Bhakti or devotion....

Bhakti or devotion cannot be practiced without theoretical scriptural knowledge. It is impossible. How would we otherwise know: Who am I? What do I have to attain? How will I attain it? Who is Shri Krishna? What is special about Shri Krishna? What are His unique qualities? What is the happiness of the world? Why am I caught up in this? What is the mind? What are the senses? What is the intellect? Why don’t I experience God through these? As long as we don’t deeply understand the scriptural answer to these questions, we won’t be able to practice bhakti. If we do it anyway, then we will go some distance and return. We will remain doubtful, and anyone’s simple argument or challenge to our practice will cause us to stop. The other difficulty is that if we merely acquire theoretical scriptural knowledge without engaging in practical bhakti, our pride will increase.

If we leave the topic of God, who is imperceptible, and come to the world which is perceived and tangible, even here practical results aren’t achieved without theoretical knowledge. First understand the theory of cooking, then cook. How much salt should you put in a certain quantity of daal? How much milk and sugar should be used in something else? How do you make the syrup for a sweet like rasgulla? There is a very subtle technique for preparing food. To do this properly there are so many cookbooks and courses. If you don’t understand this technique, you can’t prepare food nicely. However, if you just memorize this information, it won’t fill your stomach. Similarly, you could memorize all the arrival and departure tables for trains and planes. If someone asked you for this information, you could quickly answer him. But if you never leave your home, how will arrive in Vrindaban?

So without the practical application, theoretical knowledge becomes harmful. We think we know everything. If someone were to ask someone with a little theoretical knowledge of the scriptures what is written in the Gita and Bhagwatam, the listener will think, “This person is a great scholar!” But he is not a great scholar. He is even more ignorant than you because his ego has become more inflated by thinking, “I know everything!” What is the benefit of this kind of knowing? By merely having theoretical knowledge we won’t have success either in the material world or the divine world.

You want to travel by train somewhere. You ask at the station, “What is the fare?” You are told, “50 rupees” You have 50 rupees in your pocket, but without buying a ticket you sit on the train. At the next station the train inspector comes on board and says, “Show me your ticket.” You aren’t able to produce it. Instead you say, “Here, take the money.” The inspector impatiently says, “Your money is taken at the place where you got on the train!” You say, “Why is it like that?” The inspector says, “What do you mean ‘why is it like that’? How in the world will I know where you got on the train? You have to buy a ticket first and then get on the train!” Now your money won’t be of any use. It’s only of use when you give it at the station where you started and buy a ticket. If you don’t understand the theoretical, you won’t have success with the practical. So theoretical knowledge is absolutely essential, and this is 101% true in the case of God. Without this, we won’t have spiritual success. First of all, you should understand the nature of the world and that you are not receiving happiness from this.  Why not? Look, you have been receiving happiness from the world from your birth. You have had and fulfilled so many desires, but still you are a beggar.

One day you had a desire to hug your mother. You hugged her. You felt happiness. Then you physically separated. Again you felt like hugging her. You ate 10 rasgullas and filled your stomach. Now you won’t eat any more, otherwise you will get sick. After 24 hours, “I want more rasgulla!” What kind of disease is this that first you have detachment and then desire? You must understand this science deeply, because only then will you become truly detached. And if you do not become detached from the world, then why would you think of or get involved with God?

First examine what happiness you are getting from the world. The world is the place where first you have happiness and then suffering. God’s area is attained after first exerting some effort and then attaining supreme divine bliss. If a mother didn’t tolerate the discomfort of a 9-month pregnancy, no child would ever be born. Every mother has to tolerate this, no matter if she is a queen, a dog, a donkey or a buffalo. Everyone has to go to school, even the prime minister’s son. He also has to listen to the teacher and accept her reprimands and do what she says or be punished.

God has made the same rule for everyone. It is absolutely necessary to understand spiritual theory. But if this isn’t put into practice, this knowledge becomes our enemy by increasing our pride.