What is the devotional reason why Rama sent Sita away?
Answer Podcast
Transcript
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the devotional perspective if we see you know why is it that ram allowed lakshmana to serve him but he closed ram sent shikha away and he did not allow her to serve her closely service love and service can be expressed in different ways and especially from the point of view of gaudiya vaishnava understanding love in separation is considered the highest level is a prayer by smt radharani where she says krishna i prefer separation from you as compared to union with you because when i’m united with you i see only one place when i separated from you i see you everywhere so separation does to love what sorry separation does to love what wind does to fire what does wind do to fire suppose there’s a forest fire there’s a big forest fire and a wind comes over there the wind actually spreads the fire so like that when there is love and then there is separation the separation intensifies the love now of course we shouldn’t think if i get separated from devotees you know my but there’s other possibility also if the fire is not a forest fire the fire is a candle and then the wind comes the wind will extinguish the fire so if our love is small and there is separation then what happens that love gets extinguished so we our love right now is tender we need the association of devotees we need we need to get inspiration by association but when the love is blazing like a fire at that time separation enhances the love it intensifies the love and krishna also appreciates the gopis when the gopis are separated from him and then they’re they’re asking and then united with him krishna says to gopi is that the way you have loved me no one can love me that your service to me is so glorious that there’s nothing i can do to repay you i cannot do anything to repay you so now so this is an extraordinary acknowledgement of the glory and god is the person who’s supposed to give all reward who possesses possesses everything to give all rewards and he’s saying i cannot so great is what you have offered me the same way that extraordinary manner of love intense love in separation that is the rasa that sita and ram relish when they get separated from each other so ram gives sita the opportunity and he himself relishes the opportunity of love and separation externally it seems painful it’s painful because we’re not there with our loved one but basically in the recollection of krishna in the recollection of the one whom we love there is great happiness so in a sense union with krishna is like sweet nectar separation of krishna is like bitter nectar it’s still nectar but at that moment it doesn’t taste good but it is nectar so what happens is ram and sita they relish love in separation and ram does not reject sita it is not that ram deprives sita of the opportunity to serve him actually ram gives an opportunity to serve ram gives her so ram gives her the opportunity to serve in separation and he himself also expresses her love and separation his love for her in separation so it’s a very exalted reciprocation of selfless love and separation that there is that is how their relationship continues after the sita is sent to the forest this answer your question