Thread by @DefiledGod

Do you know the intense love bhagavAn has for the bodies of his devotees, and the qualities associated with those bodies?

He does not like seeing their bodies perish when they attain mukti. Here is a thread on that+

In shAnti parva, yudhiShThira comes across bhagavAn meditating and is amazed. He asks the following questions+

किमिदं परमाश्चर्यं ध्यायस्यमितविक्रम । कच्चिल्लोकत्रयस्यास्य स्वस्ति लोकपरायण

[You with boundless valor to support all entities! What is this astonishing meditation of yours? O Support of the Universe! Is there any auspicious object of the three worlds (other than you)?]+

indriyANi manashchaiva buddhau saMveshitAni te'. chaturthaM dhyAnamArgaM tvamAlambya puruSharShabha .

[O foremost puruSha who bestows bliss on his meditators! Withdrawing your senses & mind into the intellect, you are sustaining the 4th state of meditation similar to a swoon]+

त्वं प्रपन्नाय भक्ताय शिरसा प्रणताय च । ध्यानस्यास्य यथातत्त्वं ब्रूहि धर्मभृतां वर

[Bowing my head to you, considering you as the means, with one pointed devotion to you as the refuge, I ask you why you meditate, O best (as leader) among your devotees who support dharma!]+

Here is why bhagavAn is meditating. When a j~nAni meditates on bhagavAn, latter feels a great love for the j~nAni’s body & qualities, which were the instruments of bhakti+

bhagavAn considers the body of the j~nAni which was used in his services, as a pure and holy object.

To him, the body of the j~nAni is as attractive as his own form and worthy of being meditated on. guNAs of the j~nAni are enjoyable to bhagavAn, like his own guNAs+

Thus, bhagavAn replies,

शरतल्पगतो भीष्मः शाम्यन्निव हुताशनः । मां ध्याति पुरुषव्याघ्रस्ततो मे तद्गतं मनः 

[bhIShma, lying on the bed of arrows like a fire cooling down, is meditating on me. Therefore, my mind is also going to him.]+

यस्य ज्यातलनिर्घोषं विस्फूर्जितमिवाशनेः । न सहेद्देवराजोऽपि तमस्मि मनसा गतः

[My mind is going to that bhIShma, the thunderous sound of whose bow-string resembles that of the sudarShaNa chakra and cannot be borne even by Indra.]+

येनाभिजित्य तरसा समस्तं राजमण्डलम् । ऊढास्तिस्रः पुरा कन्यास्तमस्मि मनसा गतः

[My mind is going to that bhIShma, who triumphed over all the Kings in the hall and carried away Amba, Ambika and Ambalika.]+

त्रयोविंशतिरात्रं यो योधयामास भार्गवम् । न च रामेण निस्तीर्णस्तमस्मि मनसा गतः

[My mind is going to that bhIShma, who fought with paraShurAma for 23 days constantly and could not be overcome by the latter.]+

यं गङ्गा गर्भविधिना धारयामास भारतम् । वसिष्ठशिष्यं तं तात गतोऽस्मि मनसा नृप

[My mind is going to that bhIShma, O King, who ga~Nga conceived as per shAstric rules and whom vashiShTha took as a disciple.]+

दिव्यास्त्राणि महातेजा यो धारयति बुद्धिमान् । साङ्गांश्च चतुरो वेदांस्तमस्मि मनसा गतः

[My mind is going to that bhIShma, who is highly intelligent, who has knowledge of the divine weapons and the four Vedas as well as their branches.]+

रामस्य दयितं शिष्यं जामदग्न्यस्य पाण्डव । आधारं सर्व्रविद्यानां तमस्मि मनसा गतः

[My mind is going to that bhIShma, who is the favored siShya of paraShurAma, pANDava! Who is the support of all branches of knowledge.]+

एकीकृत्येन्द्रियग्रामं मनः संयम्य मेधया । शरणं मामुपागच्छत्ततो मे तद्गतं मनः

[Making his senses one pointed towards me, with mind under control by knowledge of me as the master, he has sought my refuge, ie, surrendered to me for bhakti yoga. Thus, I focused my mind on him.]+

bhagavAn here has explained the reason why bhIShma's form and qualities are so attractive to him.
They are instruments of exalted bhakti and so pure+

स हि भूतं भविष्यच्च भवच्च भरतर्षभ । वेत्ति धर्मविदां श्रेष्ठस्तमस्मि मनसा गतः

[My mind goes to that bhIShma, who is the foremost among knowers of the means, who knows the inner controller who is signified by past, present and future, best of bhAratAs!]+

The extreme love bhagavAn had for bhIShma’s form on the bed of arrows, and his qualities, made him actually perform "bhakti yoga" towards bhIShma.

He only reluctantly makes his bhaktAs relinquish their bodies prior to moksha for this reason+

In thiruvAimozhi - thirumAlirunchOlai malai pathigam, Nammazhwar has a similar experience.

Azhwar says he was ready to go to paramapada by discarding his body, but was facing one major obstacle+

That obstacle was thirumAlirumcholai azhagar who had grown fond of Azhwar’s body and qualities due to the latter’s bhakti. He was not willing to let Azhwar depart his body+

Thus Azhwar laments, “I want to go to paramapada. I cannot do that without discarding my body. But this Azhagar has entered my body, he is in love with it, what can I do? Going to paramapada with my body intact is shAstra-virodha, but he doesn’t listen!”+

The same sentiment was shown by bhagavAn to bhIShma, as he meditated on the latter’s great guNAs of j~nAna, bhakti, vIrya, shourya, parAkrama, dhairya, etc, dwelling with love on his resplendent form reclining on the bed of arrows!+

This is also the reason why he wanted the touch of the gopIs’ bodies and to be close to them. bhagavAn loves the bodies of his devotees and the experience their qualities.

Though he tells us not to see body as the self in gIta, he himself gives lot of importance to the body!//