It’s good to see you.” Duryodhana’s realisation of salokya was less than Arjuna’s; hence he could not get benefits of salokya, while Arjuna easily could. Now the entity who seemed to be asleep was not Vraja Krishna, the constant wielder and player of the magic flute, but instead, He was Parthasarathi Krishna, the intellectual. Had He been Vraja Krishna, he would have played his magic flute, drawing Duryodhana as close to Him as Arjuna. Parthasarathi Krishna was practical and diplomatic.
The second stage of spiritual realisation is samiipya. In the second stage, they feel close enough to Parama Purusa to talk to Him on friendly terms, even regarding extremely personal matters, and thus be relieved and comforted by Him.
Next comes the stage of sayujya. It implies close contact, almost body contact, the closest proximity imaginable. But it was not so easy to attain the state – not everyone was blessed with this realisation. None of the other brothers had the opportunity.
The next stage of sadhana or spiritual practice is sarupya. It implies that “Not only am I close to Him, but whenever I think of Him I see Him in all directions.” Next comes sarshthi, when spiritual aspirants realise Parama Purusa in all possible ways and in all conceivable manners. Not only do the devotees see Him, they also remain united with him, one with Him. When a sadhaka attains this stage, he feels, “Lord! You exist. I exist. We are so close that I have become You. You have become me.”
One can attain sarshthi through Parthasarathi Krishna no doubt, but not of this kind. There the ideation is “O Parama Purusa, O Lord, O Parthasarathi! You have made me exclusively Your own. Finally when the devotee merges with Parama Purusa without maintaining its existence, that is the stage of Kaevalya. – The Times of India
(Excerpted from the writer’s book Namami Krishnasundram)
