IV BHAKTI AND JNANA

D: Sri Bhagavata [?] outlines a way to find Krishna in the heart by prostrating to all and looking on all as the Lord Himself. Is this the right path leading to Self-reali ation? Is it not easier thus to adore !haga"an in whate"er meets the #mind$% than to seek the supramental through the mental en&uiry% 'ho am I?? M: (es% when you see )od in all% do you think of )od or do you not? (ou must *ertainly think of )od for seeing )od all round you. Keeping )od in your mind be*omes dhyana [?] and dhyana is the stage before +eali ation. +eali ation *an only be in and of the Self. It *an ne"er be apart from the Self, and dhyana must pre*ede it. 'hether you make dhyana on )od or on the Self% it is immaterial- for the goal is the same. (ou *annot% by any means% es*ape the Self. (ou want to see )od in all% but not in yourself? If all is )od% are you not in*luded in that all? !eing )od yourself% is it a wonder that all is )od? .his is the method ad"ised in Sri Bhagavata% and elsewhere by others. !ut e"en for this pra*ti*e there must be the seer or thinker. 'ho is he? D: How to see )od who is all-per"asi"e? M: .o see )od is to be )od. .here is no #all$ apart from )od for Him to per"ade. He alone is. D: Should we read Gita [?] now and then? M: /lways. D: 'hat is the relation between jnana [?] and bhakti [?]? M: .he eternal% unbroken% natural state of abiding in the Self is jnana. .o abide in the Self you must lo"e the Self. Sin*e )od is "erily the Self% lo"e of the Self is lo"e of )od- and that is bhakti. Jnana and bhakti are thus one and the same. D: 'hile doing nama japa for an hour or more I fall into a state like sleep. 0n waking up I re*olle*t that my japa [?] has been interrupted. So% I try again. M: #Like sleep$% that is right. It is the natural state. !e*ause you are now asso*iated with the ego% you *onsider that the natural state is something whi*h interrupts your work. So you must ha"e the e1perien*e repeated until you realise that it is your natural state. (ou will then find that japa is e1traneous but still it will go on automati*ally. (our present doubt is due to that false identity% namely of identifying yourself with the mind that does the japa. Japa means *linging to one thought to the e1*lusion of all

other thoughts. .hat is its purpose. It leads to dhyana whi*h ends in Self- reali ation or jnana. D: How should I *arry on nama japa? M: 0ne should not use the name of )od me*hani*ally and superfi*ially without the feeling of de"otion. .o use the name of )od one must *all upon Him with yearning and unreser"edly surrender oneself to Him. 0nly after su*h surrender is the name of )od *onstantly with the man. D: 'here is% then% the need for en&uiry or vichara [?]? M: Surrender *an take effe*t only when it is done with full knowledge as to what real surrender means. Su*h knowledge *omes after en&uiry and refle*tion and ends in"ariably in self-surrender. .here is no differen*e between jnana and absolute surrender to the Lord% that is% in thought% word and deed. .o be *omplete% surrender must be un&uestioning- the de"otee *annot bargain with the Lord or demand fa"ours at His hands. Su*h entire surrender *omprises all- it is jnana and vairagya [?]% de"otion and lo"e.