When People See Devotional Attire and Start Comparing Us to Great Devotees, What Should We Do?

Shri Hit Radha Keli Kunj, Vrindavan - Private conversation with Pujya Shri Hit Premanand Govind Sharan Ji Maharaj. Seekers present their questions about their life and sadhana, and Maharaj Ji resolves them.

Complete Discourse

Sonali Ji from Chandigarh - Radhe Radhe Maharaj Ji. Maharaj Ji, my question is that often when people see Vaishnava attire, family members start comparing us to great saints, comparing us to great devotees, saying "you are like Meerabai," and at that time my mind becomes so disturbed - when they place me on the same level as saints whose dust of feet I am not even worthy of, what should I do at that moment?

Yes, absolutely - it should feel bad inside. You heard today's satsang - when someone's worship increases, then these praises, bows, salutations come, and at that moment deep inside think "O God, save me from honor. O Lord, I am not even the dust of these great masters' feet, and how can they speak this way?" So these are worldly people - they are obstacles on our path.

Honor is auspicious, dishonor is bitter poison; that I may serve Shri Radha and Muralidhara, Mother Vrindavan—honor is terrible poison, honor is poison, one must avoid it greatly. "You are an avatar, you are God, you are the master"—these are all statements leading to hell.

God is only God. No one else can be like God.

Just as there are millions of waves in the ocean, the ocean can produce millions of waves. But one wave cannot produce an ocean. So however many great saints there are in the world and universe, however many great devotees there are, they are waves of God.

God is the ocean and all the saints, all the moving and non-moving world are waves.

So tell me, however radiant someone may be, can they be compared to the sun?

Consider this: there is one God, the Sun-form of Narayana. Can anyone equal Him? If He were to appear in His full radiance, He would burn everything to ashes. But He covers His radiance and manifests, and look—perspiring, everything, the entire moving and non-moving world becomes illuminated.

So the radiance of Sri Krishna Chandra's nails—according to the scriptures, it has the brilliance of crores of suns, the radiance of thousands of crores of suns. He shows Himself only by covering His radiance and bestowing grace on His devotees.

Otherwise, God's true form is infinite—no one has ever been able to reach its end.

So we should consider how great are those who are devotees of God—those who have brought such a God under the control of their love.

We should just chant their names. We should follow their commands. This itself is great fortune.

Wherever there is a little bhakti, people say "oh, this is a great devotee, oh, this is a great God, no one can equal God." We are their servants. And we are servants of the servants of God's devotees. We should hold such feelings.

And whenever such words fall on your ears, plug your ears.

If you think that plugging your ears means you'll be mocked, then don't give your mind to it. Oh, it's all useless talk anyway.

Where is our capacity? We cannot become like Meerabai, like Narsi Mehta in that way, because we are part of God, we can do worship according to God. But where is such worship in us now? We should bring humility within ourselves.

Where is the sky and where are we on the ground? We are dwarfs of the sky—if a dwarf wants to touch the sky, can he?

So now, like Narsi Mehta's dedication, like Meerabai's dedication, these great masters' dedication—where is ours? What level are we at? We should sing their praises and live in their names. We should think this way: we are living by the grace of these great masters.

By singing their praises, we are living our lives on the path of God. Our capacity to equal them is little—just as in the three worlds, no one can equal one sun.

Even if at night we spread lights throughout the world, even if we light great lamps, can it become day? No matter how many methods we use, there cannot be day without the sun.

So just as in God's creation the sun is unique—none can equal it—so these great masters are unique. Like Hanuman—like Hanuman; like Bhishma—like Bhishma. Do you understand?

However many accomplished great masters there are, each is like themselves. No one else can be like them.

These unique great masters are full of God's love. Has anyone been like Meerabai? Yes, the feeling of doing worship like hers has arisen. But Meerabai is unique, isn't she? Narsi is unique, isn't he? Tukaram is unique, isn't he?

These are such great masters—we sing their praises and walk the path they have shown us. We should remain humble.

If someone praises us, we should see that as someone trying to pull us down.

Honor is auspicious, dishonor is poison—when someone honors us, we should understand that they are poisoning us. This will pull us down.

And when someone disrespects us, we should be delighted that this disrespect is connecting us to God.

Like if someone is calling us low, hypocritical, wicked, vile—then we go to God and say, "Look, God, whatever we are, we are Yours."

And when someone honors us, body-ego is strengthened and we turn away from God.

That's why honor has been called poison and disrespect given by lowly people has been called nectar.

Because when disrespect happens, when criticism happens, the mind goes directly to God.

And when honor happens, when reputation and fame happen, then body-ego, pride in one's qualities comes.

So the seeker must be careful.

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

Original video: Bhajan Marg (YouTube)