Swami Nikhilanand Ji emphasizes the importance and accessibility of bhakti (devotion), asserting that it is the only way to attain God and is the ultimate goal of every soul. Despite life's challenges or modern distractions like family obligations or living in the age of Kaliyug, we are in a relatively privileged position and must make an effort because if we don't, who will?
To inspire further, he shares several quotes from scriptures:
Shri Krishna values His devotees more than even Divine figures like Brahma, Shiv, Lakshmi, or even Himself..
Prahlad says that even a low-born person with true devotion is more beloved to Krishna than a high-born Brahmin with virtues but without devotion.
Lord Ram expresses a similar sentiment, saying that someone with devotion, no matter their status, is dearer to Him than Brahma.
Innocent, faithful love for God is what matters most. To practice bhakti in daily life, Swami Nikhilanand Ji suggests acquiring tattvagyan (spiritual knowledge) and integrating Radha Krishna into one's family life, not just as deities, but as true members of the family, felt deeply in the heart.
Swami Nikhilanand Ji says he will explain in two aspects: theoretical and practical.
Theoretically, we see family as those related to our physical body (parents, siblings, children), but spiritually, we are not the body; we are atma, or Divine souls. True transformation and peace come from realizing our soul identity and understanding our true, Divine relationships. This spiritual knowledge is essential for shifting from a material life to a meaningful spiritual one.This isn’t just a theory. This idea was the focus of a whole series of 103 deep lectures by Maharaj Ji called “Who am I and Who is Mine?” The key message? If we want to turn our messy, chaotic lives into something more meaningful and spiritual, we need to know who we are, a soul, and live like we believe it. Right now, most of us just have the right answer in our heads (“I’m a soul”) but live like the opposite. Kind of like a thief who knows stealing is wrong, but still goes and steals. It’s not enough to know, we’ve got to live it.
That said, he reminds us: Don’t use this as an excuse to ignore your responsibilities to your physical family. Even on the spiritual path, we still have duties to fulfill. Swami Nikhilanand Ji emphasizes that no matter how attached we are to our lives, relationships, and belongings, we will ultimately have to leave them behind. Whether it's when we pass away or through other life changes, the reality remains that all material things are transient. He urges us to accept this truth now.
Swami Nikhilanand Ji says, “So we make the knowledge firm (we are soul and our true relation is with God) and then the practical side pretty much takes care of itself.” Practically, while realizing we are souls with Divine connections, we must still fulfill our worldly duties and responsibilities. Recognizing our spiritual identity doesn’t mean neglecting our physical family or obligations.
The key to integrating spiritual practice into daily life is deeply internalizing spiritual knowledge. Just as we always find time to eat and sleep because our body demands it, we must learn to recognize and respond to the needs of our soul, which longs for connection with the Divine (Radha Krishna). By making Radha Krishna a true part of our inner family, we will naturally make time for spiritual practices, like kirtan and meditation, just as we do for other essential activities.
Swami Nikhilanand Ji concludes by emphasizing that devotion is not about finding extra time but about integrating it into our daily lives. It’s about determination to make devotion a priority. Through constant reflection on the knowledge of the impermanence of the material world and the eternal nature of the soul’s relationship with Radha Krishna, we can begin to shift our focus.
Memorable Quotes from the Discourse:
"That's how we're supposed to live in this world. None of this is mine. It's temporary. It's borrowed."
"If we understand that I am not the body. I am the soul. My true beloved, my true friend, my true mother, father, everything is Him."
"Until we start to feel related to Him (Krishna), we're not going to make time for Him."
"When you're cooking, you'll cook for Them. And then you'll also have your family eat the prasad, but you cooked for Radha Krishna."
"When you clean your house, you'll clean for Them (Radha Krishna) because They live in your house. They're a member of your family."
"Before you go to sleep at night, you'll think, just like I tuck the kids in and tell them a bedtime story, let me also spend a few minutes with Radha Krishna."
"When you're driving in the car, instead of listening to talk radio or something like that, you'll put one of Maharaji's speeches on and make that devotional time."
"But of course it all depends on our knowledge. So we make the knowledge firm and then the practical side pretty much takes care of itself."
"You don't skip out on eating and sleeping, right? You find time for those things because your body is so important to you."
"But quite often we ignore our soul and we're deaf to the cry of our soul that's crying out for Radha Krishna."
"Then we'll also carve out time in our schedule. Just like when you have two kids and the third kid is born to you, you carve out time in your schedule so that child gets what they need."
"It's a matter of us wanting to make it happen, gaining the appropriate knowledge, taking that knowledge to heart and revising it again and again, rolling it over in our mind again and again, developing that loving attachment for Radha Krishna and making Them a part of our family and a part of our life."
"So we see that it's possible. It's not even difficult. It just takes determination. That's it."
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