Hare Krishna !!
The strivers especially confront two things – One relating to the world and another relating to God.
The world is perishable and God is eternal. By establishing a relationship with the world one repeatedly suffers miseries whereas by building a relationship with God one remains in a state of bliss, where there is not an iota of sorrow. Dependence on the world is perishable and dependence on God is everlasting.
We have been hearing such things from saints and other great people, we also read such things in vedas and Puranas and also believe in them but even after believing such truths our miseries do not come to an end.
Why?
Why don’t we get eternal bliss?
Why don’t we attain God?
Wish to Understand Bhagavad gita and how it can change your life?
In this regard we need to pay special attention to one important issue: by reading and hearing, we get only theoretical knowledge. It is deep yearning only that helps in attaining God, theoretical or philosophical knowledge doesn’t help at all.
The day relationship with the world becomes distasteful and we find ourselves not being able to live without God, that very same day we would realize God.
Even after believing that the world is not factual, we keep on deriving pleasure in worldly matters, how would we then be benefitted?
The existence of God is a fact, His name is a truth-merely by saying this we would not be particularly benefitted. Confusion would persist as it is. We can only get rid of the problem if our problem becomes how to detach ourselves from the world?
How do we attain God?
This is fine that we want to behold God, want God’s love, but there is one big hurdle in this desire of ours-our own belief that much later in the future we would be able to love God, then only God would give us give his darshan.
Our expectation that we would be able to attain God in the future is the greatest hurdle in attaining God.
It is alright to have expectations of the future for getting material things because those are not available everywhere but God is present in every inch of space, time, and matter. Why wait for the future for His attainment?
The strivers generally do not pay attention to this fact.
They build a belief that when they put in this much of spiritual practice, perform this much of Japa (Chanting), when their senses would be purified, achieve this much of detachment, develop so much of love in God, their belief and situation would be of this sort, then only they would be able to attain God. The strivers themselves have created these numerous hurdles.
That day when the striver develops an intense desire to attain God immediately, God would be attained that very day.
It is impossible to realize God on the basis of our ability, practice, etc.
God can be realized only by developing an intense desire. Whatever your faith may be in God – God with or without attributes, with or without form, you should become so restless without attaining Him that you find it impossible to live without Him.
Supreme devotee Meerabai has said : “O sakhi! I can’t live without Hari.” Saints have also said: “The day when these five sense pleasures would not appear congenial, instead would appear bitter i.e. would appear distasteful, you would find His absence very difficult to bear, God would be attained that very day. He is so dear! Such a beloved God! No one has ever been so dear nor can one ever be, we are still living without Him! We are living happily without His company.
This way if we start experiencing severe pain without that God, start feeling suffocated, God would be realized instantly. There is actually no delay in attaining Him. God cannot bear devotee’s pain related to Him. He is an ocean of benevolence.
God is attracting all living beings, drawing them towards Him, that’s why He is called Krishna. Whatever is the condition of living being God doesn’t let him remain there – this is His drawing the living being. This is the invitation of God to go to Him. Krishna states in Gita:
O Arjun! All the worlds till the abode of Brahma are subject to return to the mortal world; but O son of Kunti! One doesn’t have to take rebirth after attaing Me (Gita 8.16).
That’s to say that man is never stable till he attains God, he keeps roaming in the world. Only after attaining the God he becomes stable.
“That place from where man doesn’t have to return to the mortal world, is My abode.” (Gita-15.6)
Hence if you detach yourself from the world, you would realize God and become happy for all times to come. If you remain attached to the world then there would no end to sorrows, daily some new kind of sorrows would keep getting added to your list of sorrows.
It is indeed a pity that people ask for material happiness from saints. In return for charity, they want material pleasures. They want to purchase that material world which gives all kinds of sorrows, by selling a Divine entity.
What a great stigma it is!
Fools accept poison in exchange for nectar. If we can not survive without asking for perishable material things in this human body, which is meant for attaining God then pray to God in a pained voice,
Oh God! I cannot eradicate this yearning for material pleasures and things, hence please rescue me from these demons.
If your prayer is truthful then Almighty God would certainly obliterate this craving of yours. There is none like God. Arjun tells Krishna,
“O God with transcendental influence! There is no one like You in all the three worlds, then how could anyone be greater.” (Gita-11.43)
It is said, “I am completely sold in the slight smile of God, Narayan. Mohan (Krishna) has occupied my heart.”
His smile is so magical that everything would come to an end, there would be nothing left. You won’t have to do anything then. Love, Gyan, and salvation have no value in front of that captivating smile.
Son of Nandbaba is so enchanting that if you just see Him once, you would no more have the strength to think of a Divine entity.
Despite having the capacity to attain such God, we are entangled in perishable and miseries giving material objects, not just entangled but we are asking for them. We desire various kinds of pleasure giving things like respect and praise, comfort, freedom from illness, happiness, convenience, wealth.
This is a great obstacle in God-realization.
Don’t get scared even if severe yearning doesn’t arise for God-realization.
Krishna has said that ‘integrated intellect has a single focus.’
Thus if you have a firm determination then you would move towards God alone. If this desire for moving in the direction of God is kept alive then this desire would become ‘intense’ on its own.
The reason is that the desire for God is the right desire whereas attraction for the world is improper.
God is eternal so is the desire for the attainment of God. But both the world and attraction for the world are perishable.
Accept it that we are lying in His feet and would keep lying in His feet. We don’t have to do anything else, because, on the basis of our activity, God can’t be purchased.
Never consider yourself as incapable of realizing Him. He who is totally incapable or unauthorized, he alone is most authorized to seek refuge in God’s feet. He who has not got any post or authority in the world, he is fully authorized to attain God. Falling in the feet of God is a great bhajan (hymn).
Krishna reveals the greatest secret after completing His sermons in Bhagwadgita:
“Seek refuge in Me alone, leaving behind dependence on all other dharmas (duties). I shall deliver you from all sins. Don’t worry. “
Hence not depending on anything else seek refuge in God alone, this alone is stable, all other dependence can never be stable.
Hare Krishna !!
