Devotion on Day 3 of Radha Shyam ki Katha Bhagwati at Manchester

This Katha is the form of Radha Krishna. Radha Krishna is the divine couple. Radha and Krishna are inseparable. The Pothiji is Krishna and its cover is Radha. Lord Krishna’s yellow dhoti (pitambar) is Radha. Radhaji is golden hued whilst Lord Krishna is the colour of dark clouds filled with water. The main cloud is Krishna and the lightening is Radha. The showers of grace from this divine couple will save our lives from going bad.

Sanskrit is the language of Gods. Its grammar is perfect and it contains no silent words. Hence, Sanskrit is the most computer friendly language in this world.

Shrimad Bhagavat is the literal form of God. It has 12 cantos related to the 12 body parts of God:

Canto 1 is his right foot, Canto 2 is his left foot, Canto 3 is his right arm, Canto 4 is the left arm, Canto 5 is the right thigh, Canto 6 is the left thigh, Canto 7 is the right palm, Canto 8 is the right chest, Canto 9 is the left chest, Canto 10 is the heart, Canto 11 is the forehead, Canto 12 is the left palm.

As Jai Jai Shri explained, when bowing to Shri Radha Krishna, first you touch the left foot. By doing this, you are gaining permission to touch Lord Krishna’s feet. Then you touch the right foot which is Lord Krishna’s foot. Then you once again touch the left foot through which you express gratitude to Radhaji.

There are many sects in Hinduism and some people complain that this is confusing. Do you complain of the variety in a menu at a restaurant? Many sects are a facility to choose the path of our choice to worship God. These sects are the richness of Sanatan Dharma.

To walk on the path of devotion, a little aversion combined with a little attachment is required. In devotion, the best state is that of addiction for Krishna. Gopis are Krishna addicts. Why are youngsters ruining their life on drug addiction? Get addicted to devotion. Aversion basically means not mine and not for me. Whatever I have is God’s and for God. I am simply the trustee of everything I have. For householders, the path of devotion is the best. Gopis had not left their family or home. However, they were attached to Krishna and detached from the material world.

Ved Vyasji starts Bhagavat with mangalācharan. Mangalācharan means to remember God whose conduct is auspicious. Mangalācharan is also done in the middle and end of Bhagavat. Similarly, start your day with worshipping God in the morning. Say Narayan four times or Hanuman Chalisa when you leave home. Then when you have your lunch time meal, offer it to God.

God says in Gita, whatever you do, eat, all your actions, offer it to me. This way, you will be alert with the actions you do and the type of food you eat.

Pujya Bhaishri then said: A house within a house, within another house in which lives Damodar. The big house is the universe. In this house is our home. In our home is our body in which lives Damodar. Our body is a temple that God has made to live in. We must maintain its purity.

Thirdly, remember God when sleeping.

When you are attached to the body and other relations, the consciousness gets trapped at the time of death even though the body has died. The soul is trying to communicate with the relatives not to cry but the relatives cannot hear as the soul is not in its gross body. The longer the life span without satsang, the stronger the attachment, thus the stronger the fight for the soul to leave the body leading to a painful death. For a devotee, God Himself arrives at the end of the devotee’s life rather than the messengers of death.

This is why suicide is the most foolish act, because the soul still experiences its presence even though the body is dead. Spiritually, suicide is a sin.

God is beyond logic. Do not try to prove God with reasoning. He is a matter of faith. Parvatiji symbolises the intellect. Lord Shiv is the soul. When will the intellect become faith? Through Satsang. The more we listen, the more it transforms to faith. This will then give rise to Ganapati (knowledge). When knowledge manifests, experience is gained. Then God will not be only a matter of belief. You will have experienced God. Hence the reason why we perform spiritual practices.

This body is extraordinary. It is the most expensive house that we live in. Do you know you live with God in it? He is with you every moment. He can see us but we cannot see Him despite Him residing in our heart. We run outside for bliss, peace and happiness when this is inside us. In fact, you are peace, bliss and happiness. Recognise your true form. Bhagavat enlightens us with this knowledge.

Shrimad Bhagavad starts and ends with Satyam Param Dhimahi. We concentrate and pray to the Supreme Truth who: creates, preserves and destroys the existence, is omnipresent, enlightened Brahma with the knowledge of Vedas and removes illusion through his light.

Through this Katha, let us try to become eligible like a child, to get a spark of enlightenment to experience God. Seeing our thirst and effort, God will shower his grace upon us.