ekantik vartalaap evam darshan #1401

The Full Discourse

At Shri Hit Radha Keli Kunj, Vrindavan, a private conversation with Pujya Shri Hit Premanand Govind Sharan Ji Maharaj. Sadhaks ask questions about their life and sadhana, and Maharaj Ji resolves them.

Vikram Pandey from Mirzapur to Shri Harivansh Maharaj ji - Radhavallabh Shri Harivansh Maharaj ji, I bow millions of times at your feet. Maharaj ji, I listen to your satsang and experience your grace. Maharaj ji, my question is: even after receiving solutions to all my doubts and problems from you, Maharaj ji, I find myself unable to put your teachings into practice in my life.

Maharaj ji, the reason for this inability is that there is no bhajan. If you had bhajan—spiritual strength—you would become capable. Tell us: what is difficult? What is the difficult thing?

Yes, when I came last time, my determination kept breaking, and you said that when a big tree is uprooted in a storm, it appears green and lush for months, but it has no roots. Do you understand?

Similarly, for countless births our samskaras have been wrong. Now we have taken shelter. That means our roots have been uprooted. But we will appear green and lush for several months. So it is possible that for several years, because your sadhana is weak, sense objects can attract and corrupt you.

But believe this: you have taken shelter. You are God's servant. One day you will be victorious. Keep this firm faith, continue to do naam jap, and stay away from wrong as much as you can.

When you reach a point where you cannot escape, then do this: appeal to God saying "Please save me, hear my prayer." Wherever something wrong is happening in your life and you are unable to stop yourself, raise your hands to God saying "O God, you see. Take over from here now. I don't have the strength. Your maya is powerful, dragging me away. I am going wrong, O Lord. I know I am wrong, but I cannot stop, O Lord." God will surely give you strength. He will create some path for you to escape.

Do you understand? But if you fall knowingly and deliberately, then it is different. Then you will remain stuck.

If you knowingly drink poison, you will certainly die. But if someone deceives you and gives you poison, God has a chance to save you. Mirabai was given poison, but she was saved, wasn't she? But if you knowingly drink poison, you will surely die. And sense objects are even more poisonous than poison itself.

We have been indulging in them for many births. So when it seems that we will not do wrong anymore, but when the opportunity comes, we fall into wrong again. Then despair comes about spiritual progress. The greatest loss is when we think "I have made a mistake."

What will that mistake do? It will destroy your progress here. Your mind will lose interest. In bhajan, in satsang, in the words of sadhu-mahatmas, your mind will become spoiled. Then your life will be ruined. Making a mistake is not as terrible as the consequence of the mistake.

It destroys your enthusiasm for bhajan. The mind becomes discouraged: "How am I managing this? I have become corrupted. What will happen now?" It makes us deficient in spirituality. So we should make the effort to be saved. Human life is very rare. Let God's realization happen in this very birth. Wherever there is a chance to fall, hold onto every point. Wherever there is a chance to fall and you cannot control yourself, do this: surrender from within, and God will immediately take care of you.

If you fall, you will fall into His lap.

The Lord does not regard the faults of His servants; He is the friend of the poor with a very gentle nature. The Lord is mercy itself. He does not count the offenses of His servants.

There is a temple of Shiva in the home, but since you have started listening to me, Shyama-Shyam have been established there. It is by the grace of Shankara that love for Shyama-Shyam's feet is obtained.

You are speaking from the temple perspective. We lived in Kashi. We were completely devoted to Shankara alone—completely single-pointed, entirely detached. Only Shankara and nothing else. But he sent us on the path of Shyama-Shyam, so it is by his grace that Shyama-Shyam is obtained.

Maharaj ji, when I wake in the morning at 3 or 4 o'clock, sometimes I don't know whom to worship first. Should I worship Shankara first? He is the guru of the world, a Vaishnavacharya. It is by his grace that Shyama-Shyam will be obtained. Is that right?

Rajesh Saini, Shri Radha! Maharaj ji, can the supreme abode be attained without vairag (dispassion)? Yes, it can be attained. If we enjoy the pleasures of household life in a dharmic way—for example, when we are hungry, we fill our belly with food earned righteously.

If desire troubles us, we should consort with a wife married in a righteous way.

If attachment troubles us, we should love our children with a devotional attitude.

Enjoyment done within the bounds of dharma grants fitness for the attainment of liberation. And enjoyment done with adharma leads to hellish existence. Desire fulfilled in a dharmic way is the form of God. Desire fulfilled in an adharmic way is the form of hell.

Lust, anger, and greed—therefore one should abandon them. These are the three gates of hell.

And these very things, if done in a dharmic way, become the means of attaining God. So if you renounce adharma and do bhajan while living in family life and constantly doing naam jap, you will attain God.

Why? To attain God, what we need is dharma and the bhajan of God. If someone becomes renounced but does not follow dharma and does not do bhajan of God, will the renounced person attain God? No. If a renounced person becomes entangled in the world, earning money as a guru and disciple, then they will have to go to terrible hell. God is attained through bhajan. Whether one is a householder or renounced makes no difference. If someone conducts himself as he pleases, commits sin, and does not do bhajan, will he go to hell or not?

Okay wait, Maharaj Ji. If a renunciate becomes corrupt here, won't the law of this place stop him? Won't the law arrest and imprison him? Since the law here shows no mercy, then if we become renunciates and act wrongly, speak filthy words, we'll go to hell. And if we live as householders and behave well, we'll attain God. So we must do both—good conduct and bhajan. Whether you're a renunciate or a householder. If there's good conduct and bhajan, there's attainment of God. Whether householder or renunciate, bad conduct is the problem.

Without bhajan of God, whoever you are, there's only ruin. Ruin here and ruin there.

Yes, Dheeraj Kumar Sharma from Rajasthan, Maharaj Ji—countless bows at your feet. Maharaj Ji, I give the service of free bhajan singing in Bhagavat discourses and such. By the grace of Shri Ji, I please them. Maharaj Ji, my question is: in this harsh Kali Yuga where immorality is spreading, seeing such conditions, I've grown afraid of marriage, thinking that whoever I marry might become an obstacle on my path to God.

There is indeed much fear about family members these days. A wife means someone virtuous and chaste, who considers her husband as God. To marry now is to take on danger. Because this boyfriend-girlfriend business is going on—it's very toxic. You see, if a girl has been with two or four boys, how can she worship one husband as God? It's a huge problem.

But not all are like that. Among the immoral ones, there are virtuous ones too. There are girls, one more pure than the other, who keep their lives pure.

But it's very difficult. Finding purity is very difficult. Because our own people are losing pure conduct. So how can we hope for purity?

Family members also pressure you: "Do it, he's the only one. Increase the lineage." If you're living as a householder, to conceive children and continue the lineage, pray to God. Just as Kardamjee did austerities for 10,000 years and told God, "I need a wife," and got a wife like Devi. So even if not 10,000 years, then one year—go without some food for a year. Worship Shankara Ji. Maharaj, give us a wife. Worship God Shankara or Devi Ji, then if it's meant to be, you'll get a virtuous person.

Pearls are very rare, Mother knows they're very rare. But God, if marriage is in your destiny, it must be written somewhere. Somewhere she's being prepared for you too, to accept your hand. Let it be according to Shri Ji's will. Just understand her will and keep going, as her will is.

Yes, absolutely. Your remaining question is a very serious one: that today, for a virtuous boy to find a virtuous girl, or for a virtuous girl to find a virtuous boy, has become very rare.

Because in schools, even the newer children, even those who seem somewhat good, are going down the path of corruption—taking drugs, having boyfriends and girlfriends, committing immorality. All these things are happening, very dirty things are happening in our country. In our time before, there was no such thing as boyfriends and girlfriends. The system didn't exist. There were no dirty feelings.

Now that mobile phones have come, dirty feelings have been created in children. These dirty things—even live-in relationships have started. That's even worse, Maharaj.

Absolutely not. This is not our Indian way. This is the final stage of Kali Yuga. But it's just the first stage now. It's 432,000 years long, of which more than 5,000 have passed. Only 32 centuries have not yet been completed.

Behold, corruption pervades the world. Dharma is not heard. People of Kali Yuga do not obey their juniors and offspring.

Such is the meaning—such is the time of Kali Yuga that will come, from where, what characters are there, what does it mean, how do we explain it?

In our country, there's evidence of this: once you joined hands with someone, you lived with them for life. You never even looked at another. This is India, this is India, this is not a foreign country where you're with one person today and another tomorrow. That's not how it is. Very dirty things have come from abroad.

And look, happiness lies in this too. Your own wife, your own husband, and a lifetime together with one person—there's happiness. Now the husband doesn't trust the wife. The wife doesn't trust the husband. They live in one house without trust. What kind of life is that with distrust?

So today's time is very strange. Very strange indeed. May God protect us.

If someone gets a virtuous husband or a virtuous wife, consider it a great grace of God. Otherwise look, everyone is losing character. New children especially—promiscuous tendencies are base tendencies. How can we say these are our offspring?

Caste mixing is spreading. Ancestors won't receive shraddha and tarpan. In every way, unrighteousness is increasing. We think you should reform. Brothers who are listening, keep your character pure. Make your life great. And no one becomes great from these dirty things.

Pradeep from Maharashtra, Radhe Radhe, Maharaj Ji—countless bows at your feet. Master, for some days now, by God's grace, I've been living a renunciate's life. For the welfare of all of us, in the past we were renunciates. In the future we'll be renunciates, and today we are renunciates.

Master, asking in supplication, I ask: Maharaj Ji, will you guide us? To explain the principles of what should be done and what should not be done.

Our first principle is that you attain God. The world is the form of God. Do not think of it as something separate to attain. In our vision: There is nothing superior to Me, O Dhananjaya. Everything rests upon Me, a mere fragment. Everything is God, the complete Supreme Self, seated in all forms. This is our vision.

Now we have to bring our vision to see the Supreme Self in all these forms. We should not have a lustful gaze toward any mother or sister.

First and foremost for a renunciate is lust. If one wants to walk the path of truth, having wrapped the loincloth, one should never let the senses look. Narsi Mehta Ji says: our lustful gaze should never turn toward other men's wives and sisters. Even if lustful thoughts arise, action should never happen. For one wearing the robes of a renunciate, the greatest precaution is about this.

The first precaution is that we must maintain this rule for our entire life: our impure gaze should never turn toward other men's wives and sisters. Sometimes if the gaze does become impure, consider it a mistake. Even though we have been engaged in this for many lifetimes, action should not happen. This lustful action should not happen.

The second point: our speech should proclaim only truth. Speak only truth. The name of God is truth. Discussion of God's divine play and stories is truth. Beyond this, remain silent.

The third point: our ears should listen only to discussion of God, not to worldly matters. We should neither engage in worldly discussion nor listen to it, and should not watch worldly scenes. You keep a mobile phone. A touchscreen one? Yes, one must be very careful because with a touchscreen mobile and sitting alone, it's dangerous. If the mind is not engaged in devotional singing, then the mind will ask to see things. So nowadays what is it—these series about worldly matters are created by worldly sensual men. Now they display their bodies to attract the mind. They also display sexual acts. There is no series that doesn't contain body display and sexual act display, which draws the mental tendencies of everyone. So it's a very dangerous game for renunciates.

That's why a renunciate should be careful. This has only been going on for a few years. We think mobile phones have existed for 25 to 30 years. We didn't see this before. Yes, it came after 2003. Yes. Because before, sadhus and saints didn't they manage without mobile phones? We can accept that householders have many businesses and many tasks. There could be benefit of satsang for their people. Brother, if we must have this much, we should keep an instrument just for satsang. It seems to us that sadhus, saints, and seekers should avoid mobile phones. Otherwise this is a very dangerous game. He is human. Everyone has a heart. Everyone eats food. So lust, anger, greed come naturally, don't they?

Now when sexual desire awakens and the mobile is kept beside, educated people search and become corrupted. By seeing dirty talk, dirty pictures, dirty scenes, dirtiness will grow within us. That's why we speak openly. If you have the strength to listen only to satsang, keep it switched off. Otherwise throw it in the garbage. So we must be careful that the mobile doesn't trap us in wrong character and doesn't lead us to the wrong path. So stop seeing wrong with the eyes, hearing wrong with the ears, speaking wrong with speech.

If we have received the path of spiritual practice by God's grace, it should be nourished, and it is nourished by continuous devotional singing. All the time, whatever name and mantra your guru has given you, chant them continuously. Whatever name is given, chant it continuously. Don't interact more than necessary with people. Adopt the practice of begging for food or go to an ashram and get it. Whatever arrangement is possible.

What is your age at this time?

Thirty-three.

Yes, at that time I only lived by the Ganges. I never entered any city. In youth I never entered any city. So at this age, one should live an austere life. One should live a life of hardship. Only then is the vital force preserved. The vital force of celibacy is only preserved when one endures hunger, thirst, heat, cold, honor and insult, and one's thoughts are only of God and don't wander here and there. Then our life becomes absorption in God.

Speak less, listen less, see less, sleep less and eat less. Control these five. Keep distance from women. If we want to maintain celibacy in body and not play with maya, that's different. And money comes without asking as much as is needed. Use it as much as is necessary for work. Because nowadays if one needs to go somewhere or travel, one needs transport. Bodies don't have the strength anymore for transportation like they used to. I lived my whole life along the Ganges—the Ganges itself was my road. I didn't need any transportation. When night came, I would sleep by a village near some shrine or temple or school. Because along the Ganges like this, if you think there are carnivorous dogs that smell corpses, you don't know if they eat living or dead. Who knows? So for the night I would choose some shelter. If there was Shankara's temple or some school, I would sleep there at night. If someone gave me something, I ate it. If not, then at 4 AM I would go back to the Ganges. No attachment to anyone.

Sometimes I would sleep during the day by the Ganges. Like that, shivering all night in the cold. I didn't keep any blanket. Then when the sun came, I would lose consciousness. Consider that as sleep. It wasn't conscious sleep. It would be sleep when one gets a full meal. Sometimes I got one bread, sometimes two breads. Those people who would come to the Ganges to plant melons and watermelons, when they would get like offerings, I would say "Baba, give me," but not all would give.

Suppose there are four parathas, then give us two. Take two—two is enough. If there are two parathas, then the life force is nourished. It will suffice for a day or two. God continues to provide like this. Whenever, now and then, even a small gift or quality was received, such gratitude would be given to God, saying God is so merciful and kind.

Full meals were only occasional. Once, going to a monk's hut to stay in a cottage. So they know about life on the Ganges banks—how the saints on the Ganges banks live. One of them said he had not eaten for many days. It had been three or four days without food. Someone had given him milk three or four days earlier. He said, "Sit down, I will go and collect food." Because he too was detached, and it must have been a festival day. So he brought so many puris and kachauris and set them down there. Not a single one remained—everyone received everything. Then later it occurred to us: Maharaj, we saved some for you. He said, We know what sadhus on the Ganges banks are like. Now then, who knows whether it was a week or ten days before food came again or not—such was that life. From such a life comes the experience of divine bliss.

Do not allow a new body to sleep in the houses of householders frequently. Do not make friendships with many householders. Keep distance. Eat whatever is obtained with the acceptance of sky—indifferent to all—and by serving the Ganges and Yamuna, stay in the pilgrimage sites. Do not now wander in villages—they will slander you. They will say, "The child is a thief." No, nowadays this too has begun—saints used to wander freely before. Now they cannot. So avoid gold, women, and fame, and chant the naam abundantly and be very careful. You are very fortunate that you have turned away from the world and are walking on the path of God.

You have a good, unspoiled body. For nineteen years now you have been away from home—yes, so have no attachment to home. Your family has your phone number. You speak to them occasionally now and then. Is there not a debt to parents? To parents. After sannyasa, no debt remains. After we take sannyasa, God frees us from all debts. We have no relation with anyone. From the day you leave home, from that day on—vasudha kutumbakam—the whole world is our family. All of this is our family. All of these are our own people. We have no other own people. For a sant, vasudha kutumbakam. The entire world is our family. When one area of the family—suppose there is some problem in the family and they call on the phone—you will become disturbed. Speaking on the phone like this, this phone is a poison. For Baba Ji it is nothing but poison, is it not? Now suppose an event happens in your home. How would you know? You are happily doing bhajan. Now kun kun kun—yes, they say, "So-and-so has died." Okay, now go—if not in body then go in mind. Now I am troubled. Bhajan and contemplation have stopped. This is why one must be so careful—it is very difficult.

In Kaliyug, God is making such arrangements that bhajan becomes impossible. In Kaliyug, bhajan is most difficult, and yet in Kaliyug, by doing bhajan, God can be attained very quickly. Now such arrangements are happening—how can bhajan happen? Sadhus and mahatmas have nice phones, laptops—they have everything. If you slip, your time gets wasted wrongly. If you slip, your time gets wasted wrongly. Absolutely wasted time. So we pray to all saints and sadhaks: let the mobile be used properly. In proper use, you can listen to satsang. Apart from that, do not look at it. Keep it switched off. Do bhajan of God. Life was given to be inward-turning. It was not given to face outward and remain stuck to the mobile.

Deepa from Delhi. Jai Shri Radhe. Jai Shri Radhe Maharaj Ji. Millions and millions of salutations at your feet. Maharaj Ji, I am managing job and family—everything. I would not call myself a great bhakt, but Krishna is my chosen deity. I have turned 36 years old, but until now I have not been able to understand the purpose of my life. There is unrest and entanglement everywhere. If my path is wrong, what is the right path? And if I am on the right path, why is there so much entanglement and unrest? So is there no entanglement on the right path? Is there no unrest?

The more you walk on the right path, the more you must increase renunciation, detachment, and forbearance. Greatness is founded on renunciation. Greatness is not founded on enjoyment. Enjoyments are not called peace. In renunciation alone, continuously, peace is established. Meaning, what is our goal? Like, I want to walk forward on the spiritual path. But there is "but" in the goal. In the goal, there should not be "if," "but," or "however." The goal is the goal. We must reach it. We must go there. There, the word "but" does not apply. This is why you are wavering. This is why you are restless. Your goal is not definite. Make your goal definite. Your life force is being destroyed. Life is moving toward death. Thirty-six years have gone. Now whether it is thirty-six seconds or not, who knows. There is no guarantee even for thirty-six seconds—we do not know when and where we will rest.

Chant the naam. Hold your husband as God. Understand your family as service to God. Keep chanting the naam. Make God's attainment your life's goal. The fruit of serving all your family should be the attainment of God. Walk like this—what is the worry? What is the unrest about? Maharaj Ji, regarding the family, many things are such. Look, look—in the world, sorrow and joy come equally. Like day and night, when joy comes, do not puff up. When sorrow comes, do not forget God. You will cross over. If you become joyful in happiness, you must become sorrowful in sorrow. Everyone must experience suffering.

You are not alone. Ask anyone sitting here. Everyone's life is a struggle. Ask these soldiers.

A devotee speaks: Maharaj Ji, I am also in the army, so I am always away from home.

Our first teaching to you is that greatness lies in renunciation. We honor them like saints. Because wherever they are posted, they have dedicated their lives. Having abandoned attachment to family and the body itself, with chest held high, wherever they are deployed against enemies, there they stand firm. And we greatly honor them.

And this is proof to us that if we desire the protection of our family and the security of our nation, we must make sacrifices. We must sacrifice our comforts. Then what is there to worry about? Anxiety arises when we entertain contrary thoughts: "If only I were at home." "If only I were with my children." These are contrary thoughts. God has blessed us with the fortune of national service. The nation will honor our family. When any soldier is martyred, every Indian feels that a member of our family has gone.

Whether you know it or not, every Indian feels that a member of our family has gone. And indeed they are a member of some Indian's family. So we bow to the soldiers of our country and bow to those who struggle while dedicating their lives to dharma. So what is there to worry about? When you are in the Army and are soldiers of our nation, what do you have to worry about?

A devotee speaks: Maharaj Ji, as I said, Krishna is my deity. Sometimes you tell us to chant the name or to follow a daily routine or things like that, but we are unable to follow them.

We have never given the soldiers any fixed daily routine. Whatever comes your way, in whatever situation you find yourself, chant Radhe Radhe and dedicate your life firmly to national service. There is no rule. There are 25, 50 Indian soldiers who are disciples. There is no rule for them that you must chant 11 malas or this or that. Wherever you are, in the Indian Army, in our national defense—your bullet is your mala. At that very time, remain steadfast in defense of the country with a brave spirit and chant the name from within.

Eat whatever you get, nourish your body. Dedicate your life to national service. What is there to worry about? What is there to worry about?

A devotee speaks: Then Maharaj Ji, it seems everyone is far ahead of me. There are such great devotees and I am not able to do anything.

What are you doing? Now look on one side—at the great devotees. But don't you see the patriots? Don't you see the sacrifice of patriots? Strengthen the path you are on. You have dedicated your life to the protection of the nation. So God is certainly watching you and our government is also supporting you.

Therefore, do not worry. Chant the name abundantly and remain in national service. That's right.

A devotee speaks: Hemta Ji, Maharaj Ji, millions and millions of bows at your feet.

Maharaj Ji, you say that a person must experience their karma in some form. Lord, if one receives insult from one's own child, then the child cannot be at fault, can they? This is not creating new karma for them. Yet they will face a difficult fate. If one is punishing their parents, the parents are experiencing their past karma, and the child is creating new karma. If one gives sorrow to their parents through unrighteous conduct, they will face a difficult fate.

Do you understand? What can be done for this, Lord?

Pray to God that their intellect becomes pure. Give them naam jap. Chant two malas, four malas of the name and give it to them with prayer to God. If their intellect becomes pure, why would they commit wrongdoing?

A devotee speaks: Lord, she herself chants the name. She also serves Shri Ji. She is very good. And I also have a sister who used to do the same. Today she is very unhappy. So I am very afraid of her.

Now chant the name. The intellect becomes pure through naam jap. Pure intellect does not lead to wrongdoing. We know for certain. As long as one does not chant the name properly, the intellect remains impure. In an impure intellect, the insult of others, the harm of others, the suffering of others remain. Moving the mala is not a special thing. Bhajan is what matters.

If the finger is moving on the mala but the name is not being chanted on the tongue and the mind is not engaged, then what is the value in that? Moving the finger—does that have value? Whether you move the finger or not. Your mind should be engaged in meditation on God, then change will happen. Now the finger is moving outside. The hand is acting. The mind is thinking of the world and the name is not being chanted on the tongue—then moving the mala uselessly. God is not attained merely by turning the mala. With one mind's attention on Radhe, Radhe—the name Radhe appears before. Then chanting Radhe Radhe, even a little bhajan will give great benefit. Try doing it this way.

The intellect becomes pure through bhajan and a pure intellect has such capacity that it cannot harm others. Their heart becomes so tender.

A devotee speaks: Ravindra Patidar Ji, Radhe Radhe, Gurudev Gurudev, Radhe Radhe. Millions and millions of bows at your feet.

Maharaj Ji, I am posted in a scientific position in India's Ministry of Defence.

Maharaj Ji, I had a question: what is dana? Who is worthy of receiving and giving dana? In what form does this occur?

Look, in the true sense, dana is fulfilling a need. For example, if someone is hungry, they need food. Give them food charity. Provide for them. If someone is ill, they need medicine.

If someone is shivering from cold, they need clothes. Where there is extreme need and that person is incapable—like hungry cattle, there is no provision for them—make provision for them. The true meaning of charity is fulfilling what is essential and most necessary. The recipient of charity—one only needs to consider this in terms of money. If a hungry person needs food, there is no need to consider anything. Even if a dog is hungry, feed it. If a saint is hungry, feed it. There is no need to consider worthiness in that. Worthiness comes when giving money. We give money.

Someone will drink alcohol or commit vice or act indecently. With money, we must give with some awareness. Food, clothing, medicine, water—these should be given whenever there is appropriate opportunity, give them. But with money, if it goes toward misguided actions, then you too will have to go to hell. That's why we consider the recipient then—whether our money will be used properly or misused. If it seems like it will definitely be used well, then it should be given. For instance, there was an elderly, wealthy woman in Kanpur who went to Naradanand Saraswati Ji in Naimisharanya, took out one rupee, placed it before him, and said, "Lord, I am a poor person. I think if one rupee could be used in the service of saints, can it be used in the service of saints?"

He said, "Yes, Mother." He called the keeper and said, "Bring salt for one rupee and put it in the lentil dish. All the saints will be served lentils before them, and Mother, today you too receive prasad." Later, she gave all her wealth of millions to the Swami's name, saying, "One who can use one rupee properly can use millions properly." So money is something to be considered thoughtfully—it requires attention. Other things should be given when the opportunity and need arise; there is no need to consider that. When it comes to giving money, if someone who wears the robes of a saint is asking you—first, a true saint will not ask. One who is God's own servant will never do such a thing. We tell you this as an absolute fact. "Who, saying 'I am Your servant,' harbors desire for lowly people?"—tell me, where is the faith in this? A servant of God, speaking of serving a mortal body bound by death—is that God's servant? God's maidservant is Lakshmi herself, and we are servants of Lakshmi's Lord—if we have any need, the Lord will provide it. Why would we need to ask you? So a devotee of God, or a true saint or renunciate—it doesn't seem to me that one who truly walks the path of truth has a goal of God and knowledge of the absolute; they will not ask for money for medicine, for travel, for nothing. Yes, some saints have the nature that if adversity comes from past karma, they use it well. Some saints don't even get entangled in such things. But if someone in robes is asking you for money for pilgrimage or to perform a ritual or such things, you are completely free to refuse. Don't be afraid at all that something bad might happen to us. Nothing bad can happen.

If we don't have faith, we won't give. This must be absolutely clear. Maharaj, if you need water, drink water. If you need to eat, eat. Beyond this, we have no faith. If you see their faith is genuine—that a real ritual is going to happen, if you know their background—then you should help with body, mind, and wealth. Meaning, it can only be given with deliberation. Money cannot be given unknowingly, that our money will be misused and then our path will be ruined. Such people don't have the power of bhajan. Such people who go around asking for money don't have the power of bhajan. And those who have the power of bhajan never curse anyone, and if they do curse, they deliver them to God.

The anger of the sage is the giver of liberation. Narad Ji cursed Yamalarjun and delivered them to God. If a saint absorbed in bhajan gives you punishment, they will bring you to God. A saint absorbed in bhajan will never ask for money. One who asks for money never trusts God. Such people don't have what gives curses. Those who threaten with curses have nothing. And those who have it don't curse, because they see God in everyone. Will they curse their own God? And if punishment is ever given according to divine law, they deliver liberation.

The anger of the sage is the giver of liberation, the bestower of the state of moksha. In this, priority has been given to body and wealth. Body, mind—body comes first, so priority is not given to this. Now, if someone is lying there fallen, if you throw money and leave, it's not useful. What's needed at that time is your physical presence. Now if someone is very disturbed, at that time there is no need to be present physically. Apply your mind, focus your attention—how can we handle this person's disturbed state?

By speaking sweetly, by calling them, by feeding them, by medicine—how? But if medicine is needed, body and mind won't be enough. Now money will be needed. Bring medicine and give it. What is the need? Is my body's presence needed at this time, or is mental attention needed, or is money needed? All three should be considered. All three are equal in their place. According to the need, all three are equal in their own way. Body, mind, wealth.

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

Original video: Bhajan Marg (YouTube)