How to Develop Everlasting Love and Devotion for God

July 26, 2008

In Bhagwat Geeta, God has beautifully explained various ways to reach

Him. One of them is Bhakti. It is said Bhakti and Love are deep embeded

in self only and Mal, avaran and vikshep are the hinderances. These

days much empahsis is given on Rajyoga and i think followers of Rajyoga

no matter develop high level of concentration, stillness of mind and

even experience samadhi. But the overall outcome of all these sadhnas

are futile if we donot have pure love for the God. Some great saints

have advocated to have satsang and live a truthful life with purity in

heart to have divine love and deep devotion to the God. But still, in

the present life circumstances, that kind of love and devotion is very

difficult to develop as mind always try to shift its attention in

absence of specific reason digestable for the mind.

PLEASE ENLIGHTEN AS HOW TO HAVE DEEP SHRADHHA FOR THE God which is

everlasting.

so hum...

Jigyaasuu

------------------------------

GUIDELINES FOR POSTING A RESPONSE:

1. The group is focused on the Holy Gitaji, therefore, only responses

which further clarify the understanding of Gitaji, will be posted.

2. Making reference of Gitaji shloka is highly encouraged - at least

once in the response. Wherever possible, please quote Gitaji or other

scriptures to substantiate your response.

3. Please be as concise and to the point as possible, respecting

sadhaka's time. Under no circustance the answer should exceed say one

(book) page at the most (500 words or so) 3-4 paragraphs.

4. Kindly limit personal feelings, opinions, beliefs etc. to the

extent that they further help in understanding the Gita shlokas

5. Kindly focus your writing to the subject at hand only.

6. Please do not include links to the other sites or other

organizations.

7. Complete reproduction of texts from any book is strongly

discouraged, however references may be made of the book or author(but

not links to other sites).

8. Kindly do not include your personal information such as phone

number, address etc.

9. Please do not address the response to a particular individual since

the message is going to the entire group.

10. Due to the large readership, only those responses will be posted

which are in line with the general philosophy of taking Shrimad

Bhagavad Gita as the reference.

11. Moderator at his discretion, may modify the posting, if content is

unclear for distribution or not directly related to the question being

asked.

12. Please respond taking into consideration the novices, youth,

westerners, non-sectarian audience. Kindly limit the use of only

Sanskrit words, rather provide the English word with Sanskrit

bracketed wherever possible.

13. Any personal remarks over the knowledge of any sadhak or about the

stage at which any sadhak is standing in his quest / sadhna /

spiritual journey - must not be included in your posting.''

14. There should not be any sarcasm towards fellow sadhaks in this

spiritual learning and sharing.

MODERATOR

Ram Ram

July 28, 2008

Hari Om

Question is how to develop everlasting love for Paramatma.

Love essentially generates out of " mineness " . It is only

when " mineness " is there , that liking arises.. A child likes " his "

mother only- another lady may be more beautiful etc but for child

his mother, however/whatever she is -is the best. Why? Because

of " mineness " .! Similarly even if her own son is not beautiful,

intelligent as compared with other children but mother likes her

son the most.- mineness !

The best way therefore to gain the everlasting love is to

accept/resolve - " I am of the Paramatma, and only Paramatma is mine-

no body else is mine " - i e. Establish mineness with Him and

renounce mineness with the world.. Mirabai said - Mere to Girdhar

Gopal, doosaro na koi.

Accept it firmly. Love will now keep increasing and will remain 24

hours a day- even when you are doing worldly duties or when you are

sleeping..Because you have established " mineness " with Him and

renounced mineness with the world.

Thereupon - " haath kaam mukh Raam hai " ( work on hand and name of

Paramatma on tongue) . Keep chanting His name and always remain

associated with truth (satsanga- company of good people, devotees of

Paramatma, reading of scriptures ). Renounce " kusang " - bad company.

More than enough ! Everything gets covered for uninterrupted love of

Paramatma. All actions now done by you are divine, because the Karta

( doer) has become of Divine. . .

Says Goswami Tulsidasji:-

" Bigree janam anek ki, sudhare ab hi aaj;

Hohi Raam ko naam japi, Tulsi taji kusamaj "

( All. Losses(sins) incurred for many births of past, will get

recouped today, right now ( instantly) , if you first become of

Raam (establish mineness with Him), and then chant his name and

renounce bad company)

Jai Shree Krishna

Vyas N B

This is my humble opinion for ur question " divine love and deep

devotion to God " . Yes, with all the current circumstances, it may

be difficult to develop the deep devotion to God. Think on these

lines...whatever relationship u have with your family or friends or

anything...it is very easy ..am i right ? I mean..u love your family

to that much an extent that u do not bother to work more for their

comfort and happiness..and when our love to our family becomes so

very deep, we forget ourselves completely and we just are happy as

is by the mere feeling of out family or friend's happiness.

So, think God also like ur family or a husband or a wife or a friend

or your child and just slowly start thinking of God and slowly once

u try to understand God, He is with you all the time the way you

remember him. When we do not expect anything from God and think

about God just for the sake of understanding him, the mind becomes

totally calm and ur love to God becomes a natural feeling similar to

the one you have for your (whoever you remember God to be).

Also, please do not pressure ur mind into 'everasting' love

etc..just take one day at a time and just love God in as many

moments in the day as possible without expective anything from

God..then u just fall in love with God's divinity.

Regards,

Bharathi

Dear Sadak,

Scripts say that one should have made puniyas in earlier BIRTHS to

say Om Namo Narayanaya. To get Bakthi is a gift from GOD. Everyone

cannot. Any action (Karma) is paid. Work gives money. Study gives

certificates. Tapa gives Brama Lok. Service gives Indra lok (Boga ).

Bathing cleances body.Any action of any type gives results. But

tears for love of GOD gives Daya (Karuniya) which transforms into

Bakthi again this fits one in Sat Sangh.

Ravana was blessed with Kuber wealth, large kindom, very eminent

brothers capable of defeting Indra, beautiful wife (Hanuman said),

abled body with NO death fear. But ONE thing was missing Sat Sangh.

Finally lost everything and was put to shame.

Sugreevai-- No place to sleep, No food, No wealth, his wife Ruma

captured by Vaali, No relatives. But ONE thing was blessed that is

Hanuman Sat Sang. Finally got everything and Sri Rama` s friendship.

That the Bala of Sat Sangh. Sat the ultimate truth which is in

Sangh. Not the Sangh that talks of God and world.

B.Sathyanarayan

-------------------------------

, " sadhak_insight "

<sadhak_insight wrote:

>

> In Bhagwat Geeta, God has beautifully explained various ways to

reach

> Him. One of them is Bhakti. It is said Bhakti and Love are deep

embeded

> in self only and Mal, avaran and vikshep are the hinderances. These

> days much empahsis is given on Rajyoga and i think followers of

Rajyoga

> no matter develop high level of concentration, stillness of mind

and

> even experience samadhi. But the overall outcome of all these

sadhnas

> are futile if we donot have pure love for the God. Some great

saints

> have advocated to have satsang and live a truthful life with

purity in

> heart to have divine love and deep devotion to the God. But still,

in

> the present life circumstances, that kind of love and devotion is

very

> difficult to develop as mind always try to shift its attention in

> absence of specific reason digestable for the mind.

>

> PLEASE ENLIGHTEN AS HOW TO HAVE DEEP SHRADHHA FOR THE God which is

> everlasting.

>

> so hum...

> Jigyaasuu

>

> ------------------------------

>

> GUIDELINES FOR POSTING A RESPONSE:

>

> 1. The group is focused on the Holy Gitaji, therefore, only

responses

> which further clarify the understanding of Gitaji, will be posted.

>

> 2. Making reference of Gitaji shloka is highly encouraged - at

least

> once in the response. Wherever possible, please quote Gitaji or

other

> scriptures to substantiate your response.

>

> 3. Please be as concise and to the point as possible, respecting

> sadhaka's time. Under no circustance the answer should exceed say

one

> (book) page at the most (500 words or so) 3-4 paragraphs.

>

> 4. Kindly limit personal feelings, opinions, beliefs etc. to the

> extent that they further help in understanding the Gita shlokas

>

> 5. Kindly focus your writing to the subject at hand only.

>

> 6. Please do not include links to the other sites or other

> organizations.

>

> 7. Complete reproduction of texts from any book is strongly

> discouraged, however references may be made of the book or author

(but

> not links to other sites).

>

> 8. Kindly do not include your personal information such as phone

> number, address etc.

>

> 9. Please do not address the response to a particular individual

since

> the message is going to the entire group.

>

> 10. Due to the large readership, only those responses will be

posted

> which are in line with the general philosophy of taking Shrimad

> Bhagavad Gita as the reference.

>

> 11. Moderator at his discretion, may modify the posting, if

content is

> unclear for distribution or not directly related to the question

being

> asked.

>

> 12. Please respond taking into consideration the novices, youth,

> westerners, non-sectarian audience. Kindly limit the use of only

> Sanskrit words, rather provide the English word with Sanskrit

> bracketed wherever possible.

>

> 13. Any personal remarks over the knowledge of any sadhak or about

the

> stage at which any sadhak is standing in his quest / sadhna /

> spiritual journey - must not be included in your posting.''

>

> 14. There should not be any sarcasm towards fellow sadhaks in this

> spiritual learning and sharing.

>

> MODERATOR

> Ram Ram

>

July 29, 2008

Dear Sadhakas, Namaste!

What generally passes as Love is passion for things of this world or

person who is supposed to fulfill " me " . This is called attachment in

which a predominent thought remains " what is in it for me or what

can I get from that person or thing " ?

Ever-lasting Love is Unconditional, more like mother-child whose

Love is selfless, from one to another! It is give only on the part

of both. It is always Love, not love as opposed to hatred. It is

like a flower that gives fragrance to all including one who plucks

it. It is flower 100%, never anything else, unlike people who love

sometimes and hate othertimes depending on conditions being

favorable or otherwise.

To develop such unconditional Love, one needs to know that person or

things of this world cannot give such unconditional Love eternally,

it is not the nature of things or people, as they are ever changing

themselves.

Once the dependencies on anything and all things end, the mind of

such a person turns to itself meaning inward due to dispassion

(Vairagya) towards objects which cannot fulfill one completely. Now

the person finds him/her totally alone(not lonely). Devotion,

Surrender, Peace, unshaken Shraddha and Divine qualities are just

waiting there to drown such a one! Dispassion toward world is at the

same time Devotion to God flowering within the heart as that which

stands Alone as Love itself. Such devotion or Love makes one see God

everywhere and Love everyone alike and still not attached to them.

At this time, depending on the predominence of either Devotion and

Love, or selflessness or quest for Truth, one becomes the Bhakta of

Bhagwan-God, or Karma-Yogi who loves to act for humanity at large

which is God for him, or he/she becomes Self-realized Gyani who is

devoted totally to Truth! All are ONE in their essence on their

final ascend to Godhood.

Namaskaras....Pratap

(Pratap Bhatt)

--------------------------------

Dandavats....

With deepest respect and prayers, I pray that I may have divine

guidance to offer some small insight to this question. What I may

present may not be the most palatable....due to various experiences

persons may have had in life......but it is MY experience. Nor am I

thinking or hoping that what I will write will necessarily be

something others will aspire or be able to copy....but I am just

telling my understanding, and if it is helpful to some, then I am

happy.

I personally did not have any awareness of " searching " for a

path, for enlightenment, etc.....at age 12 my older sister brought

me Bhagavad gita, and a few other holy books, took me to a few

Sunday gatherings in a small temple that taught of bhakti

yoga.....not even understanding that I was embarking on a path of

yoga.....age 14 my father let me move in to the mandir for the

summer only, .....when he came to retrieve me, a short conversation

of perhaps five minutes convinced him I should be left there.

It is often said, of various things, " YOU did not choose it, it

chose you....... Well, out of my immense good fortune, and perhaps

some previous sukrti (piety in the heart) my guru chose me. Since

age 14 I have endeavored to study the scriptures and put into

practice what it is that I find my preceptor to have expected from

me....beginning with chanting the hare Krsna mantra a fixed number

of times each day, and refraining from the eating of meat, fish

eggs, gambling, illicit sex, and intoxication. These are various

basic prerequisites on the path I have taken to have everlasting

love of God. But then there is so so much more.....what I came to

understand in the yr. 1996, 19 yrs after my diksha guru left this

world, is that without a siksha guru, someone to give further

relationship, according to me, one can easily dry up. Again, I did not choose

this Divine person......upon leaving this world, from his " dying bed "

(figuratiavely speaking) my initiating spiritual master actually begged this

person, (it is on tape) not ONCE, but TWICE.... " You please help my western

disciples " . Again 19 years later, I say, my guru (this time siksha...one who

gives instruction) came to me. When he was asked why he came to America, he

said, " I heard hearts crying " So, although many may wonder why the emphasis on

an individual giving guidance, I can only say based on my personal experience,

it that unless one has experienced a true spiritual master, he will NOT

understand. The power of one who is truly pure is so overwhelming, even a

glance from his eyes can bring tears and shivers of ecstasy, if the heart is

ripe for love of God. (Let me say also, tears and shivers are not enough to know

who is guru.....one must HEAR the truth and thereby be convinced).

I would like to conclude with simply offering that in the Bhakti Rasamrta

Sindhu, (Chapter 1) by Srila Rupa Goswami,(the head of the 6 Gosvamis of

Vrndavan) there are 64 practices given to attain the stage of pure devotion.....

which IS an everlasting stage of love of God.....these 64 begin with 3 that

pertain to guru....1) to find a bona fide spiritual master, 2) to take shelter

of him through initiation, and 3) to render him service.

There are many many bogus cheaters out there who are jumping for joy at the

idea of being served by unwitting and novice seekers of the truth, who are very

willing to make a living off being guru....this is not guru. True guru has one

motive, to share the transcendental world which is overflowing in his heart.

And if there are some, even in this internet sanga, who truly have connected so

deeply with Paramatma, or the source of Paramatma, Sri Krsna, that they also can

give that love and share that transcendental world, even without any formal guru

for themselves, I offer my respectful obeisances in the dust of that person's

feet, for that person is truly truly also my siksha guru...one who is guiding me

on the path of devotion. And he or she should be accepted as the external

manifestion of Paramatma......

reference #1 Chaitanya Caritamrta. Adi 1.47....siksa-guruke ta jani

kesnera svarupa, antaryami, bhakta=srestha,----ei due rupa..... " One

should know the instructing master to be the personality of Krsna.

Lord Krsna manifest Himself as the Supersoul and as the greatest

devotee of the Lord "

reference #2 Srimad Bhagavatam, 4.24.52.... " My dear Lord, Your two

lotus feet are so beautiful that they appear like two blossoming

petals of the lotus flower which grows during the autumn season.

Indeed, the nails of Your lotus feet emanate such a great effulgence

that they immediately dissipate all the darkness in the heart of a

conditioned soul. My dear Lord, kindly show me that form of Yours

which always dissipates all kinds of darkness in the heart of a

devotee. My dear Lord, Your are the supreme spiritual master of

everyone, therefore, all conditioned souls covered with the darkness

of ignorance can be enlightened by You as the spiritual master. "

in service to the divine,

Mahalaksmi Dasi

Re: How to Develop Everlasting Love and Devotion for God

Hari Om

Question is how to develop everlasting love for Paramatma.

Love essentially generates out of " mineness " . It is only

when " mineness " is there , that liking arises.. A child likes " his "

mother only- another lady may be more beautiful etc but for child

his mother, however/whatever she is -is the best. Why? Because

of " mineness " .! Similarly even if her own son is not beautiful,

intelligent as compared with other children but mother likes her

son the most.- mineness !

The best way therefore to gain the everlasting love is to

accept/resolve - " I am of the Paramatma, and only Paramatma is mine-

no body else is mine " - i e. Establish mineness with Him and

renounce mineness with the world.. Mirabai said - Mere to Girdhar

Gopal, doosaro na koi.

Accept it firmly. Love will now keep increasing and will remain 24

hours a day- even when you are doing worldly duties or when you are

sleeping..Because you have established " mineness " with Him and

renounced mineness with the world.

Thereupon - " haath kaam mukh Raam hai " ( work on hand and name of

Paramatma on tongue) . Keep chanting His name and always remain

associated with truth (satsanga- company of good people, devotees of

Paramatma, reading of scriptures ). Renounce " kusang " - bad company.

More than enough ! Everything gets covered for uninterrupted love of

Paramatma. All actions now done by you are divine, because the Karta

( doer) has become of Divine. . .

Says Goswami Tulsidasji:-

" Bigree janam anek ki, sudhare ab hi aaj;

Hohi Raam ko naam japi, Tulsi taji kusamaj "

( All. Losses(sins) incurred for many births of past, will get

recouped today, right now ( instantly) , if you first become of

Raam (establish mineness with Him), and then chant his name and

renounce bad company)

Jai Shree Krishna

Vyas N B

>

> This is my humble opinion for ur question " divine love and deep

> devotion to God " . Yes, with all the current circumstances, it may

> be difficult to develop the deep devotion to God. Think on these

> lines...whatever relationship u have with your family or friends

or

> anything...it is very easy ..am i right ? I mean..u love your

family

> to that much an extent that u do not bother to work more for their

> comfort and happiness..and when our love to our family becomes so

> very deep, we forget ourselves completely and we just are happy as

> is by the mere feeling of out family or friend's happiness.

>

> So, think God also like ur family or a husband or a wife or a

friend

> or your child and just slowly start thinking of God and slowly

once

> u try to understand God, He is with you all the time the way you

> remember him. When we do not expect anything from God and think

> about God just for the sake of understanding him, the mind becomes

> totally calm and ur love to God becomes a natural feeling similar

to

> the one you have for your (whoever you remember God to be).

>

> Also, please do not pressure ur mind into 'everasting' love

> etc..just take one day at a time and just love God in as many

> moments in the day as possible without expective anything from

> God..then u just fall in love with God's divinity.

> Regards,

> Bharathi

>

> Dear Sadak,

> Scripts say that one should have made puniyas in earlier BIRTHS to

> say Om Namo Narayanaya. To get Bakthi is a gift from GOD. Everyone

> cannot. Any action (Karma) is paid. Work gives money. Study gives

> certificates. Tapa gives Brama Lok. Service gives Indra lok

(Boga ).

> Bathing cleances body.Any action of any type gives results. But

> tears for love of GOD gives Daya (Karuniya) which transforms into

> Bakthi again this fits one in Sat Sangh.

> Ravana was blessed with Kuber wealth, large kindom, very eminent

> brothers capable of defeting Indra, beautiful wife (Hanuman said),

> abled body with NO death fear. But ONE thing was missing Sat

Sangh.

> Finally lost everything and was put to shame.

> Sugreevai-- No place to sleep, No food, No wealth, his wife Ruma

> captured by Vaali, No relatives. But ONE thing was blessed that is

> Hanuman Sat Sang. Finally got everything and Sri Rama` s

friendship.

> That the Bala of Sat Sangh. Sat the ultimate truth which is in

> Sangh. Not the Sangh that talks of God and world.

> B.Sathyanarayan

> -------------------------------

> , " sadhak_insight "

> <sadhak_insight@> wrote:

> >

> > In Bhagwat Geeta, God has beautifully explained various ways to

> reach

> > Him. One of them is Bhakti. It is said Bhakti and Love are deep

> embeded

> > in self only and Mal, avaran and vikshep are the hinderances.

These

> > days much empahsis is given on Rajyoga and i think followers of

> Rajyoga

> > no matter develop high level of concentration, stillness of mind

> and

> > even experience samadhi. But the overall outcome of all these

> sadhnas

> > are futile if we donot have pure love for the God. Some great

> saints

> > have advocated to have satsang and live a truthful life with

> purity in

> > heart to have divine love and deep devotion to the God. But

still,

> in

> > the present life circumstances, that kind of love and devotion

is

> very

> > difficult to develop as mind always try to shift its attention in

> > absence of specific reason digestable for the mind.

> >

> > PLEASE ENLIGHTEN AS HOW TO HAVE DEEP SHRADHHA FOR THE God which

is

> > everlasting.

> >

> > so hum...

> > Jigyaasuu

> >

> > ------------------------------

> >

> > GUIDELINES FOR POSTING A RESPONSE:

> >

> > 1. The group is focused on the Holy Gitaji, therefore, only

> responses

> > which further clarify the understanding of Gitaji, will be

posted.

> >

> > 2. Making reference of Gitaji shloka is highly encouraged - at

> least

> > once in the response. Wherever possible, please quote Gitaji or

> other

> > scriptures to substantiate your response.

> >

> > 3. Please be as concise and to the point as possible, respecting

> > sadhaka's time. Under no circustance the answer should exceed

say

> one

> > (book) page at the most (500 words or so) 3-4 paragraphs.

> >

> > 4. Kindly limit personal feelings, opinions, beliefs etc. to the

> > extent that they further help in understanding the Gita shlokas

> >

> > 5. Kindly focus your writing to the subject at hand only.

> >

> > 6. Please do not include links to the other sites or other

> > organizations.

> >

> > 7. Complete reproduction of texts from any book is strongly

> > discouraged, however references may be made of the book or

author

> (but

> > not links to other sites).

> >

> > 8. Kindly do not include your personal information such as phone

> > number, address etc.

> >

> > 9. Please do not address the response to a particular individual

> since

> > the message is going to the entire group.

> >

> > 10. Due to the large readership, only those responses will be

> posted

> > which are in line with the general philosophy of taking Shrimad

> > Bhagavad Gita as the reference.

> >

> > 11. Moderator at his discretion, may modify the posting, if

> content is

> > unclear for distribution or not directly related to the question

> being

> > asked.

> >

> > 12. Please respond taking into consideration the novices, youth,

> > westerners, non-sectarian audience. Kindly limit the use of only

> > Sanskrit words, rather provide the English word with Sanskrit

> > bracketed wherever possible.

> >

> > 13. Any personal remarks over the knowledge of any sadhak or

about

> the

> > stage at which any sadhak is standing in his quest / sadhna /

> > spiritual journey - must not be included in your posting.''

> >

> > 14. There should not be any sarcasm towards fellow sadhaks in

this

> > spiritual learning and sharing.

> >

> > MODERATOR

> > Ram Ram

> >

>

September 1, 2008

QUESTION 1: I tried to follow krishna but internally i dont feel

love or bhakti for him. What to do ? Also, reading gita scares me.

Saagar Kadam

QUESTION 2: In Bhagwat Geeta, God has beautifully explained various

ways to reach Him. One of them is Bhakti. It is said Bhakti and Love

are deep embeded in self only and Mal, avaran and vikshep are the

hinderances. These days much empahsis is given on Rajyoga and i

think followers of Rajyoga no matter develop high level of

concentration, stillness of mind and even experience samadhi. But

the overall outcome of all these sadhnas are futile if we donot have

pure love for the God. Some great saints have advocated to have

satsang and live a truthful life with purity in heart to have divine

love and deep devotion to the God. But still, in the present life

circumstances, that kind of love and devotion is very difficult to

develop as mind always try to shift its attention in absence of

specific reason digestable for the mind.

PLEASE ENLIGHTEN AS HOW TO HAVE DEEP SHRADHHA FOR THE God which is

everlasting.

so hum...

Jigyaasuu

-------------------------------

GUIDELINES FOR POSTING A RESPONSE:

1. The group is focused on the Holy Gitaji, therefore, only

responses which further clarify the understanding of Gitaji, will be

posted.

2. Making reference of Gitaji shloka is highly encouraged - at least

once in the response. Wherever possible, please quote Gitaji or

other scriptures to substantiate your response.

3. Please be as concise and to the point as possible, respecting

sadhaka's time. Under no circustance the answer should be limited to

half a book page, at the most 3-4 paragraphs.

4. Kindly limit personal feelings, opinions, beliefs etc. to the

extent that they further help in understanding the Gita shlokas

5. Kindly focus your writing to the subject at hand only.

6. Please do not include links to the other sites or other

organizations (we do not have the bandwidth to review links to

determine if content is appropriate for distribution).

7. Complete reproduction of texts from any book is strongly

discouraged, however partial cut - paste is acceptable and

references may be made of the book or author(but not links to other

sites).

8. Kindly do not include your personal information such as phone

number, address etc.

9. Please use appropriate judgement and only address the response to

a particular individual, where it makes sense to do so.

10. Due to the large readership, only those responses will be posted

which are in line with the general philosophy of taking Shrimad

Bhagavad Gita as the reference.

11. Moderator will reject any content that does not meet guidelines.

However, for expediency, moderator at his discretion, may modify /

delete portions of the posting for mispelling, wordiness that is

irrelevant to the overall core discussion, personal information,

opinions / feelings etc. that do not align with guidelines.

12. Please respond taking into consideration the novices, youth,

westerners, non-sectarian audience. Kindly limit the use of only

Sanskrit words, rather provide the English word with Sanskrit

bracketed wherever possible.

13. Any personal remarks over the knowledge of any sadhak or about

the stage at which any sadhak is standing in his quest / sadhna /

spiritual journey - must not be included in your posting. Also,

there should not be any sarcasm towards fellow sadhaks in this

spiritual learning and sharing.

MODERATOR

Ram Ram

September 1, 2008

QUESTION 1: I tried to follow krishna but internally i dont feel

love or bhakti for him. What to do ? Also, reading gita scares me.

Saagar Kadam

QUESTION 2: In Bhagwat Geeta, God has beautifully explained various

ways to reach Him. One of them is Bhakti. It is said Bhakti and Love

are deep embeded in self only and Mal, avaran and vikshep are the

hinderances. These days much empahsis is given on Rajyoga and i

think followers of Rajyoga no matter develop high level of

concentration, stillness of mind and even experience samadhi. But

the overall outcome of all these sadhnas are futile if we donot have

pure love for the God. Some great saints have advocated to have

satsang and live a truthful life with purity in heart to have divine

love and deep devotion to the God. But still, in the present life

circumstances, that kind of love and devotion is very difficult to

develop as mind always try to shift its attention in absence of

specific reason digestable for the mind.

PLEASE ENLIGHTEN AS HOW TO HAVE DEEP SHRADHHA FOR THE God which is

everlasting.

so hum...

Jigyaasuu

-------------------------------

NEW POSTING

Reading Gita is scary! Wonderful!!

Yes! When I started studying the Upanishads, I lost sleep for several

months!! There is nothing wrong to be scared while studying Vedanta.

The good thing in this is - it proves that you are taking it to your

heart. Taking it to our hearts is the first baby step. Yes, Vedanta's

fundamental approach is to take us near the death. Obviously, not

being used to think of death in a positive manner, we get terrified.

Climbing Mount Everest is scary. But we have to understand one thing,

the scare is not induced in us by the mountain climbing ... it is

embedded in us already. If not Mount Everest, something else will be

always there to surface our scare to haunt us. If we quit our journey

with terror, (1) the terror remains within us for our life times

haunting us forever; (2) we miss The Bliss of attaining the Zenith to

merge into a universal view of The Life.

If one wants (1) to win over one's fears that is firecely trembling

one's existence from within and/or (2) to attain The Bliss of The

Life, ONE HAS NO OTHER CHOICE BUT TO FACE THE SCARE OF THE DEATH.

Bhagavad Gita was just an instrument to reveal your scare ... the

scare was within you already. You opened Bhagavad Gita for the same

reason in the first place. You wanted to end the miseries induced in

you every moment by this scare once and for ever. That is why you

opened The Bhagavad Gita in the first place.

On the other hand, you wanted to swim the ocean of The Life to

experience what it would be like to be with the water directly. You

were always used to the unyielding support of a tiny unstable boat.

The instability in the boat has already scared you. You thought, the

instability in the boat is due to the enormity of the water all the

time. Yet ... you wanted to experience what the water would feel like

and you touched the water. You were not familiar with the cold and

fluid water which would not support you in any direction and provide

the warmth of the breeze around ... it is obvious you get scared. No

problem! Feel the scare ... face the scare ... and just jump into the

water ... you are bound to swim. Just try it. Just do it. Just be it.

Respects.

Naga Narayana

--------------------------------

Hari Om

Answer to Shri Sagar Kadam.

Whatever you may say - you won't ever be able to forget the King of

All the Kings- Paramatma. Millions and trillions have expressed like

you in the past but a permanent association always comes to the

forefront-ultimately. No way to erase HIM out of YOU.

Any way - I am reminded of a reference by Swamiji Ramsukhdasji Maharaj.

A sadhu once told him- " Maharajji , what to do ? I am worried. I

don't have any shraddha (respectful belief) in Gitaji. "

The great Saint smiled and replied to him -

" The fact that you are worried about not having shraddha in Gitaji, is

it not in itself a proof which indicates that you indeed have shraddha

(respectful belief) in Gitaji? "

Swamiji wrote that as soon as that Sadhu heard what Swamiji said to

him - " He became really very happy. "

Before I reply to you further, you should tell me - how near you are

to the above conversation? Have you really become happy after reading

this reply ?

Balance only after you respond.

Jai Shree Krishna

Vyas N B

--------------------------------

Love your child. Love your mother. Love your employees. Love your dog.

Love your wife. Love your brother. Love you sister. As a result of

these, you can finally know the property of love, and its effect. And

this 'love' is the only Krishna. And child, mother, employees, dog,

brother and sister are His manifested nature, that no longer remains

forever but the feeling of love will exist and remains inseparable

even after death. So your body will not be there, but the Love from

you, will remain in the world.

Love is like radio waves which are not loud (of very low amplitude)

but travel very long distances (with long wave length). No action is

lost as the waves once set in motion slowly become flat and goes

everywhere and cannot be removed. Love is like that wave found in

environment, and it can be recovered and magnified; and realized just

as a radio does.

Regards

K G

(Krishna Gopal)

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bracketed wherever possible.

13. Any personal remarks over the knowledge of any sadhak or about

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MODERATOR

Ram Ram

September 2, 2008

QUESTION 1: I tried to follow krishna but internally i dont feel

love or bhakti for him. What to do ? Also, reading gita scares me.

Saagar Kadam

QUESTION 2: In Bhagwat Geeta, God has beautifully explained various

ways to reach Him. One of them is Bhakti. It is said Bhakti and Love

are deep embeded in self only and Mal, avaran and vikshep are the

hinderances. These days much empahsis is given on Rajyoga and i

think followers of Rajyoga no matter develop high level of

concentration, stillness of mind and even experience samadhi. But

the overall outcome of all these sadhnas are futile if we donot have

pure love for the God. Some great saints have advocated to have

satsang and live a truthful life with purity in heart to have divine

love and deep devotion to the God. But still, in the present life

circumstances, that kind of love and devotion is very difficult to

develop as mind always try to shift its attention in absence of

specific reason digestable for the mind.

PLEASE ENLIGHTEN AS HOW TO HAVE DEEP SHRADHHA FOR THE God which is

everlasting.

so hum...

Jigyaasuu

-------------------------------

NEW POSTING

Shree Hari:

Ram Ram!

Answer 1. Your feeling that you don't feel is the evidence of your

having love and devotion for God. Who will say 'love and devotion for

God' is not ever lasting?

Answer 2. This 'love for God' can't be developed or demolished as it

IS. Shraddhey Swami Ramsukhdasjee told me 'one yog' only and it

worked fastest as it requires no meditation, no concentration, no

chanting, no actions of limbs, senses, mind or intellect or anything

whatever. You have to die and take birth accepting " I am God's only.

Only God's mine. I am nobody else's. Nobody else is mine. " Swamijee

told me start with the first, rest will follow automatically.

Whatever more is required by you won't work except gathering

information and doing nothing. You are free to waste time.

You think when Shraddhaa is there, love for God will grow. You want

to start swimming after learning how to swim.

Pay true homage to Swamijee by doing this only yog, you can't escape

being God's only.

I know no formalities even, excuse me here!

Sarvottam

(Sarvottam Varma)

-------------------------------

Hari Om

Reply to the query of Jigyasu. There is nothing futile on the road

towards God. Dhyaan Yoga(meditation) is also an equally effective

method of realisation. Sadhaks may choose what suits them most, but

should have no negative feeling about other methods-otherwise they

lose focus on their own method also, in the end. They may

get " liberation " but they will never get " ever increasing love of

God " -if they are critical of other methods. Dhyaan is definitely

superior to mere practice of chanting God's name etc( without

exclusive mineness with God) and reading of Holy Scriptures.( Gita

12:12).

Dhyaan has many advantages, some of them instant , which are unique.

Peace generates in meditation-which becomes very handy for all

sadhaks- at the final stage. On daily basis also this peace makes

the life of sadhak better. If you are serious on your striving, no

way described in Gita is difficult.

However that Bhakti is best in which devotion is automatic and is

not effortful ( induced). That will be possible only when you

accept - " Mere to Girdhar Gopal, Doosaro na koi " ( Only God is mine,

nothing else is mine). It is a law that " LOVE " generates out

of " mineness " . When you develop a mineness with God - exclusive

mineness- the LOVE will be naturally emanating " out of SELF " , you

will not have to make any efforts for the same. What efforts as

parents we make to love our children? Nothing- love emanates

naturally. Reason: Mineness with them.

Hence answer to your question is simple- Establish exclusive

mineness with Paramatma. The love then will be natural , spontaneous

and ever lasting. There is no other way to develop everlasting love-

I REPEAT, NO OTHER WAY. Any effort in this regard will always be

time bound and results will vanish with the time.

Jai Shree Krishna

Vyas N B

-------------------------------

Dear Shri Kadamji,

" Bhagwat Prem " (Love for God) is the rarest thing one can aspire

for. Truly it is said to be higher than 'Moksha' or 'Sakshatkar'. It

is said that one can learn to love god only and only by keeping

company of those who love / loved God.

In view of this and in view of your desire for love for God, instead

of reading and contemplating on Gitaji, it may be far more meaningful to read

about the life of the Great Premi Bhaktas. In

kaliyug, there have been only two premi bhaktas, who became one with

God in their physical form. (Ve apne sharir ke sath hi bhagwan mein

sama gaye). They are Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Meera Bai. I would

stongly recommend that you read about them. The best book on Chaitanya

Mahaprabhu that I have come across is " Chaitanya Charitamrit " by Prabhu Datt ji

Brhamachari. This should be available

fron Gita Press shop. I have been wanting to read similar literature

on Meera Bai. But I have not been able to lay my hands on the same.

(If any sadhak has come across any good book on Meera Bai, please

let me know the name of book and it's publisher).

Additionally, you could read " Bhakta Mal " (This is not a Gita Press

publication). Another Gita Press book is " Bhakt Charitank " . Here I

would recommend that you read characters of Bhaktas of Kaliyug only.

The reason is, if you read characters of Bhaktas of Satyug, you may

tend to get disheartened as it would say that this Bhakta did 'Tapasya' for

10,000 years and so on. We in kaliyug just don't

have that kind of time.

This will certainly generate love for God in your heart and

definitely, there will be no fear of the type you may be getting by

reading Gitaji.

Finally, in the words of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu " Harernamaiv,

Harernamaiv, Harernamaiv Kevalam, Kalau Nastyeva, Nastyeva, Nastyeva

Gatiranyatha " . And in the words of Meera Bai " Mere to Girdhar Gopal "

A.H.Dalmia

----------------------------

.... contd.

Incapable to develop Love or Bhakti toward Krishna!! What to do?

This means that the scare you mentioned is still haunting you from

within! Until you face the scare, you have no chance of developing

Love or Bhakti toward The Krishna. In fact, the sheer removal of all

our fears is The Love or The Bhakti toward The God. It is the fears

that haunt us in various ways - doubts, pretentions, anger, frustration,

anxiety, greed, lust, ... the infinitude of our miserable state of dependence on

relations engrossed in emotions. We panic like a fish taken out of water by the

sheer hint of loss of our beloved objects of posessession - the unstable tiny

boat. A slight shake of this boat scares us. Of course, Krishna repells us till

we beleive that all our existence is tied to such a boat - a possessive heart!

As said earlier, just face the scare ... it is like a street dog ...

scares you till you run! Just pause ... it pauses!! Just stand facing

it ... it starts wiggling its tail!!! Just gather your courage to

fight it ... it runs away . Of course, there are too many street

dogs around. You have to repeat every time you see one. But when you

do not see one, observe. It is all The Krishna everywhere ... Peace,

Bliss and Absolute Fearlessness. Then, how can you remain not in Love

with Krishna?!

How to develop Shraddha for The God?

Unless we answer ourselves the question, " why should we develop

Shraddha for The God? " , we cannot address this question. Again, do we

want to win over our scares of relativity? Do we want to taste the

nectar of The Absolute?? If we find the answer to be " yes " , we need

to take the shelter of The Shraddha. If you are convinced that you

really want to get rid of all your miseries positively, then your

question already dissolved ... The Shraddha for The God is already

there!! Nobody can develop IT ... IT is just there ... IT was always

there ... IT will always be there ready to cleanse us. But, it is us

who refrain from the Snaana, the cleansing process. We jump around

in panick like a dog taken near water for a bath! Just take the

bath ... IT is there.

IT is disappeared from our attention since we are jumping around with

scare at the slightest vision of the same! Just pause ... observe ...

and be there. Yes! we run out even if we are shown the soothing bliss

in the serenity of such a bath!! We run after our wordly chorus, just

like the dog running after a bone ... it is OK!!! The Shraddha is

still there to embrace us with its soothing warmth ... always. Just

beware of that and be ready for that after the chorus to sooth

yourself. As we do it more and more, we see that The Shraddha is

actually showering on us irrespective of what we are doing and we are

at the same Bliss irrespective of time and space ... no more

relativity ... no more scare in the erstwhile chorus ... it is The

Absolute as such ... The Fearless presence ... The Eternal Bliss as

such. For now ... let us just take the bath ... let us start the

process without hesitation!

Respects.

Naga Narayana.

----------------------------

Namaste,

This is a reply to Jigyaasuu who would do well before reading the

Bhagavad gita he should to develop Bhakti or devotion by reading the

Bhagavatam.

Prashanth

(Prashanth Thirukkonda)

----------------------------

One of the ways of cultivating bhakti is by listening to bhajans,

well-produced bhajans. For me, it's alone with Anup Jalota ji's and

Jagjit Singh ji's.

Their Hari bhajans do it all. Why do people fall in love with pop

stars? Because they hear about them all the time and so they get

attached to them. If you hear the praises and achievements of

historical or living individuals, you'll feel the same towards them.

Listen to Hari bhajans, and you'll begin fall in love with Murli

Manohar Himself.

Rishi Handa

----------------------------

Jai Hanuman

Very good Bhaiyyaji. Reading Gitaji is scary ! ! Shaabas Jee! ( Hats

off you )

The scare has not arisen from Gita - because you have not even read

it. Scare has arisen from the sources other than Gitaji ! Leave

those sources, leave those deeds which spoil the antahkarana. Geeta

will appear sweet to you.

The best thing is that now you are attracted towards Gita . Even

Scare for Gita will give you good results. That is silverlining ,

Bhaiyyaji in the dark and dense clouds of ignorance. Get attracted

by fear or favour, hate or love, praise or criticism, raag or dvesha-

but get near Gitaji. It would help.

Andhadundh sarkaar hai, Tulsi bhajo nishank

Kheeje det hai param pad aur reejhe det hai Lank

Says Tulsidasji - The God's government is blind (absolutely

illogical) Therefore fearlessly become a devotee. If God becomes

happy ( as He became with Vibhisana) then He gives you the Kingdom

of Lanka. If God becomes annoyed ( as He became with Raavana) He

grants you residence in His own Loka !!

Andhadhundh Bhaiyya ! Andhadhundh !!

Jee Jee

Shashikala

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