This is a question about the Roop Dhyan. While doing the Roop Dhyan of Maharaj Ji, sometimes the focus changes into Radharani or Shri Krishna, you know, and again it comes back to Maharaj Ji, so is there anything wrong in that?
No, no, no, they're all one and the same, right? I've been hearing over and over that Guru, a true Guru, a true saint is Radha Krishna personified, Radharani also is Shri Krishna, Shri Krishna is Radharani, so all three are one. You can keep changing it. Our sanskars, our interest as to which form we'd like to meditate on is from our past sanskars, and sometimes we find more pleasure in just thinking about Radharani, its fine.
Sometimes we just want to think about Shri Krishna, meditate on the form of Shri Krishna, its fine. Sometimes only Maharaj Ji, fine. Look, we have never seen Radha Krishna, we see murti picture, there's no, this what actually Radha Krishna looks like is something different.
This is an artist's impression, an artist's sculpture. He's not divine, he does not know what God looks like, and these are all material things. Everything about God is divine.
So this is to help. In every particle of that murti, that picture, God is pervading, and we'll get the benefit. But we see Guru, we see Maharaj Ji, so it's easier to love something that you can see.
So it's easier to meditate, and the benefit is the same and even more, right? We cannot go directly to God, Radha Krishna, God gets angry, right? We have to put Guru first, all right? When someone loves a true saint, a true Guru, God gets, he becomes so happy, he says in the scriptures, one who worships me directly, he's not a devotee, he doesn't know anything. One who worship a devotee of mine, one who, a saint, he's a true devotee, I will come running. So you get double benefit by meditating on Maharaj Ji, on Guru.
You get better. Radha Krishna is happy, and of course, Guru is there, but you can keep changing, there's no problem, because they are one and the same. All the time, just keep in mind that they are one and the same, that's all.
Whichever form you like, you go ahead. Sorry. Go ahead.
You know, Maharaj Ji is, hello? Yeah, we're here, go ahead. Yeah, yeah. Maharaj Ji is, I understand Maharaj Ji's main mantra is, Maharaj Ji is putting more emphasis on Radhe, Radhe, Radhe mantra. Because of sanskar, you know, someone likes more Hare Krishna, Hare Ram mantra. How to come back to Radha Rani? Do you need to change anything?
Don't worry about it, right? The same Radha Rani, the same Krishna, the special thing about the name Radhe, that name is so special, that even Shri Krishna is chanting Radhe, Radhe. It is said that when Shri Krishna would go to sleep, every paw, from every paw of his body, this sound will come, Radhe, Radhe, Radhe, right? So, Hare Ram, Hare Krishna, Maha Mantra, Maharaj Ji loves to chant.
In the beginning, Maharaj Ji used to only chant Hare Bol and Hare Ram, Hare Krishna, all right? But since Maharaj Ji also wanted the world to know how special Radha Rani is, and this name Radha, so he started putting more and more emphasis. No one has clarified to the world and brought out the entity called Radha so clearly as Shri Maharaj Ji that the whole world is coming to know who is Radha, all right? But don't feel any problem. You like chanting Hare Ram, Hare Krishna, its fine.
That's also Radha Rani. Radha and Krishna are one and the same, all right?
Could you explain the significance of doing Aarti?
Okay, so Maharaj Ji wants us to do more Roop Dhyan, and so in the beginning there was not even Aarti, this came later on. But Aarti is very important.
The word Aarti comes from the word Arth, Arth, then Aarti. So Arth means someone is crying from the heart, they are calling, crying to God from the heart, with love, calling, I want to see you, I want to... So this is where the word Aarti comes from. So mostly in the world, Aarti is a physical thing.
But if we understand the true meaning of what Aarti is, so when we are put in that light, we are supposed to cry out to Radha, Rani, Shri Krishna. We just don't take a lamp and wave it. That time is only a physical action.
We don't get benefit from waving light before God. What is in our heart is more important. You don't even have to go and wave the light.
Everybody is there waving and you in your heart, you have a beautiful thali in your mind, in your heart. You have made a most beautiful plate, thali. You put so much beautiful flowers and gems and it's a beautiful Diya.
And you're doing Aarti in your mind, thus you get more benefit than the person who is physically doing the Aarti and he's not thinking about what he's doing or she is doing. So Roop Dhyan is most important. Whether we are doing Aarti, whether we are saying prayer, whether we are chanting, everything has to do Roop Dhyan and shed tears.
The only time we are truly doing Aarti, in our mind we are singing the Aarti of Radha Krishna, Radha Rani that she is sitting in Vrindavan, beautiful throne. We visualize that and there are two Sakhis, fanning her gently on the side and she, Krishna is very gently pressing her lotus feet. We actually see that and that will make you shed tears when you actually visualize that.
Then you're doing Aarti. Otherwise if I just take a plate and I'm waving like this, that's physical drill. You won't get any benefit.
So Aarti is very important. Once, I had just met Shri Maharaji, the very first year, first time and I'm staying in what is called Shri Krupalu Dham today but was Mangarh before and Shri Maharaji used to come in the morning and sit in the sun, in the early sun. Vitamin D, this was a regular practice of Maharaji.
So he would come and sit and we'll sit around him. Maharaji observes everything. So one pracharika who was sick came and did pranam to Maharaji.
Maharaji looked at her and said, hey why were you not in the Aarti this morning? Maharaji, I was very sick, I had headache. Maharaji said, the only excuse I accept for not taking part in Aarti is a death certificate. So much important.
Now Maharaji wasn't really scolding her. I have seen Maharaji in my own experience. I was sick and I was begging Maharaji to come out my room.
No, no, no. After three, four days and he allowed me to come out. But there are many other people who were not coming to the Aarti.
Nothing was wrong with them. But they stay in their room and thinking Maharaji doesn't know. So in order for them to understand how important Aarti is, Maharaji scolded the pracharika because she could take it.
If he had scolded some other satsangi, they may have left, they may leave and run away or get angry. So for them to understand, he scolded her. And for us to understand how important Aarti is, but we have to do it in the right way.
Roop Dhyan, shed tears while doing Aarti, then you are doing Aarti. Every word, know what it is meaning and visualize that. All right? Then we'll get the benefit.
If we just take a lamp and wave it, nothing. Okay? Thank you. Welcome.
Before you go, now many of us here also, in the Aarti in the morning, we sleep in our room. Right? Many, but few of us. And we think nobody knows.
You're here in the retreat, in Maharaji's retreat. This retreat is on because Shri Maharaji wants to bless in his grace. None of us, this is not how we're doing.
Not mine, not anybody. It's Maharaji's grace. And every benefit we are getting, Maharaji's grace.
Not me, not anybody. And that's why in a short while, we'll be doing Guru Poojan to give thanks to Maharaji that so much you have given us. We can't ever repay you.
But I am doing this as a small token of my appreciation of how much you've given to us. All right? So Aarti, whenever we, especially we attend in a retreat, etc., unless you're really sick, all right? Don't just keep sleeping and think I'll go after the Aarti. It's very bad.
Maharaji's looking, Radha Rani's looking. Yeah, next question.
I have a question about the relationship. So, especially we, Radha Krishna as a Thakur or Thakurani for Swami or Swamini. So is it Madhuryabhav or Dasyabhav?
Okay, with Shri Krishna, we can do, we go all the way up to Madhurya bhava with Shri Krishna. Dasya bhava, Sakhya, Dasya bhva, servant, master.
Sakhya bhava, friend, loving as a friend. Vatsalya bhava, parent, child. And Madhurya, lover, beloved.
But Madhurya is only for Shri Krishna. Even though Radha and Krishna are one, we should not do Madhurya with Radha Rani. Up to mother, especially she's our mother.
All right? But not Madhuryabhav with Radha Rani. But the form of Radha Rani, who is she? She made Shri Krishna for that reason. She created Shri Krishna for the Madhuryabhav.
All right? But with Radha Rani, ah, we can do servant if we want. We can do friend, Sakhi. She's my Sakhi.
And of course, she's my mother. My only and true divine mother. But not Madhurya.
Okay? Anybody else? Here, here.
Radhe Radhe, what does Albeli mean? Albeli, we say Albeli Sarkar Ki Jai.
Albeli is Radha Rani. Right? She's a colorful, the highest, beloved, colorful in terms of love, everything. So Albeli means Radha Rani. Albelo means Shri Krishna.
So when we address Shri Krishna, we say Albelo. Mostly Maharaj Ji says Albeli Sarkar, because Radha Rani is most important. They are one and the same, but you will always say Albeli Sarkar.
Right? Because it's Radha Rani. All right? Here, over here. Oh, somebody here too?
Radhe Radhe Bhaiya. So for Radhe Naam Jap, whenever, like listening to Maharaj Ji's lecture or any Kirtan is very easy. But when we, when I try doing Radhe Jap, then the mind just, you know, after few Jap, it just goes here and there. So how can we?
How do you do Jap? With mala?
I mean, not Jap, but Shwas.
So Shwas is Shwas. So look, we have to breathe anyhow.
Right? When we breathe, we deep, we inside, we take the breath in and then we breathe out. It's a natural thing. So all we have to do now is think.
Now, when we breathe in, just think, you don't have to say it. And when you breathe out, nobody has to hear, in your mind itself. When you have spare time, when you have free time, you're sitting in the bus, in the taxi, in the train, on the plane, nothing to do.
Man hi man, in your mind, just think. Don't keep checking. Right? This comes with practice.
You see the reason, look, everything takes practice. If we don't practice, then it becomes very difficult. Okay? So it comes with practice.
Right? So all we, we just have to start practicing. Whenever you have some spare time, you don't have anything to do, Shwas, Shwas, with your breath. Just when you breathe in, think Ra, you breathe out, think Dhe.
If you're alone in the home and nobody's there, then you can say Ra Dhe, Ra Dhe, Ra Dhe. But nobody has to hear. All right? So you can be anywhere.
You can be in the office, you can be in a plane, you can be in the train, anywhere. In your mind, you're breathing, you breathe in Ra, you breathe out Dhe. But if, this will only come automatically when we practice.
So start a little bit. Say, okay, today I'm going to do 10 minutes or five minutes breath meditation. All right? And then when that becomes, you got comfortable, increase it a little bit.
All right? So if you practice like that, it gets easier. If we never practice, it's going to be hard. Okay? So we need to practice.
That's all.
So for practicing, do we need to kind of like sit in a room because it's very difficult?
You don't have to sit anywhere. You could be walking, right? You could be out in the park, taking a walk, right? On the walkway.
You could be, as I said, in a taxi, you could be in the plane, you could be in the job and you have some spare time. Every time you have a little bit of spare time, just in your mind, Ra. That's all.
But then I start feeling bored. I mean, I shouldn't be saying that, but
its okay.
I mean, hearing a kirtan is much easier.
I know. But the thing is that Maharaj Ji wants us to have this Radhe Naam in our mind all the time. Let's suppose you're going somewhere in a taxi and the taxi crashes and you die, but in your mind you were doing Ra.
You know what's happened? Because you were doing Radhe Jaap, next life you will get human birth. Guarantee. Maharaj Ji said this.
All right? So that's why it's so important. We don't know when we can die. So keep doing Radhe Naam Jaap.
All right?
Oh, just in case I would ever get God realized, I don't know, just asking. If you were a little bit selfish, like say Kubja, and then if you're God realized, do you get a chance to keep getting more and more selfless? Or once you're God realized, that's it, you stay at that level?
Whatever you attain, once you attain God realization, that's it. You cannot go higher than that or lower.
Right? So whatever you have practiced, whether you practice Kubja, Kubja's love is glorified in the Bhagwat. But Maharaj Ji says, no, it's very dangerous. Because when you think Radha Krishna is doing what you want, you think Guru is doing what you want, Jai Ho, Jai Ho.
And the moment you think they don't do what you want, you're going to get depressed. And you may even leave the path and leave everything and become an atheist. So it's very dangerous, even though people have attained God like that.
So he wants us to do Nishkama only. It's our nature to be selfish, to want our own happiness. That's why this will come.
But we have to keep fighting the mind, fighting the mind. Only the happiness of the beloved, Tat Sukha Sukhitvam. Maharaj Ji wanted us to get the best, the highest.
And that's why he kept pushing this in our head. Nishkama, to be happy in the happiness of the beloved, not to want, not to have desire for one's own happiness. That way we get the highest.
Okay? So once you attain whatever you attain, that's it. Can't change anymore. All right? Then you will repent, oh, I met Maharaj Ji and I could have become a Gopi and I'm a Kubja.
I only get Prema Bhakti. I cannot go higher. The lowest I'm going to get.
And then you can't do anything that time. All right? So we have such a guru, he wants us to attain the highest. So we have to follow what he tells us. All right?
Radhe Radhe Bhaiya, I have a question that when you die, you're supposed to leave, donate everything or can you leave some for your children? What is the scripture saying about that?
Look, everything your children is going to attain in life, that's already determined. You cannot plus or minus that. Whatever we have to attain in this lifetime, the moment the child was conceived in the womb of the mother, that's already there.
If somebody is given more than that, actually that person is going to misuse it. Because it didn't belong, didn't come, it wasn't supposed to be for them. And it's going to destroy them.
And you're going to get sin also, because you aided and abetted in that. Not only that person is getting destroyed, you are going to get destroyed because you're aiding and abetting. All right? Your duty is to educate the child, make sure they go to school, make sure they get a good education, make sure that they can, you know, and then they can qualify and then they work and they get their own what they have to get.
All right? That's your duty. Your duty is not to give pakka pakaya and then let them go and kill themselves. That normally happens in the world.
When someone does not work hard for something through their own effort and everything and someone just gives it to them, they never knew how it came, they end up misusing it and destroying themselves.
But we all leave behind for the kids something, right?
Why you want to leave for anything for? What they will get what they're supposed to get. So we shouldn't leave. Donated to RMD. Yeah, I know where to donate.
My question is that what is scripture says
That's what the scriptures are saying.
Don't leave anything for the kids. They are going to get what they have to get.
How are they going to get without me giving them?
Hello, who is given everything? You or Bhagwan? Bhagwan.
Then? Are you Bhagwan now? Whatever they have to get, Sri Krishna is going to give them. There's a divine law. You will have to enjoy the fruits of the good action as well as bad action.
You never give down charity, you're not going to get. No matter how much you put into them, they're going to destroy it. It's not going to be of any use.
We have to earn ourselves. Yeah, your duty is to make them, educate them, send them to school, let them become qualified, and then they get a job and they earn for themselves. Oh, I'm going to give them, I'm holding back.
And Guru said do seva. No, no, I have to give them. Well, you're destroying yourself also, and them also.
The one who gives, who even gave you is Sri Krishna. You cannot give anybody anything. Only Sri Krishna.
And he's only going to give what we deserve. All right? Do you understand? Okay. All right.
Yeah, everything we get is Sri Krishna. Maharaji Sri Krishna.
We have maybe one last question. Oh, all the way in front here. Oh, come, come, come up a little bit. I can't see you. Yeah, go ahead. Radhe Radhe Bhaiyaji. Radhe Radhe.
I'm just following up with, Radhe Radhe chanting with the swas. Yeah. So when I'm at work, my mind is doing Radhe Radhe, but I'm not doing the Roop Dhyan, right? It's impossible. Am I getting the benefit of it?
Yeah, you get benefit. You don't have to do Roop Dhyan. Because Maharaji said, if you're not doing Roop Dhyan, it's time zero.
There are two aspects of sadhana, right? One is Karma Sanyas, and one is Karma Yoga. All right? So in the Karma Sanyas aspect, you sit down and do meditation in your room, alone. You become a Sanyasi.
Sanyas means one who's totally detached from the world, and attached only to God. That time you're doing Roop Dhyan. In the work, you do Roop Dhyan, they'll fire you.
You do Roop Dhyan, like driving a motor car, you crash, you're going to kill somebody and kill yourself. Don't do Roop Dhyan that time. That's the Karam Yoga aspect.
All right? Just keep chanting. Radhe Radhe. Same thing including. I just told somebody else asks, where is Radha Rani, where is Shri Krishna, where is Maharaji? They're all one. So you chant in Radhe Radhe, you think about Shri Krishna, fine.
You chant in Radhe Radhe, you think about Maharaji, fine. You chant in Radhe Radhe, you think about Radha Rani, fine. They're all one.
There's no difference. Not even 0.0001%. All right? So you can think about Shri Krishna, while chanting Radhe Radhe. No problem.
No problem. No problem. Radha Rani ki Jai Jai Shri Radhe, Jai Jai Shri Radhe, Jai Jai Shri Radhe.
Q&A 05 27 24 Swami Maheshvaranand Ji