In the words of the SPH,
I have seven kinds of people who approach me: One, people who approach me out of greed; two, people who approach me out of fear; three, people who approach me out of worry; four, people who approach me for name and fame; five, people who approach me out of jealousy and comparison; six, people who approach me out of ego, to strengthen their ego by saying, 'I am a disciple of the SPH Nithyananda Paramashivam
I am close to him. He knows my name.' Just to have ego satisfaction they come to swamiji; finally, seven—there are a few, very few who approach swamijij out of gratitude. At different levels, people approach the Master or God. The more mature we are, the more we will feel connected to that person who will give us fulfillment. When we become mature, when we are above fear and greed, we will approach the same Master, the same God, with more maturity, with more intimacy. We will feel deeply connected to him
In Bhāgavatam (Hindu epic glorifying devotion onto incarnations), we learn about five different attitudes with which we normally relate with a Master or God:
Dāsa Bhāva—seeing God as a lord or master and oneself as a servant, as with Hanumān who saw Rāma as his master and served Him as a path for liberation. Vātsalya Bhāva seeing God as a divine child, as with Yaśodā who saw Kṛṣṇa as her son. Sakha Bhāva—seeing God or the master as a friend, the way Arjuna related with Kṛṣṇa. Mātṛ Bhāva—seeing God or the master as a father or mother, the way Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa related with goddess Kāli (representation of the divine mother). Finally, the fifth attitude is madhura bhāva—seeing God as a beloved, the way Radhā saw Kṛṣṇa.
This attitude needs a tremendous amount of maturity. Only if we experience the consciousness which is beyond the body, can we relate with the Divine with the attitude of a beloved, madhura bhāva.
The more mature we are, the more the gratitude happens.
The less the maturity, the more we fill our life with prayers. Prayer is greed; confession is fear!
'Gratitude is the greatest prayer, and thank you, the greatest mantra.' When we go beyond prayer and confession, we experience gratitude.
We experience the Divine.
Kṛṣṇa explains how we can grow step-by-step, how we can reach the ultimate maturity, how we can create and experience the Divine at the ultimate level.
Based on how we approach the Divine, only based on how mature we are, the whole community system has been created. How much we enrich and share with society depends on how mature we are. With the same maturity, we approach God also.If we feel money is missing in our lives, we go to the God who gives money. If we miss knowledge, we go to Sarasvatī (the goddess of knowledge), who gives knowledge.
If we feel insecure, we go to the god who protects us; we go to Mother Durgā or Kāli. If we miss spiritual experience, the ultimate experience, then we go to the divine incarnations, the ultimate expressions of the Divine.
Kṛṣṇa says, 'Four types of people come to Me caturvidhā bhajante māṁ ' He explains the four types as four communities. The first are the people who are distressed, i.e., the working class or śūdra. The second are the people who desire wealth, i.e., the business people or vaiśya. The third are inquisitive people who continuously enquire, continuously ask, 'Tataḥ kim? Tataḥ kim? Tataḥ kim?' (What next?) A kṣatriya, for example, never rests because he constantly asks, 'What next? What next? What next?'
The fourth is the person who searches for knowledge of the Absolute: He is a brāhmaṇa.'
They experience Him in different ways, according to their maturity. As long as you are caught in fear or greed, you will be attracted and go only to those types of gods.
It is easy to go to a temple and pray, but difficult to go to a living Master and meditate. It is for mature people, not for everyone. In the temple we see thousands; but in spiritual places, we see a few hundred. It is not for all; it's a luxury!
The person who approaches Me out of love and gratitude, is the best person, for I am dear to him and he is dear to Me.' By this one verse, Kṛṣṇa ends the whole conversation, the whole concept Kṛṣṇa says, 'Starting at different levels is ok, but don't stop there."
We can start or take off from any level. However we should not stop and stagnate there. It is like failing to proceed to the second standard from the first.
It is as if we want to stay in the same cozy, familiar level.
It takes many lifetimes to understand and achieve this maturity. A common saying is, 'As many Masters, so many paths.'
However Swamiji says, 'As many disciples, so many paths!' The Master may utter the same truth to his disciples, yet each understands and interprets in his or her own way.
They all approach the Divine, but from different planes. Hence the attitude, the context with which one approaches matters how one experiences the Divine.
Here Kṛṣṇa says, 'Out of these, the wise is always devoted to Me. He is the best person.' To start with, you can start at any level, yet you must strive to reach the Ultimate. And please don't think, 'Oh! Kṛṣṇa says it will take many lives; let me take some more lives and become mature. ' No! If you can enter into the knowledge this moment, the experience can happen to you this very moment. You don't need to postpone. Every moment is a new birth for you and every moment is death. The outgoing breath is death, and the incoming breath is birth. So be very clear, every moment you die and take birth. This moment can be a new birth for you. The person who understands this truth takes a new birth.
Kṛṣṇa says: ahaṁ sa ca mama priyaḥ— He is dear to Me, and I am dear to him. He is in Me and I am in him. Kṛṣṇa says beautifully that He is in you and you are in Him. The moment you understand this ultimate Truth, the moment you approach the Divine with the right attitude, you become the Divine. All you need to do is chang your attitude. Over! Change your inner space and the whole thing is done
One important thing. The Master or the Divine is in you only when you engage yourself in enriching service to Him. When you devote yourself to the divine mission, you become a devotee.
That is when you become dear to Him. Your worship is no longer selfish. It is towards the mission of the Divine, in whatever form.
In the words of the SPH Stop sitting in front of me, gazing and waiting for words to drop. Work for my mission. Enrich yourself and others by helping me to transform people. As long as you sit and gaze, you chase me. When you work for my mission, I chase you. I shall always be with you.
There are seven steps in spiritual progress—
- 1) Go around many temples, perform many rituals, pilgrimages, etc.
- 2) Do rituals by yourself
- 3) Concentrate and pray to one God instead of rituals
- 4) Chant verses in praise of God
- 5) Instead of chanting, visualize His form and meditate upon it
- 6) Instead of meditating on any form, fall into that same consciousness, realize that the form and your soul are one and the same, that God and the soul are one and the same
- 7) Experience reality! Don't think these seven steps will be done in one lifetime.
People take hundreds of lives to achieve this maturity. It is rare to achieve this maturity.
Only a person who has understood, after many, many births and deaths, who has matured, who has enough knowledge, surrenders to Me, surrenders to the living Master, says Kṛṣṇa. with you.