Table of Contents
There are the paths of:
- jnāna
- karma
- bhakti
If you are sincere, you will attain God in the end, whichever path you follow. Roughly speaking, there are three kinds of yoga: jnanayoga, karma yoga, and bhaktiyoga.
What is jnanayoga?
The Jnāni seeks to realize Brahman.
He discriminates, saying, ‘Not this, not this’. He discriminates, saying, ‘Brahman is real and the universe illusory.’ He discriminates between the Real and the unreal. As he comes to the end of discrimination, he goes into samādhi and attains the Knowledge of Brahman.
What is karmayoga?
Its aim is to fix one’s mind on God by means of work. That is what you are teaching. It consists of breath-control, concentration, meditation, and so on, done in a spirit of detachment.
If a householder performs his duties in the world in a spirit of detachment, surrendering the results to God and with devotion to God in his heart, he too may be said to practise karmayoga.
If a person performs worship, japa, and other forms of devotion, surrendering the results to God, he may be said to practise karmayoga.
Attainment of God alone is the aim of karmayoga.
What is bhaktiyoga? It is to keep the mind on God by chanting His name and glories. For the Kaliyuga the path of devotion is easiest. This is indeed the path for this age.
Difficulties of the paths of jnāna and karma
The path of karma is very difficult.
Where will one find the time for it nowadays?
Where is the time for a man to perform his duties as enjoined in the scriptures?
Man’s life is short in this age.
It is extremely difficult to perform one’s duties in a spirit of detachment, without craving the result.
One cannot work in such a spirit without first having realized God. Attachment to the result somehow enters the mind, though you may not be aware of it.
To follow jnanayoga in this age is also very difficult.
- A man’s life depends entirely on food.
- He has a short lifespan.
- He cannot get rid of body-consciousness.
The Knowledge of Brahman is impossible without the destruction of body-consciousness.
The Jnāni says: ‘I am Brahman; I am not the body. I am beyond hunger and thirst, disease and grief, birth and death, pleasure and pain.’
How can you be a Jnāni if you are conscious of disease, grief, pain, pleasure, and the like?
A thorn enters your flesh, blood flow from the wound, and you suffer very badly from the pain;
But nevertheless, if you are a Jnāni you must be able to say: ‘Why, there is no thorn in my flesh at all. Nothing is the matter with me’
Therefore bhaktiyoga is prescribed for this age.
By following this path one comes to God more easily than by following the others. One can undoubtedly, reach God by following the paths of jnāna and karma, but they are very difficult paths.
God fulfils all desires of His devotees
Bhaktiyoga is the religion for this age. But that does not mean that the lover of God will reach one goal and the philosopher and worker another. It means that if a person seeks the Knowledge of Brahman he can attain It by following the path of bhakti, too. God, who loves His devotee, can give him the Knowledge of Brahman if He so desires.
But the bhakta wants to realize the Personal God endowed with form and talk to Him.
He seldom seeks the Knowledge of Brahman.
But God, who does everything at His pleasure, can make His devotee the heir to His infinite glories if it pleases Him. He gives His devotee both the Love of God and the Knowledge of Brahman.
If one is able somehow to reach Calcutta, one can see the Maidan and the museum and other places too. The thing is how to reach Calcutta.
By realizing the Divine Mother of the Universe, you will get Knowledge as well as Devotion. You will get both. In bhava samādhi you will see the form of God, and in nirvikalpa samādhi you will realize Brahman, the Absolute Existence-Knowledge-Bliss. In nirvikalpa samādhi ego, name, and form do not exist.
A lover of God prays to the Divine Mother: ‘O Mother, I am very much afraid of selfish actions. Such actions have desires behind them, and if I perform them I shall have to reap their fruit. But it is very difficult to work in a detached spirit. I shall certainly forget Thee, O Mother, if I involve myself in selfish actions. Therefore I have no use for them. May my actions, O Divine Mother, be fewer every day till I attain Thee. May I perform, without attachment to the results, only what action is absolutely necessary for me. May I have great love for Thee as I go on with my few duties. May I not entangle myself in new work so long as I do not realize Thee. But I shall perform it if I receive Thy command. Otherwise not.’ "
Pilgrimage
Oh, I visited a few places. (With a smile) But Hazra went farther and also climbed higher. He visited Hrishikesh, but I didn’t go so far or so high.
You must pave noticed kites and vultures soaring very high in the sky; but their eyes are always fixed on the charnel-pits.
Do you know the meaning of ‘charnel-pits’? It is ‘woman and gold’.
What is the use of making pilgrimages if you can attain love of God remaining where you are? I have been to Benares and noticed the same trees there as here. The same green tamarind-leaves!
Pilgrimage becomes futile if it does not enable you to attain love of God. Love of God is the one essential and necessary thing.
Do you know the meaning of ‘kites and vultures’? There are many people who talk big and who say that they have performed most of the duties enjoined in the scriptures. But with all that their minds are engrossed in worldliness and deeply preoccupied with money, riches, name, fame, creature comforts, and such things."
(All laugh.) One feels yearning for God at the proper time.
Three kinds of teachers
There are 3 classes of physicians.
- Those who feel the patient’s pulse and go away, merely prescribing medicine.
As they leave the room they simply ask the patient to take the medicine. They are the poorest class of physicians.
Those who only give instruction, but do not stop to see whether their teachings have produced a good or bad effect.
They do not think at all about the disciple.
- Those who prescribe medicine and ask the patient to take it.
If the patient is unwilling to follow their directions, they reason with him. They are the mediocre physicians. Likewise, there are mediocre teachers.
They give instruction to the student and, further, try to persuade him in various ways to follow the instruction.
- The highest class exert force on patients who do not respond to their gentle persuasion.
If necessary, they press their knees on the patient’s chest and force the medicine down his throat.
Likewise, there are teachers of the highest class, who even exert force to direct the mind of the pupil toward God.
You are right. But what will the physician do if the medicine runs out of the patient’s mouth and doesn’t reach his stomach? In such a case even the best physician can’t do anything.
The teacher should judge the fitness of the student before giving him instruction. But you don’t discriminate in your instruction. When a young man comes to me for instruction, first of all I ask him about his relatives at home. Suppose he has lost his father; suppose his father has left some debts for him. How can such a person direct his mind to God? Are you listening to me?"
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