''Indian Bhakti has given to this divine love powerful forms, poetic symbols which are not in reality so much symbols as intimate expressions of truth which can find no other expression.
It uses human relations and sees a divine person, not as mere figures, but because there are divine relations of supreme Delight and Beauty with the human soul of which human relations are the imperfect but still the real type, and because that Delight and Beauty are not abstractions or qualities of a quite impalpable metaphysical entity, but the very body and form of the supreme Being.
It is a living Soul to which the soul of the Bhakta yearns; for the source of all life is not an idea or a conception or a state of existence, but a real Being.
Therefore in the possession of the divine Beloved all the life of the soul is satisfied and all the relations by which it finds and in which it expresses itself, are wholly fulfilled; therefore, too, by any and all of them can the Beloved be sought, though those which admit the greatest intensity, are always those by which he can be most intensely pursued and possessed with the profoundest ecstasy.
He is sought within in the heart and therefore apart from all by an inward-gathered concentration of the being in the soul itself; but he is also seen and loved everywhere where he manifests his being.
All the beauty and joy of existence is seen as his joy and beauty; he is embraced by the spirit in all beings; the ecstasy of love enjoyed pours itself out in a universal love; all existence becomes a radiation of its delight and even in its very appearances is transformed into something other than its outward appearance.
The world itself is experienced as a play of the divine Delight, a Lila, and that in which the world loses itself is the heaven of beatitude of the eternal union.''
Sri Aurobindo - The Synthesis of Yoga -II - The Way of Devotion
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Krishna and Radha under a Tree in a Storm, ca. 1790-early 19th century. Opaque watercolor and gold on paper, sheet: 9 x 6 3/4 in. (22.9 x 17.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum.
''This painting depicts the Hindu god Krishna sitting beneath a tree while his beloved, Radha, runs to join him, seeking shelter from an impending storm. The storm is emblematic of passion—dark and dangerous, yet bringing new life. The union of the lovers is echoed in the intertwining of vines with flowering creepers. Krishna's love affair with Radha is used as an analogy for the relationship between God and devotee: deeply satisfying but not without its challenges. Here, Radha turns to Krishna for comfort in much the same way a devotee would turn to God.''[source: Brooklyn Museum]
