Relationships with Krishna
Our basic relationship with Krishna is that of the part to the whole: God is great; we're small. He's like the sun, the ocean, the fire. We're like the sun's rays, drops of the ocean, or sparks of that fire. Ultimately, God is the source of our existence, and we're all parts of His energy. As such, we're all meant to serve Him.
We can either choose to serve favorably or unfavorably. Unfavorable service feels like prison life: restricted, miserable, frustrating, like life on Earth. But each of us has a dormant, everlasting, favorable relationship ("rasa") with Krishna in one of five ways:
1. in a passive state
2. in an active state
3. as a friend
4. as a parent
5. as a conjugal lover
These natural relationships come alive again - and we feel extraordinary happiness - when we practice bhakti-yoga, Krishna consciousness, devotional service.
More:
- An Endless Love: Fully realizing our infinite capacity for love by developing our relationship with God.
- Enounter at Kurkukshetra: How the Supreme Being is supremely social, how He constantly reciprocates love with His devotees, and how spiritual relationships are far more interesting and satisfying than the temporary, material variety.
- Counting the Ways: The Vedic science of rasas (relationships) reveals to us the many ways of loving God.