How can I break the habit of sitting down whenever I see four or five people gathered and gossiping like that?

At Shri Hit Radha Keli Kunj in Vrindavan, in intimate conversation with Pujya Shri Hit Premanand Govind Sharan Ji Maharaj. Sadhaks ask questions about their lives and practice, and Maharaj Ji responds with solutions.

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Bharat Bhushan from Haryana, countless prostrations at your feet, Gurudev. Gurudev, I have a very bad habit. Whenever I see four or five people sitting somewhere, I sit down right there. I start talking about this and that, gossiping with them. This useless habit of chattering has been with me since childhood, Maharaj Ji. I want to come out of these distractions. Please forgive me, Maharaj Ji.

Now you know it's wrong, so you yourself will have to stop. And your condition is also good. No one can scold you.

So you will have to scold your own mind. And when we know it's wrong—look, childhood has gone, youth has gone. Do you know where your life is now? In old age. After old age, the next condition is called death. It can come anytime. You've enjoyed everything in life. You've seen everything there was to see. Now don't waste time. Now chant the naam.

नानक नाम जहाज है चढ़े सो तर पार
Nanak, the naam is a ship; whoever boards it will cross over.

Hold on to the ship; you will cross the ocean of existence. Whatever naam is dear to you, whatever naam came to you through your guru—Ram, Krishna, Hari, Radha—whatever naam is dear, just keep chanting it. We are telling you the essence of all the scriptures. Only the one who chanted the naam won. If you didn't chant the naam, then no amount of showing off knowledge will give you victory over time. To conquer time and attain the timeless being, continuously chant the naam, and accept whatever the Lord ordains.

[sound of clearing throat]

God's attainment becomes certain in two things—the attainment of the Almighty. Whatever ordain is happening to us from the Almighty, we should accept it as sweet.

तेरा किया मीठा लागे हरि नाम पदार्थ नानक मांगे भगवान
Whatever You do feels sweet; the essence of the naam is what Nanak asks of God.

Chant the naam and accept whatever ordain the Lord has made. Only through this will you cross beyond maya. Now it's old age—you're no longer able to study the Vedas, no longer able to do sadhana. So hold dear whatever naam is precious. What naam is precious? Radha, Radha, Radha, Radha, Radha. Wherever four people are sitting, slip away from there. If you sit with them, the naam will slip away.

When we speak ill of others, when we listen to others' criticism, our merit is destroyed.

पर निंदा के किए थे आवत नहीं कछु हाथ मूर्ख पर्वत पाप को ले चल अपने साथ
For speaking ill of others, nothing comes to hand; the fool carries the mountain of sin with him.

By speaking ill of others, we gain nothing. Our merit is destroyed and their sins come upon us. And if the slander of sant and bhakts is happening somewhere, then all is lost.

भक्तन निंदा अति बुरी भूल करे जिन को कोई किए सुकृत बहु जन्म के छिन में डारे खोए
Slandering bhakts is very wrong; for those who did good deeds over many lifetimes, it destroys them in a moment.

Slandering bhakts destroys in an instant all the merit earned over countless lifetimes.

साधु अवज्ञा तुरत भवानी कर कल्याण अखिल कहानी
Disrespecting the sadhu instantly burns all the merit that grants complete welfare.

Those who grant all welfare and merit are instantly burned to ash. Sant Bhagwant—now this sitting and gossiping phase of life is over. Now take your beads in hand, chant the naam. Or use your breath as beads, the way a child does—keep chanting Radha, Radha, Radha, or with your breath, Radha, Radha, Radha.

Eat pure food. One who eats impure food can never attain God through bhajan. Those who consume meat and such things—their intellect is corrupted. They understand this about themselves, but it amounts to nothing.

One whose intellect is corrupted cannot worship God. Pure food, pure conduct—then you will see the Supreme Purifier, the Supreme Being, the Almighty in your own heart. You will be able to meditate on them. You will attain them. Those who eat the flesh of other beings, those who drink wine, those who commit adultery—such impure people cannot even think of God. The Almighty is supremely pure. Your body must be pure for them. Your mind must be pure. Your speech must be pure. Then you will attain that supremely pure Almighty.

Read and hear the life stories of our gurus. Listen to the deeds of the great souls, so that longing for God awakens in you. And how can we live? At the slightest obstacle, we abandon our dharma. Our gurus made the ultimate sacrifice for dharma. They gave their lives for dharma. They suffered torments that make the heart tremble just to hear them. Yet they say, "Your deeds feel sweet to me."

Think how exalted is the state of those great souls—terrible pain is being inflicted on their bodies, yet they say, "Waheguru, Waheguru, Waheguru—Your deeds are so blessed, so sweet to me."

तेरा किया मीठा लागे
Your deeds feel sweet to me.

This is a very profound thing. They experience intense suffering—below them a hot griddle, above them hot sand—as if sand were poured on hot coals, it would burn. And they're saying, "Your deeds feel sweet!" Sand is heated so much that if you drop grain on it, it will pop. And hot coals below—their body is being burned like that, and they're saying, "Your deeds feel sweet to me?" This is not a small thing. At the tiniest bit of adversity, we lose faith in God. And their bodies are being scorched on hot sand and hot griddles like burning grain, and they're saying, "Waheguru, Waheguru, Waheguru, Your deeds are so blessed, so sweet!" Sigh—may this be so, that Your deeds feel sweet to us too.

So we should accept whatever condition God gives us and chant the naam thoroughly. "Maharaj Ji, I think for two or three days that I won't talk to anyone, I won't go anywhere. Then phone calls come—'Maharaj Ji, our uncle will come, our brother will sit, listen to us. If you make friends with us, if you befriend us—Mohan will understand, tell him.' So in Vrindavan, Moun Baba helped me find silence."

You write and tell them: In Vrindavan, Baba Ji has stilled the force of speech. If it comes, if the force of speech comes too much, close the room and loudly shout "Radha Radha Radha"—it will be fine. It will be fine. You will remain silent. Yes—don't speak even to your wife and children. Actually, the proper thing is to become completely silent. Tell them in writing. Do naam jap. It will work out well. Your wife is sitting here—both of you become silent, brother. When you gave your brother tea, you signaled "tea tea"—tea got made, food got made. Do naam jap. What work is there in old age? Now in old age, what work is there? Do bhajan to God, then your birth will be fulfilled.

Guru-dev, when will Prabhu be directly visible? After the mental realm... when Prabhu... just as if our breath were stopped, within a minute our condition would become like that, then we couldn't live. If the next breath doesn't come—when that kind of intense longing is obtained...

That very day God's darshan will happen. The mental realm hasn't come yet. When it comes there, you will speak with dry eyes. Tears don't come out. Guru-dev, no, they do come out. Unchecked, they keep flowing. At the time when that form comes before you—listen, child—whether it comes on the mental plane, or in a dream, or comes in waking—that form is form, no? When it comes at that time, tears flow from the heart. The longing for Krishna's darshan—crying out loudly, the mind will want to cry. It is such an ocean of ananda. An ocean of ananda.

We are a part of that ocean of ananda. When the connection joins, then there's an uproar in the heart. I cried, Baba, but I cried once. I cried.

This text is taken from the automatic captions of the video—there may be errors in the words. To hear the authentic words, please listen to the video.

Original video: Bhajan Marg (YouTube)