A devotee attains eternal happiness by chanting the divine name of God with the knowledge of its majesty and divinity. He attains the divine abode of Akshardham. Shreeji Maharaj assures us about this. The image that is received from the Acharya should be worshipped with faith and trust like a faithful married woman worships her husband. We should concentrate and meditate upon the image of God. We should worship our personal God.
We should be firm in devotion like great Sati Parvatiji:
(I will do penance for one hundred years. Either I will marry Lord Shiva or will die unmarried.)
Just like the oath of Parvatiji, our faith in the image of God should be firm and matured.
There are four kinds of people on this earth; Pamara (insignificant), Vishayi (slaves of the sense objects), Mumukshu (aspirants) and Mukta (released souls.)
Who is insignificant? One, who earns through unethical means and spends it immorally is an insignificant soul. He never donates, never salutes God, and never attends any pooja sessions or religious lectures. He concentrates on money and money making. He dislikes saints and temples. Such souls are insignificant.
Who is a slave of the sense objects? He who earns through ethical means but spends it for personal pleasure. He is happy with his life, enjoying only the sense objects. He is not interested in donation, punyas, pooja, sacred-reading, saints or Brahmins. He himself consumes his wealth for his own personal pleasure. He never thinks beyond his physical being – his body. His spiritual domain is null and void. Such a soul is a slave of the sense objects.
Who is an aspirant? One who desires earnestly to relieve himself from the shackles of the world is a true aspirant.
Who is a released soul? He who is free from the ties of wealth and women. He has merged himself in the devotion of God and helps others to do devotion. He has renounced women and wealth. He is free from the ties of the world. Such is a released soul.
(They cannot live for a fraction of a second without darshan of Vrajraj – Balkrishna. They roam street-to-street and lane-to-lane without any shame in search of Balkrishna.)
It is very easy to forget the world. In the state of sound sleep, we forget the world, but the world surrounds us again, when we return to waking state. Our brain and mind flows with the thoughts related to the householder world.
The remembrance of Lord Purushottam Narayan should rise and the remembrance of the world should diminish. Nirodh (restraint) is a constant state, wherein one forgets the world and remembers God. The Gopis do not forget God for even a second. Sadguru Brahmanand Swami lived at such a spiritual plane. He lived lived happily, constantly engrossed in the divine image of Bhagwan Swaminarayan. He cannot live without darshan of God. Sadguru Brahmanand Swami Sings:
(My heart and soul is at peace. My mind is attached to the flute of Lord Shree Krishna. I cannot detach from it for even a while.)
A true devotee cannot bear separation from God. The householder world permits us to chant the names of God but permits not the entry of God in our heart. A hearty japa purifies our mind and soul.
Power of Constant Concentration in God
Shree Parvatbhai of Agatrai lived constantly concentrating in the blissful form of Shreeji Maharaj. His thoughts were immediately translated into action, as soon as he thought of anything. Once he thought about the incarnation of Nrisimha with curiosity about that incarnation. As he thought so, all twenty-four incarnations manifested in front of him and merged one after another into divine image of Lord Purushottam Narayan. God lives forever with the one who worships heartily the image of God.
Nath Bhagat of Vadodara was a true devotee of Shree Hari. When he performed his worship, God himself manifested before him to receive pooja from his favoured soul. Swami Vyapakanandji made a dead horse alive on strength and power of Shree Hari’s name. Similarly, he awarded the lease of new life to the dead son of a Brahmin. These are the examples of divinity and majesty of Shree Hari’s name.
(They cast their impatient eyes at the forest, houses, pathways and orchards and look impatiently at the water of Yamuna to do darshan of Shree Krishna. They are restless for darshan of Shree Krishna.)
Carrying earthen pots on their head, the Gopis remember Krishna when they fetched the water of Yamuna. They discuss amidst themselves the charms of Bal Krishna. They narrate amongst themselves the curly hairs, his colourful peacock feathers, his flute upon his lips, his earrings in the shape of a crocodile, his yellow pitamber and his tinkling anklets. They desire darshan of Balkrishna accompanying mother Yashoda.
As soon as they desired this, they found Bal Shree Krishna at the riverside. They ran to him and hugged him heartily. Their minds were attached to Shree Krishna. Balkrishna was actually present there long before to fulfil their wishes:
(Darling Balkrishna stands at the bank of Yamuna. His charmful image sits in my heart. He has saffron paste upon his forehead. He has won my eyes and my sight is lost in his blissful image. I love his curved eyebrows. I will go to him even leaving my domestic chores.)
The Gopis weep and cry profusely when they don’t see Shree Krishna. The Gopis are like Sanyasis of divine love. What did the Gopis have? They had love - selfless love. One, who lives within God’s love, is a Sanyasi. The Gopis are happy in love with Balkrishna.
Pada - 1
The ways of love are unique. Only a lover, bound by such love, knows much about it. Others have no idea about it. A Chakor (a bird by that name) loves the moon. There is no end to the pains of a Chakor, if the moon has not appeared. A fish loves water. Fishes convulse in pain and die instantly if they are deprived of water. Butterflies love fire. They jump into the flames and sacrifice their own life for their loved one. A Chataka (a bird by that name) loves rainwater. He drinks the water droplets from a raining cloud. The Chatak prefers death through thirst in the absence of rain. The Gopis are like those lovers. They cannot live without their God - Shree Krishna. Their attachment is firm.