Is it possible for a girl to become a Gopi for Krishna?
A girl devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Hare krishna anna -^- anna becaz of u, today i know krishna..all credit goes to u anna.. i dnt knw how or wat to say .. if its wrong plz forgive me .. i love krishna sooo much.. krishna is not a part of my life.. krishna is my life.. i cant express or show how much i love him.. anna always i feel of seeing krishna and to hug him tight and to fall on his lotus feet.. but it is not possible in real .. i hug krishna idol and photo tightly.. but cant satisfy.. tear drops out when i realise its not possible to meet him.. i knw anna in evrythng and evry where is krishna.. evrythng is created by him.. in every idol he is thr.. but i want to see him in his roopa.. becoming mad and sad.. anna it may be too much pleasure and desire of mine plz forgive me.. just i am sharing wid u.. and begging you for the guidence to overcome from this .. my problem is , i want to see krishna but i cant i knw.. always i cry nd beg in front of him to give darshan..wat shall i do anna ..anna its all becaz of u.. u have taught all of us to love krishna .. your admiration abt him made me to love him soooo much today.. you are the greatest devotee.. we are lucky to have you in our lives.. priceless work you are doing anna.. really u r greattttt.. hare krishna -^-“
REPLY:
It seems, you have developed Gopi bhawa and like to become a gopi..
I appreciate your love for Krishna. Your desire to meet Krishna and become a Gopi is genuine.
But, Similar bhawa should be implemented while taking care of ourselves for living in this kali yuga because of the present conditions.
(Is reading the Personal lilas of Krishna with Gopis is offensive? READ HERE!)
Those days, the women had no compulsion to go for jobs and all of them were free. Gopis had families and they had no problems for food and shelter. Their parents or husbands took care of them. so, they did not have any need to take efforts to take care of their needs.
What happens now a days?
In this kaliyuga, the culture of nuclear families exist.
Both the women and men compete in going to the jobs and earning.
In many families, both the wife and husband go for job and earn. Many husbands expect their wives to work and earn.
Though many wives remain housewives, their husbands may not allow their wives to go deep in devotion forgetting their family duties.
Our scriptures too do not recommend tough devotional practices for women. They also recommend that her husband is her guru who should help her to get Krishna.
Though the husband happens to be a devotee, he too has to earn to manage his family. So, he too may restrict his wife to a certain level of expression of Krishna Prema as he too may expect his wife to serve him.
(Vaidhi Bhakti & Raganuga Bhakti – Two Types of Devotional Practices! READ HERE!)
Though you remain unmarried, you too should arrange for your food and shelter. Now, your parents will support. How long can they support?
So, In this planet and in this kaliyuga, we have to follow the Krishna Prema while taking care of ourselves.
Who will feed you if you are always sitting in Krishna Prema?
Can you survive without food for more than 10 days?
In case you like to die without food for Krishna, has Krishna advised us to die by quitting food for him?
Krishna has advised us to perform our naturally assigned duties, earn and manage ourselves.
He never advised us to remain without working just thinking of Him.
You may say that you will stay in any sathsangha, have prasadam and live.
But, no sathsangha will feed you without doing any service to Krishna. You will have to cook, clean, collect funds, etc. Moreover, no sathsangha can keep more devotees inside. They too have the limitations of space, funds, etc. And, the scriptures and acharyas like Sri Ramanuja, Srila Prabhupada etc., did not recommend keeping women in the mutts. Because they are the places of brahmacharis and sanyasis.
(Sources of Gopi Chandan & Vibhuti! Can a devotee wear the both? READ HERE!)
So, a required number of male devotees alone can stay in sathsanghas/ mutts.
So, in any angle of consideration, one thing is clear:
A devotee has to do some works while following devotion and prema for Krishna.
He needs a family to take care of him/her when he/she is old and bedridden.
Though the family happens to be torturous, they will atleast admit you in an old age home.
If you skip job, earning, marriage, people, etc, etc, and remain in the Prema of Krishna, you can’t maintain your life at all.
So, be practical.
Develop Krishna Prema WITHIN YOUR HEART and also do something to take care of yourself.
Develop Prema to maintain athma healthy and work and live to maintain your body healthy.
Krishna will approve such a way of devotion because you are not remaining a burden to anyone in this world showing yourself a devotee.
A Krishna devotee should act in such a way that others do not consider him/ her as burden for them.
So, work, earn, manage yourself and also follow devotion.
(What is Karma Yoga? Will it reduce our Initiative for not expecting results? READ HERE!)
The problem is, when you involve in devotion, you may gradually lose your interest in earning and mingling with the materialistic people.
But, you have no other way. Like a rose blossoms in the mud, we too have to follow devotion from this contaminated atmosphere only.
The devotional practices are different for every yuga.
For this kaliyuga, even our own living will be difficult unless we spend time to work, earn and take care of ourselves.
So, we have little time for proper devotional practices.
That is why, the scriptures mercifully recommended chanting the holy names of Krishna as the sadhana for kaliyuga to get Krishna.
So, Chant the sweet names of Krishna as much as possible with of course Prema for Krishna within heart.
(ACQUIRING KNOWLEDGE, BHAKTI RASA & KRISHNA PREMA – PROCESS! READ HERE!)
Work and take care of yourself.
Do your duties for your family.
Finish your family duties in your fifties or sixties.
Now, you will have completed your duties for your children and you will be living in your son/ daughter’s home.
You will be at rest now.
No works except devotion because you have developed your children as earning members. So, he/she/they will earn and spend for you. Or, you would have saved for your last days that you can use.
Now, think of Krishna all the time and go from temple to temple, tour from place to place, hear lectures throughout the day, etc. etc.
Do whatever you want for cultivating Krishna Prema.
Now, get ready for today’s work after chanting the committed rounds.
Work thinking of Krishna. Think of Krishna DEEPLY in the available gaps.
Come back from work.
Do family duties. Also perform some services to Krishna at home.
Chant a round at night.
Go to bed thinking of Krishna.
That’s all you can do now.
Follow that. Krishna will grade you more than a sanyasi’s grade.
After going back to Krishna’s kingdom, become a gopi and meet Krishna and approach Him as a Gopi, as Krishna will fulfil your genuine desires (to become a Gopi) that you had while living on earth.
This is my constant advice that is practically suitable for today’s trend. We have to ADJUST with the current changes, but WITHOUT CHANGING THE BASIC RECOMMENDATIONS GIVEN FOR THE DEVOTEES.
(Is Krishna Prema State a liberated state in this body itself? READ HERE!)