nar tanu guru sanga govinda radhe
prema pipasa tinom, laksya dila de
Three things are absolutely essential for
attaining our ultimate aim of Divine Bliss and God-realization. First is the
human body. In this human form, you can work towards your goal, and practice
the spiritual discipline necessary for God-realization. This is not possible in
any other form of life. But, even though we have obtained the human body
infinite times, we have not attained our goal. just getting the human body
actually caused more harm, than good. why? What is the cause behind? Because,
we have to reap the consequences of our actions in the human body. We reap the
consequences of actions preformed even in other bodies but those bodies are
only 'bhog yoni' which means that in them, we only suffer or enjoy the
consequences of our past actions; there is no freedom of actions. But in the
human body we have freedom of action and we also experience the consequences of
past action- both are there.
The human form is equipped with a superior
faculty of knowledge. If this knowledge is not applied in the right direction
it turns with great speed in the wrong direction. The human being very cleverly
engages in sins like stealing, making up lies and in giving others trouble;
animals cannot do that. What stealing will a dog do? He takes something and
runs while you are watching: But a human being can steal even from a bank
locker. He has superior knowledge which is required even to sin. Both good and
bad deeds require knowledge. To the degree one has greater knowledge, one can
commit bigger crimes. So we have committed infinite sins in the human body.
Therefore, this human body is the best of all bodies, and also the worst! It is
the best, because it is in this body that Tulsi, Meera, Sur, Kabir, Nanak and
Tukaram Became great saints. It is also the worst, because if one does not
follow the path towards God realization, then one is forced to move on the
wrong path. Why i that? Because you cannot remain inactive even for a moment.
You will be forced to move in some direction – either East or West. But you
will have to move. You cannot remain stationary even for a second. So if you
are not going in the right direction, you will have to go in the wrong
direction. Therefore, the human body is also the worst of all bodies. This
statement is also true; and of course it is true that it is the best of all
bodies. That is why Tulsidas has expounded in this very beautifully in the
Ramayana in this manner.
“nara tanu sama nahin kavaniu dehi
Jiva caracara yacata jehi,
Naraka svarga apavarga niseni
Gyana biraga bhagati sukha deni.”
There is no body equal to the human body. Why is that? Now listen to
the reason. ‘There is no body equal to it.’ His words carry a double meaning.
There is a secret hidden in this statement. It can mean ‘there is no body as
the human body’ or it can also mean ‘there is no body as good as the human
body’. Tulsidas has very cleverly written that every living being desires for
this human body – but to obtain hell! Why has this been written? Does this mean
that living being desire the human body for going to hell! No, Tulsidas implies
that human beings possess the special faculty of knowledge and being careless
by misusing this power of knowledge engage in sinful activities and as a result
they go to hell. So the first consequence of the human form is described as
hell. Some people who are a little discerning go to the heavenly abodes by
engaging in the Karm – Dharm (rites and rituals – duties prescribed in the
scriptures). And there are a rare few who are even more intelligent, who desire
liberation (moksha or apvarg). So there are three things – narak (hell), svarg
(heavenly abodes) and apvarg (liberation). There are three types of activities
– good actions, bad actions, and actions that are neither good nor bad. First
are inauspicious or sinful activities that lead to hell. Second are the
auspicious or virtuous activities that lead to heaven. Third is the state of
doing neither sinful nor virtuous activities. It is aspired by the gyanis,
and it results in liberation. But, there is something even greater – ‘bhakti
sukha deni’. Devotion combined with knowledge and renunciation, in which
knowledge and renunciation remain subordinate. The human body gives you these
four things. So, the glories of the human body have been sung by the Vedas,
th Darshan Shastras, the Purans and the Saints because it is a
fact that there is absolutely no other body in which we can attain our goal. So
the human body is the first necessity. Now the second is ‘proper association’
with the Guru. Not mere meeting with the Guru but proper association with him.
We have met Gurus infinite times, in infinite lives. But, we did not associate
with them in the proper manner. We went to them, offered our obeisance,
listened to their lectures and even nodded our heads afterwards “yes, yes, I
understand”. But that’s all. We did nothing practical about it. Our minds
remained attached to the material world. So proper association is required.
Thus the human body is the first necessity and proper association with the Guru
is the second. That is why God’s grace is considered to be a reason fo
attaining the human body.
Kabahunka kari karuna nara dehi
Deta isa binu hetu sanehi
(Ramayana)
Out of compassion, God sometimes awards the human body to someone. This
is the first grace. Furthermore proper association with the Guru is an
exceptional grace (second grace). Merely meeting the Guru is not grace. It
becomes special grace when we associate with him properly. Without this proper
association, it is like having fifty-six delicacies laid out before you, and
yet not eating. If we simply sit before the food and stare at it, we will die
of starvation. If water is there but we refuse to drink, we will die of thirst.
Similarly, merely meeting a Saint will not help. If we associate our mind with
His, surrender unto Him and unite our intellect with His, then this is the
second and even more special grace.
We have met infinite Saints in infinite lives. They explained
everything to us and we also accepted it. Already we have been blessed by both
these graces before. It is the result of this that you are seated here today.
This is not your achievement. Just think over it by yourselves – what wonderful
thing have you done to get the human body and get correct knowledge of
spiritual principles? How much study of the Vedas and other scriptures did
you engage in? On what basis did you receive these two graces? But, you still
did not attain your goal. The third grace is even more essential – it is the
thirst for Divine love. In other words the hunger for food must be there (the
intense yearning to attain). This is called ‘mumuksha’ or intense desire (for
liberation) by Shankaracharya. The Braj Rasiks call it ‘lalsa’ or ‘craving’. It
is called by various names. There should be a thirst, hunger, craving, intense
desire, yearning and intense eagerness and longing to attain Divine Love. One
should reach the point of not being able to live without it. Thirst has various
levels. The level of desire to attain something can be of various classes.
There is an ordinary level – “it would b nice to get it”, a little effort is
made and then, “forget it, it cannot be obtained”. Then there is this level –
“no I have to obtain it, no matter what!” and the corresponding effort is made.
Similarly the levels of thirst for Divine Love, is different for everybody. It
depends on our detachment. What is the level of our detachment from the world?
How firm is this knowledge within you – that this mother, this father, this
wife, this husband, this wealth, this world is not for you, not for the soul,
not at all? There is nothing to be gained for the soul there, not even 0.1%. We
are divine souls, parts of God. This world is mayic, material. It has been
created by God for the maintenance of the body; not for the soul. If this
knowledge remains in your mind cent percent at all times and in all places, the
thirst for Divine love and detachment from the material world would be
stronger. Repeated practice is required to make this firm until the day comes
when it is absolutely firm in your mind that the world is not mine.
Did he die today? Yes. When he was dying, leaving his body, he must
have thought, “I will have to leave my mother, my father, my son and daughter,
this building I constructed. Everything is being left behind. I am going alon.
What happens to all this I considered ‘mine’?” How would he be feeling at that
time? That time is coming, for all of you too. Then how would you feel? Just
think about it, by yourself.”I will have to go alone. No one will accompany me.
All that will accompany me is the record of my activities good and bad. I will
have to reap the consequences of them.” How will we feel at that time? So the
speed with which we attain our goal, ill depend on the intensity of our thirst.
We have received two things (the to means to attain our goal) – the human body
and the right spiritual knowledge through the association of the Guru. Both
have been obtained. Now we will have to create the third for ourselves. This is
our work. This is not the work of God nor of the Guru. God did His work in
giving you the human body and and gracing you with the association of the Guru.
The Guru has done his work by giving you correct knowledge of spiritual
principles. What you would not have attained or understood by millions of years
of reading scriptures has been delivered to you by him within no time. Beyond
this is the third thing. Practicing devotion, making an effort to meditate on
God – this will not be given by God or any Guru. If God and Guru could give
this to us, then countless souls of innumerable universes would be with God and
not in the world. The fact is that God is ‘satya sankalp.’ The best quality of
God is that He is ‘satya sankalp.’ This means that whatever God thinks, comes
into being. There is no need for God to do anything; He has to merely think. Of course the Vedas use
words such as – “smitam viksitam, suptam” meaning that God looked, and God
smiled. No, no. He did not smile. He merely resolved.
So’ kamayat
He desired. And, it happens. Whatever He desires, happens. “Let there
be creation” it happens, “let there be annihilation” it happens, “let the world
be maintained” it happens, “let a body come into being” it does, “let the body
come to an end, let Me become Formless” it happens. Whatever He thinks,
happens. This is His greatest quality. This quality also exists in the Saints.
These eight qualities of God are completely bestowed by Him to the Saints. But
neither God nor any Saint was capable of thinking “let the infinite souls bound
by maya be delivered, may they all go to Golok.” Some Saint could have made
such resolve, and we would have attained our goal, for free. Look at the
intense effort made by the Saints! They write books and make so much effort for
our sake. Why are they trying so hard? All they needed to do was to make a
resolve and it would happen. No. This is something we have to do. We have
wasted infinite lives in the hope that God and Guru will do this for us. This
foolishness has to be given up. This is something we have to do. This is
expected of the individuals souls
udyanam te purusam navayanam
This is something that has to be done by the
human being. He has to personally move in the upward direction.
na avayanam
He should not take the downward path, towards the
material qualities of goodness, passion or ignorance. Therefore, we have to
increase our ‘thirst for Divine Love’. There is only one mind and two things
that can be obtained and accepted – one poison and the other nectar. One maya
and the other God. One Superior or upward path and one inferior or downward
path. We have to choose one out of the two. There is no third choice. And you
cannot remain without making a choice; because you cannot remain inactive.
There is a natural desire for attaining Bliss, your ultimate goal. Therefore
you will have to choose one side of the two. So choose the right side, and the
right goal.
tayohsreya
adadanasya sadhu bhavati
The Vedas say, ‘sadhu bhavati’ So, in this way, we
understand that three things are rare to obtain. Of these we have obtained to,
the third is something we have to do and obtain. We have to increase our
hunger, our thirst for Divine Love. We should increase it by constant practice
and attain our goal. We need to constantly remember one thing, about this human
body; which we do not do. What is it? There is no guarantee of the next moment.
We think, “how old am I after all? I am just ten years old, 20 years old, 40
years old, 50 years old, thats all”. Don’t think like this. Don’t you see with
your own eyes, what is happening in this world? A child is born, utters his
first cry and dies! Children die in their mother’s womb. They are born dead. A
boy has successfully passed his I.A.S. examinations. His father and mother are
thrilled! Congratulations are being sent. Sweets are being distributed. The boy
meets with an accident on the wy, and dies! You hear of such incidents daily.
You need to think that could happen to you.
kimascaryam
The greatest cause for astonishment in the world
is that even though we see it happening all around us, we think that it will
not happen to us. We continue in our carelessness. We hear of a billionaire or
a Prime Minister or President who was sitting down perfectly hail and hearty
one moment and was dead of a heart attack in the next! Time spares no man – not
the king, not the pauper, not the Saint or anyone else. Everyone will have to
go and leave the body. When will this happen? No one knows. Therefore, do not
continue to delay.
na svah sva upasita
kohi janati kasyadya
mrtyukalo bhavisyati
Do not procrastinate. Who knows, the next moment
may be your last. Prahlad advises –
kaumara acaret
prajno
Being practising devotion to God in childhood.
Who knows whether or not you will attain youth or not? But what do we do? “He
is just a child. This is the time for study, for playing around.” Youth comes,
“this is the time for enjoyment.” We die in the process of doing all this. This
has happened infinite times, not just once or twice. We did not create a thirst
for Divine Love within ourselves. We did not create this intense yearning to
meet God. So we need to understand these three things and reflect on them,
again and again. We have to repeatedly take the mind away from the world and
apply it towards our goal. This will happen only by practice. But, if we do not
do this, then –
tatah sargesu lokesu
sariratvaya kalpate
We will have to spend millions of ages roaming
around in the 8.4 million species of life. We have spent infinite lives this
way and ill have to continue wandering like this in future too. Our
stubbornness will be of no use to us. “Look, I don’t get involved in all this
trouble. I will do whatever the mind desires.” Thats all right. The living
being is free to choose his activities. You can keep doing whatever your mind
says. But you will not be free, when the time comes to bear the consequences!
You ill have to reap the fruits according to the Divine Law. Your independence
will not work there “I don’t accept the consequences.” No, you will have to.
jo jas karai so tas
phala cakha
Therefore, we should be very careful; and
stopping procrastination we should practice devotion to attain our goal.
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