Page 35 - Mystic Pathways through the Bible

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towards righteousness is your rst duty. Everything else becomes lesser.
Insight into this point is given in the accounts of the life of Saint Mira, a great lady Saint from the sixteenth century India. Mira was brought up in a royal family with an abundance of luxuries, but her heart was lled with devotion to Lord Krishna and a constant desire to worship him. At rst, her husband, who was a very materialistic king, wanted to please Mira in every way. He built a temple for her and provided her with every convenience so that she could meditate. Gradually, however, the king found that his wife was more devoted to Krishna than to him, and he found that their relationship was no longer ful lling. As a result, he began to hate her and plotted with other family members to destroy her.
As her relationship with her family became increasingly more painful, Mira wrote a letter to Tulsidas, a great Saint, asking his advice about her predicament. Tulsidas replied that ethical practices generally demand that there be harmony in the family and that one should obey one’s parents and husband. However, advised the Sage, if those family members are against Krishna (God), then one must shun them as one would shun a great demon!
Ultimately, your dearest relative is God, and your movement to God is all that is truly essential in life. However, when “shunning” those who impede this