Mental Remembrance of God Results in Attainment of Divine God

Question : Our mind is material and all it can think, see and hear are only material matters. Then how can the remembrance of God provide a divine result of God realization?

Answer: Man dhyan mayic Govind Radhey, kintu Hari vako phal divya dila de “Since the human mind is material, meditation done by the material mind is also material and hence should deliver material results. However, the ever merciful Lord, bestows divine results for the material sadhana done by the mind”.

Explanation: God is Omniscient and merciful. He is well aware that the souls, those under the bondage of Maya, have a material mind. Capabilities of this material mind is so limited that, with this mind neither can they comprehend all aspects of the material world nor can they know the soul. Then knowing anything divine will definitely be out of reach of these material minds. Hence Supreme God, who is divine, is far beyond the reach of mind.

As the Vedas say –
“The Supreme Soul – God governs Maya, Maya governs the souls. The soul empowers the intellect. The intellect governs the mind and the mind governs the senses”.

Since Maya is an obstruction between the soul and God, soul would have to get rid of Maya in order to attain perfect bliss which is God. But that is impossible since God Himself controls Maya. Then how does this verse claim that our material mind can award divine result? Let us reflect on this issue. The soul is the master. It is divine. It does not perform any actions. It however is ever desirous of attaining perfect bliss. The intellect, mind and senses are made of Maya, hence are material. They provide their unalloyed services to the soul. The mind is the primary doer- the performer of actions. It thinks and presents various options to the intellect and based on the information provided, the intellect takes a decision. The intellect then communicates the decision to the mind and the mind to the senses, who then perform their respective actions. The results of those actions are then perceived back through the senses, sent to the mind, through the mind to the intellect and through the intellect to the soul. The soul, being divine, rejects the material objects and happiness and the quest remains. Since mind is the doer, it is given the utmost importance in the divine realm. Mind can perform all actions without the support of physical senses.

For instance, in dreams we perform numerous actions and even those that are physically impossible for us to do in our wakeful consciousness. For example, in our dreams, we can fly without wings, travel to the other countries without a visa or ticket and even go to outer space in a fraction of a second. Sometimes we enjoy the association of someone or enjoy the place we are in, at other times we feel scared, feel physically hurt and even feel frightened when an enemy is trying to kill. Since mind is the worker at both the times the sentiments and experiences while dreaming are no different than in real life. Since mind is the sole doer, God pays attention to ONLY those actions, which are performed with the attachment of mind. If you are saying your prayers and your mind is wandering in the world, God notes that you indulged in worldly activities during that time. All the scriptures assert the same So it is imperative that mind has to be attached to God.

Apart from the soul there are only 2 other entities; God and Maya. If mind is not attached to God then it is definitely attached somewhere in the realm of Maya. Only when mind is attached to God, it is called devotion, bhakti or sadhana. God is Omniscient, Omnipresent and causelessly merciful. He is our father, He is our real well – wisher and He is gracious. So gracious that after killing demons for their hideous deeds, He sent them to His own divine abode! His grace is the reason why innumerable souls have already realized Him and we too can realize Him. The merciful God knows that material beings cannot know Him with their material mind. Hence, He made a corollary to His rule. If individual beings, who are controlled by Maya, engage in mental remembrance of God and He considers that to be true remembrance of the true God. He, being all knowing, knows when a being’s mind is fixated on Him and is calling out to Him.

So according to the intensity of our call, He comes closer to us. Due to His merciful nature, He bestows grace though a saint. The saint gives practical and theoretical instructions on how to enhance meditation and sadhana. Sadhana guided by a genuine saint helps to replace material attachments with attachment to God thus purifying the mind. This purification of mind can happen in a fraction of a second or take many lifetimes based on the earnestness of the seeker. The spiritual master also bestows his grace according to the earnestness. The greater the earnestness the faster is the rate of purification of mind.

Jagadguroottam Shri Kripalu Mahaprabhu says- “All you need to do is accept Him as your every own, and learn to yearn for Him. He is seated in the heart and He knows everything. If you do so He will gratify you.” Just as we can’t see through a glass coated with a thick layer of smoke, even though God is present everywhere at all times, we cannot see Him due to the veil of our material attachments. As the layers of smoke are removed from the glass the view becomes clearer. Similarly, as we practice devotion the material attachments reduce and divine attachment increases bringing God closer to us. When the mind is free of all material attachments, then the Guru bestows divine power and makes it divine. Then he bestows divine love. From that point on, we can see God, hear God and experience His bliss forever. So, our job is to follow the instructions of Guru and increase our desire to see God for real. For now we have to use our imagination to visualize His divine form, but be assured that one day the merciful God  will turn this imagination into reality.

The effort we expend to do sadhana is not futile. The Bhagvat says That’s why Guru is essential and the most important factor of life. We have to practice devotion ONLY according to his instructions. He would remove all the dust and enables us to see God. “We bow down to the lotus feet of Guru. He vanquishes the utter dark of ignorance and applies the collyrium- stick of knowledge, opens our eyes and enables us to see light“.

By following these three simple steps
1. Take shelter at the lotus feet of a God-realized soul.
2. Learn the easiest and realistic method of practicing devotion.
3. Remember God with each and every breath and increase intentness to meet God. Anyone can attain bliss.

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