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Mahaprabhuji Divine Incarnation

A bhajan reveals the hidden nature of a divine incarnation and the challenge of recognition. The divine light incarnated in human form, a riddle for the mind. Many met him but could not understand. Recognition is not intellectual but a deep heart realization—to see God in the human form. This is hindered by māyā, the illusion of the physical world that captivates the ignorant. Māyā is our reaction to the world, attacking our weakest point. Spiritual progress ends when one becomes entangled in māyā, losing common sense. Only through the guru's mercy can this veil be lifted. Our practice must cultivate humility, the sole qualification for that grace. Those who recognize the guru achieve the immortal; they become transformed. The disease of worldly desire is cured only by that recognition, bringing true satisfaction.

"Apne āpko chupāne vāle." "Jisane Jānā Mahāprabhujī Ko, Usane Pāyā Amṛta Khāna."

We have several bhajans about Mahāprabhujī. One, which you all know, is "Śrī Pūjya Dīpadāyālu Dattālā, Koṇṭharanamcharaṇam." But there is a second one, which I guess only a few of you will know. It is also about Mahāprabhujī, the same melody, also "Lākhoṃ Praṇām." But this is now directly on Mahāprabhujī’s incarnation. This is a bhajan from Holy Gurujī again, in which he speaks about Mahāprabhujī in a specific way. It speaks of how people met him but didn’t understand him. They met him, but they didn’t recognize him. Remember, that was actually Holy Gurujī’s last message when he left the world. When you become old, you come more to the essence, to what is really essential. His last message was that those who recognize the guru, only they become transformed themselves into a guru. When we think about that, it is very obvious he does not speak about something intellectual, but something that happens deep in our heart: a deep realization about what is God. To recognize in the Saguṇa form the Niguṇa. To recognize in the human form the God. That is not some easy task. That is actually the point here of this bhajan. "Viśva Dīpa Harī Jagame Āye." The divine light, God, came into this world. "Dīpa" is also the name of Mahāprabhujī, so Mahāprabhujī incarnated in this world. He took a human form without actually being a human. And that is a riddle for our mind, which is not so easy to solve. "Lākhoṃ praṇām Prabhujī." Hundreds of thousands, you can say millions and millions of salutations, of greetings. "Prabhu" means the Lord. Millions and millions of greetings, Mahāprabhujī. Now, the second line of this refrain is the motto of this bhajan: "Apne āpko chupāne vāle." "Apne āp" means his own true self, his own true nature. And "chupānā" means to hide, to conceal. It was not that he did something purposely to hide himself. It is just this riddle: He comes in a human form, yet he is not human. That is this hiding already. To recognize God when He is suddenly here. "Om Brahma Harī Āp Anādī Amar Aṭala He Āp Kī Gāḍī." Om Brahma is the name of the Lord, the formless God. Brahma, Brahman, the formless divine God. And "Harī" again means the Lord. "You are Anādī," that means without beginning, eternal. Holy Gurujī says, you are God, you are eternal. "Amar aṭala he āpkī gāḍī." "Gāḍī," or better in Hindi, "gāḍī," means the throne. Your throne is immortal, firm, eternal. It doesn’t speak about a physical throne, a seat on which you sit, but actually about its nature, its consciousness: immortal, eternal. "Ye Merā Bira Laṭāḍī." Such mercy, such favor was heaped only on very few. We must be aware there are many incarnations. But Mahāprabhujī was a special one. He was a direct incarnation of Parabrahma. You see, we have many saints who are seen as incarnations of the Divine. Most of them had to struggle. They had to practice. That means they had actually a normal life, and then they emerged as an avatar. They were recognized as being an avatar. But Mahāprabhujī was really special. He was enlightened from the beginning, as a child already. Remember from Līlā Amṛt the first thing he did: chanting OM and then giving a lecture to his parents. And in school, just one day, giving a lecture to his teacher so that the teacher bowed down to him and said, "I cannot teach you anything." And then he took the humble work of caring for the cows, same like Lord Kṛṣṇa did—and about the importance of the cow we spoke yesterday, "Gauḥ," remember? So he was really a special saint, a special avatar. "Prakata Jagame Āp Viraja, Sapta Santana Mehe Siratāja." You appear in this world, and you live in this world. "Sapta Santana" means the seven great saints. "Siratāja" means the crown. So we can say the crown of the head is something that you show to everyone, and you are proud of. In the same way, all the saints adore Mahāprabhujī and are proud of him. Now, Holy Gurujī comes straight to the point: why does he say Mahāprabhujī is hiding himself? Not actually actively hiding, but he is hidden. The central word is māyā. "Adbhuta Māyā Āpakī Bhārī." The truth is in front of our eyes, yet we cannot see it. No saṃsārī can understand it. In the word "saṃsārī," do you recognize the word "saṃsāra"? This world, this cycle of birth and death. Swāmījī, in a joking way, always translated this: "sāra" means essence; saṃsāra is what has no essence. So this physical world; the saṃsārī is someone who hangs on to this physical world and thinks that’s all. A saṃsārī is someone who is stuck in this māyā, and the whole life is directed toward enjoying the māyā, possessing the māyā, being active in the māyā. But everything in this world, in this physical world, is just temporary. Therefore, all this ends in disappointment. And all this struggling leads, in the end, nowhere. That’s what Swāmījī says: Saṃsāra is senseless. Now, someone who is so much fixed on the māyā can definitely not recognize God in human form. "Saba Kī Gatī Matī Gāī Harī." Everything is lost. "Gatī" and "matī." "Gatī" is the spiritual progress, and "matī" means the mind, or you can say the common sense. So when we are on the spiritual path and we fall into māyā, that is what happens to us. Then our progress is stopped, and we lose our common sense. We can say, as an example, you are on the way to a certain aim. And there is a signboard saying, "This is the way." And this signboard is clearly beautiful. And you look at that, and you study that: how it is made, and how beautiful are the letters and the colors, and you develop thoughts that you would like to have it. So you get completely involved with this sign, and you forget it is a sign to go somewhere. And so you start dealing with that very sign and forget that that sign is only supposed to direct you somewhere. And that is the moment when you have lost your common sense, because it is only a sign that tells you to go further in this direction. But you will not develop anywhere, because you have stopped. So this is the way the māyā catches us so quickly. So you can say māyā is the dangerous aspect of God. But māyā is actually in us. It’s our reaction. Because others see the same sign, and they say, "OK, let me go." The point is where we are inwardly weak. That is our māyā. Swāmījī used to say that māyā will always attack you at your weakest point. So the physical world is just as it is. It is only potential māyā. It becomes māyā through our reaction. And if we don’t react, there is no māyā. Let me give an example. In the street, a car comes, a Rolls Royce. And it stops, and out of the car comes a beautiful young lady. And in her hand she has a beautiful orchid. And the people look, and they are stunned. "Wow." But the point is, one means the car, one means the lady, and one means the orchid. Because they have different aspects where they are weak. And when you don’t react, that means there is no māyā for you. "Māyā Śīra, Jīva aura Janī." The māyā controls the ignorant. And we should not see this as a judgment about anyone. We have to be very careful. The ignorant people—this is exactly who we are. As long as we have not realized the truth, the reality, we are these people. That means we have to be very, very, very careful with the māyā. Therefore, Swāmījī says, when someone says, "I am just playing with the māyā," in reality it means the māyā is playing with you. We should never, never develop the thought that we are over, beyond the māyā. Māyā is controlling the worldly people, the ignorant people. "Mahāprabhujī Kī Mahimā Nā Jānī." Therefore they cannot understand, not recognize the greatness of Mahāprabhujī. "Āpasa Meṃ Kari Kina Chaṭṭānī." And how are worldly people living? They are struggling, quarreling, and competing with each other. And that is a very clear description of our daily life: struggle for survival in the world. And competition is like the basic principle of our society. We are trained in this already from childhood on, in school. Everywhere there is competition. Therefore, I place so much emphasis on that: in yoga, no competition. Only then can you let go and really relax. But this is how our worldly life is. "Jisane Jānā Mahāprabhujī Ko, Usane Pāyā Amṛta Khāna." But those who recognize Mahāprabhujī, they achieve a place in the immortal world. That means those who recognize God become God. Those who recognize the Guru, God in human form, become the Guru. So, basically, this is exactly this last sentence, this last message of Holy Gurujī, here just in other words. But how can it be recognized? Should we practice more? Have more discipline? In the end, it goes to one simple point: "Mokṣamūlaṃ guru kṛpā." The root of liberation is the mercy of the guru. There are two aspects in our practice which seem to be contradictory. Swāmījī used to say, "Disciple comes from discipline." Who keeps discipline is a disciple. And he emphasizes yoga in daily life: practice daily with discipline. But what is the point? Where do we get through all this discipline, through all this practice? Does it mean the more we practice, the closer we come to the aim? Now we are 50% liberated; in 10 years, we will be 80% liberated, and one day we have practiced enough? No, it’s not like that, because we cannot liberate ourselves. The more you practice, the more is the danger that again, māyā in the final form—that your ego comes and says, "Oh, I’m a great yogī." The final result of all the practice is humbleness. As Swāmījī always emphasizes, progress in spirituality means progress in humbleness. When someone really knows all the holy scripture up and down, but he is proud of that, sorry, he is a beginner. And if someone knows no holy scripture, but his heart is pure and humble, he is a progressed yogī. That means, if we can recognize a guru, yes or no, that is a question of mercy. And our only qualification to receive this mercy is our humbleness, our devotion, our bhakti. That is what Holy Gurujī says now here. Only those who get the mercy can recognize the Guru. This is very important. It means it makes it exclusive. It says there is no other way. Only through receiving the mercy can we recognize God. "Lākhoṃ Logon Ne Darśana Pāyā, Bheda Sabhasera Hatsa Pāyā." Thousands and thousands met Mahāprabhujī and got his darśana, but the secret remained concealed from them. "Dekho Prabhukī Adbhutā Māyā." See how strong is this strange māyā of the Lord. "Deva Bhī Nahī̃ Jāne Sakate." Even the Devas they cannot understand. What are Devas? "Deva" would translate as God, like we have it in Śrīdev Purījī. But "deva" here means actually the devas in Devaloka. And Devaloka is not the level of liberation. That is usually called Mokṣa. So Devaloka would translate as heaven, the world where those go for a certain time who have done lots of good karma, but still with a selfish desire. So now they get their karma back: enjoyment, happiness. Maybe 4 million years or 10 million years, because there’s another time range. But, there’s a but. Even 10 million years have an end. So what is next? Very simple. The next karma. So when we create lots of good karma but don’t overcome our selfish desires, then we get it back. That means it’s like you have ten million in your bank account. It seems you are so rich, and you spend it. And the next day, your bank account says zero. And then you find in the post the next bill, and now you have to pay that. That is the next karma. So that means when this time goes to the end, then the devas are not so happy. And Swāmījī used to say, even Lord Indra, the highest of the devas, might come back as a small ant. Therefore, Devaloka or heaven is not our aim. Even if we do good karma, but still there is some selfish desire in us, it does not actually bring us to liberation. So you can say devas are very highly developed souls but still not liberated. So there is still some kind of ego, some kind of blindness. And that is what Holy Gurujī says here now: "Deva Bhī Nahī̃ Jāne Sakate," even the devas cannot recognize a great incarnation like Mahāprabhujī. "Manava To Phira Ghaṭa Laktā, Belā Hai Para Milatā Nahī̃." "Manava" means humans. So how can now humans see the reality? How can they understand? "Belā" means to be close, to meet. And "milena" means actually to recognize or to unite. That means you are close, but still you cannot recognize really. You cannot become one. You see, Swāmījī often says, "When you are 100 meters far from me, I am also 100 meters far from you." And when you are one meter away from me, I am also only one meter away from you. So he speaks here in meters, like physical distance. But what he means is, of course, the distance which we keep in our heart: the inner resistance. Every judgment about the guru, every resentment against the guru, that creates this distance. But in a pure and humble heart, there is no distance. And therefore, that is the way to the oneness. But he says, when you are close, but still you cannot come together, really. The other example which Swāmījī sometimes gives is the pārasa stone. The pārasa stone transforms whatever iron it touches into gold. So now, when you come with iron and it doesn’t happen, what is that? And Swāmījī says there are only two possibilities. Check the pārasa. Maybe it’s not true, perhaps. Or recognize there is still some gap in between. That means this iron did not really touch the pārasa. That means this inner transformation can only happen in us when we are really open and there is no distance anymore between us and the guru; then the oneness is there. And then the transformation can happen. So this sentence says, as long as there is distance, no oneness. "Prabhu Ne Nara Tana Kīna Dhārana." Mahāprabhujī came for the purpose to liberate his bhaktas, his devotees. "Narottana" means a human body. So, for that purpose, he, you can say, is wearing a human body. It’s a very nice way of understanding it, like the human body is like a coat. "Śrī Pūjya Sāī Abhadīpa Dayālā, Apnī Bhakta Ko Āyā Sambhalā." Oh, the bhajan mentions Mahāprabhujī without saying "Dayālu." That means the merciful one. Look, we had three pūjās: āyapā, dīpa, dayāla. So often he says "dīpa dayāla." But never, ever does he miss this. So for him, it’s already like a part of Mahāprabhujī’s name. So he understood completely, it is all through the mercy. And as long as any kind of ego is in us, we cannot achieve this mercy. But when we open, then we get more than we can even contain. This is what he says now. "Jholī," that is the bag of a beggar. He says he filled my bag to the brim, completely. This is the same thing Swāmījī once said. He said, "I am so full, all the mercy from Mahāprabhujī, from Holy Gurujī." Like a pot overflowing, full. Exactly this idea is here in this sentence. "Sārī," complete. So means nothing, nothing is left anymore. "Saba Kī Bhūkhā Kī Mithī Bimārī." What I would desire—that’s an interesting sentence here for the end, because it says the illness of hunger has been completely destroyed, or you can say cured. So how did Mahāprabhujī now fill his bag? Not by putting many, many things inside. That is our normal idea: I’m not really happy because I don’t have enough. And if I had more, I would be happier. And if I had even more, I would be even happier. Until one day we realize it doesn’t work like that. When you have a lot, then you have a lot of sorrows, and you are worried, and you cannot sleep anymore. No, it works the other way around. This disease is our hunger, hunger for something in this world. So our desires, that is a disease, that we are not satisfied, that we are still seeing something in this world that could give us something. That is this māyā, this illusion. But once this māyā is completely gone, once we have no wishes anymore, once we have this santōṣa, this satisfaction, then we find the peace, then we find the happiness, and nothing in this world can tempt us anymore. And this is what Holy Gurujī says here in the end, that he filled my bag completely and he cured me from this disease of worldly desires. And then we find the happiness.

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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