A question stands before the entire world: Today, spirituality appears to be flourishing across the globe. There are countless temples, mosques, gurdwaras, and churches - each aligned with their respective religions, and all these places are filled with crowds of thousands. The Kumbh Mela draws millions. Religion is clearly visible everywhere, yet corruption continues to rise. Why is this? Does it mean that spirituality or matters related to God are mere imagination?
Shri Maharaj Ji's Answer:
Bhakti (devotion) is of two types:
- The first kind is performed through the senses.
- The second kind is performed with the mind.
Where do your thoughts or ideas arise from? The source of those thoughts is the mind. The mind is subtle - it resides within you. All good and bad, moral and immoral actions are governed by it alone. Devotion done through the senses purifies the senses. Devotion done with the mind purifies the mind. It is a very simple concept.
All actions are performed by the mind. The senses cannot function independently; they are merely instruments. When you dream, the mind travels outside. The senses remain inactive on the bed. The mind performs all the actions.
Therefore, the Vedas and scriptures say - "Mana eva manushyāṇāṁ kāraṇam bandhamokṣayoḥ" - The mind alone is the cause of bondage and liberation for human beings.
The mind is the main doer - it is what must be purified. It has been engaging in wrong actions since eternity.
What is a wrong action?
A wrong action is one that leads to suffering and results in sorrow. Everyone is suffering - whether billionaires, trillionaires, or even celestial gods. The empire of lust, anger, greed, and attachment rules even the swarg we praise. This is the result of wrong actions - of sins.
Therefore, the mind must be purified. But in today’s world, the process of purifying the mind - bhakti - is not happening in the true sense. Devotion is being performed only through the senses:
- Paath - Reading of scriptures takes place.
- Jap - Chanting of syllables is done.
- Pilgrimages - People march to the four dhams.
- Kirtan - Singing is done with the tongue.
All these are external actions performed by the senses.
Take a glass jar, fill it with dirty water, seal it, and immerse it in the holy Ganga. Let it remain submerged for twenty-four hours. After opening it, would you drink the water inside? No. Because the jar enclosed the filth. It never mixed with the holy Ganga.
You take a dip in the Ganga with your body. But where is your mind? Does your mind even know who Ganga is? Most people are only aware that this flowing water is known as the Ganga.
People go on pilgrimages. Is there some special or greater God present there? There are temples and mosques in every lane of your city. What, then, is so unique about pilgrimages?
Your mind must be attached to that Supreme Power - whether you call Him Bhagavan, Khuda, or God.
How many times in your entire life have you visited temples or pilgrimages and truly shed tears in your desire to attain God?
You have never done that. Just saying “Tvameva Mata Cha Pita Tvameva” with your mouth will only purify the mouth. You must purify the mind - the source of your good and bad thoughts.
What does every person in the world truly want?
Everyone will give the same answer: bliss. This has many names - happiness, peace, contentment, and so on.
How will that bliss be attained?
This is where confusion arises.
The common answer is: through worldly objects. Everyone believes that bliss can be gained from what is seen, heard, smelled, tasted, or touched - from material things.
How do those objects come to you? Through money. This is where the vehicle halts. Now, you no longer desire bliss; you desire money.
How will money come?
In any way possible - you just want money.
Now, tell me - how can corruption come to an end?
Ask any billionaire or trillionaire, "Have you ever attained bliss?"
If he responds honestly, he will say, "You are happier than we. We live in constant misery." Why?
- We suffer from more diseases than most people.
- We live in constant fear - fear that someone may harm us, or even kill us.
Everyone eats two rotis. A billionaire’s stomach isn’t larger. He doesn’t eat gold and silver instead of food. He merely decorates what God has already created. God smiles, "He has decorated My earth, but he cannot take it with him. It will stay here, and he will separately suffer punishment for the deceit he used to earn it."
First, he works tirelessly to accumulate it. Then, he is punished for it. He cannot even sleep without sleeping pills.
So the first decision you must make is this: There is no bliss in the world. Only then will corruption begin to come to an end. God created the world to sustain the body. Bliss is in God.
You are two entities:
- One is the inner self
- The other is the body
Who is the one inside?
When a person dies, the body remains here. You say, "My body, my mind, my intellect." None of these is you. The one to whom they belong resides within - they are invisible. Who is that "I"? That "I" is a part of God.
And who is God?
An ocean of bliss. That ocean of bliss is what your soul is seeking. But you look for it in the world and never find it.
You may have earned crores, billions, got a mother, father, wife, sons - you have had it all. But you never found bliss. Everyone thinks, "My mother is bad, my father is bad, my wife is bad", and so on. But no one is bad. Your intellect is bad. Bliss is not present here - so how will you find it?
That "I" is a part of God. God is yours. This "I" is a fragment of bliss, and God is the ocean of bliss. Just as all rivers flow to their source, the sea, the flame of a lamp rises towards its source, the sun, a lump of soil falls back to its source, the earth; similarly, this soul longs to return to its source: God. It yearns for divine bliss. But you give it bodily pleasures. This only increases the disease, just like pouring ghee on a burning fire intensifies the flame.
If you perform bhakti with the mind, the mind becomes purified, and you attain God's bliss. If your mind is attached to the world, you'll receive only what the world offers - sorrow, restlessness, and dissatisfaction.
In the world, everyone keeps hoping to find bliss through others - everyone is busy with their own agenda, thinking they'll receive bliss from someone or something. But when no one has bliss, what can anyone offer? Everyone is busy deceiving one another. Through lies and deception, you continue to commit sins in this hope. But you can never find bliss here. Not even Indra, the king of heaven, is free from this suffering. Even he desires to become Brahma "Brāhmam padam yāchate"
So, once it is firmly established in your intellect that:
There is no bliss in this world. This body is made of the five gross elements. The world is also made of these five elements - it is meant for the body. But God is meant for the soul. If you attach your mind to God, you will attain His divine bliss. If you attach it to the world, you will receive only what the world has to offer.
Bhakti or upasana in this world is being done through the senses - not the mind. You must place God before you and shed tears of love and longing.
Where is God?
God is so compassionate. If He were to say, "I reside only in the temple," then those without legs would say, "Grant us God-realization for free, as we cannot walk to the temple." So, He resides in everyone's heart.
God is not visible through these eyes. His words cannot be heard with these ears - these are all meant for the world.
God's actions are divine. His ears hear His words. His eyes see His form. His intellect imparts His knowledge. He gives it Himself.
But when?
When your 'mind' completely surrenders. When your attachment to the world becomes zero.
Currently, your attachment is distributed among fifteen to twenty people, including your mother, father, wife, husband, and so on. After death, your current mother will change. You have taken birth as dogs, cats, donkeys - every species. In every life, you have had different mothers, fathers, sons, and wives. This cycle has been ongoing since eternity.
So, run the world with your body. But for the soul, there is only God.
Call Him by any name, imagine any form. He is ready. Take His name anywhere. But do it with your mind. Place Him before you and cry out, "Please bless me. Grant me your vision. Give me your knowledge." Do not ask for worldly things.
Today, especially in India, temples are crowded because people believe their worldly desires will be fulfilled there. They expect wealth, or a child, and so on.
During Shri Krishna's time, the Kauravas surrounded the innocent Abhimanyu and killed him through deceit.
His maternal uncle - was none other than Lord Shri Krishna.
His fathe - Arjun - was the topmost among saints and a knower of the Gita.
His marriage was arranged by - Ved Vyas – author of four lakh shlokas and an incarnation of God.
Yet, no one saved Abhimanyu from dying. Everyone sat grieving. Couldn’t God or Arjuna bring him back to life?
No. No one could.
But today, people give ten thousand rupees to a priest, expecting him to chant a mantra and save their child. Will a temple or holy place alter your destiny, when even God cannot interfere with it? Impossible.
There is no concession for anyone, be it a saint or even God. Everyone must bear the consequences of their actions. No temple, mosque, or spiritual guru can change that. These are all illusions.
Therefore, do not fall for these deceptions. Firmly establish this knowledge in the mind that:
- Bliss exists only in God.
- You must love Him with your mind. Just as an intensely lustful man and woman become completely attached to each other in the world, you must love Shri Krishna with the same intensity, so much so that you cannot live without seeing Him.
If someone asks, "How can I attain God?"
The answer is: You attain Him only when you cannot bear to live without Him. No chanting, worship, rituals, or penance can replace that longing.
In our country, 99% of saints were illiterate - because they had no arguments, counter-arguments, or false reasoning. Dhanna Jat was given a stone and told, "God is in this," and he believed it completely. Meanwhile, we - who have learned a few letters - remain entangled in endless doubts, questioning every act of God and the saints. We never question ourselves.
Your intellect is still impure; it cannot reach that level yet. First, ask yourself: Why have I not attained my Lord even after infinite births?
God resides inside everyone and is everywhere – all religions affirm this. You don't need to go anywhere. If the world truly accepted this one truth, corruption would end. Because you would feel the fear: "I am thinking sinful thoughts - it will be recorded." After death, punishment will follow. If you truly believed that God is within you and watching, you would stop sinning. He does not delegate this to any saint - He notes it personally and gives the results.
Therefore, practice devotion with the mind. Then your mind will perform righteous actions. Even if you practice devotion through the senses for eternity, it will not bring about a change in corruption.
http://jkp.org.in/live-radio
Recommended books by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj related to this topic:
Sadhan Sadhya- Guru Purnima 2025
A question stands before the entire world: Today, spirituality appears to be flourishing across the globe. There are countless temples, mosques, gurdwaras, and churches - each aligned with their respective religions, and all these places are filled with crowds of thousands. The Kumbh Mela draws millions. Religion is clearly visible everywhere, yet corruption continues to rise. Why is this? Does it mean that spirituality or matters related to God are mere imagination?
Shri Maharaj Ji's Answer:
Bhakti (devotion) is of two types:
Where do your thoughts or ideas arise from? The source of those thoughts is the mind. The mind is subtle - it resides within you. All good and bad, moral and immoral actions are governed by it alone. Devotion done through the senses purifies the senses. Devotion done with the mind purifies the mind. It is a very simple concept.
All actions are performed by the mind. The senses cannot function independently; they are merely instruments. When you dream, the mind travels outside. The senses remain inactive on the bed. The mind performs all the actions.
Therefore, the Vedas and scriptures say - "Mana eva manushyāṇāṁ kāraṇam bandhamokṣayoḥ" - The mind alone is the cause of bondage and liberation for human beings.
The mind is the main doer - it is what must be purified. It has been engaging in wrong actions since eternity.
What is a wrong action?
A wrong action is one that leads to suffering and results in sorrow. Everyone is suffering - whether billionaires, trillionaires, or even celestial gods. The empire of lust, anger, greed, and attachment rules even the swarg we praise. This is the result of wrong actions - of sins.
Therefore, the mind must be purified. But in today’s world, the process of purifying the mind - bhakti - is not happening in the true sense. Devotion is being performed only through the senses:
All these are external actions performed by the senses.
Take a glass jar, fill it with dirty water, seal it, and immerse it in the holy Ganga. Let it remain submerged for twenty-four hours. After opening it, would you drink the water inside? No. Because the jar enclosed the filth. It never mixed with the holy Ganga.
You take a dip in the Ganga with your body. But where is your mind? Does your mind even know who Ganga is? Most people are only aware that this flowing water is known as the Ganga.
People go on pilgrimages. Is there some special or greater God present there? There are temples and mosques in every lane of your city. What, then, is so unique about pilgrimages?
Your mind must be attached to that Supreme Power - whether you call Him Bhagavan, Khuda, or God.
How many times in your entire life have you visited temples or pilgrimages and truly shed tears in your desire to attain God?
You have never done that. Just saying “Tvameva Mata Cha Pita Tvameva” with your mouth will only purify the mouth. You must purify the mind - the source of your good and bad thoughts.
What does every person in the world truly want?
Everyone will give the same answer: bliss. This has many names - happiness, peace, contentment, and so on.
How will that bliss be attained?
This is where confusion arises.
The common answer is: through worldly objects. Everyone believes that bliss can be gained from what is seen, heard, smelled, tasted, or touched - from material things.
How do those objects come to you? Through money. This is where the vehicle halts. Now, you no longer desire bliss; you desire money.
How will money come?
In any way possible - you just want money.
Now, tell me - how can corruption come to an end?
Ask any billionaire or trillionaire, "Have you ever attained bliss?"
If he responds honestly, he will say, "You are happier than we. We live in constant misery." Why?
Everyone eats two rotis. A billionaire’s stomach isn’t larger. He doesn’t eat gold and silver instead of food. He merely decorates what God has already created. God smiles, "He has decorated My earth, but he cannot take it with him. It will stay here, and he will separately suffer punishment for the deceit he used to earn it."
First, he works tirelessly to accumulate it. Then, he is punished for it. He cannot even sleep without sleeping pills.
So the first decision you must make is this: There is no bliss in the world. Only then will corruption begin to come to an end. God created the world to sustain the body. Bliss is in God.
You are two entities:
Who is the one inside?
When a person dies, the body remains here. You say, "My body, my mind, my intellect." None of these is you. The one to whom they belong resides within - they are invisible. Who is that "I"? That "I" is a part of God.
And who is God?
An ocean of bliss. That ocean of bliss is what your soul is seeking. But you look for it in the world and never find it.
You may have earned crores, billions, got a mother, father, wife, sons - you have had it all. But you never found bliss. Everyone thinks, "My mother is bad, my father is bad, my wife is bad", and so on. But no one is bad. Your intellect is bad. Bliss is not present here - so how will you find it?
That "I" is a part of God. God is yours. This "I" is a fragment of bliss, and God is the ocean of bliss. Just as all rivers flow to their source, the sea, the flame of a lamp rises towards its source, the sun, a lump of soil falls back to its source, the earth; similarly, this soul longs to return to its source: God. It yearns for divine bliss. But you give it bodily pleasures. This only increases the disease, just like pouring ghee on a burning fire intensifies the flame.
If you perform bhakti with the mind, the mind becomes purified, and you attain God's bliss. If your mind is attached to the world, you'll receive only what the world offers - sorrow, restlessness, and dissatisfaction.
In the world, everyone keeps hoping to find bliss through others - everyone is busy with their own agenda, thinking they'll receive bliss from someone or something. But when no one has bliss, what can anyone offer? Everyone is busy deceiving one another. Through lies and deception, you continue to commit sins in this hope. But you can never find bliss here. Not even Indra, the king of heaven, is free from this suffering. Even he desires to become Brahma "Brāhmam padam yāchate"
So, once it is firmly established in your intellect that:
There is no bliss in this world. This body is made of the five gross elements. The world is also made of these five elements - it is meant for the body. But God is meant for the soul. If you attach your mind to God, you will attain His divine bliss. If you attach it to the world, you will receive only what the world has to offer.
Bhakti or upasana in this world is being done through the senses - not the mind. You must place God before you and shed tears of love and longing.
Where is God?
God is so compassionate. If He were to say, "I reside only in the temple," then those without legs would say, "Grant us God-realization for free, as we cannot walk to the temple." So, He resides in everyone's heart.
God is not visible through these eyes. His words cannot be heard with these ears - these are all meant for the world.
God's actions are divine. His ears hear His words. His eyes see His form. His intellect imparts His knowledge. He gives it Himself.
But when?
When your 'mind' completely surrenders. When your attachment to the world becomes zero.
Currently, your attachment is distributed among fifteen to twenty people, including your mother, father, wife, husband, and so on. After death, your current mother will change. You have taken birth as dogs, cats, donkeys - every species. In every life, you have had different mothers, fathers, sons, and wives. This cycle has been ongoing since eternity.
So, run the world with your body. But for the soul, there is only God.
Call Him by any name, imagine any form. He is ready. Take His name anywhere. But do it with your mind. Place Him before you and cry out, "Please bless me. Grant me your vision. Give me your knowledge." Do not ask for worldly things.
Today, especially in India, temples are crowded because people believe their worldly desires will be fulfilled there. They expect wealth, or a child, and so on.
During Shri Krishna's time, the Kauravas surrounded the innocent Abhimanyu and killed him through deceit.
His maternal uncle - was none other than Lord Shri Krishna.
His fathe - Arjun - was the topmost among saints and a knower of the Gita.
His marriage was arranged by - Ved Vyas – author of four lakh shlokas and an incarnation of God.
Yet, no one saved Abhimanyu from dying. Everyone sat grieving. Couldn’t God or Arjuna bring him back to life?
No. No one could.
But today, people give ten thousand rupees to a priest, expecting him to chant a mantra and save their child. Will a temple or holy place alter your destiny, when even God cannot interfere with it? Impossible.
There is no concession for anyone, be it a saint or even God. Everyone must bear the consequences of their actions. No temple, mosque, or spiritual guru can change that. These are all illusions.
Therefore, do not fall for these deceptions. Firmly establish this knowledge in the mind that:
If someone asks, "How can I attain God?"
The answer is: You attain Him only when you cannot bear to live without Him. No chanting, worship, rituals, or penance can replace that longing.
In our country, 99% of saints were illiterate - because they had no arguments, counter-arguments, or false reasoning. Dhanna Jat was given a stone and told, "God is in this," and he believed it completely. Meanwhile, we - who have learned a few letters - remain entangled in endless doubts, questioning every act of God and the saints. We never question ourselves.
Your intellect is still impure; it cannot reach that level yet. First, ask yourself: Why have I not attained my Lord even after infinite births?
God resides inside everyone and is everywhere – all religions affirm this. You don't need to go anywhere. If the world truly accepted this one truth, corruption would end. Because you would feel the fear: "I am thinking sinful thoughts - it will be recorded." After death, punishment will follow. If you truly believed that God is within you and watching, you would stop sinning. He does not delegate this to any saint - He notes it personally and gives the results.
Therefore, practice devotion with the mind. Then your mind will perform righteous actions. Even if you practice devotion through the senses for eternity, it will not bring about a change in corruption.
http://jkp.org.in/live-radio
Recommended books by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj related to this topic:
Sadhan Sadhya- Guru Purnima 2025
Read Next
Daily Devotion - July 13, 2025 (English)- Bhakti’s Inner Science
Nārad Bhakti Darshan is a scripture comprising eighty-four sutras (aphorisms). Nārad Ji is a descendant of God. He was given the name 'Nārad' because: narasyedaṁ nāraṁ nāraṁ dyati iti nāradaḥ - He who destroys the ignorance of human beings and bestows Divine love is called Nārad. The Vedas
Daily Devotion - July 11, 2025 (English)-Miss This, Miss Everything
Remember these three principles at all times, in all circumstances - 1. You must worship two personalities - gurudevatātmā. One is Radha-Krishna, and the other is the Guru - both are your worshipable deities. Both are equal - yasya deve parābhaktiryathā deve tathā gurau - the Vedas say that to
Daily Devotion - July 9, 2025 (English)- An Embodiment of Guru Bhakti, Our Dear Badi Didi
Our beloved Badi Didi, who taught us the lessons of Guru Bhakti, Guru Seva, and Guru Nishtha, has today become the subject of our Roopdhyan. She held our finger and taught us to walk, showing us the path of Guru Bhakti. She was the one who explained to us the
Daily Devotion - July 7, 2025 (English)- Exclusiveness in devotion to your Guru
It has always been, is, and will always be our nature to seek happiness. Only Shri Radha-Krishna are the embodiment of bliss. Only by attaining them can we get bliss - there is no other path. Also, there are no means, such as devotional practice, yoga, penance, or sacrificial rites,