Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

Opening Invocation

ॐ जननीं सारदां देवीं रामकृष्णं जगदगुरुम पादपद्मे तयो: श्रित्वा प्रणमामि मुहुर्मुहु :

Om Jananim Saradam devim Ramakrishnam jagadgurum Padapadme tayoh shritva pranamami muhurmuhuh.

Narada Bhakti Sutras: Summary and Commentary

The Nature of True Devotion

We are summarizing Narada Bhakti Sutras. Here, Narada describes persons who are totally dedicated to God, who think of nothing else except God. If they forget to think about God even for one moment—parama vyākulatā—they become terribly sorrowful, asking themselves, "Why did I forget God?" That is the definition of how to attain bhakti. We have to come to that state where tadarpita akhilācāraṇa—whatever we do, whether breathing, batting the eyelids, eating, sleeping, waking, or dreaming—everything should be only about God. That means there is not a single moment without thinking about God.

If for one second—kṣaṇa tad vismaraṇī—if the devotee happens to forget to remember God, parama vyākulatā—he becomes extremely unhappy and agitated, wondering, "Why did I forget God?" So that is the state we have to reach.

The Example of the Gopis

Alright, are there some real devotees? The description is wonderful, but is there somebody giving an example? Yes, yathā vraja gopikānām—the Gopis, the greatest devotees of God. Twenty-four hours they were only meditating upon Krishna.

During that Sharad season, ātmanaḥ mohanam—the flute sounded, and the Gopis—what were they doing? Some were milking the cow. The moment that flute sound entered their ears, they all wanted to go. But they were at home at night with their husbands, their brothers, their children, their relatives. Some of them ran away. Some of them could not run away because of obstructions.

But what happened as a result of it? One Gopi was milking the cow, and the milk stream stopped midway. Another lady was serving her husband. She took some rice with a spoon—he wanted rice—and she was about to serve him. Midway, she heard that flute sound and fell down unconscious. Another lady was suckling her baby. At that time, this flute came, and she could not continue suckling her baby.

Whatever the Gopis were doing, at that moment they stopped, because that is a call from God. Some of them wanted to go but could not. Some Gopis were meditating. By thinking of Krishna and being unable to meet Krishna, they experienced parama vyākulatā—through that suffering, their pāpa was destroyed. Some Gopis were mentally imagining Krishna. They got so much happiness that it destroyed all their puṇya. When both puṇya and pāpa are destroyed, that is called mokṣa. They attained mokṣa.

Krishna's Test and the Gopis' Pride

So some people went to meet Krishna. Then Krishna was mischievous. At night, these were all married people who had children. He asked them, "Why did you come? This is a dangerous place. There will be tigers, there will be wolves." It was known that rākṣasas were there. Otherwise, how could he have killed so many rākṣasas? Śakaṭāsura, Dhenukāsura, Gardabhāsura, Pūtanā—so many asuras were there, all nearby. So it was a dangerous place.

The Gopis felt very pained. They said, "Krishna, how can we resist your call? This is your way of calling. We are helpless." Now, what happened? Then he gave them dharma upadeśa. "No, no, no, you have husbands. I am a para-puruṣa (stranger). How could you come to meet me?"

The Gopis thought, "You yourself told us to come, and now you are giving us dharma upadeśa!" Like that, he teased them for some time. Then he started dancing.

Suddenly, terrible pride entered into their hearts—that "We, by our tapasyā, obtained Krishna." The moment that ahaṅkāra came, Krishna disappeared. Ahaṅkāra is like that. Krishna was there, but they could not see him. Then their joy turned into parama vyākulatā.

They were trembling. "Where is Krishna? We understand now—it is all your grace. But please appear before us." Then each one became Krishna. Each Gopi became Krishna. One Gopi was saying, "I am Krishna. You are Gopi. Come, let us dance." Another Gopi took out one small stick and said, "This is my veṇu (flute). I am going to play."

The Search for Krishna

One lady saw two pairs of footsteps—four footprints. Two belonged to Krishna; they could identify Krishna's footprints because wherever his footprint fell, there would be the marks of dhvaja (flag), śaṅkha (conch), and cakra (disc), as though his shoes left such marks. The other footprints were small and plain—they belonged to a Gopi.

Later, only one pair of footprints remained. Krishna had become enamored of one Gopi and went after her. The other Gopis went in search of him. They saw one Gopi lying there, a bit injured. They asked, "What happened?"

She said, "Krishna came, and we were walking. Suddenly, he lifted me in his hands and was carrying me. I became so proud, thinking, 'What great good fortune! Krishna is mine. He loves me more.' The moment that pride came, he simply dumped me."

Then they went further. They could see a bush, as though somebody had brushed against it—some leaves had fallen, some flowers had fallen. "Oh, Krishna must have done this, because by seeing this bush, he rubbed against it. That is why, as he was rushing, the bush shed some of these."

Then they went a little further. There was green grass standing straight. They said, "Oh, Krishna must have walked upon you! That is why you are having harṣa (joy)."

They could not find him anywhere. They were regretting. Then they expressed their anguish in the form of Gopikā Gītā, like Śiva's songs.

The Story of Uddhava

So that is the nature of the Gopis, the greatest devotees. I told you the story of how Krishna wanted to teach Uddhava the greatness of the Gopis. He sent Uddhava with a message to Vrindavan. As soon as Uddhava reached Vrindavan, all the Gopis came. "How is our Krishna?" They never asked about Uddhava. They only wanted to know about Krishna.

Uddhava said, "Oh, Krishna is very ill. He is unable to get up."

"Has nobody found a remedy?"

"There is a remedy, but nobody wants to give it."

"What is the remedy?"

"A devotee must give the dust of his feet. But if a devotee gives the dust of his or her feet to God himself, that person will go to the greatest hell. So no devotee was prepared to give it."

The moment the Gopis heard this, they said, "Is it possible such devotees can exist in this world who are not prepared to go to hell for the happiness of Krishna?" Then they said, "Uddhava, why are you waiting? Take the dust of my feet!" They started quarreling: "Take first my feet!"

Then Uddhava understood: they don't care for their own happiness; they care for the happiness of Krishna. Tat-sukhe sukhitvam—Narada was saying this: finding happiness in His happiness.

Three Types of Love

It is said that love is of three types. The first type is: I love something for my own happiness. This is the mediocre type, the worst type of love. The second type, higher than that, is: I love you for both my happiness as well as your happiness—I give you happiness, you give me happiness. The highest type of love is: I want only to give you happiness. What happens to me, I don't care. This is called parama bhakti. The Gopis belong to that category.

Recognition of God

Narada is also telling that if the Gopis had loved Krishna without knowing who he is, it would be like jāḍya vihīna jāḍanām iva—like a prostitute's love. A prostitute doesn't love; she says, "Give me money, take some pleasure, and get out."

There was an incident in the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. There was a devotee called Ravindra. I don't know whether you read the appendix. One day at Dakshineswar, this man came in half-torn cloth. The brother monks asked, "What happened?" That fellow was going on and on. Sri Ramakrishna said, "Sit down. What happened?"

He was going to visit a prostitute. He was under the delusion that that lady loved him. But nobody loves anyone in that context—devotees don't love God; only God loves devotees. Devotees love God like insurance companies love their customers. You love an insurance company—why? For insurance.

This fellow one day suddenly visited, and she was entertaining another customer. Anyway, he went inside. He was very angry because he thought that lady loved only him and would entertain only him. He said, "I will never come again." She replied, "No, no, no, I love you also."

We also say, "We love you"—especially on December 24th, Christmas Eve. That is the greatest loving time. Understand? December 24th is when everyone expresses love.

Only God Can Recognize God

The Gopis are not ignorant—they know who Krishna is. He is God. But who can recognize God? Can man recognize God? Only God can recognize God. As they say, you know, set one thief to catch another thief.

When I was in the UK, my predecessor told me an incident. One day, an American devotee came to meet him, and somehow the topic turned to drugs. This fellow was a former drug addict who had become reformed. The Swami was asking, "How do these fellows find drugs?"

He said, "Swami, you don't know. The moment a drug addict gets around to the front of an airport, he can identify at least 25 people selling drugs. You look—what do you see? Simply one fellow near an opening with a black box. Another fellow is pretending to be talking to somebody. You think they are all travelers, either going, departing, or arriving. But these drug dealers—the moment they look, they recognize each other. One thief recognizes another thief. One saint recognizes another saint."

So only one God can recognize another God. This is the truth. Two Zen masters, two of the world's greatest Zen masters, met at a conference. The moment one master looked at the other master, involuntarily the words came out: "This is the one person—an absolutely thoughtless person—I have met."

Is it a compliment or complaint? It is a compliment! That means he had removed all thoughts from his mind. Zen Buddhism says remove all thoughts. What does Patanjali say? Remove all thoughts. Then what remains is a clean mirror, and whatever is in front of it is reflected. What is reflected? You. And you are none other than God.

When all the citta-vṛttis disappear, at that time, what remains in the mind? Only this one Puruṣa, nothing else.

Love and Transformation

There is no such blemish in the Gopis that they have forgotten the glory of God. Because if we love anything else, that will make us fall down. When you love a limited thing, it will make you even more limited. Already you are limited; you become even more limited. But if you love the Unlimited, you also become unlimited. That's why if you love anything other than God, you will become that object.

One couple had a newborn baby. The man was very proud. "Do you know, all my brains our son has got! All my brains our son has got!" Immediately the wife retorted, "Now I understand why you are behaving like a stupid fellow ever since he was born—all his brains have gone!"

So whatever we love—love means what? Complete surrender to the object.

Selected verses are there in "Jyoti." Purushottamji sings so beautifully. All eight or so verses are there, and every time the word "Krishna" is repeated. Have you heard it? You should hear it. Very good.

In the Gopis, there is not a single thought that "I should be happy." The only thought is: "Let my Krishna be happy, whatever be my condition."

The Greatness of Bhakti

Then what is the greatness of bhakti? In the second chapter of Narada Bhakti Sutras, which is divided into five categories—though in the second category Narada did not divide it, we are dividing it—he says: This bhakti is greater than karma yoga, rāja yoga, and jñāna. Why?

What is its form? You start with bhakti, you progress into greater bhakti, and ultimately you attain para-bhakti. From the beginning to the end, it is nothing but bhakti. Bhakti means love. Love means joy. So it starts in happiness and joy, it grows into joy, and you become one with joy. The first two stages are: the object is joy, and thinking of God, therefore I am joyful. The last stage is: I am God, therefore I am Saccidānanda. That will be the result.

The Path to Attaining Bhakti

Then how to attain it? First, you have to give up gross objects, because we are all slaves to gross objects. It does not mean you should not enjoy them. It means: when it is available, enjoy it; when you don't get it, don't even think about it. But what happens? "This is a very nice mango. I would like to have it again and again and again." That is a great gain for Mahāmāyā. Mahāmāyā says, "This fellow will never escape from my net." But for God, it is a loss.

When something is not available, God comes. Why does He come? Because He wants us to develop detachment. You know, you go to the gymnasium and do exercises. What happens? Your muscles, throat creak. You feel terribly tired. How many days? Two days, three days. After that, itching—then you think, "I am going to get more exercise, more exercise!"

The whole world is a gymnasium. Who said this? Swamiji said it. First, it is a school. Second, it is a gymnasium to develop moral and spiritual muscles—to strengthen them. Third, he said it is a circus, because once you realize God, then you see the circus. A man is running after a woman. What is the woman doing? Running away, looking away, now and then looking back. If that fellow accidentally drops something and she curses him, immediately he will come: "Madam, is this yours?" "Oh, thank you very much! You have given life to me! Without this, what shall I do?"

Did you see anybody dropping a mobile phone? Something like that happens.

Renunciation and Purification

So, viṣaya-tyāgam—first, gross objects have to be kept away from us. You may be away from them. Viṣayā vinivartante nirāhārasya dehinaḥ—suppose you have not eaten palak paneer for 50 years. You almost don't remember it. But the moment you get the smell of palak paneer after 50 years, what happens to your desire? That means the saṁskāra is lingering. Only after param dṛṣṭvā nivartante—only after realization of God does it totally disappear.

So therefore, first give up the grossest, weakest things. Later on, give up the subtle things, which are difficult even to detect. The whole model of mental disease is based upon this principle. You know that. Somebody is mentally sick. Why is the person sick? "Do you hate somebody?" They don't dare to admit it. "My aunt is the reason. My elder sister is the reason." They can't say it because they think, "What will the whole world think if I say I hate my elder sister?"

But that is the root cause—because she is sick and I have to take responsibility. I don't want to take responsibility. I want to be free. I am not free because of this lady. Externally, it's "My dear, my dear." Internally: "God, take her away as soon as possible!"

Naturally, there is a conflict between two complexes, and you push those complexes to the unconscious. But they are producing poisonous bubbles that are coming out. So what does the psychologist do? He makes the person relax. He charges them 100 pounds per hour—nice, very nice. "Come on, relax. Go on confessing."

The person says, "What is the problem? No problem. I am very happy. My elder sister is there to look after everything." But the psychologist is very alert. Whenever that elder sister is mentioned, the blood pressure goes up. So he understands: something to do with the elder sister or aunt or something like that. They can't avoid her, and at the same time, they want to be free.

After some time, the psychologist asks, "Do you have any tree?" "Yes." "Does your elder sister water the tree?" He introduces the topic. Immediately, blood pressure goes up. Then afterwards, he finds out what is the real problem with the elder sister.

Two complexes are driven into the unconscious but nevertheless produce effects. The effect makes us unable to resolve this conflict. Then our mind becomes blank. This is called mental sickness. Most of the time, it's either money or relationships or frustration—this is the problem.

Continuous Practice

Saṅgat-tyāga—what is there? Give it up. You do your duty as long as necessary. This is the same mental problem we also have most of the time. What is it? You are supposed to sit between this time and that time for meditation. Suddenly you remember there is a cricket match about to start. Now what to do?

There was a Narada Bhakti Sutra class I was giving. Some people didn't come. What was the reason? Elton John, the famous singer, was giving a concert. Once I was giving a retreat in Houston. Very few people came—some five or six old people. Usually at least 40-50 used to come. What is the matter? I had to find out the subject matter. Then somebody told me Elton John was giving a concert for two nights. They all went there.

The next day they all came back. I asked, "What is the matter?" "Swamiji, there are two problems with your talks. First problem is, whatever you talk goes over our heads. Second, you talk the same thing again. Third, we can listen to your talk because somebody recorded it. But Elton John—it's rare that he gives a concert."

Once he wore his gloves—you know he had 10,000 dresses? He was very fond of them. Every day practically he would buy one or more. He was earning millions. Some dresses cost 10,000 pounds. He would give them away for 100 or 200 at auction, and thousands of people would bid for two reasons: one, they would get the best dress for cheap; second, "This has been worn once by Elton John!"

Like in our country, you know, GSS (Government Surplus Store)—once Princess Diana sneezed into some handkerchief. Now how much does that cost? There are crazy, craziest fellows. A cricket bat used by some famous cricketer sold for how many lakhs? A bat! Those who have money don't know what to do. This is the way they spend.

But what is the point here? Saṁskāra remains. So we feel great: "No, this is not an ordinary bat. This was used by such-and-such a person."

Uninterrupted Practice

So we have to be extremely careful about attachment. And then, avyavṛtta-bhajanam—we have to go on praying, doing japa, meditation, study, satsaṅga, one after the other. Why so many? Because every activity can become monotonous.

So you do japa for one hour, you read a book for another hour, then you listen to some lecture for another hour, then you do pūjā for one more hour, then you go to the āśrama and do some service for one more hour. Like that, in whichever way—the central point is to remember God. That is called avyavṛtta. Vyavṛtta means intermittent. Avyavṛtta means uninterrupted, unbroken, like oil being poured from one vessel to another.

The Grace of Saints and God

But Narada says: whatever you may do, true bhakti can come only by one means. What is that? Mukhyatas tu mahatkṛpayaiva bhagavat-kṛpā-leśād vā—either by the grace of a great saint, or by the grace of God.

Who is a great saint? None other than God, because he doesn't have individuality. He has merged his individuality long ago. That's why Sri Ramakrishna, when he was in Dakshineswar and suffering so much—one day the disciples, especially Narendranath, suggested, "Sir, why don't you pray to the Divine Mother for becoming better?"

You know what he said? "Do I have any separate will? Long ago, I offered my will, merged my will into Her will. Where is my will now to pray? I don't have one."

Then he had a vision. Mother Kali appeared one day with a bent neck. He asked, "Mother, why is your neck bent?" "On account of your disciples' will." Then they went on saying, "Oh, Mother, for our sake..." So "for our sake" means Sri Ramakrishna's weak point was his disciples. "Not for your sake, but for our sake."

Then Sri Ramakrishna with great difficulty said, "Mother, let a little food go through." You know how they hang skeletons in the museum with a wire hook to keep them together? Like that.

Immediately he had a vision. What? "Are you not eating through everybody's mouth? You want to eat only through this mouth?" Immediately he said to the disciples, "Why did you suggest I pray? Mother taught me a big lesson. I am eating through all mouths."

That means he understood two things: it was not Divine Mother's will that he should recover, and he was not going to recover.

Direct Grace

Either by the grace of a great saint or by the grace of God—some people get God's grace directly. Narada himself was an example. His mother died, and he went into the forest. The moment he sat for meditation, immediately the vision of Narayana appeared—just one flash—and disappeared. He was in an ecstatic state when that flash was there, and in the opposite state when God disappeared.

Then he prayed, "O Lord, why did you disappear?" God said, "This is just to prove to you that God exists—I exist—because it is your own experience. Secondly, you are not ready. If I go on showing myself to you, what will happen? You won't be able to keep this body and mind. You are not ready."

Like when electricity enters a small fuse—what happens? It blows up. That's what happened to Vaikuntha Nath Sanyal, to whom Sri Ramakrishna tried to give realization. Narendra himself could not hold that level of grace. Sri Ramakrishna said, "Today I will give you everything." Narendra shouted, "What are you doing to me? My parents are in Calcutta!"

Nobody can receive such grace, or even if they receive it, they can't retain it for a long time unless they are ready for it. Arjuna himself—what did he say? "I want to see You." And God showed him the Viśvarūpa. Then what was his prayer? "I don't want this much. I want to see You in Your familiar form—tenaiva rūpeṇa caturbhujena" (in that same four-armed form). Was Arjuna seeing Sri Krishna with four hands? That's what Arjuna says: tenaiva rūpeṇa caturbhujena—"I want to see You in that form." "This Viśvarūpa is terrible, ferocious."

So, Bhagavat-kṛpā-leśād vā—by God's grace.

The Rarity of Saints

Then Narada says: but how to obtain the grace of a saint? Mahat-saṅgas tu durlabho 'gamyo 'moghaś ca—first of all, saints are very few. Jīvanmukta puruṣas—how many are there? You get them very rarely.

Nowadays, you get "avatars" everywhere. Every disciple claims, "My guru is an avatar." So one such disciple came to Swami Vivekananda. "Swamiji, you should know about my guru—he is an avatar!"

Swamiji said, "Definitely your guru is an avatar. But which avatar are we talking about? Matsya-avatāra, Kūrma-avatāra, Varāha-avatāra...?"

Stupid fellows think "avatar" is a very special thing. They are waiting there with their begging bowls. You know about e-begging bowls? Beggars now don't want cash—they want your credit card number, like you go to an ATM.

One beggar has written: "Less than 5 pounds not accepted." Two beggars were sitting on a street corner. One fellow was getting hundreds of pounds; another fellow was getting nothing. The second fellow said, "What is this? We are sitting nearby, and you are getting hundreds of pounds while I'm not getting anything. Everybody looks at you, puts money in front of you, and runs away."

Then the first beggar showed his sign. He had put a flag there: "I want to return to Pakistan. Please help me, my dear friends." People were very eager to send all Pakistanis to Pakistan! So money kept coming: bling, bling, bling.

One fellow came and put a thousand-rupee note. Immediately that beggar got up and said, "How did this blind fellow know about this scheme?" Because he was pretending to be blind!

One beggar, two or three days back, I read about in the news—a jeweler scam involving one lakh of rupees. You read about it? Yesterday's news. I told you last time: one beggar woman donated 11,000 rupees for some cause. Several lakhs!

Mahat-saṅga—to find a Mahātmā whose grace can give instantaneous bhakti is not easily available. That's why I said it is extremely difficult, durlabha—only very rare.

Recognition of Saints

Suppose, even if by some hook or crook we happen to go near such a saint—can you recognize him? You cannot recognize him. That is what Narada is saying. If you don't recognize him, you won't take refuge at his feet.

That's why—how many people thought Sri Ramakrishna was a madcap? And how many people thought he was just a servant? All the fellows who were doing pūjā at Dakshineswar, in front of them Sri Ramakrishna practiced 12 years of spiritual discipline. What was their understanding of Ramakrishna? Not only did they not recognize him as a realized soul, they were thinking he was a madcap.

So they wrote letters: "If this man continues to do worship of the Divine Mother like this, Mother will become very angry. Sarvanaśa for him"—everything will be destroyed for him. Everything will go to the dogs. Either everything goes to God or everything goes to the dogs.

They wrote this to the temple authorities. Then Mathur Babu came, and he wanted to test whether Ramakrishna had really gone mad. He stood outside the temple. Sri Ramakrishna never took notice that a man had come to observe the way he did pūjā. He went on singing, dancing, tears were being shed, laughing, going round and round the altar.

Then, by the grace of the Mother, Mathur Babu received understanding. He thought, "How blessed we are to get this kind of pūjā! Very soon the Divine Mother will awaken"—though She was already awake.

How did he get that understanding? God's grace. Otherwise, these other fellows were also seeing the same scenario. Mathur Babu was seeing the same thing. Even Hriday did not understand at first. He said many times, "I saw Sri Ramakrishna, my uncle, feeding either a cat or something." Out of fear—because if he reported it to others, they would immediately drive away Sri Ramakrishna—how could it be prevented?

Sometimes people came and noticed. It was not a one-time affair, not an OTP (one-time password)—this was happening every minute! Somebody or other took notice, and they immediately understood. Other pūjāris and servants were coming—there were so many bhogas (offerings) to be made at different times. They were pushing, they were complaining.

They got together and certified him as mad. But Mathur Babu came, saw everything, went back, and wrote: "Let Bhattacharya continue his worship in whatever way he wants. Don't do anything." That was a warning: "If you do anything, your head will go!" They had to keep quiet.

Then what was their opinion about Mathur Babu? Suppose there is a mad person and someone devotedly assists him—what would be the opinion about the assistant? They thought Mathur Babu was also crazy! But their jobs were in his hands, so they could not do anything.

The Difficulty of Recognition

So it is very rare to get the saṅga (company) of a Mahāpuruṣa. Even by mistake, if we happen to come near them, it is very difficult to understand who they are. Without understanding, it may be okay if you simply don't understand. But if you misunderstand—thinking "He is a madcap"—then whatever little devotion you have to God becomes a problem.

That happened to two people during Sri Ramakrishna's lifetime. One day, two people came to Dakshineswar. Sri Ramakrishna was inside. They had to knock on the door. They could have had his darśana (vision). But one fellow said, "We hear people saying that he is a madcap. If they see us—people who have come to see a madcap—what will they label us? Let us go." They ran away.

After a few years—one or two years—Sri Ramakrishna passed away. But these people were devotees. They were highly fortunate in other ways. Some of them directly met people like Swamiji and others.

One fellow was telling another one day, "Because of you..." "Not because of me!" "Then what happened to your buddhi (intelligence)? You could have said, 'What is this? Let people talk. We will ourselves see whether he is mad or bad or sad or glad.' He was right there. All we needed to do was see for ourselves. Okay, if this person is really mad, we do not want to meet him. At least we could have said that we have seen him ourselves. Later on only we understood. But bhāgya (fortune) was not there. We did not deserve it."

But they were still great—they got the company of Swamiji, the company of Swami Shivananda, Mahapurush Maharaj, Brahmananda Maharaj, all the direct disciples, all the great householders. Everybody was there at that time. How fortunate they were!

The Infallible Grace

Amoghaś ca—but once the grace of a Mahāpuruṣa comes, it is infallible. Amogha means infallible. If they say you will have God-realization, even if the person does not deserve it, he will get it. If they say you will have anything, you will have it—even if God says you can't have it!

I told you a story about Narada. There was a devotee of Vishnu, a householder. He prayed to God because they did not have children. God came and said, "My child, you can't have children in this life. You are not fated to have children in this life."

Another devotee witnessed this conversation. After 15-20 years, that witnessing devotee happened to again visit that householder devotee. This time the whole house was full of children running around—kids everywhere!

So he ran to Lord Vishnu and said, "Lord, I heard with Your own mouth that this person is not fated to have children. What happened?"

God said, "What can I do? Once Narada visited that house, and the householder fell at his feet. Narada blessed him: 'Putra-pautra (sons and grandsons)—may you have children and grandchildren.' Now, My word may be wrong, but My devotee's words should not be made in vain. Otherwise, it will bring a bad name to Me."

That is what happened in the Mahābhārata. Krishna took a vow: "I will not take up a weapon." When Bhishma came to know about it, he took a vow: "I will make you take up a weapon." You know the story?

Krishna said, "I will only serve in an advisory capacity."

Real Sādhana vs. Advisory Capacity

So a person has to do real sādhana, not work in an advisory capacity. When these great souls' grace falls upon someone, immediately it takes the form of real, real action. That is why Sri Ramakrishna—as soon as he touched somebody—their whole character became transformed.

We only need to obtain one word of blessing from a great soul. In Narada's case, they say one day he saw an insect, a worm. Pity welled up in him. "My God, how many births does this worm have to take to become enlightened, to get mukti?" So out of pity, he said, "May you attain mukti."

You know what happened? Immediately the worm died. Immediately it was born at a higher level. Immediately it died again and was born at a still higher form. Within a short time, it got a human birth and died. It got another better human birth. Ultimately, it got mantra-upadeśa from a guru and then immediately got liberation.

This is durlabha, āgamya, amogha—rare, difficult to approach, and infallible. And that is what Sri Ramakrishna calls satsaṅga. What is satsaṅga? The grace of a Mahāpuruṣa. That is real satsaṅga.

How to Obtain Satsaṅga

Labhyate api tat-kṛpayaiva—the association with great people can be obtained only by God's grace. Why? Tasmin taj-jane bhedābhāvāt—there is no difference between God and His devotees. Not all devotees—only the great ones.

That is why whatever came from Swami Vivekananda's mouth was nothing but Sri Ramakrishna. Nothing but Sri Ramakrishna. That is why it is said in the Nāma-mahātmya form: tadeva sādhyatām, tadeva sādhyatām—therefore, you will have to cultivate the company of great souls.

Actually, satsaṅga means it could be anything literally. It could be somebody reciting the Rāmāyaṇa, somebody singing bhajans, somebody giving a talk—all this is satsaṅga. But real satsaṅga is to get the company of a great soul. That is why the guru is praised as the greatest satsaṅga. The guru is our greatest satsaṅga.

But nowadays in the Ramakrishna Order, you don't get that kind of guru relationship even if you are a monk. Once, Yatishwarananda Maharaj needed an attendant. I was in Delhi. I wrote immediately: "I am prepared to come and serve you, Maharaj."

Immediately he wrote back: "Thank you very much. But you are doing better work there. That is also serving me only. You serve the devotees there." That way he said—later I understood—"If he comes, I will have to serve him!" Anyway, he saved himself from great trouble!

Finding a Śikṣā Guru

So it is not only serving the guru directly. Serving in any form to please God is the next best thing. But one thing I tell you: you must have a śikṣā-guru locally. Find some senior devotee, someone with whom you have rapport, someone in whose company you feel elevated. Associate with him. Then if you have any doubts or problems, discuss them with faith, and he will be like the guru in the place of the guru.

Then you may say, "But he may be just a human being." No! If you think, "My śikṣā-guru or dīkṣā-guru is God," then whatever he tells comes only from God. This is what one senior Swami told me: the guru may be bad, but if the disciple is extremely sincere—is that guru going to give trouble, degrade him, bring him down? No! Because the disciple has 100% faith: "This is my God." Therefore, God only acts through that guru, even if he appears to be bad.

In fact, there is no bad guru or good guru. If there is a bad disciple, he will find the guru to be bad. If he is a good disciple, there is no question—because it is an affair between God and the sādhaka. They have nothing to do with the guru. The guru is only a medium, like a wire. That is the truth.

Removing Bad Company

So that is the teaching. But for obtaining satsaṅga, there is a condition. If you want to put some nice things in your room which is already filled with things—bad things—how long has it taken to accumulate them? Why do I call them "bad things"? Because I used the word "you want to put good things." That means whatever is there, you certainly don't want them—you want to replace them. If you considered them good things, you wouldn't want to replace them, isn't it? What is the first thing you have to do? Remove them!

Remove the whole thing? A newly married girl wanted to learn cooking. On TV they were teaching. The chef was teaching: "You get these materials and you boil this one." So, 45 minutes for one dish. The girl tried.

It was time for the husband to come. She was eagerly waiting. But the last instruction from the chef was: "Whatever you cooked, throw it out into the dustbin. Go to a hotel and get food." Because first-time cooking is absolutely inedible! It is only through repetition—repeat, repeat, repeat—that you learn. How many times did you spoil the sandwich before you made excellent sandwiches?

The Danger of Bad Company

Some people have written: Duḥsaṅgaḥ sarvathā eva tyājyaḥ—bad company must be given up completely. Then Narada says the normal thing: kāma-krodha-moha-smṛti-bhraṁśa-buddhi-nāśa-kāraṇatvāt—bad company produces kāma (desire). Kāma results in krodha (anger). Krodha results in moha (delusion). Moha results in smṛti-bhraṁśa (loss of memory/discrimination).

What is smṛti-bhraṁśa? Wrong discrimination. What we think is good, from a higher point of view, actually makes us fall. Smṛti-bhraṁśa, then buddhi-nāśa (destruction of intellect). Buddhi-nāśa, then you are finished. You will go to the dogs.

That is why duḥsaṅga—evil company—makes a person go down and down and down and down. The greatest example is Ajamila.

The Power of Thought and Association

And then, not only that—Narada is stating the highest psychological truths. What is the truth? Taraṅgāyita api asmin samudrāyante—if you cultivate evil company... Now here, what is evil company? That which takes us away from our goal.

We have to be very clear. Suppose somebody wants to become a good doctor. So whatever makes him a bad doctor is evil company. Whatever helps him to become a good doctor is good company. If you want to be a good actor, whatever helps you become a good actor is good company.

So whatever you want to specialize in, you must cultivate the appropriate company. That's why, you know, if a boy or student wants to play basketball, whose photos will be hanging in his room? Basketball players! Suppose a girl wants to be an actress—whose photos will be hanging? She thinks of the greatest heroines.

Not "heroin"—"heroine"! Many times these have the same spelling, understand? How many girls got spoiled physically, morally, financially, and in every way by confusing the two!

Waves Becoming Oceans

So Narada says: these thoughts start small. You know, you blow on a body of water—what happens? A small wavelet comes. You blow again—another wavelet comes. You blow another time—these are small waves, but they become cumulative. Cumulatively, one day it becomes a tsunami!

That is how it becomes. Saṅgāt samudrāyanti—from association, it becomes like an ocean. Because if there is any lustful thought in a person's mind, a man's mind—suppose he happens to see a magazine where there is a half-naked beautiful woman. That is saṅga, association. What does it do to that thought? It is a small bit of thought. What happens to that thought now? Slowly it becomes stronger and stronger and stronger.

The same thing happens: these images act as suggestions, and our imagination flares up. The trouble is not with the fact—the trouble is with the imagination! That is why, before marriage, all proposals are made by candlelight. Candlelight—how much can you see?

That is why some fellow advises: "Until you see your future wife early in the morning after a deep cold, don't decide!" You understand? After a deep cold, with water flowing, continuously sneezing—early in the morning, that half-restful, half-unrestful face—if you still say "I love her," then that is true love!

Otherwise, you know, candlelight, nicely dressed, nothing distorted, and then you take a little bit of wine—after that, imagination takes over. That is the problem. After marriage, imagination disappears. Then fact comes up, and fact is stranger than fiction! So fiction is better than fact—until it becomes a fact!

That is why when people don't get married, they love each other until death. After marriage, they "allow" each other until death. You heard that word? "Allow"—not "love"! Love before marriage, allow after marriage!

Who Can Cross Saṁsāra?

Then Narada gives a summary: kas tarati, kas tarati māyām—who is going to cross over this ocean of saṁsāra?

Yaḥ saṅgaṁ tyajati—he who gives up completely all wrong attachments.

Yaḥ mahānubhāvam sevate—he who serves a great soul.

Yaḥ nirapekṣaḥ—a person who becomes totally detached, who says, "I don't have anything. Neither do I have myself, nor do I have anything else." Ahaṅkāra and mamakāra—ego and possessiveness—completely... Mamakāra has to go. Mamakāra is called mamatā.

Mamatā to na gayi, mere mamatā—"My possessiveness has not gone." You heard that song? Go on, hear it! Beautiful! Purushottama sings it so beautifully. Mamatā to na gayi, mere mamatā.

There were two Sharma brothers who first sang this song—the Sharma Brothers. Purushottama was teaching this song. He taught it to me. Whatever he taught me, I started laughing and laughing.

He asked, "Why are you laughing? I am teaching you a song!"

I said, "Because I don't have rāga (attachment) first! I must get rāga first, then only anurāga (loving detachment) will come! So first I must develop tremendous passion, then only dispassion will come. Without passion, where is dispassion?"

So that passion, when it is directed towards God, is called bhakti—anurāga. Anurāga—anu means "that which comes afterwards."

Summary of the Teaching

So Narada summarized everything: You give up evil company, you cultivate the company of good people, and you serve mahānubhāvas (great souls). That is the only way. Nothing else will work.

That is why the Bhagavad Gītā also says: Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā—"Know that by prostration (praṇipāta), by putting the right questions (paripraśna), and by service (sevā) which is pleasing to the Lord."

Only a thoughtful person can put the right questions. All these three—prostration, inquiry, and service—make a person fit to receive what the mahānubhāva is really going to tell. That alone will take us to God.

This is the most wonderful thing we have discussed. We will continue discussing on Saturday.

Closing Prayer