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Why should we love Bhagavan exclusively?
Bhagavan Krishna, in the Gita teaches the seeker to surrender to Him exclusively. Now, One may wonder why Bhagavan has put such a harsh condition. A father doesn’t demand exclusive love from his son.
He allows his son to share his love with his spouse, mother and friends as well. Then, Why does Bhagavan specially demand exclusive love for himself? This question intrigues the common man.
Bhagawan Krishna says, “You are allowed to love me inclusively. But, I have just included one condition. Whoever you share my love with should already be a purified being. He should belong to My family. Purified beings, who depend on me, come within my family.”
Can we love relatives along with Bhagavan?
Bhagavan says- “If your father solely depends on me, you can love your biological father as well. However, If your father excludes me, and only cares for his personal comfort, you should withdraw your love for him. If your neighbor depends on Me and loves Me alone, you can also love your neighbor.
If you are to choose between your worldly father and your elevated neighbor, you must chose your neighbor, not your father. The rule of exclusivity only applies to impure beings. Impure beings do not love me. They don’t surrender to Me. My family consists of my pure devotees. Pure Devotees can love each other, with My permission. However, impure beings do not come within My inner circle, even if they are your direct biological parents or your spouse even.”
This is the Bhagavan’s philosophy. Exclusivity only applies to worldly people. It doesn’t apply to surrendered souls. Such surrendered souls depend on the Lord exclusively for love and protection. They constantly discuss His pastimes, His abode, His divine qualities and His Holy names. The Lord’s family thus includes pure devotees who have the permission to love each other mutually. The reason for this condition is interesting.
The law of love in Karma
Say, A person “A” loves another individual (जीव living entity) “B.” Here, ‘B’ doesn’t have genuine love for Bhagavan and is enamored by the two prongs of worldly aversion and attachment. So, as per the rule of Karma, the person “A” shall automatically follow “B” to his destination after death. Since “B” isn’t free of attachment and aversion, he may go to some hellish planets or take birth on earth in unpleasant situations as per his karmic load. Interestingly, “A” shall also follow along to “B’s destination and suffer along with him. “A” and “B” thus enter into a wed-lock of love in highly abhorrent conditions.
Result of loving a pure devotee of Bhagavan
However, if “B” is a great devotee of Bhagavan, “A” shall also derive the benefits. “A” may not necessarily be spiritual yet he selflessly loves “B” for unknown reasons. Now, if “B” enters into higher planetary systems or the pleasant abode of the Lord, “A” shall follow along to that very abode, even if “A” has not consciously loved Bhagavan.
This is the grace bestowed on “A” for having loved a devotee with “no ulterior motives.” This is the philosophy of loving the Lord’s direct family. Thus, the philosophy of exclusive surrender teaches man to love divinity over anything material. One should shun even one’s own direct blood-relatives if they are materially-minded. If an individual is reborn as donkey, his exclusive lover shall follow him in a donkey’s body in his upcoming birth.
This is the theory of exclusive love, devotion.
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Story of Jada Bharata: King Bharata retire to the forest
King Bharath was an elevated Paramahamsa of the highest order. He took to the renounced order of life, leaving his kingdom to the care of his son.
He started living a life full of austerities. Once, while bathing in the river, he found a pregnant deer who was struggling to cross the river. The deer was in a despair state, panting for life, having escaped a tiger attack.
As the deer jumped across the river, the baby tumbled out of the womb of the bleeding mother. The mother deer soon breathed her last. Now, the baby deer generated compassion in the heart of the renounced King.
King Bharata develops attachment
The Paramahamsa sage took the deer back to his hermitage and nursed it. The deer started prancing around in a few days’ time and became the sage-king’s object of love and affection.
Now the sage’s attention was fully with the baby deer. He would undoubtedly carry out his spiritual practice and ablutions, but his heart lived with the deer. If the deer was away from his sight even for a few minutes, ripples of fear would run down his spine. He would become restless and not breathe in peace unless the deer was around. This was the sage-king’s attachment for the deer.
Earlier, King Bharata was known for his dispassion before the deer’s entry into his life. Now, the baby deer grew up and one day on attaining maturity, it simply left the sage. The sage was heart-broken and couldn’t bear the separation from the deer.
On one such day while leaving for a bath, the king drooped his body pining for the deer. Such an elevated sage having renounced a very prosperous kingdom died of separation from a deer.
The King-sage Bharath, then took on a deer’s body. This was the despicable state of loving someone of the animal species. The sage-king had invested his emotions and consciousness in the body of a deer. As a result, he received a deer’s body in his final moments.
This is famous tale from the Srimad Bhagavatham that explains the theory of attachment to a materialistic body.
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