Daily Devotion -Mar 7, 2026 (English)- Guru Mystery
Devotee's question - Maharaj Ji, can practicing devotion to the Guru alone lead to God-realization?
Shri Maharaj Ji's answer -
One can attain God by practicing devotion to the Guru alone or by practicing devotion to both God and Guru, considering them to be the same. However, devotion to God alone cannot lead to God-realization. The advantage of practicing devotion to both God and Guru is that if we commit any transgression due to our material intellect, we cannot leave the shelter of God. Eventually, upon recognizing our mistake, we will also surrender to the Guru.
Yogamaya is God's personal power. Even saints receive this power and perform their work through it. This power has the unique quality of allowing saints to perform worldly actions while maintaining their divine personality. For example, Arjun and Hanuman Ji committed millions of murders but had no hatred towards anyone; they saw their beloved deity in everyone.
Yogamaya is a divine power through which saints can do what they want (kartum), do what they don't wish to (akartum), or perform actions contrary to logic (anyatha kartum). We cannot comprehend this 'doing the opposite' because we cannot do actions contrary to logic. We cannot, for example, see with our ears or hear with our eyes. Our experiences follow worldly rules. But God and saints work with that divine energy, Yogmaya, which is infinitely powerful and defies the laws of nature and logic. So, those with philosophical knowledge understand that anything is possible for Saints. It is natural for them, though impossible for us. When we reach that level, those actions will also become naturally possible for us.
So, obtaining philosophical knowledge is essential first. Once that is attained, practicing devotion to the Guru alone is sufficient. Just as we view God's actions as divine pastimes, we'll understand the Guru's actions as divine pastimes. We will not even try to apply our intellect. Where things are beyond our intellect, we should not use our intellect but instead surrender it. How can our worldly ideas apply in God's realm when India's laws can't apply in Russia or America?
It is because we cannot understand the workings of Yogamaya that we have met countless saints in countless lifetimes but have become separated from them by committing Namaparadh. For example, Haridas brought alms for Gauranga Mahaprabhu from an 80-year-old woman, treating her as a mother. Yet Mahaprabhu renounced him even though Haridas had no ill intention. His offense was disobeying the Guru's instruction. And the same Gauranga Mahaprabhu told Nityananda to marry twice, while he himself had left his wife. Now, even if a person with the intellectual level of Brihaspati tries to understand this, they'll go mad. Attaining God will become possible only when we stop applying our intellect to the saints. The saints' actions are beyond the comprehension of the intellect.
Recommended books by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj related to this topic:
