The cause of delay in attaining that One Supreme Divinity is only one, and that is, there is a lack of intense and deep yearning, and the reason for the deficiency is want of worldly pleasures. May we realize God, may we attain salvation, may we attain enlightenment, may we attain love of God, may we attain liberation, may we be free of birth and death, may we be released from all sorrows etc. – there should be an intense yearning for any one of these, that we cannot live without this. Just like if someone has an intense yearning for how can I see Gangaji? And there is a person who knows, points to a river that is flowing in front of them and says that this river itself is Gangaji, then how long will it take to see Gangaji? Initially in our view that river was present, now our understanding is that this itself is Gangaji – that is all there is to it !
At one time some gentleman said to Sethji (Shri Jayadayal Goyandkaji) that please make me behold God. Sethji said, brother, I am incapable of that. The man once again requested, then Sethji said that I make you behold God, but you will not accept. If you accept then I will make you behold God. The man said, that you are well known to be truthful, therefore if you say so, I will accept. Sethji took him outdoors, and pointing towards the Sun. Sethji said, see, this is God! The gentleman said, I see the Sun daily. Sethji said- the scriptures have said that Sun is God. The Sun has a place in the five demi-gods as well. Therefore it is the Sun God – what is the doubt in this? The point I am making is that there is no delay in God Realization. However, there is not an intense and deep yearning, a longing to realize God, therefore there is a delay.
If there is a hungry man in your house, and you give him lentils, grains, sweets, puri (Indian bread) etc. You can make anything and give him, but you cannot give him hunger. That hunger should be one’s own. When there is a deep and intense yearning for God Realization, there should be no reason for delay. You are ready to see, and God is ready to see, then where is the cause for delay? God Realization is extremely easy! So easy, that no other work is that easy. Ease-difficulty, effortlessness-complexity, this is only where you have to put effort, to do something. Or if there is distance from the object that is to be acquired, then effort is required to get to it. Where there is nothing to be done, in that what is easy and what is difficult? What is complex and what is simple? How is God so easily attainable? Now let us think over this.
This verily are the words of Lord Krishna –
bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate
vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ (Gita 7/19)
In the very last of all births i.e. in this human form, when a man of wisdom (jnani) takes refuge in Me, realizing that everything is God, such a great soul (mahatma) is very rare, indeed. (Gita 7/19)
The point is man, animals, birds, trees, pole, building, land, clothes, etc., whatever is seen, heard and thought about by man, that all is God. Besides God, there is nothing else, not in the least bit. Accept this point right now, at present !
It is God’s own words – Matah parataram naanyat kinchidasti dhananjaya | Mayi sarvamidam protam sootre maniganaa iva || (Gita 7/7)
“O’ Arjuna, of this world there is no other cause higher than Me. As yarn beads are strung on the thread, so all the worlds are permeated by Me. (Gita 7/7)
Bijam maam sarvabhootaanaam viddhi paarth sanaatanam (Gita 7/10)
“O’ Partha, know Me as the eternal (Sanatana) seed of all beings; (Gita 7/10) Ye chaiva saatvikaa bhaava raajasaastaamasashch ye |
Matta eveti taanviddhi na tvaham teshu te mayyi || (Gita 7/12)
Whatever entities are born of sattva (mode of goodness or purity), of rajas (mode of activity or passion) and tamas (the mode of inertia or ignorance), know them all as evolved from Me; yet still neither I am in them, nor are they in Me. (Gita 7/12)
Yacchaapi sarvabhootaanaam beejam tadahamrjun |
Na tadasti vinaa yatsyaanmaya bootam charaacharam || (Gita 10/39)
O’ Arjuna, I am the seed of all beings. There is no creature, animate or inanimate, that can exist without Me. (Gita 10/39) Just as a seed becomes a tree, similarly God only becomes the world. God only is the seed of all movable and immovable creatures.
Not only that, further ahead God says – “Sadasacchaahumrjun” (Gita 9/19) “I am being (real) and non-being (unreal) both.” In this world besides being and non-being, there is nothing else. The world is non-being, and That which resides in it, our Lord, is being. The body is unreal, the one who resides in it is real. The embodied soul is real. The world and this body are constantly changing, but the jeevatma (embodied soul) and Paramatma (God) are unchanging (without any modification). God says that the changing is also Me and the unchanging is also Me. The perishable is also me and the Imperishable is also Me. Even Arjuna says – “Tvamaksharam sadsattaparam yat” (Gita 11/37)
“You are the being (real), the non-being (unreal), and that which is beyond both being and non-being i.e. the Imperishable Brahma.
Now where is the delay in God Realizaion? What effort is needed? What is the delay after being informed that this is Gangaji? What effort is involved? God is more extra-ordinary then even Gangaji. Gangaji is at one place, but God is everywhere. God Himself says that everything is Me and Me alone. There is nothing else besides me –
“matah parataram naayatkinchidasti dhananjaya” (Gita 7/7).
If someone says that I do not have faith in these words, then it is his shortcoming. If you do not have faith in God, then are you going to have faith in the body or the world that is momentary, perishable? You do not have faith in God’s words, and you want your salvation! How is that possible? To not have faith in God’s words, is a sin, is a contempt on God. If his words are not understood by me, then accept these words with a firm conviction that there is a shortcoming in our understanding, not a shortcoming in the Truth, in Divinity. Then you will realize it. Because the truth will remain the truth, how can it become false? Even if we do not understand it, if you cannot see it, but all is God – there is no doubt about this.
In the path of knowledge (Jnana maarg) it has been said that whatever is seen, heard, thought about, is all deception, it is unreal “maya” –
Kim bhadram kimbhadram va daivatasyaavastunah kiyat | Vaachoditam tadanrutam manasa dhyaataameva cha || (Srimad Bhagwat 11/28/4)
All the things in the world can be described with speech and can be thought with the mind; thus it is all unreal. When there is nothing at all such as Duality “dwait” then what is good and what is bad?
“Dekhia sunia gunia mana maahin | Moha mool paramaarathu naahin || (Manas, Ayodhyaakaand 12/4)
na tad asti pṛthivyāṁ vā divi deveṣu vā punaḥ sattvaṁ prakṛti-jair muktaṁ yad ebhiḥ syāt tribhir guṇaiḥ (Gita 18/40)
There is no being on earth nor even among the gods in heaven, that is free, from the three modes, born of nature (prakrti).
However in the path of Devotion, it says that whatever is seen, heard, or thought about etc. that all is God only –
Manasa vachasa drushtvaa gruhyatenyairpeendriyai | Ahameva na mattonyaditi budhyadhvamanjasaa || (Srimad Bhagwat 11/13/24)
Through the mind, speech, and other senses, whatever is perceived, all that is Me and beyond Me there is nothing else you should quickly understand i.e. accept this doctrine.
Jada chetan jag jeev jat sakal ramamai jaani (Manas, Baalkand 7)
na tad asti vinā yat syānmayā bhūtaṁ carācaram (Gita 10/39)
There is no creature animate or inanimate, that can exist without Me. (Gita 10/39)
The point is that in the path of Jnana (knowledge), everything is in the form of nature and in the path of Bhakti, everything is in the form of God.
The path of knowledge is useful in renouncing the insentient, and Path of Bhakti is useful in love of God. In path of knowledge, God permeates the world – “Yena sarvamidam tatam” (Gita 2/17), Ishavasyamidam sarvam” (Isha. 1) and in path of bhakti, God Itself is in the form of this world – “Vasudeva sarvam (Gita 7/19). In Path of Knowledge, activity is going on in nature, it is all an interplay of the modes – “Guna guneshu vartante” (Gita 3/28) and in Path of Bhakti, It is God playing with Himself. i.e. it is His divine play –
yo māṁ paśyati sarvatra sarvaṁ ca mayi paśyati (Gita 6/30).
In the path of knowledge, an aspirant remains situated in his “self”, while in the path of Bhakti, the aspirant surrenders himself to the Lord, and becomes a lover of God. God is hungry for love, not for knowledge. A bhakta loves God and God loves the bhakta; thus there is every moment ever increasing love within them.
Everything is only God – if someone wishes to know this point, then he should sit in seclusion and begin to pray – O’ Lord! How do I get to know You, how do I realize You?
“Katham vidyamaham yogimstvaam sadaa parichintayan | (Gita 10/17)
“How may I realize You, O Master of Yoga! Everything is only You – how do I realize this! How do I realize! In this manner let there be an intense yearning within
There is an incident about a very poor man. He went to a Mahatma and said “Maharaj! I am deep in debt. I am unable to get food-water-shelter-clothes for my sustenance. Shower me with your grace so that I can be free of debt.” The Mahatma said “what is the biggest thing you have in your house?” The poor man said, I have a large stone, on which I sit while bathing. That is the largest object in my house. The Mahatma said, go home and sit on that stone and begin to repeat – Stone, turn into gold ! Stone turn into gold ! . Stone turn into gold ! Is this much gold adequate for you? The poor man said, my debts will be paid off with a fraction of this gold. The Mahatma told him to go home and repeat the mantra for twenty-four hours. The man went home and began his recitation stone turn into gold! He continued this recitation for 23 hours. Then he looked at the stone and said, so far even a small portion has not turned to gold, then too he continued. There were only five minutes remaining then too the stone had not converted into gold. He continued the recitation. Now only a minute remained, and being somewhat frustrated he said, if not into gold at least turn in iron. The moment he said this, the stone turned into iron. He went back to the Mahatma and said “Maharaj, that stone turned into an Iron block! How did this happen? The Mahatma said, you must have said so, therefore it turned into iron. You became tired and irritable therefore by your saying it turned into iron. If you did not become tired, and continued to repeat – May the stone become gold, then it would have turned into gold; because that was the time to have said so.”
In this manner, an aspirant, should not become tired and impatient and instead get after God for twenty four hours saying how am I to realize You? O’ Lord, How am I to realize you? All can pray in this manner, because being a part of God all are entitled to God. If hunger troubles you, eat a “roti”, if thirst troubles you, then drink water, if sleep troubles you, then go to sleep, but do not leave your yearning, your intense longing. Whether mind is engaged or not, whether attention is captured or not, but do not leave the prayer. God is very compassionate. He is the well-wisher of all beings.
“Suhurdam sarvabhootaanaam” (Gita 5/29).
Out of His mercy, He will make Himself known. That stone becomes gold, but is not so as such; but the world does not become a form of God, rather it is a manifestation of God. Simply we have to change our conception. The gopis therefore prayed to the Lord – “dayit drushyataam” (Srimad Bhagwat 10/32/1) Dear One ! You appear in front of us!” Then the Lord, appears in the center of all the gopis. “taasaamaavirbhoochourih” (Srimad Bhagwat 10/32/2) . What other spiritual practice will be easier than this?
From Book “Sab Jagah Ishvar Roop Hai” in Hindi by Swami Ramsukhdasji Maharaj
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