Question: You said that one may either practice devotion to both God and the Guru, considering them as one, or even practice devotion to the Guru alone and still attain the goal. However, if one practices devotion only to the Guru, meditating on the Guru’s form may be difficult.
Shri Maharaj Ji's Answer: Even if meditating on the Guru's form is somewhat difficult, it is not a matter of concern whether you visualise God or the Guru's form with complete clarity. This depends upon one's own will. However, two things are essential:
i) Within that form, there should be the sentiment of the Guru
ii) Along with that, the Guru's actions - the way he has behaved with you, and all those memories - will be helpful.
Therefore, attachment develops more quickly toward the one whom you can perceive directly, i.e., the Guru.
If the Guru has embraced you even once, the thought repeatedly arises in the mind, "I am a sinful soul of endless births and certainly not worthy, yet he, who embraces Shyamsundar, embraced me!" This increases love and purifies the mind. God cannot be perceived directly, so in the beginning, you neither receive His darshan nor His embrace, which naturally makes it more difficult.
Recommended books by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj related to this topic:
Unveiling the Saints - English
Question: You said that one may either practice devotion to both God and the Guru, considering them as one, or even practice devotion to the Guru alone and still attain the goal. However, if one practices devotion only to the Guru, meditating on the Guru’s form may be difficult.
Shri Maharaj Ji's Answer: Even if meditating on the Guru's form is somewhat difficult, it is not a matter of concern whether you visualise God or the Guru's form with complete clarity. This depends upon one's own will. However, two things are essential:
i) Within that form, there should be the sentiment of the Guru
ii) Along with that, the Guru's actions - the way he has behaved with you, and all those memories - will be helpful.
Therefore, attachment develops more quickly toward the one whom you can perceive directly, i.e., the Guru.
If the Guru has embraced you even once, the thought repeatedly arises in the mind, "I am a sinful soul of endless births and certainly not worthy, yet he, who embraces Shyamsundar, embraced me!" This increases love and purifies the mind. God cannot be perceived directly, so in the beginning, you neither receive His darshan nor His embrace, which naturally makes it more difficult.
Recommended books by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj related to this topic:
Unveiling the Saints - English
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