If grace showers only on humility, then how can humility arise within us?

At Shri Hit Radha Keli Kunj in Vrindavan, intimate conversation with Pujya Shri Hit Premanand Govind Sharan Ji Maharaj. Sadhakas place questions about their life and sadhana, and Maharaj Ji resolves them.

Complete Discourse

Hari Om. Kashyap Ji of Kannauj, Radhavallabh Shri Radhe Radhe, Maharaj Ji, we offer millions of prostrate salutations at your feet. Maharaj Ji, from the lotus mouths of the rasa-appreciating saints of Braj, we have heard that the grace of Shri Ji always showers equally on everyone. But because we do not have the vessel of humility, we cannot easily receive that grace. O Guru Dev, how can we bring humility into ourselves?

It comes from the company of the rasika saints. When we worship taking great souls as ideals, by their command, it seems to us that what is our bhajan before theirs?

Their dedication, their renunciation, their steadfastness—our ego is destroyed through their grace, through singing their praises, through the dust of their feet. And when we keep company with those below us, it seems we are absorbed in bhajan. When we keep company with those greater than us, our ego is destroyed.

So through the company of those who are devotees of God, the pride in caste, the pride in lineage, the pride in learning, the pride in youth—all the various kinds of pride that exist are destroyed. When pride is destroyed, humility arises.

This humility is very rare. This humility—to consider oneself lower than straw, to honor others, not to seek honor from anyone—is obtained only from the devotee saints of God. So the ego within us is destroyed through the company of saints. There are two types of company with saints: one is external, like sitting with them, and one through reading the stories and character of devotees, through which our pride is destroyed.

The direct company of devotees and reading the character of devotees, listening to the stories of devotees—then it seems, look at five-year-old Prahlad Ji, such powerful bhakti he had, what suffering was inflicted upon him, yet he did not turn away from bhajan. Here, if just a little adversity comes, our faith in God is destroyed. So our bhakti is nowhere near that level.

So when we read the character of devotees, our ego is destroyed. When we keep company with devotees, our ego is destroyed. When we alone consider ourselves absorbed in bhajan and look at people of worldly interests, then ego arises. Or any kind of ego arises when we look at those below us. When we look at those greater than us, ego is destroyed.

Like, if someone doesn't have 100 rupees and we have a million, pride will arise. But if we look at someone who has billions, it won't arise. So these saints are the wealthy ones of bhajan. They are the embodiment of renunciation, austerity, detachment, and love. So when we see great souls, our pride is destroyed—we realize we are nothing before them.

When great souls weep night after night for the attainment of the Lord, for his darshan. Here we cannot even weep for five minutes. So why should we have any pride? Then neither the pride of bhakti remains nor the pride of knowledge. Humility arises when we keep company with great souls devoted to God.

Maharaj Ji, the next question is: when doing mental naam jap, if someone tries to talk to us, irritability arises in our nature. Maharaj Ji, how can we improve this condition?

Yes, absolutely, it does arise. It should arise. The sadhak doesn't like it. But the one in front of me is God in that form. We should speak very seriously and with respect. We should not make it known that we are absorbed in bhajan.

With great care, speaking sweet words and dealing with them in few words, and then also dedicate that time spent talking to God. But whoever has their mind fixed mentally in bhajan will be very afraid that someone will come and talk to them, that they won't talk to us. It won't seem good. These are the signs of a good sadhak.

But we should not reveal that we don't like talking, that we don't like meeting with people. If we have the opportunity through God's grace, then we should speak with great gravity, peace, and gentle words, respectfully, because behavior itself must also be turned to spiritual purpose, and we cannot function without it.

Mother, father, family, household members—if we don't speak to anyone at all, everyone will be disturbed. And when everyone is disturbed, you will also become disturbed. Because seeing them suffering, your heart will also be moved. Worry will drag on. So we should conduct ourselves in such a way that no one is harmed, our inner bhajan continues to be protected. Speak with a smile, give respect, speak with love and respect, gentle words, deal in few words, let the other person speak more, and we speak in few words—yes, yes—in this way our naam continues.

And if we must speak, if we speak what is in accord with scripture, satsang, divine words, then that too is considered bhajan.

A devotee asks: Maharaj Ji, you once mentioned that even when you are speaking, your naam keeps circulating round and round. So Maharaj Ji, to attain that state - look, I have been practicing for a very long time now. Since childhood, whenever I have done circumambulation following your direction, I repeat the mantra continuously throughout the entire circumambulation without stopping. But when I am sleeping, I have never practiced mantra jap, Maharaj Ji. It seems that when it was going continuously, I don't know when I switched - when the mantra gets stuck, suddenly the naam begins, or the mantra starts in place of naam jap. So is this some mistake on my part, or what? Please see what this is.

Maharaj Ji responds: When we are in an impure state, we should be somewhat careful with the mantra. And in a pure state, if sometimes naam is flowing and sometimes the mantra is flowing, this gets somewhat checked. The mind does not always stay fixed in one thing until it becomes mature, so that is its restless nature. It is great grace that this restlessness is in the Lord - that sometimes one starts doing mantra jap, sometimes naam jap, sometimes while doing naam jap the mantra flows, and sometimes while doing mantra jap the naam flows. But when we are in the bathroom, when we are urinating, we should be careful at that time that our mantra does not go - naam jap at that time. The rest of the time, you understand, don't you? Yes, this is the mind's ever-shifting nature. It is great grace that instead of going into the worldly realm, it goes into the mantra, into the naam - so that is an even better thing.

There is nothing wrong in this. And look, child - purity and impurity are only temporary. Once the sense of body comes to an end, purity and impurity have no significance whatsoever.

In bhagavat chintan (contemplation of the divine), that continuous mantra-like flow of consciousness remains. This is a rule for reaching there, and when one reaches there, this too loses its significance. So continue beautifully - there is no transgression.

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

Original video: Bhajan Marg (YouTube)