2. Be Fixed In Devotion
8.27 O son of Pritha, the devotees who know these different paths are never bewildered. O Arjuna, be always fixed in devotion.
8.28 A person who accepts the path of devotional service transcends the results derived from studying the vedas, performing austerities and sacrifices, giving charity or pursuing pious and result-based activities. At the end he reaches the supreme abode.
In the last few verses Krishna summarizes the essence of the whole chapter. He says, 'O son of Pritha, the devotees who know these different paths are never bewildered. Therefore O Arjuna, be always fixed in devotion.'
He means that a person who understands the different paths that a spirit can take while leaving the body will always be prepared for death. He immerses himself in devotion throughout his life so that he becomes liberated. Krishna first gives Arjuna an intellectual understanding of the whole death process. He clearly tells him that the last thought while leaving the body governs the path that the spirit chooses when entering the next body.
Again and again He emphasizes that this thought cannot be divine unless we spend our entire lives in devotional service. When I say devotional service, devotion is more important than service. I tell people, never give money in charity because some priest told you that it is a good thing. Never follow these rules blindly. I do not say, 'Don't do charity work.' I am only saying, 'Let it just be a natural expression of yourself, not with any expectation.'
We have a head to think with and a heart to feel with. We do not need to refer to society every time to decide what to do and what not to do. Another thing, do not work in the name of 'devotional service' to please someone else or society. If you expect something in return, then be very clear, it is not devotional service. If it springs purely out of devotion, the act itself should be the reward.
A small story:
Bodhidharma goes to China. The King of China was devoted to Bodhidharma. The king did a lot to spread Buddhism in China. He built many temples and ashrams, and spent lots of money trying to get people to follow the path.
When Bodhidharma entered his palace, the king welcomed him and asked, 'Buddha, I have done so much to spread Buddhism in my country. What will happen when I die? Will I reach heaven?' Bodhidharma replied, 'You will reach the worst hell.'
The king was shocked! What did he mean? Understand: The king's question contained an expectation of return for his charity. He did service hoping that Bodhidharma would recognize and reward him.
I tell people, every day for half an hour, just for half an hour, work without expecting anything in return. It could be anything. If you make a painting, don't calculate, 'Oh, how many people will appreciate this. How many paintings should I make so that I can start an art gallery?' Without such calculations, immerse yourself in some work for half an hour.
You will suddenly see a new space open up inside you. When you work without expecting anything in return, just for the joy of doing it, you will see how liberating it is. Gradually, when this becomes engrained in you, you will enjoy whatever you do much more. You will no more bother about who thinks what about you.
Krishna says, 'Performing austerities and sacrifices, giving charity or pursuing pious result-based activities will take a person to the supreme abode.' While doing each of these activities, it is the attitude that matters most, not the action itself. I have seen people give money to temple priests out of fear and greed.
They are told that if they don't give money, the gods will be angry. Or if they give money, their family will be protected. The attitude behind these actions is what counts. Krishna says, if one engages in activities with devotion, then He will be there at the time of one's death.
He has given intellectual knowledge until now. In the following chapters, He gives deeper level techniques to experience this truth, to experience thoughtless awareness by removing engrams, by removing engraved memories, by understanding our desires.
Let us pray to that ultimate energy, Parabrahma Krishna*, to give us intelligence and the experience of thoughtless awareness, witnessing consciousness, ātma jñāna*, the eternal bliss, nityānanda*.
Thank you.
Q: Swamiji, you have spoken about the Life Bliss Program. Can you give more details about it and how it helps us in life?
Let me put it this way: Before I realized my Self, I probably had an option to spend the rest of my life in the Himalayan region in seclusion, pursuing what I considered my spiritual path. When enlightenment happened, I had no choice. I was clear that my mission, as dictated by that universal energy, was to convey to others my own experience so that they could achieve personal transformation.
It was crystal clear that I should take the message of personal transformation through meditation to the world and that was when my real journey began. It took a few years to put my understanding together and develop the teachings.
Dhyanapeetam, the spiritual laboratory, was the result. In the beginning I talked about what people needed most in terms of managing their lives. I spoke about how they could cope with emotions. I explained how we are all an integral part of a living energy. This cosmic energy is reflected within us and can be experienced in the seven energy centers called cakras. When these cakras are blocked, we are in emotional distress, which in turn leads to physical distress.
Energization of our energy centers, cakras, was the focus and content of my first Life Bliss program. This was originally called Ananda Spurana Program in Bharat. ānanda is bliss and spurana refers to free flow. This program is designed to allow the bliss energy to flow freely once again within you. The technique to make this happen is meditation.
This is a program taught by teachers who are trained and personally ordained by me. Several tens of thousands of people all over the world have benefited from this program, which is essentially a life solution process. We have a book titled Guaranteed Solutions that explains the content of the course, and the understanding that comes from reading this book solves many problems for people.
We now call this program Life Bliss Program Level 1. We have variations of this program to suit professionals and corporations as well, as many of the techniques are ideal stress busters.
Thus ends the Eighth chapter of the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna, called as Akṣara Brahma Yoga, of the Upaniṣad of the Bhagavad Gita, the scripture of Yoga, dealing with the science of the Absolute in the form of the dialogue between Sri Krishna and Arjuna.
3. Worship Me In Any Form But With Devotion
9.13 O son of Pritha, the great souls who are not deluded know me as unchangeable. They are devoted to Me as they know I am the cause of all creation.
9.14 Those with firm resolve perpetually worship Me with devotion. They sing My glories, striving with determination, prostrating to Me,
9.15 Some worship Me by acquiring and spreading wisdom of the Self. Others worship Me in my non-dual form, or dual form or universal form.
Krishna speaks about bhakti or devotion in these verses.
You see, devotion can be one of the most powerful ways to reach God. Many saints showed the world the path of devotion. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was devoted to Krishna. He sang songs in Krishna's glory. He danced in ecstasy while singing about Krishna. Meera was another devotee of Krishna who was in love with Him. Meera's devotional songs, Meera bhajans, are sung even today to show her devotion towards Krishna.
Be very clear, devotion is one of the most powerful ways to reach God; however it depends on how we express devotion. Many people go to temples. Some people have a habit of going to a particular temple every week. If somebody asks, they say, 'Oh, every Saturday I pray to Lord Venkateshwara. Every Tuesday I go to the Hanuman temple.' Going to temples becomes a fashion statement.
Making mechanical visits to the temple is not devotion. It is just a sort of ego. We mostly go to temples to ask for something. Our devotion to Lord Venkateshwara is dependent on how much He answers our prayers. If we ask for something and He gives it, then Venkateshwara is great; otherwise we switch gods! We go to the god who we think will grant our wishes.
A small story:
Three village men set off to the city to earn money. Before leaving, they went to their village temple. They prayed, 'O God, we are going to the city to earn money. Please help us become rich. If we become rich, after one year, whatever money we earn, we will donate fifty percent of it to you. We will put that money in the collection box. Please help us.' They made a business deal with God, a profit-sharing deal.
In the city, they started a business and after one year, they made a million rupees. They remembered their promise to God. So they went back to their village. On their way, they started thinking. Each of them calculated how much they will get. One million rupees is a lot of money. If they give fifty percent to God, how much will they have for themselves?
Once they reached their village, before going to the temple, one of them said, 'Why does God need so much money? He is rich anyway. Let us think of another way to show our devotion and gratitude to God.'
The other two immediately agreed. Just see how the human mind works! When they had nothing, they wanted to give God; now when they have, they don't want to let go of it. Anyhow, they came up with a plan. They told God, 'We will make a circle on the ground. We will throw all the money up in the air. Whatever falls in the circle is for us and whatever falls outside, we will donate to you.'
Then they thought, 'When we throw the money up, more money will fall outside the circle.' Now once again their greed started. They thought, 'No, this is not a good idea.' So they revised the plan. They decided to create a bigger circle and throw the money upwards. Whatever money fell in, they decided to give God. But now they felt that more money would fall inside the circle.
As they were discussing, one of them looked up and said, 'Oh God, you are sitting up there. You know how much money you want. So we will throw all the money up. However much money you want, keep and we will take the rest!'
This is our devotion! We make business deals. We pray to God, but not with devotion. As long as God gives what we want, he is our God; otherwise He is no longer God. Prayer should express our devotion, gratitude, and love to God. All great devotees of Krishna and Rama showed complete gratitude and love. When devotion reaches that state, they reach the ultimate consciousness.
One more thing, prayers are powerful; however, we should not get stuck at prayers. Prayers are powerful in the initial stages when we pray as we go towards God. Let the prayers express devotion rather than asking for boons. We should go beyond words. When we pray, we are stuck in words. We should go beyond words. Our devotion should help us see the ultimate energy behind the idol of Krishna or Rama.
Actually, complete devotion puts us in a completely different plane. When we show our devotion to someone, we surrender ourselves to him or her. Have you heard the story of Prahlad?
He was a young boy less than ten years old. His father Hiranyakashipu was a great devotee of Brahma, the creator. Hiranyakashipu does intense penance and asks Brahma for a boon. He asks to be made immortal; however Brahma says that is impossible. Hiranyakashipu then comes up with lots of conditions such as: he should not be killed by an animal, a bird, a human, or anything living or non-living, either during the day or the night. Brahma grants him that boon.
Hiranyakashipu thinks his boon covers all the ways in which he might be killed. So he declares himself to be God. He asks all the people in his kingdom to worship him as God. So people worship his idol. All the chants include his name. However Hiranyakashipu's son, Prahlad, turns out to be a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. He is a little boy, yet his devotion to Vishnu is strong.
Obviously his father is not happy about this. He tries to persuade Prahlad; however it is of no use. The more Hiranyakashipu talks to his son, the more intense Prahlad's devotion becomes. Hiranyakashipu then tries to get Prahlad killed through various ways. Prahlad worships Vishnu with such great devotion that Vishnu saves Prahlad every time. Prahlad prays to Vishnu every second, with every breath. His devotion is deep. Even when he is about to be executed, he prays to Vishnu with gratitude and love. His devotion is that of surrender rather than a prayer asking Vishnu to save his life. This is the story of Narasimha avatār, the incarnation of Vishnu in which He is half-lion and half-human.
Krishna continues to explain to Arjuna the ways in which people worship Him. Here he talks about the path of jñāna, knowledge: Those following the path of knowledge try to worship Me by acquiring and propagating knowledge.
A small story:
A philosopher who had only a single pair of shoes went to a cobbler and asked him to repair his shoes. The cobbler told him, 'I am sorry, but I closed my shop just now. Please come again tomorrow.' The philosopher said, 'But I only have this pair of shoes and I cannot walk without shoes.'
The cobbler answered, 'Okay, I will lend you a pair of shoes then.' The philosopher was shocked. He shouted, 'What? You want me to wear other people's shoes? Who do you think I am?' The cobbler replied, 'Why do you refuse to wear other people's shoes when you can carry people's ideas and thoughts in your head?'
Understand that mere accumulation of knowledge only increases ego. Please be very clear: mere accumulation of spiritual knowledge does not give enlightenment. Internalize the knowledge and relate it to experiential wisdom. Then the breeze of joy will flow into your life.
Meditation and Devotion
How can we internalize knowledge? How can we embed that knowledge inside? Do meditation. When you are alone, think and contemplate upon great truths. Deeply immersing ourselves in contemplation is a meditation. Question those truths and try to find answers within yourself. Swami Vivekananda beautifully says, 'Even if we sit day in and day out, and memorize all the books in all the libraries, nothing happens, except that our head becomes a little big, that is all!
Just know one single dimension of the truth and imbibe that completely, that is more than enough. It can do wonders. Take any one teaching and internalize it fully.'
Meditation helps us internalize our experience and process it into wisdom. It is an alchemy that happens internally, an alchemy that transforms our lives. Meditation helps us experience the truths.
Please understand, acquiring knowledge can be done in another way. Many people read many books and scriptures. They have shelves filled with books. They will show off their library of books to whoever visits their home. These people take great pride in showing off their knowledge.
Many people discuss spirituality. They have debates over this subject. Debates are not wrong; however the motive with which they discuss should be correct. If they discuss to show others how much they know, then they are debating purely out of ego. Please be very clear, if we show off our knowledge to show how much we know, there is no use of that knowledge.
The only way knowledge in the scriptures helps us is through experience. Instead of debating, instead of having discussions and showing off knowledge, apply it in day-to-day activities. See the results on yourself first. Experience it. Only when we experience it, we have the right to speak about it to others. Till then, they are mere words. They are nothing more than words.
Meditation helps us here, especially in the path of jñāna or knowledge. You see, the path of knowledge is not an easy path. In the path of devotion, all we have to do is pray to some form: either Krishna or Rama or someone, show complete devotion to that chosen God. We must completely surrender. Actually that is difficult. Really, total surrender is difficult; however, in the path of devotion, at least we have someone to talk to. We have someone to whom we can pray and look up to.
However in the path of knowledge, that is not there. There is no reference point. No one is in front of us. In this path, there is nothing called you and He. In the path of devotion, there is a clear separation between Krishna and us. In the path of knowledge, Krishna says that everything is Krishna. There is no duality. Everything is one.
When we meditate, we experience the great truths. Through meditation we connect to our inner space. All the knowledge in the scriptures, the Upaniṣad, talks about microcosm and macrocosm. They speak about how they are one and the same. If we talk about this knowledge without experience, all our knowledge is words. It is bookish knowledge, nothing else. We are like another library of books.
The difference happens when we experience that truth. During meditation, we merge with the cosmic energy. Meditation helps us enter that space where our inner space merges with the outer space: microcosm merges with macrocosm.
Actually, all paths are one and the same. Even if we meditate on the form, after a point we will see that there is nothing like a form. Everything is the same. So even in the path of devotion, we experience the same thing as in the path of knowledge. Be very clear, nothing is better than the other. Everything is the same.
The greatest enlightened master Shankara who spoke the greatest truths on nonduality wrote poems on devotion also. Swami Vivekananda was an intellectual being, yet he saluted the devotion of Ramakrishna's disciple, Gopale Ma, a devotee of Krishna.
This is what Krishna says in this verse. There are numerous paths. In the previous verse, He talked about the path of devotion. Here He talks about the path of knowledge. He says, 'Some worship the form, some worship the formless. There are many ways to worship Me.'
There are many different ways people worship the Divine; the options are many. So, we are repeatedly given many options. We have customized ways, customized paths for our personal growth. So naturally wherever one is, one can grow and reach the level we are supposed to reach. There are all sizes of ladders, all kinds of steps. We are continuously given choices, options. So, naturally one tends to take up something or the other.
He gives options among the different paths; worshipping through singing the glories of the Lord or cultivation of knowledge and offering everything at the feet of God.
Q: Swamiji, there are many stories like those of Prahlad and Meera. Can we believe them? Did they really happen?
You see, these stories should not be analyzed on the basis of whether they happened or not. It does not mean that if it did not occur in reality, we should not go deep into the message. Let us not get diverted by all that. Let us not analyze from the intellect. Let us appreciate the message of the story. Then it will not matter whether they happened or not.
Be very clear, all such things should be absorbed. The message should be absorbed. By analyzing when it happened, how it happened, whether it happened, we miss the truth. Whether they happened in 'fact' is a question historians must answer. You should be aware of the message, the truth.
Truth is different from fact. Whenever we say something, it is a fact. If someone asks the time, you say 10:30. When you say that, you do not say the truth. It is a fact. It is 10:30 here; however it is 12:30 somewhere else in the world. These are facts.
So when we listen to stories, look for the truth, not for factual details. In the story of Prahlad, let us absorb the truth of devotion. See the depth of devotion. We should internalize with what feeling Prahlad prayed to Vishnu. What were the underlying emotions behind his devotion? Complete surrender, complete trust and complete gratitude.
All great masters have expressed their experiences through stories and parables. Jesus and Buddha and many great masters have parables incorporated as part of their religion's scriptures. As experiences of these great masters, these stories are absolutely true. There is no doubt about it.
The Hindu Purāṇas, the great epics, are not merely historical facts. They are a combination of historical events and shifts in human consciousness. Their relevance is greater as shifts in consciousness; they serve as guideposts for us to learn and follow.
As I explained in the introduction, Mahabharata is not about the fight between two warring related clans. That is a mere historical occurrence. What is important is its metaphorical significance as the fight between one's good and bad saṁskāras. What is relevant is the understanding that comes about as a result of studying and understanding this epic in terms of what saṁskāras are and how they can be eliminated.
Similarly in the stories of Prahlad, Meera and countless others, there are great truths embedded metaphorically. Once we understand these truths and apply them to our lives, we can make a significant difference in the way we