mood of Bhakti, accepting Krishna as the Supreme Controller of infinite universes. For example, the five Pandavas were cousins of Krishna and they naturally had friendship towards Krishna. But when Arjuna realized that Krishna is the Supreme Controller of the infinite universes, his friendship became secondary to their awe and reverence for Krishna.
In Vraja, the devotees do not consider Krishna as the Supreme Controller of infinite universes. Therefore, they are not hesitant to talk and behave intimately with Krishna and they consider themselves equal to Krishna, unlike the devotees of Dvaraka. They think of Krishna as just a cowherd boy like themselves and consider Him as their closest friend.
Hesitation exists only in the Aishwarya mood of Bhakti where the devotee looks upon Krishna with awe and reverence. Due to the influence of Aishwarya Shakti, Mādhurya Shakti subsides in the devotees who accept the Aishwarya form of Krishna. For example, when Krishna showed Arjuna His Vishwarupa form (infinite forms of Krishna as everything inside and outside the universe), Arjuna forgot about his friendship with Krishna and became afraid of Krishna’s opulence. He started praising, praying and bowing to Krishna:
Tvayā tataṁ viśhvam ananta-rūpa.”
(Bhagavat Geeta 11.38)
Meaning: You are the primeval God and the original Divine Personality; You are the sole resting place of this universe. You are both the knower and the object of knowledge; You are the Supreme Abode. O possessor of infinite forms, You alone pervade the entire universe.
(Bhagavat Geeta 41-42)
Meaning: Thinking of You as my friend, I presumptuously addressed You as, “O Krishna,” “O Yadav,” “O my dear Friend.” I was ignorant of Your Majesty, showing negligence and undue affection. And if, jestfully, I treated You with disrespect, while playing, resting, sitting, eating, when alone, or before others—for all that I crave forgiveness.
See, although Arjuna considered Krishna as his closest friend, Aishwarya Shakti’s influence caused him to forget his friendship and consider Krishna with awe and reverence. This is the nature of the Sakhya mood mixed with the Aishwarya mood of Bhakti. Mādhurya Shakti subsides when the devotee accepts that Krishna is the Supreme Controller of infinite universes. But in Vraja, the Sakhya Prema is devoid of such sentiments. It is the Shuddha Sakhya mood of love.
When the five Pandavas were in exile, Durvāsā Rishi visited them along with his ten thousand disciples. The Pandavas had nothing at that time as they were passing their days by asking for alms. On receiving the news that Durvāsā Rishi was coming to their hut with his ten thousand disciples, Pandavas prayed in their hearts to Krishna, ‘O Govind, we are in great difficulty! Please come and save us!’ Krishna immediately appeared at their door to solve their difficulty. Although they have Sakhya mood of love, it is inferior to their Aishwarya mood of Bhakti. Therefore, it is very different from the Sakhya mood of love of Vraja.
In Vraja, the Sakhas of Krishna can never accept that Krishna is God. Although they saw Krishna kill so many demons and pick up Giriraj Hill on His little finger before their eyes, due to the influence of the pure Mādhurya mood of Bhakti, Aishwarya Shakti subsides and veils herself. When the Vrajawasis see Krishna killing demons like Putana, Aghasura, Shakatasura, etc, they think that Krishna was possessed by a supernatural power and just happened to commit an impossible feat due to its influence. They thought it was not Krishna who performed all these feats but rather the supernatural power or Sri Narayan’s power that possessed Him!
One day, Aishwarya Shakti and Mādhurya Shakti debated who was superior among them. Aishwarya Shakti said, “I am more influential than you.” Mādhurya Shakti said, “In Vraja, you have no influence at all! In Vraja, only I reign. You cannot win over me.” Krishna performed a pastime to determine who was more influential in Vraja. If His devotees accepted that He is God, Aishwarya Shakti would win. But if His devotees did not accept that He is God regardless of the divine acts of Krishna, then Mādhurya Shakti would win.
Krishna took his cows to Vrindavan along with His Sakhas. They were playing with each other while the cows were grazing on grass. Suddenly, Krishna thought that He should find out how deeply His Sakhas loved Him. He summoned all the Sakhas and gathered them in one place. “Brothers, I have something important to say. Please listen to me,” He said to them. “What I am about to say is very serious and important. Do not take it lightly. You are always joking and laughing when I say something. But this matter cannot be taken lightly. I am going to tell an absolute truth!” Sakhas now gathered around Krishna and listened attentively to him.
“All of you love me very much, don’t you?” said Krishna. “Yes, yes, this is true! We love you very much,” said the Sakhas. “I love you more than how much you love me,” said one of them. Immediately, another Sakha said to the previous Sakha, “Huh! I love him more than you!” “Don’t even talk! I love him more than anyone else!” said another. Krishna said, “Yes, yes, all of you love me very much! But I am not able to give you anything in return. I want to give you something today.” “That’s good! What will you give us?” said the Sakhas, enthusiastically.
“See, all of you know, I am the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I have killed Aghāsura, Bakāsura, etc. Even when I was a child, I killed Putanā, Shakatāsura, Trināvarta and so on. When Garga Muni performed my Naming ceremony, he also said that I was equal to Nārāyan in qualities. So, you know I am Nārāyan. But since you all love me so much, I want to give you something in return. Although all of you never expressed any desire for anything, I want to give boons to you all. Therefore, please tell me what you want. I will give you anything you desire.” Listening to these words, at first the Sakhas placed their hands on their mouths and looked at each other. Then, unable to contain their laughter, they all started laughing loudly and uncontrollably! Some of them even started rolling on the ground due to laughter. “Brother, look at the face of this God! Suddenly, this God has descended amidst us!” said a Sakha and climbed on Krishna’s shoulders. “Look, I have climbed onto God’s shoulders! I am greater than God!” He started kicking Krishna in the chest as if He was a horse and laughed loudly. [This was how they usually played. If a Sakha lost to Krishna in a game, Krishna would climb on his shoulders and kick him like a horserider. The Sakha would carry Krishna like a horse around the forest for some time. If Krishna lost to His Sakha, He would do the same. There is no hesitation between close friends.]
Another Sakha held Krishna’s face in his hands from His rear and flattened Him on the ground like a wrestler. “Ha ha, look, I have flattened God!” he said, laughing. Immediately, another Sakha came and started dragging Krishna on the soft grass of Vrindavan forest by His feet. “Look, I am dragging God by His feet! Have you seen such a God before?!” he said, laughing.
Another Sakha came up and said, “Let him go! Now, look, I will drag God back!” He dragged Krishna by His arms back to the circle of Sakhas. Krishna became very annoyed but none of them stopped making jokes and laughing. “Look, God has descended among us! Look at the face of the God!” they said, still laughing uncontrollably.
Sri Dama, one of the closest friends of Krishna, stood up and said, “Wait, wait, don’t make any more jokes! Kanhaiya, you say you are God. You have to prove it.” “Yes, I am God. Tell me, how should I prove it?” asked Krishna. Sri Dama gave a sharp clap on his thigh like a wrestler and said, “Come, let’s wrestle! If you can flatten me, I will accept that you are God! How many times have I flattened Gods like you?! Have you ever won over me in a wrestling competition? If I couldn’t flatten you today, my name isn’t Sri Dama!”
Krishna saw that there was no influence of Aishwarya Shakti on the Sakhas. Although Krishna performed so many divine acts before their eyes, they couldn’t forego their Sakhya Prema even for a moment. Truly, in Vraja, only Madhurya Shakti reigns. And without pure Madhurya mood of love, the nectarine and blissful pastimes of Vraja cannot be relished by Krishna and His devotees.
Krishna said, “Alright! All of you don’t believe that I am God. Let us do one thing - tell me what you desire. You can ask for any treasure, riches or luxury you want. If I am not able to give you what you desire, you can say that I am not God. You can make fun of me, mock or insult me as you like. But if I am able to give you whatever you desire, then it can prove that I am God.”
Now, Sakhas can be classified into four categories: Suhrit Sakha, (Sadharan) Sakha, Priya Sakha and Priya Narma Sakha.
Those Sakhas who are older than Krishna in age are called Suhrit Sakha. Their Sakhya Bhava is mixed with feelings of Vatsalya (not as a parent but rather like an older brother) and they care for and protect Krishna at all times. However, among Sakhas, they do not call the older Sakhas as big brothers. Verbally, they are as informal and intimate as Sakhas of the same age. But Krishna gives them some respect in behaviour. For example, He cannot place His arm on a Suhrit Sakha’s shoulder while standing or walking. [Balaram or other Suhrit Sakhas can put their arm around Krishna’s shoulders. Similarly, Krishna can never put his arm on Yudhisthira’s shoulders, who was older in age, but He always put His arm around Arjuna’s shoulders since he was of the same age.] Subhadra, Mandalibhadra, Veerabhadra and Balabhadra (Balaram) are some of the Suhrit Sakhas.
Those Sakhas who are younger than Krishna are called Sakha or Sadharan Sakha. Their Sakhya Bhava is mixed with the feelings of Dasya. Such Sakhas are always looking to serve Krishna, although they talk and behave as friends. Vishal, Vrishabh, Devaprastha, Ojaswi, etc. are Sadharan Sakhas.
Those Sakhas who are of the same age as Krishna are called Priya Sakha. They are focused on giving pleasure to Krishna through competitive games like wrestling, racing, etc. Sridama, Sudama, Dama, Vasudama, Stoka Krishna, etc are Priya Sakhas.
Those Sakhas who are very eager to help Krishna meet with Radharani or other Sakhis are called Priya Narma Sakha. They act as messengers or bring garlands, food offerings, etc made by Radharani or other Sakhis to Krishna. Subala, Ujjawal, Madhumangal, Chatur, etc are Priya Narma Sakhas. Among them, Subala is most dear to Krishna because he looks very similar to Radharani and often disguises himself as Radharani to replace Her in Javat while She can secretly escape and meet Krishna. He also brings very intimate letters to and from Radharani, unlike any other Sakha.
(Continuing with the above pastime,) a Suhrit Sakha said, “Alright! Alright! We will see if He can prove that He is God!” He called all Sakhas except Krishna to a spot a little distance away. “O God, my brother, Krishna, please do not come here. We will all discuss and decide how we will believe that you are God. Till then, remain sitting right there!” he said to Krishna. All Sakhas gathered around the Suhrit Sakha and listened to him say something. After a little discussion, they all nodded and applauded in agreement. “Yes, yes! This is right!” Krishna heard them say. Then, they all came back to Krishna. “Alright, Krishna! We all have discussed and decided that we all desire only one boon from you,” said the Suhrit Sakha. “Tell me, what is the boon you all want? If I couldn’t fulfil your wish, you can say that I am not God. If I can fulfil your wish, you must accept that I am God,” said Krishna.
“That is good, but you must swear thrice that you will fulfil our wish because you lie a lot. You are a great liar God! There is no guarantee that you will fulfil our wish or just ignore it if you don’t want to fulfil it! Therefore, you must promise by stating ‘I will give’ thrice,” said the Suhrit Sakha. So, Krishna said, “I promise to give you whatever you want! I promise to give you whatever you want! I promise to give you whatever you want!”
All the Sakhas were overjoyed and clapped in excitement. “Alright! We are very happy that you promised so. Now, Krishna, listen. When our cows wander far away while grazing grass in Vrindavan, you run quickly through the wilderness where thorns and sharp stones are lying around to bring them back. Our hearts are pained at the sight of it!” the Suhrit Sakha said and started crying. “We forbid you to run through the wilderness like this, but you never listen to us! All of us are here. What is the need for you to run and bring the cows back? We can do it.”
“That is right, but what does that have to do with the boon I will give you?” asked Krishna. “The only boon all of us desire is that you must promise to not run like this through thorns! You have promised to fulfil our wish. You cannot back out of it. You have to let us bring back the cows instead of running through the wilderness. My brother, God, please fulfil this wish! Will you do it?” said the Suhrit Sakha. Tears of love rolled down Krishna’s cheeks.
Aishwarya Shakti and Madhurya Shakti were watching this pastime. Aishwarya Shakti veiled her face in embarrassment and disappeared! Madhurya Shakti won. There is no influence of Aishwarya Shakti in Vraja. She cannot remain in front of Madhurya Rasa of Vraja. This kind of Madhurya Upasana is present only in Vraja. The sadhaks of other Upasana paths do not have such closeness, lack of hesitation and deep love for Krishna. The Sakhya Bhava of Vraja is a pure Madhurya Rasa, without the influence of any Aishwarya Rasa. The Sakhas think of Krishna as their closest friend. Although He might have a few more cows than them, there is nothing special about it! He is an ordinary cowherd boy just like themselves. This kind of intimate mood of love can be achieved only by the mercy of Radharani.
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