|| Shri Hari ||

Taking Refuge in Gita

continued....

Goswamiji Maharaj says -  

As when an opponent comes to know the weak spot in any limb of a  wrestler, the wrestler is bound to lose, similarly, God too has a weak spot.  If one grabs hold off that weak spot,  God cannot go here and there, and He loses !  That weak spot is -  taking refuge in only God, and no one besides Him.  In other words,  with single-pointed, exclusive feeling,  taking refuge in only God -  

Ek Baani karunaanidhaan ki |

So priya jaake na gati aan ki ||

(Manas, Aranya.  10/4)   

Meerabai said -  

“Mere toh Giridhar Gopal,  Doosero na koyi”|   

“Only God is mine,   no one else is mine”.   

All says  - “God is mine”,   but they do not say,  “no one else is mine”  -  rather mother-father,  brother-friend,  family,  wealth-possessions,  knowledge,  abilities etc. are also mine.  They rely on something or the other.  When the king’s son, begs in front of others,  then the king does not like it,  similarly,  when “jeev”  (an inseparable part of the embodiment of sat-chit-anand God),  takes the support of the unreal-inert-sorrow-filled world, then God does not like it;  as in this is the ‘jeev’s’ downfall.    Only he is dear to God who does not take the support of many different things -  “so priya jaaken gati na aan ki”  God says -

“Mayyarpitamanobuddhiryo madbhaktah sa me priyah”  (Gita 12/14).

 “He who gives his mind-intellect to me, that devotee of mine,  is most dear to me”.   

When one takes complete refuge in God, then he cannot leave.  However,  he who takes the support of various others besides God,  like money,  power,  abilities, class-stage in life,  knowledge etc, then how can God protect him completely?   Therefore God says -  

“Maamekum sharanam vraja”  

“Only take shelter in Me”  

However there must be a firm conviction and determination in the “Sharanagat” (devotee that has taken refuge in God) that even if God does not protect me,   even though he causes much harm,   even if the body gets destroyed, then too I will only take the support of God.   Chaitanya Mahaprabhu used to say -  

Aashilshya va paadratam pinushth ma -

madarshaanaamrmahataam karotu va|

yathaa tathaa va vidhadhaatu lampato

matpraananaathastu sa eva naaparah ||  

(Shikshaashtak 8)  

“Whether He embrace me and makes me elated, or tramples over me with His feet while I am clinging at His feet, or He does not give me His darshan whereby my heart pains in anguish; That eternal sovereign Lord Krishna, whatever He wishes He may do,  He alone is the source of my life,  there is no one else.”  

    (continued....)

 

From book in hindi “Jit Dekhu Titi Tu” by Swami Ramsukhdasji