bhakti swatantra sakala sukha khani.

[Guest guest]

(continued)<br>Listen to what the SAINTS declare-

<br><br>"bhukti muktispRhA yAvat pizAcI hRdi vartate <br>tAvad

bhakti sukhasyAtra katham abhyudayo bhavet" <br><br>(Sri

Roopa Goswami) <br><br>"So long as the TWO WITCHES in

the form of 'bhukti' and 'mukti' reside in the HEART

of the individual soul, the GODDESS of DEVOTION

CANNOT MANIFEST HERSELF." <br><br>Between the two,

'bhukti' and 'mukti', the witch called 'bhukti' is not as

dangerous as the witch called 'mukti, because it is

POSSIBLE to be FREE OF IT. <br>If a FORUNATE SOUL happens

to MEET a REALIZED SAINT, SURRENDERS TO HIM and

practises DEVOTION, he CAN TASTE the NECTAR OF PERFECT

DEVOTION. <br>On the other hand, if anyone haunted by the

witch named 'mukti', attains LIBERATION and MERGES into

GOD, there is ABSOLUTELY NO CHANCE of DRINKING the

DIVINE NECTAR of DEVOTION, because liberation once

ATTAINED is ETERNAL. <br>There is NO question of

EXPERIENCING DUALITY again. <br><br>There are many examples of

Paramahamsas such as Sanaka, Sanandana, Janaka etc., who did

ATTAIN the Bliss of Divine Love. <br>But that was

possible because they HAD NOT YET ATTAINED COMPLETE UNION

with God. <br>As long as Paramahamsa has the

consciousness of individuality, he has not attained UNION with

God. It is only when the individuality is totally

renounced, that he merges into God. <br>Thereafter he cannot

assume individual form of consciousness and without

conscious form, it is IMPOSSIBLE to experience the Nectar

of Divine Love. <br><br>Thus the witch mukti is

obviously worse than bhukti. <br><br>Coming to 'BHUKTI',

that is desire for material gain, it must be noted

that devotion to Lord with these DESIRES in mind has

many dangers. <br><br>First, it IMPLIES that YOU HAVE

NOT YET UNDERSTOOD whether there is HAPPINESS in the

WORLD or in the SPRITUAL REALM. <br><br>If you still

THINK there is HAPPINESS in the WORLD, then WHAT IS THE

NEED OF GOD??? <br><br>And if YOU BELIEVE that GOD

ALONE IS BLISS and the SOURCE of HAPPINESS, then WHY

HARBOUR DESIRES for FLEETING MATERIAL OBJECTS and

SUBJECTS? <br><br>MAYA, in the form of the TRANSIENT

ILLUSORY WORLD, and ETERNAL BLISSFUL GOD, are mutually

OPPOSITE ENTITIES. <br>To accept GOD ALONE as the SOURCE

of HAPPINESS and to yet DESIRE MATERIAL WORLD is

like a person who says, <br><br>"I WANT to go NEAR

FIRE to GET COOLNESS from it!" <br><br>If we desire

ONLY HAPPINESS, then to LEAVE the TRUE SOURCE of

HAPPINESS, GOD, and desire FULFILLAMENT in the WORLD, which

is ONLY a SOURCE OF SORROW and DISTRESS, <br>implies

that WE STILL BELIEVE the WORLD to be a SOURCE of

PERFECT, UNLIMITED HAPPINESS! <br><br>God is in REALITY

the TRUE Source of EVERLASTING HAPPINESS, yet people

WORSHIP HIM not for Divine BLISS, but for ACQUIRING

TEMPORARY WORLDLY PLEASURES. <br><br>This clearly REVEALS

their IGNORANCE, because they BELIEVE that with GOD'S

HELP, they can ATTAIN UNLIMITED ETERNAL HAPPINESS in

the material WORLD, which in truth is ONLY a SOURCE

of MISERY and REBIRTH. <br><br>When the AIM itself

IS WRONG, HOW CAN WE PRACTISE DEVOTION? <br><br>The

POSSIBILITY of attaining PERFECTION in such a case, is

TOTALLY out of the question. <br><br>Worldly objects and

personalities only RESULT in MULTIPLYING DESIRES and BONDAGE.

<br>Their attainment leads to growth of PRIDE and GREED.

<br>Remember, this PRIDE and EGOISM IS THE MAIN CAUSE that

MAKES ONE AVERSE TO GOD!!! <br><br>(continued...)

[Guest guest]

(continued...)<br><br>The second point to

REMEMBER is that, when material possessions are ACQUIRED

by people ACCORDING to their SANSKARAS or potential

tendencies in their destiny, they PROCLAIM it to be due to

the Grace of God. <br><br>And when they DO NOT

receive these possessions owing to their Samskaras, they

CLAIM it to be a result of God's ANGER! <br>Thus a

person will be BELIEVER (theist), so long as he or she

acquires worldly favors, and when he or she is DEPRIVED of

them, he or she will BECOME an ATHEIST. <br>Therefore

it is best for a Sadhaka (spiritual aspirant) to

TOTALLY RENOUNCE all DESIRES for material benefits.

<br><br>The third point is that God does NOT break His law by

granting FAVORS contrary to WHAT IS DESTINED for each

individual. <br><br>If someone CLAIMS that God always LISTENS

to his SELFISH PRAYERS and FULFILLS them, then WHY

DOES HE NOT ASK God for 'GOD', once and for all, so

that the DESIRE TO ASK again and again comes to an

END. <br><br>To REPEATEDLY ask for the WORLD, where

there is NO HAPPINESS, where fulfillment of desires

RESULTS in the birth of MORE FORMIDABLE CRAVINGS,

<br>ONLY brings about harm. <br><br>It is only when WE ASK

FOR GOD OR DIVINE LOVE that the ROOT OF DESIRE itself

will be DESTROYED, and the individual soul will become

CONTENTED FOREVER. <br><br>However, this CLAIM of people

that God fulfills their every desire is actually A

DECEPTION, a LIE. <br><br>The IGNORANT soul thinks the

benefit received due to SANSKARAS, to be Divine Grace!

<br>There is some MERIT in this belief because the

individual ACCEPTS God's Grace on this basis. <br><br>But

the DREADFUL future of this BELIEF is that WHEN there

is AN ABSENCE of MATERIAL GAIN and FAVOR, this FAITH

will IMMEDIATELY DISAPPEAR! <br><br>The fourth point

is that the Scriptures refer to God as Omniscient.

<br>Whatever HE DOES, IS FOR OUR BENEFIT. <br><br>When we

UNDERSTAND this, then WHY DO WE INTERFERE HIS JUDGEMENT and

ASK HIM for OTHER THINGS? <br><br>Being IGNORANT, WE

DO NOT KNOW WHAT IS ACTUALLY BEST FOR US.

<br><br>Therefore, we SHOULD REMEMBER that HE is ALL-KNOWING and

LEAVE EVERYTHING TO HIM ALONE! <br><br>In this way the

disease of ASKING will NEVER be born! <br><br>(continued)

[Guest guest]

(continued)<br><br>The fifth point is that the

Scriptures declare that each individual is in the BONDAGE OF

KARMA. <br>Whatever PLEASURE or SORROW is DESTINED for

each one ACCORDING to one's Prarabdha (part of past

actions referred to as fate in the present life), will be

given to that one. <br><br>We read in the Scriptures

about the death of Dasaratha, the father of the

All-powerful, Almighty Personality, Lord Rama, yet Lord Rama

DID NOT SAVE him! <br><br>Abhimanyu, the nephew of

Lord Krishna and son of Arjuna, could NOT be SAVED

from his death, by BOTH of these GREAT Personalities

put together! <br><br>Then WHY DO WE EXPECT that the

UNBREAKABLE DIVINE LAW will be broken for OUR SAKE???

<br><br>The sixth point is that we must FIRMLY UNDERSTAND

that the ABSENCE of MATERIAL PROSPERITY is an

INDICATION of God's Grace. <br>In this STATE, there is NO

INTOXICATING PRIDE due to worldly success. <br><br>Therefore

we should desire ONLY SUCH SITUATION. <br><br>What

is the USE of wanting a STATE WHERE THERE WILL BE NO

REMEMBRANCE OF GOD? <br>The GREATEST IGNORANCE is to ASK for

such a state from God Himself! <br><br>Besides these,

there are a number of other LOSSES which will PREVENT

the soul from PRACTISING SADHANA, or SURRENDERING to

a SAINT. <br>Hence, ALL desires INCLUDING the

desire for LIBERATION or Mukti or Moksha must be

RENOUNCED. <br><br>The TRUE GOAL of EVERY SOUL is ATTAIMENT

OF SELFLESS DIVINE LOVE. <br><br>Saint Sri

Tulasidasa states - <br><br>"svArtha sAGca jIva kara ehA

<br>mana krama vacana rAma pada nehA" <br><br>The HIGHEST

Goal of EACH and EVERY soul is to DEVELOP LOVE for the

SUPREME LORD, with all his HEART, with all his MIND and

with all his faculties of EXPRESSION. <br><br>Our TRUE

SELF-INTEREST lies in PLEASING, LOVING and SERVING GOD ALONE.

<br>In reality, this is the PUREST FORM OF DIVINE LOVE.

<br><br>(Source- Chapter 12, Book 'Prema-Rasa-Siddhant' by

Jagadguru Sri Ramakripalu Maharaj Ji)<br><br>Jaya Sri

Radhey!