How to be happy (part-2)

If we want something from someone, in what ways can we get that? One way is to grab that person, tie him up and snatch it. Another way is to steal it from him. And another way is to beg him to give it to you. These are three ways. God is all-powerful and the soul has very limited powers, so it is impossible for him to forcibly take anything from God. God is also omniscient, omnipresent and knows what is in everyone’s heart, so stealing from him is also impossible. So there is one way left, to request God for alms of happiness. Beg Him. And it is God’s law, if you ask, he will give. He won’t take anything in return. But you have to request properly.

There shouldn’t be any craftiness or deceit in your heart. Just like a new born baby. When he is hungry, he asks, even though he doesn’t know how to speak. We do not know God. we cannot know Him is also. But we can express our heart’s voice by shedding tears. For how many days does that newborn baby, just through crying, have all his desires fulfilled by his mother? If he feels cold, He cries. If he feels hungry, he cries. If he has pain anywhere, He cries. He has only one remedy for all his demands; crying. That is complete surrender. Exactly like this shedding tears before Krishna with a pure and sincere heart we have to ask for happiness. But when will this happen?

When, we have faith, confidence, and firm confidence. Why don’t we have this kind of faith? Because it has become a firm faith on our mind that there is happiness in the world, and one day we will get it. But we have to remove this decision from our mind. How will we remove this?

We have to think again and again that  there is no happiness in the world and  there is happiness only in Shri Krishna. This goal will be achieved through practice and detachment, detach the mind from the world. And attach the mind to Shri Krishna. This is practice. Be detaching and attaching detaching and attaching, then the mind will begin to attach to Shri Krishna.

Just like first you drank alcohol for fun or smoked cigarettes for fun. No one asks for alcohol when they are just born. You do it reluctantly because your friends insist. Or for any other reason you drink again and again. Then you become an expert and say I cannot live without drinking. Similarly try repeatedly to remove the mind  from the world and attach it to God. You will begin to feel love for him, and then you will be interested. You will become interested and start experiencing happiness. After you experience devotional happiness, then even if God were to say, give this up you won’t be able to.

What did saint Surdas say to Krishna? “Come out of my heart and then I will understand that you are strong, that you are the supreme divine personality that you are God, and that have great divine powers. Come out of my heart. Show me!” An ordinary soul, who is nothing in front of God, is challenging God like this. This is why our only duty is to do loving remembrance of Krishna and of Radha, to detach our minds from the world, and to tearfully request them for their divine vision, their divine love, and their divine happiness. This is the only practice and this is also the attainment.

Devotional love is the practice and divine love is the attainment. By doing devotion, a soul will go from Sadhan bhakti to bhav bhakti, from bhav bhakti to prema bhakti, and then to sneh bhakti, maan bhakti, pranaya bhakti, raag bhakti, anurag bhakti, bhavavesh bhakti and a soul can reach up to mahabhav bhakti, which is the ultimate limit of divine happiness. That is why we have to do devotion to attain divine happiness.

Although you hear and read in the scriptures that with the grace of Guru and God everything can happen, but where do the guru and God bestow their Grace? It’s in the heart. And the heart is impure.  It is mayic. It is made of maya and the big generals of maya like lust, anger, greed, attachment, passion, and jealousy are sitting and occupying the heart. On the other side, attachment of mother, father, son, wife, husband, wealth, fame is a big crowd in your heart. And God says “get rid of all this, so I may come and sit in your heart. Otherwise where will I sit? Is there any space for me?”

God says “Purify your heart first then I will give my Divine happiness for free”. The Guru says “I will not take anything for that”. Anyway, We don’t have anything to pay with because Our body, mind and intellect  are mayic. What could We give to God and Guru to pay the price for that divine happiness? Happiness is Divine and  whatever We have is mayic. That is why even if We wanted to give, what could We give?

If they accept anything from us, such as a leaf, flower, fruit, or water, as Shri Krishna said to Arjun in Gita, “whatever you offer to me, I will accept all of that. You give everything that you have and I will give everything that I have”. Let’s do a complete exchange.

All of our things are defective, mayic. God says alright, give me that and in return will give you everything nice which is divine. But since eternity we have not accepted this proposal of God. So we should understand our mistake and tearfully call out to God. When our hearts become purified, then with God’s grace and Guru’s grace we will receive that happiness, which we have desired since eternity.

Extract from the lecture given by Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj.