Continuing with the next two lines of 'Sadhana Karu Pyare' series....

hari daras de yā na de tum, rote jāo pyāre

ek din aihaiṁ, ihai vishavās rākhahu pyāre

Shree Kripaluji Maharaj further tells us what we have to do and what not to do in devotion.  Narad ji told us about the sign of devotion:

tadvismaraṇe paramavyākulateti

Bhakti (devotion) means, "To become immensely eager to meet God".  The one who practices devotion, constantly increases his longing to meet God.  He will be desperate to see God and think, "When will I have His Divine vision?  Here, Shree Kripaluji Maharaj tells us that we should make a desire to meet God, but if He does not grant His vision at present, then we should not get disappointed because a devotee cannot demand anything from God.  He cannot say, "O Shyamsundar!  You have to give me Your darshan (vision).  A devotee can only request, "O God!  It is my strong desire to have your Divine vision."  If God does not give His vision, then the only reason is that our eagerness to meet Him has not reached that level.

There is an example of a poet who spoke about God.  He said, "It is wrongly said by someone that no one can find you.  The truth is that we do not search for you to the extent that is required to find you."  It is not at all impossible to attain God.  The problem is that we don't try our level best to attain Him.  Hence, if God is not willing to give His vision at present, then it is not His fault.  It is our mistake.  We have to keep removing this shortcoming of ours and keep progressing on the spiritual path.  We should not get disappointed.  If a devotee gets disheartened, he says, "I have been shedding tears for so many years.  God has not given His darshan till now.  If He does not care for my wish and does not need me, I will also not care for Him.  I do not need Him anymore."  This kind of disappointment is very dangerous, as it leads to a devotee's spiritual downfall.  

There is an incident about Madhusudan Saraswati, who was a great scholar and a follower of Shankaracharya.  He used to visit various places to challenge others in scriptural debates and defeat them.  One day, he met a Saint.  The Saint said, "Madhusudan, when you win a scriptural debate, do you feel happy?"  He replied, "Yes, I fell happy when I win."  The Saint again asked, "And if by chance you lose, then do you feel sad?"  "Yes, I feel unhappy when I lose," replied Madhusudan.  The Saint replied, "You are still oscillating between the states of happiness and sadness.  You have not reached the state of non-dualism. You talk about non-dualism, but you are still under the clutches of  the dualities of sorrow and happiness.  By performing such debates you are increasing your ego."  Madhusudan was shocked at the Saint's statement and thought, "The Saint has pointed out my fault."  He asked the Saint, "What should I do now?   The Saint was an elevated soul.  He directed Madhusudan to practice devotion to Shree Krishna.  By doing so, the mind and intellect will get purified.  Shankaracharya said:

śhuddhayati hi nāntarātmā kṛiṣhṇapadāmbhojabhaktimṛite

"It is impossible to purify the mind without devotion to Shree Krishna."

The Saint instructed Madhusudan to go to Vrindavan and while staying in Braj, practice devotion to Shree Krishna. He was told to practice sadhana (devotion) to have the Divine vision of Shree Krishna.  Madhusudan went to Vrindavan and practiced sadhana continuously for three years, but Shree Krishna never gave His vision.  Madhusudan got disappointed and said, "Everything is a waste."  He stopped practicing devotion, gave up, and started to go back.   

While returning, he saw another Saint sitting near a tree.  The Saint said to Madhusudan, "You have lost hope so soon".  Madhusudan replied, "How do you know?" The Saint said, "I know many things.  Nevertheless what was your experience?"  Madhusudan said, "I practiced so much sadhana, still God did not give darshan, and that is why I got disappointed."  The Saint said, "Never mind.  Before having the Divine vision of God, I will introduce you to a ghost.  I will teach you how to practice devotion to meet a ghost.  Will you practice it?" Madhusudan answered, "I did not have God's vision.  Let's see, I will at least get the vision of a ghost".

He learnt to practice the new devotion, and did it for one year.  But even the ghost did not give his vision.  Again Madhusudan felt disheartened and decided to return back.  Again, he saw that same Saint under the tree.  The Saint asked Madhusudan, "What happened?"  Madhusudan answered, "Maharaj, The sadhana (devotion) that you taught me was not fruitful.  I did not see any ghost."  The Saint called the ghost.  He asked the ghost, "Why did you not grant your darshan to Madhusudan?"  The ghost replied, "Maharaj, I wanted to come near him, but his aura was so strong that I began to burn".  I could not go near him."  Madhusudan thought, "There is some benefit in my sadhana (devotion).  I don't realize it, but the sadhana that I am practicing is showing its effect."  He became aware of the effects of devotion.

He again went and continuously practiced devotion for three years in the place where the Radha Govind Temple has been built.  Finally, Shree Krishna gave His Divine vision to him.  When Shree Krishna came, a strange thing happened.  Madhusudan turned his face away and did not look at God.    Shree Krishna asked him, "Why are you dejected?"  Madhusudan asked, "What took you so long to give me Your vision?"  Shree Krishna showed him a mountain of his sins.  Shree Krishna said, "These are all your sanchit karm (deeds performed in the past lives).  All these sins got burnt and your mind got completely purified.  Then, I granted you My vision."

Therefore, it takes time for devotion to show its result.  If we get disappointed, then we will not be able to reach our goal.  We cannot demand God for His vision. He is not our slave that we demand and He fulfills our wish.  A soul has only got the right to keep desiring for God's vision.  And whether He will give His darshan or not?  When will He give darshan?  We should leave this decision to God.

In China, there are two religions namely Taoism and Confucianism.  There is a well known saying in Tao religion: Even if the destination is hundred miles away, it begins by taking a single step.  The construction of a huge temple begins by the laying of a single brick.  In the same manner, we should not be worried about reaching the destination of attaining God; rather, we should keep taking one step after another and keep progressing in our spiritual journey.  Have this firm faith that one day we will definitely meet God.  We are a part of Him and He is our eternal father.  It is not like that He does not care for us and thinks, "Let the soul suffer in the miseries of the world.  He also cares and worries about us, "Since infinite lifetimes, my son has been under the clutches of Maya."  He also thinks how to uplift the soul.  So, have this strong belief that one day God will surely meet us.   

Once, a disciple of Lord Chaitaniya Mahaprabhu ji asked him, "How much time is left to achieve my goal of God-realization?"  Mahaprabhu ji said, "You have as many life times left as there are leaves on this tree."  The man thought, "After so many lifetimes, will I actually be able to attain God?"  He was happy and started jumping with joy.  He started to dance and chant, Hari bol Hari bol.   Mahaprabhu ji said, "No, No.  You will attain God in this life itself."  He became even happier, and started jumping with greater enthusiasm.   Mahaprabhu ji saw his faith and devotion increasing.  He said, "Well, You can have God's vision at this very moment."

Other devotees objected and said, "Maharaj ji, how could you change your own words and grant Him a vision?"  Mahaprabhu ji said, "When I told him that one day God will definitely meet him, his bhakti (devotion) increased tremendously.  When I told him that God will definitely meet him in this lifetime itself, his faith and devotion increased even more."

So, when bhakti increases, we can see that the faith that we will meet God also increases. There is a firm belief that He will definitely grant His vision to us one day.  If not in this lifetime, He will come in some other life time.  But, He will definitely grant us His vision.  That is the sign of true devotion.  By practicing this, we will progress in our daily sadhana.  This is what Shree Maharajji explains in these two lines of the keertan.

Question:  In today's materialistic world, the soul takes a beating, and the extent depends on the society, the profession, the community and each person's ability to bear it.  How does one cleanse or heal his soul? 

Answer:

You are the soul, which is a part of God, and hence by nature you are perpetually Divine.  You do not need to cleanse the soul.  The problem is that the soul is identifying with the body, mind, and intellect.  Hence, when the mind feels tormented, the soul experiences the misery.  For example, if someone cuts your head in your dream, even though the dream is not a reality, you will experience the suffering until you wake up from the dream.  Similarly, the Divine soul experiences the distress of the mind in the materially conditioned state because it identifies with it.  

So when you say that the soul takes a beating, what you mean is that the mind takes a beating, and the soul experiences the pain vicariously.  Once the mind is sufficiently cleansed, the soul will be able to perceive the distinction between itself and the mind, and distance itself from its dualities.  Hence, we must endeavor to cleanse the mind.  

Many materialists too are awake to this need for purifying the mind, since the soul naturally feels disconcerted by an impure mind and yearns to experience the state of purity that is natural to it.  A plethora of techniques and self-help books are available in the world for practicing positive thinking in its various forms and connotations.  However, all these techniques have very limited effectiveness, and the results achieved are temporary.  We must remember that the mind is made from Maya, which is God's energy, and it cannot be conquered by self-effort alone.  The mind can be permanently and totally healed only by the Grace of God.

So the most powerful practice for cleansing the mind is to engage it in Bhakti, or love of God.  That is the verdict of all the Vedic literatures and the essence of all religion.  Shree Krishnaexplains in the Bhagavad Geeta that Maya has three modes-sattva, rajas, and tamas.  These three gunas, or modes, are also present in the mind, which fluctuates between these three gunas.  Based on the guna of the environment or the object to which one is attached, the corresponding guna becomes dominant in the mind.  However, God is beyond these three gunas.  He is Divine, and so when we attach our mind to Him, it too rises beyond the three gunas and becomes Divine.

 The Ramayan states:

prema bhagati jala binu raghurāī 

abhiantara mala kahabhuñ na jāī (Ramayan)

"Until we wash our mind in the water of love of God, its dirt will never go."  

The Bhagavatam states:

   dharmaḥ satyadayopeto vidyā vā tapasānvitā  madbhaktyāpetamātmānaṁ na samyak prapunāti hi  

(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.14.22)

"We may follow all the rules of proper conduct, we may perform severe austerities, and we may accumulate the most esoteric knowledge, but without Bhakti, none of these practices will suffice in cleansing the mind."

So, do try to understand and sincerely practice the various facets of the science of devotion to God.  Use that knowledge to attach your mind to Him, relishing the Bliss of Divine Love, and very soon you will experience the mind being elevated and cleansed from endless lifetimes of impurities.

Swamiji answers selected questions related to Yog, Spirituality and Philosophy every month on our e-Magazine. 

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Moral Story

Angel and the Woodcutter

Once there lived a poor woodcutter with his wife and children in a small hut.  He made his living by cutting and selling wood from the forest with his iron axe.  He sold wood in the nearby village and bought food for his family.  Though he was poor, the woodcutter led a contented life.  He was happy with whatever he could earn with his hard efforts.

One day, the woodcutter woke up early.  He prayed and thanked Almighty God for keeping him safe and healthy.  He then bid farewell to his wife and children and set off to work with his handy axe resting on his shoulders.

On that day, the woodcutter had chosen to cut an old tree.  The tree grew beside the river.  As he raised his hands to chop the tree's branches, the axe slipped away from his fingers and fell into the flowing river. 

The woodcutter was sad and had no idea how to get his axe back.  The river was too deep and he did not know how to swim.  He thought about his wife and children at home.  If he failed to sell wood, they would all go hungry. 

As he sat under the tree, an angel appeared before him and asked why he was so unhappy.  The woodcutter told her about his problem.  "Oh angel, I will forever be grateful to you if you bring back my axe that has fallen into the river."  

Pleased by his manners, the angel dived into the river.  She came out with a sparkling golden axe.  "Is this the axe you lost?" she asked.  "No" replied the woodcutter disappointed.  "My axe is not made of gold."

The angel dived again and came up with a shining silver axe.  "Is this the one?" she asked the woodcutter.  "No" he replied.  "My axe is not made of silver either; it hardly shines."

For the third time, the angel dived into the river.  This time, she came out with the woodcutter's iron axe, much to his delight.  The woodcutter said, "That is my axe!  I am very thankful for your help; how can I repay you?  I do not have anything."

The angel said, "I am pleased with your honesty.  You could have claimed the gold and silver axe as your own and taken it home.  However, you did not lie to me.  Instead, you chose the iron axe that rightfully belonged to you.  For your honesty, I reward you with both the golden and silver axes."  Saying this, she handed him all the three axes and disappeared before he could thank her for his good fortune. 

The woodcutter returned home a very happy man.  He was rewarded for his honesty and hard work.  His family was happy to learn what had happened that day.

Moral :- Be honest; tell the truth.  Do not try to cheat anyone and you shall rewarded for good behavior.

This story is selected from the book,

 Bal-Mukund Character Building Series - Vol 1

A collection of 33 inspiring stories with

 beautiful illustrations

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