Spiritual Questions and Answers – Episode 1

This blog presents an intimate conversation with Pujya Maharaj Ji. Its purpose is to provide clear and accessible answers to common spiritual questions faced by sadhaks and bhakts walking the path of bhakti, which are directly based on Maharaj Ji's discourses. In the following sections, each question and its detailed answer are presented for the spiritual benefit of the reader.

1. We have many idols of God in our home temple, and my mother worships all of them in turn. Will worshiping only one idol give the same fruit as worshiping all the idols?

Pujya Maharaj Ji's Answer: Yes, God is one, and He has infinite forms. You can worship as many forms as you wish, but the fruit will be the same. However, there is a difference in the depth of bhav.

Suppose you worship a thousand gods and someone else worships only one God. Your bhav is divided among a thousand places, so the quality of your bhav will not be as high as that of the person who has concentrated their entire bhav in one place. For this reason, even if you worship in a thousand places, your fruit may be less, and the sadhak who worships faithfully in one place will win.

God is one, so one should love one form of Him. Love does not exist in many places; it exists in only one place. In many places, there is only conduct. Just as Ramakrishna Paramahamsa saw Shri Krishna in Mother Kali, saw Ramji, and saw everyone in Her, Tulsidas considered only Shri Ram as his everything and said:

सिया राम मय सब जग जानी।
I know all the world as pervaded with Siya and Ram.

To love God, accept one form of Him and recite His naam, meditate on Him, and worship Him. This is why the Lord said in the Gita:

अनन्याश्चिन्तयन्तो मां ये जनाः पर्युपासते।
Those who meditate on Me constantly with undivided attention and worship Me.

The Lord has asked for unwavering meditation, which means becoming absorbed in only one.

**एक भरोसो एक बल, एक आस बिस्वास।
एक राम घनश्याम हित, चातक तुलसीदास॥**
One hope, one strength, one aspiration and faith. For Shri Ram and Shyamsundar alone, O chhattaka, says Tulsidas.

Just as the chhattaka bird will not open its beak even if it falls into the Ganga and dies of thirst, because it drinks only the drops that fall during the Swati constellation, in the same way, a sadhak should place their devotion in only one form—whether Shri Ram, Shyam, or any other form.

However, sadhana often begins with the worship of many forms, but gradually, through practice, exclusive devotion awakens and the mind becomes fixed on only one form.

2. As you said in satsang that having the bhav of Parabrahm toward one's guru is a difficult thing, but if it happens, one becomes liberated in life. So how can this bhav of Parabrahm toward one's guru be naturally accomplished?

Pujya Maharaj Ji's Answer: This bhav is accomplished when joy begins to arise from reciting the mantra given by the guru. The soul becomes devoted to where it receives joy. When joy comes from the guru's mantra, attachment and love toward the guru increase. Because of this attachment, the disciple begins to have the vision of God in their most beloved guru.

This bhav is not natural. You see, we did not do any sadhana to love our mother, yet we become attached to our mother, do we not? We received our mother's affection, we received her love, and so we became attached to our mother. But will such love naturally happen with the guru? No, it is difficult. It can be simple to see God in an idol, but it is difficult to see God in a guru who walks around and looks like us. When a sadhak does the sadhana given by the guru and experiences joy, only then does this bhav become firm in the guru. If you take a mantra from the guru but do not recite it, you will not experience any joy and you will not have love for the guru. This grace is attained only by rare people.

3. Maharaj Ji, if one has love for one's guru, how should one express it to them?

Pujya Maharaj Ji's Answer: This love is a spiritual and internal matter; there is no need to express it. It reaches from heart to heart. When you love your guru with your whole heart, you will see love for you in their eyes.

When we go to our guru, if they look at us with such tenderness, we feel blessed. It feels as if we have been crowned.

It is a secret love, which is not meant to be spoken in words. When you stand before them with sincere love, tears will flow from your eyes and your heart will receive its own answer about how much love the guru has for you. It is a spiritual experience, not a worldly matter that needs to be expressed.

4. Maharaj Ji, how should one increase devotion toward naam and mantra?

Pujya Maharaj Ji's Answer: In any action performed repeatedly, we develop attachment to it. If we can develop attachment to unclean things, then naam and mantra are filled with nectar and consciousness-bliss. When we recite the mantra repeatedly, we develop attachment to it, and then we cannot live without it.

In the beginning, there is no natural attachment to bhajan, so we must do bhajan by force. By reciting the mantra forcefully again and again, a state comes where it flows by itself. Then bhajan will take hold of you; it will continue even if you do not do it. This requires practice. By repeatedly practicing mantra recitation, the mind becomes fixed in it.

5. Maharaj Ji, my mind never remains peaceful and stays caught in worries about the past and future. I want to walk the path of bhajan, but where should I begin?

Maharaj Ji's Response: Begin with naam jap of "Radha-Radha". Take a counter (mala) and maintain a daily goal of 10,000, 15,000 or 20,000 naam jap. Along with this, pay special attention to your food. The food should be pure—do not consume alcohol, meat, eggs or any kind of intoxicant. Also, avoid misconduct.

When you jap the naam patiently, sins will be destroyed and your mind will become pure. The mind that now throws negative thoughts will, upon becoming pure, start giving positive thoughts. In this way, your mind will gradually become peaceful and joyful.

6. Maharaj Ji, my question is: is the guru greater or is knowledge greater?

Maharaj Ji's Response: It is like asking whether the mother is greater or the son is greater. Knowledge manifests from the guru. The guru is the mother who gives birth to knowledge. Therefore, the guru is supreme.

7. Maharaj Ji, what is the difference between surrender and sadhana?

Maharaj Ji's Response: Sadhana occurs in both situations, but if it lacks the spirit of surrender, it becomes ego-centric. Surrender means believing that "whatever naam jap or sadhana I am doing is happening only through the grace of the Gurudev or God." In surrender-centric sadhana, ego cannot arise, and thus it manifests pure fruit (godly consciousness). In such sadhana, God Himself removes all obstacles.

करो सदा तिन के रखवारी। जिम बालक राखे महतारी॥

Always He looks after them, just as a mother protects her child.

In ego-centric sadhana, obstacles arise due to the defect of ego, and the sadhak's sadhana may even be abandoned. Therefore, surrender-centric sadhana, which is free from ego, grants the sadhak swift attainment of God.

8. Maharaj Ji, if truth is beyond delusion, then why do we face so many difficulties walking the path of truth?

Maharaj Ji's Response: The difficulty arises because we have taken delusion to be truth. We have deep attachment to worldly pleasures, honor and relationships, and to walk the path of truth, we must abandon this very delusion. Abandoning delusion is the most difficult. Once delusion is destroyed, there is no difficulty left.

The heart's fundamental longing is for God alone, which we do not understand. We all desire a happiness without even a trace of sorrow, a love that is only for us, and we never wish to die. These three things—unbroken joy, exclusive love, and imperishable life—exist only in God. He is an ocean of joy, an ocean of love, and imperishable. When we jap God's naam and take shelter in Him, this delusion gradually disappears.

9. Gurudev, I have committed an offense in Vrindavan Dham. Ever since I heard from your own mouth that an offense committed in the Dham becomes like a thunderbolt's mark, my mind has been filled with intense remorse, pain and shame.

Maharaj Ji's Response: The remedy for this is that you perform one circumambulation of Vrindavan, doing naam jap silently. After the circumambulation, offer 11 prostrations with your entire body to Vrindavan Dham and, holding your ears, ask for forgiveness. Pray from your heart, "O most sacred Dham! Whatever offense I have committed, knowingly or unknowingly, through mind, speech or action, please forgive me." Vrindavan Dham is supremely merciful; only the Dham can forgive an offense committed in the Dham, and it will certainly forgive you.

10. Maharaj Ji, what does it mean to be 'free from desires'? Does it mean all bodily desires are extinguished?

Maharaj Ji's Response: Being free from desires does not mean merely suppressing desires, but their complete destruction from the root. The destruction of desires is possible only through upasana (worshipping God). When we worship God, His grace purifies our intellect and discriminative knowledge manifests in it. In the light of that knowledge, worldly pleasures appear like poison.

Through upasana, the sadhak experiences Bhagavad-ananda (divine bliss) so intense that even the pleasures of Brahma's realm appear like poison in comparison. In comparison to that bliss, worldly pleasures lose all value. Therefore, trusting in God, continue upasana and naam jap. Gradually all desires will be destroyed, the heart will become pure and you will attain Bhagavad-ananda.

11. Maharaj Ji, when life has been spent in poverty and hardship, and then suddenly great wealth comes, how should we keep our mind balanced so that bhajan can be performed well?

Maharaj Ji's Response: If you regard the wealth you have acquired as God's prasad, consider yourself His servant, and treat the wealth as belonging to its Master, then no wealth can become an obstacle.

नाथ सकल संपदा तुम्हारी। मैं सेवक समेत सुत नारी॥

O Lord, all wealth is Yours. I am Your servant, along with my children and spouse.

If you become the master of wealth, hardship will also come. Therefore, use that wealth in serving cows, serving saints, and helping the poor. Consider yourself merely a servant and manage the wealth as belonging to God. By doing this, wealth will never become an obstacle to your bhajan.

12. Maharaj Ji, how does one jap the naam steadfastly while keeping the mind and senses under control?

Maharaj Ji's Response: The mind and senses come under control through naam jap itself, and steadfastness comes through naam jap as well. The Patanjali Yoga Sutras say:

स तु दीर्घ काल नैरन्तर्य सत्कारासेवितो दृढभूमिः।

It becomes firmly established when practiced for a long time, continuously, and with reverence.

That is, when the naam is japped for a long time, continuously without interruption, and with respect and honor, then steadfastness comes to bhajan and the mind and senses automatically come under your control. You just jap the naam abundantly.

13. Maharaj Ji, just as studies show results in a few weeks, when we jap the naam, when do we get its fruit and what is that fruit?

Maharaj Ji's Answer: Its fruit is obtained immediately—the destruction of sins and the purification of the heart. But this is so subtle that it is not immediately experienced.

Its true and final fruit is what every being seeks: eternal bliss without suffering; a love that belongs uniquely to us; and immortality. These three things can be fulfilled only by God. God is an ocean of bliss, an ocean of love, and imperishable. Through naam jap, God's love manifests, filling the heart with joy, and the being attains their ultimate goal.

14. Maharaj Ji, when I inspire others toward the spiritual path, sometimes it seems my own bhajan is being affected. Should I focus only on my own sadhana instead of inspiring others?

Maharaj Ji's Answer: Yes, your bhajan will certainly be affected. Until a sadhak attains the state of perfection, they should keep their sadhana, their state, and their spiritual experiences secret. If you wish to inspire someone, do not do it by sharing your own experience, but rather by saying, "We have heard from the saints" or "It is written in the scriptures" that naam jap brings well-being to all beings.

If you say "I get so much joy from naam jap," then your bhajan will be broken, and even if bhajan continues, it will be without joy. We ourselves began giving discourses only about 13 or 14 years ago; before that, in our entire life we never spoke even for five minutes—we maintained only silence. When one's own sadhana matures, only then does God give the opportunity for service. Therefore, until you yourself mature, keep your sadhana secret and take refuge in the words of saints and scriptures when giving teachings.

15. Maharaj Ji, from your words I have understood that a sadhak's surrender has two states—the monkey's child and the cat's child. What should a sadhak do to remain like the cat's child?

Maharaj Ji's Answer: To become like 'the cat's child' means to feel complete helplessness within yourself. It means believing that there is no strength in me; desire, anger, and attachment throw me down whenever they wish. To take shelter with the all-powerful God while in such helplessness—this is to become like 'the cat's child'.

• The monkey's child: This is a surrendered being with wisdom, who also uses their own strength.
• The cat's child: This is a surrendered being without ego, who remains completely dependent on God. They do nothing on their part, just as a cat's kitten does not walk by itself; the mother cat carries it in her mouth.

God gives his power only when the being has lost their own strength. For example, when Bhimsena fought Jarasandha and was defeated, expressing his helplessness, God Krishna used his power to have him slain. When Sugriva found himself helpless before Bali, God Rama gave him his strength. This state does not arise from intellect, but from circumstances given by God, when the being, completely helpless, calls out to him.

16. As I have heard from your blessed words, one should dedicate the entire day's activities to Thakur Ji at night. Should wrong actions done during the day also be dedicated?

Maharaj Ji's Answer: No, wrong actions are not dedicated; forgiveness is asked for them. We should say to the Lord, "Lord, this mistake happened through us, please forgive us." He is an ocean of compassion; he will surely forgive. We should try not to make mistakes in the future, but this world is a very slippery path, so if a mistake happens, we should ask for forgiveness again.

Original article: bhajanmarg.com