The people of this world, and even those of heaven, cannot comprehend the Vedas merely by reading them. Therefore, out of kindness towards the souls of Kaliyug who have very little memory, knowledge, and short lifespans, the creator Brahma churned the Vedas three times (bhagavān brahma kārtsnyena 'triranvīkṣya' manīṣayā), extracting their essence and encapsulating it into a single sentence -
'Attach your mind to God.'
Focus on the two keywords - 'attach' and 'mind'.
Do not say, "My mind is not getting attached to God." When the mind becomes naturally attached to God, it is called 'siddhi' - the perfected state of devotion. Making a conscious effort to attach our mind to God is called sādhanā - preparatory devotion. Natural attachment comes later; practice comes first.
In every task we have undertaken in life, we practised first - only then did we reap the results. From learning the alphabet to acquiring all the knowledge we possess today, everything has been achieved through practice. Nothing happens automatically. If someone appears to succeed effortlessly, then they must either be a God-realized saint or God Himself. A person may spend an entire lifetime trying to master a single language and still not acquire complete knowledge of it. No one in the world has perfect mastery over even one subject. How, then, could someone become all-knowing across all disciplines within a span of just a hundred years? It is impossible. People become experts in different fields to some extent. This means that someone is ignorant in one subject while others are ignorant in another. From this perspective, everyone is ignorant. "Ignorant" means one who does not have direct knowledge. For example, a doctor may know how to treat a patient but know nothing about engineering. From an engineer's perspective, that doctor would be considered ignorant.
Thus, Brahma, the creator of the universe with immense intellect, churned the Vedas three times (triranvīkṣya) and extracted their essence. He said, "Renounce all other knowledge. Whoever understands that the mind must be attached to God is a true gyani, even if they haven’t even seen the Vedas, let alone read them."
During the time of Gauranga Mahaprabhu, there was a devotee who recited the Gita without knowing Sanskrit. His pronunciation was garbled and incorrect. A scholar overheard him and complained to Mahaprabhu, saying, "He does not pronounce even a single verse correctly." Mahaprabhu called the devotee and asked, "Did you recite the Gita?" The devotee replied, "Yes." Mahaprabhu then asked, "Do you understand its meaning?" The devotee said, "No, I don’t." Then Mahaprabhu asked, "Then why do you recite it? What do you think of while reciting?" The devotee replied, "I simply visualise Shri Krishna sitting below, instructing Arjun, who is seated above on the chariot, to keep his mind attached to Him while fighting the battle of the Mahabharata."
Mahaprabhu then turned to the scholar and said, "You are a great lecturer on the Gita. Tell me, what does the Gita teach beyond this?" Thus, one must understand the essence of knowledge.
Brahma has revealed to us the essence of the Vedas: 'attach your mind to God.' Yet, the world fails to grasp this simple truth. Some merely recite words, some read the scriptures, others chant, travel to holy places, or sing kirtans loudly. But these are all physical actions - no one attaches their mind to God. If our mind remains attached to the world, even if we engage in physical acts of bhakti, it cannot be considered true devotion, for we have not grasped the essence of the Vedas. Therefore, just by attaching your mind to God, you can be considered a scholar of the Vedas because the Vedas contain nothing beyond this single instruction.
The Vedas contain 100,000 mantras –
80,000 mantras of karma kāṇḍ (rituals),
16,000 mantras of jñāna kāṇḍ, and
4,000 mantras of upāsanā kāṇḍ.
Comprehending each mantra and resolving apparent contradictions in them is a task that even Saraswati and Brihaspati cannot accomplish - muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ. This is because the Vedas have a unique characteristic - they use words whose literal meanings differ from their intended meanings. For example, words like 'jiva', 'ākāsha', 'prāna', 'prakriti', etc., are used in different places, but their intended meaning is God. Without discerning the implied meanings, one cannot truly grasp the Vedas. Ultimately, all the mantras of the Vedas direct the mind towards God - sarve vedā yatpadamāmananti।
By continuously practising to attach the mind to God, it will eventually become attached to God. If your mind does not attach to God, it simply means you have not made sufficient effort. The more effort you invest, the closer you will come to success. Conversely, without effort, the mind will never become attached to God.
Hence, practice is essential. "Abhyāsena tu Kaunteya" - only through practice can we accomplish our goal.
Recommended books by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj related to this topic:
Prem Ras Siddhanta- English
Practise Powerful Meditation - English
The people of this world, and even those of heaven, cannot comprehend the Vedas merely by reading them. Therefore, out of kindness towards the souls of Kaliyug who have very little memory, knowledge, and short lifespans, the creator Brahma churned the Vedas three times (bhagavān brahma kārtsnyena 'triranvīkṣya' manīṣayā), extracting their essence and encapsulating it into a single sentence -
'Attach your mind to God.'
Focus on the two keywords - 'attach' and 'mind'.
Do not say, "My mind is not getting attached to God." When the mind becomes naturally attached to God, it is called 'siddhi' - the perfected state of devotion. Making a conscious effort to attach our mind to God is called sādhanā - preparatory devotion. Natural attachment comes later; practice comes first.
In every task we have undertaken in life, we practised first - only then did we reap the results. From learning the alphabet to acquiring all the knowledge we possess today, everything has been achieved through practice. Nothing happens automatically. If someone appears to succeed effortlessly, then they must either be a God-realized saint or God Himself. A person may spend an entire lifetime trying to master a single language and still not acquire complete knowledge of it. No one in the world has perfect mastery over even one subject. How, then, could someone become all-knowing across all disciplines within a span of just a hundred years? It is impossible. People become experts in different fields to some extent. This means that someone is ignorant in one subject while others are ignorant in another. From this perspective, everyone is ignorant. "Ignorant" means one who does not have direct knowledge. For example, a doctor may know how to treat a patient but know nothing about engineering. From an engineer's perspective, that doctor would be considered ignorant.
Thus, Brahma, the creator of the universe with immense intellect, churned the Vedas three times (triranvīkṣya) and extracted their essence. He said, "Renounce all other knowledge. Whoever understands that the mind must be attached to God is a true gyani, even if they haven’t even seen the Vedas, let alone read them."
During the time of Gauranga Mahaprabhu, there was a devotee who recited the Gita without knowing Sanskrit. His pronunciation was garbled and incorrect. A scholar overheard him and complained to Mahaprabhu, saying, "He does not pronounce even a single verse correctly." Mahaprabhu called the devotee and asked, "Did you recite the Gita?" The devotee replied, "Yes." Mahaprabhu then asked, "Do you understand its meaning?" The devotee said, "No, I don’t." Then Mahaprabhu asked, "Then why do you recite it? What do you think of while reciting?" The devotee replied, "I simply visualise Shri Krishna sitting below, instructing Arjun, who is seated above on the chariot, to keep his mind attached to Him while fighting the battle of the Mahabharata."
Mahaprabhu then turned to the scholar and said, "You are a great lecturer on the Gita. Tell me, what does the Gita teach beyond this?" Thus, one must understand the essence of knowledge.
Brahma has revealed to us the essence of the Vedas: 'attach your mind to God.' Yet, the world fails to grasp this simple truth. Some merely recite words, some read the scriptures, others chant, travel to holy places, or sing kirtans loudly. But these are all physical actions - no one attaches their mind to God. If our mind remains attached to the world, even if we engage in physical acts of bhakti, it cannot be considered true devotion, for we have not grasped the essence of the Vedas. Therefore, just by attaching your mind to God, you can be considered a scholar of the Vedas because the Vedas contain nothing beyond this single instruction.
The Vedas contain 100,000 mantras –
80,000 mantras of karma kāṇḍ (rituals),
16,000 mantras of jñāna kāṇḍ, and
4,000 mantras of upāsanā kāṇḍ.
Comprehending each mantra and resolving apparent contradictions in them is a task that even Saraswati and Brihaspati cannot accomplish - muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ. This is because the Vedas have a unique characteristic - they use words whose literal meanings differ from their intended meanings. For example, words like 'jiva', 'ākāsha', 'prāna', 'prakriti', etc., are used in different places, but their intended meaning is God. Without discerning the implied meanings, one cannot truly grasp the Vedas. Ultimately, all the mantras of the Vedas direct the mind towards God - sarve vedā yatpadamāmananti।
By continuously practising to attach the mind to God, it will eventually become attached to God. If your mind does not attach to God, it simply means you have not made sufficient effort. The more effort you invest, the closer you will come to success. Conversely, without effort, the mind will never become attached to God.
Hence, practice is essential. "Abhyāsena tu Kaunteya" - only through practice can we accomplish our goal.
Recommended books by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj related to this topic:
Prem Ras Siddhanta- English
Practise Powerful Meditation - English
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