So, Shree Krishna is Bliss personified, the essence of love personified. He possesses unlimited glory, unlimited sweetness, and unlimited radiance. He is omniscient. He loves His devotees, and He obeys His devotees. There are many wonderful things about Him which I can’t explain now. Maybe later.

When that Shree Krishna comes down to our world, the question arises,

“Why does He come here?”

Every action has a reason. Why did you all come here? So, why did God come here? We can ask Him, can’t we,

“Why did You come here?”

This filthy world of ours is filled with lust, anger, greed, infatuation, intoxication, avarice, jealousy, hatred, and deceit. Every person is immersed in all this. To such a place,

“Why did someone like You come?”

Many answers were offered by people. Someone, in fact, God Himself, says in the Gita (Song of God),

अजोऽपि सन्नव्ययात्मा भूतानामीश्वरोऽपि सन् |
प्रकृतिं स्वामधिष्ठाय सम्भवाम्यात्ममायया ||

Ajo ’pi sannavyayātmā bhūtānām īśhvaro ’pi san.
Prakṛitiṁ svām adhiṣhṭhāya sambhavāmyātma-māyayā.

- Gita 4.6

यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत |
अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् || 7||

Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārat.
Abhyutthānam adharmasya tadātmānaṁ sṛijāmyaham.

- Gita 4.7

परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् |
धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे || 8||

Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśhāya cha duṣhkṛitām.
Dharm-sansthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge.

- Gita 4.8

“I come down to kill demons and to establish order.”

“Which demon did You kill?”

“Well, I’ve killed many. Ravan, for instance.”

“Hmmm.”

“Well, Sir, don’t You sit inside the likes of Ravan? You sit inside Ravan too, don’t You?

“Yes!”

“Then You could just snuff out his heart. That’s all! Why do You need to kill them from the outside when You can destroy the whole world by just holding Your breath! Then to kill him, You need to go from Ayodhya to Lanka!? You need to build a large force!? You need to curry favor from the likes of Sugreev!? Why? It doesn’t make sense!

And as far as establishing order is concerned, that’s done by Saints. When (sitting inside the demons) You kill them, then the Saints can establish order on their own. Coming down for just this doesn’t make sense. You are making a fool of us!”

Source: Excerpt from the Short published on Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat YouTube channel.

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A seeker has asked, “What is the definition of (true) love?”

The definition of love cannot be made in words. That is why when Narad ji was asked to define (Divine) love, he said,

अनिर्वचनीयं प्रेमस्वरुपम्॥ ५१॥

Anirvachanīyaṃ premaswarupam.

- Narad Bhakti Darshan Sutra 51

“The nature of Love is beyond description in words.”

That is, words cannot go there. The Vedas have gone to the extent of saying,

यतो वाचो निवर्तन्ते। अप्राप्य मनसा सह।

Yato vācho nivartante. Aprāpya manasā saha.

सत्यो नित्यः सर्वसाक्षी महेशो नित्यानन्दो निर्विकल्पो निराख्यः ।
अचिन्त्यशक्तिर्भगवान्गिरीशः स्वाविद्यया कल्पितमानभूमिः ॥ २० ॥

Satyo nityah sarvasākshī mahesho nityānando nirvikalpo nirākhyah.
Achintyashktirbhagavāgirīshah swāvidyā kalpitamānabhūmih.

- Taittiriya Upanishad

This mantra is also in Brahma Upanishad and in Shandilya Upanishad, and it is also the 20th mantra of Sharabh Upanishad. It tells us that everything we have - our mind, senses, and intellect, none of these can go close to (Divine) love. The Saints and the scriptures have tried to describe it for our sake, but it is only a mere attempt. It is not its actual form. Great Saints became exhausted thinking,

“How can I explain what is (Divine) love?”

So they helplessly wrote down ordinary examples like an attractive woman is dear to a lustful man, like money is dear to a greedy man. When you are attached in that manner, it is called love.

The Bhagwatam says the same thing, because there exists no example by which you could understand, because there is nothing else like it. All these comparisons that are given are like jokes. They describe Krishna’s beauty using material, dirty objects like ‘lotus-eyed’ or ‘eyes like that of a deer’. We see deer and lotuses daily. We did not feel such attraction to any of them that we wanted to keep looking. We just saw them and moved on.

But what can the poor Saints do? We have no experience of anything Divine. Look, understand this in simple words - a bug that lives in the bitter neem tree asks you,

“What is a rasgulla (Indian sweet) like?”

“Well, it is sweet.”

“What does ‘sweet’ mean?”

“Have you ever tasted sugar?”

“No.”

“What about jaggery?”

“No.”

“Ever tasted anything sweet?”

“No, I only know bitter neem.”

“Then you cannot understand. I cannot make you understand.”

Similarly is the nature of (Divine) love. We people have only experienced the opposite of (Divine) love.

निजेन्द्रिय-सुख-हेतु कामेर तात्पर्य ।
कृष्ण-सुख-तात्पर्य प्रेम तो प्रबल निजेन्द्रिय-सुख-वान्शा गोपी-भाव-वर्य ।

(নিজেন্দ্রিয়সুখহেতু কামের তাত্পর্য ।
কৃষ্ণসুখ-তাত্পর্য গোপীভাব-বর্য ॥ ২১৭ ॥)

Nijendriya-sukha-hetu kāmera tātparya.
Kṛiṣhṇ-sukh-tātparya gopī-bhāva-varya.

That which is for our own happiness is not love. You can call this a basic, general definition of love. We people have only thought about our own happiness since eternity.

This is a challenge by the Vedas,

न वा अरे पत्य: कामाय पतिः प्रिया भवन्ति । न वा अरे जाया कामाये जाया प्रिया भवन्ति । न वा अरे पुत्रएां कामाय पु्त्राः प्रिया भवन्ति । न वा अरे सर्वस्य कामाय सर्वें प्रियं भवान्ति ।

Na vā are patyah kāmāya patih priya bhavanti. Na vā are jayaya kāmāya jāyā priyā bhavanti. Na vā putreāng kāmāya putrah priyā bhavanti. Na vā are sarvasya kāmāya sarven priyam bhavanti.

- Brihadaranyak Upanishad

This is meaning that no father loves his son for his son’s happiness. No son loves his father for his father’s happiness. No wife loves her husband for his happiness, and the same with the husband. No one can do anything for anyone else’s happiness. We cannot even think of it. Why? Since eternity, every fiber of our being has thought and decided only one thing,

“I want my own happiness.”

If there is no self-happiness, then

“To hell with father, mother, wife, and child!”

Whether or not you say it out loud, all of you think this within.This is the opposite of (Divine) love. This is called darkness, and to think of the happiness of your Beloved is called (Divine) love. Light and darkness are opposing entities. Hence no one can understand, and no one can explain.

Narad ji said, “I will explain.”

“Oh really? How will you?”

He said,

गुणरहितं कामनारहितं प्रतिक्षणवर्धमानं अविच्छिन्नं सूक्ष्मतरं अनुभवरुपम्॥ ५४॥

Guṇ-rahitaḿ kāmanā-rahitaḿ pratikṣhaṇ-vardhamānam
avicchinnaḿ sūkṣhma-taram anubhav-rūpam.

- Narad Bhakti Darshan 54

That’s it! And what did he say at the end? ‘Anubhavarūpam’ (experience itself). You can know it by experiencing it, and he gives an example,

मूकास्वादनवत्॥ ५२॥

Mūkāsvādanavat.

- Narad Bhakti Darshan 52

A mute person eats a rasgulla. Now you ask him,

“How was it?”

The poor fellow cannot speak. What to do? You will see joy on his face, but he cannot say anything. Such is (Divine) love.

Another example is when you try to talk in a river with your head partially submerged, you make a gurgling noise. But when you talk with your head fully submerged, you make no sound at all. So as long as it is being talked about, it is not (Divine) love. When you are drowned, that is (Divine) love.

Let me share with you a sonnet,

“When I gave my hand to the drowning, from the shore,
They started advising me to drown as well.”

Come and drown with us. Don’t take us out.

Take the first word of Narad ji’s description: ‘guṇ-rahitam’ (without qualities/independent of qualities). The lover must not see the qualities of the Beloved. Not see His qualities? Then why would anyone love Him? Qualities are what everyone sees first when loving someone. He is handsome, healthy, wealthy, intelligent, and capable. He is famous, powerful. If he had no good qualities, who would love him? Would anyone love a one-eyed, one-legged, and one-armed beggar? No. But if you love someone because of their qualities, do you know what will happen? If he is wealthy today, everyone will come to him: doctors, lawyers, politicians. They keep visiting him because he is a billionaire. And if he becomes a pauper tomorrow, then no one even asks about him.

Just like when a tree bears fruits, flocks of birds come without being called. And when the fruits fall, all the birds leave without being chased away! They came without being called, and left without being chased. Such is the world and its love. Today you love someone for their quality, tomorrow that quality is gone. Today you love someone for their beauty, and tomorrow they get cancer. They lose their beauty.

There is a story of a girl named Yogasheela in the Puranas. Yogasheela was very beautiful. One day a king saw her as he was riding. He told her father that he wanted her. The father was poor, and the king was not cultured. It would be dangerous to give him his daughter, but if he did not obey then the king would kill them both.

The daughter said, “Father, tell him to come back in a month.”

The king agreed to return in a month, and he posted his military in that village so they wouldn’t escape. Such were the kings of those times! Through yog, she dried up her body such that she was just skin and bones. Even her face had shrunk to her skull!

The father brought her in. When he saw her again he said,

“Not this one! (I want) the one I saw that day!”

“My lord, she is the same girl. My only daughter! She fell ill. She got TB etc.”

The king fled without looking back because he only loved her beauty. Without that beauty, to hell with the girl! He didn’t want a bag of bones. Even in the world, no one would accept it. So true love does not see qualities.

A clever sakhi (female companion of Radha) once teased Radha Rani,

“O Sakhi, why do you love Krishna? He chases after all the girls and tells them, ‘You alone are mine.’ How many of His defects can I describe? He is even a thief! He’s such a great bandit that He broke out of jail as soon as He was born! No one in history has left prison right after birth taking his father with him! His father did not break out of jail. It was all Krishna’s own doing! The guards fell asleep, the locks opened and Yamuna gave way!”

Radha Rani said, “I know all this!”

“And yet you still love Him?”

“What to do? My heart does not see His qualities, whatever they may be!”

This is (Divine) love. It is a very simple fact, and we experience it daily. If we do not get what we want from someone, we turn away from them. About turn! Murders happen everyday! It has turned into a joke. A boy asked a girl to marry him, but she turned him down, and then he shot her! Incidents of this nature are taking place everyday! He knows he will be hanged when he is caught and yet,

“I don’t care! She betrayed me!”

Hence Narad ji’s first word was ‘guṇ-rahitam’. Next, he said, “Kāmanā-rahitam (without desire).”

Don’t love your Beloved with selfish desires otherwise, your love will end if your desires are not fulfilled. A man hoped for $10 from another, but only got $9! “It’s okay, but it’s not $10.” Another gave $8 - his feelings decreased. Another gave $4 - decreased more. Another gave nothing - and he got angry! Now he begins bad-mouthing him to others!

Look at how many of our Saints were insulted and falsely accused throughout history. They were put through so much! And these are Saints who sacrifice their very lives for us! So, any love tainted with desire will one day turn us away from our Beloved and destroy our faith.

Say your son is ill and you go to Hanuman, to Devi or to Balaji with the desire to cure him,

“Hey Hanuman ji! Hey Krishno Devi! Hey Tirupathi Maharaj!”

If he is cured then you call it a miracle and praise Vaishno Devi. Next year he falls sick again and you again go to pray, but he dies while you are at the temple. Now you will lose all faith and belief.

“Oh! It’s nothing! It’s all useless!”

All love is finished! It’s just like a business in this world! We go to a shopkeeper and ask for a sari. He invites us in, fans us and serves us drinks saying,

Please come! Please come! Turn on the fan! Bring some soda!”

“I just want one sari. No need to bring out so many!”

“No problem, see them all and take the one you like!”

The seller is smart. He knows there will be at least one sari you will fall for, and then he can charge you more for it. You pick one and ask him the price,

No, I can’t pay that much.”

(The shopkeeper says,) “My shop does not bargain! We have a fixed price!”

“I can only pay you this much. It’s all I have!”

“What! Then move on ahead!”

Just see how the shopkeeper’s face has changed. This happens everyday. You don’t need me to explain. You experience this day and night from parents, spouses, children and everyone. So it is desires alone that have ruined countless lives of ours

The Vedas have gone so far as to say,

यदा सर्वे प्रमुच्यन्ते कामा येऽस्य हृदि श्रिताः ।
अथ मर्त्यो’मृतो भवत्यत्र ब्रह्म समश्नुते ॥ १४ ॥

Yadā sarve pramucyante kāmā ye’sya hṛdi śhritāḥ |
Atha martyo’mṛito bhavatyatra brahm samaśhnute || 14 ||

- Kathopanishad 2.3.14

This mantra is also in Brihadaranyak Upanishad 4.4.7, and in Shatyayani Upanishad 27.

“Let go of your desires and you will become like God - full of bliss!”

Because when desires are born, we will try to fulfill them. And to fulfill them, we will resort to all kinds of deceit. We will lie and use various types of tricks. Look at how much the big robbers do to fulfill their desires. If desires are fulfilled, they lead to greed, and if they are not then they lead to anger, depression, and harmful feelings, and then to psychological drugs,

“He has become ‘mental’.”

All humans are mental - why just him? Who is not mental? We receive all this sorrow only because we are mental. We do not know ourselves - that is the biggest proof of being mental. We believe that the world is ours and can make us happy. We accept other people to be ours despite seeing people die everyday.

“He is my father! She is my mother! She is my wife!”

Then look! They die!

“How could you die and leave me?!”

Leave or don’t leave…Who cares!

“My time has come and I’m going!”

(Another says,) “But I’m the prime minister, the king, the president!”

Whoever you are - we all have to leave at our time. Even God Himself!

Yamaraj went to Ram and said, “My Lord! I have come to inform You that Your time is here. But You may do as You like!”

It amounts to the same thing, like when someone is removed from our government, he is told to resign so that he doesn’t have to be fired. So he announces,

“I am resigning because of my health or because of my family.”

People make up stories like this.

So desires are our greatest enemy. No one can escape them. It is not that only ordinary people suffer from desire. Even Indra, the king of heaven, desires the seat of Brahma. This disease is everywhere. Since you were born, how many desires have you made and how many have been fulfilled? And yet again you desire, and again it is fulfilled, and again you desire.

The grandfather was an ordinary shopkeeper and his grandson became a billionaire or a president. This happens in the world. But their conditions are exactly the same. Everyone has the same desires, the same discontent, the same tension, the same drama of greed from fulfilled desires, and anger from unfulfilled ones. Everyone is unhappy and anxious. Countless lives have passed and yet we have not made this decision. If only we made this firm decision that desiring this material world will only give us unhappiness, both when desires are fulfilled and when they are not. And to create desires is our nature. You cannot stop creating them. You want happiness, don’t you? Yes. This is why you have to desire. So then,

“How will I get happiness?”

Saints tell you to go this way for happiness. So a handful of people tell you that your destination is to the East, but the rest are all going to the West.

“I will go where everyone else is going!”

Are they all mad?

So Narad ji said, “Love is ‘guṇ-rahitam’, ‘kāmanā-rahitam’.”

And an even greater definition is ‘pratikshanam-vardhamānam’ (ever-increasing every moment). True love goes on increasing. And worldly love? It goes on decreasing.

In Satakatrayam there is an example: Shadows are very long in the morning and they go on decreasing until at noon they are just under the body. And then again they start increasing and by evening they are long again. In the same way, false love is very great in the beginning.

Another example is in the early days of your marriage your wife will lovingly say,

“You eat first!”

And you will say, “No! You eat first!”

You all acted so much! And later you do not want to even look at your wife,

“I ruined my life by marrying her!”

It’s all over. When we see a material object for the first time, we become attracted,

“Wow! Look at the Taj Mahal! How did they raise such stones back then with no machines?!”

But when you next visit Agra, you do not want to see it a second time.

When the married women here went to their in-laws for the first time, people used to come just to see them,

“Let’s go see the new daughter-in-law!”

Why is her nose on her head? What do you want to see! She has the same body of skin and bones as your own wife. There is so much interest! But later if she is sick, her husband cannot even get a doctor to come see her. The doctor says,

“I have no time to see her!”

So the love that is for the Beloved’s happiness will go on increasing. If it does not increase, then it is not (Divine) love. And if it decreases, then it is nothing at all. It’s just an act. That is called desire - the opposite of true love. So true love is that which is for the happiness of the Beloved.

In this line of the kirtan (devotional song), the singer is saying,

“O Lord, please bestow such grace upon me that I may be happy in Your happiness!”

In the world, if one’s spouse as much as looks at another person for a while (he/she gets jealous…),

“Hey! Why is she looking at him?”

“Why is he staring at her?”

He starts to doubt. And if he sees them talking, his doubt grows, and if he sees them hug, then the world has come to an end. He is ready to shoot her!

But what do the Saints do?

“Come! Come! You also love my Lord!”

And if he starts to love God, then the Saint feels overjoyed.

“He listened to me and has started loving Krishna! Never mind if Krishna doesn’t look at me! Let Krishna look at him!”

They feel happiness. This is the difference between (Divine) love and desire. That which is done for Krishna’s happiness, that is (Divine) love.

This is the meaning in brief.

Source: Excerpt from the Discourse published onKripaluji Maharaj Special Lectures YouTube channel.

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Kirtans chanted by Jagadguru Shree Kripalu Ji Maharaj

In your spare time, do not allow your mind to be idle. Otherwise, you will have wrong thoughts. Practice doing your work properly and in the least amount of time.

“What things need to be brought from the store? Just write it down and give it to me.” She wrote it, he brought it. The work is finished.

“Why don’t you sit down? You never talk to me. What’s happening today?”

“I talked to you a lot. Now I want to use my time properly. Just tell me what work needs to be done, and I won’t waste my time with you. I would request you to adopt this approach; otherwise, you will have tension.”

You have a wrong habit that when you come from the office, you sit, drink tea, and chat.

“You know what happened today? That relative came. He is so rude!”

Unnecessary gossiping goes on at home. Then both start arguing. After this, fighting starts. This keeps growing to the point where husband and wife stop talking to each other.

“Son, tell your father…!” Then this chapter starts. This goes on for a few days, and then the same thing starts over again.

Limit the time you spend on daily work so you can find more time for devotion (sādhana). Just as you carefully save money, “Buy this TV, not that one. That one is $5000; this $1000 one will do the job.” You will save $4000. Like this, save your time.

Your life, this human form, nar deh (human body), is unattainable by celestial gods. Don’t misuse it. Put it to good use. Even if misuse happens, keep it to a minimum. As much time as you give for your body, give at least that much time for your soul (ātman); or let’s give equally, 50–50. You slept for 6 hours. Now 18 hours are left. So dedicate 9 hours for your body and 9 hours for your soul.

“Nine hours! Oh Maharaj Ji, what are you saying?”

Even if it is one hour, it is by His mercy! You should show mercy towards yourself; why are you asking for God’s mercy? Your body is so important that every arrangement for its needs has been made. If you stopped work today, you could stay alive eating a couple of pieces of bread a day. Why are you accumulating more wealth? What answer will you give?

“Do you plan to take it with you?”

“No, I will give it to my grandchildren.”

If those grandchildren get ready-made wealth, they will be more spoiled. Are you benefiting them? Who told you to do that? Besides eating and other basic necessities, if something is left, give it away to charity. Don’t keep it with you. It is dangerous. Don’t waste so much time in earning. Have restraint in your life.

You may think, “People will criticize me.” Even now people say bad things about you daily. Who speaks well of you in the world? When even a wife doesn’t speak well of her husband, who in the world will speak well of you? If a husband listens to his wife, she thinks, “My husband is really good.” If after ten minutes he doesn’t listen, “Why am I so unlucky to get such a husband?” What kind of drama is this? The temperature of love increases so much and then reduces so much that it goes below zero degrees daily! They start scolding and insulting each other. I haven’t actually heard this; I just have an idea! You people don’t exhibit such behavior in front of me. If you are fighting and I arrive,

“Shhh! Maharaj Ji has come!”

Then you become like one soul in two bodies! I’m not fortunate enough to have a glimpse of that, but this is everyone’s experience.

In this way, do sādhana (spiritual practice) in daily activity, and for as much time as you can spare, do devotion by yourself. You should do this sādhana of karm-yog (path of action) and karm-sannyās (renunciation of doership) continuously. Along with this, the most important thing is to avoid wrong association (kusang - bad association]). This is the final philosophy: saving yourself from wrong association.

Meaning: save $10; don’t waste them. Then $10 every day will be $300 in a month and $3650 in one year. But if you save $10 and spend $11, you would be in debt $1 daily, which would be a $365 debt in a year. So save yourself from wrong association. However close your relatives are, you sit and chat with them, but now you know that they have no interest in Divine matters. So don’t associate with them. They will keep talking about unnecessary things: politics, criticizing others, etc. Because of this, you shouldn’t associate with them.

“But they will feel offended and gossip more.”

They may do that once, but what next? They might say, “You’ve become a great holy person!”

“Yes, that’s right, now go!”

Everyone talks badly about you behind your back. If they say it once in front of you, what difference does it make? If you do bad, then good people will call you bad. One side is going to call you bad anyway. So do good, in the future so you can become good in the future.

Don’t care about the world. Don’t associate with such people who could adversely affect you or waste your time. When those people understand after one or two times that “Oh, he is like that!” You are like that! Now you are free.

And especially, it is the worst spiritual transgression to hear any criticism against God’s (Divine) name (nām), form (roop -Divine form), virtues (guṇ - Divine qualities]), leelās (Divine pastimes), abode (dham - Divine realm) or His Saints. If you think listening to criticism of God and Saint won’t affect you, that it’s just gossip, and the speaker doesn’t know anything, what will happen? Be careful! You are going towards danger! Just listening to this is a spiritual transgression. Don’t go there.

Great Divine personalities like Saraswati (goddess of knowledge), Brihaspati (celestial preceptor) and Garud (carrier of God) tried this and were harmed. Don’t apply your intellect to Divine subjects. Don’t argue and question. If you have to question, then ask this: although you receive the kickings of māyā (illusion) every day, why aren’t you detached? Ask this question. And because you aren’t detached, you don’t love God - this is obvious. If you could ever take your mind from here, it could be attached there.

Thus, wrong association is that which is against Divine subjects. There is one “ku” and one “su.” The Divine field is su and the māyic (material) field is ku. Association with the Divine field is satsang - susang (good association). Association with the māyic world is kusang (bad association), whether it is a material thing or person, live or lifeless - whatever it may be. In this way, save yourself from kusang.

Source: Excerpt from the lecture published on Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat Philanthropy YouTube channel.

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Understand one more point.

For doing devotion alone in a quiet room at home, you should fix a time - it doesn’t matter if it’s morning, noon, or evening. Whenever you find time, and according to your schedule, sit in a quiet place.

Many sūtras (aphorisms) in Vedānt (Vedic philosophy) are for devotion. (They recommend that) you should sit carefully. Even here, people sit carelessly. Especially at night or early morning, some people wrap themselves in their shawls and tuck their hands inside. In a little while they feel warm, and it feels so nice, they fall asleep.

When Maharaj Ji says, “Are you sleeping?”

“No! You are mistaken! How could I be sleeping?”

This happens because you are not sitting carefully. You have to sit carefully. So when you sit carefully in a quiet room and do remembrance as I described then sing the kīrtan (devotional chant) or pad (devotional song) of a Saint, or do nām-saṅkīrtan (chanting of the Divine Name), whichever you prefer, and shed tears. Increase your longing to have Their actual Divine vision.

But while doing this, instead of remembering Krishna, your mind goes to your mother, or to your father, or to your wife, or to your husband, or anywhere else. Because this is its practice. How long could you do Krishna’s remembrance?

When your mind wanders elsewhere, you get mad, “The rascal ran away again!”

When you get mad, your mind gets more disturbed. This is the wrong medicine which makes your disease grow. Quietly let your mind go. Release it. Where is it going? To see the Taj Mahal? Alright, see the Taj Mahal. How it shines in the moonlight! That’s fine. Keep on looking. Now visualize Krishna standing on top of the Taj Mahal’s shining stones. Now look at the Taj Mahal; Who will stop you? You like your mother’s or your wife’s eyes a lot. In those eyes imagine Krishna’s enchanting curved form. Now gaze at her eyes continuously. The world will think, “Are they the reincarnation of Romeo and Juliet?”

You don’t have to be afraid, you don’t have to worry, you don’t have to get mad. Meditate peacefully. Wherever your mind wanders, visualize Krishna there.

When a street performer trains a monkey, his technique is first to tie the monkey with a 100-ft. rope. When the monkey tries to go beyond 100 feet, the rope tightens around his neck. When he feels pain he says,

“It’s useless! I’ll jump around in a 100-foot area.”

Then he is tied to a 50-ft. Rope.

“Yesterday I went 100 feet! Today my limit is only this much!”

But when he tries to go, the rope around his neck gives him pain. So he jumps around in a 50-foot area.

Like this, when the monkey is tied to only one foot of rope, he sits quietly,

“Why should I drive myself crazy? I’ll just sit here!”

Your mind is like the monkey’s nature, extremely restless. You have to keep it tied with the rope of Krishna. Let it go wherever it goes. If it goes to the most dirty place, let it go. If it goes to a garbage heap or a brothel, let it go. Visualize Krishna standing there.

When you practice this for some time, then your mind will say, “Wherever I go, He is standing there. So what’s the use? I’ll just stay here!” The mind gets tired. It gives up.

In our village the fields are plowed by oxen. The oxen are yoked to a plough. When the oxen are young, if a plough is placed on them, they jump and farmers get injured. They feel, “We are not here to carry this load. We have been playing and jumping. What is this?” How long will it last? So the farmers yoke a heavy log between two young oxen and make them walk 4 to 6 miles on the road. Now if they run, the heavy log prevents them. They get tired and start walking slowly. The farmers make them practice this for 4–6 days. After this, they again put on the plough. The oxen now understand they have to walk slowly. This is how farming has been done all over India for thousands of years. And see how properly oxen walk; there is barely a difference from line to line. If you see carefully, you’ll notice that oxen do all work more intelligently than man, but in the beginning the oxen were restless.

In the same way the mind is restless, but through practice and renunciation it is controlled. It has been done by uncountable souls like us who became Saints. No one is setting a new example. Since eternity there have been uncountable Saints. Some have been great sinners. We were also one of them. We just have to work harder. In one birth, if we don’t cross over māyā (Divine illusion), it might take two births or ten, but eventually we have to reach there. Without effort, we won’t reach our goal.

If you say, “Forget about it!” then you will have to deal with the 8.4 million species of life. This is a terrible situation to deal with.

Those who talk nonsense such as, “What do I have left? I’m 70 years old. My life is finished. Now what is left? After this, I’m free.”

“Son, think about it. You have your whole life ahead of you.”

“Father, what freedom will you have after this?”

“Once I die, I am free!”

“(Sanskrit verse)”

Are you a follower of Chārvāka’s (atheistic) philosophy?

“No! I believe in God. I believe in Ram and Krishna.”

Then how can you say, “I will be free”?

Freedom means liberation, and that happens after God-realization. How will you be free? You die and leave this body and go to another. The human body may seem like a burden, but only the human form is the most fortunate. Otherwise there are 8.4 million (less one) other forms of life.

In this way, if your mind wanders anywhere, practice visualizing Krishna there. This is the devotion you do by yourself. Apart from this, whatever time you get, wherever you are going, practice the same thing. Practice first after every hour.

“It’s four o’clock. At five o’clock I will remember Krishna.” Now do your office work.

Now it’s five o’clock. Can anyone in your office ask, “Why did you look at the clock?” or “Why did you scratch your head?” Everyone does this.

For just a few seconds while sitting at work, imagine a place and visualize, “My Krishna is here.” Imagine Him in the sky, on the ground, or on top of the table. Imagine He is sitting or standing there. Now do your work.

After one hour feel, “He is standing here.” Keep on doing your work. “He is standing here.”

Now within one hour, all the wrong things that you are doing or thinking will be interrupted,

“Krishna is here. He is watching. Are you misbehaving? Be careful!”

Now from one hour make it every half an hour. After half an hour: “He is standing here.”

Don’t meditate on His features, on how His eyes or ears look. You don’t have to do this. Just feel, “He is standing here. I am not alone.”

Our feelings of privacy are destroying us. These feelings of privacy have to end. We think,

“No one knows what I’m thinking.” We also keep on saying, “Krishna notes everything.” We believe, “No one knows what I am thinking.”

So this wrong attitude, which should be called atheism, will end eventually.

Do remembrance every 30 minutes, then every 15 minutes, then every second. You won’t waste time, and no one in your office will know. Simply look to one place: “Krishna is standing here,” and do your work, only have this feeling: “I am not alone; we are two — always two.” You should practice this all the time.

Source: Excerpt from the lecture published on Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat Philanthropy YouTube channel.

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He will see Krishna’s Divine form. Everyone will attain the same Divine Bliss. Just think how causelessly Graceful He is!

No one has said to God, “Maharaj, I can’t meditate on You. Please tell me what to do!”

Even before the creation of this universe, Krishna proclaimed His rule: “However you wish, form a feeling of loving relationship with Krishna and conceive His form. Krishna resides within your heart, noting your thoughts, thus, you will receive a true Divine consequence.”

“When your devotion is complete, then your senses, mind, and intellect everything will become Divine. Then, with your Divine senses and mind you will perceive Krishna in His true, original Divine form.”

First, a young girl plays with dolls; afterward, she marries. First do loving remembrance and reach up to ‘mamekam śharaṇaṁ vraj (मामेकं शरणं व्रज), complete surrender. Up to here is your work. Your work ends after this. Now your Guru’s job starts. His work is not very complicated; it doesn’t take even one second. If your vessel is ready, he will give his Grace. He is checking you every second,

“When will he be qualified so I could give him everything?”

Some effort is required by the Guru. First, theoretical knowledge. Second, on the practical side when a devotee does devotion, whatever difficulties he faces, the Guru has to solve. Seeing his disciple’s sanskārs from uncountable past lives, the Guru will have to help from time to time.

“It’s necessary for me to go to him at this time. Why? He will experience a bad sanskār on the 30th. I should arrive there on the 29th. With my association, that sanskār won’t get stronger and make him crazy.”

The Saint has to do all this work, but secretly. He doesn’t tell any disciple that he spent even two minutes on him. Even if someone were to ask, he would say,

“What nonsense! I’m absorbed in my own happiness. Am I so crazy to run after you?”

So when your devotion is complete, the Guru’s real work starts. On that day, he will make you his true disciple. Please note this.

The drama that goes on nowadays is that so-called ‘gurus’ are anxious to make disciples, but disciples are not that anxious to make someone their Guru. It doesn’t happen like this.

First you have to install all the electrical fixtures in your house, put in the light socket, put in the bulb, do the wiring. Everything should be complete. Then the power plant can give its power. Your house has no fixtures or wiring, and you are saying, “Give me power.” Where could he give it? Prepare yourself first.

But how are modern gurus? “Come on! Everything will be OK. Anything goes here.” They say a mantra in your ear, “Rāmāya namaḥ, Krishnāya namaḥ, Govindāya namaḥ, Vāsudevāya namaḥ…”

And if we said this in simple language, “O Ram, I bow to You,” wouldn’t Ram be happy? In Sanskrit it is said, “Namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.” This is a mantra. In Hindi you could say, “O Bhagwan Vasudev, I bow to You.” Won’t your aim be attained by saying this? Where is it written that it won’t?

Mother Yashoda never said ‘Shree Krishna’. She said, “Kanua.” In what scripture is Kanua written? Her slang pronunciation of Krishna was Kanua. And for Balram, Balua. The ‘Hare Ram’ chanting that you all say so properly was never done in Mother Yashoda’s home.

But you shouldn’t imitate her. You are doing fine. Don’t think, “First I will become like Yashoda.” No, first you have to go step by step. If a devotee were to imitate the actions of Saints, he would be completely destroyed. You should act according to your class. When you attain what Saints have attained, you can act like them. In this way, meditate on Krishna’s form as you wish. From a newborn baby up to sixteen years of age, pick any age, and do loving remembrance.

Actually, the Ved also says you could imagine Him as a very old man. Don’t be afraid if you like to think of Krisahn as one hundred year old and walking with a stick. The Ved says, “You are a boy and also a girl; You are young and also so old that You walk with a stick.” God has no objection. Make His form whatever age you prefer. Make His complexion whatever color you prefer. You are also free to imagine the color of His complexion.

Someone might say, “I don’t like a dark complexion. If I make Krishna with a dark complexion, it would bother me.” Then make Him with a fair complexion. His avatar, Gaurang Mahaprabhu, was extremely fair. What is the difference between Radha and Krishna? One Supreme God has two forms: one is very fair and one is very dark. So there is no barrier. Whatever complexion you like, whatever form you like, the kinds of decorations you like also don’t have to be of one kind. They can be of many kinds and changed whenever you wish without spending anything.

Someone may wish to decorate a temple Deity with a 50 million-dollar necklace. Where to find 50 million dollars? Now there is a problem. But for what you create for Krishna in your mind—what is $50 million? It could be a 50-billion dollar diamond, even better than the Kohinoor. Imagine a diamond. How it sparkles, how big it is! Imagine it in a necklace. The necklace is made. Now it is in my hands. Now I am putting it on Krishna. How beautiful He looks! Was any money spent?

It has been a while since you put a blue diamond necklace on Him; now you could decorate Him with a white diamond necklace. Take off the old necklace,

“Come, white diamond necklace!”

It came. You put it on Him. Change His decorations every second, but only with your mind. Mentally conceive His form, His decorations, and His leelās. Leelās are not limited to what you read in the Bhāgwatam or to what Saints have written; they are uncountable.

You like cricket? Then play cricket with Krishna. Give Him a bat and strike Him out! Don’t be afraid. “How could Krishn play cricket? How dirty!” Nothing is dirty there. Only our minds are dirty. There is nothing dirty or impure in the Divine world.

Think, “If Krishna were to descend today in your home, what would happen?”

Even little boys wear suits and ties. You have seen in the English-medium schools that four-year-old boys wear ties. If Krishna came into your home, He would have to wear a tie, not a peetambar. Whenever He descends, in whoever’s house He appears, whatever His parents prefer, He will eat and He will wear. At that time, whatever games are played in that country, He will also play. For God there are no restrictions. At present, there are descensions happening in uncountable brahmandas, and there are uncountable kinds of leelās happening. Imagine whatever you prefer. At first, you may feel reluctant,

“I’ll remember what is described in the scriptures.”

So do that. I won’t stop you or force you to make Krishna play cricket. But if someone wants to, they are free to do so. You have my permission. So there is no problem in doing Krishna’s remembrance.

Source: Excerpt from the lecture published on Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat Philanthropy YouTube channel.

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And you all know about navdha bhakti (nine kinds of devotion).

You also have to understand one more point. What is that? The soul of everything. What is it? Loving remembrance of God’s form. This is the very first, and also the very last: loving remembrance of God’s form. Some naive people say that because they haven’t seen God, their love for Him isn’t growing. Love for their mother, father, wife, or child grows quickly because they are in front of them; they are visible. Love grows quickly for what is visible.

“For that which is not visible, which is beyond the senses, how could you love Him? What does He look like? Whatever is written in books isn’t of much help. Remembrance is very difficult. Chanting is easy. Out of nine kinds of devotion, eight kinds are easy, but this remembrance is the most difficult!” People talk like this.

However, I say the opposite: there is no other devotion easier than loving remembrance. It is the easiest. Your father whom you have seen thousands of times, so now close your eyes and imagine his face. You can’t do it! Exactly imagine: his eyes are like this, his nose is like this, his mouth is like this, his ears are like this… just imagine these parts correctly. You can’t do it. No one can do it. If you can’t do it, you are wrong when you say,

“I am remembering my father.”

When you can’t even form a correct image of your father’s face, how are you remembering your father? You remembered his nose correctly, but couldn’t get his mouth right. If you remembered these two, then you forgot what his ears are like. You never look at your father so attentively. Even if you were able to form a correct image, it would only be after great effort and practice. If you desire to change his appearance, you can’t, because you have to remember him. If you change him even a little, he won’t be your father.

But there is no problem in remembering God’s form. God says,

“Whatever form you like, imagine Me like that.”

Whether you like big eyes or small eyes, blue eyes or black eyes, or a big long nose, whatever interests you, make My form accordingly. This is remembrance of God’s form. And everyone will imagine this differently. All rasik Saints have described God’s form differently. If there is oneness in their descriptions, it is that Krishna wears a peacock feather. All rasik Saints have described Krishna with a peacock feather. No one ever put a pigeon feather on Krishna!

But whatever Krishna’s form is, it cannot be the same for even two devotees. First, there is a difference in age. Someone likes Krishna of a very young age. He remembers Krishna of five years. Others remember Him as a baby, as a child, or as a teenage youth. They all worship Krishna of different ages. For this reason alone, there is a difference.

Then there is the color of His body. Someone likes a darker blue. Someone else may totally dislike that,

“Is dark blue some kind of color? It should be light blue!”

Everyone has their own liking. Just as in the world, you prefer certain saris. Like this, everyone has his own preferences, which are due to their sanskars (impressions) of uncountable previous births. They arise from one’s sanskars. For this reason, God gave us all this facility,

“My dear children, I have not kept exclusively one form. This way you are not faced with any problem. I have uncountable forms. Think of Me as a round stone, even this way you will find Me, just like the Gopis (cowherd maidens) found Me.”

We know that even the greatest yogis and sages cannot conceive God’s form. Why? Because the one who conceives the form is the mind, and the mind is material and God is Divine. How could a material mind do correct remembrance of God’s Divine body? It couldn’t even be imagined.

गो गोचर जहँ लगि मन जाइ । सो सब माया जानेहु भाई ।।
Go gochar jahaṁ lagi man jāī. So sab māyā jānehu bhāī.

- Ramayan

In this way, the form of God imagined by the mind could only be material, no matter if done by a yogi, sage, or common laborer. Whatever the mind conceives is all material. Thus, whatever remembrance it does is all material. So who could do real remembrance? It is impossible.

Yet, by doing material remembrance, when your devotion becomes complete, when your loving attachment and surrender become 100%, then God will bestow on your mind and senses His swaroop-shakti (Divine power). This is called Divine sattva (pure mode). There is also a material sattva, but this sattva is Divine. When the mind receives this power, then it does true remembrance of God’s Divine form. Now true remembrance starts. So after God-realization, God’s true remembrance can happen. This is a simple thing to understand. But how will you do it before this? For this reason, God says,

“Before God-realization, I haven’t made any form that is difficult to conceive and expect you to remember Me like that.”

अनंत नाम रूप आया…
Anant nām roop āyā…

“My names and forms are uncountable.”

Your imagined form would also be among these. Someone might say,

“I will make a form where God’s nose is in the back of His head.”

This form must also be among His uncountable forms! You may imagine this. When God appears for you, He will appear with a nose in the back of His head. But the bliss you experience from God won’t be either more or less than an artist who conceives an extremely beautiful form, or an illiterate person who meditates on a round stone. All are meditating correctly.

When a devotee becomes God-realized and receives the Divine vision,

चिदानंदमय देह तुम्हारी,...
Chidānandamaya deha tumhārī,...

he will see Krishna’s Divine form. Everyone will attain the same Divine Bliss.

Just think how causelessly Graceful He is! No one has said to God, “Maharaj, I can’t meditate on You. Please tell me what to do.”

Even before the creation of this universe, Krishna proclaimed His rule,

The Vedas say, “However you wish, form a feeling of loving relationship with Krishna and conceive His form. Krishna resides within your heart, noting your thoughts; thus, you will receive a true Divine consequence. When your devotion is complete, then your senses, mind and intellect - everything - will become Divine. Then, with your Divine senses and mind, you will perceive Krishna in His true, original Divine form.”

Source: Excerpt from the lecture published on Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat Philanthropy YouTube channel.

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The four kinds of bhao (devotional moods) of sadhana bhakti (devotional practice) have two categories. One is called vaidhi bhakti (rule-based devotion), the other is raganuga bhakti (attachment-based devotion).

Vaidhi bhakti is devotion done according to scriptural rules. There are many rules in vaidhi bhakti: fast on ekadashi (11th lunar day), do pooja (worship) like this, take a ritual bath, do this, do that. These are all scriptural rules. Listening to spiritual knowledge, chanting, and remembrance are also in vaidhi bhakti. Whatever nine kinds of devotion are described in the Bhagwatam, which you do daily; the same are done in vaidhi bhakti, and also in raganuga bhakti. But in vaidhi bhakti there is restriction and fear.

The scriptures say, “Do like this or it will be a sin!” This is fear.

Raganuga bhakti has no concern with these rules. It has one rule and one prohibition, that’s all.

স্মর্তব্যঃ সততং বিষ্ণু…
स्मर्तव्य: सततं विष्णु…
Smartavyaḥ satataṁ viṣṇur…

This is the rule.

…র্বিস্মর্তব্যো ন জাতুচিৎ ।
…र्विस्मर्तव्यो न जातुचित़् ।
…vismartavyo na jātuchit.

This is the prohibition.

Always remember Krishna - this is the only rule and regulation. And don’t ever forget Him - this is the prohibition.

In the scriptures many kinds of rules and prohibitions are written. This is called ved (command). “Do this, do this, do this.” “Don’t do this, don’t do this, don’t do this.” Now we have no concern with the rules of the scriptures. What is the rule and prohibition for us? Smartavyaḥ satataṁ…continuously, while eating, sleeping, wherever you are, all the time, everywhere, don’t forget to remember your Divine Beloved.

The sadhana you do alone for one or two hours - do it. But apart from this, you should remember Krishna all the time. You have to practice this.

What mistake do we make? First, hardly one person out of thousands knows that the mind has to do devotion. That’s why #1 is roopdhyan (loving remembrance of Krishna’s form). After this, do kirtan, do jap, do pooja, read the scriptures; do whatever you wish. But first do loving remembrance.

People lack this knowledge. Everyone does external devotion with the senses: reciting readings with the voice, doing pooja with the hands. These have no relationship to the mind. First of all, this much knowledge is essential: that the mind alone has to do devotion. The senses don’t do devotion, and the soul is a non-doer. The mind has to do devotion. The senses can come along with the mind, that is fine, but devotion done only by the senses won’t be counted as devotion. What God counts as devotion is only your loving mental attachment.

So loving remembrance comes first. When you sit to do chanting or whatever you may do, first visualize Krishna before you. Whose kirtan are you doing? For whom are you saying “Hare Ram, Hare Ram”? First, at least, visualize Ram before you.

You see, when you call your son, “Oh, where is he?” First you remember his form, then his name. “Where is he… that… Ramesh!” First you remember him, and then his name. Anywhere in the world, when someone is remembered, first his form is recalled, and then his name is taken.

In the same way, when we do chanting—this means we are calling to God. And “calling” means we should first remember His form. If not, then our chanting or whatever we are doing is wrong.

So in vaidhi bhakti there are rules and restrictions because there is fear. In raganuga bhakti, there is only interest, interest, interest. We like Radha Krishna’s names, leelas (Divine pastimes), and stories.

Today I jokingly replied when a devotee said to me, “Maharaj Ji, today the chanting should go on until midnight.”

I said, “No, it should end at 11 p.m., as usual. Tomorrow morning a lot of people have to leave. If they stay awake all night, they will fall asleep on the way. Someone will take their belongings from the train. When they get home, they will blame Maharaj Ji. ‘So much for the chanting! We even lost our luggage!’”

But I was very happy when a few hours later that devotee came back and said, “Maharaj Ji, people are sad hearing this news. They are saying today is the last day of the sadhana program. There is always all-night chanting on the last day. This should definitely happen.”

So I said, “Then why are you asking me? Do it!”

He added some conditions: “You shouldn’t stay awake all night because of your health. You people know that you have not been well for two weeks.”

So he put this condition.

I said, “This is a big condition. But I’m not such an atheist that I’m not able to sit there.”

He said, “And please do not lecture. The jāgran (night vigil) will be on one condition: that you will not stay in the hall. Just as you leave every night to sleep, you should go tonight also.”

I said, “It’s fine. It’s for your benefit. I accept.”

This is the miracle of raganuga bhakti. After I said chanting is only until 11 p.m., people should have felt happy,

“Maharaj Ji said we are free after 11 p.m. We can all sleep!”

Instead, the reverse happened,

“Even though Maharaj Ji won’t be here, we will do chanting all night.”

This is a very great thing. When I heard this, I felt puffed up with happiness as if I had gained half a kilo! When children progress, a mother, father, or teacher feels happy.

So the interest is foremost in raganuga bhakti. Not everyone has interest; for this reason, others will have to do vaidhi bhakti.

Interest…

For example, you all have come here to Mangarh. I haven’t provided any conveniences to anyone here. A beggar eats and sleeps here, and the few millionaires who come also eat and sleep at the same place. I have made one rule for everyone. The majority of wealthy people don’t come in Mangarh devotion.

“Oh God! That is real austerity! Even talking is not allowed! There are no shops to get anything to eat, drink, or to secretly eat sweets. That is extremely difficult! Mangarh devotion isn’t for us.”

There are plenty of ashrams in Haridwar and other places with conveniences like AC and TV, and we could eat whatever we desire. We only have to stand up when it’s time to do Guruji’s arti. It’s convenient for everyone to go to places like this, but here there is great austerity. So if there were no interest, then no one would come to a village. These are all raganuga bhakti devotees.

In raganuga bhakti, Radha Krishna are loved only for Their happiness. Madhurya bhao (beloved mood) has two sections: The first is loving Krishna for one’s own happiness, like Kubja’s love for Krishna. The second is loving Krishna selflessly for His happiness, like the love of Vishakha, Lalita, and others.

Devotion could be of any kind. If a person were a selfless devotee of tamsi, rajsi, or satvik gods, he still couldn’t attain liberation. But even a selfish devotee of Krishna could enter the Divine abode.

But in Kripalu’s opinion, you shouldn’t follow the path of selfish devotion even one percent. Keep this aim - that you have to attain the best. Kubja’s attainment was only up to prem bhakti (Divine love). That abode where the supreme Divine Bliss of mahabhao (highest ecstatic love) is attained is beyond the reach of selfish devotees. So you should keep selfless devotion as your aim. You have to keep this aim: to love Krishna only for His happiness.

Source: Excerpt from the lecture published on Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat Philanthropy YouTube channel.

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When you have all the bhāo (devotional moods) at your disposal, if mādhurya bhāo (conjugal mood) doesn’t suit your mood, then imagine Krishna as your Son. If you get bored, imagine He is your Friend and make Him into a horse. You are free to love Him with all the bhāo, but a dāsya bhāo (servitude mood) devotee can’t think of Him as a Friend. What to say then of loving Him as a Son or Beloved? This would be a transgression.

Tulsidas (the poet-Saint) went to Vrindaban (the holy land of Krishna), to the Radha Raman Temple (devotional temple in Vrindavan), and saw Radha Krishna standing and embracing each other. He wasn’t seeing a stone Deity; he saw Their actual forms. We see the stone Deity. What is the miracle in that? Tulsidas had Their Divine vision.

As soon as he saw Their Divine form, he lowered his eyes because Tulsidas regarded God as his Mother, Father, and Master. If a servant’s masters are expressing love for each other, a servant does not have the right to see this. He is not permitted, but he did see that pose.

He went to see the temple, and in place of the stone Deity he saw Radha Krishna standing there. Krishna is very naughty; He played a humorous leela (Divine pastime). So Tulsidas closed his eyes and said,

“O Lord! Please take up a bow and arrow in Your hands (as Ram). If not, then the world will say Tulsidas violated devotional discipline. I don’t care for myself, but this would blemish the path of devotion.” So Krishn had to take up a bow and arrow.

A devotee of dāsya bhāo has to observe great disciplines. We could say that it is nearly impossible to follow dāsya bhāo. Imagine there is a Guru. He has a dāsya bhāo disciple. If that Guru were to walk inside this building, wherever the Guru places his feet, the disciple shouldn’t walk. It would be a transgression.

When Ram went into exile and Bharat (brother of Shree Ram) went to meet Him, people said to Bharat,

“Please sit on the chariot. How far will you walk? You will get tired. You are a delicate prince.”

Bharat said, “The dharm (duty) of a servant is that wherever the master places his feet, that is where the servant should place his head.”

But it’s not possible to walk on one’s head. There are many disciplines in dāsya bhāo. There are fewer in sakhya bhāo (friendship mood), even fewer in vatsalya bhāo (parental mood), and in mādhurya bhāo disciplines come to an end.

Once in Dwarika (Krishna’s kingdom), Krishna playfully said, “My body is paining.” He started crying aloud and writhing in distress. He is, after all, the foremost actor.

All of His 16,108 queens gathered and wondered, “What happened to our Beloved?”

In the meantime, Narad (Divine sage) arrived. Narad said, “It is very serious.” He asked Rukmini (chief queen of Krishna), “Mother, what is the matter?”

She said, “He is experiencing tremendous pain.”

Narad asked, “How did this happen?”

She said, “I don’t know. It happened suddenly!”

Narad went to Krishna. Narad had been fooled many times in the past by Krishna. This time he went cautiously and said with a smile, “O Krishn, since You created this illness, You should also be able to tell the remedy for it. A doctor can give a remedy for every physical illness, but only You Yourself could prescribe a remedy for Your self-created illness. O my Lord, please tell me the treatment.”

Krishna said, “Narad, are you joking? I feel I am dying.”

Narad said, “I am asking You in all seriousness. What is the remedy for this illness?”

He said, “If some devotee gives his footdust (dust of one’s feet), and if that is mixed with water and I drink it, then I will become absolutely well.”

Narad said, “Devotee? I am a devotee, but I’m not getting involved in this leela.” He thought, “I could give my footdust, but I don’t know what He is up to. I’ll just stay out of this.”

But all of His 16,108 wives are great Saints. Narad said, “O Rukmini! O Satyabhama! Please give your footdust so your Husband will get well.”

They said, “Narad, is there something wrong with you? Would any wife give her footdust to her husband? She will get a bad name and will also attain a hellish abode. Are you in your right mind?”

Narad said, “I am definitely in my right mind, but now what should I do? Your husband is prescribing this medicine.”

Krishna said to Narad, “Come here! You won’t find it here. Go to Braj (the land of Krishna’s childhood). You will find it there. Bring the footdust from there and then my aim will be achieved. Why are you asking here?”

Narad went to Braj and requested the Gopis (the cowherd maidens of Vrindavan), “Krishna’s condition is very serious. The remedy is His devotee’s footdust.”

All the Gopis extended their feet. Narad was stunned! The Gopis said,

“Narad! Don’t delay! Our soul-Beloved Krishna is suffering. Quickly! Use your yogic powers and take this to Him!”

Narad said, “This is all fine, but aren’t you afraid of attaining a hellish abode? Aren’t you afraid what people will say about you in the future? Your reputation will be ruined.”

The Gopis said, “O Narad! This is not the time to lecture. First take the footdust to Krishna and then come back and give us a lecture. If someone were seriously ill, you wouldn’t stop to talk to a friend in the street. You would run directly to give the medicine.”

So Narad took their footdust, but first he applied some to himself and thought, “Because I’m afraid of going to hell or being socially disgraced, I’m not ready to give my own footdust. Shame on me! And look at these Saints.”

The Gopis said, “We may attain a hellish abode, but we have attained that before in uncountable births since eternity. We are ready to go there again, but our Beloved Krishna should get well.”

If someone were to go to hell for the first time, he might wonder what hell is like. But every soul has experienced both the hellish abodes and the celestial abodes uncountable times. Thus all devotional disciplines end in mādhurya bhāo.

So from the time of sādhana bhakti (devotional practice), you should make mādhurya bhāo your aim and do devotion with whatever bhāo you prefer, whenever you like. There is no restriction of any kind.

Source: Excerpt from the lecture published on Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat Philanthropy YouTube channel.

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कुंज-लतान तरे खरे हरि ।
Kunj-latãn tare khare Hari.

“Shyam Sundar, Krishna, is standing in a kunj (a grove).”

What is He doing? He is doing devotion. Devotion is such that without it neither a soul nor God can find happiness.

So whose devotion does Krishna do?

In the Gita it says,

ये यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते तांस्तथैव भजाम्यहम् |
Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tānstathaiv bhajāmyaham.

This is Gita philosophy. “With whatever feelings, in whatever way, and to whatever extent a soul worships God, with the same feelings, in the same way, and to the same extent God also adores a soul.” This verse says, “Bhajamya-ham.” Krishna said, “I adore.”

Understand this in simple language: We desire God’s service, and God also desires our service to the very same extent - not more or less. It is exactly equal. We love God with feelings of shānt bhāo (the mood of peaceful adoration), dāsya bhāo (the mood of servitude), sakhya bhāo (the mood of friendship), vātsalya bhāo (the mood of parental affection), and madhurya bhāo (the mood of Divine Belovedness). God adores us with exactly the same relational feeling. Devotion is done with these five styles of relational feeling.

Yogis experience shānt bhāo; it is not important for devotees. Dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya, and madhurya bhāo - devotion is done with these four styles of loving remembrance. In other words, for taking “Bhagwān” (God) out of “Bhagwān Krishna,” there are these four kinds of devotion.

Take “Bhagwān” out, then only Krishna would remain.

1. Krishna is my Master.

2. Higher than this, He is my Friend.

3. Even higher than this, He is my Son.

4. The highest: He is my Beloved.

Out of these, dāsya bhāo Saints reach only up to prema bhakti (Divine love). They don’t reach beyond this. The devotion that you are doing is sādhana bhakti (devotional practice). Beyond this will come bhāo bhakti (the stage of devotional sentiment). Through bhāo bhakti, your mind will be purified 100%. Then, with your Guru’s grace, you will receive prem bhakti.

So the one who worships Krishna as his Master reaches up to prem bhakti. The devotee who loves Krishna as his friend goes beyond this and crosses sneh bhakti (deep affection), mān bhakti (love mixed with loving anger), praṇay bhakti (intimate oneness), and rāg bhakti (deeply attached love). He crosses these four classes, but only reaches up to rāg bhakti.

Beyond this come the devotees who love Krishna as their Child, like Yashoda and others. They go beyond prem bhakti, sneh bhakti, mān bhakti, praṇay bhakti, rāg bhakti, to anurāg bhakti (ever-fresh love). They go one more class ahead.

Finally, the Gopis of madhurya bhāo go beyond anurāg bhakti. This mahābhāo bhakti (the highest devotional ecstasy) is the ultimate limit of bhakti. Beyond this there is one more state of Divine love: mādan bhakti (the pinnacle of devotional ecstasy). But no soul can attain this. It is reserved only for Radha Rani - Madanakhya Mahābhāo. Madanakhya bhāo remains only in Radha Rani.

You have to do sādhana bhakti now, but your goal should be to attain mahābhāo bhakti. So you have to make madhurya bhāo your aim. There is great convenience and facility in madhurya bhāo. Whenever you wish, think of Krishna as your Beloved, as your Son, as your Father, as your Friend, or as your Master.

In other words, the mind’s nature is to desire constant change. This is its nature. If we could, we would constantly change the appearance of our face, eyes, and nose. But since we can’t, instead we use makeup to color the eyebrows red yesterday, blue today, then black. Today it’s one lipstick color, another tomorrow, another the next day. A woman mixes and matches in vain. If she could, she would change all of her features every day. Our habit is to desire change.

When you have all the bhāos (devotional moods) at your disposal — if madhurya bhāo doesn’t suit your mood, then imagine Krishn as your Son. If you get bored, imagine He is your Friend and make Him into a horse. You are free to love Him with all the bhāos.

But a dāsya bhāo devotee can’t think of Him as a Friend. What to say then of loving Him as a Son or Beloved? This would be a transgression.

Tulsidas went to Vṛindāban (the sacred land of Krishn), to the Rādhā Raman Mandir (temple), and saw Radha Krishna standing and embracing each other. He wasn’t seeing a stone Deity; he saw Their actual forms. We see the stone Deity — what is the miracle in that? Tulsidas had Their Divine vision.

As soon as he saw Their Divine form, he lowered his eyes because Tulsidas regarded God as his Mother, Father, and Master. If a servant’s masters are expressing love for each other, a servant does not have the right to see this. He is not permitted.

But he did see that pose. He went to see the temple, and in place of the stone Deity he saw Radha Krishna standing there. Krishna is very naughty; He played a humorous leela (Divine pastime).

So Tulsidas closed his eyes and said, “O Lord! Please take up a bow and arrow in Your hands (as Ram). If not, then the world will say Tulsidas violated devotional discipline. I don’t care for myself, but this would blemish the path of devotion.” So Krishna had to take up a bow and arrow.

A devotee of dāsya bhāo has to observe great disciplines. We could say that it is nearly impossible to follow dāsya bhāo. Imagine there is a Guru. He has a dāsya bhāo disciple. If that Guru were to walk inside this building, wherever the Guru places his feet, the disciple shouldn’t walk. It would be a transgression.

When Ram went into exile and Bharat went to meet Him, people said to Bharat, “Please sit on the chariot. How far will you walk? You will get tired. You are a delicate prince.”

Bharat said, “The dharm (duty) of a servant is that wherever the master places his feet, that is where the servant should place his head. But it’s not possible to walk on one’s head.”

There are many disciplines in dāsya bhāo. There are fewer in sakhya bhāo, even fewer in vātsalya bhāo, and in madhurya bhāo disciplines come to an end.

Source: Excerpt from the lecture published on Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat Philanthropy YouTube channel.

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Since 1938, at the age of 16, Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj has been showering Braj ras, the highest Bliss of the love of Radha Krishn. He does so through his kirtan and pad (devotional songs about Radha Krishn), of which he has produced an immense quantity.

He has revealed thousands of kirtan and bhajan which describe the Divine names, leelas, virtues and decorations of Radha Krishn for the meditation of the devotees. By singing these songs and meditating on Radha and Krishn, devotees purify their hearts and begin to experience the bliss of Radha Krishn name.

These devotional songs are not only the literal descriptions, but are also imbued with the Divine Grace and love of Radha Krishn, which can be experienced on the basis of a person's faith. When Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj himself sings the kirtan in his Divine voice, then a receptive heart may experience the flow of the ocean of Braj ras from within Shree Kripaluji Maharaj.

Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj received the title of Jagadguru in 1957 from a group of over 500 leading scholars of Kashi. He is thus the 5th original Jagadguru in the last 5,000 years, following Jagadguru Shankaracharya, Jagadguru Nimbarkacharya, Jagadguru Ramanujacharya and Jagadguru Madhvacharya. The title of Jagadguru means the Spiritual Master for the whole world.

Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj is the founder of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (JKP), a non-profit, charitable, educational, and religious organization.

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Maharaj Ji Kirtans Prem++

Since 1938, at the age of 16, Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj has been showering Braj ras, the highest Bliss of the love of Radha Krishn. He does so through his kirtan and pad (devotional songs about Radha Krishn), of which he has produced an immense quantity.

He has revealed thousands of kirtan and bhajan which describe the Divine names, leelas, virtues and decorations of Radha Krishn for the meditation of the devotees. By singing these songs and meditating on Radha and Krishn, devotees purify their hearts and begin to experience the bliss of Radha Krishn name.

These devotional songs are not only the literal descriptions, but are also imbued with the Divine Grace and love of Radha Krishn, which can be experienced on the basis of a person's faith. When Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj himself sings the kirtan in his Divine voice, then a receptive heart may experience the flow of the ocean of Braj ras from within Shree Kripaluji Maharaj.

Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj received the title of Jagadguru in 1957 from a group of over 500 leading scholars of Kashi. He is thus the 5th original Jagadguru in the last 5,000 years, following Jagadguru Shankaracharya, Jagadguru Nimbarkacharya, Jagadguru Ramanujacharya and Jagadguru Madhvacharya. The title of Jagadguru means the Spiritual Master for the whole world.

Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj is the founder of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (JKP), a non-profit, charitable, educational, and religious organization.

Maharaj Ji Discourses Prem++

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Maharaj Ji Kirtans Prem++

Since 1938, at the age of 16, Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj has been showering Braj ras, the highest Bliss of the love of Radha Krishn. He does so through his kirtan and pad (devotional songs about Radha Krishn), of which he has produced an immense quantity.

He has revealed thousands of kirtan and bhajan which describe the Divine names, leelas, virtues and decorations of Radha Krishn for the meditation of the devotees. By singing these songs and meditating on Radha and Krishn, devotees purify their hearts and begin to experience the bliss of Radha Krishn name.

These devotional songs are not only the literal descriptions, but are also imbued with the Divine Grace and love of Radha Krishn, which can be experienced on the basis of a person's faith. When Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj himself sings the kirtan in his Divine voice, then a receptive heart may experience the flow of the ocean of Braj ras from within Shree Kripaluji Maharaj.

Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj received the title of Jagadguru in 1957 from a group of over 500 leading scholars of Kashi. He is thus the 5th original Jagadguru in the last 5,000 years, following Jagadguru Shankaracharya, Jagadguru Nimbarkacharya, Jagadguru Ramanujacharya and Jagadguru Madhvacharya. The title of Jagadguru means the Spiritual Master for the whole world.

Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj is the founder of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (JKP), a non-profit, charitable, educational, and religious organization.

Maharaj Ji Discourses Prem++

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Maharaj Ji Kirtans Prem++

Since 1938, at the age of 16, Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj has been showering Braj ras, the highest Bliss of the love of Radha Krishn. He does so through his kirtan and pad (devotional songs about Radha Krishn), of which he has produced an immense quantity.

He has revealed thousands of kirtan and bhajan which describe the Divine names, leelas, virtues and decorations of Radha Krishn for the meditation of the devotees. By singing these songs and meditating on Radha and Krishn, devotees purify their hearts and begin to experience the bliss of Radha Krishn name.

These devotional songs are not only the literal descriptions, but are also imbued with the Divine Grace and love of Radha Krishn, which can be experienced on the basis of a person's faith. When Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj himself sings the kirtan in his Divine voice, then a receptive heart may experience the flow of the ocean of Braj ras from within Shree Kripaluji Maharaj.

Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj received the title of Jagadguru in 1957 from a group of over 500 leading scholars of Kashi. He is thus the 5th original Jagadguru in the last 5,000 years, following Jagadguru Shankaracharya, Jagadguru Nimbarkacharya, Jagadguru Ramanujacharya and Jagadguru Madhvacharya. The title of Jagadguru means the Spiritual Master for the whole world.

Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj is the founder of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (JKP), a non-profit, charitable, educational, and religious organization.

Maharaj Ji Discourses Prem++

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Maharaj Ji Kirtans Prem++

Since 1938, at the age of 16, Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj has been showering Braj ras, the highest Bliss of the love of Radha Krishn. He does so through his kirtan and pad (devotional songs about Radha Krishn), of which he has produced an immense quantity.

He has revealed thousands of kirtan and bhajan which describe the Divine names, leelas, virtues and decorations of Radha Krishn for the meditation of the devotees. By singing these songs and meditating on Radha and Krishn, devotees purify their hearts and begin to experience the bliss of Radha Krishn name.

These devotional songs are not only the literal descriptions, but are also imbued with the Divine Grace and love of Radha Krishn, which can be experienced on the basis of a person's faith. When Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj himself sings the kirtan in his Divine voice, then a receptive heart may experience the flow of the ocean of Braj ras from within Shree Kripaluji Maharaj.

Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj received the title of Jagadguru in 1957 from a group of over 500 leading scholars of Kashi. He is thus the 5th original Jagadguru in the last 5,000 years, following Jagadguru Shankaracharya, Jagadguru Nimbarkacharya, Jagadguru Ramanujacharya and Jagadguru Madhvacharya. The title of Jagadguru means the Spiritual Master for the whole world.

Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj is the founder of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (JKP), a non-profit, charitable, educational, and religious organization.

Maharaj Ji Discourses Prem++

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Kirtan composed by Jagadguru Shree Kripalu Ji Maharaj.

Since 1938, at the age of 16, Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj has been showering Braj ras, the highest Bliss of the love of Radha Krishn. He does so through his kirtan and pad (devotional songs about Radha Krishn), of which he has produced an immense quantity.

He has revealed thousands of kirtan and bhajan which describe the Divine names, leelas, virtues and decorations of Radha Krishn for the meditation of the devotees. By singing these songs and meditating on Radha and Krishn, devotees purify their hearts and begin to experience the bliss of Radha Krishn name.

These devotional songs are not only the literal descriptions, but are also imbued with the Divine Grace and love of Radha Krishn, which can be experienced on the basis of a person's faith. When Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj himself sings the kirtan in his Divine voice, then a receptive heart may experience the flow of the ocean of Braj ras from within Shree Kripaluji Maharaj.

Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj received the title of Jagadguru in 1957 from a group of over 500 leading scholars of Kashi. He is thus the 5th original Jagadguru in the last 5,000 years, following Jagadguru Shankaracharya, Jagadguru Nimbarkacharya, Jagadguru Ramanujacharya and Jagadguru Madhvacharya. The title of Jagadguru means the Spiritual Master for the whole world.

Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj is the founder of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat (JKP), a non-profit, charitable, educational, and religious organization. Its main U.S. center is JKP, Radha Madhav Dham (http://radhamadhavdham.org) in Austin, Texas. Radha Madhav Dham is one of the largest Hindu temples in the country and has become a place of pilgrimage in the West.

Kirtan or kirtana (Bengali: কীর্তন; Punjabi: ਕੀਰਤਨ Hindi: कीर्तन ;Telugu:కీర్తన ;Sanskrit for "praise; eulogy"; also sankirtan) is call-and-response chanting performed in India's bhakti devotional traditions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sankirtan

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There are only two areas - God and maya. Thus, the mind will create desires in only one of these two areas. If the intellect decides that there is no happiness in the world and that happiness is only in God, then it will naturally desire God without being taught.

But presently:

1. Our intellect has decided that there is happiness in the world. Whatever decision the intellect has made, the mind has to work on it and has to create that desire.

2. The world is visible to us, and God is beyond our intellect. He is not visible to us. The mind gets attracted to that which can be perceived.

3. Our senses are naturally inclined towards the world as they are made of the five gross elements, and the material world is also made of the same five gross elements. Hence, they are of the same nature.

So, no matter what the Vedas, scriptures, Puranas, and Saints say (about God), the senses cannot grasp them. However, the world can be grasped by these senses. That's why this mind easily creates desires for the world.

Our desire for the true bliss of God will arise when we give up worldly desires. And we can let go of worldly desires only when it becomes firmly established in the intellect that there is no happiness in the world.

To make this conviction of the intellect firm:

1. We must guide our intellect according to the knowledge of the Vedas and the scriptures. We must repeatedly contemplate philosophical knowledge. God created this world for the body. Both the body and the world are made of the five gross elements. The soul is Divine. The soul's happiness lies not in the world but only in God. Even Indra, the king of heaven, desires the position of Brahma because he remains restless, not having attained the true bliss of the soul.

2. We must also understand through our practical experience that our miserable condition persists despite attaining worldly pleasures thousands of times. Every time we acquire something in the world, we initially experience momentary happiness. Then, it keeps diminishing until it vanishes entirely, and after that, that very thing begins to cause sorrow. When we face problems in the world, we make desires for God. But when worldly people deceive us again by promising happiness, we move towards the world again. Everyone in this world is selfish. We should always understand that until we attain God, no one can desire another's happiness.

Friendship or enmity also becomes firm by repeatedly thinking about it. Similarly, we must repeatedly believe that only God and Guru are ours. Our welfare lies only in Them. By such repeated contemplation of philosophical knowledge, we have to remove this conviction that "there is happiness in the world." When we realize that our self-interest is in God and Guru, natural attachment will happen without anyone teaching us.

“Therefore, O mind! Remove the worldly desires from your mind and attach yourself to God and Guru.” When brought into the mind, these two pure entities will purify it. The entire world is filled with the three modes of nature and sins. Attachment to it will only pollute the mind further.

If the mind does not get attached to God and Guru immediately, practice repeatedly. Understand the philosophical knowledge and repeatedly remove the mind from the world and attach it to God. By doing this over and over again, the mind will start getting attached to Them. Through repeated practice, the mind gets attached even to inert worldly objects. On the other hand, God is an ocean of bliss. By repeatedly attaching the mind to Him, we will begin experiencing bliss, and then we will never be able to leave Him.

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How to Advance Spiritually

Number one is humility.

Number two is Roopdhyan. 

Number three is chanting the names, qualities and pastimes of Radha Krishn. 

You all practice one of these. Out of these three, you practice one, chanting of Shyama Shyam's names, qualities and pastimes. But you do not practice the other two things. Just chanting the name of God without those two, is like the body without life - a dead body.

The more humble you are, the closer you will get to God. Write this down in golden letters. You all think that we do kirtan but tears do not come. Chanting without tears is not true chanting; it's only a parrot's recital. God gives results of only those actions where the mind is involved. God does not take into account any physical work. So, humility and tolerance come first. They make up the first lesson in the subject of devotion.

There was a Muslim Saint in the Arabian country. He used to beg for alms in front of an idol. People asked him, " Why do you beg in front of an idol that you are hungry and want some bread?" The saint replied, "The reason I do this is so that when I beg in the world and no one offers me any alms, I would not feel bad as I would have practiced it here." So, humbleness is the very first lesson. 

Roopdhyan follows as number two. In your mind, bring God in front of you and then sing the kirtan. The more humble you become, the closer you will get to God. The more Roopdhyan of God you do, the closer you will get to Him and God will also come closer to you. Anyone walking on the spiritual path should think of himself to be below everyone. He should think that everyone else is better than him. One should have such feelings of humility.

Give respect to everyone. Do not expect respect from others. Bring in such humility. Desire to sit behind everyone. We sit in the front thinking - People will see that I am a leader, I am a millionaire. What are you thinking? Do not think like this. Think that you are below everyone. The Vedas declare the Shri Krishna is within everyone. Realize this. Do not have ill- feelings towards others, such as considering some inferior, finding faults in others, and feelings of disrespect or hatred. Otherwise God will be unhappy with you and Guru will be even more sad. The Guru will be sad - I tried so hard and explained so much, still this individual has feelings of attachment and hatred in him. Whether you have attachment or hatred towards the world, whether you have favorable thoughts or unfavorable thoughts, the moment you think of the world, your mind gets polluted and you have to purify your mind. By making the mind even more impure, what Sadhana are you practicing? You are adding even more dirt to the soiled cloth (the mind). You need to wash the soiled cloth in pure water, and pure water means you should attach your mind to God and Guru. These two personalities are pure and will purify the mind. Do not look down on anyone. Someone may be really deplorable, but do not think about his faults. Do not think reprovingly even against some deplorable as it will make your mind impure. He will always remain bad.

Let's say a person is a dacoit, he is vicious. If you think about his wrongdoings, your mind will then be filled with delinquent thoughts; your mind will become more impure. How can you then have the goal of God-realization? 

Hence, do not have any desire for position, appreciation, prestige, fame or the desire for the world to praise you. In other words, do not desire to become a leader. Leave all those feelings. The more humble you become, the dearer you become to God and Guru. Memorize this point. It will help you till God-realization. Otherwise, this Maya is very dangerous. This desire of becoming popular within people around you has caused the downfall of even great ascetics.

"Let people praise me and worship me." This leadership quality is okay in the world since their goal is different. But for the one who is on the spiritual path, if he behaves like a worldly person, then he will deviate from his goal. So practice Roopdhyan with your mind and cry out to God with tears. Crying out to God in the main Sadhana and this will happen only with humility. Without humility, one cannot shed tears. So when you go to sleep, think, "Where all did I become arrogant today? Where all did I desire prestige today? This foolish mind has made me wander in 8.4 million life forms and it's doing the same thing again. Humility, politeness and tolerance are Divine qualities Tulsidas Ji says,”Aangan Kuti chhawaye” (verse) Keep your critic in your courtyard so that he may criticize you every day and you practice not to feel bad about it. Why do you feel bad? "Are you under Maya?" "Yes." "Do you know what Maya does?" "Yes." Lust, anger, greed, jealousy- these are all vices of Maya. Do you have all these vices in you? Be honest! "Yes, I do have these vices." Then? Anyone will criticize you only about these vices. "You are lustful, you are bad tempered, you are greedy, you are a rouge, you are a thug. This is all one can tell you. Isn't he right in saying this? We have all these vices. What else do we do all day and night? Are we saints? Are we like Tulsidas, Soordas, Meera, or Kabir?

"No we are not like them." We have lust, anger, greed and other such vices. If someone humiliates us with these words, He is our well wisher. He is pointing out our vices and asking us to rectify them. So, do not ever have any ill feelings against anyone. And always have humble feelings for yourself. Think- "I am fallen, destitute, sinful. I am not able to shed tears even while chanting God's names. God is omnipresent and is sitting in everyone's heart but I am not able to realize it. I am an atheist.” Bring these humbling feelings and realization again and again. Then see how you progress day by day.

Pride is your biggest enemy; beware of it. Do your Sadhana like this. Then Kripalu will come here again and again without even being invited and serve you. The most important thing is to wipe out the ill feelings you have developed against anyone. If you have developed any ill feelings against someone, go to them, ask for forgiveness and be nice to them. Behave in such a way that he or she feels humbled. This quality should be developed. You have to practice this.

But in ‘ghrit sneh’, a devotee expects the same love from God too. Therefore, it has its ups and downs. Just like in the world, when you call someone four times and in return, the other person calls only once, you assume that the other person doesn’t love you as much as you do. We calculate love in this way in the world.

True love doesn’t expect anything. One only wants God to become their beloved. True love is when you keep loving your beloved even if He doesn’t love you back. Even if He behaves with the feeling of animosity towards you, you keep loving Him in the same way.

For example, during the Mahabharata, when Shri Krishna ran with a wheel in His hands to kill Bhishma pitamah, Bhishma pitamah was so happy to see that sight. He kept thinking about that form of Shri Krishna till the time He died. He kept on meditating on how Shri Krishna looked in anger. Wide chest, crooked eyebrows, grinding teeth and full or anger.

The feeling should be that we will keep loving Him, no matter if He loves us back or not. Just like you eat a sweet, not caring about whether the sweet loves you back or not. You like the sweet and so you eat it. If we like something, and it brings us happiness, why should we care if that thing likes us too? If the other person likes you back then he will get happiness from that. Why do you have to worry about that? You should think only about your own happiness.

So we have to increase our closeness with Shri Krishna. Although, you should always keep this rule in mind; God and Saints have to love the soul with the same level of love that soul feels for Them. This is their rule, to Grace, Lobe, make their Own, that soul, in the same amount that soul loves them.

Saint Kabir went to Saint Ramananda to accept Him as his guru. Bur Saint Ramananda said, “I don’t even know what caste you belong to. I can't accept you as my disciple.” To that Saint Kabir said, “Guruji! You said in one lecture that God and Guru love a devotee according to the level of his love for Them. So that means You have to grace me according to the level of my love for you. I will prove it.” And eventually Kabir became a Saint and Saint Ramananda had to grace him.

So, there shouldn’t be any doubt when it comes to God and Saints. Doubts are developed in the world.

In the world we wonder,” Does he love me back or not?”” We try to figure out by their external behavior and still we get betrayed. We get fooled easily by someone who talks sweetly to us. We believe them when they say they can die for us. The reason we believe this is because we are unable to understand that everyone, including that person, says things only for his/her selfish benefit.

So you don’t need to have any doubt about the love God and Saints have for you. Simply ask the question, how much do you love them? Then you will get the answer. They love you the same amount you love Them. “But I became careless sometimes and forget them.” Then they will do the same!

Don’t be under the impression that even if you don’t love Them honestly, They will still love you honestly. You cannot cheat on Them. Because They live inside our mind and note each and every idea of ours. He resides in every souls heart and notes each every thought.

Just like a movie camera records each and every expression and action of the person in front of it. You should have this faith in your heart. Then you don’t need to think how much They love you.

Above all, consider this. Why should God and Saints love us? Our mind, body, heart everything is impure and They are the ocean of bliss and happiness. We have our selfish interest with Him. We want His divine bliss and happiness and so we have to love Him. We want His divine bliss and happiness and so we have to love Him. Why do we expect Him to love us Back?

Plus, God’s way of loving is very different and contradictory to His behavior. Both God and Saint love in such an odd way that even great personalities like Saraswati and Brihaspati cannot understand it.

Gaurang Mahaprahu Ji said, “Once a soul becomes God realized, His words and actions are not understandable even by great personalities.” For someone, it's God's grace when He takes away something from them. Whereas, for someone else, it’s God’s grace when He gives them something. Both these actions are contradictory.

God gave an order to Sugriva, Vibhishana, Dhruva and Prahalda to rule the world. They said to God, “Why are you asking us to rule? We don’t want the Kingdom” God said, ”It’s my order.” A servant’s duty is to follow his master’s orders and not raise questions. No one can ever understand God’s actions and His grace. 

One of Gaurang Mahaprabhu Ji’s devotees went to ask for food for Mahaprabhu Ji from an old lady who also was a devotee of Mahaprabhu Ji. His name was Haridasa. You must have heard his name. Mahaprabhu Ji asked him,” Did you bring this food from a woman?” Haridasa said, ”Yes”. Mahaprabhu Ji said,” Why did you do that? You are a hermit. You are dressed like a hermit and a hermit is not allowed to ask for food from a woman.” Haridasa said, ”But Guru Ji, she is your devotee.” Mahaprabhu ji said, ”That doesn’t matter. You disobeyed my orders. Get out of here.” He got punished even when he was not at fault! All the other devotees were shocked since Haridasa went to ask for food for Mahaprabhu Ji from a very old lady. And Mahaprabhu Ji was God’s avatar. He knew that Haridasa had no feelings for the lady. He was told to leave forever, not just for one or two years.

In another incident, Mahaprabhu Ji told His other close devotee to get married twice. Not once but twice! Who can understand the actions and orders of a Saint? No one can understand God and Saints. They work in mysterious ways. Therefore never apply your intellect towards Their actions. They look at someone but they love someone else in Their heart. A Saint gives a garland as His gift to a devotee but in reality, someone else deserves it.

Why? Because that devotee receiving the gift is new on the spiritual path and this gift will motivate him to go closer to God. Whereas, the deserving devotee is already walking on the path for so long. But if that other devotee feels bad about not receiving the gift from the Saint, he will fall and his feeling of surrendering to the Saint will go away.

He should have thought that a Saint can never be wrong. There must be some secret behind what He does. We have to remember that one rule that God and Saint will grace us according to our level of surrender to Them. There is no fraud in this.

Then why do you believe yourself to be the body? Tell me

Uddhav asked the Lord “Who is the biggest fool?” God did not say, “Kalidas”. He said, “The biggest fool is the one who despite seeing, hearing and knowing that there is someone inside my body because of whom I move, see, hear,  smell, touch and know, when he leaves then the body does nothing at all. Even then, he believes himself to be the body.” I am a human, I am a man, I am a woman, I am a Brahmin, a Kshatriya and on top of that - I am a Punjabi, a Bengali, a Madrasi. How far you have gone! You are a soul. What is all this?

Everyone is fighting with each other. There are murders taking place. Even those we call brilliant and accomplished think they are the body and are miserable. Even those famous as great and acclaimed figures - this is Bill Gates, peerless in wealth, this is the President of America. People possessing great powers - this is the most beautiful person in the world, this is the winner of the Nobel Prize. But they are all totally and completely miserable. From their mothers, fathers, spouses, children, neighbors - everyone is unhappy.

All because of only one reason … they believed themselves to be the body. See what a big wonder it is. Tell a person “You are an owl. You are a donkey.” Are you a human being or an owl? -  a human being. Then the one calling you an owl must be the real owl. He can’t see properly. He is calling you an owl and a donkey. Why do you feel bad? But he developed such a feeling that he came to blows over a single word.

Such is our knowledge.

A collector (high post in India), commissioner (high post in India), governor, judge slaps his servant. Why did you slap him? “He is a google. He has no sense.” So is he an IAS officer (very high post in India) as well? Is he a justice as well? “No, he’s a menial servant.” Then how do you expect him to be as capable as you? You say he is a fool, which he of course is. But when you got angry, you became a bigger fool than him. Because you are causing your own loss. Before you hit him, anger arose in you. And when anger arose, it damaged your body, your mind and your soul. And you still say, “I am intelligent.”