Baba's Storytime - Suguna

 

Then, there was Suguna another gopî. One day, when Krishna was with Satyâbhâma, He pretended to have severe ache in the stomach and in spite of all the remedies that she tried she could not afford relief. Of course, it was all acting, superb acting, such as the paralytic stroke I had for a week previous to Guru Poornima recently! Even Rukminî was not admitted into the house by her to inquire about Krishna's health. But Rukminî found Suguna pining outside the door in great agony at the illness of the Lord.  Rukminî gave her the articles and asked her to go in. Krishna welcomed Suguna and made her sit at His Feet and ate the fruits she had picked up from Satyâbhâma's own garden and suddenly, the ache had gone. It was her agony at the Lord's condition, her simple sincere devotion that was so effective.

There should be no artificiality in your attachment to the Lord, no affectation, no pride, no egoism left to soil the freshness of the flower you offer. Satyâbhâma protested when Krishna accepted the fruits, for Krishna had brushed it aside as tasteless when she had herself offered them as the precious product of her assiduous gardening effort. They were tasteless, since her pride had entered into it. Now, when the simple rustic gopî picked them from the ground and saturated them with her devotion, they became tasty and attractive, for the Lord cares for the bhâva (affection) not the bâhya (outer, exterior)!

In the Kuchela (Sudâmâ) episode, the wife of Kuchela plays a more important role than Kuchela himself. She has much more bhakti; in fact, women are more devotional than men, they can master their minds better. It was her maternal love that prompted her to send Kuchela to the Lord so that her children might get a full meal. She had faith in the Lord. Kuchela hesitated and argued that Krishna might not recognise him or invite him in or accept his homage.

(From the Divine Discourse of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba)