Narada's Aphorisms on Devotion Sutra-21

Yatha Vrajagopikanam. (21)

As the Shepherdess (cowherd)

Are these things needed to the Divine? does Divine expect all these things? Does Divine sleep when we make the idol to lie on bed after the night puja? All those things are sheer imaginations; wonderful imaginations!

But these imaginations and fantasies are very positive, because they uplift us to spiritual ecstasy. Somehow or the other one has to go to that spiritual ecstasy. That is all. Let us observe the mental system, when we imagine all these things. We have all ego-centric imaginations which pull us down to the cheap pleasures. What is wrong in having these spiritual fantasies that uplift us to spiritual heights.

If many of the woman dream and imagine a film actor or sportsman as their lover, which sometimes leads to negative attitudes, what is wrong in imagining or dreaming such a great person like Krishna who is complete with al qualities as our lover? If many of the men dream a film actresses, what is wrong in imagining God as our beloved as we find in Sufism of Islam?

Even in Rajayoga-meditations, we have several imaginations; why not in the path of Bhakti. But we should be extremely carefully that we should not get stuck on with all these imaginations. All these imaginations are only to transcend imaginations; all these sadhanas are only to transcend imaginations; all these sadhanas are only to transcend sadhanas; all these religions are only to transcend religions.