How a devotee can develop intense love for God ?
Chapter-2
Controlling body and mind while paying respect to icon of God in a temple.
What happens on achieving spiritual perfection ?
On the sixth day of the second fortnight of the month of Shravan of
Samvat 1, Shriji Maharaj was seated facing north on a cot in the verandah
facing north in the Durbar of Jiva Khachar at ,Sarangpur. He had put on a
white turban and had covered his body with a white cotton shawl. He had
placed about his neck and shoulders a white and folded side-cloth. Munis and
Bhaktas from the different places have assembled before him.
Then Shriji Maharaj said, "Now start spiritual dialogue amongst your
selves." Whereupon, Swayamprakashanand Swami asked, "How a devotee of
God can cultivate intense love for God ?" The Muni's tried at their best to
answer the question but could not do so satisfactorily.
Then, Shriji Maharaj answered the question, "Love generates from seductive
charms, lust, covetousness, selishness and sheer virtues. However, the love
which generates out of seductive charm, is likely to disappear when the body
contracts leukoderma or leprosy. Similarly love generated out of lust,
covetousness or selfishness will disappear ultimately. Where as, love which
generates out of sheer virtues remains till the end. One who has developed such
Love would never experience a lapse from the bondage of such ties of love."
Then Somala Khachar asked, "Do the virtues of this material world or the
virtues of the spirituality inspire such everlasting ties of love ?" Shriji Maharaj
said in reply, "The virtues of this material life are superfluous and are not
capable of inspiring such everlasting love. But the intrinsic virtues which are
inherent in the spiritually wise inspire love. The softness of their speech, their
fidelity to the person loved, their bodily service and mental attachment produce
such everlasting love which can never be effaced. However, do you desire
merely to know how a devotee develops love towards God or how even God
develops such love for his devotee ?" Then Swayamprakashanand Swami said,
"We desire to know both."
Then Shriji Maharaj, Giving an exposition, said, "One should not hurt
even a smallest creature by speech even. And again when one enters into a
dialogue with God or his realised saint, and is likely to get ascendancy in
such polemic discussion, even then one should with due respect accept defeat
from them when one has acclaimed them as great. He should never develop
such state wherein during such dialogue the saint would suffer defeat from
him. He should always remain fulfilled by accepting such defeats from the
great ones. Again when god or his realised saint gives him some orders,
which, according to him, may be relevant or irrelevant, he should immediately
take it with due respect but should not exhibit even on iota of irrelevance,
even if he may feel so. However, later on when God or his realised saint
is in a relaxed mood, he should, with due respect relate before him "Oh
Maharaj ! Even though I have taken your orders, 1 feel some anomaly in
them." But if he finds that God or his saint is not in such a relaxed mood, he
should relate before some great saint or devotee who knows the mood of God
or his saint, thus, "God has given me such orders which I feel are not
consitent with my notion." Then such a saint or devotee would, with
pragmatic wisdom, give him such solution or would get such solution from
God. But at no time should such orders given by God or his saint be
immediately flouted. This virtue of cultivating humility by which one with due
reverence defers the observation of such orders is an inherent virtue which
invites the grace of God or his saint. The devotee who possesses this virtue
develops love for God and his saints. Now I shall tell you, how one should
behave bodily, which will earn for him Love of God. If his physical Body is
full of overwhelming vitality, he should lessen such vitality by sitting for long
hours in meditational worship or by observing the Chandrayan VrataV If,
however, God or his Saint during such process takes care of his body, he
should pay due heed to it but he should for himself in no way enjoy bodily
comforts,or try to preserve it's vitality. He should.use his body only to serve
God or his devotees. Such inherent virtue to serve God or his devotees by
ones body propitiates God into showering his grace on him. The devotee also
develops love for God by such act or service. Now, I shall explain to you how
the mind should be employed to earn the grace of God. When a devotee is
engaged in enjoying the divine Darshan of God, he should along with his eyes
engage his mind also on such divine Darshan. He should not allow his eyes
to deflect to other views during such Darshan and should not indulge in
enjoying the other views simultaneously along with the Darshan of God. God
is not pleased with such a devotee who has his eyes and mind diffused on
various views. Such a devotee has not realised the significance of the divine
Darshan. Just as a layman who does not know the manifertation of God in
human form views God as an ordinary human being. Such a devotee who has
no significance of the divine Darshan of God, views him as such and
gradually retracts from the spiritual path. One should therefore, keep one's
gaze fixed while having the Darshan of God. This divine Darshan should be
enjoyed intensively to fill the devotee with fresh vigour wherever he has such
Darshan. The gaze should be first kept fixed on the divine form of God, and
then it should be turned inwards to see him within. The Queen mother of
Dharampur state - Kushal Kunvar - applied this process and enjoyed my
Darshan both within and without. Similarly, ote should fix the eyes and the
mind on the divine form of God and so enjoy the Darshan unhampered by
outward influences.
If, however, while having the Darshan of God, one indulges in diffusing
one's vision on other objects which come into one's view, one will in one's
dream state be disturbed by such objects which will appear before him along
with God. Therefore, a devotee should concentrate his vision only on God, but
should not diffuse his vision. One who so enjoys Darshan of God with such
concentration both of the eyes and the mind, always enjoys the Darshan as if
ever fresh. Similarly, the sacred words of God also get imprinted within the
heart of such a devotee. Whereas on others with a disturbed mind and vision,
the divine Darshan loses it's impact. Even though one may be enjoying such
Darshan daily, it does not thrill his heart, so much so that when he takes, to
meditation, his diffused mind recollects many other objects which he may have
seen before, along with the divine form of God, therefore, a devotee should fix
his eyes and mind firmly on God.
One who so remains engrossed is the meditational worship of God becomes
devoid of diffusion and gains concentration, whereas the others who keep their
eyes and mind stretched can not escape from my sight as, also the sight of the
realised one saints who have established control over the eyes and minds. Such
devotees have, therefore, a material out look even in regard to the Darshan of
God. They, however, will gradually stray from this path. Therefore, like one
who is passionately attached to a woman and becomes oblivious of other
objects which disturb his vision fixed on a women, a true devotee should
develop such concentration on the divine form of God and should shun a
materialistic outlook."
Then Niravikaranand Swami asked, "Oh Maharaj! We have to move to
different places and have to give spiritual talks to people. How can we,
therefore, stabilise our mind."
Shriji Maharaj said, "It is My order that you should give spiritual talks to
people when you move to different places. But when you are here before me,
when have I told you to let your mind deflect from having my Darshan ?"
So saying, Shriji Maharaj continued, "When a devotee has the Darshan of
God for the first time, he sees him in all divinity. This divinity in the human
form of God can be retained only if he focuses his mind along with his eyes
on God. A mind so engaged on God wins God's pleasure. The disciple also
develops love for God when his mind is thus stabilised on him. Along with
mind, the eyes and ears also should be so controlled that they do not get
deflected towards worldly affairs. The eyes and ears are the channels through
which worldly objects creep into the heart and disturb the disciple when he is
in meditational worship. Therefore, they should be fully checked from running
helter skelter. And again, when a disciple is engaged in having the Darshan
of God and if the eyes and ears are simultaneously directed towards other
objects, they should be reprimanded thus, "You fools, is it possible for you to
get that object which you dote on so passionately or hear those talk so
attentively ? You have not still attained that high status which will fulfill all
your desires. You are yet at the stage of Sadhaka and as such, you can not
get all that which you desire. Why, then, discard the spiritual path and hanker
after ephemeral happiness ? If, however, your craving for enjoying the
Panchvishayas is fulfilled, you will be sent to hellish misecries. But if you get
totally engaged in the divine form of God, you will attain that divine status by
which your eyes and ears will spread in all directions. Even if you desire to
assume a charming form like that of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, your desire
for so will be fullfilled. And if you desire to attain that culmination in
devotion which Lakshmi and Radha have. Y ou will attain that also. However,
during such state of Sadhana, if you can not attain that divine status then
even, after death you will be' released from the bondage of Maya and will
attain the divine status. But without attaining such divine status, the craving
for worldly objects will not be fulfilled. On the contrary, during such stage of
Sadhana, if your eyes and ears are attracted towards worldly objects, your
Buddhi. will be vitiated, which will lead you to total stagnation. The eyes
and ears should thus be cautioned from being deflected towards worldly
objects and should be focused only on the divine form of God. A man who
is so engaged in his Sadhana flourishes and his attachment to God develops.
God and his saint also shower their love upon such a devotee.
Thus Ends Vachanamrit : Sarangpur - 2.
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