Will God Be Found or Not - How Will We Know?

At Shri Hita Radha Keli Kunj in Vrindavan - an intimate conversation with Pujya Shri Hit Premanand Govind Sharan Ji Maharaj. Sadhaks ask questions about their life and sadhana, and Maharaj Ji provides their answers.

Full Discourse

What is the best way to attain the vision of God? What is the best way to see God? The simple and best way to attain the vision of God is to chant His name day and night and weep in solitude - God will be found. Chant the naam day and night, and for God, रुद सुरम राजन कृष्ण दर्शन लालसा बिन रोए किन पया प्रेम पियारा
The longing for Krishna's vision - without weeping, how can one obtain the beloved's love?
It is written in Radha Madhav Chintan that a gopi asked Kishori Ji: "What is the way to attain Shri Krishna?" And Kishori Ji replied: "We understood only tears, only tears as the way to attain the beloved. One who weeps and chants the naam, who calls out, who weeps - God gives them darshan."

The second point is: how eager are you for the vision? When food doesn't please you, when sleep doesn't please you, when nothing pleases you at all - such desperation that even living doesn't seem good anymore. When death becomes dear and living becomes dear. When such viraha enters the heart, when such yearning enters the heart, at that very moment God gives the darshan. But the first way is better than the second way, because we don't have viraha within us, we don't have eagerness, we don't have that burning. But if we chant the naam day and night, then God Himself will come and give darshan.

Definitely. Even without desire, He will come and meet you. Look at Markandeya - he was doing bhajan. There was no desire for Bhagwan Shankara and Parvati. Read about it in the Bhagavat. He came by Himself and gave darshan. Nar Narayan gave God's darshan. Everyone will give darshan. Do plenty of bhajan. They say God's vision cannot be attained in Kalyug. It is Kalyug. In this age one cannot have the direct vision of God. But I have firm faith that in this age the vision of God happens more easily than in the previous ages. For ten thousand years they stood on one toe with both hands raised - we cannot even do that for one minute.

Standing on one toe with both hands raised - we cannot do that for one minute. He performed mantra jap for ten thousand years, and only then did Kardama get God's darshan. Here we don't have ten thousand years. Life here is just a play of 70-80 years. If we continuously chant the naam during this time, then without any tapasya we will attain God's vision. I'm saying - my firm belief is that God's vision in this Kalyug is very simple, very easy. The great sages of earlier ages, from other ages, wish that their birth would be in Kalyug. With just a little effort, God's vision - chanting naam day and night - a little effort is equal to ten thousand years' worth, and we have 80 years. In 80 years, set aside 20-30 years for sleep, because most of childhood is already gone. Now if awareness comes in youth and we chant the naam, then from this alone we will attain God. Then every day the feeling comes - today God will be found, today God will be found. When the bhajan becomes complete, when God has to come, then the heart feels - today God will be found, today surely God will be found. God is found. Then God doesn't come in just one form, and they make you experience - "I am here. Look, I am here." To ourselves - why speak of other forms? God Shankara came in direct form at the ghats of Kashi, but this was while hunger and thirst remained. Today God will be found, today God will be found, today surely God will be found. In the scorching heat of midday, when no one is visible in all the ghats, barefoot with a trident in hand, his matted locks flowing, doing full prostration - what can be said of that bliss? He just raised one finger. We also told you in satsang before - He just raised one finger and said: "Nothing exists. Only He is. Just One is. No other. Nothing else. One who criticizes anyone is still ignorant. There is no criticism of another here. Not even the sinner has been criticized here."

ये क्रूर पापिनो न सभास द्या सर् परम स्वराध्य बुद्धिमम्
Even the cruel and sinful are not blamed - such is supreme self-knowledge.

My firm faith is that in Kalyug, even with a little bhajan, God's direct vision is attained. Because our lifespan is short. How does God's vision happen? In what ways does God's vision happen? Vision doesn't happen through jap, through tapasya, through great practices. How does it happen? God is mine, and now I just have to meet Him. I have to meet my beloved. I have to meet my Lord. It's just very simple. God is mine. As much as the love for mother, as much as the love for sister, as much as the love for the body, as much as the love for a son - if that much love becomes toward God, then God will be found.

If you give them even a little love, they will be found. But there's not even a little love. How will God be found? Who wants to meet God? Who has yearning for God? Who stayed awake all night to meet God? Who fasted for many days to meet God? These are the things.

सबकी ममता ताग बटोरी। मम पद मन बांध भर डोरी।
I have gathered everyone's affection like rope. I have bound my mind to His feet with love.

Now except the Lord I have no one. For me, Girdhar Gopal, no one else. My heart yearns to meet the Lord. You don't even have to reach that point. Even before that, He begins to pervade the heart and mind.

Then darshan happens on its own. You don't have to reach that far. Not harsh, but simple, blissful yearning, bliss-filled—and in that, try a little and see, do they come into your feeling or not? See, the Lord—as much bhajan as you do, do they come into your feeling or not? See, they are standing before your feeling, and when your feeling becomes deep, then they will start speaking with you. There is no particle that is unknown. So when you are feeling, and a glimpse came into your feeling, they have come, the Lord. It is not just empty feeling. Through sadhana, can you obtain God with the strength of sadhana? No. If you are doing some sadhana, you have the strength of sadhana—will God come to you through that? No. You will get its fruit. You will get the realms of tapah, great realms, Brahm-loka, and more, but you will not get God.

There is only one way to meet God—that He shows grace. That He shows grace. Some sadhak may wish that through their power of tapasya, through the strength of their sadhana, they can bind God and pull Him before them and bring Him. No such tapasvi has ever been born. No such sadhak has ever been born. However much sadhana is done, however much yoga is done, but the darshan of God happens only through God's grace. He sees and becomes moved that they are doing so much tapasya, so much sadhana, they are exhausted. Now, moved by compassion, God gives darshan. But no one can, through their tapas-strength, someone performing sadhana, through the strength of bhajan, make God obedient. That cannot be done.

When they are doing bhajan with dainya-bhav, then God became moved and gave them darshan. Can we meet God like two friends meet and converse with Him? Yes, absolutely. If love for God has arisen within you, then God can meet you in solitude like two friends and have conversation with each other. Absolutely create the desire. Create the desire to meet. When a bhakt and God are talking in solitude, can another see? Can another hear? No. Consider that sitting right here, conversation is happening with God. So like Narayana Swami—he would say, "Run! You run, how much will you run?" and gathering his cloth, he would run after, and people would see—no, in front, the old man has gone mad. They would run to Kusam Sarovar, then come back, then run to the mouth-lotus, and then there, when loving devotees asked, he said, "There is contact between us. Look, he is running in front, I am catching him." But everyone thought he has gone mad, why is he running? He says, "Run! How much will you run? Today I will catch you and not let go." And there is no one in front, so people would naturally think he is mad. That is why a bhakt is given the epithet of being mad. Shri Bhagavan—if He is meeting and conversing with a bhakt, and if Bhagavan wishes that we too can see Him and the bhakt, and we can hear the talk between Bhagavan and the bhakt, then we can hear. Otherwise, Bhagavan will go after meeting the bhakt in the world, and they will not know.

May Bhagavan show grace that this one gets My darshan. May the talk of My bhakt be heard. Otherwise, they do not have the capacity to hear the conversation between God and the bhakt or see it. Although it may be happening openly, they will not be able to hear. Will not be able to see. Bhagavan is going to come. How will it be known? What will be their prior condition so that now Bhagavan will come? Just before the actual darshan of Bhagavan, they will have a dream-darshan of Bhagavan. A dream-meeting with Bhagavan will happen. Then while sitting, divine light will start shining for them.

In that light, they will have a glimpse of Bhagavan. For those who are to have darshan—an actual dream-darshan of Bhagavan. It is not like having the darshan of a photograph. In a dream, like we are seeing, conversing with Bhagavan. While awake, sitting, divine light—and in it Bhagavan is visible to them. They are conversing with Bhagavan. This will be the first state. Then Bhagavan will manifest directly and give darshan. If the darshan of light has not happened, then they are not worthy of God's darshan. Even after dream-darshan, divine light remains shadowing their eyes.

Always the beautiful three-curved form is seated before them. To be able to bear the divinity of Bhagavan, that light-darshan is necessary. That is why first Bhagavan gives the darshan of light. Dream-darshan—dream-darshan is not like having the darshan of a painting or having the darshan of a pilgrimage place or having the darshan of some sacred image. Consider it—that is not the darshan of God. Just as in wakefulness, like in a dream, having darshan. Then in the state of wakefulness, in divine light, in the radiance of merit, the feeling of Bhagavan. Because the capacity to bear the divinity of the darshan of God must come. Otherwise, they will not be able to bear that radiance. Such a shock will come to them—it is like a big power, an electric current—then they will die.

Such a shock will come all at once to their heart; they will not be able to bear it. That is why first dream-darshan, then feeling, then divine light, then actual darshan. Actual darshan—like Bhagavan is such a one, for whom, to understand, if a heavy electric current were given. In the shock, just like that. Bhagavan, infinite in power, says, "You prepare the house, God will come." Yes, so the house of the mind. This outer house, prepare that. Outside, you can decorate very nicely, plastered and whitewashed—but Bhagavan is here. The house that is the mind—from the mind, let the garbage of the world be removed. Let divine qualities come. Make the mind a temple. Decorate the mind. From the mind, remove the defects of the mind.

Empty the mind-house of the world. God will come. To decorate the house that is the mind. Is it written in prarabdh that you shall go and God-attainment will happen in this birth? No. The bhajan of God begins through sant-samgam. And through bhajan, our destiny for God-attainment is newly created. It is not from a prior birth that in the next birth you will attain God. It happens through bhajan. Can prarabdh create an obstacle? If desire is strong, if bhajan is done firmly, if there is single-pointed devotion to Bhagavan, then prarabdh cannot create an obstacle.

It won't lead there. Prarabdh can be very harmful. For example, suppose both kidneys fail, dialysis is needed, there's a big problem and great hardship, but by God's grace it's functioning. Sadhana is also continuing, which God sustains. Like if I tell you, from the beginning this happens—bhajan is started, it begins. If prarabdh strikes, then prarabdh can obstruct attainment of God if there is no singular devotion to God, no surrender to God, no worship of God. What is the nature of the anguish of not attaining God, such that one cannot live in separation from God—each moment in that separation from God seems like an age. It doesn't feel that way, which is why God is not attained. Right now food and drink are not pleasant, food has no appeal. Even the gentle spring seems unpleasant, all subjects seem bitter. The path of a lover of God is unique.

When does entry into God's leelas happen? That was the matter of God's darshan. When does entry into God's leelas happen? When continuous remembrance of God awakens. At every moment the name of God flows, and with faith they continually contemplate God's leelas.

One contemplates the leelas of one's chosen deity, continuous remembrance and contemplation of leelas, and sees one's own form accordingly. Like our devotees in the mood of a companion—God is truth, eternal, everywhere. Therefore, as they contemplate the leela in their mind, as soon as their feeling becomes strengthened, God opens the door of His leela to them—now you have no need to imagine. You have no need to feel—come, see, witness this leela. They enter the leela and remain directly in all the leela incidents, themselves participating.

Like we are seeing thus—not imagination in the direct way, but it only happens through continuous remembrance, contemplation of leelas, and knowledge of one's form. Knowledge of one's own form—in the mood of a companion, in the form of a gopi, in the form of a friend. What is this supreme abode? Vaikunth Lok, Golok, Saket, Kailash—these are the supreme abodes. Is it one or different? It is one, and according to the feeling, different splendors will manifest. The abode is eternal consciousness-bliss, one. If you worship Lord Shiva, He will give you the complete experience of Kailash with Lord Shiva and His attendants. If you worship Ram Ji, that same abode becomes Saket and gives that experience. If you worship Shyam Ji, that same abode becomes Golok and gives that experience. The abode is one, it is consciousness-bliss, so as a devotee feels, so does it give experience. The rest of the discussion continues on Shri Radha Vallabh Lal.

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

Original video: Bhajan Marg (YouTube)