Daily Devotion -Apr 17, 2026 (English)- The Real Mistake
The Correct Spiritual Practice to Attain Your Goal -
Every living being desires the divine bliss of God. And to attain that divine bliss, each living being has been making an effort every moment since eternity. However, due to a lack of genuine spiritual knowledge, they are unable to engage in the correct spiritual practice. Consequently, they fail to attain the goal of divine bliss.
You possess two faculties -
- Karmendriya, the sense organs of action, and Gyanendriya, the sense organs of perception or knowledge, and
- the mind.
Accordingly, there are two types of devotion:
- Sāsang Bhakti - Devotion performed with loving remembrance of God in the mind, while also engaging the senses.
- Anāsang Bhakti - Devotion that lacks love for God in the mind and is performed only through the senses. In other words, it is the action done mechanically without the engagement of the mind.
Because your mind has become deeply attached to the material world through endless contemplation over countless lives, you have been practicing Anāsang Bhakti. This is your only mistake. Even after gaining philosophical understanding from saints, your mind struggles to become attached to God due to a strong attachment to the world. As a result, you fail to engage in Sāsang Bhakti. Consequently, your mind is not getting purified, and the impressions of sins and virtues from countless past lives cannot be eliminated.
You do not shed tears out of deep yearning to attain God. And it is through tears that the mind is purified - everyone should memorize this statement.
bina roye kina pāiyām, prema piyāro mīta -
Without shedding tears, the mind cannot be purified. Moreover, these tears must be selfless. Many people often cry over worldly issues, but such tears yield nothing. It is this worldly attachment that prevents the mind from turning toward God.
Therefore, Shri Maharaj Ji says -
rūpadhyāna prāṇa sama, and similarly Mahaprabhu Ji said - manera smaraṇa prāṇa.
The essence of devotion is remembrance through the mind. All other spiritual practices that do not engage the mind are like a body without a soul; that is, they are lifeless. Any practice which does not involve the mind is futile - God takes no notice of such practice. You may continue to engage the senses in kirtan, bhajan, worship, or recitation, but it is imperative that your mind be attached to God.
Place Shyamsundar before you and lovingly contemplate His divine form with your mind. Wherever you go, first seat Shyamsundar within your heart, and then proceed. After every half an hour, pause for a moment and feel that He is seated within you. Contemplate God again and again in this manner. As you repeatedly attach your mind to Shri Krishna, who is the very ocean of bliss, it will gradually begin to love Him.
People become so attached to this poisonous world that they say, "I can’t give up tea or alcohol; I’d rather die." But when the mind becomes attached to God and experiences even a trace of divine bliss, you will feel ecstasy. You will tremble and shed tears of love for Him. Once you have tasted even a glimpse of that bliss, you will say to Shri Krishna, "Try leaving my heart if you have the courage."
Therefore, wherever you are, keep contemplating God's divine form with your mind. Visualise God in any age or adorn Him with any ornaments you wish. You don’t need any money for this, as you do it all with your mind.
So firmly resolve that your mind will remain attached to God. This is the supreme spiritual practice. This is devotion. This is knowledge. This is action. This is everything.
And practice Roopdhyan - lovingly visualise the divine form of God. You will attain your goal once the divine form is established in your mind.
Recommended books by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj related to this topic:
