a (HEN x : Ny,
pee Sf Ws bess ee
co GF -.
SON a ioe oie eee
art ni yh ‘ hg
4 In the mundane world there is also some shadow of such
viraha. A loving wife, husband, or friend may for some time be
maddened by the absence of the beloved. Such a state of mind,
however, is not permanent. The loving husband or wife takes to
another and forgets everything of the past. This is so because
there is no reality to such relationships in the material world.
The spiritual situation, however, is completely different. A bona
fide lover of God could never forget Him, even in exchange for
everything else. The devotee of the Lord cannot be happy in any
J circumstance without the Lord. In the absence of the Lord the
} devotee associates with Him by remembering His separation, and
because the Lord is absolute the devotee’s feeling of separation
is transcendentally more relishable than direct contact. This is
possible only when we develop genuine love for Him. In that state
the devotee is always with the Lord by feelings of separation,
which become more acute and intolerable in suitable circum-
stances. The mild wind reminded the gopis of the association of
a the Lord, and they felt separation from Him acutely.e
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