POEM

.......तू इतना सुन्दर क्यूं है....................
.................क्यूं मै इतनी पागल हूँ.......... 
.......कमल से कोमल नैयनो से...............
.................क्यूं मै इतनी घायल हूँ..........
.......तेरी मंद-मंद मुस्कान सच है.............
.................या है यह मेरी कल्पना...........
...... सामने भी तू ही हैं ना......................
.................या है खुली आँखों का सपना....
.......श्यामल-श्यामल तेरा चितवन...........
.................या बादल कही छाया है..........
........तेरे अधरों ने कहा है कुछ................
.................या कानों ने मुझे भरमाया है...

How To Do Roop Dhyan - 10 Steps

Roop Dhyan (Devotional Meditation), The Essence Of Devotion

Roop Dhyan (devotional meditation) is the core practice of bhakti. 'Roop' means the form and 'dhyan' means to remember or meditate upon. So 'roop dhyan' means to affectionately remember the form of Radha Krishna.

The reason this is so important is that to purify the mind, it must be attached to Radha Krishna. Those moments we spend remembering Them purify our mind; this is the purpose of doingbhakti. As our mind purifies, we will enter into bhao bhakti (when the feeling of affinity for Radha Krishna stays in the heart all the time). When our mind is fully purified, we will receiveprema bhakti (the ultimate Divine Bliss) through the Grace of God and Guru.

If we are not remembering Radha Krishna, then the bhakti we are practicing will be an empty physical practice. It will not purify the mind. Thus, we should learn how to do roop dhyan.
Practice Roop Dhyan (Devotional Meditation) – 10 Steps



1 Close your eyes and form an image of Radha Krishna (one, the other, or Both together). You can take the help of a picture of Radha Krishna for your imagination, but you should form your own mental image of Them according to your own liking of features and decorations.
2 If you have difficulty forming an image of Them, open your eyes to look at the picture, then close your eyes and try again.
3 Imbue your imagined form with Divine feelings. Know that Radha Krishna are omnipresent, so They are also in your imagined form. Feel that real Radha and Krishna are before you, because, in fact, They are.
4 Use all of your senses: see Radha Krishna before you; hear the sound of Their voice, anklets, or Krishna's flute; smell the fragrance of Their flower garlands and the oils They wear, etc.
5 Feel a deep relationship with Radha Krishna. Know that you are eternally related to Them. You can feel that you are Their child, and They are your mother and father; or feel that you are Their servant, and They are your loving masters; or feel that They are your best friend; or feel that They are your own child and you are Their mother or father; or feel that They are your Divine Beloveds.
6 You can perform some service to Them in your meditation, like fanning Them, offering food or drink, decorating Them with beautiful ornaments, etc. You can talk with Them, walk with Them, and play with Them.
7 Meditation can also include Their Divine abode: imagine that you are sitting in a most beautiful Divine garden of Vrindaban abode, Yamuna river is flowing nearby, the weather is pleasant and the atmosphere is filled with the divine perfume of uncountable kinds of fragrant flowers that are blooming all over Vrindaban.
8 You can remember any leela of Radha Krishna that you have heard described; or invent your own leela – there is no restriction. You can also join in the leela.
9 You can sing or listen to kirtan (chanting) while doing roop dhyan. Kirtan that describes the form of Radha Krishna, Their decorations, Their qualities, Their leelas, or Their abode can help to guide your meditation. Read more on "Why we do kirtan"
10 You can also meditate with open eyes, while beseeching Radha Krishna to appear before you in Their Divine form. Try to feel humble, and sincerely long for Their vision while shedding tears for Them.

What's in an Idol?

Swami Vivekananda, was once the guest of the king of Alwar. During their talks, the king told him he disliked people who worshipped statues made of stone, metal and wood, because they had nothing to do with God. There was an oil painting of the king on the wall behind the throne. Vivekananda took it down and asked a courtier standing by to spit on it. The nervous courtier refused to comply. Then Vivekananda asked the king to do the same. He too was taken aback.

Vivekananda then asked the assembly why they were hesitating, since the painting was just an amalgamation of colors and not a representation of the king? Nobody had any answer. He then explained that the devotee does not worship the metal or the stone. The representation is just a medium. The believer pays homage to the creator through the representation. Belief is what counts.

Difference between Krishna and Demigods

Krsna who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes. 

A devotee of the Lord Krsna is never controlled by such deputed demigods, who function as assistants of the Lord, but he shows them all respects on account of the responsible positions to which they have been appointed by the Lord. At the same time, a devotee of the Lord does not foolishly mistake them to be the Supreme Lord. Only foolish persons accept the demigods as being on the same level as krsna, actually demigods are all appointed as servants of Krsna

Lines by Jagadguru

An advanced devotee who shed tears for God and his heart has intense longing for God and who burns in the fire of seperation, is lovingly blaming God for burning his heart and making his eyes shed tears in a loving shayari: 

Mere Dil Mein Rehta Hai, To Phir Kyon Jalaata Hai?
Aray Dushman Akal Ke, Apna Bhi Koi Ghar Jalaata Hai?

You live in my heart, then why are you burning it in the fire of seperation?
Are you crazy? Does anyone burn their own house? 

Meri Aakhon Mein Rehta Hai, To Phir Kyon Rulaata Hai?
Aray dushman Akal Ke, Apna Bhi Koi Ghar Dubaata Hai?

You live in my eyes, then why are you making me cry?
Are your crazy? Does anyone drown their own house?

What's Sanyas? Breaking the Myth

Sanyas means to live a God-centered life and not a world-centered life. It means not to get entangled in the seen, but to seek the unseen. It is a declaration that in truth, life is not restricted to the momentary bubbles that arise in the constant ebb and flow of time. Life is eternal. It is not sandwiched between birth and death; it existed even before birth and will exist even after death. Thousands of births and deaths may occur but the stream of life flows on, uninterrupted. To know that which is unbroken, eternal and beyond time is sanyas.

In sanyas, things just drop effortlessly; one does not have to give them up. Once a lamp is lit, you need not give up darkness. In the same way, when the flame of love rises, one's grip on all those things that are worthless in life is released. The hands loosen on their own; things drop automatically. Therefore, the emphasis of sanyas is not on giving up but on holding on to God.

Sanyas means love for God. It is defined as renouncing the world, but I say sanyas is rising in love with God.

Taken from "The Speaking Tree"

What is Namaparadh? - The most dangerous offence!

‎1. What is namaparadh?
2. How do we, the sadhak, know when we have done a namaparadh ?
3. How do we attone for namaparadh?

1. Namaparadh (spiritual transgression) means any kind of negative thinking about God, God's name, God's leelas, God's Divine abodes, or God's Divine Saints. Namaparadh can be committed by saying something negative, listening to something negative, reading something negative, or just thinking something negative. Namaparadh is more serious than an ordinary social sin (like lying or stealing). Social sins are generally punished in the next life when the person receives some kind of suffering as a result. Such sin also creates a negative sanskar (subtle imprint) on the mind, which makes the person more likely to have such sinful thoughts again. The effect of namaparadh is received instantaneously. It pollutes the mind, creates the worst kind of sanskar, and blocks the mind from being able to understand spiritual philosophy or feel the bliss of the Divine name. It also restricts the flow of Grace which the devotee is receiving from his Guru. It means that the Guru is still trying to Grace the devotee, but because of the devotee's wrong thinking, the devotee is unable to receive the Grace or experience it.