Q. Can you please explain how we can follow the Supreme Lord’s teachings without imitating His deeds during His pastimes?
Answer by Romapada Swami: Krishna’s appearance or incarnation in this material world, as stated in BG 4.8 has three-fold purposes: punishing the atheists and establishing religious principles are two, while the third and in fact more important one is pleasing His devotees. Whereas the other two purposes can be accomplished through other means besides His personal appearance also, He comes to display His supra-mundane pastimes simply to attract the conditioned souls.
While manifesting His pastimes, He generally acts in such a way as to set the ideal example, but He also asserts Himself from time to time as the Original Supreme Person, not only as the All-powerful and Irreproachable but also as the enjoyer of various rasas (mellows) with His devotees. Thus He establishes His true identity; His pastimes become most relishable and attract all pious souls to draw closer to their relationship with Him. This feature of intimate loving exchanges ‘transcendental’ to mundane morality (not in `transgression’ of it), is the highest aspect of our relation with the Absolute Truth; without this, the secondary aspect of establishing religious principles would leave Krishna’s manifestation of His pastimes to our vision incomplete.
Stated in reverse, the highest form of morality is that which leads to Krishna’s satisfaction. His internal satisfaction, even beyond His leading sinful souls to the path of righteousness, is reciprocating with the selfless love of His unalloyed devotees. Topmost amongst those selfless lovers are the gopis.
So, how do we ensure that we understand these pastimes properly and do not imitate them? – Within this vital question we discover the ABSOLUTE NEED to strictly follow authorized and bona fide acharyas, and in this way live our lives in genuine devotion to Krishna. Knowing this tendency of conditioned souls to imitate, it is therefore forbidden to hear Krishna katha, from unqualified persons, or conversely to cheaply discuss them in public gatherings.
We are to follow in the footsteps of great souls, which means to abide by their *teachings* (e.g. Krishna’s words in BG) and in the process of doing so we can make unimpeded progress on the spiritual path. Our duty, is to simply follow the instructions of the acharyas and become gradually purified and in this lies our protection.
