“Questions on Spirituality—Ask Swami Mukundananda”
Swami Mukundananda is a world renowned spiritual teacher from India, and is
the senior disciple of Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj and founder of JK Yog.
He has received his degrees in engineering from world renowned institutes in
India, IIT and IIM. He has inspired people all over the world on the path of
spirituality, holistic health, yoga, meditation, service to society and God
realization. For more information visit: http://www.jkyog.org/
These days we talk about the need of purifying our mind, body and soul. A
plethora of techniques and self-help books are available in the world for
practicing positive thinking in its various forms and connotations. However, all
these techniques have very limited effectiveness, and the results achieved are
temporary. So what is it that can truly purify our mind and help the soul
achieve a state of purity which is so natural to it?
Remember that the mind is made from Maya, which is God’s energy, and it
cannot be conquered merely by self-effort. The mind can be permanently and
totally healed only by the Grace of God. So the most powerful practice for
cleansing the mind and receiving the grace of God is to engage it in ‘Bhakti’, or
‘love of God’. That is the verdict of all the Vedic literature and the essence of
all religion. Shree Krishna explains in the Bhagavad Geeta that Maya has three
gunas (modes of material nature) - sattva (goodness), rajas (passion), and
tamas (ignorance). These three modes are also present in the mind, and thus
it fluctuates between these three gunas. Whatever atmosphere one gets or
wherever one attaches the mind, the corresponding guna becomes dominant
in it. However, God is beyond these three gunas. He is Divine, and so if we
attach our mind to Him, it too rises beyond the three gunas and becomes
Divine.
Question: In today's materialistic world, the soul takes a beating, and the
extent depends on the society, the profession, the community and each
person's ability to bear it. How does one cleanse or heal his soul?
Swami Mukundananda: Here it is important for a person to understand that
you are the soul, which is a part of God, and hence by nature you are
perpetually Divine. You do not need to cleanse the soul. The problem is that
the soul is identifying with the body, mind, and intellect. Hence, when the
mind feels tormented, the soul experiences the misery. So when you say that
the soul takes a beating, what you mean is that the mind takes a beating, and
the soul experiences the pain vicariously. Once the mind is sufficiently
cleansed, the soul will be able to perceive the distinction between itself and
the mind, and dis-identify itself from its dualities.
Hence, we must endeavour to cleanse the mind. And as mentioned already
the most powerful practice for cleansing the mind is to engage it in Bhakti, or
love of God.
The Bhagavatam states:
Dharma satya dayo…
“We may follow all the rules of proper conduct, we may perform severe
austerities, and we may accumulate the most esoteric knowledge, but without
Bhakti, none of these practices will suffice in cleansing the mind.”
Question: What is Divine Love and how is it different from worldly love?
SM: Divine love is that where the desire is simply to give…give…and give.
There is no selfish desire for anything in return. Worldly love is that where the
desire is to take…take… and take. It is a selfish affection for one’s own
happiness.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu compared the two to sunlight and darkness:
Kamer tatparya nij…
“Worldly love (lust) is for the sake of self-pleasure while Divine Love is for the
sake of Shree Krishna’s pleasure. Reject all kinds of religiosity to practice
devotion to Shree Krishna. Relish this Divine Love for the sake of Shree
Krishna’s happiness. There is a great difference between Divine Love and lust;
the former is like the rays of sunlight, while the latter is like darkness.”
Question: If in unconditional love we should not ask God for anything, then
why should we also ask Him for His grace?
SM: The scriptures ask us to engage in devotion for the pleasure of God and to
make His service as our goal. However, we can only serve God if we possess
love for Him. God is not interested in our mechanical actions; He is pleased by
the love of our heart.
So with the goal of serving God and making Him happy, we can ask for Grace,
Divine knowledge, Divine Love, renunciation from the world, etc. Since our
objective is the satisfaction of God and Guru, our asking will not be considered
selfish.
Question: How can the gopi's love for Krishna be interpreted in the path of
devotion?
SM: We should not make figurative interpretations of the Divine pastimes of
God; rather we should take them as literal and true.
The word for devotion in Sanskrit is “Upasana”, which means to go and sit
close to God. But how will we go close to Him? There are five bhavs
(sentiments) of devotion that help us develop proximity with Him:
1. Shant bhav or the sentiment of Majesty: “Shree Krishna is my King.”
2. Dasya bhav or the sentiment of Servitude: “Shree Krishna is my Master.”
3. Sakhya bhav or the Fraternal sentiment: “Shree Krishna is my Friend.”
4. Vatsalya bhav or the Maternal sentiment: “Shree Krishna is my Mother.”
5. Madhurya bhav or the Conjugal sentiment: “Shree Krishna is my
Beloved.”
These sentiments get us sequentially closer to God. The gopis loved Shree
Krishna as their Beloved, and this is considered the highest sentiment of
devotion. It is distinguished from the sentiment of worldly lovers by the trait
of selflessness.
The great Acharya of Bhakti, Narad Muni states:
Yatha braj gopika bhav (Narad Bhakti Darshan)
“The highest ideal of devotion was manifest in the gopis.”
Hence, the scriptures and the great Saints have alike praised the devotion of
the gopis and we should not misinterpret it to be some kind of material love.
Question: Is Bhakti something that is bestowed upon the soul by God’s
Grace, or is it something that is developed in the heart by purusharth (selfeffort)?
SM: Prema Shakti (Divine Love) is the essence of the essence of the essence of
the highest power of God (Divine Internal Energy called Yogmaya). It is such a
power that God Himself becomes a servant of whoever possesses it.
This highest power of God cannot be attained by purusharth (self-effort). It is
only attained by the Grace of the God-realized Saints who already possess it.
Lord Ram told Lakshman:
Bhakti taat anupam… (Ramayan)
“Bhakti is the source of incomparable Divine Bliss. It is obtained when the
Guru bestows His Grace upon the soul.”
We need to keep in mind that the Grace of God and the Guru is not a
whimsical occurrence. Grace is bestowed when we prepare the vessel of the
heart to receive it. The heart is cleansed by doing Sadhan Bhakti (Preparatory
Devotion). Thus, we need to do Sadhan Bhakti and then by the Grace of the
Guru, we will get Siddha Bhakti (Divine Love).