ekantik vartalaap evam darshan #1436

A private conversation with Pujya Shri Hit Premanand Govind Sharan Ji Maharaj at Shri Hit Radha Keli Kunj, Vrindavan. Sadhaks put forward questions about their life and sadhana, and Maharaj Ji resolves them.

Full Discourse

Kaveri Ji: Radhe Radhe, Radhe Radhe. Maharaj Ji, Maharaj Ji, does inner peace come through struggle, or does it come when we simply accept? Inner peace comes from knowledge. It comes neither from struggle nor from acceptance. Knowledge comes from knowledge, because the cause of restlessness is ignorance. Because of ignorance we are trapped in circumstances, in calamities, in sorrow, in worldly enjoyments. God has said:

shraddwan labhte gyanam tatpara sahitendriya gyanam labdh param shanti param shanti machre aadi gachati

The one who has faith and is devoted, with senses controlled, attains knowledge; having attained knowledge, he quickly attains supreme peace.

When someone with faith keeps the company of saints and mahatmas and studies the scriptures, they gain knowledge: what to do, what not to do, what brings peace, what brings restlessness. Then they bring their senses under control. Right now we are slaves of the senses; the sadhak brings the senses under his own authority.

When, with mind and senses under control, one contemplates the Supreme, the knowledge that arises within brings peace. This is called eternal peace: that even in the greatest calamity there is no tremor in the heart. That is called peace.

prarambh ki shanti tyaga shantintam

Peace comes right after giving up (desires). The more one gives up worldly enjoyments, the calmer one becomes. The enjoyer is restless; the renunciant is peaceful. So if we speak of struggle, it is not through struggle but through knowledge that attainment comes.

Now, if we just affirm, "I am peaceful," will peace really come just by that much? Some calamity will come. When we have the knowledge within, we ask: who is this calamity affecting? Why has it come? What is its cause? And knowing that the cause is the fruit of our own karma, we bear it very calmly and with detachment. Peace will remain as long as knowledge remains. Without knowledge there is no peace. Quite often it happens that even though one has knowledge, it does not manifest. What is the reason for this?

That knowledge is only like the information we have in a dream: we think we are awake, we are working, but we are actually asleep, not awake. They have not got the knowledge. It is only verbal knowledge. Real knowledge is what is attained. Didn't I say: knowledge that comes from within through bhajan? There is shastric knowledge, knowledge heard from others, and there is inner knowledge. Inner knowledge will give peace. When you do bhajan and pull the senses away from enjoyments, and real knowledge arises, then we know that this peace will not be disturbed.

As long as there is no Brahm gyaan, no Bhagwat gyaan, the jiva will certainly remain restless. See the saints and mahatmas: supremely calm in every circumstance, calm even in the greatest calamities. Otherwise, troubles make everyone restless. If we have real knowledge, we will remain blissful even in the most adverse circumstances. We will not be restless; we will remain calm.

Kaveri Ji: Maharaj Ji, at that time the sadhak does "cutting" from within, through the words of you Gurujans. So Maharaj Ji, in the siddha state, is there no awareness of this? Does such awareness remain?

Maharaj Ji: Awareness remains, but the state (of distress) does not. There, awareness does remain. For example, if there is a wound on this body, we can see the wound, but the pain is felt by this person, not by us. Likewise, the pain of this body is felt by this body, not by us. This is the condition in the sthitaprajna state. And the sadhak "cuts" like this: I am not the body; this body is my house. I am the imperishable one who dwells in it.

A siddha person is in his state; he keeps his mind joined to God. Whatever afflictions come to him, he is aware of them, but he has no sorrow. There is awareness: if it is hot, there is awareness, but no sorrow about it. If there is pain in the body, there is awareness, but no sorrow. The sadhak cuts through viveka: "No, I am not the body. This is my prarabdha bhog. Let it be enjoyed. I am merely the witness of it; I do not enjoy it." By cutting again and again like this, he protects himself.

But the siddha person remains protected and sheltered in God's state. He does not suffer sorrow, though discomfort may come. Like a headache: if there is a headache, there will be a headache, but no grief about the headache.

Kaveri Ji: Maharaj Ji, how long does it take, while cutting, to reach that state?

Maharaj Ji: Cutting alone will not do it. Bhajan too, along with it. The more intense the bhajan, the more intense the viveka that awakens. Without bhajan, the knowledge that is there does not come into use. Everyone has the knowledge. Who does not know that the world is perishable? Who does not know that one has to die? Who does not know that everything will be left behind here? But who is busy with all of that? Who, having become detached from it, is taking to God?

So without bhajan, knowledge remains merely verbal:

mathe ghrit hoy baru sikata te baru tel. Binu hari bhajan na bhav taria yah siddhant apel ॥

Even if ghee could be churned from sand, or oil pressed from sand, one cannot cross the ocean of existence without the bhajan of Hari. This principle is unshakeable.

Without bhajan of God, no knowledge will come into use. It will come into use only when you do bhajan fully. Do bhajan withdrawn from the world, and do it with great intensity. Then knowledge and wisdom will all awaken within.

Yes, Dr. Vivek Tangdi ji. Shri Radhe Shri Radhe, Maharaj Ji. You are saying that you are a sevayat of a temple. Maharaj Ji is saying that many devotees choose a sanskar according to their own convenience and then ask about the path. The path of the new generation's worship or sanskar is not according to convenience. The path is according to shastra.

tasmat shastram prmanam te karya akar vyavasthitau

Therefore, let shastra be your authority in deciding what should be done and what should not be done.

What should be done and what should not be done is established by shastra, not by one's taste. Acting by taste becomes indulgent conduct. The conduct of Bhagavan follows the command of shastra, and by walking in it our welfare will come. If we walk according to our convenience, our welfare will not come. So when devotees ask according to their convenience, which text or example from shastra should we show them? The most important thing is this: whatever the rishis and munis said, they said by the grace of Bhagavan. What Bhagavan himself said is the Gita.

Bhagavan himself is the Gita. If we study the Gita shastra, it contains karma yoga, bhakti yoga and gyan yoga. And when we read the commentaries on the Gita, the mahapurushas have made it very easy for us. They have explained it in great detail. For example, there is the commentary of Pujya Shri Swami Ram Sukhdas ji Maharaj, Sadhak Sanjivani, which has the essence of all the shastras in its explanation of the Gita. So it should be read. And there is the Ramcharitmanas in simple language, which should be read. From these we learn: what should our conduct be? What should our dharma be?

What should our karma be? These three, the Gita, the Ramcharitmanas, and the Srimad Bhagavatam Mahapurana, which explains the 18,000 shlokas in simple language, and then there are the Vedanta and other shastras. But if we study these three texts, the Srimad Bhagavatam Mahapurana, the Ramcharitmanas and the Shri Gita ji, we will find the right path. The practical sanskars of the paramarth life, such as mundan and janeu, are also not according to one's convenience. In these, the words of the brahmarishis are authoritative.

[sound of clearing throat] The brahmarishis and great men have set up a tradition. "After so many years, one should do it in this way and that way." Nowadays it has become arbitrary. At the time of marriage, people get a yagya done for one day, two days or three days beforehand, and then take it down and hang it up. That shows the intellect is corrupt, and they are not following the true path. Which book in our dharmashastra has many texts, many smritis? In the smritis such as the Manusmriti and the Parashar Smriti, these small matters have been explained at great length.

For example, there is the Parashar Smriti, there is the Manusmriti, and there are other shastras. Now if you go to the Gita Press and say you need the words for the yagyopaveet sanskar, they will give you the mantras for the yagyopaveet sanskar themselves. The best part is that our ancient tradition has come down to us. We should not break that tradition, because the tradition has come down according to the shastras. The full yagyopaveet ceremony of a brahmarishi boy, from eight to twelve or thirteen years of age, was performed in the gurukul. The problem in society is that because of nuclear families, all this is disappearing.

Now it is becoming difficult to follow the discipline of varna ashram. The first thing is that it is becoming difficult to follow the discipline of varna ashram. So how will the restraint of shastra be applied? Our first discipline is brahmacharya, and then there are the four stages: brahmacharya, grihastha, vanaprastha and sannyas. Naishthik brahmacharya is also there. In our shastras, these four arrangements have already been spoiled. Now there are these polluted practices, girlfriend and boyfriend, which are inauspicious. So will people who follow these now respect shastra? Their intellect should be pure, but in this state their intellect has become corrupt.

Those who are devoted to adultery, who are devoted to addictions, how can they follow the command of shastra? The first rule for following the command of shastra is that from birth until marriage, one should remain a brahmachari. This is for everyone. Brahmacharya ashram is for everyone. Then comes grihastha ashram, the second, then vanaprastha, then sannyas, and then attainment of the position of moksha. So the very first step has already been spoiled. Nobody wants to remain a brahmachari. Everyone is engaged in arbitrary adultery according to their own will. There are small children, and there is a mobile phone in their hands.

They have learned dirty things. Becoming experts in some process or other, they are destroying their brahmacharya. So when the very first ashram and the very first varna system are gone, how can shastra be applied? Shastra would apply only if you follow its principles. Its beginning itself has become bad. Parents used to be touched at the feet every morning when they woke up. "Rising at dawn, one bows one's head to Raghunath, to mother, father and guru."

Rising at dawn, one bows one's head to Raghunath, to mother, father and guru.

Where is the sanskar in children today? They answer their parents back. They speak harsh words. Where there should be vidya and vinay, there is pretence and arrogance. In the new children, the new generation, humility is not seen. Rudeness is seen in them. So only a rare person will be able to follow the command of shastra, and whoever follows the command of shastra can become a mahapurusha. That person can attain Bhagavan. That person can become a true servant of society. Otherwise, a so-called social servant exploits society. Where is the service? Service becomes a show, something external, and by exploitation they fulfil their own lusts.

So these are the mistakes that have been made. How do we correct them? First, the mistake has to be recognised: which mistake it is. Today's children are making mistakes, and this can be put right through satsang. If we keep sadhu sang, study the scriptures (shastra svadhyay), and resolve to never repeat the mistakes we know we have made, then correction is possible. Without sadhu sang, the words of the scriptures and the words of the true path will not even be heard or understood. Look at the atmosphere now: reform has begun. Thousands of people come and say, "Our lives were transformed."

They say, "We heard your words and our lives changed." So if they had not heard sadhu sang and satsang, how would their transformation have happened? Through sadhu sangh, through study of the scriptures, and by taking a lifelong vow about the mistake we have acknowledged, saying we will never commit such a sinful act again, transformation comes. Tulsidas says:

ab nashani ab na naso
Till now it was wasted; now I will not let it be wasted again.

When a person begins to chant the name of God, all sins are destroyed, and such strength comes into him that he tramples his mistakes and accepts goodness and virtue. But this cannot happen without sadhu sang.

Kanhaiya Lal Ji, from Rajasthan: Radhe Radhe, Radhe Radhe, Maharaj Ji. Maharaj Ji, again and again, when I look at my past sinful deeds, I feel: why would Shri Ji accept someone as lowly as me?

Yes. When you reflect like this on past sins and feel remorse burning in your heart, the effect of that sin is destroyed. This is what should be done. The scripture instructs, "Kritam smar," remember what was done. If you did wrong, and by repeatedly remembering it you feel a burning ache, asking why you did it, then that sin is destroyed. God incarnates precisely to purify us fallen ones.

So it is not that we should ask why God would accept fallen people. Hospitals are built for the sick, not for the healthy. They exist for the sick. Surrender to God is certainly there for us. God's names are Patit-Pavan (purifier of the fallen), Deen-Bandhu (friend of the humble), and Karuna-Varunalaya (ocean of compassion). If we are fallen, we have a relationship with God, because His name is Patit-Pavan. If we are humble, we have a relationship with God, because His name is Deen-Bandhu. If we are distressed and sorrowful, God is the remover of distress. We have our relationship with God.

So we should keep the enthusiasm that whatever we are, we are in God's refuge, and we are worthy of God, because we are parts of God. However far we fall, we are still worthy of God. Even if a son behaves very badly, he still says he carries his father's name. We are parts of God. The scripture says:

ishwar ansh jeev avinashi
The living being, indestructible, is a part of God.

Yes, we have made mistakes and committed sins, so we say, "O God, forgive us or punish us, I am in your refuge." This is the certain truth. We are worthy of Shri Ji's surrender because we are worthy of nothing else, and that is why we come to take refuge. He certainly accepts our surrender. However great a wrongdoer someone is, if he comes into God's refuge, God says:

koti vipr badh lage jahu aae sharan tajhu nahi tahu
Even if the sin of killing crores of brahmins attaches to him, if he comes to my refuge, I do not abandon him.

God also says:

jo nar hoi charachar drohi ave sab sharan tak moh
Even one who betrays all of creation, if he comes fearfully seeking my refuge..

When he comes to God's refuge in fear, saying, "O God, now no one but you can protect me," God holds him dear:

jo sabheet awa sarnai rakho tai pran ki nai
Whoever comes to me in fear and seeks refuge, I hold dear like my own life-breath.

God loves him very much. That is why He is God: He embraces even the lowly, the fallen, and the wicked, and grants them welfare. Those who previously kept committing sins became great souls once they came into God's refuge; they became brahmarishis. Those who could not even say "Ram Ram" and said "Mara Mara" attained the status of brahman. This is the godliness of God, this is His glory, that He purifies even us fallen ones. He embraces even us humble ones. He helps even us who are helpless and destitute. If He looked at us, looked at our side, our welfare would never happen. But He does not look at us. He looks at His own nature and His own power, and our welfare happens through that.

Siddhi Shah Ji, from Ahmedabad.

Radhe Radhe, Maharaj. Radhe Radhe, Maharaj Ji. Maharaj Ji, when a person sits down to do bhakti, he often recalls the failures he has had in life, and because of this his bhakti does not go well, Maharaj Ji. The mind does not become steady in bhakti, Maharaj Ji. Yes, even after making an effort with the mind, again and again the mind strays from the goal. Take the goal as an example: when we sit to chant "Radha Radha," the mind keeps thinking wrongly, or thinks about the past, or thinks about the future. We then have to pull it away from that thinking and engage it in the naam.

This practice has to be done. The Gita says:

abhyasyogyukten chetsa nanyagamina
By practice, with a mind united in yoga and not wandering elsewhere.

If we keep practising this for a long time, again and again, then whenever the mind leaves the naam and goes into the world, we bring it back into the naam again and again. Bring it back repeatedly, and it will begin to stick. Or, wherever the mind goes, try to see God there. When creation did not exist, God was there. When creation no longer remains, God will remain. So in between, God alone is there. Whatever form, object, or person you meditate on, cultivate the feeling that God is in it, and your bhajan will begin to improve.

Adopt two methods. First, wherever the mind goes, pull it back from there and engage it in your goal. Or, wherever the mind goes and there is some object, person, or thing you are contemplating, see God in that too. There is no particle in which God is not seated. If we contemplate this way during bhajan, the mind will gradually become pure and will become absorbed in God. But this practice has to be sustained over a long time. It is not something that happens in two or four days, where we practise for a few days and the mind is absorbed in God. It takes a long time.

Until our mind becomes pure, it will keep running around restlessly. Once it is pure, it will stick to whichever naam jap it is engaged in. The mind runs away now because it has not yet tasted the sweetness of bhajan. Otherwise, look: if a film suits your liking, the mind won't wander anywhere for three hours. It won't. There is no bhajan of God in it, and no truth. It is false. Every film is created as fiction, 100% false. Yet we pay money and become so absorbed in watching a false scene that we don't notice when three hours have passed.

It has to be to one's liking. If we taste the sweetness of God in the same way, in God's naam and God's form, then the mind won't run away. Because it has never tasted that, it runs toward the world. Until it finds that sweetness, we have to take this trouble of pulling it back again and again. The difficulty is this: we sit down for bhajan, we want to be calm, and the mind keeps disturbing us. So by repeatedly pulling it back and engaging it in God's naam:

karat karat abhyaas ke jad mat hot sujan rassi aavat jat hi sil par hot nishan.
Through constant practice, even the dull become wise. As a rope moves back and forth over a stone, it leaves a mark on it.

In this way, through practice, the mind eventually becomes absorbed in God.

Nidhi Jain ji from Gujarat, Radhe Radhe Maharaj ji, Maharaj ji: I am troubled by a great many negative thoughts and a lot of fear. The mind cannot stay in its own control. This has reached the point of being very dangerous, Maharaj ji. This is a very dangerous situation. If negative thinking persists, it can lead to depression and create problems. When this thinking grows stronger, it even starts advising the destruction of the body. Negative thinking is a very bad thing.

This comes from sin. When some sin has been committed by us, in this life or a previous one, and it comes upon us, then see: however adverse the circumstances, if we have a positive attitude, we remain joyful even in them. It is God's grace. The situation has come today, and it will change. Just as the day did not last and night came, so the night will not last; the day will come. Such is happiness and sorrow. When sorrow has come, happiness will come. When there is happiness, don't become proud, because sorrow is coming. There is an order to this. So we should destroy negative thinking. Through the strength of bhajan, we should chant naam abundantly, give up negative thinking, and there is no need to be afraid.

God is everywhere. Wherever someone is destined to die, they will be taken there, whether or not you are present. Events will happen that way, and circumstances will form that way. We die only once, not a hundred times. So there should be no fear of dying, and no other fear. Do naam jap, live good conduct, and listen to the stories of God. By hearing the character of God and of the devotees, the heart becomes pure very quickly.

Ji Aryan Maurya ji, Radhe Radhe Maharaj, Radhe Radhe Maharaj ji, Maharaj ji: my question is, how should we young people strike a balance between career and personality development?

You have to move forward in your own development. Until a child is living a spiritual life, they may move toward destruction, but moving toward development is not possible. Everything you see here is perishable. You can earn money through dishonesty. You can become a doctor by paying a bribe. You can attain some position. But all of that is perishable. Four days later, when your life-breath leaves you, the body is left behind, the position is left behind, and the bank balance is left behind. So should we call this development or destruction? Consider it carefully.

Development means that our course in this world is good as well. We should attain God, or be born into such a noble life through God. We should become people who do noble deeds. We should have virtues within us. We should do good for others and be able to bring happiness to society. For this, spirituality is necessary. If we don't connect with spirituality and don't follow the scriptures, then look how dirty the atmosphere among young people has become. Drug use and these filthy habits are increasing, and so are dirty relationships with many girls and many boys. What is all this? Boyfriend and girlfriend relationships going on: what is all this? Is this moving toward destruction or toward development? Consider it carefully. Destroying brahmacharya, destroying purity, and giving dirty impressions to the mind: this is moving toward destruction.

After that come addictions. Then, for the sake of addictions, come rowdiness, violence, theft, and tormenting one's parents. All of these are matters of destruction. Child, if we want progress both in this worldly life and in the life beyond, we should connect with spirituality. We should listen to satsang, do scriptural study (swadhyay), and chant God's naam. We should serve our parents and elders. Only through the blessings at their feet will we move forward. We should hold this feeling. Worship your elders as you would God.

If we receive his blessings, we have received God's blessings. If his auspicious feeling toward us remains, then both our worldly and our spiritual progress will continue. Our naam jap, scriptural study, satsang and seva will lift up our life. And the life that does not have these is moving toward destruction, even though it thinks it is progressing. I am going toward development, but there is no development here; there is destruction. We have to look at the end. The wise look at the result. The foolish look only at the pleasure of the present.

The wise person thinks about the future: what will be the result of the work I am doing, and what will become of it? The discerning person looks at the outcome. So everything here is perishable. If we have not done bhajan of God, have not lived good conduct, have not been able to create peace and love in the family, and have not been able to bring happiness to society through paropkar, then our life is perishable, and we will have earned only destruction. Nothing imperishable will have come into our hands. The imperishable is God's naam, God's dhyan and God's chintan, and doing social service with a bhagwat bhav while remembering God.

Hit Harivansh Maharaj ji, Maharaj ji, I took a vow in front of Baba Vishwanath ji that I would not destroy my brahmacharya, but it broke within a few months. O Lord, save me. Will God forgive me?

Now a vow does not work. Caution works. If you have firmly practised masturbation, if you watch dirty things on your mobile, if you keep bad company, then you may take Hanuman ji, Ram ji, Shankar ji, whichever you like, into your hand as a vow. It will not help. No, give up the impure conduct.

Do not take vows. Do not swear oaths. We are practising. We are striving. We will make an effort so that it does not happen in our life, but we are not swearing. If we fail in the effort, we will try again, and again. This is how it should be done. One should not swear an oath about anything at all. We will try with full strength, with all our life force, and not let it break, but we do not swear. If it breaks, there is no offence, because we did not swear. We try again.

Such effort should be made, and when two or four years have passed, then you may take a vow: "Now I swear that I will not do such an act, not even by mistake." When four or five years have passed and I have been walking with restraint, then I can swear. A vow is not taken in a state of falling. A vow is taken when it has been established. In a state of corruption, one makes an effort to correct one's corrupted nature. So look, Vishwanath ji is a father, supremely wise, an ocean of knowledge. He does not pay heed to the words of ignorant people like us. Therefore, do not be afraid.

Now reform yourself. We should now make improvements. Wherever we are making mistakes, create distance from that mistake. When the mind urges you toward masturbation, think absolutely: my hands have broken, I will not do it at all. If the mind troubles you too much, go outside and take a walk. Radha Radha Radha Radha Radha, and stay away from it. If you now cooperate with such an act, then downfall will certainly happen. Our practice of many births is wrong. Good practice we are only beginning now, but the bad practice is from many lifetimes, so it will certainly drop us. Therefore, one must be very careful.

Doctor Sonu Yadav ji from Bihar: Radhe Radhe, Maharaj ji. You say that you work in the emergency department, and serious patients come, and most of them recover by grace. Despite our effort, it often happens that the patient's condition worsens. The family members hurl abuses, and the relatives behave badly. Maharaj ji, such incidents do not leave the mind, Maharaj ji. And so, the patient's family should consider that this arrangement is created by God, according to the karma of the living being.

Now, a serious patient comes and recovers and goes home healthy. That means the doctor and the technician completed their work. And another comes, and the same doctor, the same technician, the same people who serve, but he fails. So the patient also has his prarabdha. If the patient has to suffer and in the end attain death, then the doctor is not so capable that he can make him immortal. So we feel that the family should not hurl abuses, should not quarrel or fight. Yes, doctors too should look upon every patient who comes as a form of God, and treat him with all the knowledge they have, and make the fullest effort to restore his health. There should not be the slightest negligence. And the family of the patient should also consider that this living being has the enjoyment of his prarabdha.

At that time, because of attachment, knowledge does not work. The family makes its own effort. Your life will not be saved by fear, and you will die. No matter how great a surgeon or how great a doctor, the gift of life is in the hands of the Supreme. As long as his breaths are determined, that many breaths will remain. And when the last breath comes, even if Brahma himself came, he could not save him. Leave aside the doctor. So we feel that the family of the patient should not think, because of failure, that the doctor is at fault.

Such thinking should not be there, because generally those who have studied to become doctors hold this very thought: to keep the patient healthy. Now, if someone is negligent or wrong, we cannot say, because sometimes such complaints do come. Perhaps among thousands of doctors there may be one or two negligent ones who, seeing the condition of the patient, fail to successfully administer the right medicine or the right operation. Otherwise, doctors are generally regarded as forms of God, and they do whatever they can so that the patient becomes well.

But the patient also has his own destiny. If it is his fate to suffer and to die, then no doctor can save him. So you should remain happy. Those people who hurl such abuse and insults are wrong. You have no fault in it. Yes, just make sure that no negligence or carelessness on your part leads to any mistake. Hmm.

This text has been taken from the video's auto-generated subtitles, so it may contain word errors. For the authentic words, be sure to watch the video.

Original video: Bhajan Marg (YouTube)