Private Conversation and Darshan #1380

Shri Hit Radha Keli Kunj, Vrindavan. Private conversation with Pujya Shri Hit Premanand Govind Sharan Ji Maharaj. Sadhaks ask questions about their lives and sadhana, and Maharaj Ji answers them.

Full Discourse

Akash Dubey from Jamshedpur: Radhe-Radhe Maharaj Ji, Radhe-Radhe Maharaj Ji. Maharaj Ji, for the past seven or eight months I have been listening to your satsang. Maharaj Ji, I have a question: just as the atma is imperishable, is the mind also imperishable? And does the same mind accompany the atma through different bodies in different births?

Maharaj Ji: The destruction of the mind is inevitable. When the mind is conquered and the body is brought under control, when confusion departs and the mind becomes desireless—that is the death of the mind. Without desire, there is no mind. Desire itself is the mind. The destruction of desire is the quietening of the antarkarana.

The intellect's certainty, the mind's resolve and wavering, the heart's contemplation, and the ego's sense of doership and enjoyment—this is all maya. When through bhagavat-chintana we make the mind free of resolve, when we free the intellect from worldly certainty, when we make the heart empty of contemplation or devoted entirely to bhagavat-chintana, and when the ego is surrendered at the feet of the Lord, then the antarkarana dissolves. The atma-swarupa then neither does nor experiences anything.

That is why the Gita says in the Fifth Chapter: "Eating, drinking, walking, smelling, doing everything, yet doing nothing—because the antarkarana has dissolved."

Now, though the body moves through nature's action, the atma-swarupa remains established. The mind's becoming free of objects is the death of the mind. The mind's contemplating objects is the mind's living on. And at the root, in the midst of the senses—"indriyaanaam manasynasmi"—the Lord says, "Among the senses I am the mind. Everything is the Lord." When the mind is eliminated, the entanglement is cut. Now that one has become Krishna-filled. The intellect has become Krishna-filled, the heart has become Krishna-filled, the ego has merged in Krishna, so the antarkarana has dissolved.

Now when the antarkarana dissolves, what remains is the atma-swarupa. That one becomes a jivanmukta, a great soul—no birth, no death. As long as the antarkarana lives, birth and death continue. The five senses of knowledge, the five senses of action, and the antarkarana, driven by the three gunas—this jiva experiences repeated birth, repeated death. Though birthless, it undergoes birth again and again, death again and again. This illusory existence is not true. Truth is that which is birthless, imperishable, consciousness itself, perfectly pure—the paramatma-swarupa. But that consciousness gets caught in matter, in the changeable, in pleasure and pain, holding to this body and world, keeping the antarkarana alive.

Only that one who destroys this undergoes repeated birth and death.

Your question is whether we can see the atma within. If you were separate—the seer and the atma separate—then you could see it. But when you go to see, you cannot see because you are it. Experience is immediate. The Upanishad says "Tat Tvam Asi." Tat means that Paramatma, Tvam means you, Asi means you are. You are it. When you go searching, the searcher disappears. When you find, you find yourself. As long as we search, as long as we function from the perspective of the seeker, there is duality. When you find, the seeker disappears.

"Knowing you become Brahma, Brahma becomes you." There is no other, only one Brahma exists. That is the atma, that is the Paramatma, and that is you. It cannot be seen through the eyes, because the eyes are material, external. To the extent we look outward through the antarkarana, we see only what the antarkarana shows. The atma is not an object of sight. The atma is that which gives power to the eyes—it is the witness. The eyes cannot see it. It is known through experience. The experience of "I" comes from oneself. Self-experience comes from oneself. It is experienced through the jnana-drishti—the vision of knowledge.

It is not seen in that way. Other things are seen in that way. It is not seen that way. When the capacity for outward seeing ends, from there the jnana-drishti appears. Through the jnana-drishti comes the experience of the atma-tattva. Just as we cannot see the Lord through the material eye—when our prema-drishti, our eyes of love, awaken, when what is called the divine vision awakens, then we can see the Lord, because that divine vision is the atma-swarupa. Right now it is caught in material maya. With eyes of maya, sat-chit-ananda cannot be seen.

That experience is direct, and it is you. Yes, the atma is not other than you. You are the atma. So you experience yourself through yourself. Not through intellect, not through mind, not through heart, not through ego.

Akash: Maharaj Ji, from this perspective, we can see our mind, intellect, heart, and ego. Right now all of the absorption is in the mind, in the antarkarana. "I have decided. I want to see. I want to eat this. I want to hear." Whose demands are these?

Maharaj Ji: The senses. So we do not understand this. We become absorbed in the antarkarana and get trapped. Now return. Cut these demands—recognize that they are the demands of the senses, not your demands. Yes. As you return, return, when you come back, the antarkarana will become peaceful, will become pure. Just as in still, clear water we can see what is below, so too, what lies beneath the antarkarana—that which illuminates the antarkarana—that is the atma-tattva, and that is me. That is me. It is nothing else. Just as if someone asks you who you are, you describe the body, not yourself. When you look in a mirror, you see the body, you do not see yourself, is that not so? Yes. Now when you stop seeing this body, when you stop identifying with the body, then you will turn toward yourself.

That is what is called vairagya. When one develops detachment from the body and bodily relations, from enjoyments and those connected to the body, then one turns back toward one's true nature. Right now we are stuck in this. We are stuck in mud—in the five elements' mud. This is a great quagmire of illusion. Only God can take us across this. Yes. Pavan Kumar Ji from Aligarh. Dear Guru, countless prostrations to your feet, O Lord. Dear Guru, just as with continuous naam jap, kirtan, surrender mantra, and constant contemplation of God, the impact of our desire, anger, and so on diminishes.

But I say, practice it and see—it does not just diminish, it is destroyed. Through continuous practice, the word is "continuous," so when some distraction comes, then desire and anger arrive. If there is no distraction, then where is the room for desire and anger? When one string of contemplation of God is running, then where is the time for these? Dear Guru, there was another question in this: just as when this surrender mantra is there, when by the grace of Shiva there is naam jap happening, when we are doing kirtan by your grace, then when distraction occurs—which happens due to our ignorance—just as our naam is slipping away, Dear Guru, Lord, we cannot even contemplate God, then what happens is that then these things, I mean desire, becomes dominant, Dear Guru, Lord, then it seems like this: now then, as you tell us, we will have to fight, we have to struggle in sadhana, we have to forcibly do naam jap, we have to do kirtan, and then when a little taste of that thing comes, when the taste of sadhana, kirtan is coming, then that is lost, then yes, this will continue until direct vision of God occurs, because desire and anger are not someone else's—they are [sound of nose] their son, their child. Today he told us that the first son who manifested of Shri Krishna Lord was Pradyumna Ji—this is the avatar of kama. Nothing is theirs alone; everything belongs to them. Now sadhana is merely an instrument for us. The matter will be settled by weeping. Kabir said: stop laughing and weep; practice love. Without weeping, how will you obtain the beloved companion of love? It seems to me that we are helpless. For the helpless, He is the helper. When we have lost in every way, then divine power arises within us.

As long as worldly power is present, divine power is not. Worldly power cannot conquer maya. Listen, I am powerless; the power of Ram, the power of Hari—to whom does that come? It comes to the powerless. Listen, the powerless has the power of Ram. Apart from that—the power of austerity and the power of arms is the fourth power—courage, youth, through grace—all power is lost. Hear the Lord's name, O beautiful one; I am powerless and have the power of Ram. Now let go of ego. Then neither do we have the ego of our own sadhana nor the ego of bhakti nor the ego of knowledge—nowhere, and if all this drops away, then God takes care. Always be like a child whose mother guards him.

Just as a mother protects her child, so God protects His devotee. But that ego must be destroyed. Through repeated practice, the foolish becomes wise—rope comes and goes on stone, making marks. We, when we repeatedly practice naam jap, mantra jap, kirtan, then this practice becomes strong and that other practice will end. The practice that has been there for countless births—of desire, anger, greed, delusion, pride, jealousy—that will end. But this stirring will remain as long as there is impurity within us. And when the heart becomes pure and clean, then there is no stirring either.

Oosar baras tan nahi jama, sant hriday jim utpat na kama.
On barren land no seed will sprout; in a saint's heart desire will not arise.

When the heart becomes pure, then desire itself will not arise. Just as if you sow any seed on barren land, sprouting will never happen, because barren land is not fertile. Similarly, when the heart becomes pure, then no matter how many contacts with objects occur, desire cannot arise within it.

Na swatma ramam, vishay mrig trishna bhramayati.

I must not lose heart in bhajan and other practices; I must pursue with enthusiasm and go forward. However much force these desires and anger have, Thakur Ji is there, He will see. We are surrendered, we are in His refuge. Not only in Thakur Ji's refuge, but in the refuge of His devotees. So if He does not see, then His devotees will see and tell Him: "Look, Guru Ji, see this—your surrendered one is here." And if they see, then everything will be fulfilled. Those whose grace glance is one-fold—Goswami Tulsidas says:

Jaki kripa lav lesh te, mati mand Tulsi-das, Ho payau param vishram.

With even a fraction of his grace, though Tulsidas had a dull mind, he obtained supreme peace. There is no one like Ram to be the Lord. With merely one grace glance of His, supreme peace comes. Supreme peace means no disturbance remains, the heart is peaceful and pure. This will happen only by God's grace. O Maharaj, please show grace.

So that His strange, colorful, enchanting maya does not show its effect before our eyes. Otherwise, maya is so beautiful that God is postponed for the future. We say we will meet God tomorrow. Today we will enjoy with maya. Today we will enjoy pleasures, and in the future we will attain God. This is what the mind says, and thus great deception happens. The future is not in our hands. Whether we live until evening or not—we do not know. We must love God now. We must do naam jap of God now. We must connect with God now, and then our life will be blessed.

Dear Guru, continuity—and more yes, just don't become afraid. Even if we lose, don't be afraid. Even if we fall, don't be afraid. Walk like a brave person. It is as if we have failed. Suppose we have become corrupt, but we will not stop. Still, Radha, Radha, Radha, Radha—all will be well, because it is a very big war, not a small one. We are fighting with very great warriors. Great conquerors have been defeated by desire and anger. Look at Narad Ji—desire conquered him. Read his story and see what state he reached. Great sages and sages have been so defeated. Such is God's maya.

Therefore, we are children. Become small and slip away, and wherever you fall, cry out from there. Look—the Lord's maya is making us fall; Lord, please save us. Whoever saves us will ensure we get good marks. Even if we fall, we will still get good marks. Passing is guaranteed on this path. There is no failure on this path. If we have chanted the naam 100 times and then became corrupt, we will receive punishment for the corruption. But those 100 times of naam are credited to us. When our bhajan begins after those 100 times, it will start from 101, not from 99. This is the benefit in it. And even if we become corrupt, we are still the Lord's person.

There is great comfort in this. Such a person is born into the homes of great, respectable, wealthy people, and the sprouts of bhakti in the heart—those make him great. There is no loss in doing bhajan. Just apply yourself. Apply yourself to bhajan. Ajay Chaudhary Ji from Jammu, at the feet of Shri Hari, countless prostrations at Maharaj Ji's feet. Maharaj Ji, my question is this: when we go on foot pilgrimage, whoever people we meet give us food and drink, they give us money. Should we accept that honor and sustenance? If you don't have it, you can take it. And if you have it, why would you destroy your merit? Because whoever feeds you, gives you drink, gives you money becomes your partner in the pilgrimage and takes your merit. You are coming suffering such hardship, and God has given you the means to eat your own.

You can use what is yours. So you should not take from others. And if you don't have it, then in our pilgrimage God provides help in some form or another. We should accept that help. If you have it, then we should not accept help. We should fold our hands and say: If you provide the meal, then we will give you ₹100. You will have to accept it. If we don't give it, then we won't take the food. If you proceed with such intention, then all that merit will become that person's, and if someone else massages your feet, someone gives you clothes, someone gives you money, they take all of that. Our austerity, our merit—it keeps diminishing. So be careful about this. If you can see your condition—if God has given you the means, then don't take from anyone. And if it is so, then believe that God is helping me in these forms. I am asking this out of great caution. Just as on such foot pilgrimage, or when you go for the sight of some saint or God, or when you go to some sacred place—don't make videos. All this is display and no benefit comes from it. You have published everything; all the effort is lost; nothing came to hand; you only got applause. Keep showing that same video to others. A big poster: "Walking 670 kilometers on foot." All this is not right. All this is not right. I had gone on foot from Jammu to Vrindavan. It was like this—in the evening, wherever I would stay, I would only tell that I left from here this morning and reached here by evening.

Yes, and like this, for seven or eight days I did it, and after that I stopped it. I don't know what happened, but I just stopped. This posting, this swaying, making videos—I did all of it. Then many people started saying these are just dramas. He's doing it like this. He's doing it like that. It's for show. Yes, so people will know and I will present myself. When no one even knows us. We have gone taking God's name, for the sight of saints, for the divine abodes. When sadhana hides display—to display it becomes display, and no benefit comes from it.

Understand: if you describe your austerity from your own mouth, it is destroyed at that very moment. If someone insults us, our merit increases. And if someone praises us and we feel pleased hearing it, then our sins increase. Our merit is destroyed. People don't know this scriptural way. If you feed 10 brahmins, feed 10 sadhus, then in 50 places you will say I went to Vrindavan and all that went—that ignorant being doesn't know, he destroys his own merit. That's why no benefit comes. Even feeding one saint—its benefit will work as great wealth during times of hardship in your life. It's an ordinary thing. Meeting with a saint should be—give up maya and ego. "Whichever step forward is taken equals crores of sacrifices." Then no change has come to you. This means you have advertised and lost everything. How will change come?

So this care and if Maharaj Ji does it naturally, then there is no harm in it. But how will it happen naturally? Who knows us? That we are going from Kashmir and where? We wore it on our chest. Maharaj Ji, no—you should not wear it like this. Just walk at ease. Those walking in secret—where are they walking? On foot—who knows? No one even comes asking. Such faith is not there. Well, is it a saint's garb? So someone will come and bow? "Come Maharaj, stay with us." Exhausted—when you are completely tired and you arrived, did anyone serve you? Did anyone serve you?

You have received the complete fruit of it. But no one would want that. Like when I was coming here as Maharaj Ji, many people were giving me money and food. I was refusing them. Yes, if you do not have something with you, then we permit it—God is helping us for our journey to be successful. One should accept it. And if we do not have it, then we should not take it. If we can eat with hardship, if we can go through difficulties, then we will endure the hardship and go. Suppose we do not get a full meal, then we will put in a little grain and nourish our life. God knows it. When we endure hardship for Him, the grace He will bestow on us—that is a small grace compared to what these people give. People will give ₹2,000, will give food, but when Thakur Ji shows grace, He will fix what has been ruined over lifetimes. These people do not understand. If Bihari Ji built a small flower pavilion, then big boards get put up. Boards do not get put up. It is right. Bihari Ji never put a board over you. When you gave something that Bihari Ji had given to you, then you had a board put up.

This is wrong. This is the subject of destroying one's merit. Himanshu Tiwari Ji from Jabalpur—Shri Harivansh, Shri Harivansh Maharaj Ji. Radhe Radhe. Countless prostrations at your feet. Maharaj Ji, you once told us that to attain a particular goal, one must do particular sadhana. Just as to attain Shri Ji, her naam jap is needed, ashtayam seva, the vani of Shri Ji, and so on. In the same way, what kind of sadhana must one do for the bhakti and grace of Bhagwan Shiv? Maharaj Ji, the very first sadhana is this: if you want to please any God, then surrender yourself to Him.

This is called sharanagati. Just as—Bhagwan Shankara, mind, speech, and deed—O Shiv, I am yours. The first need is this: Shiv does not want these worldly things. What do people think of God? Listen, infinite universes have manifested with just one thought of His. You are children of that God, my friend. Whatever you have is all given by Him. So what will you give to Him? Then how shall we serve God? Everything is given by Him. Like a father brought apples for his four sons and gave one to each. Now one of the boys ran up and started offering one to his father's mouth.

The father brought it. He gave it so the boy could have it. But the boy obtained it first. What will the father do? The father will pick him up in his lap, caress him, take the apple from him, and feed it to him with his own hand. This is exactly what my God does. When a devotee offers bhog, the plate comes back. But it becomes such great service—the principle is: "Govinda, to You I offer this thing of Yours." What is Yours, I offer to You. So first, to please God, give everything to Him, but not dishonestly. Just as in the aarti it is sung, "Body, mind, wealth, all are Yours, O Lord."

Do we live up to this? Dishonesty is dishonesty. Do we truly believe everything is God's? If we do, then whether He keeps it with us—glory, glory—or takes everything away—glory, glory—we should not feel bad, because our thing is kept with you as a trust. If we took it, why would it bother you? But no, it bothers us. We only say with our words: "Body, mind, wealth, all are Yours." We do not live up to it. If we did live up to it, then by merely saying these words, we would attain God. Because God—listen, the goddess Lakshmi keeps massaging his feet. He does not even look toward Lakshmi. He remains absorbed in his own bliss. In the maya of our God, there is a mountain called Mount Sumeru. It is 4 lakh yojanas large. One yojana means four kos. One kos means 3 kilometers. A 4 lakh yojana mountain of gold. If you put a crown of one or two kilos on Him, have you done something great? Those whose one thought manifested infinite universes—if we become His, that itself is the greatest worship. And Bhagwan Shiv is a very carefree God. The fruit of datura, the flower of belpatra, one handful of water—Har Har Mahadev—He is pleased to such an extent. But formerly, true sadhana has this form: to dedicate body, mind, and soul to God. Do you understand? Gurudev, you have had the darshan of Bhagwan Shiv. Then what kind of sadhana did you do to attain Him? What sadhana did you follow? You would lie on the banks of the Ghat, dedicating body, mind, and soul, not wasting a single breath.

Even today, we have not a single rupee. Never in life have I taken it, never in life have I kept it, never in life will I keep it. Never was there anyone such that food would come to the Ghat. Never did I get a full meal. Sometimes someone gave one sweet. Now today, God keeps me as He does, and I remain as I am. That was not the kind of life. One garment only, and one focus—direct vision of God. I came out from childhood. At eleven years of age. It was not that I came out from some misery or calamity or difficulty and became a baba. I came out with full understanding—what is my goal? So there remains a longing for the attainment of that very goal. Now from eleven to fifty-five, fifty-six years of age. This entire span of life has passed. Only in God. I do not have even one friend in the world. So how would I have an enemy? When there is no friend, how can there be an enemy? All are God-like. I love everyone. But I do not keep friendship with anyone. No attachment, no entanglement, no friendship, no enmity. In everyone I hold the vision of God. So this is the very mood—there at the banks of the Ghat in Kashi, in the form of a beggar, whatever I receive for sustenance—sometimes a portion of satva, sometimes two pieces of candy.

Day and night I had the longing—I had to attain God. So whatever we desire, God fulfills it. Now He has graciously sent us to Vrindavan. He sent us to worship Priya Preetam, and since we had to serve this community, He [sound of clearing throat] arranged such a circumstance for us. So it is all His divine play. Through the grace of Shiva alone, whatever we have received is received through His grace. But for us there was no one besides Shiva Ji. We never went to any ashram. We never slept in any monastery or temple.

Sleeping on the ghats and crying out in distress. How will we meet the Lord? How will you come to us? We simply know nothing. How will you appear? So when someone becomes humble and serves God in a solitary place while crying, this call reaches God. Without feeling, I have never heard the cry. And a cry filled with feeling compels me, makes me helpless. God comes under the control of feeling alone. These things are not mere objects—only feeling is needed. Call out to Him with feeling and He will surely give you darshan. But who truly desires darshan? Not really, no one truly desires darshan. When the matter of desiring darshan comes, child, it is as if someone kneads your heart. Perhaps this is what you call love—constantly a special anguish, constantly a special wound—as if a person has only one thought: when will the Lord come, when will He come, when will He come. Now it is like your mother, your father, your brother, your family.

So you enjoy living your life, don't you? Think of one who has abandoned mother, father, brother, relatives—everything—despite having them all. No comfort, no convenience, no entertainment. Only for God. Then when the desire for God comes, when the desire to attain God arises—when that heart is broken for God, when that anguish comes—how will He come, whose door should I go to, whom should I ask, how will you appear to me—that distress, when God sees that distress, then God is in everything, God is everywhere, God is in every form. In whatever form you desire, see God's darshan in that form. But who truly desires God's darshan? Who desires it? I want to see you, I want to love you. The whole world loves those related to them, but I have broken every bond—only for your love. Now I must look into your eyes like no other. Is there anyone like that? And if there is one, then their eyes have met.

It is not that the Lord appears just like that, in meditation. I have seen Him as you see me. The Lord—precisely at noon, in the blazing sun, not a single soul on any of the eighty ghats. And in that scorching heat, barefoot, holding a small trident in hand, vast matted locks, and such a form that just seeing it is like a thirsty person finding water, a hungry person finding food—if someone has that longing, then like that in Kashi... But today you do not remember Bhola Baba, you do not remember Him. When you have forgotten, then you remember. Just as we do not remember this body and yet we have not forgotten it—tell me, when you wake up after sleeping, you must remember that I am a man.

I am a woman. Who am I? No, you were always in His remembrance. Even in sleep you were, because when you wake you immediately become active. Just so, if you ask Shiva, He has never forgotten. It means if you look carefully, you will see whether we have forgotten or not. Shankara's attendant—like him, Karpoor gourarm karuna avtaaram sansaar saaram bhujagendraaram—His disciples are like that, His servants are like that. If you look carefully, with concentration, you will understand. But there should be that concentration, there should be that vision—as the sentiment is, so the Lord's grace. As His beloved Maharaj Ji looks. Now even from this we can see that almost every other day from somewhere, a jyotirlinga, prasad comes for you, some attendant comes, and it shows that love, too—their love for you is like His own. Whatever there is is in the vessel of Shiva's love.

If it belongs to Priya Preetam, it is through the grace of Shiva alone. The vessel itself is Shiva's grace. The nectar in that vessel is Radha and Krishna's, Priya Preetam's. But the vessel is Shiva. The vessel is Shiva and the nectar is Priya Preetam's. Radhe Radhe, Maharaj Ji. Maharaj Ji, for the past thirty years I have been indulging—caught in daily intoxication, loss of vitality, and foul conduct. In 2020, through YouTube I heard your satsang. I have given up ninety percent of intoxication and other indulgences. Maharaj Ji, after bathing at the Maha Kumbh and visiting Kashi, I made a resolve that I would never take intoxication again.

I will not engage in foul conduct. Maharaj Ji, how will I maintain this for the rest of my life? Nam jap. When you do not have the spiritual strength that comes from nam jap, then no vow, no rule, no knowledge becomes successful. We should not think this way. But we should also have the capacity within us that I will not do it. Otherwise the senses and mind are very strong and will forcibly make us do these things. So to gain capacity we need bhajan. Whatever name is dear to you, the name of God—chant that name. And the feeling that should arise in us when we chant the name will come only when we do not eat meat, do not drink alcohol.

Do not look with foul eyes at others' mothers and sisters. If we commit these sins, then there will be no interest in bhajan. Then it becomes merely a show, mere drama. Then the rosary and cloth bag, but foul conduct—what is the benefit? There is none. God says on the path of God, we are telling you: do not put on a show. Walk with truth. Even if you walk a little, God will be pleased with that much. And these days the show has become very childish. A rosary and cloth bag in hand, schemes in the mind, filth in conduct. We are getting no benefit. We are saying: do not put on a show.

Do some bhajan. Keep your conduct pure. Live with restraint. Do good for others. God will be pleased. You live abroad? Yes sir. I live in America. Yes. So staying pure there is very difficult.

For the past five years, every Tuesday I go for the darshan of Hanumanji. I read the Sundarkand. I was 23 years old when I left. I was alone and got caught up in dirty things there—in the circle of alcohol and such. So recently, just a few months ago, I started doing naam jap. Three, four—good.

I have given up alcohol. 95%—no, give it up 100%! Today here in Vrindavan. After coming to our place, some percent remained—give it up 100% completely. I have just taken the vow that after the Mahakumbh bath I will never touch it. Yes. No—and right now, here in Vrindavan, strengthen your resolve and say: I will never drink alcohol, never will I even touch alcohol with my hand, I will never do intoxication. Yes, that's right. The second thing—meat. I have given up meat to a large extent. No, give it up completely. Only then will you reform. Bread and lentils must be available to you. In America, not like that? Bread and lentils won't be available? You can eat whatever food you want, so then give this up. There are plenty of nice vegetables, there is milk, there are sweets, there is food—give up this meat. The things are clear—100%. Yes, completely clear. Good. Now the third matter—the attraction towards women. You must gradually get this under control.

Get this under control, because there that lustful tendency is open. Meaning there is no restraint, no moral code that you are someone's wife, that if we look in your direction it becomes sin. So if you control this even a little, then things will become very good while doing naam jap. Clear? And Hanumanji is the supreme celibate. Taking refuge in such a pure God, you should remain pure as well. Clear? Do it this way. Shilpa ji from Himachal—Radhe Radhe. Radhe Radhe, Maharaj ji. Countless bows at your feet.

Maharaj ji, what is this cycle of birth and death? Why does it exist? How is liberation obtained? This cycle of birth and death is an illusion. It was born from considering the body as oneself. This illusion, this transmigration, is an illusion.

जासु कृपा सब भ्रम मिट जाए गिरजा स्वई कृपालु रघुराई
When by His grace all illusions are destroyed, O Girija, Shiva Himself is merciful, O Raghurai.

Those whose grace destroys illusions. This is an illusion.

गुरु प्रसन्न साहब अनुकूला मिट सकल कल्पित भयशुला
When the guru is pleased and the Master is favorable, all imagined fears are destroyed.

These imagined, vain desires of ours—these bind us in repeated birth, repeated death, repeated birth in the womb. Why is this? The cause is body-pride—I am a woman, I am a man. By accepting this feeling and behaving based on it, this becomes the cause of our birth and death. And the way to escape from this is to take refuge in a sadguru, and through him, continuously focus your mind on the mantra and worship he teaches. Then by God's grace, knowledge will arise in our heart.

Where body-pride has been destroyed, where the restlessness of the senses has been destroyed, where the mind has become one-pointed—that itself is liberation. Because bondage never occurred. The soul can never be bound. So just as if someone's throat is being slit while he is sleeping, he cannot be saved in any way. There is only one remedy: to awaken him. Do you understand? Just as if a sleeping man whose throat is being slit—even if you deploy an entire army, you cannot save him. Because nothing is happening to him from outside. It is happening in his dream.

So awaken him. Similarly, no matter how many exorcisms, no matter how many spells and charms you perform, you cannot be freed from the cycle of birth and death. There is only one remedy: awaken in knowledge. This knowledge: I am not the body. Look, 50 years have passed already. Not even for a second have we had the knowledge that I am not the body. All the time, considering ourselves to be the body, living our life as the body—this is the cause of birth and death. Birth and death is an illusion. It is ignorance, and it cannot be removed without knowledge. Have you understood? Yes.

This text is taken from the auto-generated captions of the video—there may be errors in the words. For authentic words, be sure to listen to the video.

Original video: Bhajan Marg (YouTube)