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Hamaro Alabelo Nandalal

February 5, 2010 by bhaktibliss

krishna bhajan prem ras madira

Bhakti Mandir

Shri Krishna in Bhakti Mandir

Hamaro alabelo Nandalal.
Our Nandalal (Krishna) is very unique!

Jhumat chalat pramatta chal son,
lajavat bal maral.
The intoxicated manner in which He walks puts even the gait of a young swan to shame.

Ati ras bhare naina jit ghumat,
tit saba hot bahal.
He forcibly attracts the hearts of everyone He glances at with His nectar-filled eyes, and makes them lose all consciousness.

Mor mukut pat peet manohar,
lat urajhi ghungharal.
He is wearing a beautiful peacock-feather adorned crown on His head and an alluring silken cloth around His waist. His curly locks of hair are softly entangled.

Shruti kundal nasa bhal besar, ur dukul vanamal.
There are lovely earrings in His ears and He is wearing a charming nose-pearl. A finely woven shawl and a fragrant garland of wild flowers are embracing His chest.

Pag nupur kati kinkini aru mukh, murali shabda rasal.
The anklets on His lotus feet are making a tinkling sound, His golden waist-belt is making a jingling sound, and the flute resting on His lips is producing sweet melodious music.

Lakhatahin banat ‘Kripalu’ na baranat, kukavi bajavat gal.
Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj says, “The beauty of beloved Krishna can only be experienced, not expressed in words.” He humbly adds, “Therefore, this foolish poet is doing nothing but demonstrating his scholarship in trying to describe it.”

(Excerpted from the Shri Krishna Madhuri section of “Prem Ras Madira” written and composed by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj.)

© Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat and Bhakti Bliss, 2009-2010

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Maan Man, Chadu Maan Apaman-Part 3

February 3, 2010 by bhaktibliss

(Synopsis of a lecture given by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj on October 24, 2009, in Bhakti Dham, Mangarh, India)

We need a thorough knowledge of how we react to praise and dishonor, and then we need to put our knowledge into practice. Simply knowing this will not produce any changes. We have to practice managing them. For example, a person insults you. Don’t reply. First practice not responding. If your spouse criticises or scolds you, be quiet. Do not respond. Our habit is to respond.

One spouse says, “Why have you left this book on the pillows we sleep on? It is a holy book!” Immediately the other will respond, “Where else do you want me to put it? On my head?!” This is the kind of language we use in our relationships. Then this will escalate. One will give a response in kind, and the other will react to these outbursts until eventually their interaction will result in complete silence and both will refuse to speak to each other. Now the husband will call the son, “Pappu! Go tell you mother so and so.” His wife is sitting right next to him, but he is calling his son because he refuses to speak to her directly.

So we should see the truth of this and change ourselves because we desire what is in our ultimate self-interest and we also desire God’s grace. Such behaviour may be the key to success in the world, but it will never serve you in your spiritual life and you will get no peace.

A beggar thinks, “If only I could get two pieces of bread, I won’t want anything else.” He gets two pieces of bread. Then he thinks, “If only I had some soup and vegetables with this.” He gets that, too. Now he thinks, “If only I could get some dessert.” These desires keep on increasing. That person may even become a billionaire one day. Now the desires for celestial pleasures will arise.

So your aim of attaining happiness is not going to be fulfilled here in the material world. Make this firm decision beforehand. When you give up your desire for praise and your aversion to disrespect and dishonor, and instead feel true humility, then devotional tears will automatically begin to fall.

Even if you committed only a single sin in this lifetime, you have had uncountable lifetimes. If you do the math, this results in uncountable sins. What do we think instead? “I haven’t committed any horrible crime in this lifetime like murder. All I have done is tell a few lies. These are very ordinary sins.” The actual fact is you have committed uncountable murders and uncountable lies. You do not know this. But it is all recorded in God’s files. Accept this as an actual fact. It is in acknowledging this fact that great Saints say in the words of a devotee,

Mo sam kaun kutil khal kami.

“No one is as devious, wicked and lustful as me. Lord, if you do not forgive my past sins, it will take me an eternity to reap the consequences of my past actions.” They will never, ever come to an end. It is God’s grace that he forgives all our past deeds and that He also takes complete responsibility for our future. But He has one condition. We must surrender to Him completely and give up all our deception, craftiness, and pretense and accept the mind to be the enemy.

What have we done til now? The mind says, “It’s time for satsang but lie down and go to sleep.” Then you think, “But what if my Guru Ji calls me?” You answer your own question by thinking, “I will tell him I had a backache or my head was hurting. I’ll lie.” By just giving into this whim, you have become the mind’s servant and committed a grave sin. If you had just scolded yourself then and said, “You have come to the ashram for devotional practice! You made the decision to leave your home behind for some time specifically to do this and I should listen to your suggestion to sleep just now? I have done all this my whole life. I have eaten, I have slept, I have spoken, and I have sinned according to your whims.”

The mind says, “Do this and you will become happy.” But the happiness the mind desires is the opposite of what the soul needs. The mind is a product of Maya, and the soul is a child of God. They are opposite to each other. We forget this fact.

There was an descension of God whose name was Rishabdha. Great yogic powers known as siddhis approached him in their personified form. He asked them, “Who are you? Where have you come from?” They replied, “Lord, we are the great supernatural siddhis, and we have come to serve you as you are a great devotee.” Hearing their praises, he immediately responded, “Get away from me this very instant! You will serve me?” He advises us, “Oh, humans, don’t accept the demands of the mind, even by mistake.” (Bhagwatam, 5/6/3)

Shaubhari MuniThere was a renunciate named Shaubhari Muni who was so evolved in his yoga practice that he performed his austerities underwater in the Yamuna River. Once, he saw two fish mating and he immediately thought, “I should get married.” He was swayed by the whims of his mind. He emerged from the water and went to Mandhata, a king who had fifty daughters.

Shaubhari Muni asked to marry one of King Mandhata’s daughters. The king thought, “If I give a daughter to this old man, I will go to hell because I failed in my duty as a father. But if I don’t do this, he may curse my daughters, and all fifty may become animals!” Vishwamitra had, after all, cursed the celestial maiden Menaka to become a rock. Alhalya was also cursed in a similar manner. Great ascetics have this power to curse. The king said, “I will hold a swayamvar, a ceremony in which my daughters will choose their own husbands.” The king thought, “Not one of my daughters will choose him, and I will be off the hook.”

Shaubhari understood the king’s intention, so using his yogic power, he turned his body into that of a 16-year-old youth. He was so attractive, that all fifty princesses chose him to be their husband and started fighting with each other over him. King Mandhata thought, “All I have done is bring new trouble on myself.” But Shaubhari Muni said, “It’s all right, I’ll marry all fifty of them.” With his yogic power, he created fifty bodies, and married all the princesses.

This family over time expanded to over 5,000 people, including his children, and grandchildren. One day, sitting by the Yamuna River where he first had the idea that led to his present circumstances, he woefully said, “Oh, what was I then and what am I now!”( Bhagwatam, 9/6/50) Shaubhari Muni said, “Oh humans! Witness my downfall caused by following the whims of my mind! Please be extremely careful and treat your mind as your enemy. Never consider it to be your friend.”

Understand this principle in relation to praise and dishonor and practice this diligently in your own personal lives.

© Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat and Bhakti Bliss, 2009-2010

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Maan Man, Chadu Maan Apaman-Part 2

February 1, 2010 by bhaktibliss

(Synopsis of a lecture given by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj on October 24, 2009, in Bhakti Dham, Mangarh, India)

So the simple fact is that as long as you are under the control of Maya, you will have every fault and these faults will remain with you in the future.

No amount of effort, no matter how great, will free you from these. All actions originate from the mind, and the mind believes that happiness is found in the material world. After experiencing material sense objects and still not finding happiness, anger is inevitable. What is happening day and night in your home? Your father, mother, son, and spouse are all making you feel miserable. You can’t find peace anywhere. You may regularly say, “What a father I have gotten!” or “What kind of mother is this?” or “How did I get such a spouse?”

But what about you? Think about yourself, also. You say, “No one listens to me. No one cares about my happiness.” But whose happiness do you care about? Just look to yourself if you want what is in your best self-interest. You are harming yourself even more by looking at others and seeing their faults.

If you thought about the fact that you are at fault, then you would be less concerned with the bad behavior of others. Someone without a nose can’t call noseless people names. Only a person who has a nose can call someone without a nose ‘noseless’. We have to fully accept what we actually are. True Saints who were beyond lust and greed openly expressed in their writings,

Mo sam kaun kutil khal kami.

“No one is as devious, wicked and lustful as me.” They wrote such words for everyone to read. But those who actually have these faults don’t want to hear even one word of this. “My neighbor called me devious! Can you imagine? Devious!”

So the desire for respect and the consequent bad feelings that arise on being disrespected are two enemies that are constantly after us. They are the reason that we do not accept God to be God nor do we accept a Saint to be a Saint. They cause us to keep on committing spiritual transgressions, and to keep on fighting with our parents, children and spouses.

We say, “My wife insulted me!” “My husband dared to call me characterless! Me!” Don’t you know that today is April Fools Day? “Oh, I didn’t realise that my husband was playing a joke on me.” But if it’s April 2 instead of April Fools, just see what kind of situation arises from those very same words. But how many women are not characterless? What does it mean to be characterless? What does it mean to be a chaste or faithful wife?

pestleOnce a faithful wife was pounding rice with a pestle. Her husband said, “Just give me a little water.” She had just raised the pestle in the air, but on hearing her husband’s request, she removed her hand from the pestle. Miraculously the pestle remained suspended in mid-air and didn’t fall down. She gave water to her husband who drank it and then left. She returned to her work. Her neighbor saw this and asked, “Sister, where did you learn this magic?” She replied, “This isn’t magic. This is the result of being perfectly faithful to my husband.”

The neighbor thought, “I am also faithful. I haven’t had any kind of physical relationship with any other man up to now.” When she went home she told her husband, “Look, when I raise this pestle, ask me to bring you some water.” Her husband asked, “What is this all about?” She replied, “By the power of my faithfulness, this pestle will remain suspended in the air.” Her husband was very impressed. “This is great! We could even earn money from this!” He went some distance away and said, “Bring me water.” She let go of the pestle and it fell, striking her nose. Her husband said, “What kind of faithful wife are you?”

She want to her neighbor and started fighting with her, “You have spoiled everything in my home!” Her neighbor replied, “Sister, a woman is considered a faithful wife only if she has not had even a single negative thought about her husband.” How can a woman who fights with her husband ten times a day be called faithful? Whether one is faithful to one’s Guru, one’s spouse, one’s mother or to God, this all has one meaning – the mind should not harbor even a single negative thought towards the object of one’s love.

So we have all the faults because we are under the control of Maya. If we accept this fact, we will develop humility. If we are humble, we will not desire praise and we will not feel resentful when we are reprimanded or corrected by someone. This is why the first instruction of Gauranga Mahaprabhu was to be humbler than a blade of grass and more tolerant than a tree. A blade of grass bows down when trampled upon. A tree gives its fruits and shade to everyone, even those who throw stones at it or strip it of its bark and branches.

From within, we should offer genuine respect to everyone. This should not be just an external act, such as when we say, “Sorry!” Do you genuinely feel that you have done something wrong when you say this? No, it is just an external act for the sake of etiquette. Day and night we keep on saying to others, “Sorry,” “Thank you,” and “I love you,” but this is just to fulfill our own personal self-interest.

So God and the Saints advise us to stop all this acting and get real. When you say the word ’sorry’, feel that you have done something wrong and that you won’t do it again. If you do not feel this, and keep on saying, “Sorry!” and keep on repeating the same mistake, you will never improve. Saints have exhausted themselves and become hoarse by repeating these instructions over and over. We have heard these same guidelines repeatedly from the Vedas and other scriptures. We listen to them, but do not put them into practice, because this means we have to put in constant effort, and this goes against the wishes of the mind. For this reason, a Guru tells you that your mind is your real enemy. You have to go against it and not give in to its desires.

Swami Ram Tirtha used to be very attached to apples. To overcome this, he placed an apple before himself and kept on looking at it until it became completely rotten. He was stubborn, “I will not eat it! I will not give in to my mind!” Similarly the great Saint Ramakrishna Paramahansa, use to put dirt in one hand and money in the other and keep repeating, “Taka mati, taka mati, Money and dirt are the same.”

Diogenes and the statueDiogenes was a great Greek philosopher. He used to practice begging from a stone statue. He would say to it, “I am hungry. Give me something to eat.” People thought, “He was such an elevated ascetic, but he has gone completely mad!” Someone else thought it would not be possible for such a great soul to be mad, so he asked him, “Why are you begging for food from a stone statue?” Diogenes replied, “I know it won’t give me anything. I’m practicing not getting angry. This way when I beg at four or five homes and I receive no response, I don’t feel any resentment. I don’t feel bad and think, ‘Just look at this person! He has so much but he can’t spare two or three slices of bread’.”

Even nowadays, when a street beggar doesn’t get anything in alms he thinks, “This person is sitting in an expensive car and he can’t spare me even a few coins!” Most of them don’t say anything, but some say it out loud.

(Continued in Part 3)

© Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat and Bhakti Bliss, 2009-2010

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Maan Man, Chadu Maan Apaman-Part 1

January 30, 2010 by bhaktibliss

(Synopsis of a lecture given by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj on October 24, 2009, in Bhakti Dham, Mangarh, India)

In Prem Ras Madira there is a pad “Maan Man, Chadu Maan Apamaan”, “Oh mind! Accept what I say. Don’t engage in disputes of honor and insult.” Even though this is not a Vedic verse, it is very important to understand for one’s devotional practice.

There are two obstacles in our devotional path. One is maan, the desire to be respected or honored, and the other is apamaan, the aversion to being disrespected or insulted. If we understand both of these and try to control them, our devotional progress will speed up considerably.

What is maan? Our sense of pride or ego. It is our desire that others should respect and honor us. When we are praised by others we feel happy. If someone says, “You are very generous.” Externally we answer, “I am not worthy of such praise.” But internally we feel, “This person is a very good. He is speaking highly of me!” Although externally we are saying we don’t deserve praise, internally our feelings are just the opposite.

On the other hand, when someone disrespects or insults us, we lose our equanimity. We become angry, our feelings get hurt and our hearts burn from within. But why is this so? Just reflect on this when you are alone: what fault do you not possess? Name a single fault that you don’t have. From time to time you are lustful, angry, greedy, deluded, and jealous. You have animosity for others, you lie, cheat, boast, and deceive others – all to fulfill your selfish desires. Everyone does this, from the most illiterate person to the most intelligent. Why is this?

The first reason is that we are under the control of Maya. The second reason is that we desire spiritual happiness. Because we are under the control of Maya, we are ignorant. We identify ourselves with our physical bodies. Our desire for happiness is also natural, and to attain that happiness we are capable of doing anything. We will lie, cheat, and deceive even our own parents, siblings and spouses. You even do this with your own Guru, what to speak of others? Your Guru is the one from whom your greatest self-interest could be gained, but you do not even spare him.

If the Guru utters just one sentence to you, “Why did you do that?” You immediately make excuses, “Guru Ji, it is like this, it is like that…” What are you actually saying in this situation? “What you are saying is incorrect! I didn’t do anything wrong.” Why is this?

This is due to pride. We have spent our entire lives thinking of how to make sure that no one speaks ill of us. We have accumulated knowledge and acted in such a way so that people speak well of us. We keep on asking ourselves, “What should I say to deceive that person? How can I create a good impression so I can get what I want from him?” This is all we have done. We haven’t attempted to become good, we rather only wanted to be called good. What is the use of merely being called good?

There are politicians who claim, “I am a public servant. I serve the masses.” But do they serve the public or their own pockets? They act like they are sacrificing so much because they spend millions of rupees to be elected to their posts as public servants. The moment a person is elected, all he does is try to make that one million into two million. This is the extent of his service to the public. “I work for the welfare of others!” The welfare of others? When even Indra, the king of the celestial abodes, is unable to work for the welfare of others, what will an ordinary mortal do? Everyone simply wants his own happiness, and will perform every kind of good and bad action to attain it.

So the desire for respect and honor is a very serious ailment, as is our aversion to being disrespected. If anyone should speak against us, we immediately get angry, and when that happens, our discriminative thinking comes to an end. So our aversion to disrespect is also a major obstacle in our devotion, but disrespect will always happen in the world. This being the case, how could anyone avoid being disrespected? Even God realised Saints aren’t spared being criticised. Detractors say, “He just keeps on saying ‘Hare Ram’ all day long. We have to stop him. Let’s discredit him by spreading some rumours about him.”

History bears witness to what we have done to Saints from the time of Prahalad right up to the time of Meera. What has not been done to oppose Saints? But no one thinks of the harm they are causing themselves by doing this. They just end up destroying themselves. Their precious human birth is taken away from them because of these serious spiritual transgressions.

So the simple fact is that as long as you are under the control of Maya, you will have every fault and these faults will remain with you in the future.

(Continued in Part 2)

© Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat and Bhakti Bliss, 2009-2010

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Ham Chakar Kunja Viharini Ke

January 28, 2010 by bhaktibliss

Ham chakar kunja viharini ke kirtan
Shri Radha and Gopis
Ham chakar kunja viharini ke.
We are the eternal servants of Kunja Viharini (Shri Radha).

Darat na dar rukmini vallabha aru, shri rukmini avatarini ke.
We are neither afraid of Shri Krishna, supreme God, nor of Rukmini, who is the descension of the supreme Goddess, Mahalakshmi.

Mukti char manuhar karat pai, jaun na dhing jag tarini ke.
The four types of mukti that liberate ignorant souls from the grip of mayic bondage are eagerly waiting in their personified forms to be accepted by us as servants, but we do not acknowledge them, even by accident.

Nitya vihar lakhaun gahavar van, saras raas-ras karini ke.
Instead, in the divine forest, Gahvaravana, we continuously enjoy watching Shri Radha shower the nectarean bliss of divine love in Her eternal pastimes.

Bali alamast nam gun gaun, sharanagat bhaya harini ke.
We remain ever-intoxicated in divine love bliss while singing the names and attributes of Shri Radha. She eternally dispels all the fears of the souls who are surrendered to Her.

Juthani khaun ‘Kripalu’ jaun bali, nit neelambar-dharini ke.
Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji says, “I feel beside myself with joy while eating the prasad of Shri Radha, who is ever dressed in blue.”

(Excerpted from the Shri Radha Madhuri section of “Prem Ras Madira” written and composed by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj.)

© Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat and Bhakti Bliss, 2009-2010

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January Blog Appreciation Day

January 27, 2010 by bhaktibliss

Dear Readers,

The New Year gives us another opportunity to deepen our understanding of our spiritual direction. For those of you who appreciate the divine association and knowledge presented on this blog, please consider making a financial contribution to better enable us to continue this work.

“I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.”
~Albert Schweitzer

If it is within your means, please consider a contribution of $5, $10 or $20 US and two minutes of your time.

CLICK HERE
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Contributors will be sent an inspiring ebook of the last month’s compiled blog posts.

Sincerely,

Nikhileshwari Devi
Bhakti Bliss

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The Secret of Deity Worship-Part 3

January 25, 2010 by bhaktibliss

(Synopsis of a lecture by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj given in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India, on January 9, 2010)

Once there was a temple priest. In his temple there were many different deities of God. This is a very common practice in temples nowadays. Generally deities such as Krishna, Ram, Shiva, Hanuman, Garud and others are installed so that if a devotee of any of these forms of God visits the temple, he’ll give some money as an offering.

As part of his duties, this priest also served food to the deities. It happened that some of his students invited him to their area, which was quite far from the temple. A young boy of 8 years of age used to stay with the priest as a helper. The priest told him, “Son, I have to go away for one month. I want you to continue to serve the deities like I do, alright? Make a nice meal for them, give them a bath, then close the temple at the right time so God may sleep.” The boy said, “Yes, I will do it.”

After the priest left, the the boy served his first meal to the deities. He placed the tray before them and then closed a small curtain so God could eat in private. But, really, is a stone deity going to eat? The boy kept on opening and closing the curtain to see if any of the deities had eaten. He saw that the food remained untouched. He thought, “They must be mad because the priest has gone away. Alright, so I won’t eat either.” He took the food away.

The next day he prepared food again and said to them, “You all must be hungry by now. Here – please eat!” Again the food remained uneaten. He also went hungry. Several days passed like this. There was no one he could talk to about this because the priest had gone far away. He told the deities, “I can’t tolerate this hunger any more. Please don’t mind, but now I have to do something drastic.” He picked up a big stick and said strongly, “Alright, let’s see you not eat now!”

This little boy and firm faith that the real Hanuman and Krishna and all the other of forms of God were present there, and that these were not lifeless deities. Brandishing the stick he said, “Eat or else!” Each of the forms of God represented by the deities came out and immediately started to eat. They ate so much that the boy said, “Alright, stop! Save some for me!” Unfortunately no food was left so again he remained hungry.

The next day he made extra food and again it was all eaten up. Any flour that had been left in the house was quickly finished. He was forced to go numerous times to a neighbor to borrow more flour.

Some time after this, the priest returned. When he learned about how much the boy had borrowed, he said, “How did you spend so much money on flour? You were alone!” The boy said, “What could I do? God ate it all up!” The priest said, “What is this nonsense that God ate it! Do the deities eat?” The boy said, “Guru Ji, what are you saying? Do you think I’m lying? Come on, I’ll show you.” He again served the deities, and they all came and ate. The priest saw the food was gone, but he couldn’t see who was eating it. The boy saw that everyone came and ate, but the priest wasn’t able to see anything. At that moment, a voice came from the heavens, “Oh, priest, you didn’t have any faith that we would eat and that is why we didn’t. But this little boy had full and firm faith and that is why we have eaten his food.”

We will be able to benefit from deity worship or visiting pilgrimage places only when our develop our feelings of love and faith. There is no special benefit in just physically visiting these places. As it is, God Himself is seated in our hearts and we are not benefiting in the slightest from this. Then what could we expect to receive from a stone deity?

If someone says, “What you are saying is preposterous!” Then answer this question. After you visited charo dham, the four main pilgrimage places, and you returned to your home, did you become renounced from the world? Did your attachment to your loved ones and wealth go away? “No, it didn’t go away.” In fact, it increased. After returning to your home, when you saw your children and grandchildren, you joyfully gave them big hugs, “I’m back!” What happened? You were fine before you left. “Well, when I was gone, I was remembering them. I kept thinking, ‘I’ve been gone for 12 days. What if my accountant makes a mistake with the books… and my son was sick when I left. He may have gotten worse. My wife is alone, hopefully she hasn’t become unfaithful in my absence…’” Your mind was filled with the world while you sat in the temple. This is the result of going on pilgrimage.

For this reason, understand that God, His name, His form, His virtues, His pastimes, His abode and His Saints are divine. If your mind remains attached among any of these through any kind of feeling you will attain the divine abode, Golok. If your mind remains attached to the world with worldly feelings – you will attain a material result after your death that corresponds to whomever your mind was attached to during your lifetime. But if you love God through any material object, and feel that God is present in that object, you will also attain Golok.

In this way, we can receive the same benefit from a true Saint that we could receive from God Himself. If we aren’t benefited, this is our problem. We have seen Shri Krishna in the past. Even though we saw His actual form, we criticised Him. “He keeps on wandering after girls. Imagine, Sage Durvasa says He is God! He must be crazy, too!” Even Sage Durvasa was included in our criticisms. As a result, we received no benefit.

Thus, the benefit we receive from satsang is millions of times greater than this, because we receive the opportunity to listen to spiritual philosophy, and by understanding this, we benefit. The effect of satsang purifies our mind. Here you are sitting and meditating with closed eyes and imagining that God is close to you while you are chanting His name. Even the person who is exploring the temple at Rameshwaram isn’t receiving as much benefit as you are. While there, a person is troubled because there are so many stairs to climb, he feels tired, he has nothing to drink, and so on.

A person can understand where he receives more benefit. Just think whether the benefit you are receiving here in satsang is more than whatever you received on pilgrimage. Reflect on your own personal experience.

In ancient times, Saints used to live in pilgrimage places. Now only shopkeepers are there. Lots of thieves hang around these places, ready to cut someone’s pockets. Lots of unsavory characters are there to cheat innocent visitors. When a person comes home, he only remembers, “Oh, what a horrible thing happened to me!” The benefit that was received from Saints in these holy places is no longer available. Even if one true Saint resides in such a place, there are fifty more who are impersonating a Saint. How could an ordinary person recognize the true Saint?

Therefore, if a devotee goes to a pilgrimage place with true devotional feelings and he meets a true Saint, and he receives the benefit of that Saint’s satsang, then there is a benefit to visiting that pilgrimage place. Otherwise, you can sit alone in your own home and practice devotion, and that benefit is equivalent to visiting millions of pilgrimage places.

© Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat and Bhakti Bliss, 2009

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The Secret of Deity Worship-Part 2

January 23, 2010 by bhaktibliss

(Synopsis of a lecture by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj given in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India, on January 9, 2010)

If a one doesn’t feel that God is present in a deity, he will only receive the consequence of worshipping a stone sculpture. If we merely think, “What a great deity! What great features! It’s wearing a lovely diamond necklace. It looks wonderfully alive.” These are only external qualities. They are all material or mayic. If your mind is attached to these, the consequence of this attachment will be material. On the other hand, if you lovingly feel God’s presence in the deity, then you will receive a divine consequence. Very, very few people have these kinds of devotional feelings. The majority just make some brief show of respect to a piece of stone.

If one were to form these devotional feelings, then how much bliss he could experience! But we don’t experience as much happiness from seeing the deity as we do from seeing our husband, wife, or child. If your loved one comes from England after ten years, and you go to the airport to see him, how excited you are! We don’t become this excited when we see God’s deity. So then how have we formed any devotional feelings for the deity? How then could we receive a divine consequence for that worship?

For this very reason we have gone from temple to temple in uncountable lifetimes to worship one deity after another. If you think you have devotional feelings, then ask yourself when you last went to the temple, how many tears did you shed, thinking, “Oh Krishna! When will I meet You?”

In all the temples around the world, food is served to the deities every day. The priest places the food before the deity, closes a curtain between himself and the deity, closes his eyes and rings a bell. If asked, “What are you doing?” He will say, “I am serving food to the Lord. He is blessing it. Be quiet!” Does he really believe what he is saying? Does he really believe that the Lord is eating? “Of course, everyone offers food like this.” Now he opens the curtain. Has anyone ever looked closely at the tray and wondered, “What did the Lord eat? Oh! He hasn’t eaten anything! It’s because of me. What a sinner I am!” Has any temple priest had these kinds of feelings? No, no one has. Our faith is the opposite. Our firm faith is that God will NOT come and eat what He is served. Then how is this ‘blessed food’? ‘Prasad’ or blessed food means the food that was left over from what was actually eaten.

Thus, you will benefit from deity worship when you feel God’s presence in the deity. You won’t benefit from mere deity worship. The Bhagwatam (11/27/12) states that there are ten different kinds of deities, made of different materials such as iron, gold, wood, stone and so on. If someone were to imbue such a deity with the feeling of God’s presence, he could become a great Saint.

If such feelings are not imbued in the deity, if instead a person says, “This deity performs miracles.” A deity doesn’t perform any miracles. It is made of stone. This is your own confusion. “But there’s a huge crowd over there! In one year they collect millions in offerings to the Lord!” This is just blind faith.

That same miraculous Lord is present everywhere, even in hearts of those demons who insulted Shri Krishna and Shri Ram hundreds of times. God is not more present in some places and less present in others. He is not greater in Vrindaban, Rameshwaram, or Badarikashram and lesser elsewhere. Such pilgrimage places should be visited with the feeling that they are God’s leela shthal – a place where God enacted His divine pastimes.

For example, so many people are in Rameshwaram just now. Are they lovingly visualising in their meditation that Lord Ram’s lotus feet actually touched that place, and it was there that with His own lotus hands He established the deity of Lord Shiva? Not at all. They are just making a show of respect by proclaiming, “Glory to Lord Shiva!” and moving on. With this kind of attitude how could anyone benefit from visiting a pilgrimage place? You are just deceiving yourself by proudly thinking, “I went to Rameshwaram!” Please note this – every place is equal, whether one is standing in Golok or hell. How is this so?

Prabhu vyapak sarvatra samana.

God is equally present everywhere. He is also present in a deity.

Prem te prakat hohin bhagavana.

But it is only our devotional love that makes God manifest through a deity in His true divine form so that we could see Him, speak with Him and He could then eat what we have prepared for Him.

(Continued in Part 3)

© Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat and Bhakti Bliss, 2009

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Essence of Yoga – Tour to India

January 22, 2010 by bhaktibliss

Dear Readers,

Those of you who have explored the side links on this blog will have discovered the website for Eternal India Tours.

The Essence of Yoga Tour scheduled from Feb 20-Mar 5 is an opportunity to explore historical and archeological treasures of the holiest land on this earth. Along with this, we will also dive deeply into the eternal knowledge of the ancient scriptures to explore YOUR SPIRITUAL PURPOSE.

“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience.” Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955)

““Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life – think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success, this is the way great spiritual giants are produced.” Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902)

We believe everyone’s INNER SELF is calling for some answers and spiritual direction. We can hear this inner demand whenever we stop and listen. We can feel it to the depths of our being. Why delay getting the answers that you need right now? A wonderful spiritual blueprint awaits you on February 20.

Join fellow seekers like yourself on this transformative and fun journey. It is truly one of a kind.

There are currently 3 SEATS still available on this trip, but we need to hear from you by January 26!

If you are interested in joining us and have some questions, please click here to email us or call Manisha in the US at (1) (404) 358-5316.

If you wish to see the full itinerary, start here and then click on “Essence of Yoga” Tour.

If you are ready to sign up, click here.

Nikhileshwari Devi

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The Secret of Deity Worship-Part 1

January 21, 2010 by bhaktibliss

(Synopsis of a lecture by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj given in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India, on January 9, 2010)

The power that any object possesses is not influenced by one’s feelings. In other words, if someone unknowingly drank milk mixed with poison, that object (the poison) would produce a poisonous effect. That person would die, because the outcome of drinking poison is death. If someone knowingly drank poison in order to commit suicide, he would also die. It doesn’t matter if a person knowingly or unknowingly drinks poison, he will die.

If someone who doesn’t know how to swim and intentionally jumps in a river to kill himself or if he accidentally slips and falls in, the outcome is the same. In our country thousands die accidentally like this every year. This means that the object produces an outcome, which has no concern with your intention or feelings towards that object.

Shri KrishnaSimilarly, there is a stone deity. That stone was brought from somewhere, sculpted into a form, and then given a name like Ram, Krishna or Hanuman. It is just stone – it doesn’t see, hear, taste, smell, feel, think or know. It is lifeless. As a result, we should receive a similar consequence from that object through its worship. What is that outcome?

A person drank poison mixed in milk and, even though he thought it to be milk, he was still poisoned. In the very same way, whatever feeling you may invest in the stone deity, you should receive the consequence of it just being stone.

Bhagwan Shri Krishn came on this earth as a divine descension. He was supreme God. Those who knew and believed him to be supreme God and loved him, received a divine consequence. This is only logical. Yet there were also those who never knew nor believed Him to be supreme God, and who just considered Him to be an ordinary boy and loved Him as such. Some accepted and loved him as their father, as their son and as their husband. But they also received a divine consequence and entered Golok abode. Even those who were hostile towards Shri Krishna, who were negatively attached to Him, received this attainment.

A man has a paras, a mythological stone that converts iron into gold. Whether a person touches that lovingly to some object or he angrily slams it against some object, the object will be converted to gold. The effect will come from the paras, provided the paras and the object come into contact with each other. Similarly, electricity is flowing through a wire. Whether a person accidentally touches it or touches it on purpose to die, he will be electrocuted.

In the Bhagwatam (10/29/12), Parikshit asked his Guru, Shukdev Paramhansa, “The Gopis believed that Shri Krishna was just a boy. They never thought He was God. In fact, they used to verbally taunt Him. Still, mentally they felt attached to Him and loved Him. Everyone in the world loves like this. So how were they liberated from Maya?” Shukdev strongly admonished Parikshit (Bhagwatam, 10/29/13), “Didn’t I explain to you earlier that Shishupal attained the divine abode? This, too, after he insulted Shri Krishna one hundred times in the royal assembly.” You attain the effect of the object your mind is attached to. But your mind has to come into contact with that through emotional attachment, no matter what that emotion may be – this is the condition. (Bhagwatam, 10/29/15) “So, Parikshit, listen carefully and now don’t have any more doubts about God or Saint in the future.”

So many impurities flow into the holy Ganga (Ganges River). They don’t make the Ganga impure, rather it is the Ganga that purifies the impurities. Anything can be placed in fire, but it doesn’t make the fire impure. Whatever is placed there eventually is converted into fire. The rays of the sun fall everywhere equally, no matter if they fall upon the pure or impure. This doesn’t make the sun impure. God is omnipresent. He dwells in even the dirtiest impure places. But God doesn’t become impure because of this. He makes the impure divinely pure.

In this way, whether Shri Krishna is remembered through feelings of lust, anger, greed, jealously or even hostility, regardless of how one’s mind is attached to Him, the consequence of this attachment is attaining Shri Krishna and going to Golok.

So now you understand one point – that you should be mentally attached to Shri Krishna, regardless of whether you believe He is supreme God, a human being, or an enemy.

By loving a lifeless material object and believing it to be God, the same divine benefit can be achieved as could be achieved by loving Shri Krishna directly. Even if you love an object made of lifeless material elements, if you worship it believing it to be God, you will attain God. Imagine there is a stone deity. You love this with the feeling that it is God. God does reside in the deity because He is omnipresent. He is also all-knowing. Therefore He will give us a consequence based on our feelings for Him. But if we were to worship a statue of a human being such as our mother, father, and so on, we won’t attain anything. That human being does not permeate the statue. He is not all-knowing. What could he know about the worship we are performing to him through that statue? But if God were worshiped through that statue, because He is omnipresent and omniscient, we would receive a divine benefit from that worship.

It is on this basis that deity worship has been propagated in India.

(Continued in Part 2)

© Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat and Bhakti Bliss, 2009

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