The Lover's Life - 9d

[Guest guest]

The Gopis of Vrindavan are the bhakti gurus.

Their resistance and determination are to be emulated

by those who tred the fire path of devotion. Their

glories are sung of in the congregations of lovers. These

stories confirm that Hari's lovers can withstand the

force of their own karma, endure the effects of time

and nature and face the fires of devotion. This

allows them to arrive at the Beloved's door. When the

delays, testing and playing are through, the purification

of the lila process makes the lover's body ready for

the ultimate embrace. The bhakta lover's body then

becomes nirguna, devoid of all restricting worldly stuff.

Then, no more obstructions can delay the reunion and

there is festival after festival. <br><br>The divine

pain, the affliction of not coming face to face with

the Beloved is known to the rare lover. Along the way

to His abode, so many things can come in the way,

from family members and other associations. They

should all be withstood. For instance, if the lover's

spouse does not support the Hari romance, then practice

is done alone. Only in cases of sever opposition

does the lover seek other quarters where the

relationship can be expanded and explored in peace. In the

case of non-support in the devotional practice, the

lover of Hari should not leave the home, for the

complications involved in that could exceed the problems of the

homelife due to poor association and food. In all cases,

in loss or gain, the lover never forsakes

perseverance. <br><br>This was kindly translated by Shyamdas

(The Lover's Life). <br><br>Jaya Sri Radhey!