Talk:Dveṣha Bhāva: Love through Hatred

By Vishal Agarwal

In this Bhāva of Bhakti, the individual hates Bhagavān intensely and is obsessed all the time with the thoughts of his enemy, Bhagavān. The constant thought of Bhagavān, even at the time of death, due to hatred or fear brings about absorption in Him. Hatred against Bhagavān is different from hatred against anything else because He purifies through any contact. Finally, death at the hands of an Avatāra results in Moksha.

Story: Shakuni’s Hatred for Krishna Demonstrates his Love for the Lord

Once, a Rishi came to the home of Abhimanyu (the son of Arjuna) and his wife Vatsalā. Abhimanyu was away, but his wife dutifully served the Rishi. She kept thinking, “I wish my husband were here too. The Rishi would have blessed him directly.” When the Rishi was about to leave, he said to Vatsalā, “I am pleased with your service. I will gift you a divine mirror. When you look into it, you will not see your face, but the face of someone who truly loves you and thinks about you all the time.”

Vatsalā reverentially took the mirror from the Rishi. After he had left, she looked into the mirror and was pleasantly surprised to see the face of none other than her husband. Suddenly, Krishna arrived with the Pandava brothers. Vatsalā told them about the magic mirror that she had received as a gift and asked everyone to look into it to find out who thought of them and loved them the most. The Pandavas urged Krishna to look into it first. When He did so, everyone was surprised to see that the mirror showed the face of Shakuni, the evil maternal uncle of none other than their enemies – the Kauravas!

The Pandavas were perplexed and asked Krishna for an explanation. Krishna said, “Shakuni hates me so much that he is always thinking about me. Anyone, even if he is the greatest sinner, will surely reach him if his mind and heart are constantly set on me because that person has chosen the right path. Over time, he will reform, in the next life if not in this one. The key thing is that you should try to establish at least some relationship with Bhagavān because it is better to hate Him than to not think about Him at all. No relationship with Bhagavān will ever lead to ruin. It can only lead to gain. And that is why, the mirror showed me the face of Shakuni when I looked into it.”