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The purpose of the human life is to know first thyself

A spiritual discourse on realizing the oneness of God and the nature of true devotion.

"All scriptures—the Vedas, Upanishads, Quran, Bible, Torah, Ramayana, Gita—proclaim one truth: there is only one God."

"Without satsaṅg, one cannot be colored by Hari. Without satsaṅg, there is no true vairāgya."

The lecturer addresses a gathering, exploring the paradox of knowing the formless divine and the path to self-realization. Using analogies like a stormy ocean and a fruit-bearing tree, he explains the relationship between nirguṇa and saguṇa, the necessity of satsang, and the interconnected qualities of vairāgya, bhakti, and jñāna. He concludes with a blessing and a reminder of daily practice.

All scriptures—the Vedas, Upanishads, Quran, Bible, Torah, Ramayana, Gita—proclaim one truth: there is only one God. Because God is truly one. That one God is Nirākāra, formless: Nirākāra Nirāñjanam. It is without form, spotless, and crystal clear. This is the cosmic consciousness. But how do we, as humans with complicated minds, intellects, and emotions, know this formless, spotless reality? When a human being attains realization, they remain in oneness. Without realization, one is merely following personal feelings, thoughts, and intellectual arguments (tarka-vitarka). Then the human intellect is in turbulence, like a boat in a stormy ocean. When calmness comes, the same ocean becomes serene. The consciousness of a realized person is like this ocean: waves may exist on the surface, but the depths are profoundly calm and beautiful. In a great storm, creatures of the ocean go deep to find peace. Similarly, in the turbulent times of the yugas, saints go deep into their consciousness for peace. Yet, we still face the question: how do we know what is God? Recently, a wise disciple of Gurujī in Jodhpur asked me, "Swāmījī, suppose you are meditating and God appears before you. How will you say, 'Yes, this is God'?" If Viṣṇu appears with Sudarśana Cakra, Gadā, and Śaṅkha, or if Rāma appears with Dhanuṣ, you may still not be satisfied. If Śiva appears, will you know? With what experience or knowledge can you say with certainty, "This is God"? It is like seeing a fruit for the first time; you have no prior test to confirm its identity. You can only say, "I will try." There are two kinds of seekers. One is only trying, and though you try, you do not know the reality. The reality may be with you, but you lack the evidence to confirm it. This distinguishes us from great scholars or spiritual souls who live normal lives without renouncing the world. A tree is recognized by its fruits. If you do not know the tree, but mangoes appear on it, you call it a mango tree. Similarly, a spiritually developed person's thoughts, actions, and being become one, unchanging. If you are constantly changing, it means you have not realized yourself. When you do not know who you are, you do not know what you are. Your thinking changes; you say, "I changed my mind." But the mind is not a spare part to be swapped. That was only a trial. The Nirguṇa God, whom we have not seen, we can only think, feel, or imagine. But that Nirguṇa God will not give you an answer; you cannot hold a dialogue with it. Therefore, as with the tree, you may not know the tree (nirguṇa), but when it bears fruit (saguṇa), you recognize it. Though hundreds of cherries hang on one tree, they are all the same cherry. Similarly, there are hundreds of self-realized saints or incarnations who see with equal vision. They do not discriminate between cherries on different branches. The problem is we do not know this, and we fight: my God, their God, my religion, their religion. Humans fight these troubles because reality is beyond our imagination and thinking. The purpose of human life is to first know thyself. When you know yourself, you will know others. When you know others, you will see yourself in others. Bhagwan Śaṅkarācārya said the first step of self-realization is to see yourself in all beings—humans, dogs, cows, buffaloes, elephants, birds, insects. Therefore, it is said: "Ātmā sohī Paramātmā," "Viśva prāṇī merī ātmā hai." Every entity is myself, and the self is the Paramātmā. This is how the oneness of the nirguṇa is realized in the sādhaka's consciousness. As soon as you create duality, it is like a division or crack in a wall. A beautiful wall has no cracks. An earthquake causes cracks. Similarly, when an intellectual or emotional earthquake occurs in someone's mind or heart, we call them a cragged-minded person. This crack can damage the house. A good architect will not just fill the crack with cement but will break the wall and properly reunite it. Similarly, when we meditate, pray, repeat mantras, read holy books, or attend satsaṅg, we must analyze how deep the crack is and what can repair it, so we may become one with everyone again, knowing only that God which is the reality—the cherry tree and the cherry fruits. The issue is we see no tree, no fruits, or we believe the territory is wrong and cannot bear fruit. To attain this devotion (Dejavān bhajan), we sing: "Guru varame chalu sanyunade." My Gurudev, I wish to go with you to that world, that country. Which country? The nirguṇa Brahmaloka. "Loka laaj sab taj ke, kalpana dhar ke, vairaagana bhe gurvar me chalu sayuna." Renounce the opinions (laaj) of people (loka) and this world. It does not matter if people speak well or ill. I am covered not by a material dress but by consciousness. My actions, thoughts, feelings, and very being are renounced. "Mera jeevan terī pūjā." Oh Lord, my life is only a ceremony to Thee. Nothing is mine. As long as I say "I," there is duality. "Dharke vera ganveṣ." Let me die deep in Vairāgya (dispassion). When Vairāgya is lost, everything is lost. How does one attain Vairāgya? Mahāprabhujī said in a bhajan: "Vairāgya konī hovere binā satsaṅg. Vairāgya nahīṁ hovere binā satsaṅg." Without satsaṅg, one cannot be colored by Hari. Without satsaṅg, there is no true vairāgya. "Bina satsaṅg nahīṁ lāge hari ko raṅg." Without satsaṅg, you cannot have that color of God. What is that color? It is Bhakti (devotion). Therefore, Kabīr Dājī said: "Jab merī chādar ban ghar āyī, Raṅgrejā ko dinī." When my chādar (this body/soul) was born, I gave it to the dyer (Raṅgrejā). "Raṅgrejā ne aisā raṅgā. Lālo lāl kar dīnī." He dyed it a beautiful red—the divine color, divine Śakti, Bhakti. We say to God Kṛṣṇa: "My Lord, I give my soul, my cloth to you. Do not color it green, red, blue, or white. Color my soul in your colors—that divine consciousness, that bhakti. Dye it so deeply that even after many washes, the color never fades." Wherever you go, your bhakti, vairāgya, and jñāna will never weaken. This is the true sādhaka. It means you need not renounce anything externally; stay at home, but practice, practice, practice. Our great master Lalanānjī, a disciple of Mahāprabhujī, said in his bhajans: "You do not know about me. My Gurudev bestowed his grace upon me like a targeted arrow. Out of devotion (bhakti), my tears flow. How happy I am. What do you know of my condition? Oh brothers, if you want to know that truth, come to satsaṅg." Negative company (kuṣaṅga), negative thoughts, words, and actions will lead you into negativity, darkness, and nothingness. Therefore, my dear brothers, sisters, and practitioners: practice, practice, practice. Do not lose your faith, whichever religion or master you believe in. Without faith, you are a bird without wings. When the bird has no wings, the negative influence (kuśaṅga) of the cat will come. The bird tries to move but cannot take flight, and that time (kāla), the death brought by negative company, will put you in a dark hole. "Janam janam dukha pāyegā." Life after life, you will suffer. We will not get this human life again and again. Therefore, "die" within your life; die hard to the ego. A great devotee, despite many problems, said: "Lord, please do not notice my mistakes; forgive them. You are known as one with equal vision (samadṛṣṭi). If you, my Lord, know me, you can liberate me. Otherwise, no one can." Samadṛṣṭi, equal vision; ātmā, so'ham, paramātmā—oneness in one. Otherwise, life is merely living. All animals, birds, and creatures live, and humans also live. But the difference is that humans must come to this realization. "Guru Varma..." Without vairāgya, you cannot meditate. Your tongue may move, you may sit and try to practice, but your mental fluctuations (vṛttis) trouble you, your heart is uncertain. There is no vairāgya. When vairāgya is present, bhakti comes. When vairāgya is absent, bhakti is distant. When bhakti is distant, vairāgya is distant, and greed comes. You cannot perform renunciation (tyāga). Without tyāga, there is no austerity (tapasyā). Without tapasyā, ego arises, which is destructive. Thus, Bhakti, Śakti, Vairāgya, Jñāna, Tyāga, and Tapasyā are all connected; they are meant to neutralize other energies. With this, I wish you a very good evening, or a very good morning if the sun is rising soon in your country. I bless you and pray to Mahāprabhujī to bless you with vairāgya, jñāna, and bhakti. We will have a webcast again tomorrow. I must go somewhere, but if I am not here, one of our bhaktas or sannyāsīs will speak. Till then, all the best. Many have telephoned to ask about Māṭājī. The holy mother is here and is resting. Thank you for your concern. Oṁ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ... Hari.

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:

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