Daily Devotion - July 28, 2025 (English)- Neglected Treasure

A Devotee's Question - Despite receiving all forms of divine grace from God and Guru, why are we unable to progress swiftly towards our goal?
Shri Maharaj Ji's answer -
The reasons for this are:

1. Not realizing the value of the human body
   The first grace of God is that you have received a human body. Yet, you have never truly reflected on its value. Millions of insects live a pitiful life in ditches. An animal in the jungle dies of hunger and thirst or is killed by stronger predators. It can do nothing about its fate. You witness this, and you have suffered such lower births in previous lives. But even after attaining this rare human form, you continue to make the same mistake - you do not realize the importance of the human body.

Instead of valuing the human body, you waste your life making excuses about studies, careers, and family obligations, believing that you will finally focus on God only after becoming free from these responsibilities.
But what does it mean to be 'free'? It means to be liberated from maya. And what have you done to attain that liberation?

God has given you three things to achieve your spiritual goal: the body, the mind, and wealth. How much of these have you truly used in His service? Reflect on this sincerely, in solitude. How much have you given? No one can claim they have nothing to offer. Even beggars have something.

When Madan Mohan Malviya was building Banaras Hindu University, he asked everyone - from kings to beggars - for donations. While the kings gave large sums, a beggar once offered his entire day's earnings of five annas. Seeing this, Malviya embraced the beggar and wept, saying, "You gave all that you had. Now my university will be built." He then asked, "Have you eaten?" The beggar replied, "No, but that's okay. I'll eat tomorrow. You are such a great man, and you asked, so I gave everything."

Meanwhile, our country also has ten or twenty billionaires. But they are unaware of the philosophy. They think they will remain this way forever. No one can challenge the transient nature of the human body - it's here today, gone tomorrow. Just as no writing is allowed after exam time ends, no actions can be performed after death. Your miserable condition is the result of your own negligence.

1. Not realizing the value of meeting the right spiritual guide and attaining true philosophical knowledge, and not practicing devotion.
   Out of seven billion people, how many are fortunate enough to receive complete knowledge about who they are, what their true goal is, and what must be done to achieve it? Perhaps not even seventy million. Many are only partially aware as they received limited opportunities for a saintly association. Others strive sincerely but follow incorrect practices because their guide is wrong.
   For example, some spend their lives reciting the Gita and the Ramayan, or mechanically chanting with beads, all while their attachment to the material keeps growing stronger. Their Guru never taught them that devotion performed only with the senses is not true devotion. It is the mind that must be attached to God and the Guru.

You are very fortunate that, as a result of virtuous deeds in past lives, you met Shri Maharaj Ji. He made tireless efforts to impart complete knowledge to you. Yet, despite receiving this knowledge, you fail to make progress. Why is that? Because -

1. Applying the material intellect and committing nāmāparādh
   You apply your material intellect and spoil everything. Initially, you follow the scriptures and the Guru's guidance, but soon your worldly intellect takes over, and you lose everything. This is nāmāparādh - a serious spiritual offense that prevents you from moving forward in devotion.

Hen kṛṣṇa-nāma yadi laya bahu bāra।
Taba yadi prema nahe, nahe aśru-dhāra॥
Tabai jānibe aparādh āchhe pracura।

God has filled His infinite powers in His name, and has not placed any restrictions on chanting it. Yet, even after chanting the divine name countless times, if tears of love for God and Guru do not flow from your eyes, it means you have committed numerous nāmāparādhs. Nāmāparādh means harboring negative thoughts about God and the Guru.

True surrender means ānukūlyasya saṃkalpa: - to only have favorable thoughts about Them. Not even once should a thought arise against God and Guru. Your mind should be filled only with favorable thoughts of God and Guru. This is surrender.

1. Not accepting that God resides in your heart
   Just as in this world, you strongly feel that "this is my mother" or "this is my father," similarly, you have not firmly accepted that God resides in your heart and constantly observes your thoughts, both good and bad. Had you maintained this awareness, you would never allow impure thoughts to arise. You would remain alert out of fear, thinking, "God is taking note. How will I receive His grace?"

So, what should you do now?

Pay close attention to this point: to remain alert at all times, you must practice, just as you remain careful while driving. This won't happen instantly. For countless lifetimes, you have developed the bad habit of applying your material intellect to everything. That's why God told Arjun - abhyāsena tu kaunteya, vairāgyeṇa ca gṛhyate. Therefore, think and practice repeatedly.

Observe how careful a driver is while driving in a city: i) They constantly remember their destination.
ii) They stay alert to vehicles from the left, right, front, and back. This alertness is essential; otherwise, they might die in an accident.

You must be equally alert. This impure mind is your worst enemy. Do not trust it. It misguides you. It teaches wrong knowledge. It turns you away from God and Saints and leads you toward worldly relations - mother, father, son, wife, husband - falsely calling them your own, rather than God and Guru.

You didn't even know how to roll over when you were born. You learned it only through practice. Similarly, you practiced sitting, standing, and walking - even after getting hurt many times, you kept going. Only through repeated effort did you succeed. In the same way, recognize that your mind is your enemy and stop listening to it. Attach your intellect to the intellect of the Guru and scriptures, and follow their instructions. Through persistent practice, even the most notorious sinners have become saints.

There would be no one more deeply attached to his wife than Tulsidas. Once, he became so desperate to see her that he traveled to his in-laws' home to meet his wife. He didn't even have the patience to knock on the door and wait for it to be opened. Instead, he climbed up using a snake that hung from the wall. He did not fear death - the snake could have turned its head and bit him. Seeing him, his wife scolded him, saying, "You climbed up using a snake! If only you had loved Shri Ram this much, you would have attained Him." That one sentence changed everything. Tulsidas immediately renounced the world and began devotional practice.

Hence, your goal can be attained only through practice. Neither God nor Guru can do this for you. Even Uddhav, a great gyāni, was sent by God to the Gopis to surrender and learn divine love from them. God Himself said, “I cannot bestow divine love directly. Everything must be received through the Guru.” The Guru will grace you according to the extent of his authority. Beyond that, it is you who must practice.

Therefore, everything can be achieved only through practice.

Recommended books by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj related to this topic:

Guru Kripa - English

Guru Kripa - English Ebook