Kama Is Not Love

Aum Sairam

We misuse the word love a lot. We think and say that two people are in love when there is physical attraction and emotional attachment between two people. Assuming this meaning for love, some people even wonder why Krishna is called an Avatar because He had eight wives but also loved Radha and thousands of Gopikas and was loved by them all.

Krishna's love is not related to the physical body. Physical attraction and emotional craving is not love. It is Kama, desire. There is cheating and lust in the context of Kama when one does not honor one's commitments. God's love is true love, which Krishna gave to Rukmini, the other seven wives, Radha, Gopikas, Pandavas, and many other devotees. Each of the Gopikas was thinking that Krishna was with her. They were all His devotees and He was with every one of them. God can and does give His love at the same time to several devotees who love Him. In fact, God loves even those who do not love Him. They cannot see it because they have not opened themselves to receive it. Therefore there is no such thing as cheating in Divine love just like several children are all loved by one mother. Those who think Krishna is a playboy are misinterpreting the scriptures.

Since the mother's love is the most unselfish love that one experiences in one's life we often say Sai's love is that of a mother. In fact, Sai's love or Krishna's love is far superior to that of any mother in this world in the following sense. The love of an ordinary human mother is confined only to her children whereas God's love is not confined to one person or one community. God loves all His creation. Krishna loved not only women but men also. He was protecting Pandavas constantly. Because He taught Arjuna Gita does not mean that He loved Arjuna more or less than other Pandavas or Gopikas. He was showering His grace on each devotee in a way that is suitable to him/her for receiving it because different people grasp through different ways of communication. Baba was like that too. Baba used different ways to teach those who approached Him and different ways to draw people to Him.

There is significance in depicting Krishna as being surrounded by Gopikas. In general, women are considered less egoistic than men are. This is a general view, it does not mean that every man is egoistic and no woman has any ego.

A Gopika who is enjoying Krishna's company represents a devotee who has completely surrendered ego to the Lord. Krishna's influence was such that with His darshan, a devotee could easily lose the ego and is immersed in His divine love. The picture of One Krishna and several Gopikas conveys that He is the one and only one Supreme I, the Consciousness, and the devotees who are experiencing His divine love have absolutely no ego.

Allah Malik