Vrindavan Gives Shelter Even to Such a Soul / The Teachings of Lord Shankar to the Prachetas / The Puranjanopakhyan // 17/07/26

Words of Pujya Maharaj Ji on Shri Dham Vrindavan — hear the full discourse in the video above.

The Full Discourse

O Vrindavan Neshwari, your lotus feet are full of the honey-nectar of love, remember the Lord who drinks it, enchanted, take supreme cool shelter. The supreme cool maya, the supreme consciousness-being-bliss embodied in love and bliss, Shri Vrindavan Dham, Shri Vrindavan Dham, of the beloved divine couple, Shri Shyama Shyam, all the sakhis, birds, deer, animals and birds, the Yamuna, the queen of rivers, all the residents of Braj, the unconditional mercy, the unconditional mercy of Shri Shyama, let it dwell in my body, the unconditional mercy of Shri Shyama, the slightest inclination in the ultimate truth is by the mercy of Shri Shyama, dwelling in Shri Dham Vrindavan, worshipping in the love of the Beloved and the Beloved, now we need to keep humility within ourselves, become very small, and escape from this net of maya.

Whoever becomes big either becomes so big that they transcend the net of maya — they are a Brahma jnani, a great soul — or they become so small that the net cannot even touch them and they escape. They are a humble bhakta. The jnani becomes established in the consciousness of the Self. So for them the thing called maya no longer exists. The bhakta, in their humility, escapes. So there is no question before them. All those in between get caught. This net of maya — ego and mine-ness — traps everyone. Except these two: the extremely small and the very great.

The very great Brahma-knowing sage, and the extremely humble bhakta who has obtained the most sweet love-filled bhakti of Sri Pad — these are the great souls. There is great humility. They say: fallen, without a master, foolish, wretched, destitute, engaged in wicked deeds — O Radha, far from your lotus feet, I do not know what will become of me, nor Vrindavan. I am very foolish, without a master, fallen, and very wretched. See how the heart of great souls is. There is not the slightest fault. How pure is the heart of a bhakta. Fallen, without a master, foolish, wretched, and destitute — as many wicked deeds as there are, I am engaged in them.

What amazing humility! How can there be faults in such humility? Friends, faults are in pride. Only such a humble great soul does our beloved keep in her service. This humility is very rare. The world is ruled by pride. And in the bhakta, humility reigns. And humility alone is that thing which becomes very dear to us, to the Lord. The Lord becomes very dear to us and we become very dear to the Lord. The beloved and the beloved become life, and the beloved and the beloved become the life. Humility — not false humility, but true humility from the heart — the lowest.

Once, Pujya Swami Sri Akhandananda Maharaj asked Pujya Pad Sri Udia Baba Maharaj: Swami Ji, you are the very Brahman itself. He said: Can you see Brahman with your eyes? He fell silent. Can you see Brahman with these eyes? If you can see it, then Brahman is an object of perception. So is Brahman an object of perception? Swami Sri Akhandananda Maharaj fell silent. He wanted to know the feeling from Baba. Baba, then tell us yourself — who are you? Then he said: I am the servant of all that moves and stands still. It is written in the Vani: Baba is the servant of all that moves and stands still.

A living, moving embodiment of Brahman said: I am the servant of all that moves and stands still. Goswamipur said: this couplet is our life. Siya-Ram, I know all the world, bowing to you. You are my Lord in all forms, and I am the servant of all that moves and stands still. This is a very beloved mood to the Lord. It is very dear to the Lord. Just understand this. So for one whose mind does not waver from this state even for a moment, says Hanuman, I am the servant, the servant of all that moves and stands still — my Lord in embodied form in all creation. I am the servant of all that moves and stands still. My Lord is the form of the entire creation. For one whose understanding never deviates from this state even for a moment, they are the devoted bhakta. So for one whose mind does not waver from this state even for a moment, Hanuman — not for a moment does the understanding waver from this state. I am the servant; all that moves and stands still is my Lord's embodied form. And this is what we need to take to heart.

Believe it and you will know it, and when you know it, you will become it. You are also in all that moves and stands still. You are also of the form of God. But this will come when supreme humility arrives. All that moves and stands still is our Lord's form. We are all servants. Where is the question of virtues and faults? Where is the question of any duality or maya? I am the servant; all that moves and stands still is my Lord, the embodied God. This state — we need to bring it into practice. If our Lord treats us with opposition, what will we do? With humility. So all that moves and stands still is our Lord's form. If it gives opposition, slanders, insults, then we must conduct ourselves with humility.

As one does with the Lord, then our mood will be perfected: that we are servants of all that moves and stands still. This mood will be perfected. If this mood is perfected, we are liberated. If attachment or aversion remains with even one person, then we must come again. Not with any one person in the entire creation should there be attachment or aversion. Such a heart — pure, unshaken, not desirous of anyone, expecting nothing from anyone — this is the form of God. All these states come only when we take shelter in the Lord and chant the naam intensely. Those who do not chant the naam — for them it remains mere words, the state does not come. If one is a jnani, then all this is indeed Brahman. If one is a bhakta, then I am the servant of all that moves and stands still — my Lord in embodied form. So what further discussion is there? Uma, those devoted to Ram's feet, free from desire and pride — in them I see my own Lord, how could there be conflict with the world? We must attain the state, not words. Look, see how the great souls who have attained the state speak. They say: fallen, without a master, foolish, wretched, destitute, engaged in wicked deeds — O Radha, far from your lotus feet, I do not know what will become of me, nor Vrindavan. What will become of me, Vrindavan? I am fallen, without a master, foolish, wretched, and destitute, engaged only in wicked deeds, and far from the love of Radha's lotus feet. I do not know, nor do the Vedas know, what will become of me.

But O Vrindavan, I have grasped you. I have taken your shelter. That is, whoever is low, fallen, orphaned, foolish, engaged in impure deeds, and has absolutely no affection for Priya's feet - even if such a person accepts residence in Vrindavan, Vrindavan will grant them the attainment of Sri Ji's feet. The meaning is that however lowly a person may be, if they accept the shelter and residence of the dham, then Vrindavan will cross them over that maya from which it is very difficult to cross, and will grant them divine love.

Shri Pad is saying: one whose intellect is extremely bad, whose understanding is completely corrupted, who is extremely entangled and most contemptible among the most contemptible - how can such a person's welfare be achieved? One who has extremely bad intellect, is entangled, and is most contemptible - Vrindavan is a hospital that heals even the most serious patients. It heals them, establishes them in their true form. Have faith. The dham's grace is very great. When you surrender your ego to Shri dham Vrindavan, then ego's connection will be severed. Then you will come to know what is the glory of Vrindavan. It will be revealed. It is as if the beloved and the Beloved are standing by your side. Such an experience comes. This is not that some difference between impurity and purity remains.

External and internal - both are completely pure. When, by the grace of Shri dham, remembrance is constantly awakened, delusion is destroyed, knowledge is destroyed, at every moment there is divine presence - Shri dham Vrindavan itself is a direct blessing. Even one who is most contemptible, extremely entangled, with bad intellect - even such a person, if they accept residence in Vrindavan and take its shelter, Shri Vrindavan, by its wonderful grace, will assimilate them. It will place them in the circle of companions of the beloved and the Beloved.

Just become carefree. There is some entanglement within you. There are some troublesome thoughts, but not extremely troublesome ones. In 24 hours there are some moments in which the mind troubles us. No, the daily routine is such that it doesn't even get an opportunity. Where they are saying there is extremely bad intellect, extreme entanglement, most troublesome thoughts - even such a person, Vrindavan assimilates them by its grace. So our people are already standing in line. Why worry? Now one thing to pay attention to. What they are saying about the next shloka. Vrindavan - proclaim it, sing it, speak Vrindavan, Vrindavan, Vrindavan, Vrindavan!

If you have obtained residence in Vrindavan, obtained its shelter, then they say: proclaim it! Sing it! Say Vrindavan, Vrindavan, Vrindavan, Vrindavan! (cheering sounds) Vrindavan, Vrindavan, Vrindavan! (encouragement sounds) Vrindavan! Victory to Vrindavan! Victory to Vrindavan! Victory to Vrindavan! Victory to Vrindavan! Victory to Vrindavan! Victory to Vrindavan! Victory to Vrindavan! (encouragement sounds) (cheering sounds) Victory be to the life that is Vrindavan! Vrindavan is life! All is Vrindavan! Victory to Vrindavan! (cheering sounds)

Vrindavan is life, life is Vrindavan, all is Vrindavan! Victory! (cheering sounds) Victory to Vrindavan! Victory to Vrindavan! (cheering sounds) Victory to Vrindavan! Victory to Vrindavan! Victory to Vrindavan! Victory to Vrindavan! Victory to Vrindavan! Victory! (cheering sounds) Victory to Vrindavan! Victory to Vrindavan! Victory to Vrindavan! Proclaim it! Sing it! This is the only bhajan here. While humming through the Lord's divine leela, name, form, and dham-filled verses, or sometimes doing naam kirtan, proclaiming victory, engaged in this - that is where we need to go. There is no need to strain the mind so much here. This is love, this is love. This is a matter of the heart, not a matter of the intellect.

Proclaim it - that is, sing, call out repeatedly. Gach - even while walking we are uttering the name. When we speak Vrindavan, then the beloved, the Beloved, the companions, the birds, the deer, the beasts, the creatures, the vines, the earth, the forest - all receive grace. Because all are dear life to Vrindavan, and all of these are dear life to Vrindavan. All receive grace. Only then is the most excellent, the rarest companion-status obtained. Sri Swamini, to remain with the Beloved. This divine Vrindavan - from beginningless time to endless time - it is not some maya-created dham such that when Brahma's lifespan is complete, it would then undergo dissolution.

No, even the great dissolution does not enter here. While walking, gach - they are sitting absorbed in the contemplation of Vrindavan, in the contemplation of the beloved and the Beloved. Swapan - in each breath, the name comes many times. When the breath descends, the name descends. When the breath ascends, the name ascends. Shri Pad is saying: swapan, shasan - when we sleep, we sleep while focused on contemplating the beloved, the Beloved, and Vrindavan. Your entire sleep becomes counted as bhajan. If while sleeping you are contemplating the beloved, the Beloved. This should definitely be noted. At the time of sleep, all other matters should be set aside.

Sleep with sole contemplation of the Lord - this sleep-samadhi state - that sleep becomes bhajan. They are sleeping in Sri Ji's feet. Awake, dream, deep sleep - in Sri Ji's feet. Awake - we are rising, sitting, walking, moving, eating, drinking, singing in Sri Ji. But dreams are not in our control. So when we are always engaged with Sri Ji, dreams also come from Sri Ji. And when at the time of sleep we sleep contemplating Sri Ji, then our deep sleep is also counted as bhajan in Sri Ji's feet. Sleep-samadhi - sleep is considered a state of samadhi. Those who are rising, sitting, walking, moving, eating, drinking - in every breath, with every breath the name of Shri dham Vrindavan is flowing, the name of the Divine Couple, Shyama and Shyam, the mantra-word. This is what is flowing in every breath.

Be assured. The greatest thing has come. Says the vani of Harivansh: "The servant always remains in divine refuge; there is no other rest." This is the state of perfection. Every moment, be assured in the vani or in the nama mantra. The shelter and abode of the most pure Sri Dham Vrindavan is no longer rare. Attaining divine love or God Himself—yes, take a little care: if continuity is maintained, then the end will certainly be good. There is no doubt in that. But in the present, you will not experience divine bliss. To experience the bliss of love in the present, we must close the doors of all our senses.

If the doors of the senses remain freely open, there will be no bliss in the present. Understand this firmly: in Shri Vrindavan, by His wondrous grace, if your final days are spent in Vrindavan, and your body falls away, His wondrous grace will assimilate you into Himself. But in the present, we are swinging empty. We are not experiencing supreme bliss. We are not experiencing divine love. For that, we must be vigilant. There must be no sinful conduct. Let us proceed with the Shrimad Bhagavat Mahapuran, in which King Prithu attained the supreme abode. And taking his body, Queen Archi entered the pyre, and she too attained the supreme state.

After King Prithu came his son, the greatly glorious Vijaytashva. He ascended to King Prithu's throne. He had great love for his brothers. There were five brothers. So he took the throne of King Prithu and made his four brothers kings of the four directions: Harsh of the east, Drumkesh of the south, Vruk of the west, and Dravin of the north. They possessed the power of invisibility, and one of their names was also Antardhan. His wife's name was Shikhandi. From her, three sons were born who were fire incarnate.

By the curse of Lord Vashishth, the fires Pavak, Pavman, and Suchi appeared as his sons. And from childhood, engaged in yoga, they attained their form as fire. From King Vijaytashva and his wife Nasti, a son named Havirdhaan was born. He was very generous and of a deeply devotional nature. He thought: "Wielding authority, collecting from the subjects, harsh dealings, ruling—all this is created by maya." Therefore, he initiated himself into long sacrifice and abandoned all rule, devoting himself entirely to the worship of God.

Whoever has even a little affection for God does not find the world dear. This false play of maya appears as drama. This drama does not please them. They remain engaged in sacrifice and in constant remembrance of God, absorbed in His worship. From Havirdhaan's wife Havirdhani, six sons were born: Barishad, Gay, Shukl, Krishna, Satya, and Jitvat. These Barishad were of a very sacrificial nature. Performing sacrifice was their addiction. They performed so many sacrifices that there was no place in all of India where sacrifice had not been performed. They covered it with kush grass. Spreading the sacred grass everywhere, they measured the entire earth with kush.

They performed so many sacrifices that their name became Prachin Barhi. Prachin Barhi is what Barishad is called. At the behest of Brahma, Prachin Barhi married Satadi, the daughter of the ocean. She was beautiful in every part—so beautiful that when she came to make oblations and the fire was kindled, even Agni Dev became enchanted. As she would move about performing devotions, so he would behold her. She was so beautiful.

From Satadi's womb, ten sons named Prachetha appeared. They became great devotees. All ten were given the same name. Prachetha and the ten had the same nature and the same conduct. Their father commanded them, saying: "You must produce offspring. But before that, you must obtain knowledge of Brahman through austerity. First attain God, then produce offspring." Yet here, a whole life passes and the goal of attaining God is never even reached. The father's command was that they must produce offspring—that is, they must enter household life. But first, go and perform austerity and attain God. Then, offspring. For 10,000 years they performed austerity of Lord Sri Hari.

When they were going for austerity, they received the darshan and teachings of Devadhi-Dev Mahadev, Lord Shankara. Then Vidur asked: "O Brahmana, the darshan of Devadhi-Dev Mahadev, Lord Shankara, is very rare. They were going for austerity—how did He give them darshan on the way? And if Lord Shiva gave them teachings, that must be very great. Lord Shankara is self-fulfilled. How did the Prachetas obtain His darshan? And what were the teachings? I want to hear this."

Sri Maitri says: "Vidur, when the father commanded the ten Prachetas, saying, 'Go, first attain God through austerity,' they bowed to their father and set out toward the west for austerity. When anyone walks toward the attainment of Lord Sri Hari, Lord Mahadev keeps His gaze upon them. Know this: Lord Shiva is very gracious, the supreme Vaishnava teacher. And without the grace of Lord Shankara, the love of Sri Hari is not obtained. If in this birth you have not worshipped Shankara, yet you are a devotee of Hari, then in some birth you must have worshipped Shiva. As they were going for austerity, they saw on the way a vast lake, very clear, with many colorful aquatic creatures, fish and others, blue and red lotuses, and lotuses that bloom both day and night—white water lilies, a most beautiful lake. On its shore were swans, cranes, chakhva birds, and water birds, chirping and swaying. Vines bent toward the water with sweet sounds. The air carried the fragrance of pollen from lotus pods, intoxicating the clouds. And the wonder was that from the lake water, many instruments like the mridang were playing, and ragas and raginis were manifesting."

The Prachetas were greatly amazed that they had never seen such a lake before. From where raag and the mridang drum were playing today. When they turned their attention to that sound, they saw Devadideva Bhagavan Shankar coming out of the lake with his attendants. O one with dark throat and three eyes, O gracious and blissful one, whose vision grants wonder—Bhagavan Shiv came forth showering grace on his devotees.

The Prachetas saw Bhagavan Shankar's fair complexion with a golden radiance shining forth. His form gleamed with the brilliance of molten gold, like a treasure of light. With dark throat, three eyes, and luminous countenance, He looked upon them with affection and wonder. The sight of Bhagavan Shankar emerging suddenly filled the Prachetas with great astonishment. All ten of them prostrated fully before Him.

O Lord Devadideva Mahadeva Bhagavan Shankar, in a pleased mood, looked favorably upon those princes and spoke: "You are the sons of King Prachin Var. May your welfare be assured. Whoever wishes to worship Bhagavan Shri Hari or proceeds to do so—I see every single intention of theirs. Whatever you wish to do, I know beforehand. And to shower grace upon you at this time, I have revealed myself before you. Whoever takes refuge in Bhagavan Shri Krishna is most dear to me, as dear as life itself."

Just as I love Shri Krishna, so do I love the devotees of Shri Krishna. Whoever takes refuge in Bhagavan Vasudev Shri Krishna is most dear to me. And conversely, whoever becomes most dear to Bhagavan Mahadeva obtains pure devotion at the feet of Bhagavan Shri Krishna.

Ja par kripa na karah purari, so na pav muni bhagti hamari.
Shiv drohi mam das kahava, so nar mohi sapnehu nahi bhava.

If Purari does not bestow his grace, one cannot attain the devotion of my sages. One who is hostile to Shiva and yet claims to be my servant—such a person never pleases me, even in dreams.

Bhagavan Shankar is saying: whoever takes refuge in Bhagavan Shri Krishna becomes most dear to me. Listen with care. Bhagavan Shiva says: Whoever faithfully maintains their varna-ashram dharma becomes worthy of realizing Brahma. And one who practices asceticism devoted to bhajan obtains me. But whoever is a refuge-seeker of Bhagavan Shri Krishna will directly attain the supreme abode in this very birth—the abode that even Brahma bows to. They will attain the supreme abode beyond all worldly illusion. The abode to which I, established as Rudra, and other authorized deities and Brahma all bow. And when creation dissolves at the end, we too attain that supreme abode. That supreme abode is directly attained in this very birth by the refuge-seeker of Shri Krishna.

Because of your connection to Bhagavan Shri Krishna, we love you very much. How much do we love you? Mahadeva Ji says: Just as Bhagavan Krishna is dear to me, so are the devotees of Shri Krishna equally dear to me as I love Shri Krishna Himself. You are devotees of Bhagavan; therefore you are as dear to me as Bhagavan Himself. In this way, I love the devotees of Bhagavan very much.

Bhagavan Shiva says: I love you with my unconditional grace. Without you asking, for wherever you need to go and whatever sidhi you need to attain, I am giving you a most pure, auspicious, and beneficent stotra. Recite this with pure devotion. You will soon have direct vision of Bhagavan. This practice was done on the banks of the Ganges. The stotra given by Bhagavan Shiva is very powerful. Now recite it. Until you recite it, you will not experience its full benefits.

Shri Rudravach jitam tam atma vidhurya swast swastame bhatara saram sarvas atmane namah. Namah padma nabhaya bhut sukshmendriyatmane Vasudevaya shutaya kuṭasthaya surochasae.

Bhagavan Shiva gave this stotra, and the fruit of this stotra is direct vision of Bhagavan. Bhagavan Rudra spoke the stotra: "O Bhagavan, your excellence is for the welfare of the highest self-realized souls, for the attainment of your own supreme bliss. May your excellence bring about my welfare.

O Lord, you eternally abide in your supreme blissful form. To such an omnipresent, transcendent form of Bhagavan, I bow. O lotus-naveled one, I bow to you. O master of gross and subtle elements and the senses, O peaceful, self-luminous Shri Krishna, I bow to you.

Sankarshanaay sukshmaay duratayantakaya cha namo. Vishva prabhodhaya pradyumnayantar atmane namo. Namo aniruddhaya hesi keshriytmane namah. Param hansaya purnaya nivratmane.

O Lord, you are the subtlest of all things. Who is the smallest of the small? You alone, O Bhagavan. And who is the greatest of all? You alone, O Bhagavan. What lies in between? O Shri Bhagavan, you alone are both subtle and infinite. And by you alone the entire universe is sustained and destroyed.

Listen carefully and ignorance will be dispelled. The most subtle, the smallest Lord - the greatest Sri Bhagavan - You alone perform the destruction of the world. And to Pradyumna, who vanquishes ego and is the presiding deity of intellect, origin of Sankarshan who destroys the world, salutations to You. Salutations again and again to Lord Aniruddha, the master of the senses and presiding deity of the mind principle. You are the Sun God who pervades the world with Your radiance. Salutations to You. The Sun God is directly God. Direct vision of God is attained through Him. Where is knowledge? Because You are complete, there is no growth in You, no decay, no increase in You, no destruction.

This is lila. Salutations to You. You are the gateway to heaven and liberation. For those who continuously contemplate You with a pure heart, whatever they desire is attained. Salutations to You, the form of heaven, liberation, and love. You are the Fire God, who possesses divine valor and expands the means of the fourfold sacrificial rituals. O Sri Krishna, in the form of the Fire God, salutations to You. You are Soma, the nourisher of the ancestors and the gods. Moon God, salutations to You. Salutations to You, embodiment of the Vedas and presiding deity of the three Vedas. Salutations to You, the form of water that satisfies all creatures.

You are the body of all creatures. You are the earth. This vast universe is You. You sustain the three worlds. Salutations to You in the form of air and life-force in the breath of all. God alone is God. You impart knowledge of all things through Your attribute of sound, pervading within and without as space itself. Therefore, O Sri Krishna, embodiment of space, salutations to You. You are Vaikunth. Salutations to You again and again. You grant attainment of the realm of ancestors through action and engagement, attainment of the realm of gods through action of renunciation, and through unrighteousness, hell, suffering, and death - all of these are You. Salutations to You.

You are also the form of suffering. You are also death. You are also hell. Therefore, with utmost awareness, which form of You do you prefer? Accept His form as liberation, as love, as dharma, as happiness. God alone has become everything. Lord, You are the Puranic Person, master of philosophy and ages, Sri Krishna. You are the embodiment of mantras, magnificent in form and righteousness, fulfilling all desires. You are mantra itself. This mantra which you meditate upon - You are directly God. You are the direct Lord. Meditate. While meditating, recite the mantra.

See what power awakens right now. You are the power of knowledge, and when You manifest as the power of knowledge in someone's heart, maya cannot hinder that person. Maya cannot obstruct that power of knowledge. The knowledge that comes from reading and studying, maya will steal. But the knowledge that comes from bhajan, maya cannot hinder. Salutations to You. Salutations. Lord, You alone provide power to the three - the doer, the instrument, and the action. You are the God Rudra. You are knowledge. You are the form of action. You are the four forms of speech.

Para, Pashyanti, Madhyama, Vaikhari - these four types of speech are You. Lord, we humbly beseech You because we wish to have Your darshan. Those devotees of Yours whom we worship. You are dear as life to Your own people. I wish to see that form. Please show us that form. Grant us Your darshan. That form of Yours satisfies all the senses. We have heard that it is dark and soft like a rain-laden cloud, the very essence and sum of all beauty. With beautiful four great arms, captivating lotus-face with lotus-like eyes, beautiful eyebrows and well-formed nose, captivating rows of teeth, smooth cheeks, captivating face, with splendid pair of ears. Your sideways glance, dark complexion, curly locks like the filaments of lotus flowers, floating yellow garment, glittering earrings, shining crown, bracelets, garlands, anklets, and belt, adorned with the Kaustubh gem, unprecedented splendor - such is what we have heard Your form to be. And I wish to see it. O You who dispel the fear of devotees, O Guru of the world, You who show the way of Your attainment to creatures bound by ignorance - accept our emotion and grant us direct darshan.

Lord, those who desire the purification of their consciousness should meditate on this very form of Yours. Take refuge in this form. Practice devotion to this form. That is, Sri Krishna, the form of Sri Hari - the consciousness will soon be purified. And Lord, You who grant fearlessness - You will grant that person Your darshan. Do not forget: as you think, so you will experience. Yatham prapaddyate taas tath bhajamyam. And the scripture says, when you practice devotion, see - look with some feeling. As much devotion as you practice, does the Lord appear to you in your inner realm to that extent or not? Does He appear or not? You see for yourself. Look - you won't know until you look. If there is too much thinking about sense objects, then what we are saying will not come. And if you do intense contemplation, then right now it will appear before you. Whatever and however you feel, it manifests before you that way. When there is intense contemplation of the Lord, the thinking of the world and body is forgotten.

In that way, God begins to pervade. This form of God grants fearlessness. Forever and always it is the form that steals the mind. It steals the mind. Lord, it is rare even for the great gods. The gods cannot practice Your devotion, cannot sing Your bhajan. This can only be done from the human body. Rare even for the righteous - pleasing God through exclusive devotion, those whose satisfaction comes not from any other means, but only from exclusive devotion. Who would be such that, abandoning love for God, they would ask Him for sense objects? Who would abandon love and ask for anything else in exchange for exclusive devotion?

How unfortunate it would be to ask God for worldly pleasures. O Lord, the worldly pleasures of the three worlds are destroyed by time the moment You frown. Time has no power over those who have taken refuge at Your feet. If one understands and has taken shelter, there is no fear of time, no fear. O Lord, if there is union with Your beloved devotees even for half a moment—that is incomparable to heaven or liberation. If there is union with Your beloved ones even for half a moment, then compared to that I consider heaven and liberation as nothing, what to speak of the trivial pleasures of the mortal world. O Lord, those who place their trust in Your feet—You destroy all their sins.

"Abandon all dharmas and take refuge in Me alone"—this is a very sweet thing to hear. "I shall liberate you from all sins." Those who place their faith solely in Your feet—here the matter of faith is spoken. All sins, heap upon heap, are destroyed. O Lord, those who partake of the nectar of Your feet and the nectar of Your words, who continuously drink the nectar of Your feet and the nectar of Your teachings, free from attachment and aversion, with simplicity, they attain victory over the three gunas—sattva, rajas, and tamas—and they attain You. The nectar of Your feet and the nectar of Your teachings means listening to the beautiful stories of Your leelas and drinking the nectar of the Lord.

The condition of that sadhak whose mind is blessed and purified by bhakti yoga and is on the path to attaining God is being described. In such a state, direct realization of God happens. In simple language, Odisha Baba said this: One whose desire to enjoy any worldly pleasures has ended, who is free from attachment and aversion in the entire world, has attained God or is about to attain God. Here the description is given: one whose mind does not wander toward outer objects, whose mind is not attracted to any worldly objects. Neither good nor bad, neither real nor unreal—without thought, without desire, the mind does not wander to outer objects. Immersed in the Name, in the mantra, in the form, in the leela, with no outer object, no inner object of thought—drawn into the darkness of ignorance in nature—all that has ended. So established in bhajan, the mind's tendency to be drawn to nature by ignorance has ended. No inner object of contemplation, no alluring outer object, no wandering outside, no flow of qualities from within—such a one effortlessly attains Your vision.

Effortlessly, God's vision can come at any moment. Now, one who has no desire for any pleasure, immersed so deeply in mantra and Name that the mind no longer wanders or roams, can attain God's vision at any moment. Only those who attain victory know how much joy is in victory. Think, when there is victory in ordinary games, all of India celebrates with enthusiasm. They say, "He won in that sport," and all of India is delighted. Think, if one has conquered the entire three worlds in this play of maya, having attained victory over maya which defeats the entire three worlds, and realized the God who is the Lord of maya—what joy is that! How can we describe that joy? Who has it? One whose bhakti yoga—absorption in God—is such that there is no attraction to outer objects, whose mind no longer wanders with inner objects, upon whom the gunas—sattva, rajas, and tamas—have no influence. Always immersed in bhajan, such a one effortlessly attains the vision of Your form. God's realization can happen at any moment.

O God, Your maya assumes countless forms. No one can say, "This is maya." It is so skillful. It assumes many forms and deceives. Creation, sustenance, and destruction—all are its forms. But just as maya cannot create any defect in You, so too maya cannot create defect in that devotee whose mind is fixed on You. Maya creates discord in those who turn away from You, not in those devotees who are in Your presence. Just as maya cannot affect You, the Supreme Lord, so too maya cannot affect those whose minds are always fixed on the Lord. Just as You are supremely free, such a devotee also becomes supremely free. Those who worship You, who practice devotion to You, who chant Your Name, who have taken refuge in You—they alone have attained the true knowledge of the Vedas and scriptures. They alone are the wise ones. They alone are the true knowers of scripture who worship You. Hold to this.

Serving God. Now how can we tell you? Surely establish Thakur Ji. In service, one grasps this. They begin to play. They steal the heart. I mean, we don't have the words. We were ignorant of this. We only knew this much—subduing one's senses and mind and becoming established in one's true nature. This is the leela of Vrindavan. Don't think of the leela of Vrindavan as a separation from the guru. Here sages and seers came, became weary, and chanted "Radhe Radhe." Oh, such wonderful, amazing are the leelas of Thakur! Such miraculous, wonderful leelas they are!

We appeal to everyone that you must surely establish Shri Yugal Sarkar—the divine couple—even if in small form. You must surely adorn them. You must surely shower affection on them. If you even decorate them with just four leaves like this, they will surely be pleased. Serve the Thakur who is easily pleased with devotion.

Look, whoever wishes to quickly attain siddhi—spiritual perfection—siddhi means attaining the divine. One should worship the Lord's sacred form, serve, chant the divine name, and take shelter in the Lord. Then the scripture says: "वेदे च तंत्रे चत एव कोविदा"

Those who are wise in the Vedas and Tantras

The mystery in the Tantric scriptures, in the Vedas—the true knower understands this. This is the mystery: to worship the Lord, to worship the divine, to chant the name, to sing their glories, to shower affection on them.

Don't ask. There are no words. We only say this: surely do service. Surely do service. Surely do service. Even the smallest service is valued greatly, and then it becomes established in the heart. Then there is such affection—when they say, "Give this to us." How will it feel? When the Lord says to you, "Put this on us. Feed us. Take us around." How will you feel? Tears will come. Tears will flow. You will know when they speak to you. And they will speak when you speak to no one but them, when you adorn only them, when you look only at them—then they will speak. Through ananya bhakti—exclusive devotion.

Lord, the maya of this creation sleeps through your power. It awakens through your power and through your power everything is created. This is your power. Lord, you manifest in the forms of the four types of eight million species by accepting your maya. It is written plainly, yet we cannot see it—that is the Lord. Residing in this body and senses, who enjoys petty objects—that fragment, that individual soul called jiva—that is you. Just understand this. Understand this.

We have forgotten. Many come to blame the Lord. "Why did God do this? Why did God create it this way?" O foolish one, who are you? Look, who are you? When you see this, all questions will end.

ब्रह्म भूता प्रसन्न आत्मा न सोचति न काति

One established in Brahman, with a satisfied soul, neither grieves nor desires

Lord, just as the wind scatters and destroys clouds with its forceful gusts, similarly maya's powerful force, ensnaring in delusion, keeps the soul running in heedlessness. Do this work, do that, I've done this, I will do that, this will happen. The fierce gust of maya doesn't let one find peace. And when the Lord's grace comes and maya departs, then Goswami Ji says:

जाकी कृपा लवलेशते मति मंद तुलसी दास पायो परम विश्राम

By the slightest grace of whom, even a dull mind—Tulsi Das obtained supreme rest

Desire is gone, longing is gone, lust is gone. What immense peace! As long as you don't worship the Lord, greed and desire for sense enjoyment cannot be destroyed. Greed, enjoyment of pleasures, hoarding of objects, money, reputation, fame, glory—the desire for sense objects and greed cannot be destroyed. And that person spends their entire life in this, and you destroy them in the form of Time. They don't even know. Those who disregard you waste their lives in vain. They waste them in vain.

Don't let go of chanting the name—hold onto the name. Otherwise your entire life will be wasted. Lord, this Time is your part. It spares no one. Not even our father Brahma. Not Brahman—the self-manifested. There is no one whom Time doesn't consume.

One thing is that with faith, whatever life remains—chant the divine name, listen to divine stories, serve the divine. If you have any capacity in your body, surely establish the worship of the Thakur. Those who have no one do this service themselves. They serve themselves. Establish this. Surely all establish the worship of the Thakur.

If you cannot do elaborate service to the Thakur, then offer even one tulsi leaf at their feet. Bring a leaf from Vrindavan, just two or four leaves like this, and in that very thing our Thakur—the Thakur of Vrindavan—is easily pleased. And whatever food you get, offer it. It is very simple service.

Well, there are no mantras here. It's service—we don't know mantras. We have no mantras for offering food. Radha Radha Radha—complete all service with this. Here, serving with feeling, with emotion, is like a wish-fulfilling cow. The method of feeling is different from all other methods.

O Brahmin, this entire world is afraid of Time. O Supreme Lord, those who have taken shelter in you are free from fear.

Lord Shiva is saying, O princes: This hymn that I have recited—you chant it with supreme purity. You will very soon have the direct vision of the divine. Again and again when Shri Hari is called, when He is meditated upon, when He is served, then Hari comes helplessly. He comes helplessly.

I have recited to you this hymn called Yogadesha. You must contemplate on this. While observing monastic vows, sing this hymn with concentration and respect. This is a most glorious hymn. In ancient times, Lord Brahma, the lord of the Prajapatis who desired to expand the universe, recited this to his sons—the Bhrigu and others—who wished to create progeny. Then it expanded and went forward.

We, through the grace of the guru, have performed the observance of this. We performed it on the banks of the Ganga. Great divine experiences, many on the banks of the Ganga—there was great joy because there was no meeting with anyone. Day and night—when we stayed in ashrams there were scriptures, and when we traveled, there were no scriptures with us. This is about the method of mantra, about the Goddess—whenever, because of worship, when there is the observance of Durga Saraswati, then all this is divine. Divine—but now our people are wasting time and meals in vain.

If you engage in anushthans, then divinity will come to you - as your worthiness increases, you will gradually begin to have darshan. You will have darshan of saints and great souls, darshan of divine powers, darshan of Bhagwan - all of this will begin to happen. Worship of Bhagwan is very difficult because the mind does not become focused. But whoever recites this stotra, whoever listens to it, will easily find their mind becoming focused on the worship of Bhagwan. Bhagwan Shiva is saying: whoever chants the stotra I have sung, whoever listens to it, will obtain whatever they desire. From the chanting and listening to this stotra, the person who wakes up at dawn, in the early morning hours, and with devotion and folded hands chants it or listens to it - that person, through the power of this stotra, becomes free from the bondage of karma and attains Bhagwan.

O princes, I have recited to you the stotra of the Supreme Being, Paramathma. With concentration, perform tapasya. Through tapasya, chant this stotra. Bhagwan Shankar gave this teaching to the Prachetas and immediately disappeared. That lake was no longer there, no animals, no birds, no music, no ragas - nothing remained. Everything that Bhagwan Shiva had manifested disappeared. They bowed in that direction and then went into the ocean and for 10,000 years continued to chant this stotra taught by Bhagwan Rudra. Glory to Bhagwan in Kaliyug. 10,000, 100 years of age - but childhood passes away like that.

Sleep time passes like that. For 10,000 years - no sleeping, no eating, no drinking - standing in the ocean's water. Then hail to Hari in Kaliyug. We say: hail to Kaliyug, which brings attainment of Bhagwan very quickly. For 10,000 years in tapasya, and meanwhile their father, who was an ancient king, was performing yajna. When anyone worships Bhagwan in any way whatsoever, to complete that worship, the association of great souls is obtained. A knower of atma-vidya, supremely merciful Narad Ji saw this: here is only yajna, svaha, svaha. O king, he performed so many yajnas that there was no land left in all of Bharat. What fruit do you desire? The complete destruction of suffering and the attainment of supreme bliss. These are not obtained through karma. The king said: the ancient Bharata king whose son is still in tapasya for 10,000 years - in these yajnas he said: my intellect has become so entangled in karma that it seems to me I cannot do anything except yajna. Other than yajna. And you say that supreme bliss and the complete destruction of suffering are not obtained through karma. Then how is supreme bliss obtained? Because we, living in household life with sons and wife and wealth and yajnas - we consider this to be the highest purpose.

Devṛṣi Narad, grasping his feet, the ancient Bharati king said: How can my highest welfare be achieved? Please give me teaching. Devṛṣi Narad said: Teaching comes later. First, look in the sky. Look - all those creatures you sacrificed in these yajnas are waiting for you in the sky. And when your body falls away, all these will be the cause of your downfall. They will cause you terrible suffering. Don't think that you have attained Bhagwan. Because you have caused suffering to these creatures, in the hunt you have killed living beings. All of them will kill you. Look in the sky. Listen, I will tell you a story. The name of this story is the Puranjan Upakhyan, the Puranjan narrative. Listen carefully. In ancient times there was a very famous king named Puranjan, and he had a friend named Avijnata - avijnata means one whose identity is not known. Puranjan - look, pur is a city, and the one who enjoys in this city is called Puranjan.

Puranjan became the jiva, and Avijnata the friend is our Avijnata friend - Bhagwan. It is a very beautiful narrative. If one understands it. But until one has a pure intellect, still... there was a very famous king named Puranjan, and he had a friend named Avijnata. Bhagwan is everyone's friend. Call out and see. If you consider only Bhagwan as your friend, then you will receive answers. Because the friend called Avijnata, through his causeless grace, loves everyone equally. He creates equal affection. The actions of the friend named Avijnata, no one could understand.

He was such a friend. He gives support, but no one realizes that Bhagwan has supported me. In what form will he come to support you? Now, O king, that king named Puranjan was wandering around. Because he had a craving for enjoyments. To enjoy pleasures, he saw many cities, but none pleased him. He saw 8,399 cities, but none pleased him. One day on the southern slopes of the Himalayas, in the land of Bharat, the land of karma, he saw a palace with nine gates. He saw a city. It was endowed with every kind of good quality. A city with nine gates. How many gates are there in this? Nine. This pleased Puranjan. The jiva liked this body. Very beautiful now they are describing it in allegory. Very beautiful city. It seemed to him that all the effort he had made until now had borne fruit. The search had borne fruit. Wherever he looked, there was nothing but attraction. Now Puranjan thought: what a beautiful palace, what a beautiful place - we have found a place of rest. He accepted it. But as soon as he entered it, a beautiful woman appeared. She was coming from that direction suddenly, and with that beautiful woman were 10 servants, each of whom was the husband of 100 heroines, and a five-hooded serpent was guarding that nine-gated city.

A beautiful maiden appeared. With her were ten strong attendants. Each of these strong servants had a hundred wives. A five-hooded serpent protected that city. This beautiful maiden—a young woman—seemed to be searching for the finest man for marriage. Exceedingly beautiful, as if she were a goddess manifest. Her nose, her row of teeth, her cheeks, her face—all beautiful. And in her youth, modest in nature, she covered herself with her shawl as she came forward. The five-hooded serpent guarded. Ten great servants were with her. Now when she looked at Puranjana with a loving, sideways glance, Puranjana was wounded. A woman's glance strikes the heart—no matter how brave a man is. With a smile and a sideways glance, the arrow goes straight to the heart. Puranjana could not speak. He became completely attached and said: "O lotus-eyed one, who are you?

Whose daughter are you? Where have you come from? You are in this city. What do you wish to do? Who are these ten servants? And all these many companions before you—who are they? And this five-hooded serpent—who is he? Beautiful one, which goddess are you? Are you Kamala? Then where is Kamala's play in lotuses? Are you the goddess of modesty? Which goddess are you? No, no—you cannot be a goddess, because your feet touch the earth, and goddesses' feet do not touch the earth. If you are human, then I have become attached to you by seeing you.

I am very brave, very mighty. But your sidelong glance has made my mind helpless. Therefore, will you not show me your kindness? Sweet-smiling one, I have been sold by the sight of you." Narada Ji says: "Brave king, when Raja Puranjana asked humbly and sadly, this Kamadeva is such a strange archer that no matter how strong someone is, when he draws the arrow, that person falls to their knees. They will touch feet, fold their hands, beg humbly—whatever he desires, the person becomes enslaved. Puranjana became enslaved by seeing that maiden. That young woman said: 'Best of men, I do not know who I am.

It is a very beautiful story. I do not know who created me. I do not know myself, nor do I know others. What is my clan? What is my family? What is my name? Who am I? Where was I born? I know nothing. I only see that I am in this city. Before me is you. I also do not know who built this city, beloved. These are my companions and my female friends, and this serpent protects this city. You have come here—may your welfare be assured. And I will continue to fulfill your desires for worldly pleasures.

Whatever enjoyments you ask for along with your companions, I will continue to provide them.' Now Puranjana became very joyful in this nine-gated city. Puranjani said: 'I am devoted only to you. I will not be intimate with anyone but you. And I am very skilled. I will serve you every pleasure. Whatever you desire—' What else was there? Puranjana, who had already become attached at first sight, became even more attached. The great happiness that renunciate yogis attain—Puranjani could make one forget that bliss. Raja Puranjana, caught in Puranjani's web, surrendered his entire existence completely.

Puranjani said: 'Brave one, in the world, if such a woman as I am is obtained, no man could abandon her. And if I obtained a man like you, I could not reject him.' Now the two of them made their agreement settled, and for a hundred years they lived in that nine-gated city and began to enjoy pleasures. In that city, among the nine gates, seven were above the city. Above the city—one, two, three, four, five, six, seven—and two below the gates. Whenever the king of this city came and went, he came through these gates and left through these gates. Five toward the east—one, two, three, four, five; one toward the south; one toward the north; two below toward the west. Toward the east, the first gate is named Khadatta Avi Mukhi. Two gates with this name. Raja Puranjana goes with his friend Daman to the resplendent city and country.

For now, in narrative form, there are two gates named Nalini and Nalini. With this Avdhut Sourabhh, and toward the east the fifth gate named Mukta—through that he goes with Rasa Vipan to the country of Bahudan. Puranjana—those gates toward the west where there is a gate named Asuri, he goes to the country of Gramas with Durmat. The second gate toward the west named Nairriti—with Lubdhak he goes to the country named Vais. Puranjana wandered among these gates. Among the residents of this city, Nirvak and Peshkrut were two blind citizens.

Taking their refuge, he goes. Now, to please Puranjani, he dedicated his entire life. How? He was deceived. He was deceived by the hands of a woman. Deceived by the woman. Servitude upon servitude, slavery upon slavery. Now she would drink wine and give him wine too. Intoxicated by passion, if Puranjani sang, he sang. If Puranjani laughed, Puranjana laughed. If she wept, he wept. Whatever she did, he did the same. She ran, so he ran. She stood, so he stood. Whatever she said—he was deceived by the beautiful Puranjani. Raja Puranjana was completely deceived. Puranjani's retinue trampled the king under their feet, made him their subject. That fool made himself like a pet monkey in a house. Her metaphor will be described further ahead.

Now one day Raja Puranjana, bearing his vast golden bow, golden armor, and inexhaustible quiver, sat in a chariot drawn by the swift-moving five qualities with the eleventh commander, and went to a forest named Panchaprastha. Two wheels, one axle, three banners, five reins, one bridle, one charioteer, and one place for the warrior to sit—where Puranjana sat. Narada Ji is giving such a beautiful metaphor. Now, in his passion for hunting, who cares? What is the point? Who should he kill, who should he not kill? In his passion for hunting, he committed great sins. That is, in his passion for desire and enjoyment, acting as he pleased with demoniac nature, this Puranjana—caught in the web of pleasing Puranjani—does not realize that I am acting in such a way that because of these actions, I will have to go to lower births, to hell.

To gather fragrance, sandalwood, garlands—all these provisions—simply to keep Puranjanee pleased. How can Puranjanee smile? She does smile, but by making him subordinate. As the soul becomes subordinate, intellect gradually attaches him more and more. Oh, what a terrible condition this is! If one understands this game, liberation happens right now. Run away! This is the play of Puranjan. In this, Puranjan has become entangled by desire for enjoyment. Abandon desire. Who is Puranjan? When the Self and Puranjan become one, just as when you remove the mirror, the reflection disappears. When that hunter came back from the game, Puranjanee would not speak to him.

He asked the maidservants with folded hands: Puranjan has completely ruined me. What offense have I committed? The maidservants said: O King, we do not know what your beloved wife has decided. She is angry today and will not speak at all. Puranjan had become so attached. He fell at her feet, distressed. Only an attached man can understand Puranjanee's attachment. There is a difference between an enjoyer and one who is attached. An enjoyer can find pleasure anywhere—it doesn't matter to him. An attached person is also an enjoyer. But when attachment is given, whoever they become attached to, they remain attached to that one alone.

They cannot even lift their eyes to look at another. This Puranjan was attached to Puranjanee. Very distressed, he fell at her feet and said: Beautiful one, those servants are very unfortunate who cannot please their master. And if I have committed an offense, then give me appropriate punishment, because the punishment given by one's beloved is very sweet. But please do not speak like this—do not give me such punishment. Whatever entreaty a man makes, Puranjan made all those entreaties. He showed great affectations. It is written: affectation. He showed great affectations. And when she saw that Puranjan had become completely subordinate to her,

then she smiled. Now, with his mind attached to that temptress, he did not even notice that his lifespan was passing. That beautiful woman so attached Puranjan that he forgot the purpose for which he had come, and spending his entire life attached to Puranjanee, his whole youth passed as if only half a moment had gone by. From Puranjanee came 1100 sons and 110 daughters. All tendencies—these vrittis. This entire family became known by the name Pouranjanee. All married one another—the sons with brides, the daughters with husbands. The entire life passed in lust. Even reaching old age, he did not distance himself from Puranjanee. In this time, a gandharva named Chandaveg lived there—360 mighty gandharvas lived within him. There are 365 days.

360 mighty gandharvas, and with them the same number of gandharvis in paired form. Paired form—the dark and bright fortnights alternately circling around, continuously destroying this nine-gated city filled with the materials of pleasure and enjoyment. Chandaveg, with his attendants, began to destroy King Puranjan's city. Then the five-hooded serpent stopped him. This Puranjan, who guarded the city, fought alone for 100 years against 720 gandharvas and gandharvis. From fighting many warriors, he became weakened.

Now, enslaved to his wife, lying in the palace, old Puranjan only realized nearby that enemies had surrounded him. One day, Death's daughter, searching for a husband, was wandering through the three worlds. No one accepted her. She was called unfortunate by Death's daughter—old age, decrepit age—and so no one accepted her. She came forcibly and took Puranjan. Old age, decrepit age. [sound of clearing throat] This is our condition. All of us—this is Puranjan's condition entirely. Later we will also explain this further.

The king of the invaders came down from above with his best warriors and attacked Puranjan. And this went unnoticed by Puranjan. This daughter of Death—wherever she goes, whoever she approaches, she withers. And Yamaraj, Death himself, then destroys him. His brother is named Prajvala. These traverse the three worlds at a terrible pace. Now such an attack came upon his city that everything was destroyed and ruined—the entire city cannot be seen with the eyes, cannot be heard with the ears. The teeth also are not working. All this is old age. The Yavanas forcibly plundered his wealth.

When Puranjan saw that everything was destroyed and ruined, he lay embracing Puranjanee. Even now, if he would let go, he could be saved. But he still desires pleasures. He can still experience his wife the way he did on the first day they met. But when the time came to part, when Death, old age, disease—all attacked him, Prajvala set fire—the entire city burned. Puranjan became very distressed. Death's daughter caused pain to the serpent and subdued it. Prajvala attacked. Just as a serpent living in a hole flees when fire is set,

so the five-hooded serpent barely escaped from this city with great difficulty. Those five breaths—Puranjan is now still without wisdom. Still he clings, still he embraces, still clinging to his wife's love, to Puranjanee's love. He is dying. Still he only thinks this: such a beautiful wife of mine, such devotion, such love. His knowledge and vision have been completely destroyed. In ignorance, so overwhelmed with grief, he thought only of his Puranjanee that he became absorbed in her alone. Now in ignorance, in this state, he did not remember his unfamiliar friend. He could have been saved.

Now the merciless Yamaraj beat him forcefully. Beat him with force. He forcefully pulled out the life force, and at that final moment he was looking at his beloved wife. This is why Goswami Ji has prayed: "Let my attachment to a woman be like the desire of the greedy and the affection of the beloved for wealth—may Raghunatah be forever dear to me in the same way." It is a beautiful state. If he could maintain that same attachment toward God, it would be a beautiful state. But attachment to a woman brought him ruin. Then in his last moments he was clasping his beloved wife, and thinking of her, in the next birth he became a beautiful princess in the kingdom of Vidarbha Raja. Puranjan became a princess because of his attachment to Puranjani—the king of Vidarbha.

Thinking of a woman made him become a woman. When she grew up and became the princess of Vidarbha, and the time came for marriage, the Vidarbha Raja proclaimed that the most supreme and powerful warrior would marry her. So Malaydhvaj defeated all the kings and married that princess. From her he had seven sons. These seven sons—she became the princess Puranjani. As time went on and Malaydhvaj grew older, he became a worshipper of bhajan—dedicated to the bhajan of Bhagavan Shri Krishna. He went to Malaya mountain, and the princess who had become queen—she who had been Puranjani—followed behind him, saying to Maharaj, "I too am devoted to you." But this wheel is turning, and it is not just their story—it is our story, your story. As we go further, I will tell you who Puranjani is. She is the intellect. This very intellect is what is causing ruin. Now he practiced great tapasya and performed bhajan, and Malaydhvaj gave up his body.

Now she is holding that body and weeping. "Yes, my beloved! Yes, my beloved! You have left me and gone." Bhagavan showed mercy at that moment. He appeared and asked in the form of a Brahmin: "Who are you? Whose daughter are you? Why are you grieving?" He asked: "Who is this sleeping man? Can you tell me? Look toward me. I am your unknown friend. We used to play together. But you have forgotten me. I have not forgotten you. O friend, remember me. I am your friend named Abhijnata. You have forgotten me by becoming absorbed in pleasures."

"But I have not forgotten you. Even now I stand behind you to remind you of me. Look—we are both like hansas (swans). That is the truth. According to the scriptures, we are both one and the same. It is a profound statement. But friend, you forgot me out of desire for worldly pleasures and began to wander in this world. You wandered around and became attached to one woman. Five gardens, nine gates, one gatekeeper, three fortifications, six merchant classes, five markets, five elements—this is how she is constructed. Her mistress, one woman, and caught in the cycle of this woman, you met your death."

This is woman-intellect. The five sense objects—sound, touch, form, taste, smell—these are the gardens. These nine gates of this city are the eyes, ears, nose, mouth, genitals, anus, and two others. Water, food—these are the fortifications. The mind and five sense organs are the six merchant classes. The action is the power—these are the five action organs. The five great elements are the marketplace, the eternal, never-diminishing cause. And the intellect itself is Puranjani. You have become trapped in the intellect. To escape from the intellect, you must not be attached to it. You must maintain the witness consciousness. Do not accept its judgments. Until the consciousness of the witness comes, you remain attached to the intellect. Whatever it decides, it will make happen. The intellect makes you do whatever it wants. This is Puranjan. The jiva has become attached to the intellect. Listen to this profound teaching.

"O friend, you are not a woman. Look—you are not a woman. Stand up." Now the princess Vidarbha is holding her husband's corpse and weeping. "You were first Puranjan. In the cycle of Puranjani you became a woman. Your suffering has happened many times. You are not a woman—stand up. And look at your true form. I am your sakha. You are weeping for the one whose company has caused your suffering. In your true form, this is the guru. This is the unknown sakha. In your true form, you have not become forgetful—you are neither woman nor man."

"Look, are you not the daughter of Vidarbha Raja? Is Malaydhvaj not your husband? Be alert. In the last birth you were Puranjan. You fell into the cycle of Puranjani. In this birth you became a princess. You fell into the cycle of Malaydhvaj. O, you are my sakha. Where have you become trapped? In the first birth you thought of yourself as a man. In this birth you believe yourself to be a woman. Look, look toward me. Your form and my form are one. I am the hansa. Now she who was weeping—'Yes, my beloved, my beloved'—became alert and looked toward Bhagavan. Bhagavan said: 'Look most beautifully—aham bhavan cha tam evaviksha. Look, look toward me. There is no difference between you and me. Your form is my form. I and you are one. Aham bhavan—there is no other. I am you. You are me. Consider this. Consider this. You are what I am. What I am, that you are. Look—there is not the slightest difference between you and me.'"

"One person sees his body's reflection in a mirror, and in another person's eyes, they appear different and separate. But it is only in the mirror and in the eyes that it appears this way. It is one and the same. Therefore, I am the Self. That is you. There is no difference between me and you. You are the jiva, and I am the Ishvar. What I am as Ishvar, you have forgotten and become trapped in this nine-gated body. Wake up, O hansa! Wake up, O mind-swan! Wake up at the manasarovara! Bhagavan awakens the one whom no one else can awaken. How could it be otherwise? Immediately, the princess, the queen who had been weeping, experienced atma-jnana instantly and became the form of Bhagavan."

All attachments and delusions were immediately destroyed. (One) became absorbed in the divine form, that is, in the manifest sakhi. In ancient times, you are that Puranjana, whose story I have narrated to you in indirect form. Now hear its clear description. The meaning of the Puranjana narrative, as Devakshi Narad explains, the essence of the matter is, brother—we have all become entangled in the cycles of intellect and mind, and caught in this, we repeatedly experience the cycle of birth and death. There is nothing else to be done. The account is settled in one moment. When a complete Sadguru is found, it is simply this: "Arise, you." There is no other sadhana except the renunciation of non-practices. One must simply awaken. Like when called to wake up, "Arise, arise!"—those are the ones crying in the cycle. This cycle—again death, again birth. How long will this continue? O wake up! How to awaken? There is awakening if naam jap is happening. And observe carefully: if the intellect is leading us toward enjoyments, then it is causing our downfall.

Remain as the witness, remain with witness consciousness. Fight against this, do not yield to it. Do not bend the knee. And how much this internal faculty burns the heart! See, when you deny it, how much it burns! The enjoyments you are enjoying—do not give in to only those. Then watch the turmoil (of the mind and senses). When the mind and intellect become opposed to you, then see: if you repeatedly fail to understand and make the wrong choice, how will wisdom ever come? Then you must bend the knee. Yes, they say: we want this food, bring it, we bring it right away. Show us this, we show it immediately. This is what is going on, this whole play inside this city. See, the entire play is happening inside this city. The five-hooded serpent is the prana. Puranjani is the intellect. As the intellect decides, so the intellect says. This demon—even if we are ever so great a saint, if our intellect has decided, we accept it. And who is there (to stop it)? The true self is directly a fragment of the Supreme Lord, is the divine form. And God is with us, always God is with us. Now (the Lord) calls to the manifest sakhi, when in the form of the princess of Vidarbha this happened, the Lord said, "Grasp the corpse and rise, see—we both are one hamsa, you are not female, nor is anyone male. The divine form, brother—this is what is to be known. Knowing this, conduct yourself accordingly. That is why in ancient times, the guru taught scriptures in the gurukul.

Discipline, vows, austerity, worship, realization of God, and then go into family life, into the marketplace. Now no one can capture you. And here from birth, mother and father call the child; there they teach all the arrangements. The solution is the attainment of God. Therefore, listen to satsang very carefully, and with vigilance, in this birth, for the attainment of God, perform your duties while chanting the naam with great devotion. Further discussion ahead, Sri Radha Vallabh Lal.

This text is taken from the video's auto-generated captions—there may be errors in the words. To hear the authentic words, please listen to the video.

Original video: Shri Hit Radha Kripa (YouTube)