More Than a Whisper
Initiating a disciple by whispering the Guru Mantra into the ear is mere deception. Ask those who practice this: what is so special about your mantra? If they claim that it possesses extraordinary power, then the moment it is whispered into someone's ear, that person should immediately attain God and experience infinite bliss.
When a person touches even a small electric wire carrying current, the entire body shakes. If divine bliss were truly bestowed in this manner, how could one feel nothing at all? Instead, one's condition continues to become even more miserable after initiation.
Thousands of mantras are found in scriptures such as the Bhagavatam, and anyone can read and chant them. But what will that accomplish by itself?
To understand the true meaning of initiation, consider this example:
Suppose you install electrical wiring throughout your house and connect bulbs, fans, and other appliances. After everything is properly set up, you request a connection from the powerhouse. As soon as electricity is supplied, the lights turn on, and the fans begin to run.
But if there is no wiring in the house, where will the powerhouse send the electricity?
Similarly, before receiving true initiation, you must practice devotion and purify your mind. Through sincere devotional practice, the impurities and vices accumulated over countless lifetimes are gradually destroyed. When the mind becomes purified, even if someone hurls a thousand insults at you, you will remain unaffected. Only noble thoughts arise in a purified mind.
However, Maya still remains. At that stage, the Guru uses the divine power of Swaroop Shakti to transform the purified mind into a divine mind. Once this happens, the veil of Maya is removed, and divine love enters the heart forever. This alone is true Deeksha (initiation).
Question: Why have we not yet reached the stage where we no longer become angry over minor issues?
Shri Maharaj Ji's answer -
Madhusudan Saraswati, a great devotee of God, once performed Govardhan Parikrama in Vrindavan but did not receive the vision of Shri Krishna. He continued his parikrama for a long time. When Shri Krishna finally appeared before him, Madhusudan Saraswati turned his back toward Him in anger and asked why He had taken so long to appear.
Shri Krishna then showed him a mountain of his sins and said, "You had accumulated so many sins. I could come only after they had all been burnt to ashes."
Similarly, you have accumulated sins over countless lifetimes. It takes time to cleanse the impurities gathered over an infinite number of births. Moreover, you are not doing your sadhana properly. Simply singing kirtans and performing aarti without Roopdhyan is not sufficient. How many tears have you shed in longing for God?
You have heard and read that God resides within your heart and is present everywhere, yet you do not truly accept this truth even for a single hour out of twenty-four. You still feel that your thoughts are private and think, "No one knows what I am thinking."
Instead, accept your own shortcomings and reproach yourself. Merely listening to lectures and performing kirtan and aarti with pride, without practicing Roopdhyan and without shedding tears of heartfelt longing for God, cannot be called true sadhana.
True Sadhana is this -
Understand the value of this rare human birth and its temporary nature -
- Shed tears of love and longing for God.
- Constantly feel the presence of God with you everywhere and at all times.
In every lifetime in which you have obtained this rare human body, you have been careless about these two things. Your mind has remained attached to the material world. However, if you practice devotion correctly and continuously, you will certainly attain your goal one day.
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