Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj
His Teachings
The Foundation
In order to understand and truly benefit from the teachings of Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj, it is necessary to get equipped with some foundational philosophical concepts.
The foundational concepts cover the following topics:
- Happiness
- God’s Grace
- Nature of the World
- True Detachment
- The Saint
Happiness - The Aim Of All Living Beings
Although the actions of all living beings in this world are many and varied, the aim behind them is one – the attainment of happiness through God, who is bliss personified.
Why Do We Want Only Happiness?
According to the Vedas,
ananda evadhastāt ānanda uparişhṭāt, anandaḥ purastāt anandaḥ pashchat, ananda uttarataḥ, ānando dakshinataḥ ananda evedam’ sarvam
“There is nothing but bliss below Him, above Him, to His East, to His West, to His North, to His South, outside of Him and within Him. bliss and only bliss overflows all around.”
God is bliss personified. Being a part of Him, every individual soul naturally seeks bliss. In fact, no living being can deviate from this goal of ‘attainment of bliss’, even if he were to endeavour to do so for countless ages.
Mamaivamsho jivaloke jivabhutah sanatanah (Gita 15.7)
“Every individual soul is an eternal part of God.”
For How Long Have We Been Searching For Happiness?
“No soul can remain inactive even for a moment.” (Gita 3.5)
Since it is the inherent nature of every individual to constantly perform actions with the aim of attaining happiness, no one can cease to work until the attainment of supreme bliss.
According to the Vedas,
“Every soul is eternal, without a beginning.” The Gita (15.7) also states that the soul is eternal.
“Any existing entity cannot cease to be.” (Gita 2.16)
In other words, if one exists today, one would have always existed. If one does not exist today, one could never have existed in the past.
“All individual souls are eternal, immortal and unborn.” (Gita 2.20)
We have been striving since time immemorial to attain happiness and will continue to do so. The astonishing fact, however, is that in spite of our continuous efforts of countless lifetimes, we have not as yet attained this happiness.
How Can Happiness Be Attained?
Although the Supreme Personality, God, cannot be grasped by the greatest senses, mind and intellect, yet that unknowable and invisible God can be fully known and seen by that fortunate soul who is graced by Him, with His divine power.
Now, it appears that if everything depends on the grace of God, then we are freed of all responsibilities. When He graces us, then everything will automatically fall into place. What is the need to practise devotion or any other spiritual discipline?
The truth is that God does not impart His grace whimsically. God’s grace is based upon a certain condition, and whosoever fulfils this, attains His grace and becomes eternally blissful.
Condition To Attain God’s Grace
“Surrender to the Supreme Lord, Who is the Creator of even Brahma and other celestial gods, and by Whose grace, the soul and intellect are illumined.” (Vedas)
Only by fully surrendering to God can we receive God’s grace. Though we possess a body, senses, a mind, and intellect the scriptures say,
mana eva manushyāṇāṁ kāraṇam bandhamokṣhayoḥ (Panchadashi)
“The mind alone is the cause of bondage and liberation.”
So, it is the mind only that we must surrender to God. By surrendering it, all else will automatically be surrendered. Surrender of the mind alone is true surrender to God, no matter what the physical actions may be.
However, the major difficulty is that the mind has been attached to the material world since time immemorial, and this attachment has become very firm. Had the mind been neither attached to the world nor to God, then surrender would have been very easy. Therefore, we need to understand the true nature of the world, so that we can become detached from it. It is only then that surrender to God will be possible.
Nature Of The Material World
Samsaratiti samsāraḥ; gachchhatīti jagat
“That which is in a state of constant flux and is ever-changing is referred to as the world.”
The world is made of maya, and this maya is an eternal power of God from which this world is created. The mind is material and so is the world, therefore there is a natural inclination of the mind towards maya. On the other hand, as God is divine, there is no natural attraction of the mind towards Him.
Because of this, it is the firm decision of the intellect that there is definitely happiness in the material world. Therefore, we are constantly endeavouring for it. However, if the intellect makes a firm decision that the objects of the material world cannot fulfil the goal of supreme bliss, then desiring happiness from the world will automatically come to an end.
So the first step is to make a firm decision, through constant reflection, that there is not a trace of true happiness in the material world:
- There is no happiness in any material object. If any object contains happiness, then everyone, without exception, would receive happiness from it. Moreover, that happiness would be permanent and not followed by misery. But this is not the case.
- The worldly happiness we experience from any object constantly diminishes.
- The attainment of any worldly object is always preceded, accompanied, and followed by unhappiness.
The Nature Of Detachment
The word ‘attachment’ is most often associated with love, but this is not the complete meaning of the word.
Attachment means absorption of the mind. This absorption of the mind can either be through love or through hate. Thus, whether it be through feelings of love or feelings of hatred or in any other way, the absorption of the mind is referred to as attachment. When there is neither attachment through love nor attachment through hate, that state is referred to as detachment or non-attachment.
To reach this conviction, constant reflection upon the reality of the world is absolutely necessary. It is only through repeated reflection that this conviction will come. Repeated reflection upon birth and death, pain and disease, happiness and sorrow, will result in detaching the mind from the world.
It is this detached mind that has to be surrendered to God.
The Saint
Mere detachment is not enough to attain God. After detaching the mind from the world and before surrendering to God, there is need of a divine entity, without whom one cannot attain the supreme goal. That entity is a God-realised Saint or Guru.
It is the Guru who guides each devotee to enable his surrender to God. It is he who dispels all doubts faced by the aspirant on the path.
How To Recognise A Saint?
A true Saint:
- remains tranquil in both praise and condemnation.
- never grants material boons to people.
- never indulges in the performance of miracles or revelation of supernatural powers (siddhis).
- neither pretends to give blessings nor does he curse anyone.
The most evident proof for recognising a Saint is that, by seeing and associating with him, the mind begins to get naturally attached to God.
Bhaktiyog - The Easiest Path To God
The teachings of Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj are collectively known as Jagadguru Kripalu Bhaktiyog. They present the timeless wisdom of the Vedas and other scriptures in a practical and straightforward manner, highlighting the importance of Bhaktiyog as the easiest path to God-realisation.
The word “bhakti” originates from the root word “Bhaj”, which means, “to serve.” As such, bhakti is the desire to serve God, and Bhaktiyog is the easiest path to attain God and the ultimate attainment. One must practice bhakti (devotion) to attain God’s grace; then he will attain His most intimate power, divine love. Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj explains that the duty of every spiritual aspirant in the pursuit of happiness is as simple as replacing his or her desires for the world with desires for God. This process is called Bhaktiyog.
The pre-requisite for attaining divine grace is sadhana bhakti, or preparatory devotion. The main characteristics of preparatory devotion are:
- Devotion should be devoid of desire: Devotion exists in the mind, which is clouded by and focused on desire. In pursuing the path of devotion, you attach your mind to devotion to God. You liberate your mind from needing an attachment to worldly possessions, even if you possess material wealth to survive the world.
- Devotion should not be assisted by karma and gyan: Devotion is independent. It does not require the support of karma or gyan. However, they remain as an adjunct to devotion.
- Devotion should be practiced with favorable sentiments: Devotion is practiced through relationships of love with God. There are four types of relationships that become more and more intimate, culminating in a feeling that God is your beloved. To learn more, see Shri Radha Krishna Bhakti.
Why Not The Paths Of Karma Or Gyan?
There are only three paths or means to attain God, in line with the three personal powers of the Supreme Personality Brahman:
- Karma, the path of action, is the nature of Sat Brahman.
- Gyan, the path of knowledge, is the nature of Chit Brahman.
- Bhakti, the path of devotion, is the nature of Ananda Brahman.
As the individual soul is an eternal part of Brahman, it has only three natures: karma, gyan and bhakti.
The path of karma requires strict adherence to all ritualistic actions specified by the Vedas and the scriptures but without devotion to God. The path of gyan requires complete detachment of the mind from worldly desires. In the modern age of Kaliyug, these paths are not accessible to all.
Should one be inclined, they may still follow the paths of karma or gyan. We go into more detail on those in our Knowledge Center.
On the other hand, the path of devotion is open to all, for one must be neither too attached to, nor too detached from the world, to follow this path. It is where one gradually redirects all his thoughts, passions and ambitions to loving service to God for His happiness. Selfless love and devotion for God becomes the pure aim.
Why Not The Paths Of Karma Or Gyan?
There are only three paths or means to attain God, in line with the three personal powers of the Supreme Personality Brahman:
- Karma, the path of action, is the nature of Sat Brahman.
- Gyan, the path of knowledge, is the nature of Chit Brahman.
- Bhakti, the path of devotion, is the nature of Ananda Brahman.
As the individual soul is an eternal part of Brahman, it has only three natures: karma, gyan and bhakti.
The path of karma requires strict adherence to all ritualistic actions specified by the Vedas and the scriptures but without devotion to God. The path of gyan requires complete detachment of the mind from worldly desires. In the modern age of Kaliyug, these paths are not accessible to all.
Should one be inclined, they may still follow the paths of karma or gyan. We go into more detail on those in our Knowledge Center.
On the other hand, the path of devotion is open to all, for one must be neither too attached to, nor too detached from the world, to follow this path. It is where one gradually redirects all his thoughts, passions and ambitions to loving service to God for His happiness. Selfless love and devotion for God becomes the pure aim.
