Saadhaavayaa bhaktikaaj | naahi laaj dhareet ||

 

Ramkrishnahari.

Why is ‘prema’ the loftiest ? 

Because…

a.) In pure ‘prema’ any act done is without expecting anything in return.  ‘Prema’ believes only in giving.  It requires a large heart to be able to give even when what one is holding to is extremely meagre.

b.) In pure ‘Prema’, the other person is prioritised even before one’s own self.  A ‘Premi’ lives his / her life for the other person.  Every act is weighed to ensure fulfilment of every need of the other person.

c.) In pure ‘Prema’, one is barely conscious of one’s own identity.  In many ways it is as if the other person residing in this body.  Duality in many ways diminishes in pure ‘Prema’.

d.) In pure ‘Prema’ the edifice on which it stands is sacrifice.  What is so great about sacrifice one might question !  Sacrifice is the greatest because it makes one ready to give up everything that is dear to oneself - even one’s own life, for a cause which is not rooted purely to just address one’s own selfish personal benefits.  This makes sacrifice and thereby pure ‘prema’ divine.

e.) In pure ‘Prema’ there is no conflict.  If at all there is one, it is only that constant thought that what one has done for the other is barely enough.

Reams and reams of such attributes can be penned down regarding pure ‘Prema’ and there are innumerable instances which one can find in the form of lifetimes of those great persons who even now continue to tread mother earth.

‘Tuka’ brings to fore one such incident which is etched in the memory of time forever.

The setting is the battlefield of ‘Kurukshetra’ which saw one of the most deadliest & dreadful battles that humanity has ever known.  The ‘Kauravas’ were hell bent in bringing down the ‘Pandavas’ to their knees.  This was a battle fought for ‘dharma’ and lord ‘Sri Krishna’ was by the side of the ‘Pandavas’.  While the presence of ‘Sri Krishna’, the slayer of ‘Kamsa’ and many other asuras in itself would assure ‘Pandavas’ of victory, he had taken a vow not to lift a weapon.  Such a vow could have dampened the spirits of anyone but not the ‘Pandavas’.  He was their charioteer.  The enemy lines were led by towering stalwarts like ‘Bheeshma’, ‘Drona’, ‘Karna’ etc.

The predominant characteristic of this war was that brothers were fighting each other.  Kith and kin were massacaring each other.  But in the midst of this humdinger existed an irony of the bigge,st scale.  Even the lord and his devotee were on the opposite sides.  This was a mother of all conflicts.  Who will win ?  Will it be the lord or his devotee ? The lord was none other than ‘Sri Krishna’ and the devotee was none other than ‘Sri Bhishma’.  ‘Shri Bhishma’ was at his ferocious best !!  Here was a devotee who wanted to see his lord in all his valorous best.  But unfortunately for him ‘Sri Krishna’ would do nothing other than manouvering ‘Arjuna’s’ charriot back and forth, hither and tither etc with the sole aim of ensuring that another dear devotee of his, ‘Sri Arjuna’ would not fall prey to the vicious & lethal missles being pumped in by ‘Sri Bhishma’.  Add to this melee the ingredient of ‘Sri Krishna’s’ vow.  ‘Sri Bhishma’ would have no other choice but to face utter defeat in the form of an unfulfilled desire and stay put.

Here comes in pure ‘Prema’.  ‘Sri Krishna’ is the epitome of pure ‘Prema’.  If that were to be so, would his own vow matter to him more than the desire of his devotee ?  Never !! ‘Sri Krishna’ decided to make the biggest sacrifice that this creation would have ever known.  That ‘satyavratan’ (champion of truth) who is cannot tainted even with a dot of falsehood, decided to let go his vow and lifted his ‘Chakra’.  No words can illumine the feelings of ‘Sri Bhishma’ when this happened.  The lord fulfilled the desire of ‘Sri Bhishma’ to behold the valorus ‘Sri Krishna’ weilding his majestic discus. 

‘Tuka’ therefore says in this abhang, भीष्मपण केला खरा । धनुर्धरा रक्षीलें ॥३॥

[In one stroke, he made true the vow of bheeshma and also protected the weilder of the bow (i.e. Arjuna)].

Is this act of ‘Sri Krishna’ not stupefying.  What was this act founded on ?  ‘Tuka’ states साधावया भक्तीकाज । नाहीं लाज धरीत ॥१॥ (In order to uphold the ‘bhakti’ of his devotee , he would rather go unabashed and unashamed).  The ‘bhakti’ of his devotee makes him take such monumental decisions and drastic steps.  He would rather remain tainted as someone who has not upheld his vow than be tainted as a lord who could not fulfil the desire of his devotee.  It this does not illustrate supreme sacrifice in pure ‘Prema’ what else would ?

Ramkrishnahari.

साधावया भक्तीकाज                    ।        नाहीं लाज धरीत                 ॥१॥

ऐसियासी शरण जावें                     ।        शक्ती जीवें न वंची              ॥ध्रु.॥

भीष्मपण केला खरा                      ।        धनुर्धरा रक्षीलें                    ॥३॥

तुका म्हणे साक्ष हातीं                    ।        तो म्यां चित्तीं धरियेला          ॥४॥