Throw out the myth that you love God!
By Vivek Sharma
You cannot receive knowledge from your Guru without his love for you. You can love Him only when He loves you. Keep it straight! Till then keep making efforts to earn His love.
Krishna has been making this principle public through out his discourse—the Bhagwad Gita, however, we have not taken a cue from it at all and still think that Bhagwan Bhakt Ke Vash Mein Hota Hai. This thought is doing more harm to people than good. This is coming straight from a selfish heart, believe it or not. Some great saints, who have said it and observed it, only used it to motivate devotees but the devotees have taken it literally. The saints fully well know in their hearts that God loves you out of His sheer choice and that no amount of your merit can make Him love you. He loves an ant and an elephant. He calls the most villainous, naughty children His very own too. He decimates them when they become the cause of social chaos, hitting people’s faith and belief systems and spreading all sorts of anti-social activities.
What God loves
Let me reiterate to you what Krishna has said during His Discourse 12 and hinted at it in other discourses too. It is that heroic courage, which makes you say, “I am all yours, My lord as there is none but You.” It appears to be a simple statement at first sight, but it has profound dimensions which embrace all spiritual paths. The person who utters it must have had the experience that there is none but God all around. The one who sees One all around, sees not himself, his or others as separate entities. Out of this realisation comes the inference "I am all yours”, because he knows everybody is His own. But, he is thankful that all don’t know this fact and that Lord has opened his eyes to it as His choice and hence he is all His. Now the choice of God only opening this person’s eyes is with God alone. The person maybe a common man, a fool, a famished fakir or a rich person, when He reveals them certain facts of life, they would per force say, “ I am all yours”. This is not a surrender of a weakling, but a realisation of the fact by a speaker. Renunciation, Bhakti, Yoga and Gyan and whatever paths you conceive will have the follower this simple realisation. The same sentence maybe uttered by a selfish coward when caught in his own web and has no option left to justify his actions. Well, neither I nor you can judge the genuineness of the utterance by such a person. But, God has this privilege to judge and open his eyes to the fact that we have discussed.
In Discourse 9, He says, “
अपि चेत्सुदुराचारो भजते मामनन्यभाक्।
साधुरेव स मन्तव्यः सम्यगव्यवसितो हि सः।।
Even if the most degraded one worships Me with none-else-but You (भजते मामनन्यभाक्) emotion, he should be considered a qualified person (साधुरेव स मन्तव्यः) as he has rightly resolved and come to a determined conclusion (that there is none but Me. सम्यगव्यवसितो हि सः) .
Did you notice what Krishna is saying here? He is busting the myths of qualifications and reaffirming that the one who comes to the conclusion that there is none but God, accidentally, through a process or circumstantially, is His choice. So keep all your standards of qualifications to yourself. It is God’s choice which matters not yours! He doesn’t consider what merit you have. He only considers, as He says, whether you are bold enough to say “I am yours”. Well, that does involve cutting off ties with your wife, kids, friends and all for Him ( I will explain it in some other blog as to what it really means). Can you take this bold step? Meera Bai did take this step. Kabir Das Ji another one and there are many like them and many will come in future also.
Duryodhans' Choice
It is not that God doesn’t give all their chance. He does, but majority of people find themselves and their own more important than God. I call them Duryodhans. They are only led by selfish desires, fuelled by their associations. God gives them an opportunity and He knows what they will choose. Krishna had called Duryodhan and Arjuna together to make their choices who wants what. The choice was between Krishna and His army. Krishna asked Duryodhan first. But, he went for Krishna’s army as he thought Krishna alone was no good. But, Arjuna had no option but to choose Krishna. He was glad to do so as he knew-where Krishna is there victory is!
Well, Krishna did give Duryodhan a fair opportunity to make his choice, and willed Arjun to choose Him. Both followed His will. He made this choice as Duryodhan would often compare himself with Arjuna and envy the latter. Krishna gave him the opportunity to choose the best and get ahead in his own game of one-up-manship. But, he failed there too. Because, Krishna didn’t will it. What I am trying to say is that nothing happens without God’s will. But, if you are bold enough to leave all aside for His love, He is there for you. He loves the courageous.
Had Duryodhan inferred “I am all Yours, O Lord,” the Mahabharat would have ended then and there and the Pandavas would have lived peacefully with the Kauravas ever after.
Courageous Ravan
Ravan was courageous. He inferred, “I am all Yours, O Mahadeva, You are my life, You are My death. You are Mahakaal . You cannot die and so won’t I.” The first part was his honest realisation and the second part was his desire not to die. God didn’t go for merit, but his realisation and granted him what he wanted. He brought out a social change in Sri Lanka. Everybody was rich and well supplied for. The city was of gold. He did carry out a massive social welfare. What else? There was nothing else to be done as far as his kingdom was concerned. He couldn’t die either. He wanted to get rid of it all, some say and hence, challenged God Himself after subduing all the Devi devatas. God granted him his wish and relieved him of his mortal cage. The last words he uttered was—Raaaam! So God may grant your boon but He has His own ways to undo it! Nothing happens without His will.
Arjuna’s example.
Krishna chose Arjuna as His instrument of change. However, he was no better than Yudhisthir in wisdom, Bheem in power of execution and Nakul and Sahdeva in swordsmanship and astrology in anyways, if you consider merit as the criterion of God’s choice. He was an excellent archer, but, again, not better than Ekalayva and Karna. He was all shaken up when he faced the Kaurava army with Bheeshma and Drona heading it. He gave up his best weapon and chose not to engage in the battle, forgetting that fighting for the Pandavas’ right was his way.
He kept arguing with God like commoner, justifying why he should not fight. Krishna says nothing. In Discourse 2, Krishna gives him a piece of his mind and says Arjuna was acting like a eunuch, acting like a fool and talking like a gyani. These words can only come when God is intimate with you and wants your welfare any which way. Arjuna finally bows to Krishna and pleads Him to guide him like a Guru, saying यच्छ्रेयः स्यान्निश्चितं ब्रूहि तन्मे शिष्यस्तेहं शाधि मां प्रपन्नम्।।It means —O Krishna! Tell me for sure what is good for me, I am your student, please teach me.”
This is how God put his students in a situation and then generates the demand for knowledge and guidance in them. Practically, from here Krishna teaches Arjuna like a teacher, saying now and then that he is dear to Him and hence He is revealing wisdom to him. This intimacy is not the effort of Arjuna, but the choice of Krishna. Following shlokas reveal this choice of Krishna to impart even the most secret knowledge to Arjuna. I have given essence and not word meaning in order to convey its central idea and not to translate like a Sanskrit pandit. So get what it leads to and means.
स एवायं मया ते अद्य योगः प्रोक्तः पुरातनः।
भक्तोसि मे सखा चेति रहस्यं ह्येतदुत्तमम्।। ४/३
Today I reveal this mystery of original yoga to you as you are My devotee and friend.
ज्ञानं तेहं सविज्ञानमिदं वक्ष्यम्यशेषतः।
यज्ज्ञात्वा नेह भूयोन्यज्ज्ञातव्यमशिष्यते।।७/२
I tell you knowledge with science, knowing which you will not have anything to be known .
इदं तु ते गुह्यतमं प्रवक्ष्याम्यनुसूयवे।
ज्ञानं विज्ञानसहितं यज्ज्ञात्वा मोक्ष्यसे अशुभात्।। ९/१
I tell you this secret knowledge with science knowing which you will get rid of ominous negativity.
भूय एव महाबाहो श्रुणु मे परमं वचः।
यत्तेहं प्रीयमाणाय वक्ष्यामि हितकाम्यया।। १०/१
Hear again from Me O Arjuna My supreme knowledge which I am revealing to you for your welfare as you are dear to Me.
मया प्रसन्नेन तवार्जुनेदं
रूपं परं दर्शितमात्मयोगात्।
तेजोमयं विश्वमनन्तमाद्यं
यन्मे त्वदन्येन न दृष्टपूर्वम्।। ११/४७
I have revealed to you out of sheer compassion this effulgent form of Mine through My power which has not been seen by anybody except you.
परं भूय प्रवक्ष्यामि ज्ञानानां ज्ञानमुत्तमम्।
यज्ज्ञात्वा मुनयः परां सिद्धिमितो गताः।। १४/१
I declare to you again, O Arjuna, which is supreme among all knowledges, knowing which Munis achieve supreme dimension
इति गुह्यतमं शास्त्रमिदमुक्तं मयानघ।
एतद्बुध्वा बुद्धिमान्स्यात्कृतकृत्यश्च भारत।। १५/२०
Arjuna I have revealed to you the secret knowledge which will make you gain intelligence and power to implement it.
दैवी सम्पद्विमोक्षाय निबन्धायासुरी मता।
मा शुचः सम्पदं दैवीमभिजातोसि पाण्डव।।१६/५
Wealth of brilliant knowledge sets one free and that of anti-knowledge bind one down. But don’t worry Arjuna, you have brilliant wealth.
सर्वगुह्यतमं भूयः श्रणु मे परमं वचः।
इष्टोसि मे दृढमिति ततो वक्ष्यामि ते हितम्।।१८/६४
I have revealed to you Arjuna the secret of all secrets, hear it out again, telling you as you are dear to Me and have firm focus in Me.
It is upto God who to give wisdom to. He has given a brief idea about His choice in Discourse 12. But, again, the last word lies with Him. Nothing is greater than Him, not knowledge, not yoga, not Bhakti , not gyan. Only courage appeals to Him and He gives you His Midas touch with a smile. So keep your yogic degrees and Sanyasi credentials in your back pocket. God alone loves who He wants to and you love Him as if you have initiated it! Ha ha ha ha. I know many mental structures will demolish with it. So be it!
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