Thursday, March 6, 2008

What is True Love?

In our age of Valentine's day noise we profess love through outward symbols of love like cards and flowers but have forgotten what is love.
We think love is just control of the loved with the result that a year or two down the line, most modern marriages born through this type of love is sacrificed at the altar of greed and misunderstanding.
Love is sacrifice for the loved one as this story of Radha and Krishna shows what is true love.

Radheshyam



Krishna, while living in Dwarka with his favourite wife Rukmani, would very often softly utter to himself, " O Radha… O Radha."

Rukmani felt jealous and asked him why he kept remembering Radha so often. Krishna did not say anything. He just smiled.

A few days later, Krishna complained of stomach ache. Rukmani gave him medicines, but the pain did not go away. He kept moaning in pain.

Krishna told her that only a little charanamrita (water which drains on washing the feet) of a person who truly loved him would put an end to his agony. He begged Rukmani to give him some of her charanamrita.

A shocked Rukmani refused: " How can I commit such a terrible sin? You are the Lord of all that be, and if I gave you my charanamrita I would surely go to hell."

Krishna then asked Rukmani to send an attendant to Vrindavan and try and procure some charanamrita from someone there. Soon the attendant returned with a cupful of charanamrita and as Krishna sipped it, all the pain disappeared.

He then asked the attendant, " Who gave you this Charanamrita?" the attendant replied, " No one in Vrindavan was ready to give it on learning it was for Lord Krishna."

Then one young woman came running up to me and gave me this cup. Her companions cautioned her, " You fool Radha, you are committing the greatest sin. But she did not care. She said, "I don't care about what happens to me but I cannot bear to see my beloved Krishna in pain ."

Krishna turned to Rukmani standing by his side and said, " Radha is not afraid of going to hell for me. She only thinks about me.

So if Radha loves me so much, should I also not long for her?"

This is what true love is about.
It is Unconditional.
Sacrifice is the most important characteristics of True love.

That's why we have Radh-Krishna Temples not Rukshmani-Krishna Temple

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