The bhakti yoga process actually guides us step by step, slowly, in a lifestyle that makes it so I can leave behind all the things that should be left behind and I can actually take into my life, embrace, embody the things that are going to really be good for me, the spirit soul.
It is a gradual process. For some people it is not so gradual. Why? Because in a past life they made big progress on this path. They take a birth in this life and they are way down the road. So when they come in contact with this again they are already well situated. For them things go very quickly. But that is not for everybody and it is pretty rare.
Many of us are just getting started. We have to start somewhere, right? If we are just getting started, it is a slow start often times. We are not convinced and we are struggling, and we have to give up this and that. And we think if I give it up I will not be happy. But we should ask, am I happy now because of it really? What am I giving up?
And the more we hear, the more we associate with people who are totally convinced of this truth, because they are themselves know it is true there more we can be guided properly. And the secret is devotional service, devotional activity. Acting in such a way that is pleasing to the Supreme Lord because it is His instructions, He tells us it is pleasing.
And this begins to establish a relationship. It is all about relationships, right. You do not have a relationship with somebody until you start doing something with that person. You have an exchange with yourself and that person. That is what relationship is, between two people there is an exchange, right?
That is why the secretary and the boss often times start off very strange. They do not even know each other. She is really dependent on the job, she does not care about the boss, except he is the source of her income, he writes the pay check, nothing more than that. But they associate, she does things for the boss, it is her job, but it is automatic association. He appreciates her work – automatic association. They come together more and more on a common platform which starts as business. But things change very dramatically and they start being attracted to each other. She is a nice person, he is a nice guy and they relate more and more on a different level, you see, a personal level. They are going to a few business trips together and the whole things cemented. They fall in love. It happens all the time. Was it supposed to? But it was just a normal sequence of relations.
Therefore when we associate with the Supreme Lord guided by Himself in the form of the Vedic teachings and the Spiritual Master we actually begin to cultivate a real relationship.
It is not some fantasy, it is not something we imagine in our mind, “Oh, I love God.” I hear this all the time. “I already love God. I love God so much. Oh, God, I love you so much.” And you look at the life they live and there is nothing to do with God. Because if you know the teachings of the truth you know a person who loves God does not do what this particular person is doing with their life. He says, “Do not do this with your life, this bring you closer to mammon, this will not bring you closer to Me. This takes you away.” So here is a person, “I love God” and they live an absolute opposite life. This is just fantasy. They are sentimentally attached to some idea, image or hope, or whatever it is, “It has nothing to do with Me.” This is not what we are talking about – just proclaiming our love for God, this has nothing to do with what we are talking about.
It is a condition of the heart. Love is a condition of the heart. If the heart is in a pure form it automatically will love God because that is the pure nature of the soul. It is a real simple thing. We purify our self, we become free of our contamination and illusion, attachments to the world in this way and this way, trying to find our happiness from the wrong sources, etc. And actually focus, project our loving propensity is on the Supreme Lord. Direct our love properly instead of misdirecting our love.
And automatically the purification takes place and the love appears just like a flower blooms in the spring time. It is just automatic, the flower does not have to work at it. It is spring time, it is in the ground, it is nourished by mother earth. The temperature is right, it grows up, it comes up and then – boom, beautiful flower appears. What did the flower do? It just follows this nature. So if we are guided in following our nature, not our lust contaminated nature which is what people often think is following their nature, but our true nature, and that takes guidance and help and assistance – we will be like that flower. Love will blossom in our heart.
It is not that kind of love that we may think it is. It is the deep satisfying fulfilling love, not the flickering surface, you know, sensational sensual pleasure “I love you tonight” love. I love you tonight, tomorrow it is all gone, I am sorry. This is garbage.
This is a big subject, this is a big endeavor, but so is life. Life is a big subject. It is the biggest subject. For us personally it is the only subject, right? What other subject is there? So this is where we should focus our attention. But not haphazardly, it must be properly guided, directed. That means we have to realize I cannot do it alone, I am not the guy, I need help.
The baby knows he needs help, he knows, “I cannot do this alone.” This living trip, “I cannot do it alone, I cannot walk, I cannot do anything. What can I do, I need help, I need protection.” And that is why he is so dependent on the mother, right? And the mother appreciates that dependency. One of the big troubles for the mother is when the kids grow up and leave home, and they are no longer dependant on mom. She is actually taking big pleasure from taking care of the kids. She likes it when she has to feed them, take care of them, protect them. When they all are grown up and gone it is like, wow, my life is empty. The husband – forget that guy, he is old just “faddy daddy”. So I get a dog or whatever. Somebody I can take care of.
This is real life. What we are talking about here is not appealing to many people to hear. It is not so popular and never going to make it on the number one position on youtube. But it can touch somebody’s heart and change their life forever, eternally. And that is our hope that it will be you, that it will be you.