Bhakti Yoga

Vijay Kumar:
None is under a misconception... for a commoner busy with day-to-day routines of life... even indulgence in Bhakti yoga is a big job. Where is the time for all these things... to make ends meet... one has to work hard day and night... whatever be the profession we are in. For a commoner it is difficult to comprehend the entire scenario of God Almighty.

Only travelers of the path of jnana Yoga... get intermittent glimpses of the cosmic system. Most on the path of Bhakti Yoga simply worship God to enjoy the materialistic world... to increase their wealth in proportions disproportionate... and this is what leads to the problem! Indulgence of mankind in things beyond basic necessities of life spells doom.

If every human being indulged only in the basic needs of life... we would presently be living in Satyuga (the golden period). Mankind would have plenty of everything... with no agony or sufferings experienced by one. In a Kali Yuga... the present materialistic world (the Dark Age) money (a means) has become an end unto itself.

People feel happy indulging in Bhakti yoga... singing praises of God and worshiping the Almighty! They want a temporary reprieve from the sufferings of day-to-day life. None is after God Almighty or the sacred scriptures. There is also a reason attached to it. The journey in the shape of human beings is long.

God Almighty ordained a total journey of 1.1 million manifestations (an earthly life cycle of 12.4 million years) before human beings reach the stage of enlightenment! One initially starts on the path of Bhakti yoga... and slowly manifestation by manifestation proceeds towards the path of jnana Yoga. Only a serious seeker of spirituality wanting to know God in this lifetime... pursues the path of jnana Yoga seriously... never otherwise!

To believe or not to believe is the competence of every individual. I can bluntly say... the various articles essays existing on my various web sites are sufficient for one to gain self realization. Still, I get many queries! Why? It is for the simple reason that people do not find time to read the essays before putting their query! To what avail... ultimately!

Some essays on my website are as potent... as many readings... as many different meanings one would infer. Wisdom is not about literal reading... one needs diving deep into the bottomless pit of jnana! Reading in between the lines is the forte of serious seekers of spirituality. In the small tidbits of life... are hidden those pearls of wisdom knowing which one realizes god!

No human being on Mother Earth can ever be blamed. One always travels the chosen path. As many human beings... as many paths to God Almighty can there be. Furthermore... the destiny of every human being is in ones absolute control. We only need to find the hidden key. All depends upon our goal of life. Most human beings on Mother Earth never form a goal.

If we are truthful in life... we care for the community... for the masses... God Almighty also takes care of us! Following the path of absolute truthfulness... never swaying from truthfulness ever... come whatever may... in spite of all hassles in life... I continued my search for God Almighty. I always traveled the path chosen by me.

Similarly, most human beings travel the earthly domain guided by their whims and fancies... the bloated ego... the wanton desires and greed for materialistic riches. In the circumstances... following the path of jnana Yoga is totally ruled out. Such people can never truly follow the path of Bhakti yoga... what to say of jnana Yoga!

Once the cosmic system is created... there is nothing left for God Almighty to do. God Almighty always acts as a Dhrista (onlooker) never interfering with the creation of his. Every human being... nay every living being lives ones own life! Whatever be the karma... the residual balance of karma... accordingly shall be our present and future.

In a nutshell, if we are born in the house of a cobbler... all owes its existence to the residual balance of karma of the past lives. It simply cannot be that one manifests the form of a prince. Quite young I realized that listening to the sweet small inner voice of our soul atman... one could become the master and controller of ones destiny.

Ever since I have remained the absolute master and controller of my destiny! Come year 2012... All would become visible by itself. Since 1993, I have been waiting for a bigger world cause. The moment I get my younger daughter married... I shall become absolutely free of all worldly bindings! Thereafter... it is no looking back!

As long as human beings think God Almighty is the controller of their destiny... they continue their indulgence on the path of Bhakti yoga. The moment one realizes the absolute truth... singing praises and hymns in glory of God Almighty becomes passé... one now desires indulgence in jnana Yoga... the path that simply takes one directly to God Almighty.

Once the Cosmos comes into being... it is the doctrine of karma that becomes governing. As we sow so shall we reap... nothing less or more so says the law of karma! Why indulge in negative karma and spoil our future. In whatever stage of life one be... if we desire getting ahead in life... manifesting destiny becomes a reality only by indulgence in Punya karma (positive karma)... never otherwise!

To better our future... our indulgence in positive karma (Punya karma) is a necessity... a compulsion! There are no short cuts to gaining control of destiny in life. Thinking God is the controller of our destiny is whimsical. The truth is not so.

Also, the Sacred Bhagavad Gita... the gist of Bhagavad Gita is available in both Hindi and English. One need not have even the basic knowledge of Sanskrit to decipher the wisdom contained in the Sacred Bhagavad Gita. Available for $.50 in most railway stations of India... the original copy of Bhagavad Gita can also be procured directly from Bhagavad Gita press, Gorakhpur, India.

For the karmas to burn in their entirety... we need establishing absolute control over the five senses and the mind. Establishing control over five senses demands highest level of perfection and sacrifice. Much beyond the comprehension of most human beings... ordinary mortals find more pleasure in worldly and sensual indulgences than the sacred scriptures!

Practicing absolute celibacy for a continuous minimum period of 12 years is another must. Most human beings fail on this parameter. Sage Vishwamitra in the end years of his practicing celibacy on the sight of a maiden taking bath in forlorn circumstances (in deep dense jungles... forests) lost self. He had to repeat his practice of celibacy all over again.

Although answers to most of your queries are available on my website, I again clarify the same!

Even before mankind took its roots... the society managed itself. How? Imagine a time before the advent of Lord Krishna... about 3600 years before now! Even man gods like Mahavira, Gautama Buddha, Jesus Christ and Prophet Mohammed were not even born. No religion existed during the time of Vedas. How did community survive in absence of religion?

It was Dharma (righteousness) that governed the lives of all human beings. The definition of Dharma is... "Our right to do what is just and right and not what was destined". My article on Dharma is an eye opener. Every follower of spirituality must read some of the basic articles on my website which I am not listing now. Why?

Every serious seeker of spirituality must learn of its own... only then the hidden pearls of wisdom in the essays become clear. If I start telling everything... all would pass above ones head... I have observed it so many times. Even the chief editors of most newspapers are not able to decipher my essays... what of the commoner?

As the tree of Dharma evolved during the time of Vedas... seeing the plight of mankind... the voluminous Vedas... the wisdom of which remained limited to an elite few... the Saints and sages of that era... God Almighty finally reduced the essence of the Vedas into the doctrine of Bhagavad Gita... the teachings imparted by Lord Krishna to King Arjuna in Mahabharata.

Finally the gist of all four Vedas... the Rig Veda... the Sama Veda... the Yajur Veda and the Atharva Veda... was reduced to the teachings of the Sacred Bhagavad Gita. And as of date one can find the teachings of the Sacred Bhagavad Gita in most shops in India decorating the walls. Probably mankind is yet to learn its lessons!

The tree of Dharma continued evolving. After about thousand years since the advent of Lord Krishna... came Mahavira... the 24th Tirthankara (preceptor) of Jainism. The tree of Dharma branched for the first time and Mahavira was born. After about 77 years the tree developed another branch and Gautama Buddha came to the scene.

About 423 years later developed another branch... and Jesus Christ was born! Many centuries later another branch and prophet Mohammed arrived. Whatever is contained in the Sacred Bhagavad Gita... is also contained in the teachings of Mahavira, Gautama Buddha, Jesus Christ and prophet Mohammed but, whatever is contained in the Jaina scriptures, the Buddhist teachings, the sacred Bible and Quran... need not necessarily exist in the Bhagavad Gita!

If the Sacred Bhagavad Gita comprises 16 principles of life... may be Mahavira deciphered 12... Gautama Buddha 10... Jesus Christ 8... And prophet Mohammed 6! With passage of time the moral and ethical values degraded. And now time has come for a complete revamp. A total revolution... a grand renaissance is in making.

People await the coming of Bhagwan Kalki... the annihilator of Kali Yuga! A lethal combination of a man god like Mahavira, Gautama Buddha, Jesus Christ or Prophet Mohammed and Chanakya (foremost of all administrators in the history of mankind)! Mounted with the power of Lord Krishna... Bhagwan Kalki would re-establish Dharma (righteousness).

Adharma (lawlessness) would be rooted out forever. The period is not far when mankind witnesses the coming of Avatar of the era... the revered Bhagwan Kalki! The messiah of the present era... Bhagwan Kalki is expected around 2012. Beyond 2014 lay the dawn of a new era... the golden period... termed Satyuga in Hinduism.

Bhagavad Gita... the most sacred scripture of Hinduism existing on Mother Earth explicitly makes it clear... it is only the karma performed that guides our future life.

In a nutshell, the gist of Bhagavad Gita is above all! Diving deep into the pearls of wisdom contained in the Sacred Bhagavad Gita... one need not refer the teachings contained in the Jaina scriptures, the Buddhist teachings, the Sacred Bible and Quran. The knower of Bhagavad Gita finally gains emancipation from the cycle of birth and death forever.

One gains enlightenment at the end of the journey. The knower of Bhagavad Gita finally becomes the knower of all... gains omniscience (becomes kaivalya jnani) and for all practical purposes becomes immortal (much beyond the capture of bodily manifest values).

In simpler words... all man gods like Mahavira, Gautama Buddha, Jesus Christ and prophet Mohammed started their journey from New Delhi and reached Mumbai. One went by the Indian bullet train (Rajdhani express)... the other by mail (express) train... the other by passenger train... and still others by various other modes of transportation.

Reaching the goal of life is the essence of life. Whatever be the mode... the means of travel... reaching the end goal of life makes the soul atman within liberate forever from the cycle of birth and death. The moment a human being gains enlightenment... it announces reaching the 8.4 millionth manifestation... the last in the cosmic life cycle!

Having gained enlightenment (kaivalya jnana) and finally salvation (moksha)... the liberated soul atman finally enters the kingdom of God... the abode of God (aka Vaikunth in Hinduism).

In my case, I was born into a Jain family... but my inner questioning always found my queries remaining unanswered! Somehow I felt believing the dictates of Bhagavad Gita... that were usually displayed in most shops in India. I believe in Mahavira... but more so in the Sacred teachings of Bhagavad Gita. Bhagavad Gita is synonymous with God Almighty. There is nothing beyond Bhagavad Gita that is required to be learnt on the spiritual path!

Mahavira rightly said, "Do not impart anything to anybody... unless you become an enlightened one". Most religious masters of today indulge in imparting the gist of Bhagavad Gita without their ever realizing the real truth of life. I am a follower of every religion... creed or dogma! In whatever phase of life I was... whatever little I could gather from different religions... saints and sages... all was welcome.

If I were to travel from New Delhi to Mumbai (Bombay), I initially started my journey on foot. I had no other means to travel initially. Further down the journey... a rickshaw puller... a Muslim friend of mine happened to pass by. He had an empty seat in his rickshaw. He offered me the seat free of all costs. Whatever I was to learn from this Muslim friend was welcome.

Sooner a bus passed by. Seeing my plight... the Christian bus driver offered me a free ride in the bus. Whatever little I could gather from this Christian friend of mine was welcome. I continued my journey irrespective of the religion or creed I followed. My thinking was absolute and pure. People of every faith and religion were welcome into the fold.

Bhagavad Gita... the sacred wisdom can never be taught. Every individual has to travel the uncharted path of spirituality all alone. As many human beings... as many paths to god shall there be! Every sage and saint always acts as a guide pillar in the journey of life. However best the teacher imparts the knowledge... all students never come first!

It is not the wisdom of the teacher that is in question... it is the merit of the student that makes one come first and the other last! Every student has to work out ones karma... the Sacred Bhagavad Gita says it so! There is no shortcut on the spiritual path... every human being has to travel the journey of life all alone.

Essays on my website are always free to read! I am always available 24*7 to every serious seeker of spirituality! God Almighty has ordained so. It is not within my means to say yes or no! Everything percolates from the top! As is the level of the student... accordingly is my reply! Having seen the light of the sun... it is easy for me to distinguish the power of a candle or bulb.

My blessings always remain with one who is sincere on the spiritual path. The spiritual journey has its pitfalls. Spirituality demands highest level of perfection! If God Almighty desires our practicing celibacy for a minimum period of 12 years... we have to do that! It is only then our Kundalini awakens fully.

The moment our Kundalini awakened fully... the Shahastra Pushpa (the thousand petalled Lotus) existing within our brain behind the forehead opens fully. The moment this happens... one reaches the stage of Nirvikalpa Samadhi... the stage of nothingness... when involuntary flow of thoughts to our brain altogether stops. One finally gains enlightenment at the end of the journey.

God bless you in your journey on the spiritual path!

Essay by: Vijay Kumar "Atma Jnani" ... One who realized self in his life time! Send your query!

Full text of query: A lot of people are under a big misconception surely...because they feel that all the Bhakti that is done will lead them to god. I don't know what to believe or what not to believe because there are so many things said when it comes to god and salvation, but I do know that there is a God that exists and Mother Nature and everything happens because of the will of the supreme power. I would certainly be interested in knowing the Bhagavad Gita....what I meant was that I won't understand the sanskrit and the meaning of it.

So how does one burn their karma in its entirety?? By doing what exactly? I know that everyone has to reap what they sow, and that they have to pay for their deeds in this human form it self. A lot of things that people go through it is because of their karma, not because they are a bad person, but some deeds they might have done in the past may have tarnished their soul. The thing is when we are born, the family we are born into teaches us the values and traditions and religion that we are born into, we grow up believing what is thought us by our families, because that has been followed through generations. How would someone know any better than what they are thought, if they believe in it completely. And what is your insight on other religions that do not follow Bhagvada Gita, what happens their? How are they to realize God or salvation?

 
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