The Responsible PartySunahu Sadhak Pyare - Part 10
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मन एव मनुष्याणां कारणं बन्धमोक्षयोः
नारद पुराण, पंचदशी, ब्रह्मबिन्दु पुराण |
mana eva manuṣyāṇāṃ kāraṇaṃ bandhamokṣayoḥ
nārada purāṇa, paṃcadaśī, brahmabindu purāṇa |
The mind is the reason of bondage and liberation from Maya. If you don’t engage your mind while worshipping God, then your mind will remember someone or something else in this world. And whatever the mind meditates upon is the object of it’s worship. And you get the fruits of your devotion accordingly. For example, if you can chant “Radhey Radhey” assuming that is the name of your mother, wife, or daughter, you will get the fruit of worshipping your mother, wife, or daughter. You will not get the fruit of remembering Shri Radha Rani. You will get the fruit of whomever you remember. So when taking God’s name, mentally think of that personality. Mark My words. These words will continue to guide you till the time you realize God.
That is why all forms of devotion, other than remembering God are like multiplying with zero.
There are two primary forms of devotion. One is with remembrance and the other is without remembrance of God. You hear Bhagawat Gita with your ears, you visit places of pilgrimage using your legs, and you perform aarti with your hands. All these are useless without mental remembrance. God notices only the extent of involvement of the mind while you were doing all this. That is devotion. It is true that something is better than nothing. If somebody sings material songs while someone else chants the name of Shri Radha Rani, the second person will have some devotional feelings. However, without “Roopdhyan” you are not practicing devotion.
That is why all forms of devotion, other than remembering God are like multiplying with zero.
There are two primary forms of devotion. One is with remembrance and the other is without remembrance of God. You hear Bhagawat Gita with your ears, you visit places of pilgrimage using your legs, and you perform aarti with your hands. All these are useless without mental remembrance. God notices only the extent of involvement of the mind while you were doing all this. That is devotion. It is true that something is better than nothing. If somebody sings material songs while someone else chants the name of Shri Radha Rani, the second person will have some devotional feelings. However, without “Roopdhyan” you are not practicing devotion.
मनेर स्मरण प्राण
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manera smaraṇa prāṇa
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Remembrance is the life of devotion. When life leaves the body, the body becomes dead. Likewise, focusing on the divine form of God is essential in devotion. Devotion starts from an image (chosen by you) of God. Even in this world, we think about a person before calling out his name. Sometimes the image of the person is in our mind but it takes time to call out his name. Then how can we call God without remembering His image?
तज्जपस्तदर्थ भवानात ।
योगदर्शन |
tajjapastadartha bhavānāta ।
yogadarśana |
“You must chant with the feeling that the one for whom you are chanting is present in the name.” So even if you perform several different types of devotion, remembering the Divine form of God is primary amongst them. You don’t have to take the name of Ram and Shyam even once. If someone is deaf, how will he listen to devotional music; if someone is dumb, how will he chant Radhe Radhe? These people will go on strike saying they should get God’s realization without any effort, for they cannot perform this form of devotion. So God says, I don’t want devotion of your ears or your tongue. I want devotion of your mind. And there is no one without a mind. Even trees, birds, animals, insects all have a mind. God says just remember Me, even if you don’t utter My name. Chanting is just a way to facilitate attaching your mind to God. When you sing the names, pastimes, and attributes of God, your mind is attached to God.
Attaching your mind to God is the ultimate objective. The five senses are helpers to the mind. Imagine if there is a massive accident on the street, while you are chanting God’s names and various musical instruments are being played. You will not be able to hear the noise due to the accident and will remain unaffected by it. Another reason is that different devotees are at different levels of spiritual practice. Some are very advanced; others are at an intermediate state, while the others may be beginners. When all these devotees sing together then the environment around them is charged with the combined spiritual strength of all devotees that positively impacts all present.
But focusing your mind on the Divine Form of God is compulsory. All other practices are in vain. They are not called devotion. You may find statements such as “There is no need for developing devotional sentiments, just taking God’s name is enough.” This is not correct. Before taking God’s name, you must bring a mental image of God in front of you. Otherwise, you did not really take the name of God. So remember God mentally. And along with that you can listen to and chant God’s name, as per your preference.
Attaching your mind to God is the ultimate objective. The five senses are helpers to the mind. Imagine if there is a massive accident on the street, while you are chanting God’s names and various musical instruments are being played. You will not be able to hear the noise due to the accident and will remain unaffected by it. Another reason is that different devotees are at different levels of spiritual practice. Some are very advanced; others are at an intermediate state, while the others may be beginners. When all these devotees sing together then the environment around them is charged with the combined spiritual strength of all devotees that positively impacts all present.
But focusing your mind on the Divine Form of God is compulsory. All other practices are in vain. They are not called devotion. You may find statements such as “There is no need for developing devotional sentiments, just taking God’s name is enough.” This is not correct. Before taking God’s name, you must bring a mental image of God in front of you. Otherwise, you did not really take the name of God. So remember God mentally. And along with that you can listen to and chant God’s name, as per your preference.
येन केन प्रकारेण मन: कृष्णे निवेशयेत ।
भक्ति रसामृत सिंधु |
yena kena prakāreṇa mana: kṛṣṇe niveśayeta ।
bhakti rasāmṛta siṃdhu |
"By hook or by crook, remember God".
You must remember God somehow, someway, in whichever manner is most feasible for you. That is the aim.
You must remember God somehow, someway, in whichever manner is most feasible for you. That is the aim.
जप तप नियम योग निज धर्मा । श्रुति संभव नाना शुभ कर्मा ॥
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japa tapa niyama yoga nija dharmā । śruti saṃbhava nānā śubha karmā ॥
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The depth of your devotion is the measure of your love for God. That love will develop through “roopdhyan”. That is why it is being said:
श्रवण कीर्तन ही है प्रमुख साधना प्यारे ।
स्मरण ही को साधना का प्राण मानो प्यारे ॥ |
śravaṇa kīrtana hī hai pramukha sādhanā pyāre ।
smaraṇa hī ko sādhanā kā prāṇa māno pyāre ॥ |
If you call out to Him wholeheartedly and He appears in front of you, then what should you do? Ask for the biggest thing, LOVE, because God is under the control of love
अहं भक्त पराधीनो ह्यस्वतंत्र इव द्विज ।
भा. 9.4.63 |
ahaṃ bhakta parādhīno hyasvataṃtra iva dvija ।
bhā. 9.4.63 |
"God is controlled by love". And God controls liberation, liberation controls knowledge, knowledge controls deeds and deeds control every living entity. So Love is the biggest entity. God comes under the control of His devotees.
ताहि अहीर की छोहरियाँ, छछिया भर छाँछ पे नाच नचावें ॥
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tāhi ahīra kī chohariyām̐, chachiyā bhara chām̐cha pe nāca nacāveṃ ॥
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"The Almighty Lord Krishna begs for a cup of buttermilk from the gopis". The gopis agree to give Him a small amount of buttermilk if He dances for them. And He has to. But He is God, how can He feel thirsty? That is because the maidens of Braj possess the power of Love, which makes the Omniscient and Almighty God forgets about His Godly powers. Even His most potent power “Yogmaya” is forgotten; He becomes a slave of His devotees and gladly obeys the instructions of His loving devotees. Hence, a clever devotee should only ask for love.
But how can we ask Him for love with our vocal chords? No, you have to ask as an infant asks for milk. An infant cannot speak or ask for milk. Hence, when he gets hungry, he cries. So, if you have a real desire for attaining God’s love, cry for Him. Crying shows the intensity of your desire.
I watch you praying for His love every day. But, the words of prayer come only through your vocal chords without any feeling and intentness of your hearts. Although something is better than nothing, instead of asking for material wealth, it is better to ask for His love. Develop that intentness.
And remember one more thing - never ask anything for your own pleasure. Rather ask for love to serve Him with the objective of making Him happy. The desire for self-happiness causes us to roam around in the cycle of birth and death in 8.4 million life forms.
But how can we ask Him for love with our vocal chords? No, you have to ask as an infant asks for milk. An infant cannot speak or ask for milk. Hence, when he gets hungry, he cries. So, if you have a real desire for attaining God’s love, cry for Him. Crying shows the intensity of your desire.
I watch you praying for His love every day. But, the words of prayer come only through your vocal chords without any feeling and intentness of your hearts. Although something is better than nothing, instead of asking for material wealth, it is better to ask for His love. Develop that intentness.
And remember one more thing - never ask anything for your own pleasure. Rather ask for love to serve Him with the objective of making Him happy. The desire for self-happiness causes us to roam around in the cycle of birth and death in 8.4 million life forms.
ख़ूब तरसाया है इन ख़्वाहिशों ने तुझे, तू भी अब इन ख्वाहिशों को कुछ तरसती छोड़ दे ॥
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ख़ūba tarasāyā hai ina ख़vāhiśoṃ ne tujhe, tū bhī aba ina khvāhiśoṃ ko kucha tarasatī choड़ de ॥
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These desires have tortured you immensely. It is time now to forsake these selfish desires. Also, increase your desire and become desperate to serve Him. So do not desire for your own happiness. Just consider Shri Krishna’s happiness to be your happiness. Ask for His love to be able to perform His selfless service and be happy forever.
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