How to attain God right-away (immediately)?
In front of every devotee there are primarily two things – one related to the world and the other pertaining to God. The world is perishable, and God is imperishable. The association with the world gives us only pain, but the association with God gives ultimate bliss, not even a trace of sorrow is there. One can never be dependent on the world and God’s shelter never leaves us.
We keep on hearing these things from saints, we read them in religious texts, and we believe in them as well, then why we are not able to eliminate our pain? Why we are not able to gain that ultimate bliss? Why are we unable to attain God?
Like just now we did the kirtan of ‘Hari Sharanam, Hari Sharanam’ and indeed taking God’s shelter is the best thing because taking shelter of the world is temporary and God’s shelter remains forever. We hear this, understand this, accept this, then where are we stuck that we can’t solve this puzzle, this problem. We need to seriously think about this problem.
So many things can be said about this, but there is one thing on which we need to pay attention. By listening or reading one only gains knowledge at mental level, or for discussion purpose. To attain God, it is only our utter desperation that helps, this intellectual knowledge and articulation doesn’t help at all. The day when we will not be able to tolerate our relationship with this world, when we will be unable to bear our separation with God, that day we will attain God.
The world is transient (unreal) – even after believing in this, if we go on taking pleasures from worldly things, then we will not gain anything. God is real, his name is real – just by saying this it will not benefit us. The confusion will remain as-is. This confusion can only be removed when the sole purpose of our life becomes – how to disassociate ourselves from the world? How to attain God?
It is right that we all need to attain God, attain that element, attain liberation, behold God’s form, attain God’s love, but in all these desires, the main obstacle is our belief, which tells us that in future after some time – we will have God’s love, this will take time, slowly God will show his form, slowly we will attain knowledge as attaining God takes time etc. This belief that it will happen in the future is the main obstacle in attaining God. To attain worldly things, it is right to expect them in future, because worldly things are not present everywhere and always, but the omnipresent God who is present in all countries, at all times, in all things and in all beings, to attain him why do we need to wait for the future? Devotees generally miss this point. They usually think – When we will do this much naam-japa, when our inner faculties are pure, when we develop much love for God, when we gain more capabilities – then we will attain God. Such obstacles are created by the devotees themselves. This is the main problem.
The day the devotee develops this intense desire that I need to attain God now, now, now! That’s the moment when he attains God. It is impossible to attain God based on one’s capabilities, practice or strength. God can be attained only by ardent desire.
Whatever might be your perception about God – form or formless, endowed with attribute or attributeless, you cannot stay away from it, and there is no peace without him. Devotee Mirabai once said –
Heli mahasu hari binu raho na jaye ||
‘O friend, I cannot live without Lord Hari.’
The worshippers of the attribute-less form of God, also says –
Din nahin bhook, raat nahin nindra,
Chin-chin vyakul hot hiya, chitwan mori tumse lagi piya ||
Without attaining the element, one does not feel hungry during day and could not sleep during night. How to attain him. What to do? The anxiety in the heart gets on increasing day by day. Everything else is unbearable now.
Saints have also said –
‘Narayan’ hari lagan mein, yeh pacho na suhaat,
Vishaya bhog, nidra, hasi, jagat preet, bahu baat ||
The day the sensual pleasures from these five things cannot be tolerated, there is intense dislike for them, separation from God will become unbearable; that day one will attain God. Such a dear God, Beloved God! No one else is dearer than him, cannot be, will never be, can never be and we are spending our days in separation from him. We are living happily without him.
God wants us to live contentedly in whatever we have; we don’t need more! That is why he doesn’t always fulfill all our worldly desires. But one who is distressed due to his separation from God, God cannot tolerate it, he simply cannot see his distressed devotee suffering. However, our current state is that without attaining Him we are comfortably sleeping, eating. It is a black day! But if we start feeling more and more distressed because of this separation from God, if our soul gets restless; then one can attain God at that moment itself. There is no delay in attaining God. He cannot bear the distress a devotee is experiencing because of this separation. He is an ocean of grace.
The world is abode of sorrow. It is nothing by sorrow. The world is needy for more things, more money, more son-grandson etc. If he gets distressed due to separation from God, then God will immediately appear. For that, one needs just one burning desire that how to see God’s form? How to attain God? What to do? Where to go? One should get restless for Him.
God is the source of all attraction – he draws us towards himself, that’s why he is called Krishna. In whatever situation one is, God doesn’t let him stay there forever- this is how he draws us towards himself. This is God’s call to come towards him. Lord Krishna says in Gītā –
ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino ’rjuna
mām upetya tu kaunteya punar janma na vidyate |
(Gītā 8/16)
This means that without attaining God, humans cannot stay permanent in any situation and keep on going in the circle of life. Only after attaining God, one becomes fixed.
yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama
(Gītā 15/6)
The place from where one does not return to this material world again, is the Supreme Abode of God.
You can exert all your strength but still neither this body will remain forever nor the relations. Nothing available in this world can remain forever. Reason is God is constantly trying to draw us towards himself. He is showering his grace on us. Hence, if you get disassociated with world, then you can attain God and will attain that ultimate bliss. If you keep yourself engaged with the worldly activities, then you can never rise from these sorrows and you will keep on encountering a new kind, a different kind of sorrow each day.
It is very sad that people ask for worldly pleasures from God and from saints and hermits. They perform austerities to get worldly pleasures in return. They are buying a huge web of worldly sorrows in return for God. This is a huge stigma. Goswami Tulsidasji says –
Aihi tan kar phal vishaya na bhai, swargayu swalp anth dukhdayi |
Nar tanu paye vishaya maan dehi, palati sudha te sadh vish lehi ||
(Manas 7/43/1)
Ignorant people take poison in return for nectar (Amrit). It is shameful to desire for perishable worldly things from this human body which is meant to attain God. If you say that we cannot live without this desire, then pray to God – ‘O God! We cannot remove this desire for worldly pleasures, hence please remove these yourself.’ If your prayer is pure, then God will definitely listen to you. But you take pleasure in these desires, feel happy to acquire material things, you don’t want to get rid of these desires, then how it can be removed?
Dear Arjun! In all the worlds of this material creation, up to the highest abode of Brahma, one is subject to rebirth. But, O son of Kunti, on attaining me, there is no rebirth.
There is nobody like God. Arjun says –
na tvat-samo ’sty abhyadhikaḥ kuto ’nyo,
loka-traye ’py apratima-prabhāva.
(Gītā 11/43)
‘O possessor of incomparable power! When there is none equal to you in all the three worlds, then who can possibly be greater than you.’
To attain God, we should have burning desire within ourselves. He is so melodious. When He stands in Tribhanga posture, holding His flute, He looks so dear. He is most attractive and affectionate! If a devotee spends only some time in meditating on him, then he can be elevated. His attention cannot go towards the world any more.
‘Narayan’ bin mol biki hu yaki nain hasah mein|
Mohan basi gayo mere maan mein ||
That god, if he smiles a little then you will have nothing else to attain, nothing will be left. You will have to do nothing. Love, wisdom, liberation etc. has no meaning in front of this. Saints have said –
Chahe to yog kari bhrikuti Madhya dhyan dhari,
Chahe naam roop mithya jani ke nihaar lei|
Nirgun, nirbhaya, nirakar jyoti vyaap rahi,
Aise tatvagyan nij maan mein tu thari lei ||
‘Narayan’ apne ko aap hi bakhar kari,
Mothe, vaha bhinn nahin, ya vidhi pukaar lei|
Jolo tohi nand ko kumar nahin drishti paryo,
Tolo tub bhale hi baith brahma ko vichaar lei||
That son of Nand has so much attraction that if your sight goes towards him, then you will have no energy left even for spiritual wisdom. Even in the presence of such a God, we are stuck in this perishable world full of sorrows and not just stuck we are demanding for it. We need worldly things like – esteem, comfort, health, luxuries, money-property etc. – this is a huge obstacle.
If you cannot get the burning desire for God inside yourself, then also don’t worry. God says – ‘vyavasayatmika buddhirekeha’ (Gītā 2/41). ‘There is only one determined intellect’. Hence one should have a firm resolve that he will only take the path of God. If he keeps this desire of walking only towards God, then one day it will become an obsession. The reason is that desiring God is the right thing but desiring for world is wrong. Self is also imperishable, and God is also imperishable and desire to attain God is also indestructible. But world and desire for world both are destructible. Even if there is a little bit desire to attain God, then that also can-do wonders.
Think about the God you follow and say ‘He Naath! He Naath!’ and become quiet…silent… and fall on his feet. Think that you are lying on his feet and will always remain there. There is nothing else to do, because you can never attain God by doing anything. Never consider yourself incapable to achieve God. One who is incapable and unworthy is the one truly worthy to take shelter in God’s feet. One who does not have any position or power in the world, still he is worthy to attain God. To seek shelter in God’s lotus feet is the greatest prayer. Hence, take shelter in God’s feet and think that this body made of bones and flesh is not mine and I am not for it. Only God is mine and I am for God.
After reciting complete Gītā, God tells the most revered secret of all secrets
–sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śharaṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣhayiṣhyāmi mā śhuchaḥ
(Gītā 18/66)
‘Abandon dependence on all varieties of duties (dharmas) and simply surrender unto me alone. I shall liberate you from all your sins; therefore do not grieve.’
Hence, renounce dependence on everything and only take God’s shelter, as that is permanent, everything else is temporary.
Antahi tohi tajenge pamar! tu na taje aab hi te|
Maan pachitehe avsar beete ||
Narayan!
Narayan! Narayan!
From book ‘Sadhakon ke Prati’ by Shradhey Swamiji Shri Ramsukhdasji Maharaj
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