Attaining God: 4 Powerful Means / Liberation of the Demon Keshi and Vyomasura / Akrur Ji's Remarkable Journey to Braj

Satsang of Pujya Shri Hit Premanand Govind Sharan Ji Maharaj — watch the video above to hear the full discourse.

Full Discourse

Vrindavanesvari, tava padaravindam, prema makaranda raso purnam, hridapitam madhupate smarata tapa mugam nirvaya parama shitala mashrayam parama shitala mayam parama sac-chidananda ghana premananda svarupa navani nikunja mahamahim parama pavana Shri Vrindavan Dham, Shri Vrindavan Dham. To the beloved divine couple, the life-worshipped, dear Shri Priya-Pritam, to all the sakhi-vrinda, the birds, deer, animals, trees, creepers, the Yamuna, the queen of rasa, the dust-queen, and all the Braj-vasis, I offer millions of salutations and countless pranams at their feet. By the immense grace of Shri Priya-Pritam Ji, we received this human body. Within that too came grace: we got the chance to come to Shri Dham Vrindavan, to sit for a few moments in Vrindavan Dham. Even in that there was immense grace: we received satsang. If in satsang we attentively bring the teachings into our conduct, then God-realization can happen in this very lifetime.

Attaining God is not difficult. Giving up contemplation of sense objects is difficult. Giving up attachment to sense objects is difficult. Being free of the pride of the body is difficult. To attain God, truly speaking, is that nothing needs to be obtained. What is not attained is not the nature of God. What is not attained is the nature of the world. It has never been attained by anyone. Up to today, it has not been attained by anyone. [clearing of throat] Na sato vidyate bhavo na bhavo vidyate satah. What is real never ceases to be; what is unreal has no existence. People waste their whole lives trying to attain that which has no existence.

Nothing is gained in hand. The grace of the Lord's hetu rains only upon the one who, like a miser guarding his wealth, keeps his breaths engaged in remembering the Lord. Salutations to that great soul. Whether he is a householder or a renunciant, the one in whose heart there is a sweet, sweet burning, lest remembrance of the Lord be forgotten, who is supremely anxious — that person's life becomes blessed. The one who is constantly devoted to remembrance of the Lord saves himself, saves himself, and is able to save the worlds of worlds. In a bhajanandi mahapurusha there is the power to purify the entire world.

Whether one is a householder or a renunciant: without bhajan, life is a pretense. It is hypocrisy. Whatever the life, whether renunciant or householder, a life without bhajan is a wasted life, a life devoid of remembrance of the Lord, a dead life. Jin hari bhagata hridaya nahin ani, jivita sava samana te prani. Those beings in whose hearts the devotee of Hari does not dwell are like corpses even while alive. Their life is wasted, like that of the dead. A corpse at least has one greatness: it does not commit sinful acts. But one who is turned away from God is lower even than that, because sinful conduct keeps happening through him. The rarity of this life is remembrance of the Lord. The essential point: the essence of all scriptures is: nashto moha smritir labdha tvat-prasadat — "O Govinda, O Achyuta, by your grace the delusion has been destroyed and I have attained your remembrance." This has arisen by your grace: delusion has been destroyed and remembrance of you has been attained.

The sadhak must make the full effort to form a disposition of staying fixed in remembrance of the Lord. The grace is the Lord's; the effort is ours. Those who pass their lives in cowardly, effortless ways are not fit for spirituality. Spirituality is walked by the brave, not by cowards. Just as a warrior on the battlefield, when wounded, becomes even more enthused and tries to bring down the enemy before him, in the same way the brave worshipper — when lust, anger, and greed attack him — runs toward the Lord in fervour, rather than being defeated by lust and anger and forgetting the Lord.

Such a worshipper does not exist.. Now, regarding the glory of the dham that Shripad Prabuddhananda Ji Maharaj is speaking of: here there is a point requiring caution, because, not understanding the words of great souls, one may feel that they are granting license for sinful conduct. The words of great souls should be heard with great care. Pujyapad Shri Prabodhanand Ji Maharaj, in the Shri Vrindavan Mahimamrita, says: Shri Vrindavase bhava-sudriḍha-tarā chetamāse, tadāse nishchinto hama sayā kimapi na gaṇaya duḥkha masmin sukhamavā santāpam na chetha kathapi kimapi satkarma mātram nova pāpa nivrittir na cha hari-charaṇa-bhoka-bhakti chhate. Its meaning, taken from the bottom and read upward: those who have not yet turned away from sins, i.e., at present, wrong conduct is happening through them.

Hari charanambhoja bhakti chhatiti — the loving devotion at the lotus feet of Lord Shri Krishna Chandra is not even a trace of a ray in me. These are accomplished great souls, filled with Brahma-knowledge from Varanasi, and intoxicated with great love from Vrindavan. Both are the ultimate limit of knowledge and the ultimate limit of love — this is the glory of Shri Dham Vrindavan. One who is presently committing sinful conduct and does not even have a trace of the loving devotion of the Lord — even if such a person is [in Vrindavan], to be nishchinta (free from worry) in Shri Vrindavase bhava-sudriḍha-tarā chetamāse is a very great thing.

Even a person who is behaving wrongly at present, in whose heart there is not the slightest trace of bhakti, if he surrenders his life to Shri Dham Vrindavan:

shri vrindavan vase bhav dridh tara che mase tada se nishchinto ham sayana
One who firmly makes Vrindavan his dwelling becomes a wise one, free of all worry.

Then that wise one becomes carefree and sleeps in peace. He simply takes this firm vow: "For my whole life I will not go beyond the boundary of Vrindavan. I will live in Vrindavan without a break." When he does not go beyond the boundary of Vrindavan:

kimpin gaye dukh masmin sukham
Where no sorrow ever comes and there is only happiness, Vrindavan will reveal its love in his heart.

vrindavya na kath vas matra nityam jat sarvatra moksha avdh na sukham vas ram
By mere residence in Vrindavan there is constant joy, which even liberation cannot give.

Whoever takes only this firm vow of living in Vrindavan:

vas matra nityam jatwa sarvatra moksha avadhi nakh sukhmas
By mere residence there is constant joy, which is not found even in liberation.

Vrindavan awakens in his heart that joy, which is not found even in liberation. That is why Shripad says: even one who is behaving sinfully at present, in whose heart there is not a single trace of bhakti, if he too accepts unbroken residence in Vrindavan, then, "Wise one, be carefree for your own welfare. Be at peace, because you have accepted residence in the supremely sacred Shri Vrindavan Dham."

Then such a state of bhagwati will arise in him that no sorrow can defeat him. This is what we tell you about the glory of Shri Dham Vrindavan, as known through experience:

kalah kalesh na vyape thaur vishv te nyari nagri dasi janm jitayo balhari balhari hamari sab hi baat sudhari
Quarrel and strife do not touch this place, which is unlike the rest of the world. Blessed, blessed is the servant of Nagari (Radha) who has won this birth. All my affairs are set right.

However great a patient, however afflicted by suffering, whoever comes straight to Vrindavan and takes the resolve, "If I die, I will die here," that suffering cannot defeat him. We do not say he will feel no pain at all. But quarrel and strife do not touch him. This place is apart from the world.

Truly, believe it: the condition of this body, if one were not dependent on the Lord in the ordinary way, is only the effect of the Dham and the grace of Maharani Ji. What we are describing to you now, the satsang the Lord is inspiring us to speak of, we could not do otherwise. Without this grace we would have no capacity. It is the grace of the Dham that makes even a dead person speak. It is the grace of the Dham that, though there is pain, helplessness, and all kinds of sorrowful states in the body, still makes one speak of the Lord.

ye dham ki na gayti sukham kopi dukham
No one here counts joy or sorrow.

yahan dukh sukh ki ganna hi nahi hai. Aisa maha anand pradan kar deta hai.
Here, joy and sorrow are not counted at all. It bestows such great bliss.

Vrindavan dham santapam ne cheta kathap
Vrindavan Dham does not let you be scorched.

This is an even greater thing. If you have offered your life here and any offense, however great, is committed by you, it will not be able to burn you or distress you. It will bring you to atonement within a short while. There will be a little burning, and you will find the way, immediately, to atone, and through atonement you will get peace at once.

kah santapam neti cheta kathap kabhi yahan jalenga nahi
Here one will never burn.

If he is burning, then he is not truly dependent. If the shelter becomes firm, he will not burn. Do you understand what shelter means? A sold person has no will of his own. He follows the master's command, whatever it is. We have sold ourselves to Shri Ladli Ji, we have sold ourselves to Shri Dham Vrindavan. Like "Roop Lal Hit, having sold the hand, I gained the treasure":

rup lal hit hath bikani to nidhi pai
Having sold oneself into the hand of Roop Lal Hit, one has gained the treasure.

The mind of a sold person means: if the master says "stand," he stands. Look, it is daytime now, and he sees night, but he will say, "Yes, it is day." The master says it is day, so it is day. Our eyes say it is night, so our eyes are wrong. But he will not say that it is wrong. It is day. In his heart there is no resolve (sankalp) and no doubt (vikalp), only the state of being sold. Oh, how blissful such a life is. He does not count joy and sorrow.

Who counts worldly pleasure and pain when one has surrendered his life to the Supreme Blissful Lord in the refuge of the Dham? It is the ego that experiences joy and sorrow. It is the ego which, joined with the mind, makes you feel pleasure and pain. When the ego itself has been surrendered, to whom would joy and sorrow belong?

neti cheta kathampi
In no way, never, does one burn.

Truly believe: even the greatest offense here turns to dust. The dust of the Dham touches you, and the air of this place touches you. Here we have had darshan of such saints that you do not even know what a saint is, and with whom Priya-Pritam play. The air touched by the bodies of such great souls purifies the world.

Sinful conduct and wrong conduct are increasing, and nature could become very destructive. But the little gentleness that nature still has today is because of these bhajanandi mahapurush, who keep the Lord who saves the world always in their hearts, absorbed in his remembrance, passing their days and nights in unbroken flow. If even one such mahapurush exists, he can purify universe upon universe.

Shripad Prabuddhanand Ji is saying: even if there is not the slightest good deed, one will still attain the Lord, if one has firmly accepted residence in Shri Dham Vrindavan. Such is the influence of Vrinda Devi that, as a mother takes an impure child into her lap, she does not look at the child's impurity.

aise Vrindavan ka Vrindavan prabhav sun apno hi gun det jaise balak malin ko mat god bhar let
Hearing of such influence of Vrindavan, it gives its own qualities, just as a mother takes a dirty child into her lap and embraces it.

This Vrindavan is Mother Vrindavi. Taking us impure, innocent children into her lap, she adorns us, makes us full of good qualities, and delivers us into the service of Priya-Pritam. Just as a mother, having adorned her child, seats it in the father's lap, so Vrindavi, endowing one with bhagwatik daivi sampada (divine wealth), delivers him into the service of the Lord and into the Lord's leela.

Blessed are those who have accepted the unbroken residence in Vrindavan.

shri vrindanya manne tavrajsi lutachchhad deham cha dhanyam nyam chaturabh shruti mukh rakh mrig shri bhujwanay
[Unclear caption. Sense: "If I may live in the dust of Vrindavan, may loot it and apply it, I do not even want the Parameshthi position of four-faced Brahma."]

Maharaj Ji is saying something very big. He says: if I get to stay in the dust of the Vrindavan Dham, get to gather that dust, get to apply it, then I do not want even the Parameshthi position of four-faced Brahma. I do not want the Parameshthi position of four-faced Brahma. If I have received the Vrindavan Dham, then, as Hariram Vyas Ji says, "O mind, become a dog of Vrindavan." Even if I must be born as a dog here, I will get the leftovers of the Rasiks and will get to return to the dust. And in the end I will attain Priya Pritam, because when the Yugal Sarkar come out embracing each other and see that this is the dog at the gate of our Dham, their glance will fall on us, and we will become entitled to the supreme abode. [Unclear caption.] I do not want to remain as four-faced Brahma outside the Dham.

I do not want the Parameshthi position. I will return to the dust of Vrindavan. I will be called a resident of Vrindavan. And Shripad has said earlier: make me a worm in the drain of the Dham, but do not make me the four-faced Brahma outside it. This is a big thing, a very big thing. He is speaking of going into the animal womb, but not the Parameshthi position of Brahma outside. Just as the supremely wise Uddhav Ji Maharaj, the disciple of Brihaspati, after returning to the dust of the Gopis' feet, hoped that he might be made some creeper, herb, or medicinal plant of Vrindavan. Then I would become blessed beyond blessed.

To live in Vrindavan in human form is itself immense grace. But if I cannot remain in Vrindavan in Uddhav's form in human birth, then let me be made some grass, creeper, shrub, herb, or bush here. Shripad is saying that he would become blessed beyond blessed if he were made an animal or bird of this place. Acharya and great souls bow to the shelter of these animals and birds, and they ask for refuge. Hariram Vyas Ji says: of all the deer, animals, and birds of this Vrindavan Dham, I make my humble request to each one. Take me under your shelter, become my refuge.

Hit Harivansh Mahaprabhu says: O Radha, O parrot, O deer, O peacock, O swan, I bow and pray to you again and again, I seek your grace again and again, I bow that you may show us kindness.
(Scripture line, as written:)
he Radha rati grih suka he mriga he mayura bhyo bhaya pranati bhram prartha anukampam

Because the birds, animals, and deer of Vrindavan will show kindness, then you will get the constant service of the lotus feet of the Pyare Ji. [sound of clearing throat] So let me reside among you, even if I get the body of a lowly animal or bird. Raskhan Ji Maharaj was a great saint, immersed in devotion to God. He used to say: if you make me a leaf, make it a leaf of Giriraj Ji; if you make me an animal, make me an animal of Braj; if you make me a bird, make me a bird that sits in the creepers of Braj and calls out "Radha, Radha" with longing. He said: if I am to be human, then let me be a Raskhan who lives in Braj. That full verse is found in his composition, where this is described.

Great saints have asked that they be made anything of Vrindavan, because when the dust of Vrindavan flies and settles on them as the embracing Priya Pritam pass by, and their glance falls on them, they will attain God's realization, and the cycle of birth and death will be destroyed. Let Lakshmi come into one's hands; let all splendour, all comfort and wealth come. But if I am removed from Vrindavan, I do not want it. I want to be in Vrindavan. Make me a dog, a bitch, an animal or bird, whatever you wish, but do not remove me from the Dham.

Shri Bhatt Devacharya Ji says: O mind, behold the beauty of Vrindavan's grove. Do not cast your gaze on Priya Pritam outside the boundary of the Vipin Raj. Do not look even at Hari outside it. Look at what kind of thing he is saying about attaining the vision of God. Even if Hari stands outside, do not cast your eyes there. Look only within the boundary. O mind, behold the grove of Vrindavan. Even if you get crores of Chintamani, do not stretch out your hand for them.
(Scripture lines, as written:)
re man vrinda vipin nihar yadyapi mile koti chintamani to na hath pasar
Meaning: O mind, gaze upon the grove of Vrindavan. Even if you were given crores of Chintamani, do not stretch out your hand for them.

jai shri bhatt dhar tan yah asha [sound of screaming] udhar dhar tan
[Unclear caption, cut off.]

Let our body, returning to the dust of Vrindavan in this way, call out "Radha, Radha" and leave the body. Then the work is done. We must not cast our glance outside Vrindavan. We must give up the body writhing in the dust of the feet of Priya Pritam, who reside in Vrindavan, while calling out "Radha, Radha." The great souls saw the divinity of Vrindavan. That is why they say that even if one gets the supreme Lakshmi in hand, the splendour, then go, brother, we give you this much wealth. A devotee who is truly steadfast can give up his life even for this much wealth. It is not mere steadfastness; it is the steadfastness of this Dham. Even if you are given crores of Chintamani, do not stretch out your hand for them. However much you say, living in Vrindavan without money is very hard.

No, living in Vrindavan without steadfastness is hard. Money keeps wandering around. You do not have steadfastness. Whatever you have decided in your mind, that is how you will have to live. Think in the way you want to live. As you think, so you will have to live. You have decided that without going outside and working hard, your work will not run. You have decided that you have given your life to the Lord. Whether He keeps you hungry or keeps you amply cared for, your life will go on as it goes. Whatever is dear to your subject, whatever pleases Him, that alone will seem sweet. Then see how life runs. Simply, the unbroken residence in Vrindavan, the contemplation of Priya Pritam, and the steadfastness of your life, convert these into one. Even if every limb of ours is cut off, we will not leave the Dham. Keep this steadfastness firm. The question is not how you are to be. The question is whose you are: whether you belong to the world, to the body, to bodily relations, or to the name, form, leela and Dham of Priya Pritam. Only then is it said that even one who commits sin in the present, in whom there is not a trace of devotion and not a trace of good conduct,

usne akhand Vrindavan vas sweekar kar liya to nishcint hokar shayan karo. Tumhen nischit bhagwat prapti ho jaegi. Ye hui dham nishtha ki baat. Pujyapad Shri Udiya Baba Ji Maharaj, a great soul established in the realisation of Brahman, every word of his is nectar. Listen carefully. Baba, please tell some easy means to attain God. Please tell some easy means to attain God. Brother, I will tell you four things. By these, God-realisation is certain. The first is the constant practice of remembering the name of God. This is the very first thing, and it fulfils the first devotion.

pratham bhagti santan kar Sanga kyonki bhajan na hoi sang binu bhajan bina nahi prem chhinhu bhajan na chhanie dharie ya dhruv nem

The first devotion is the company of saints, for without their company there is no bhajan. Without bhajan there is no love. Do not give up bhajan even for an instant; hold it as a steadfast vow.

Without the company of saints who are devoted to God, bhajan cannot happen at all. Without bhajan, love does not awaken. And without love, God does not manifest in our heart. He is hidden, and He has to be revealed. He is like the ghee in milk, and like the redness in henna. But there is a process. You cannot get the ghee simply by heating the milk. The ghee is in it, but if you follow the process, the ghee will come out later.

The process with henna is this: tear open the leaves and branches and look inside, and you will find no redness anywhere. That is the process. Grind it into a paste, apply it to the hand, keep it there for a while, then wash it off, and you will see the redness appear. Such is the process.

To attain the Supreme Brahman, the Supreme Soul, go to the refuge of a true Guru. Chant the naam mantra he gives you. Follow the conduct that he follows, and God-realisation will come. The first is naam jap, which is fulfilled through the company of saints and great souls. The second is freedom from pride. When we do bhajan, sometimes we begin to feel that we are the best of all.

See, this is the sign that you are not really doing bhajan. Even if pride arises from bhajan, you will fall. Only one pride is worthy of reverence:

as abhiman jai jani bhore main sevak Raghupath pati more

Let this pride never leave me: I am the servant, and the Lord of Raghu is my master.

hamare mai shyama ko raj yah abhiman ham shyama ji ke bal abhimani ham shyama ke bal abhimani tedhe rahe mohan rasiya so bole atpatwani

Our pride is in the sovereignty of Shyama. We are proud by the strength of Shyama Ji, we are proud by the strength of Shyama. Mohan remained crooked, and the Rasiya spoke in riddling words.

Pride in your own Ishta alone is allowed. If you take pride in anything else, you will fall. Pride in learning, beauty, status, lineage, wealth, austerity, celibacy, silence, or fasting, or saying "I have not eaten this for so many years, I do not eat that," all of this will lead you onto the path of downfall, not to progress in spiritual life. The first is bhajan, naam jap, which is fulfilled through satsang. The second is freedom from pride, and this pride is removed through guru seva. Only when pride is removed through guru seva does freedom from pride come. Without serving the lotus feet of the Guru, no one can become free of body-consciousness.

Even if you commit the Vedanta to memory, you will still carry the pride that "no one can debate with me." For the destruction of the great fault of pride, the only means is service to the lotus feet of the Guru. The third devotion is amaan, freedom from the desire for honour. To be free of honour, to be free of pride, the means is service to the lotus feet of the Guru.

As I told you, the first formula for God-realisation is naam jap, which comes through the company of saints. The second is freedom from pride, being free of ego, which comes through service to the Guru's lotus feet. The third is firm refuge in God, firm trust in God. How will you know whether you have firm refuge? When some calamity comes, does your mind go to God immediately? Or when some happiness comes, does your mind go to God first?

See, this does not happen even to the very great ones. Draupadi's mind did not go to God first. It went to her husbands, it went to the assembly, then to her own arms and teeth, and only then to God. The minds of the very great do not go to God first. The minds of the small go to Him. Listen: those who consider themselves the lowliest have a direct connection with God.

bharoso dridh in charan kero

Firm is my trust in these feet.

Firm trust in the lotus feet of the Acharya, the Guru, and the Ishta: one trust, one strength, one hope, one faith. See for yourself where your trust lies. Is it in a phone number? In some wealthy and respected relative, in an official, or in Shri Bhagwan? Weigh this within yourself. Only when we surrender all our relationships at the feet of the Lord do we obtain trust in God.

Not like this. This does not happen through mere words. The mind will not trust God. It will trust a person. It will trust a gun. It will trust the strength of people, wealth, intellect, and position. All of these it will trust. Trust in Shri Bhagwan directly belongs only to an amani devotee, one who is humble at God's feet and lives only on hope and trust in God. It will go to no one else. What pride is this? What are you? What do you have? Who will support you? You are meditating on the one who is far away, while the infinite power that is within you, closest to you, which you could recognise, your attention has not gone to it at all. The third formula for God-realisation is firm trust in your God.

The fourth thing is forbearance: bear everything. Bear everything. Lust, anger, greed, attachment, intoxication (mad), envy, honour, dishonour, criticism, praise: bear everything. Through these four, God-realisation becomes certain. These are the words of a perfected great soul.

The first is constant naam jap, which is perfected through the company of saints. The second is freedom from pride, which is perfected through service to the Guru's lotus feet. The third is refuge in God, the strength of God. When we listen deeply to the leelas and katha of God and of His devotees, our trust in God begins to grow firm.

The fourth: bear everything.

sahit sahit baadh bhagat ga tan guru hitgat sahnseel aashay udaar dhiraj sahit viveki vivekvan dhairyvan sahnseel hi adhyatma marg mein agradsar hota hai.

Forbearing in intention, generous, patient, discerning, wise and steadfast: only such a person advances on the path of spirituality.

Whoever gives charity, merit or service while seeing the Lord in front of him attains union with Bhagavan. If the person in front is poor and one gives thinking only of his poverty, that gives merit, but it does not lead to attaining Bhagavan. Merit is also diminished by offences (aparadh), and merit is diminished by enjoyment. Once merit has been spent on enjoyment and is used up, it has no value. Only that merit can bring about attainment of Bhagavan which, before giving anything, one regards with the feeling that it is Bhagavan's. Pujya Pad Baba says: and secondly, while giving, do not think, "I am the giver." No, the giver is someone else.

denhar koi aur hai, det rahat din rain.
The giver is Someone else; He keeps giving day and night.

He gives to everyone day and night. So offer everything to Govinda: "Govindam, I surrender to you what you have given me." By doing this, attainment of Bhagavan will happen. The cause of sorrow is ego in the body, and attachment and possessiveness (mamata and ahamta) toward wife, children, wealth and so on. This mamata and ahamta exist in all three bodies: the gross, the subtle and the causal.

The jiva is wandering because of this ahamta. If one removes this ahamta, attainment of Bhagavan or realisation of the Truth will happen. Never have the desire to take anything from anyone. Never criticise or speak ill of anyone. And never have attachment to worldly people. If these four sadhanas that were described above are practised, attachment to the three bodies, gross, subtle and causal, will be destroyed very quickly. The ego will be destroyed.

Doing naam jap abundantly is very difficult. Doing naam jap continuously is difficult. Making excuses is easy. Giving discourses is easy. Listening is easy. There are people to whom you say, "Brother, do naam jap," and they say, "Naam jap is twenty-four hours, so what is left?" If naam jap is twenty-four hours, then what is left? These are people who talk nonsense. They do not do bhajan. People who say such things, we have seen those whose bhajan goes on for twenty-four hours. In Vrindavan Dham, whoever came in front of them, they prostrated to, out of respect for the elders and the gurus. They were elderly and, with folded hands, they said, "I pray to you, Vaishnav people. Pray to Radha Rani that my bhajan may take shape." And the bhajan was going on. We have seen them sitting on their asana doing bhajan from one in the morning until twelve noon, in one asana. After that, they had to be lifted up and brought to the parikrama path. Only then would they return. Then they would go and do four parikramas of Thakur Ji, and then take charanamrit. If the charanamrit was finished, they would not put anything on their tongue. With devotion, they would weep and say, "Bhajan does not take shape for me. All you saints, please show grace so that my bhajan may begin." Such great souls come.

They say that bhajan goes on for twenty-four hours. In this world there is no work as difficult as doing naam jap. Everyone feels that doing bhajan is a very simple task. We say: give us your time for one month, and live the way we tell you to. You will run away. You will not want our room. You will not want our food. You will run away. Once, Adya Guru Bhagavan Shankaracharya was walking along the bank of the Ganga and saw two fishermen, completely absorbed, fishing with their rods. A fish came to the hook. Bhagavan Shankaracharya felt compassion and said, "Brother, how much money do you earn?" They named a small sum. He said, "All right, come with us. How many hours a day do you work?" They said, "Four or five hours, to support our families." He said, "Come to the ashram, the math." Adya Guru Bhagavan Shankaracharya established four maths. He seated them in a math and said, "Chant 'Narayan, Narayan, Narayan.' This is your food, and we will pay you double what you used to earn from catching fish." He made them sit, but when he went and came back, they were not there. They had run away. So he asked his sannyasi disciples, "Where did they go?"

They said, "They were saying, 'We don't need food or money. Do you think chanting Narayan Narayan is a game?'"

papvant kar sahaj subhau. Bhajan mor tehi bhav na kaun ॥
jaun pai dusht hriday soi hoi. More sanmukh aav ki soi ॥
A sinner by nature never has any feeling for my bhajan. If the heart is wicked, how can such a person come before me?

As people say: "Oh, saints have it easy, they get free food." No, no. From a distance it looks like that. "Come and sit with us for a while." A new boy was saying, "I will become a sant," and so he came to Vrindavan running away from home. We said, "Run away. To become a sant is a game. Putting on the pretence of being a sant is easy, brother. Pretending is easy. Acting as a sadhu for two hours in a film is easy. But living as a sadhu your whole life is very difficult."

It is a very difficult matter. You people will not know this matter. Give it one month, or give it one year, or five years. We will not let a single speck of error occur in any sadhak. Not even a speck of error should happen to a sadhak. Finish these five years, and I will be with you for your whole life. A sadhak has to burn his whole life. If he has been correct for fifty years and makes an error for five minutes, the world will smear soot on his face and will not accept that he is a mahatma, even though he has burned for fifty years and controlled his senses for fifty years. "Today I was lax, today I made a mistake, never mind." The one who is going along will say, "Never mind," but those who fall will not say that. The path of the sadhu is a very great and difficult path.

The path of the sant is like walking on the edge of a sword. One has to burn your whole life. Until one attains Bhagavan today, the sadhak keeps burning. If one attains bliss, that is a different matter. Otherwise, he has to burn his whole life. Do you think of the attraction of the senses as a game? Oh, these are destroyed only by burning all night and doing bhajan the whole night. Having merit from past good deeds and gaining wealth, property, fame and reputation is one thing. Becoming a sadhu is the most difficult work in the world. Would a good meal be enough for you? If you were given good clothes and put in a good room, would you be satisfied with that? You would run away. You would strip off your clothes and run away, wouldn't you? Would you not want comforts? Our mind wants freedom. Our mind wants whatever it wants, however it wants. One has to keep such a mind suppressed. Becoming a sadhu in the courtyard of Radha's kunj is not a game. It is a very great and difficult task. Doing bhajan is the most difficult task in the world. Anyone who thinks we are speaking like this should give us time himself. Not at our place, at his own home. Having the courage to stay with us belongs only to some rare fortunate person.

Spend one hour with your mind fixed only on the name of Radha. If it does not slip away even once, we will call you brave for that hour, and we have to stay in that state for 24 hours. Show it by fixing your mind. If you are brave, show it. Let the mind stay fixed on Radha's name alone for one hour. If it does not go outside even for one second, people will know you as a true brave hero. If you think saints eat without earning, then experience it yourself and tell us. Wielding a spade, firing a gun, doing business: these are all ordinary things. The extraordinary thing is to stop the mind and fix it on the Supreme Lord.

Show it. If you are brave, you will become a victorious hero and gain the right to the supreme state. Just show it. The mind doesn't stick to bhajan, and then people say saints eat without working. It is playing with saints. Oh Baba ji, Baba ji, is this how one becomes one? When the merit of countless lifetimes ripens, then someone offers everything to God, and when one attains the true Guru, then by conquering the senses, constantly and continuously, one can do it. That is why bhajan is the hardest task. On the path of bhajan, creating worldly entanglements can happen: today this ritual, today that, today this business, today this dealing. All of this can happen.

I agree, all of this can happen. But sit in solitude and join your mind to the Supreme Lord, and sweat will break out. Your senses will be shaken. That is why people later start finding a balance and walking along that way. The work isn't going forward. The work has to be ended.

jah na chah kab kachu tum san sahaj sane chah miti chinta miti manva beparwah
No craving, no desire for anything; natural love for You; desire gone, worry gone, the mind carefree.

This is the state where no thought at all remains in the mind. This is the greatest festival of this path: Radha, Radha, Radha. What greater festival could there be? The greatest yajna is the one Bhagavan is speaking of: the yajna of naam jap. Do it and show it. If you are brave, it is not just a matter of talking. If you are a true brave hero, we will give you one hour. In that one hour, not even once should your mind wander. A saint remains in God for one hour, and for 24 hours.

Why 24 hours? Because his vision has changed. The world simply does not exist for him.

eesha vasdam sarvam yat kinch jagtam jagat sarvam khaldam brahm ne nana kinchna vasudeva sarvam
Everything in this world is pervaded by the Lord; all of this is indeed Brahman; all is Vasudeva.

So the path of bhagavat is not easy. Yes, if you find the shelter of great souls, it becomes easy. That is why Baba says: you must give up the desire to take anything from anyone. Never criticize or speak ill of anyone, and do not sit in the company of people given to sense pleasures. Even with a sinful person, bow with the feeling that he is God, and keep your distance. Otherwise his particles, his gaze, and his talk will create sinful desires in your heart.

Remember, you will take on the qualities and faults of whatever you contemplate. If you contemplate God, divine qualities will come. If you contemplate people absorbed in sense pleasures, then enjoyment, attraction, the desire to enjoy, the thought of enjoyment, and the contemplation of enjoyment will remain. That is why we say: do not sit in the company of those absorbed in sense pleasures.

If your contemplation is on the Lord, and your outward actions are worldly, then you are a mahatma. But if your contemplation is worldly while your actions are devotional, you are not a mahatma. If you are performing aarti, that alone does not make you a mahatma. Understand this: wherever the contemplation is, there is considered to be the presence.

The scripture commands this: wherever your mind is, there your presence is recognized. If you are contemplating the world while performing devotional actions, the one who is outwardly doing worldly actions but whose contemplation is on Bhagavan is a mahatma. Even work like war, in which one cuts another's throat, has been called worship by Bhagavan. While fighting, one is remembering God. If a battle is going on, a very great worship is taking place. Arjun said, "I will renounce and do bhajan." Bhagavan forbade it: "No, you speak like a pundit, but you are not a true knower."

So stay away from the company of those absorbed in sense pleasures. Do not criticize or gossip about anyone, and remain constantly in remembrance of the Lord.

Let us continue with Shrimad Bhagavat Mahapuran. Bhagavan Sachchidanand Shri Krishna Chandra, who performs various leelas and brings joy to his own people. Merely by singing and hearing about the various leelas that Bhagavan performed, the inner mind becomes pure and love for Bhagavan arises. Yesterday you listened: Kansa sent the demon named Keshi, saying, "Go and kill Shri Krishna and Balram." He sent many, and Bhagavan gave them the supreme state.

Kansa did not believe that Keshi could kill them. Immediately he called Akrur ji and, placing his hand on his hand, said, "Akrur ji, you are our dear one, our supreme friend. By any pretext, tell them that Mathura has been decorated greatly, that there is a beautiful bow sacrifice, very beautiful and worth seeing. Coax Shri Krishna and Balram and bring them here, and there is the elephant Kuvalayapida at the first gate to kill them." Then he had an arena dug out and gave orders to Mushtik and Chanur and others. As soon as they arrived, Kansa had them killed. Kansa's constant thought was of Shri Krishna, out of fear.

He was so frightened that his mind always took the form of Krishna. Blessed is such fear, and I am a sacrifice to such fear, which turns a person to contemplation of Bhagavan.

Then Keshi, the demon sent by Kansa, came. He took the form of a horse. At Keshi Ghat in our Vrindavan, that is where he was liberated. Taking the form of a horse, he came running. He was digging up the land of Braj with his hooves. He was very huge. When he turned his neck, his mane scattered, and he looked very frightening. The whole of Braj trembled at his neighing. His eyes were huge, and his mouth was like a great hollow of a tree.

Just by looking at him, one felt fear. His neck was very thick, his body enormous, black like a dense cloud. The mane on his neck, in his intention, carried the sin of wanting to kill Shri Krishna. He wanted to do this so that his master Kansa would be pleased. He came into Braj with a speed like an earthquake.

tam tashyantam bhagwan swag gokulam tit bal vibhitamdam atmajo mrigyant magni rupsa vinad mrigdavat
Bhagavan Shri Krishna heard his neighing and saw that our Braj people were frightened.

He was whirling about as if he meant to scatter the clouds, and he was searching for Shri Krishna. The Lord understood that it was Keshi, the demon sent by Kamsa. The Lord himself came forward to face him. He roared like a lion and challenged him. Seeing Shri Krishna in front of him, Keshi displayed his strength, because it was him he had been searching for. He charged at the Lord with his mouth wide open, as if he would devour him. Indeed, Parikshit, Keshi's speed was fierce. Defeating him was already difficult, and he was so agile that catching him was not easy.

He ran up and kicked the Lord in the chest. The Lord, the master of the arts and skills, saved himself. How could anyone kill the Lord, who is beyond the senses? The Lord grasped both of Keshi's legs with his two hands, as Garuda seizes a snake. In anger he swung him around, flung him away with contempt, and stood with his hands on his hips. When Keshi was thrown four hundred hands away, he fell unconscious. After a while he regained consciousness and got up again. Then, seething with rage, he opened his mouth wide and rushed at the Lord with great force.

Seeing him charge, the Lord began to smile. When Keshi came close with his mouth open, the Lord put his left hand into it, just as a snake enters its hole without any fear. Although the Lord's lotus hand is extremely tender, to Keshi it felt as though molten iron had been poured into his mouth. His whole body was seized by that touch. When the Lord placed his arm in his mouth, it felt to Keshi as if red-hot iron had been put inside. All his teeth broke and fell out. Then, by the Lord's inconceivable power, Shri Krishna's mighty arm kept growing in his mouth until it fit perfectly.

There was no longer any passage for his breath. He began to choke. He fell down and kicked his legs. His body was drenched in sweat, the pupils of his eyes rolled back, and within a short while, passing urine and stool, his life departed. His lifeless body swelled, and because it was bloated, it burst open like a cucumber. Mighty-armed Shri Krishna drew his arm out of the body, and the Lord did not have to exert any force at all. The Lord is great in strength, indeed he is an ocean of strength. Without any effort, the Lord delivered the demon Keshi. The gods were greatly astonished.

They showered flowers on the Lord and began to offer him praise. Parikshit, Devarishi Narad is the supreme beloved of the Lord and the true well-wisher of all beings. Returning from Kamsa's court, he came to Shri Krishna, who performs wondrous deeds effortlessly. In a secluded place he bowed down at Shri Krishna's feet, full length, and said:

Krishna krishna pramey atman yoge Jagdishwar vasudeva khilavas satwata pravar prabhu tamatma sarwabhta naam mein jyoti vaisha badho guha saya sakshi mahapurush ishwar

O Krishna, O Krishna, immeasurable Self, Lord of yoga, Lord of the universe, Vasudeva, abode of all, best of the Satvatas, Lord, Supreme Self, indweller of all beings, the light, the hidden witness, the great Purusha, the Supreme Lord.

O Krishna, O embodiment of Sat-Chit-Ananda, Shri Krishna, your form is not within the reach of mind and speech.

You are the Lord of yoga. You control the whole universe. You dwell in the hearts of all. You are the master of all, and you love your devotees very much. O foremost of the Yadu dynasty, O our Lord, we bow to you again and again. Just as a single fire pervades all the wood, so you, Shri Krishna, alone abide in all beings. Yet you keep your true nature hidden through your maya. Because you dwell within the caves of the five sheaths, still you are experienced as the Purushottama, the controller of all, and the witness of all.

Lord, you are the support of all, and yet you are without any support of your own. In the beginning of creation, through your maya, you brought forth the gunas, and by accepting those gunas you carry out the creation, sustenance and dissolution of the world. To do all this, you need nothing beyond yourself. That is, you manifest yourself as the creation. You sustain yourself by yourself, and you dissolve yourself by yourself, because you are all-powerful and your resolve is always true.

You are the one who, to destroy the demons, the Pramathas and the Rakshasas, who have now taken on the appearance of kings, and to protect the bounds of dharma, have descended in the Yadu dynasty. This is a matter of great joy, Lord. In play, as if it were just a game, you killed the demon Keshi, who had taken the form of a horse. The gods used to abandon heaven in fear at his neighing. Lord, now I will see your deeds with my own eyes: how you will kill the wrestlers Chanur and Mushtika, the other wrestlers, the elephant Kuvalayapida, and Kamsa himself. I will witness this. Lord, I will see you slay Shankhasura, Kal Yavan, Mur and Narakasur.

You will uproot the Kalpavriksha from heaven and crush the pride of Indra. Through your grace, valour and beauty, you will marry brave maidens by giving them the bride-price. And, Jagadishvara, while living in Dwarka, you will free Nriga from sin. With Jambavati, you will bring the Syamantaka jewel back from Jambavan, and from your abode you will restore to life the dead sons of a Brahmin. After this, you will kill the false Vasudeva, Paundraka. You will burn the city of Kashi. At Yudhishthira's Rajasuya sacrifice, you will destroy Shishupala, the king of Chedi, and on his return, his cousin Dantavakra as well. Lord, while you dwell in Dwarka you will perform many more feats and leelas, which the great and wise thinkers of the earth will sing about in later times. I will see all of that. After this, to lighten the burden of the earth, you will become the charioteer of Arjuna, and in the form of Time you will destroy countless akshauhini armies. I will witness that with my own eyes, Lord.

You are a dense mass of pure knowledge. Nothing else exists in your form. You alone are. You are eternal and everlasting. In your supreme bliss, you remain established.

Therefore, all things are ever available to you. Your resolve never fails. Before your blissful, conscious power, Maya and this three-gunas cycle of the world born of Maya are eternally ceased. It never even happened. So I take refuge in you, the undivided, one-essence, Sachchidananda form, the Bhagavan who possesses unsurpassed majesty. O Antaryami, O Niyanta, O Shri Krishna, you are supremely free. The world, and all its countless distinctions, whether existence or non-existence, every difference and non-difference, is merely imagination. Only you, only you. This is the final state: when it is understood that only you are, only you.

O Shri Krishna, I bow to you. Shri Sukhdev Ji Maharaj says: Parikshit, when Devarishi Narad, the supremely beloved bhakt of the Bhagavan, praised and bowed to the Lord in this way, every hair of his body blossomed with the joy of the Lord's darshan. Then, after circumambulating the Lord and prostrating fully, Narad Ji took his leave and departed. Meanwhile, Bhagavan Shri Krishna, having slain Keshi and delivered him, resumed grazing the cows as before, along with his loving and delighted gwal-baals. He began distributing supreme bliss to the Brajvasis.

Once, all the gwal-baals were grazing the cows on the mountain peaks. Some became thieves and some guards, and they played the game of hide-and-seek. Some gwal-baals became thieves, some became guards, and some became sheep. They played fearlessly. At that very time, a demon named Vyomasur, the son of Mayasur, came disguised as a cowherd. He thought, "How shall I kill them?" Shri Krishna and Balaram were very wise, and this demon was very illusory. So that no one would find out during the game, he became a thief, just as all the sakhas were becoming thieves, some were becoming sheep, and some were becoming their guards. He would steal away the boys who were playing the sheep.

The mighty demon repeatedly took them away and threw them into a cave in a mountain, then covered the cave's door with a huge rock. In this way, only four or five sakhas were left among the gwal-baals. The Bhagavan, who cares for his devotees, saw this and thought, "What is happening? Where have all my sakhas gone?" At the very moment the demon was carrying off the gwal-baals, the Lord seized him, just as a lion pounces on a wolf. Vyomasur was very strong. He revealed his true form, as huge as a mountain, and tried to free himself. But how could he escape the grip of Bhagavan Shri Krishna?

The Bhagavan, gripping him with both hands, threw him to the ground, pressed his throat, and delivered him. The gods, seated on their celestial vehicles, began to shower flowers. Then Shri Krishna broke the rock at the cave's mouth and brought his sakhas out of that dangerous place. The great gods began to praise the Bhagavan. Keshi and Vyomasur had been slain. Kansa had sent Akrur Ji.

So the wise Akrur Ji could not sleep the whole night. At times he would reflect: "By bringing Shri Krishna and Balaram here, am I pushing them into danger?" Then: "No, no, what danger could there be for the Lord? I will bring him with love. No one has the power to put him in danger. But what if it were to happen?" He did not sleep the whole night. Another thought ran through his mind: "Oh, what fortune! Tomorrow morning I will go and have the darshan of the Lord."

Fortune is of two kinds. One fearful thought arises: in extreme love, doubt awakens. In great love, the mind feels doubt: "Might I become the cause of grief to the Lord? I am bringing him, and Kansa might do some harm." One thought ran this way, and another ran, "Oh fortune, I will get the darshan of the Lord!" He could not sleep the whole night. At dawn he mounted his chariot and set off toward the place where Shri Krishna and Balaram were.

The supremely fortunate Akrur Ji, while travelling, became filled with loving devotion for the lotus-eyed Shri Krishna, and began to think:

kim maya charitam bhadram kim taptam param tap kim vayte dattam y daksha yadya keshwam mam ta durlabham manya uttam shlok darshan vishyatmano yatha brahm kirtanam shadra janm

What auspicious deed have I done, what supreme austerity have I performed, what gift have I given, that I should be granted the sight of Keshava, who is so rare for a person like me, the Uttamashloka?

"Ah, when prem-lakshana bhakti awakens, I do not recall doing anything like that. Grace comes only in mixed bhakti. What great fortune is this? What merit did I earn, what austerity did I perform, what charity did I give, that I am receiving its fruit, that I will see Shri Krishna? Austerity, charity and auspicious deeds are not the fruit of this. This is only the fruit of grace. The darshan of the Bhagavan comes through the Bhagavan's grace."

The heart of a bhakt does not recall its auspicious deeds, its austerities, or its sadhana. It remembers the grace of the Lord. If someone in between reminds him of his deeds, he says, "Even that sadhan came about only by the Lord's grace." Then suddenly the mood changes. Grace changed the direction of the contemplation. "I am a very lowly subject." Now the right contemplation has come. The thought of one's auspicious deeds, the thought of one's austerity, these are obstacles to love. In love, one should not even remember oneself.

Far from remembering one's sadhan, one should not remember oneself at all. That is why, to enter the rasa of love, it is said:

sarve sadhan vareshu chiram nirasha

Among all the sadhanas, even the best, if held for long, can lead to disappointment; the pride of sadhana also becomes an obstacle.

Now look, the mood has changed: "I am a great subject." In such a state, the great sattvik mahapurushas only sing the praises of the Lord's qualities. Darshan is very difficult to obtain. "The darshan of Shri Krishna was very rare for me, very rare. How has it become attainable? That means the Bhagavan's grace is upon me." When this thought comes, only then will one truly taste the rasa of prem.

Oh, this is the grace of Shri Krishna. This contemplation is going in the right direction.

mam mama dhamasya sa deva darshan

Darshan of the Lord, given to me, the lowest of the low.

Why did the first thought come, what tapas did I perform, what punya did I earn, what charity did I give, what sadhana did I do, that Shri Krishna changed my contemplation at once? I am the lowest of the low, a man steeped in worldly pleasures. That I should get the darshan of Shri Krishn is pure grace. It is like a straw floating in a river that sometimes reaches the bank on the waves. The straw has no strength of its own to swim to the shore. In the same way, by the flow of God's grace, I am being separated from this world today, and I will have the direct realisation of Bhagavan.

Certainly, all my inauspiciousness has been destroyed today, because today I am going to the abode of the Lord and will have his darshan. Today my birth has become fruitful. My coming into this world has become fruitful. The fruit of coming into this world is direct realisation of the Lord, because today I will offer my namaskar directly at the lotus feet of the Lord.

y nam bhagavto yog pankjam

The lotus feet of the Lord of yoga.

Earlier I was thinking that Kans had sent me deceitfully. But today I feel that Kans has shown me grace. Only because Kans sent me will I get the darshan of the lotus feet of Shri Krishn, the supreme Brahman, the very form of the Absolute Truth.

Those whose nail-circle's radiance was meditated upon by the sages and great rishis of earlier ages, and who crossed this boundless darkness of ignorance, that same Lord has taken avatar. Today I will have his darshan in the form of Krishn.

yad brahm bhavadya sur shri devya muni bhi sasa go charnach charne y gopika naam kuch kumkitam

Whose lotus feet are worshipped by Brahma, Shiva, Indra and the other great gods, the sages, and even Lakshmi, who never leaves his service for a moment, whose feet are marked with the kumkum from the breasts of the gopis.

Brahma, Bhagavan Shankar, Indra and other great devas worship him. Lakshmi Ji herself never gives up his service, even for a moment. Great gyanis, along with loving bhakts, remain absorbed in his worship. That same Lord grazes the cows.

He roams the forests and groves with the cowherd boys. The same feet that are honoured by gods and sages are marked by the saffron from the breasts of the gopis. I will have his darshan with great grace today.

Akrur Ji's contemplation is going on, and the chariot is moving towards Vrindavan. His cheeks are like a shining emerald, and how soft his cheeks are. Blessed is the contemplation, blessed is the contemplation of him. The life of Bhagavan is blessed.

His nose is sharp like a parrot's beak. His lips have a gentle smile. His loving gaze is soft like a lotus, and his reddish eyes are soft. Curly locks hang lightly on his cheeks. I will have the darshan of the face of Shri Mukund, the supreme giver of love and liberation, Bhagavan Shri Krishna. Yes, yes, I will certainly have his darshan today, because the deer are passing on my right side.

Shri Bhagavan performs human-like leelas of his own will, to lighten the burden of the earth. He is the abode of complete beauty. He is the embodied treasure of loveliness. Today I will get his darshan, certainly I will. Today I will get the fruit of my eyes easily. What is the fruit of the eyes? That direct realisation of the Lord takes place. Bhagavan is only the witness of this world of cause and effect, and even so, the ego of being the witness does not touch him at all. By his conscious power, the division and illusion caused by ignorance stays far away and is set aside.

By his yoga-maya alone, Bhagavan Shri Krishna creates, in himself, through a mere movement of his eyebrows, the living beings who are his own nature, together with their prana, senses and intellect. Today, in the kunjs and groves of Vrindavan, Bhagavan is performing many leelas. Whoever sings the name and qualities of the Lord, all his sins are destroyed. Hold on to this truth: this is Kalikaal, and there is no other sadhan. Listening to the leela-katha of the Lord, singing the kirtan of his name, doing naam jap, and whatever seva and puja one can do, this alone leads to attaining Bhagavan.

By engaging the speech in the most auspicious name, qualities, deeds, birth and leelas of the Lord, who destroys all sins, a person becomes sinless.

The daivi sampada awakens. Grace flows in. All impurities are washed away, and the kingdom of purity spreads. But the speech which does not sing the qualities, leelas and birth stories of the Lord is speech that only adorns corpses. Even if it exists, it is as useless as a flower with no fragrance. Aha, the glory of singing his qualities is so great, and today I will have the darshan of that Bhagavan.

Akrur Ji is intoxicated in love. Aha, Shri Krishna Bhagavan himself has descended in the Yadu dynasty. Why? To protect the boundaries he himself has set, and to bring the supreme welfare of the best of the devas, the bhakts and the sants.

This same supremely powerful Bhagavan is residing in Braj, and from Braj he is spreading the glory of the whole world. Oh, how pure is the glory of Bhagavan. Sants, bhakts, great rishis, munis and devas always keep singing the auspicious glory of the Lord. There is no doubt that today I will see him. Every little while, what a thrill there is. Oh, there is no doubt that today I will have the darshan of Bhagavan. Great sants and mahatmas, great lokpals, depend on him. Today I will have the darshan of Bhagavan, the supreme Guru of them all, the one with supreme beauty, who captivates the minds of all three worlds.

For those who have eyes, the ultimate limit of bliss and the ultimate limit of rasa is this: that one sees the Lord with these eyes. Even Lakshmi Ji, the sovereign of beauty, keeps longing for the darshan of the Lord. Even while getting darshan, the hunger for darshan keeps growing. Yes, yes, I will surely see him. Today I will have darshan, because today is my auspicious morning. Such a dawn has not come in countless births.

Today I am having many good omens. The mind is filled with great joy.

man ati haras janavan teh aaj dekh ho param sneh

His mind could not hold its joy. Today I see the supreme love.

Supreme beloved, those with whom I have been separated for countless lifetimes.

I will meet him today. Yes, so when I see him, look how well the contemplation is going. When I see him, I will leap at the feet of Balram and Shri Krishna, the best of men. I will immediately hold his feet and return. I will hold his feet, and I will not let go for very long. Oh, it is as if Akrur ji is receiving the touch of the feet in bhava. Oh, how tender these feet are. Oh, how rare these lotus feet are. Great yogis and sages, seeking self-realisation, hold these very feet in their hearts in meditation.

I will directly attain him. Dharana and dhyan are not the matter here. I will directly attain him. I will return to his feet, and how much joy there will be when I return to his feet. Then I will return to the feet of each sakha. I will worship his feet. My fortune is immense, and his grace is upon us today. When I fall at his feet, he will place his lotus hand on my head. Oh, his lotus hand always grants abhay daan, the gift of fearlessness. Those who, terrified by the snake of time, come to the Lord's refuge, the Lord makes them fearless.

That same fearless lotus hand will be placed on my forehead. Devraj Indra and Daityaraj Bali continually offer worship to the lotus hands of that same Lord. Indra received the dominion of the three worlds through the grace of the Lord. From those same lotus hands of the Lord came the divine fragrance of the lotus. Akrur ji is experiencing the fragrance of the Lord's lotus hand within his bhava. Just as he experienced the touch of the tender lotus feet in the realm of bhava, he now experiences this fragrance. Ah, how much fragrance there is in the Lord's lotus hand. This same lotus hand was placed around the necks of the Braj maidens during the raas leela.

Because of this, he never felt tired.

I am Kansa's messenger. I am going to him because he sent me. Might he consider me an enemy? I am thinking all of this, and the exact opposite might be true: that, as Kansa sent others, so Kansa sent this cruel one, and he may consider me an enemy too. Oh, Ram Ram Ram, what kind of contemplation am I falling into? He is absorbed in contemplation. Understand how far Mathura is from Vrindavan. I set out in the evening. Ram Ram, one must never contemplate like this, because Shri Krishna is changeless. Shri Krishna is the indweller who knows everyone's heart. Shri Krishna is all-pervading and is the witness of the whole universe. He is outside the mind and he is also within the mind. Standing as the knower of the field, he watches every movement of the inner faculty through pure knowledge. No, no, I should not entertain such doubts.

Yes, I will certainly fall at his feet, and then I will stand with folded hands in humility. Then he will look at me with a smile and a compassionate, tender gaze. The moment he looks at me, all the inauspicious impressions of my countless lifetimes will be destroyed in that very instant, and I will be free of doubt and immersed forever in supreme bliss.

I belong to his family. I desire his supreme welfare, and apart from him I have no other worshipful deity. In such a situation, he will take hold of me with his long arms and embrace me to his heart. Ah, at the moment he embraces me to his heart, my body will become supremely pure. Supremely pure, it will become a means of purifying others too. At that time, while the Lord holds me to his heart, all my karmic bonds will be shattered. I have been wandering since time without beginning. Today I will attain the Supreme Soul. Yes, I was saying that when he embraces me, and I bow my head with folded hands and then stand up again.

Then he will say to me, "Uncle Krur ji." When he addresses me like that, his nectar-like words will reach my ears. What immeasurable happiness there will be when he says, "Uncle Akrur ji, my life has become fulfilled." Whoever Shri Krishna has not accepted, whoever he has not honoured, that birth is cursed and that life is cursed. The meaning of human birth lies in this: our Lord is the Lord, and we are his. Let this truth enter the heart. Otherwise, Akrur ji Maharaj is saying: whoever Shri Krishna has not accepted, whoever he has not honoured, that birth is cursed and that life is cursed. What is the use of such a birth? tadavayam janma bhato mahasa nava dhag mu janma

Whoever is not the Lord's, that life is cursed, that birth is cursed.

Yes, the Lord has no one dear to him, nor anyone disliked. He has no one who is his own, and no one who is a stranger. He has no enemy, and no one is worthy of neglect. Yet just as the kalpavriksha gives whatever is asked for to those who come near and beg, so too Shri Krishna worships each person in whatever form they worship him. He loves his devoted bhakts completely.

nātas kaścid dataḥ sutamo nācā priyo dveṣa upekṣa evavā tathāpi bhaktān bhajate yathā tathā

sura yapāito sadā ye yathā mām prapate tā bhajām

As a person worships the Lord, so the Lord worships that person. And he loves his loving bhakts very dearly.

I will stand before him with folded hands and humble bowed head. Balram ji will smile and embrace me to his heart. Then, holding both my hands, he will lead me into the house.

He will welcome me in every way. After that, he will ask me, "How does Kansa treat our family members?"

Shri Sukhdev ji says, "Parikshit, Akrur, the son of Svaphalka, sat in the chariot absorbed in this same contemplation, while the chariot was moving. Absorbed in meditation, he remembered the dust of the lotus feet of the Lord, which all the guardians of the worlds serve by placing it on their crowns. When Akrur ji arrived there, he saw the footprints of Shri Bhagavan, in which the distinctive marks of the lotus and the goad were visible. He leapt down from the chariot. Oh, these are the footprints of my Lord, Shri Krishna."

Seeing those footprints filled Akrur Ji's heart with such joy that he could not contain himself. He became overwhelmed. With the surge of love, every hair on his body bloomed. Tears filled his eyes, and he jumped down from the chariot and began to roll in the footprints, saying, "These are the footprints of my Lord," rolling in the dust. Parikshit, this is a true thing. From the time Kansa sent him until now, Akrur Ji's state of mind was such. This is the supreme benefit of a living being taking a body: constant contemplation of the Lord within. Therefore, this is the supreme duty of every living being.

Not out of pride, not as a drama or a show. With love, worship the Lord's image, the Lord's devotees, the Lord's footprints, and the places of the Lord's leela. Let attachment to them grow, and remember the Lord, so that the Lord's darshan happens. This is the supreme benefit of human life. The discourse continues. Shri Radhavallabh Lal Ki Jai.

This text is taken from the video's auto-generated subtitles, so there may be word errors. For authentic words, be sure to listen to the video.

Original video: Shri Hit Radha Kripa (YouTube)