Remembering the Radiant Being in the Sky: Gurudev on Worship and Chanting

Their lifestyles are very different. According to our time, they wake up at 6:00 AM and have to rush to the office. They spend their entire day in a busy schedule. They don't have a dedicated prayer room like we do here. Yet, in their hearts, they have immense devotion, respect, and faith in God. Their question is: "Gurudev, can we not call upon God? Can we not worship Him? Will our daily lifestyle deprive us of this?" How should they go about it?

However, our scriptures suggest in several places that you should call upon God. If you call upon Him, you will find peace. Maximum people are ignorant, and ignorant people never find peace. Only those who are wise find peace—the scholars. They say, "Na anu shochanti panditah" (The wise do not grieve). It isn't mandatory to perform formal worship. Before this, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and many others born in this Kali Yuga said the same thing—that elaborate rituals aren't necessary. If you perform Hari-Naam Sankirtan (chanting the names of God), that itself is worship. This has been said repeatedly.

In our Nirvana Tantra, Lord Shiva says that formal rituals aren't always necessary, though you can perform them for Adya (the Primordial Power). Many ask me: "Who is Lord Shiva meditating on?" This is a question many don't have an answer to. He sits on the Himalayas with his eyes closed—but who is he meditating on?

The Chandi explains this very clearly: "Chaturbhuje chaturbaktram samstute parameshwari." Even Brahma himself is chanting the Mother's name. "Krishnena samstute devi"—even Krishna, who is Narayana himself, chants the Mother’s name. Even the Lord of the Himalayas, Shiva, offers hymns to the Supreme Goddess. From this, what do we understand? Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheswar—the creators, preservers, and destroyers—are all busy with Japa (chanting). Whose Japa? They are chanting the name of that Adi Shakti (Primordial Power).

At the lower levels—not NASA, but we say this—those who reside there have come to this material world as sages and saints. They reside in Janaloka, Tapoloka, and Maharloka. When the deities tell them, "Go to Earth and restore peace," they come. Whenever Earth becomes restless, someone comes. You’ve seen it with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Vivekananda, Ramkrishna, and Loknath Baba. They came and brought peace to the world. They return to those realms and come back to Earth as needed in a cyclic way.

At the very top is "Prem" (Divine Love)—Krishna and Radhika. They are placed at the very peak of the 14 realms. What you call the love of Krishna and Radha isn't worldly love; it’s the highest spiritual state.

The greatness of Japa is that it leads to Siddhi (perfection). In this Kali Yuga, if someone can chant the mantra three lakh (300,000) times—not all at once, but over time—they are liberated. After that comes other stages of initiation, but that is a distant matter. A minimum of 3 lakh and a higher goal of 32 lakh chants are mentioned. Once you hit 32 lakh, the "pot is full," and you might not even need to chant anymore. We have chanted crores (tens of millions) of times in the past. Perfection comes through chanting.

Vedanta says that you have been given the mantra to exhaust the sins of seven lifetimes. Japa purifies the physical body. But if you sit to chant with a mind full of "mud," it won't work. This is why domestic practitioners often fail. They sit to pray, and suddenly a child asks for something, or someone asks what to cook for lunch. The rhythm is broken. They don't get the opportunity to truly chant.

I tell those in domestic life: discard the mental clutter, especially the obsession with money and worldly attachments. If you can't leave these behind, you won't progress. You will just keep crying, "It’s not working!"

Vedanta gives us a simple method: "I am always remembering that radiant, immortal, auspicious, and powerful Being who is in the sky." You can do this anywhere. It requires nothing. My soul should always be engaged with that radiant Being.

Interviewer: Could you please recite that shloka once?

Gurudev: It says that until I know Him, until I recognize that immortal, radiant, auspicious Being in the sky, I will keep calling Him until death. I may or may not find Him, but I will keep calling. Vedanta says: "Yashchayam asmin akashe tejomayo'mritamayah purushah sarvanubhu." I am constantly remembering and contemplating Him. He is in the sky, the world runs because of Him, and I exist because of Him. Accept this.

And again: "Yashchayam asmin akashe atmani." My soul is always engaged with that radiant, immortal Being. "Tam eva viditva ati mrityum eti, nanyah pantha vidyate ayanaya." (By knowing Him alone, one transcends death; there is no other way to the goal). Until I feel His vibration, I will call Him until I die.

It’s a simple account. Nowhere does it say you must perform elaborate rituals. We make the mistake of thinking we can't worship without flowers or sweets. The external show has increased too much. People spend so much time gathering ritual items that they have no time left to actually call upon God.

So, for those in domestic life, the first task is to reform yourself. Clear the "mud" of lust, anger, greed, attachment, pride, and envy—the Shada Ripu (six enemies). If you can't thin out these attachments, you are trapped in Vishnu Maya (divine illusion). She is running everything; you are all bound by Her veil. This is also mentioned in the Chandi. It is very difficult to break this veil, but those who have, even while living in a household, have achieved something.

I see many people who come to me, especially women, who are deeply into the Gita and Chandi and don't care much for worldly affairs. They say, "I don't like domestic life; I am only interested in this." They have essentially discarded the "Maya" of the household.

The Gita, Chandi, and Bhagavatam say many things about our current times. But people don't read, they don't know, they just make noise. They don't go to the root. A whole life can pass just trying to see the "color" of God. Ramprasad or Kamalakanta said: "Sometimes white, sometimes yellow, sometimes blue or red—thinking of Mother's many forms, Kamalakanta has gone mad." A whole life is spent just wondering what God looks like.

That is why I say: purify the mind, purify the soul. There is nothing to gain in this world except character. Character should be maintained. I say if you can't maintain character, you shouldn't even live. Character is everything. As the saying goes:

"When money is lost, nothing is lost. When health is lost, something is lost. When character is lost, everything is lost."

If you can move forward while keeping your character intact despite all the temptations and traps around us, that is the goal. Even after hearing all this—that there is nothing in this world and we can take nothing with us—we still fall back into the same pit of attachment. We say one thing with our mouth and do another. We believe in "Thought, Word, and Deed" being one (Kaya, Mana, Vakya). What I say with my body, I should mean in my mind and speak with my words. It shouldn't be different.

Many people come to me asking for "Mukti" (liberation). But no one has the power to just "give" liberation. Otherwise, the Gita would be false. You have to come back to this world again and again—"Ashite habe mor bare bare" (I must return again and again). The Gita says you must return to this Earth until you truly know God. It could take 50 lifetimes or 100.

Gurudev, pranam for today.