|| Shri Hari ||

Relationship with God

भगवान्‌से सम्बन्ध

continued....

By beholding God,  Garudji became attracted and charmed.    On beholding God,  even Kaakbhushundi became enchanted.  On beholding God,  Naradji became enthralled.   On beholding God,  Sati,  became deluded,   but on listening to Ramayan, the delusion went away.   On seeing God,  Garudji was attracted and deluded,  and on hearing about the Lord’s undertakings and character,  that delusion disappeared.  You know all of these things !   Therefore,  greater than God is God’s conduct and character.  This itself is protect of the devotees that they continue to share about God.  Our brothers and folks who which to follow the spiritual path,  they are of the mind-set to associate with divine and great souls.  if there are so saints in high position then they think,  we must associate with them.   The sentiments are proper and rightly so !   But if a great soul conjectures the same,  that they will associate with someone greater than themselves.   Then that one greater than themselves, is association with God.  Then who will tax their brains with us !

God incarnates in this world.   Incarnating ‘Avataar’ means ‘to come down’ (utaranaa).   It is used for one who comes down.   Thus God comes down to where we are.  Just as when you make a child study, then you too repeat ‘A’ and then write ‘A’ down,  so what is this ?   You have incarnated to the state (level) of a child.   If you don’t come down to the child’s level, then how can you teach the child ?   How will you make him understand ?   Now if you try to explain to him about grammar,  then what will the child understand ?   There you say ‘A’, and with you hand you demonstrate how an ‘A’ is written,  then coming down to his level, you come and teach him.  In the same way,  God incarnates and says ‒ how to act ? He says,   do as I do.  ‘रामादिवत् वर्तितव्यं न रावणादिवत्’ one must do like this,  and not like this.  Do as I do in the divine plays during My incarnation.  And if you don’t do, then listen silently;  because ‘श्रवणमंगलम्’ śravaṇa-maṅgalaṁ   Simply listening to God’s Divine tales and narrations,  it is the kind to bestow good fortune on the listener.    

निवृत्ततर्षैरुपगीयमानाद् वौषधाच्छ्रोत्रमनोऽभिरामात् ।

क उत्तमश्लोकगुणानुवादात्‌ पुमान्‌ विरज्येत विना पशुघ्नात् ॥

Those whose cravings have gone away,  such ones who are free of and cravings, who does not have any wishes, nor any desires whatsoever,  they go on singing and working day and night.   Such was the manifestation of the untainted Sankaadiks,  and all four were of the same age,  at the young age of five.   Three of them used to become the listeners, and one the speaker who used to narrate the stories of the Lord.   Now what was remaining for them to know ?  ‘चरित सुनहिं तजि ध्यान’,  leaving aside Meditation, they are listening to the Lord’s life stories.   Why are they doing so ?  Brother  ! ‘इत्थं भूतगुणो हरिः’  such is our Lord.   

to be continued......

‒From the book in Hindi ‘Bhagwad Praapti Sahaj Hai ’  by Swami Ramsukhdasji

|| Shri Hari ||

Relationship with God

भगवान्‌से सम्बन्ध

continued....

People doubt that what is the need for God to incarnate ?   Is He not able to protect the holy men,  destroy the evil men,  and establish righteousness (Dharma), merely by a resolve (sankalp) ?    No it is not that he cannot do this.  He continues to do this,  then what is the reason in incarnating in the form of an avataar ?

परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् ।

धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय    संभवामि   युगे   युगे ॥

                                             (गीता ४ । ८)

"Paritraanaaya saadhunaam vinaashaaya cha druskrutaam |

Dharmasansthaapanaarthaaya sambhavaami yuge yuge ||" (Gita 4/8)

For the protection of the good as for the destruction of the wicked as for the establishment of righteousness, I manifest myself from age to age.

To destroy the evil men, to protect the good,  does not mean to kill the evil men and to not let the good men die,   as even the devotees to die.   Then the word ‘protection’  does not mean to protect their bodies so that they may live forever.   It means -  to protect their feelings and sentiments  (bhaavas).  In the eyes of devotees, the body has not value whatsoever.   There the value is of ‘loving devotion to the Lord.’  Those men like Mansur etc., who had chosen to walk the path towards God,  smiling even accepted execution.  There is no prestige of the body over there.   This has been called  ‘एकान्तविध्वंसिषु’.   The body is going to perish,  it is the kind of thing that is bound to perish ‒ ‘पिण्डेषु नास्था भवन्ति तेषु ।’  God,  incarnates and conducts His divine play (lila).   The devotee,  singing the glories of God,  becomes blissful.   This is not possible,  without incarnating.    God’s ecstatic, talks about God,  His divine tales, His Divine play,  continue on.  All this is possible,  only due to incarnating as an ‘avataar’.   Then people while singing the glories of the Lord, are able to remain afloat and cross this ocean of life.   God know this in Essence,  therefore incarnates and conducts His divine play.   It is due to this that saints-great souls, talk abou the Lord.   

तव कथामृतं तप्तजीवनं  कविभिरीडितं  कल्मषापहम् ।

श्रवणमंगलं श्रीमदाततं भुवि गृणन्ति ते भूरिदा जनाः ॥

tava kathāmṛtaṁ tapta-jīvanaṁ

kavibhir īḍitaṁ kalmaṣāpaham

śravaṇa-maṅgalaṁ śrīmad ātataṁ

bhuvi gṛṇanti ye bhūri-dā janāḥ

The nectar of Your words and the descriptions of Your activities are the life and soul of those suffering in this material world. These narrations, transmitted by learned sages, eradicate one’s sinful reactions and bestow good fortune upon whoever hears them. These narrations are broadcast all over the world and are filled with spiritual power. Certainly those who spread the message of Godhead are most munificent.

Those who tell, listen, contemplate on,  Your nectar-filled Divine Tales,  they are ‘bhuri-daa’ they give a lot.  They give a lot and also take.  As if, they are giving to the listeners,  and on hearing they take in.   The listeners surely benefit from it,  then those who are speaking and telling,  are they not benefiting ?  Most certainly they are benefited.  Therefore,  in reality,  God incarnates and conducts His Divine play,  then what is meant by the protection of the devotees ?  

The devotee’s treasure is God.  Go on telling, hearing and contemplating on the Divine Plays of the Lord ‒ in fact this itself is the protection of the devotees,  therefore for Hanumanji has been called as ‘Prabhu charitra sunibe ko rasiya’ -  relishing and sentimental about listening to the Lord’s Divine tales.  It has been said that they relish listening to the  divine tales of the Lord.  In Valmiki Ramayan, it has come,  that when God, started going towards the Divine Abode of the Lords, then Hanumanji said, that I will not go with you.  As long as your divine tales (katha) remains in the planet,  I will stay here.   Wherever your Divine Tales are being narrated, there I will be present to listen.  Leaving God,  Hanumanji felt the insatiable need for the Lord’s Divine tales (katha).

to be continued......

‒From the book in Hindi ‘Bhagwad Praapti Sahaj Hai ’  by Swami Ramsukhdasji

|| Shri Hari ||

Relationship with God

भगवान्‌से सम्बन्ध

If you want to desire something,  then desire God.   If you want to get angry,  get angry on God.1    If God gets angry with you,  then it is as good as a boon2  It is written in the Narada Bhakti Sutra ‒

‘कामक्रोधाभिमानादिकं तस्मिन्नेव करणीयम्’ (६५)  

Kaama-krodhaabhimaanaadikam tasminn eva karaneeyam (65)

One should feel desire, anger and pride only with regard to Him.  

Let us say,  that anything we do, it’s objective, it’s subject becomes God.   Whether we desire something, whether we get angry,  whether we become greedy,  whatever it may be,  let it be in God.   By doing so,  what will happen ?  ‒

‘तस्मात्केनाप्युपायेन मनः कृष्णे निवेशयेत् ।’

Those who are inclined towards God, any which way if they establish a relationship with God, then it will surely lead to salvation.

In which ever way,  we must engage our mind in God,  then it will only be our supreme good.   Just as, on coming in contact with fire,  if one touches it, even if it is by mistake that the foot touches a piece o burning coal,  then without our wanting too, it will surely burn ‒

‘अनिच्छयापि संस्पृष्टो दहत्येव हि पावकः ।’  

In whichever way one repeats the Divine Name of the Lord,  a relationship is established with God,  whether it be out of animosity, or love, or fear, or hatred,  such a relationship is the kind that can destroy all sins ‒

‘अशेषाघहरं विदुः’

Lord's Names uttered as a gesture or in joke or in the midst of a song or even out of disrespect washes away all sins.

This point has been said about God’s Divine Name,  then,  with regards to God’s Divine Form, what can one even say ?  

By having an affinity with God,  a relationship is established with God.  Just as by having affinity with the world,  we go through birth-death cycle ‒

‘कारणं गुणसंगोऽस्य सदसद्योनिजन्मसु ।’

‘अस्य गुणङ्गः सत् असत् योनिषु जन्मनः कारणम् ।’

Then what is the reason for our birth and death cycle ?   ‒

‘गुणङ्गः’  

‘Contact and association with the modes of Nature.’  

In the same way,  when one associates with the ‘Nirguna’  (attributeless One), then how can it be a cause of birth-death ?   This is the very same question that Parikshit asked,   in Raas-Panchadhyaayi - ‘Lord !  the Gopis knew God in the form of a glorious Person-head,  not as a form of Brahma.   Then how is it that the Gopis whose eyes were set on the attributes and qualities of God,  became free from these attributes and qualities ?   To this,  what was the answer given by Sukhdevji ?   Here he said that ‘Those who had hatred towards God,  they too attained God.’   ‒

‘चैद्यः सिद्धिं यथा गतः’ तो ‘किमुताधोक्षजप्रियाः’

Then what to speak about the salvation of those who are dear to God !   In which ever way,  if a relationship is established with God,  whether it be out of animosity,  or love, or devotion,  or hatred,  or fear  ‒

‘भयात् कंसः, द्वेषाच्चैद्यादयो नृपाः, वृष्णयः सम्बन्धात्, भक्त्या वयम्’

Naradji said ‒ ‘In which ever way,  one establishes a relationship with God,  it will surely lead to his supreme good (kalyaan).   There is one point,  which God and His loving devotees know.  No third person knows this Essence (tattva).’   

1   ‘क्रोधोऽपि देवस्य वरेण तुल्यः ।’

2 -  ‘वरेण तुल्यः’

‒From the book in Hindi ‘Bhagwad Praapti Sahaj Hai ’  by Swami Ramsukhdasji