Those Who Say That Despite Effort Bhajan Does Not Happen, Listen Carefully // 12/02/2026

Satsang of Pujya Shri Hit Premanand Govind Sharan Ji Maharaj — Watch the video above to listen to the full discourse.

Complete Discourse

राधा वल्लभ श्री हरिवंश राधा वल्लभ श्री हरिवंश राधा वल्लभ श्री हरि हरिवंश राधा वल्लभ श्री हरिवंश वृंदावनेश्वरी तव पदारविंदम प्रेमा मकरंद रसो पूर्णम हृदपितम मधुपते स्मरता मुगम निर्वापय परम शीतल माशयाम निर्वापय परम शीतल माश्रया परम सच्चिदानंद घन आनंद समुद्र प्रेम समुद्र द्र ज्ञान वैराग्य भक्ति ऐश्वर्य अनंत शक्तियों के स्वामी प्रभु श्री कृष्ण चंद्र
Radha Vallabh Sri Harivansh, Radha Vallabh Sri Harivansh, Radha Vallabh Sri Hari Harivansh, Radha Vallabh Sri Harivansh. Vrindavaneshvari, your lotus feet, full of the nectar of love, O Lord of sweetness, remembering You, pacify me with ultimate coolness, ultimate coolness and refuge—supreme consciousness-bliss, ocean of dense bliss, ocean of love, knowledge, dispassion, devotion, opulence, Master of infinite powers, Lord Sri Krishna Chandra.

The Lord, taking Arjun Ji as a means, is imparting such teachings to all embodied beings. These teachings should be heard with faith and conviction, contemplated with great wisdom, and put into one's own life. Then attainment of God is achieved in this very birth.

In this very birth, freed from all karmic bonds, we attain supreme bliss and peace, which is our true nature. The Lord has graciously explained that bhajan never allows misfortune. The prarabdha karma that you experience now—whether it comes as pleasure or pain—is what your body was created from through accumulated karma. There are two types of karma: auspicious and inauspicious. Auspicious karma bears fruit in favorability; inauspicious karma bears fruit in unfavorability. What we call pleasure and pain are these fruits that must certainly be experienced.

But when you perform bhajan, it gives you such strength that you will not become proud in pleasure, and you will not grieve in pain. Bhajan will free you from pleasure and pain and give you rest in unbroken bliss. But perform bhajan with sincere effort. Do it continuously and with the conviction that there is no wealth greater than bhajan, there is no friend greater than bhajan, there is no protector greater than bhajan for us, there is no joy greater than bhajan. And this is the truth. Apart from this, whatever Brahma has created—this entire world—is maya. It appears but is not real.

What is true is the name, form, and eternal abode of the conscious-blissful Lord—Lord Sri Krishna Chandra—who sees past, present, and future as if they are all present before Him. He sees everything. What was this jiva? What is it? What will it be? What is it doing? What did it do? What will it do? He knows everything. He is commanding everything.

"Prayatnamanastu yogi, sanshuddhih kila visha, aneka janma sansiddha, tato ya param gatim."
The yogi who makes effort, purified of sin accumulated over many births, attains the supreme goal.

Those who make the effort to perform bhajan—in ordinary conversation, such people say: Our bhajan does not happen. Some say: We cannot do bhajan.

Both these statements are destroying yourselves. You are willing to follow the ways of your mind and intellect. That is why you speak this way. This ocean of existence, this samsara, will drown you and give you suffering. You have no companion. Bhajan is your only companion.

That bhajan is perfected in the great masters—those who have made breath and naam one. "Swas swas sumiram kare, duvidhaa rahe na koi."
With every breath they remember, no doubt remains.

They are immersed in naam every moment. Now they do not have to perform naam jap—it flows naturally. Those who say "Bhajan does not happen for me"—this is a delusion you have accepted. Because you have the power of action within you. You are using that power of action in conduct contrary to the scriptures. Your mind has become polluted. Sin has accumulated in great quantities. Therefore, such a feeling arises within you that I cannot perform bhajan. This is the sign of sin.

"Papatvant kar sahaj subhao, bhajan murti te bhavna kau."
When sin is abundant, it naturally destroys the very inclination to bhajan.

When sins become excessive, they destroy the very sentiment of performing bhajan. We will not be able to do all this. We have become too sinful. If somewhere there is sin, but it has not overpowered virtue, then association with sadhu, study of scriptures, and the visible circumstances around you will bring such contemplation that bhajan will begin to happen. Because your virtue is strong. But if sin has overpowered and buried virtue, then this very thing will come: Bhajan does not happen for me. For this too, the only remedy is bhajan. Perform bhajan forcefully.

Is it necessary that when we go to earn money, we must get work that suits our mind? Now he has taken us for his labor. He will pay us five hundred rupees. Now he may have us sweep, carry bricks and stones, do anything—but we reconcile our mind for five hundred rupees. In eight hours we will get five hundred rupees. We even tolerate his abuse. We even do things according to his words. So we will receive the supreme goal. We will receive great happiness. We will be freed from all suffering. You will get this before life's evening. Perform bhajan correctly.

"Tab balak nahi bar sayan, kahe Krishna bhajat nahi nike."
"You are not a child but grown; why do you not perform Krishna bhajan rightly?"

Perform bhajan properly. What does proper mean? Stop listening to filthy words. Stop speaking filthy things.

Lust, anger, greed, delusion, pride, envy—these vices are intent on destroying you. Do not think of them as friends. Make effort to move away from them. Abandon the vices. Destroy the feeling that brings happiness from others' wealth. Otherwise it will destroy you. To look with a lustful gaze at another's mother or sister, to harbor contempt for them—this is a sign of the sadhak's fall. To look upon any mother or sister with a lustful gaze means the sadhak has fallen. He will fall—no, he has already fallen. This is why he looks that way.

"Kutsitavad vikar, pardhan suna, silk mand prati, bancho."
Foul conduct, vices, others' wealth, listening to base things—abandon these.

Until we make effort to abandon these non-practices, how can bhajan happen? That is why "you are not a child but grown—you have great cunning within you." You are using that cunning for dishonesty toward others, for the deceit, violence, and adultery of others. These faults—you are employing that cunning in them.

Do bhajan. Do it to escape from these things. Do not use cleverness and worldliness to become trapped in these things. Do it to escape from them. Do bhajan properly. Shri Bhagavan is commanding. Through effort, the mind-yogi becomes purified; all sins are destroyed. The one who does bhajan with effort—the devotee must make effort. As long as our sins have accumulated, they will not let us feel interest in bhajan. Understand this firmly. How much sin is accumulated, only the Lord knows, and the naam knows. The naam of the Lord, which we are chanting as a mantra—it will completely destroy all the sins and the tendency from which sins manifest. When it destroys both of these, then your heart will naturally become attached to bhajan with joy.

This is the mark of a pure heart. The naam cannot be abandoned. It will become dearer than life itself. Then every action, every gesture becomes dedicated to Bhagavan. The slightest forgetting brings intense anguish. This is the mark of a pure heart. But this purity will not come from external pilgrimage or bathing in sacred waters. It will not come, believe me. It will come from contemplation of Bhagavan. Your body is externally living in the sacred dhaam. Is there any greater pilgrimage than this? Consider and see. Your body is externally living in the sacred dhaam, you are in satsang, you have the appearance of a sadhu, or you are in the company of sadhus.

Could there be any greater spiritual practice, any greater auspiciousness, than what has been given to our people? But has our heart truly become pure? The mark of purity is to remain naturally immersed in remembrance of Bhagavan. When all sins are destroyed and the heart becomes pure, then you will become attached to bhajan, to the naam. The naam will be so nectarous that you will be willing to give up your life, but never give up the naam. This is the recognition of the state without sin. You will have become without sin. This is its recognition. And yet you still have sinful tendencies within you. There is sin.

The mark of this is lack of interest in bhajan and finding goodness in worldly enjoyments. Seeing pleasure in worldly enjoyments. Desiring worldly enjoyments—this is the mark of sin. The Lord is saying: do bhajan with effort. But it is an inner matter. The inner body-conscious one makes all effort for outer show. Attaining the Lord does not happen through outer show. It happens through transformation of the heart. There is great chaos in Kali Yuga. We generally destroy our entire life in outer show. People call us wise, call us a knower of truth, call us a mahatma, call us an avatar of Bhagavan, call us a sir—we waste our entire life for all of this.

Let people say what they will, but the Lord calling me His even once—we do not make effort for this throughout our entire life. Ever bring this to your attention: once, my Lord, once let my Beloved come before me and say, "You are mine." We simply do not make effort for this. We make effort so that people say he is a lover of bhajan. We make effort so that our name becomes great. But if people are not even uttering Bhagavan's name, what will they utter your name for? Bhagavan's name—which from the Vedas onwards all the Puranas, shastras, brahmin rishis, and mahatmas sing its glory without tiring, yet never reach its end—if people are not uttering that name, what are you? At least everything else will be left behind, but the naam will remain. Hey, if people are not uttering the name of Sat-Chit-Ananda, if people have no feeling and faith toward the naam of Sat-Chit-Ananda, then how far can you possibly establish the name of a natural body?

It is written in history: the names of great emperors. Who? Where? They have all turned to dust. They have merged with the earth. Their glory is nowhere, their memory is nowhere. Consider this. Consider it with a peaceful mind: what is the goal of our life? This is maya. If you seek glory, you will receive it. But it will not last. Because you desired it, you will get that glory, but like this: you will fly up into the sky and fall down with a crash. No one will even know what you were. But become one who sings the glory of Bhagavan, a kirtanee—the Lord remains forever. Forever and ever your glory will be pure. Even if it is not sung in the mortal world, it will be sung in Bhagavan's dhaam. Just as the devotees listen to the discourse of Bhagavan, so Bhagavan listens continually to the glory of his devotees.

Great mahatmas dwell there, and the discourse of Bhagavan's devotees takes place in the assembly of Bhagavan. In that very assembly it was revealed to Durvasa Ji that the greatest and most supreme devotee at this time is Ambarish Ji, dwelling on this earth. That is why he came to test him—because my name was not mentioned. Let the name of Ambarish Ji be mentioned among the supreme ones. Just as we devotees have a fascination, an attachment in life: we cannot remain without discussing and hearing about Bhagavan. So Bhagavan has a fascination too. He cannot remain without hearing the talk of his devotees.

He listens to the discourse of the devotees. Think about it: the One for whom the Vedas sing glory with "neti neti" (not this, not this), the jewel of all worlds, that very Lord listens to the glory of his devotee. This is what you will receive. The beings in the mortal world are here only for a few days. All of these will die because its name is the mortal world. Their bodies will change. This is not permanent. At most a hundred years. What is a hundred years? It is like a needle piercing through a petal of a lotus in the lifespan of Brahma. What is your life? Do bhajan with effort.

For the sake of whom we were born, for the sake of that Lord—how do we become bewildered? Four people bowed down. We take this as our goal. Four people said "bravo." We take this as the fruit of our life's austerity. How much foolishness remains in us still. How much impurity in the heart remains still. Hey, if once my Beloved and my Dear One come before me, if both of them look at us and smile, if they say we are theirs—this is our life's goal. Let the world disrespect, let them slander. What does it matter? If our Beloved loves us, what greater happiness is there than this?

Do not turn away from your Beloved. Everyone else is seeking praise—will you get nothing? Make the proper effort. You are not just a child with pride—why do you not worship Krishna properly? See what Mahaprabhu is saying: keep your body in satsang, and your mind will be filled with the nectar of love in satsang. Coming to satsang is no ordinary matter. When the Merciful, compassionate Raghav brings one under His grace, then one receives the company of the saints. God grants His grace to whichever soul He chooses. How many universes are there? How many worlds? Of these, the mortal realm is one. How many souls are in those worlds? Among those souls, how many are humans? Among humans, how many types of temperaments exist? How many people are hearing this divine discourse at this moment?

Most are asleep now in delusion, in tamo-guna sleep, in the sleep of attachment. Yet you are all blessed. In the early morning, before brahma-muhurta itself, you are hearing divine discourse. To sit on the sacred earth of Sri Vrindavan Dham—the most pure and glorious—and receive this blessing is not from your deeds. This is from Priya's causeless grace. Our effort should not falter. We must reflect: see what fortune the Lord has given us. Then true tears will come. If you take this matter seriously:

"You have always given me your love and affection, yet I did not honor you, but instead constantly disrespected you. I am extremely lowly, base, the lowest of humans, impure in every way. My Lord did not see my faults, but took me as His own. Like a mother to a small child, washing away his filth and bathing him with love—you, the Ocean of Love, did the same for me. Pure, spotless, you wiped away my impurity and pain. Your mercy is boundless, infinite. With effortless compassion, you burned away my sins. I have found refuge at your feet, eternal shade and shelter. The nectar of consciousness has appeared on all sides. The sun of love has risen. Delusion and darkness are now gone. O Lord, for as long as I have memory, I have seen that you have shown only grace upon grace."

Only love, only love. You know where you sit. Great souls long for this place. Believe me truly—you do not yet realize what Priya has given you. She has taken you away from human birth and this fleeting illusion, and given you the sight of the most sacred Sri Vrindavan Dham. To sit here even for a few moments is such fortune—oh blessed, blessed, most blessed! Blessed is the one who worships the Dham. Blessed is the one who worships the Name. Blessed is the one who worships the form of Priya and Preetam. Blessed, blessed, blessed are those devoted to them. But are you honoring Priya Ji's love and affection? Can you even look toward her love and care? Do you see how much grace she has?

You just keep complaining all the time. "I left everything and came to live in Vrindavan. I worshipped You. I left my family for You." What foolishness is this? Can you leave your family? Can you live in Vrindavan? Can you even speak Radha's name once? Do you have the strength for it? No. You are speaking on the ground of ignorance. Shri Ji has shown you causeless grace. Shri Ji has given you all this fortune. Yet you are taking it as your own doing, carried away by your ego. "I renounced everything. I gave this up." Release this "I." If you cling to this "I," you will not experience grace.

This is happening only by grace. See, Mahaprabhu is speaking again and again for this very reason—so that you will understand. He is saying:

Kwahm, tuchchha
How insignificant I am.

Look at what Hit's beloved one says: "O my dear friend, you who are Hit's beloved, you are wise and aware, yet you do not acknowledge me at all. See, I keep saying this. My beloved friend, I am at a loss. In every way, you do not agree with even one of my words."

When the matter of Radha's Name came up, the sakhi said:

Kwah tuchchh, param adham, apradh karne wala, aur kahan hai mahamamhim Radha Naam.
How insignificant am I, the lowest, the sinner, and where is the glorious Radha Name!

This is only the grace of Vrindavan, the glory that Radha's Name has come upon my tongue, into my heart. Mahaprabhu is speaking—it is the Giver of Radha's Name who is the source of all grace.

Sri Dham Vrindavan is Mahaprabhu's body. This is Hit's body. The ever-new Nikunj palace is his heart. And there, Priya and Preetam dwell constantly, experiencing great joy. He whose body is Vrindavan, whose mind is the Lord, whose self is Priya—think of this. The Hari-vansh speaks: "First I bow to Sri Vrindavan according to my ability." They are saying: the description I am giving is not all there is to say. Just what comes to my understanding, I am expressing. First, I bow to the glory of Vrindavan. Then, as Priya gives me understanding, I speak only as much as I can perceive. Because without Sri Radhika's grace, who can comprehend these mysteries? Those whose body is Vrindavan, whose mind is the Lord, whose soul is Priya—the supremely great ones—whose heart is the Nikunj, and whom Priya constantly caresses—what Hit says about that Dham, in that very Dham you are dwelling. That very Name you are singing, you are meditating on, you are remembering, you are serving.

The Name that even the Crown Jewel of all worlds, Lord Krishna Himself, serves. The mantra of this Name—upon its chanting, Madhava Himself, sweetness Itself, comes. Was this written in your fate? No, no. This is the grace of the merciful Kishori. So have you ever bowed your head and wept for this grace? Have you ever surrendered yourself, saying, "O my Darling, how much grace you have shown"? Instead, you just keep complaining. "We wanted this, we didn't do that. Do this deed, O Kishori, do this, do that." What kind of worship are you doing? We are occupied in your service all eight watches of the day.

You do this work for us. Do it, you. Are you a servant or do you want to make them into a servant? Look from the inner intention. You are their maidservant. You are their servant. So what are you saying? Shri Ji, do this work for us. So what do you take Shri Ji to be? Bihari Ji, do this work. You are commanding. These great custodians of realms bow their heads before Him—you are commanding them. Your intellect has become dull. Do this work, Bihari Ji. The Lord of infinite millions of universes—He sustains the lives of countless universes, He created their existence in one second—what are you taking such a Lord to be? "Make us a beautiful mansion, arrange for our food and pleasures, just do this one thing for us." Bribes work everywhere, but not with the Lord. Bribes do not work in the realm of Truth. Surrender works in the realm of Truth. Surrender works in the realm of Truth. Bribes do not work. He is your God, your Master.

Speak to Him properly. He will not say much, but His powers will crush you. His attendants will crush you if you are steeped in ego. "Bihari Ji, tomorrow we will arrange a feast worth ten lakh rupees. Will you do this one thing for us?" What have you made Bihari Ji understand? What have you made the Lord understand? He laughs. The Lord laughs at our foolishness—that despite such causeless grace, we still do not understand. We keep burning. In the realm the moment there is even a slight disturbance to comfort, we look at the Lord with angry eyes. Are you a worshipper of comfort or a worshipper of the Beloved?

Look carefully. I never honored Him—I constantly disrespected Him. You disrespect your own Lord. You are a servant. Think about it carefully. Look, if I speak it openly—you will say, who can disrespect God? You do it. Who is the Beloved? For one soft smile of the Beloved, for one glance—the Lord of infinite millions of universes entreats the gopis. Those feet before whose footstool even Brahma and Shankara bow, whose feet even the munis cannot fully grasp in their meditation—such a Lord He is. And our Yugal Sarkar—how do we behave with Them?

You do this work for us. You fulfill this wish for us. If you do this, then I will do that. What are you? A fool. In simple language, foolish means mad. Who are you talking to? Talk to Him. Talk to the Lord. You have been given such a wonderful opportunity. So surrender your desires to Him. Then the joy He will give you—your desires never contained that joy. The desires you had—they had no joy in them. Surrender your desires and become His. This is a place of surrender. Whatever is obtained here comes through surrender.

And surrender comes from humility, not from ego. That is why the song says: "Surrender without pride, humility without respect, always sing the glory of Hari. You are Hari's servant, you carry the title of Haridas. Yet how rudely you speak to your Master! Look inside. We all disrespect our worshipped God, and only His causeless grace, only grace is pouring down on us. If He did what we deserve every day, we would not find a place even in hell. Tell me—are we worthy of dwelling in Vrindavan? For the dust of that place, great souls like Uddhava beg and pray.

There we, ordinary humans, conduct ourselves like worldly people. You conduct yourself as an ordinary worldly person. We conduct ourselves like that in the realm. Is this not an offense? Is this not disrespect of the Beloved? In Their own palace, in the ocean of love that is Vrindavan, we pursue worldly schemes, worldly enjoyments, the activities of lust—what is this? This is the mark of false worship. Look carefully at your daily conduct. Examine your life. Except for disrespect, what honor are you giving your worshipped God? What are you seeking from your worshipped God? You have called them your worshipped God—but only in words. If you accept it in your heart, tears will come. Tears will come from His grace. There will be little complaint. When body is surrendered, mind is surrendered, what entity is left in you that can complain? What belongs to you? Do you have anything? No. What you have is your Beloved, and He is Sat-Chit-Ananda, all-knowing.

Such a supremely Beloved is He that of compassion—the ocean of mercy has been called thus: "Neither anger nor earth belongs to me, always remaining without resentment, delighted always, O friend, His face is laughter." Such delicate beauty, and yet you worship—how could your heart possibly be dissatisfied? You create imaginations of your own ignorance and become fearful, become dissatisfied, and disrespect your Master. Tell me, if you have taken a saint as your guru, would you dare say to him, "You are arranging for our food—just do this one task for us"? Do you have the courage to say such a thing? Yet infinite saints have a Guru—Lal Ji Maharaj. All the great souls that have ever existed have the dust of His feet on their brow. He is always disposed to provide what is desired—His lotus feet are always worthy of being sought. Whoever has meditated on Him, whatever they desired has been obtained through His feet. Whoever has taken refuge at His feet—there is no place of pilgrimage, no abode of Shiva or Brahma equal to His shelter. All the holy places that exist are through His feet. Consider—what is your conduct toward such a Lord?

What should be the conduct of a servant with his Master? All the saints and great souls have Sri Krishna as their Guru. Everyone has Him as their Guru. If someone is a sage, they become absorbed in Him. If someone is a lover, they move in these feelings of theirs. Some in devotion of servitude, some in friendship, some in parental love, some as a spouse, some as a beloved companion—and these relationships' teacher is our Beloved. The song says: "The Lord who cannot be approached by word, whose beauty is praised by Brahma and the gopis, who bestowed all knowledge secretly—meeting Harivansh, the treasure is Kunj's Shyam, O joy, Shyam is joy, Shyam is joy, meeting Kunj's Shyam is joy, O joy, Shyam is joy." Such a supremely glorious Yugal pair—you command them? Do you have the capacity to command? They do the commanding. See how they command: "Do this, Beloved, do this for us."

You are a servant. What is left of yours that you want to accomplish? What do you have? You have neither conduct, nor spiritual practice, nor a body, nor a mind. Only then is surrender truly surrendered. What have you become then? You have been bought by the rasikas in the name and form of Priya and Preetam. Hariram Vyas says, now you are sold into the hands of the rasikas, and the price is Priya and Preetam. For Priya and Preetam, rasikas, now what are we to you? You are only disrespecting your own Master. Honour is merely a performance. We bow down too—is someone watching us from behind?

Yes, if someone is watching, then we are making full prostrations. What a wonderful devotee! Look at the full prostration. We don't want to hear this; we don't want to give them happiness. We are not doing it for them. When we adorn ourselves, four people say, "What beautiful adornment!" When we dance, do people know if Priya and Preetam are watching or not? We must see this. Our effort should be for Priya and Preetam. Who are you? Keep this in mind. You belong to Priya and Preetam. You exist for Priya and Preetam. Every action of yours is for the happiness of Priya and Preetam—then you will be immersed in supreme bliss. The sakhi's effort is to bring happiness to Priya and Preetam. So where is the sakhi immersed?

Grow in joy and delight! Supreme love, supreme love! Dyed in the colour of this supreme love. Understand your worship. Do not command your Master. Oh Master, we have only disrespected your grace. I am deeply indebted, lowly. I am the one who does not acknowledge what has been done. What have the gurus taken from you? They have given you teaching, given you the name, given you the mantra, given you kinship. Those who have gathered the entire affection of the world and offered it at the feet of the Lord—they have given you kinship. You are their disrespect. You are their dishonour. You say you won't do it? Then not listening to them is disrespecting them.

Having joined for bhajan, if you do not perform bhajan, this is their disrespect. This is causing them pain. For what you formed a relationship of kinship, for which they gave you the precious gift of the name, the mantra—if you do not chant it, you disrespect the guru. If you act willfully, you cause the guru suffering, and the result will be your ruin. You will burn from countless worldly bonds. Oh friend of the poor, despite all this, you have not seen our faults. You have always regarded me as yours. Ah, you thought, "This is my child," and so you regarded me.

If you saw my offences—truly, if you knew the offences here—this place is such that even in hell no place is found, as it is said, even in hell no place is found—that would be our fate. We commit such mistakes here. We lie here. Through us, there is adultery here. There is sin, there is violence, there are vile words. Now the result of that is this place. The great souls have warned us carefully: "Do not go to Vrindavan. Go for one day. Do fasting, do circumambulation, do nama jap, go silently so no offence is committed." They gave such teaching. Never cast blame on the Braj residents, never on the Vaishnavas. We have been given so much grace. Ladli Ji has given us the opportunity to sustain life. And she has given such an opportunity—we dwell in the mansion of Shri Ji. But what are we doing? Are we caressing and soothing Shyama and Shyam?

Are we contemplating them? Are we conducting ourselves according to their nature? Are we even fit to live in the mansion? Yet we have not regarded any of our mistakes as mistakes. The affection has only increased. How? Just as a loving mother, seeing her child covered in filth, does not feel disgust. She washes the filth, bathes her, and adorns her beautifully. So too has our Lord—when we commit faults and offences in this place—not even regarded them as faults. Otherwise, we would burn day and night. She has not regarded them as faults, and our filth she has cleaned. Without being told, we do not even know we are filthy.

She has cleaned us. Ocean of compassion, Lord, the love you have given—towards my filth, my sin and suffering you have not looked, and no one else could do this. And yet I, still utterly lowly, conduct myself in such a way that I cause you pain. See, in every living being our Lord dwells. If we harbour jealousy towards anyone, enmity, if we speak harsh words to someone, if we act harshly—we are causing pain to our own Lord. But you have boundless, infinite mercy. By your mercy, you are burning up all our offences. How great is the grace that you have not looked upon my offences and have given me shelter at your feet.

Now, having come to the shelter of your feet, O Lord, there is only joy, bliss. Nectar flows. Bliss spreads. Oh Lord, through the shelter of your feet, my heart is now cooling, and the sun of love is rising. If you did not show grace from your side, this could not have happened. The fortune the Lord has graciously given us, we should not dishonour it. We dishonour the Lord's grace; we disregard it. How small is our earth. At the slightest adversity we curse the Lord. And at the slightest favour, ego arises and we boast from our head and brow.

"I did this, that's why this happened." What do you think? You performed bhajan your whole life. Ego rises up and speaks, and at the slightest adversity you curse the Lord. Could you not do this much? An ignorant person—how can the Lord do something that would be harmful? Just as a blind man is about to fall into a well, someone with sight will not let him fall. Similarly, the Lord, full of supreme affection, arranges what is for our highest good. The Lord is commanding: perform bhajan with effort. This bhajan will only come into your experience when all your sins are destroyed.

Until then you will have to chant without taste, without interest. We will have no interest in bhajan. Listen first. We will not get the taste of bhajan. Understand this. Until your sins and sinful tendencies are destroyed, that is how it will be.

Therefore we must constantly do bhajan without comfort, without taste, with persistent effort. Right now at the beginning, you have to develop a steadfast nature. You have to develop patience. Following instruction alone will establish you in the goal. "No, I must do bhajan alone. Whether I get comfort or suffering, good fate or bad fate, I care not." With effort, with diligence, with readiness, bhajan should increase day by day. Awareness should increase. Caution should increase. All impurities and defects of the entire inner being are destroyed. Now such a longing for attaining the Lord arises within that all desires for enjoyment, accumulation, fame, honor, etc., are turned to ash.

If there is still a desire for enjoyment, accumulation, fame, and honor, then the longing for attaining God has not yet awakened. In the accounts you heard earlier of the great devotees, the special thing was this. The matter of attaining God came to their hearts. They may not have fully reached it, but it is about attaining God. Even if they got stuck somewhere, they will attain God. It will surely take time. Their goal is attaining God. The special thing about those whose accounts we heard is this: their goal is attaining God. It is not about honor or fame. It is not about this world or the next. Their goal is attaining God. The worshipper is firm in the goal. Our goal is attaining God.

If the goal is correct, then even if you slip in the middle or encounter an obstacle, you will not be allowed to stop. You will be pushed forward, as you heard before. In our path, which is the path of bhajan, we must walk with faith at every moment. With enthusiasm someone spoke up: "But something is not coming into our experience." Didn't we say that until your sins and sinful tendencies are destroyed, there will be no experience? Experience comes when the inner being is purified. This is spirituality. It is not something instant, that you speak now and everything comes into experience immediately.

Janam janam muni jatan kara — through many births of effort.

The Lord says: through the sadhana of many births they attained that supreme state. For all of you to accomplish this in one birth seems to be great grace. This fortune that you have attained — I don't know from how many births the practices were continuing from the beginning, and you have come to this. It has been said in many places that in some birth one did the bhakti of one God, then of another God, and continuing thus, then the bhakti of the Lord of Braj, then nikunj — such a progression step by step. And all this can happen in this very birth. If the grace of a saint devoted to God comes, then in this very birth we can consider that our many births have been completed. Now I do not need to stand in the line of many births. Now in this very birth I must attain God. For this we must remain diligent.

It is not coming into our experience, but we are saying Radha Radha. We do not have the feeling. We are not getting comfort. But the One whose name we are taking is hearing that we are calling, is He not? He is listening.

There was a sage, Pragya Chaksu, who came daily for the darshan of Bihari Ji. Someone said to him: "You cannot see anything from outside. How can you have darshan without eyes?" He said: "If I don't have eyes, does Bihari Ji not have eyes? I come daily to offer darshan to Him. If I cannot see, surely He is seeing me."

In a relationship of two, if one lover sees the other, the work is done. He sees me every day. It is done. I come to offer my darshan to Him. Among Your servants at Your feet, there were those who were blind in eyes but supremely skilled in knowledge. He came regularly every day for darshan. Someone jokingly asked him: "Swami Ji, you don't have eyes. You come every day for darshan. What do you see?"

"If I don't have eyes, does Bihari Ji also not have eyes? He has eyes. I come to offer Him darshan. See, you also have someone who is yours — you see. We go like this every day. We do not have the feeling. We do not have love. But the Beloved is an ocean of love, is He not? We are calling out to Him: Radha Radha, Radha Radha. One day it will touch His ears. One day He will see that someone is calling to Him. On that very day we will become blessed. Do not stop calling out. Chant the name. Chant the mantra. Believe that we are calling to Him, and He is an ocean of compassion. It will be accomplished very soon. Just with faith in His compassion:

ततो याति परां गतिम्
One attains that supreme state.

One certainly attains that supreme state. What is called the supreme state can only be experienced. After attaining it, there is nothing else to attain. After this gain, no other gain remains. He attains everything — that supreme state, that supreme gain. Even the most terrible sufferings cannot bring heat to his heart. He attains that supreme gain.

The Lord says: greater than ascetics is the yogi. Greater than the knowledgeable is the yogi. Greater than the performers of ritual action is the yogi. The Lord is saying: the yogi is greater than ascetics. The yogi is superior to the knowledgeable. Such is My view. The Lord is saying: the yogi is greater than those engaged in action, and greater than those expert in ritual action is the yogi. Therefore be a yogi, O Arjun.

Among all yogis, the devoted bhakt who is absorbed in Me and does My bhajan is, in My view, the supreme yogi.

When the Lord says the highest is supreme, all doctrines flow from it. The Lord says to the Lord: superior to the ascetics, superior to the knowledgeable, superior to those who perform rituals, and superior to those skilled in action according to the scriptures, is the yogi. Then the question arises—which yogi? He says, all the principles that follow the divine path—knowledge, action, yoga—among all these yogis, what is the essence that follows the divine path? The Lord is explaining: in My view, who among all yogis is the supreme yogi?

He says: whoever is absorbed in Me with faith, immersed within, the divine name flows through them. They see only that, they hear only that—absorbed entirely in the remembrance of the Lord alone. This does not happen at the beginning. When you practise and your heart becomes pure, such a state arises. Without any effort, everything stops. Mind, intellect, consciousness, ego—all completely still, as if you removed the spring from a clock and everything fell silent. All the clamour, all the voices—nothing. Only that flows. Only that is present before you. This is the fruit of spiritual practice.

Now this is no longer practice. The fruit of practice is manifesting. Suddenly such a state may last a second, two seconds, a minute, an hour, a day. This grace keeps growing. Speaking of such things, you have no more strength in it. It was not your effort. You made the effort; grace overwhelmed you. This is called drowning. A line was flowing, suddenly a verse came—then everything was dropped and the form was revealed and one drowned in it. Such supreme bliss the worshipper receives then, and they cannot let go. This word, taintedness, is most powerful.

Immersed, memory ceases. Only the beloved deity. Now you cannot even imagine how such a thing could be. All peace, all thought emptied, intellect emptied, mind of all intention and doubt emptied, ego empty of action, the entire inner consciousness filled only with the mantra-form or the name-form or the form. Now this state—for how many seconds, how many minutes, how long—at most this comes by grace. As you have practised and sung, according to that, the state comes. You stumble. Are the eyes open or closed? Completely still, completely still. No movement. No other wave of any kind.

All other distraction, all confusion, all veils—all three have been destroyed. Once that single taste, that bliss is felt, you will be captivated. You cannot let it go. Then the search was only for this. The search was only for this. Think: you do all things, but rest comes to you in sleep, because your thoughts of the world are cut off and you rest in the state of tamas for four or five hours, and then you feel good. If sleep does not come, you become restless, for the threads of your thoughts are not cut off and you are troubled. But if while awake you reach such a state where there is no thought of the world at all—

imagine what supreme bliss the worshipper would feel then. In the state of tamas—sleep—when thought of the world is cut off, you feel so rested. But if while awake such a state comes that you are awake yet without any thought of the world, like the deepest sleep—such a deep state in your beloved deity, you cannot even imagine the bliss the worshipper experiences then. This tamasic state is false—in it you become so relaxed that in the morning you return to full awareness and work. Think: if this, which our senses and our mind have been seeking since birth through birth after birth—if that bliss is brought to you in the waking state in such a deep condition that you hear nothing, see nothing, like being asleep yet thinking deeply, though awake—the natural functioning of the world ceases entirely. That is sat-chit-ananda. This is samadhi. Come into samadhi. Do not let the mind wander. Do not make arrangements for the next life. Do your karma and come into samadhi. Come into absorption. Yoga, the divine name—this is what all the scriptures mean by faith, devotion, and being united with the Lord. Pujya Shri Radha Baba is saying: Brother, when you have made this resolve that I shall dwell in Vrindavan and attain the beloved, why is your resolve not firm?

Why is it not steady? Your tongue speaks of things other than the name of Radha. Why have you not wished to cut it? Why have you not controlled your taste sense, in which the tongue dwells? O tongue, speaking of things other than the name of Radha, other than the glory of the beloved! You had resolved: I shall dwell in Vrindavan and sing only the glory of the beloved, and attain the beloved. If your eyes want to see something other than their beauty, what use is such eyes in Vrindavan? If the ears have not become attached to the beloved's sweet praises and wish to hear other things, they deserve to be pierced.

Harivansh Mahaprabhu is saying this:

Radha rasna kato jo an rato, nirkhan phuto nain
Shravna phuto jo an suno, binu Radha jas bahan

"Cut the tongue that speaks of other things; break the eyes that see other things; break the ears that hear things other than Radha's glory."

When you have resolved to dwell in Vrindavan and attain the beloved, Harivansh Mahaprabhu shows you the right way:

Sab so hit nishka kam, mati Vrindavan vishraam
Shri Radha Vallabh Laal ko, hriday dhyan mukh naam

With no selfish motive, serve all with the thought that it benefits them. Our resting place is Shri Vrindavan. In the heart meditate on the form of Shri Radha Vallabh, the divine couple, and speak their name with your mouth.

What greater means could there be than obtaining Priya Preetam? This is why Harivansh Mahaprabhu says to see in meditation day and night the lotus face of Shri Radha Vallabh Lal. Behold what a unique nikunj this is, all around it asoka, kadamb, and kachnar trees, very beautiful and fragrant with blossoming flowers and vines. Beautiful clusters of flowers enhance the beauty of the nikunj. What colorful and charming birds of Vrindavan these are. Having daily vision of Nikunjeswari Shri Ladli Ji, they continuously sing her names and glories in longing.

What beautiful and enchanting is the land of Vrindavan where peacocks dance in joy! The cuckoo coos and sings its sweet voice in Vrindavan. In such a pleasant nikunj, the Divine Couple come out. And may you see them there in the nikunj, with arms intertwined, seeing the lotus face of Radha Vallabh - Harivansh, for this you went to Vrindavan. You may feel hurt, but we tell you: going to Vrindavan, what you should be doing, you are unable to do. Though dwelling in the palace of Vrindavan Bihari, you cannot see Vrindavan Bihari.

You see the world all the time, whether waking or dreaming, in Vrindavan for the most part. This is why your life is not what it should be. This is why in Vrindavan, instead of seeing the Divine Couple in the nikunj, you see the world. Until you desire it with complete firmness, no one's blessing can give you such vision. No other means can provide life with such a state. Impossible. Whether you hold your nose or sit in lotus position or stand on your head or stand in water or practice any austerity - this can only happen through this alone. With dispassionate mind, in the rest of Vrindavan, meditation on Radha Vallabh Lal, in heart and name - this bhajan you must do. Do not be negligent. Do it today or tomorrow or in the next life after death or even after a thousand births - you will have to do it. Through renouncing worldly attachments and through bhajan, obtain the love of Priya Preetam. Without bhajan there is no love; do not abandon bhajan, hold to the name, without the Name there is no yoga. Without bhajan there is no love. And without the love of this pair, direct vision cannot happen.

Having obtained a human birth, if you postpone bhajan for tomorrow, you commit great foolishness. Be careful! You have endured the suffering of gestation in countless births, the terrible suffering of death in countless births, the suffering of old age, the suffering of diseases - you have suffered all of this. Why now do you wish to suffer again? You can even make the impossible possible. Through chanting the Name erase this wheel of time, birth and death, suffering and sorrow, restlessness - erase it all through bhajan. This will be erased only through bhajan. You are being negligent about this. This is why our words may seem harsh to you. But you are being negligent.

This is why living in Vrindavan you are not receiving the vision of the Divine Couple in the nikunj. Accept our words. Make it your nature to hear through the ears only discussion of Priya Preetam. If any other talk arises, put a finger in your ear. Do not listen. Do you do such a thing? Wherever someone is criticized, you open your ears completely. Disrespect of someone, mockery of someone, fault-filled talk - we have come to Vrindavan for obtaining Priya Preetam. Where is such focus? Be very careful. Very quickly our heart's courtyard becomes soiled by these windows remaining open.

Ears, eyes, and tongue - these three have great importance in attaining God. The venerable Maharaj Ji is saying: through the ears, hear nothing except discussion of Priya Preetam. If any other talk arises, put a finger in your ear. Do not listen. Someone might say this is very theatrical. A finger in the ear. It is fine. In this theatrical world, if we must perform this theatrical act in order to cultivate affection for Priya Preetam, we have no objection. Do not listen to your own words in this way. Near the lotus feet of the gurus and the great rasika saints, let your confusion remain abandoned.

With the eyes, see only those objects and persons that increase love for Priya Preetam and the divine form. Otherwise keep your eyes lowered. Vrindavan is sacred - that of the Vaishnav saints from whom we receive remembrance of God, the divine form of the Lord and the gurus - otherwise the eyes should remain lowered. There should be some veil. The window-like eye should not remain open all the time. There is a supernatural camera attached to it. Just as a CCTV camera films without our knowing, a complete video is being created. This complete video is created and it brings contemplation in solitude. If it was right, bhajan increases. If it was wrong, then corruption comes. Through speech, let only the call to Radha Vallabh continue sounding. If the desire arises to speak any useless word, become silent. Forcibly become silent. Do not speak - clench your teeth and sit. Do not speak - this effort is what is called endeavor. If you are truly endeavorful, believe this: your life will be transformed. Standing in any corner of Vrindavan, you will see Bihari Ji. Bihari Ji is not only in temples - this is his home. Anywhere the Divine Couple will appear to you enjoying their divine pastimes.

All of Vrindavan is the Lord's temple. Just as we consider this to be a temple, so all of Vrindavan is a temple. The entire palace. Wherever, whatever place - it is their home. If you do this, certainly you will be wholly surrendered to Vrindavan Bihari. Such a way of living will surely compel Priya Preetam to grant you vision. Through their vision you will be blessed and made complete. The Lord's great mercy is upon you that your physical body dwells in the sacred abode of Vrindavan. But please grant yourself further mercy: establish this sacred abode also in your mind.

The body remains of the five elements. Establish your mind also in the Dham. Make this petition to Shri Kishori Ji: "O great Queen, an infinite, boundless stream of love flows from your lotus feet. Grant me such grace that my mind goes nowhere except in contemplation of you. Whether forgotten or not forgotten, this is the gift I ask of you—make me your own, O beloved daughter of Shri Harivansh, grant me this."

See, O Queen, how merciful you are. Your heart's stream will turn toward Radha. The stream will turn toward Radha, your heart's stream will turn toward Radha. You will be immersed in love.

The fountain of love will open. And this fountain never closes again. It keeps growing. Do not maintain any separation now between Shri Dham and yourself. This, Father, is the culmination of the final seeker—you have become the Dham. You and Dham—the essence of the Vedas is that you have now become filled with Dham. Body in Dham, mind in Dham, intellect in Dham, life force in Dham. Then this state comes—let the body be fragmented, limb by limb, every piece in Vrindavan; to abandon it is a great mistake. You have become filled with Dham. Certainly you have become supremely fortunate. One day you will receive that moment in which you will see how the Beloved and Lover shower joy here.

Just keep your mind, your speech, your eyes, your ears—the Lord is commanding these. Engage in worship with effort. That person is the greatest of all. Greater than ascetics, greater than the wise, greater than those engaged in ritual action. Who is this? One who worships the Lord continuously with faith.

Shyama Shyam, Shyama Shyam, Shyama Shyam. The Lord himself speaks from his blessed mouth: "The faithful worship me with complete devotion." In my understanding, there is no yogi greater than this. Now don't search for anything else. There is nothing more to know in the scriptures. A very excellent teaching has been found. The Lord of the Universe speaks: "Greater than ascetics is the yogi. Greater even than the wise ones is the yogi. Greater than those who perform ritual action is the yogi. Therefore become a yogi, O Arjun." How does one become a yogi? The Lord says: "The yogi among all yogis is the one who, with faith, absorbed and intent, continuously worships me."

This is the essence of all scriptures. This is the place of rest. This is the resting place of the heart. Always remain connected to the Lord. Connected to the Lord's name, form, leelas, and Dham. Always remain connected to the Lord. This is the fulfillment of life.

This text is taken from auto-generated captions of a video—there may be errors in the words. Please listen to the video for the authentic words.

Original video: Shri Hit Radha Kripa (YouTube)