A DIVINE MESSAGE
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Philosophy
Bhakti Alone Unites With GodOut of karma, gyan and bhakti, which path can lead jeev all the way to meet God?
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Kripalu Leelamritam
How Deep Should My Level of Surrender Be?Know when God will bear all our burdens
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Kids Story
Giving is ReceivingA story of sikh of how he attained everything.
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Each of us can relate to our desire of being “happy forever”. In fact, all jeev want to be happy and have been searching for happiness forever, yet even after expending numerous efforts over uncountable lifetimes, they have not achieved that happiness and their search continues. Possibly a thought may cross their mind that since happiness has not been attained through the attainment of material wealth, perhaps there may be another path to attain that happiness. Jagadguruttam Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj says, our scriptures show us the path for attaining that happiness.
For spiritual-upliftment, and attainment of our ultimate goal of unending divine bliss, Vedas prescribe 3 paths - karma, gyan and bhakti. Let us put karma, gyan and bhakti to test to determine which path is capable of granting us the bliss we seek.
The first criteria for evaluating whether our chosen path is right or not is called anvaya. The word anvaya means that “the goal should be achievable through this path”.
First, let us evaluate the path of karma.
If one observes to perfection, each of the prohibitively strict rules of karmakand prescribed by the Vedas, then one will earn temporary residence in heaven (swarg). After enjoying the luxuries of swarg for a finite duration, the jeev is again sent back into the lower forms of life.
For spiritual-upliftment, and attainment of our ultimate goal of unending divine bliss, Vedas prescribe 3 paths - karma, gyan and bhakti. Let us put karma, gyan and bhakti to test to determine which path is capable of granting us the bliss we seek.
The first criteria for evaluating whether our chosen path is right or not is called anvaya. The word anvaya means that “the goal should be achievable through this path”.
First, let us evaluate the path of karma.
If one observes to perfection, each of the prohibitively strict rules of karmakand prescribed by the Vedas, then one will earn temporary residence in heaven (swarg). After enjoying the luxuries of swarg for a finite duration, the jeev is again sent back into the lower forms of life.
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Also, while enjoying the luxuries in swarg, one constantly suffers from agonies of material afflictions (1) such as lust, anger, greed, and attachment still plague the jeev. You might recall the incident when King Dilip was performing his hundredth ashvamedha yagya. Successful completion of 100 ashvamedha yagya entitles one to become the king of swarg. At that time, Indra, the king of swarg, assumed that Dilip wanted to be king of swarg and take his position. Consequently, he felt jealous and scared of King Dilip. So, to stop his ashvamedha yagya, Indra stole the ceremonial horse (2).
Yet another incident relates to Indra being anxious seeing a 5-year-old child Dhruv praying to God, fearful that he might take his position. Such was his level of anxiety that he sent celestial nymphs to disturb Dhruv’s meditative state. When the king of swarg is plagued with the vices of Maya (e.g. jealousy, greed, fear, passion), one can only imagine the mental state of his subjects in swarg? |
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Veda says -
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इष्टापूर्तं मन्यमाना वरिष्ठं, नान्यच्छ्रेयो वेदयन्ते प्रमूढाः।
नाकस्य पृष्ठे ते सुकृतेनुभूत्वेमं, लोकं हीनतरं वा विशन्ति॥ |
iṣṭāpūrtaṃ manyamānā variṣṭhaṃ, nānyacchreyo vedayante pramūḍhāḥ।
nākasya pṛṣṭhe te sukṛtenubhūtvemaṃ, lokaṃ hīnataraṃ vā viśanti॥ |
“Those who follow the path of karma are extremely foolish, for after toiling so hard they attain luxuries for a brief period, thereafter the jeev might be banished into the lower life forms”.
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And even when enjoying the fruits of karma also, the jeev is not blissful. Thus the goal of attaining unlimited, everlasting bliss cannot be achieved by karma as it bestows the bliss of sansaar and does not take the jeev to aim of life. So the karma does not live up to this criterion.
Now, let us put gyan to test on this criterion. The final stage of the path of gyan is self-knowledge (not knowledge of Nirakar Brahma ). As long as the soul does not attain Brahmanand, there will be no mukti from Maya, so there is no question of attaining bliss. You might counter this by saying gyan yoga does grant mukti from Maya. Only if gyan is mixed with bhakti, then it is called gyan yoga. And yes, gyan yog can grant freedom from Maya. But gyan alone can destroy the ignorance that “I am this body” and enable self-realization (the knowledge that “I am soul”) (3). Beyond taking the Jeev to the state of self-realization, Gyan cannot help any further. The attainment of the Nirakar Brahma (impersonal form of God) is not achievable by the path of Gyan. Without having Brahma Gyan, one cannot get rid of Maya and therefore one cannot dream of attaining that everlasting divine bliss. Lord Shri Krishna has said in Gita - |
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ज्ञानयज्ञेन चाप्यन्ये यजन्तो मामुपासते।
एकत्वेन पृथक्त्वेन बहुधा विश्वतो मुखम् ॥ गीता ९. १५ |
jñānayajñena cāpyanye yajanto māmupāsate।
ekatvena pṛthaktvena bahudhā viśvato mukham ॥ gītā 9. 15 |
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भक्त्यात्मामभिजानाति यावान् यश्चास्मि तत्वतः। ततो मां तत्त्वतो ज्ञात्वा विशते तदनन्तरम् ॥
गीता १८.५५ |
bhaktyātmāmabhijānāti yāvān yaścāsmi tatvataḥ। tato māṃ tattvato jñātvā viśate tadanantaram ॥
gītā 18.55 |
““Only through bhakti, can one gain complete knowledge of My infinite glory and only then will one attain mukti". So the path of gyan also does not live up to this criterion.
All Vedic scriptures proclaim that God can be attained ONLY through the path of devotion or bhakti.
Shri Krishna revealed this secret to Arjuna in the Gita.
All Vedic scriptures proclaim that God can be attained ONLY through the path of devotion or bhakti.
Shri Krishna revealed this secret to Arjuna in the Gita.
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भक्त्या त्वनन्यया शक्य अहमेवंविधोऽर्जुन । ज्ञातुं द्रष्टुं च तत्त्वेन प्रवेष्टुं च परन्तप ॥
गीता 11.54॥ |
bhaktyā tvananyayā śakya ahamevaṃvidho'rjuna । jñātuṃ draṣṭuṃ ca tattvena praveṣṭuṃ ca parantapa ॥
gītā 11.54॥ |
“Only by devotion can I be known or seen. One can be absorbed in Me only by bhakti.”
Shri Krishna did not say one can see Me, know Me by gyan or by karma !
Therefore, out of the three paths, only the path of bhakti meets the criterion of anvaya.
Bhakti alone can unite the jeev with Brahma-Supreme God.
Shri Krishna did not say one can see Me, know Me by gyan or by karma !
Therefore, out of the three paths, only the path of bhakti meets the criterion of anvaya.
Bhakti alone can unite the jeev with Brahma-Supreme God.
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As the saying goes “the more flexible the branch is, the more it can be flexed”. Mahabani ji was such a devotee. He completely surrendered to Shri Maharaj Ji. Such was his level of surrender that throughout his life he did not save a single penny as security for his old age or his family. For 14 years, Shri Maharaj ji stayed with Mahabani Ji in his residence like a respected member of the family .
The king of Pratapgarh was a friend of Mahabani Ji. All through his life, Mahabani Ji lived on rent in a bungalow owned by the king. The bungalow had a sprawling lawn and was called Peeli Kothi (Yellow Bungalow). Keertan was held in Peeli Kothi three times a day - in the morning, evening and night. The devotees were served meals prior to each keertan session, after which they comfortably enjoyed the keertan. Mahabani Ji was a food Inspector by profession. He used to spend his entire income in the service of the devotees. And when needed, he used to withdraw money from his retirement fund as well in the service of the devotees.
His colleagues used to make fun of him by passing side comments such as “Mahabani Ji has lost his mind. He has been brain-washed by Shri Maharaj Ji. He withdraws money from his retirement fund on the pretext of his daughter's wedding, but till date we have yet to receive an invitation for any of his daughter’s wedding” and so on. But Mahabani Ji was firm in his resolve. Till the very end, he remained completely devoted to the service of Shri Maharaj Ji and his
devotees.
When Shri Maharaj Ji learnt of his passing away in 1959, He said “today Pratapgarh has become a widow”. (a phrase that means "has lost all of its charm"). After his passing away Mahabani Ji’s family had no means of livelihood. All four of his daughters were unmarried and did not have a job to earn a livelihood. The son also did not have a job and there was not a penny in his retirement fund. Seeing this situation, Raja Saheb agreed to sell the Kothi to the Mahabani family for ₹ 5000, but the Mahabani family did not even have ₹ 5000. So, the whole family had to move to Lucknow with Mahabani ji's younger brother.
In due course Mahabani Ji's son got a job. When Shri Maharaj ji came to know that Mahabani Ji's son got a job, He breathed a sigh of relief. Shri Maharaj ji's words were, "Today I have taken a bath in the holy Ganges river” (a phrase which means - I have fulfilled my responsibility). The entire family of Mahabani ji was taken care of by Shri Maharaj ji. For the rest of her life Mahabani ji's wife lived in Guru Dham, Mangarh. One of his daughters became a lecturer in degree college, two of his daughters (Nagari Didi, Banchary Didi) were given a lifetime opportunity to serve Shri Maharaj Ji as His preachers and the fourth daughter spent her life as a saint in Braj.
Mahabani ji dedicated everything to Shri Maharaj ji. Shri Maharaj ji took care of all of Mahabani ji's responsibilities even after his death ! (1)
The king of Pratapgarh was a friend of Mahabani Ji. All through his life, Mahabani Ji lived on rent in a bungalow owned by the king. The bungalow had a sprawling lawn and was called Peeli Kothi (Yellow Bungalow). Keertan was held in Peeli Kothi three times a day - in the morning, evening and night. The devotees were served meals prior to each keertan session, after which they comfortably enjoyed the keertan. Mahabani Ji was a food Inspector by profession. He used to spend his entire income in the service of the devotees. And when needed, he used to withdraw money from his retirement fund as well in the service of the devotees.
His colleagues used to make fun of him by passing side comments such as “Mahabani Ji has lost his mind. He has been brain-washed by Shri Maharaj Ji. He withdraws money from his retirement fund on the pretext of his daughter's wedding, but till date we have yet to receive an invitation for any of his daughter’s wedding” and so on. But Mahabani Ji was firm in his resolve. Till the very end, he remained completely devoted to the service of Shri Maharaj Ji and his
devotees.
When Shri Maharaj Ji learnt of his passing away in 1959, He said “today Pratapgarh has become a widow”. (a phrase that means "has lost all of its charm"). After his passing away Mahabani Ji’s family had no means of livelihood. All four of his daughters were unmarried and did not have a job to earn a livelihood. The son also did not have a job and there was not a penny in his retirement fund. Seeing this situation, Raja Saheb agreed to sell the Kothi to the Mahabani family for ₹ 5000, but the Mahabani family did not even have ₹ 5000. So, the whole family had to move to Lucknow with Mahabani ji's younger brother.
In due course Mahabani Ji's son got a job. When Shri Maharaj ji came to know that Mahabani Ji's son got a job, He breathed a sigh of relief. Shri Maharaj ji's words were, "Today I have taken a bath in the holy Ganges river” (a phrase which means - I have fulfilled my responsibility). The entire family of Mahabani ji was taken care of by Shri Maharaj ji. For the rest of her life Mahabani ji's wife lived in Guru Dham, Mangarh. One of his daughters became a lecturer in degree college, two of his daughters (Nagari Didi, Banchary Didi) were given a lifetime opportunity to serve Shri Maharaj Ji as His preachers and the fourth daughter spent her life as a saint in Braj.
Mahabani ji dedicated everything to Shri Maharaj ji. Shri Maharaj ji took care of all of Mahabani ji's responsibilities even after his death ! (1)
Just as a Mercedes car cannot be bought for ten rupees, God does not take 100% care of a partially surrendered soul.
A Mercedes car cannot be bought for ten rupees. If you wish that God should take care of you completely, then you also have to surrender completely. [1]
The higher you value worldly responsibilities and achievements proportionately less will be the value of God and Godly things. So even if you believe that you are 100% surrendered, God will not bear complete yogakshem (take care of everything you have and give you what you don’t have).
Moral
People ask what is surrender? I have written several articles on this website on the topics How do I Surrender, Why yield to a saint, not directly to God?, How does Guru help us in spiritual growth?. Since sometimes an example is needed to understand the concepts. So, giving you a very real and recent example of surrender to Guru.
Perhaps from this true story, you would have gotten a practical glimpse of “what complete refuge under the lotus feet of God and Guru looks like ''. Lord will bear your yogakshem, or in other words, the burden of your responsibilities such as providing for food, shelter, clothing and children's education to the extent of your surrender. The more you surrender to Him, the more God Himself will carry your burden. Finally, when you make God your only goal and use all your resources to attain that goal, then God will bear your yogakshem fully. You will never need to ask; He is so gracious that He does it without our even having to ask.
Until and unless you surrender everything, and everything means 1. everything that belongs to you and 2. also you yourself, then God and Guru will not bear your complete yogakshem. This is God's irrefutable law. Whether you accept it today or not, and choose to take infinite births and go round in 84 lakh life forms, is in your hands. God has given freedom to every living being to determine his own goal.
Maybe, as of this moment you are not as surrendered as Mahabani Ji’s and don’t even see the path of being able to reach there. Maybe, to maintain a peaceful situation you have to make compromises with others in your life. But, if you long for reaching this level of surrender, here is an option that Shri Maharaj Ji [2] has offered us. Start with Sadhana - Daily Devotion [3]. Do it daily and earnestly, by Guru’s grace you will start progressing on the path. Gradually but surely, devotion will reduce your miseries and create an environment conducive to doing bhakti. When a dangerous dacoit like Ratnakar [4] can attain God in the same birth then why won't you? Just resolve once to do it and follow it through. God is waiting with outstretched arms to bear your yogakshem.
There is a saying that “a hint is enough for the wise”.
The higher you value worldly responsibilities and achievements proportionately less will be the value of God and Godly things. So even if you believe that you are 100% surrendered, God will not bear complete yogakshem (take care of everything you have and give you what you don’t have).
Moral
People ask what is surrender? I have written several articles on this website on the topics How do I Surrender, Why yield to a saint, not directly to God?, How does Guru help us in spiritual growth?. Since sometimes an example is needed to understand the concepts. So, giving you a very real and recent example of surrender to Guru.
Perhaps from this true story, you would have gotten a practical glimpse of “what complete refuge under the lotus feet of God and Guru looks like ''. Lord will bear your yogakshem, or in other words, the burden of your responsibilities such as providing for food, shelter, clothing and children's education to the extent of your surrender. The more you surrender to Him, the more God Himself will carry your burden. Finally, when you make God your only goal and use all your resources to attain that goal, then God will bear your yogakshem fully. You will never need to ask; He is so gracious that He does it without our even having to ask.
Until and unless you surrender everything, and everything means 1. everything that belongs to you and 2. also you yourself, then God and Guru will not bear your complete yogakshem. This is God's irrefutable law. Whether you accept it today or not, and choose to take infinite births and go round in 84 lakh life forms, is in your hands. God has given freedom to every living being to determine his own goal.
Maybe, as of this moment you are not as surrendered as Mahabani Ji’s and don’t even see the path of being able to reach there. Maybe, to maintain a peaceful situation you have to make compromises with others in your life. But, if you long for reaching this level of surrender, here is an option that Shri Maharaj Ji [2] has offered us. Start with Sadhana - Daily Devotion [3]. Do it daily and earnestly, by Guru’s grace you will start progressing on the path. Gradually but surely, devotion will reduce your miseries and create an environment conducive to doing bhakti. When a dangerous dacoit like Ratnakar [4] can attain God in the same birth then why won't you? Just resolve once to do it and follow it through. God is waiting with outstretched arms to bear your yogakshem.
There is a saying that “a hint is enough for the wise”.
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Guru Amar Das Ji, the third Guru of Sikhs purchased some land in Goindwal and laid the foundation of a Bawli (a well with descending steps) in the year 1559. All Sikhs joined in the work of digging the Bawli. There was tremendous activity throughout the duration of the construction of the Bawli. After digging very deep, they found bed rocks which hindered the excavation progress.. The underwater reserve was just below those stones.
The Guru asked the Sikhs if there was any one who would be courageous enough to drive a peg into the base to remove the obstruction. He, however, warned that the operation had great danger because if the person could not avert the gush of water, he might drown. All Sikhs remained silent and no one came forward to take such a risk. At last, Manak Chand of Vairowal, who was married to a niece of Guru Ji, offered his services.
Manak Chand, invoking God's name and through the grace of the Guru, was able to wedge through the stone and the stream of water immediately overflowed the Bawli. He was overtaken by the gush of water and drowned. However, by the grace of the Guru, his body came to the top of the water from where he was taken out by Sikhs. He was then brought back to life by Guru Amar Das Ji with the grace of God. Therefore, he was called Marjiwra'(revived after death).
The Bawli, when finished, yielded fresh drinking water. The Sikhs rejoiced at the successful completion of their labor. But the one who rejoiced the most was Marjiwra who found eternal bliss by following his Guru’s orders.
Moral:
Guru puts His devotees to test regularly. Guru already knows the level of surrender of the devotee. This test is to show the devotee his own level of surrender. This reflection enables the devotee to take steps to enhance their devotion.
Also, since God serves the Guru and makes his every word come true. So Guru always helps his surrendered soul at all times in all situations. There is no limit to what he can do. So, don't be scared of following his instructions.
The Guru asked the Sikhs if there was any one who would be courageous enough to drive a peg into the base to remove the obstruction. He, however, warned that the operation had great danger because if the person could not avert the gush of water, he might drown. All Sikhs remained silent and no one came forward to take such a risk. At last, Manak Chand of Vairowal, who was married to a niece of Guru Ji, offered his services.
Manak Chand, invoking God's name and through the grace of the Guru, was able to wedge through the stone and the stream of water immediately overflowed the Bawli. He was overtaken by the gush of water and drowned. However, by the grace of the Guru, his body came to the top of the water from where he was taken out by Sikhs. He was then brought back to life by Guru Amar Das Ji with the grace of God. Therefore, he was called Marjiwra'(revived after death).
The Bawli, when finished, yielded fresh drinking water. The Sikhs rejoiced at the successful completion of their labor. But the one who rejoiced the most was Marjiwra who found eternal bliss by following his Guru’s orders.
Moral:
Guru puts His devotees to test regularly. Guru already knows the level of surrender of the devotee. This test is to show the devotee his own level of surrender. This reflection enables the devotee to take steps to enhance their devotion.
Also, since God serves the Guru and makes his every word come true. So Guru always helps his surrendered soul at all times in all situations. There is no limit to what he can do. So, don't be scared of following his instructions.
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