How Krishna Came Into Their Lives

The all compassionate Lord does not discriminate between the vile and the virtuous but instead showers liberally His bountiful gifts of Nature on one and all. Without distinguishing a saint from a sinner, His Rivers give their water freely to all who come to their banks and the sun gives its heat and light equally, whether it is a garden of fragrant flowers or a dirty dumping ground. The Lord in fact offers the sweetest solace and the highest assurance to even the most sinful soul who feels that he is lost forever, that it can take shelter in Him and attain the supreme destination!

The author Ms. Jyoti Atul Bhatt(Jaysheela Devi dasi) says that faith in Krishna did not come to her straight away. As a child she would often watch B., her paternal grandmother singing with tears in her eyes, 'Arati uttaro...Shree Krishna ghare aavya... 'This touched her heart but did not instill in her any desire to worship Krishna. The pull of the lures of life for her was very strong then. It was only after she got married, when her husband would read out to her passages from Shri Dilip Kumar Roy's books, describing the beautiful experiences of ardent devotees of Krishna that a faint attraction for the Lord blossomed in her heart. Tears would well up in her eyes on hearing these divine experiences but even then she did not feel any compelling desire to take to the path of bhakti. Busy with her worldly commitments as a wife, a mother of two daughters, a daughter-in-law within a joint family and as a college Professor, she did not find any time for Krishna. But somewhere within her a thirst for the Ultimate Truth had awakened and the quest slowly began.

It was then that Ms. Bhatt resigned from her job as a Professor of History in Wilson College, Mumbai. She also gave up her passion for freelance writing. Some of her articles had been published in newspapers and magazines like 'The Nagpur Times' and 'The Caravan' magazine. Her priorities and interests gradually began to change. She discovered a new fascination for dabbling in different spiritual practices like meditation, reciting mantras, doing anustham of the Gayatri mantra, reading scriptures, delving into works of spiritual luminaries and seeking guidance from saints and spiritual institutions. These became the most important things in her life. She became associated with Siddha Yoga following the teachings of Gurumayi or Swami Chidvilasananda. For twelve years she was connected to Gurucley Siddha Peeth, Gancshpuri where she served as the Director of the Indological Research Institute that was affiliated to the University of Pune. Her turning to Krishna wholeheartedly came only when she received His grace. She then visited Iskcon several times and got inspired by the philosophy and teachings of Srila Bhaktivendanta Swami Prabhupada. In her quest for the Truth, searching and struggling to kid the right direction she feels that she has finally found repose in Krishna bhakti which-is also the end...a bottomless ocean of pure lout and bliss that gets newer ,nd ,,,wet everyday! Her journey to Krishna, she say, has just begun.

Writing this book has been an absolutely thrilling experience. I thank my Lord Krishna for igniting within me the spark of desire to write about these exceptional poet saints. The spark would have dwindled into an ember, had He not kept supplying fresh fuel with His many ideas and inspirations. Indeed it was He that kept fanning the fire that I was struggling to keep alive!

I tried to peep into the lives of these spiritual stars and as I stood at the threshold, mentally witnessing and resuscitating pictorially the glimpses of the important events of their lives, I was awestruck by their ineradicable thirst for Lord Krishna, their incredible one pointed focus, their unflinching devotion, their immense tolerance and unshakable perseverance. For me there couldn't be a better satsang than this because the intoxication of their love for God so gripped me that after having sipped • a few drops of this nectar I couldn't resist myself from drinking more and more of the elixir of their rich spiritual experiences. The urge to share this with others translated into the form of this book.

Before beginning to write this book I had not the faintest idea as to where and how to begin but by the grace of these great saints and by the grace of Krishna this feeble attempt to glorify them got accomplished.

There have been many great souls all over the world who have come time and again to reawaken us from our deep slumber, to remind us of our eternal relationship with God. Their lives, experiences and teachings have impinged on the hearts of the ardent seekers with a tremendous force instilling in them hope as they struggle and fumble on the spiritual path. The seer poets of whom I have written in this book need no introduction. For years they have been torchbearers for the aspirants of the highest truth. Many a kindred soul has written, discussed and commented on them in practically all the Indian languages. I hope my humble attempt to bring them back into the limelight again will help sincere devotees to get inspired and stimulated and will provide them with all the answers to the questions that mystify their minds.

I do not deserve any credit for writing this book. The actual credit goes to Lord Krishna Himself for any intelligence or ability used in writing this belongs to Him as He says in the Bhagvad Gita, (Chapter 7.10)

bijam mam sarva- bhutanam viddhi partha sanatanam budhir buddhimatam asmi tejas tejasvinam aham

Translation: 0 son of Pritha, know that I am the original seed of all existences, the intelligence of the intelligent, and the prowess of all powerful men.

Krishna, the sweetest name ever, meaning one who is All-Attractive has been the cynosure of the spiritual aspirants, the sarvaradhyaya of the demigods and the humans, the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of the Hindu religion since times immemorial! As Nrisimha Tapaniya Upanishad says He is the one `whom all the gods worship, so do all the lovers of liberation and all the knowers of Brahman'

For me when I think of writing about Him I feel like the tiniest speck of dust in His infinite creation. Krishna has mesmerized millions since the beginning of life. His influence on the Indian thought, life and culture has been so profound that He has entered not only its religion, philosophy and mysticism but all aspects of life. The literary field is rich with the many devotional poems, songs, stories, dramas, plays and scriptural writings written on Him. In the field of art, He has been an all time favourite of painters, sculptors, photographers and the artists of the celluloid world. His lilas or pastimes have been ceaselessly sung, recited, enacted and danced in so many different languages and festivals related to Him have always been celebrated with great joy in so many different cultures. Neither is He unknown to those who have not glorified Him in any way because they have Him hidden deep inside their hearts in the purest form of love!

The Bhagvatam has declared Him to be Krishnastu Bhagvan swayam

**Contents and Sample Pages**