The Supreme Lord gives us all the information and all the tools necessary to get out of that spell, to be free of the illusion, to actually see the truth and act on that and again revive our lost relationship with the Supreme. See, we’ve lost that relationship. It’s there, but we’ve lost it. So back to the atheists, they say there is no God, how lost are they?
All of us here have a material father of this body. If you ask someone, “Who is your father?” and they say, “I have no father,” you know that is not true. How could you be if you didn’t have a father? Maybe you’ve never knew that person, but he was there.
So the relationship is there. You have a Father. There is a relationship but it’s completely lost. So that is our process of bhakti yoga: to revive this lost relationship.
And what do we miss more than anything else in this lost relationship? You see, there is a lot of people who think what we miss is being in God’s kingdom where everything is perfect for our enjoyment. We can enjoy there so nicely: no birth, disease, old age, death, no rent, don’t have to work, we can relax all day, it’s fun times. They are attracted to the idea of the kingdom of God.
But actually that is not what we miss. In their concept it’s better to go there when God is not home. Then you can enjoy everything and He won’t be there, He won’t interfere. It’s like going to the rich man’s house when he is on vacation. Here is all the food, here is the wine cellar, here is the big TV, here is the car, here is the pool, and you just can enjoy, he is gone.
Then you hear he’s coming home, “Oh, man! Uh-oh, what are we going to do now? We drank all the wine, we broke a bunch of stuff!”
So this is their idea. But that’s part of the illusion. I’m still the self-centered, I’m the enjoyer, and God just supplies me with enjoyment. So Maya is still at work.
But what we really miss is God’s love. We miss the loving relationship. And because we don’t have that we are searching frantically in this world for a substitute. Where can I find this love? Who is going to love me? Because love is a two-way street, not only do I want to love somebody, but I want them to love me also. So it’s always an anxiety, not only will I find somebody that I can love, but will that person love me?
So lifetime after lifetime we are searching for that: the perfect loving relationship. But everyone somehow, sooner or later, proves less than perfect. Even in the lower forms of life it is the same because the soul is still needing love.
But we’ll not find it in this world because it doesn’t exist here. There is love here, but it’s not the love that we need to fully satisfy us.
And God wants us to have that. So that’s why He sends His messengers, sends His message. He is always trying to redirect us back to Him. And a wise person will actually begin to accept that invitation, “Ok, I accept, I will begin the journey.”
And God is so happy about that and He helps us in so many ways. It is said that when we take one step toward God He takes 100 steps toward us. He does much more on His part.
So this is the whole idea. But we have to gradually get out from under the influence of Maya and more and more become under the influence of the Supreme Lord. And the process of bhakti yoga is the process that accomplishes this.
So that’s why we are always encouraging people: think seriously about these things. We think so seriously about material things and so insignificantly or non-seriously about spiritual things. Our material life is so important. Our spiritual life which is really important has no significance. So we need to begin to gradually reverse these things, adjust our priorities. And if we do that, as I say God immediately begins to enter into the picture.
So His direct instruction really is: chant these mantras, chant My names. Not only did He declare this in scripture thousands of years before but He actually descended Himself as Lord Gauranga (Lord Chaitanya) and officially openly propagated this.
So we have that opportunity to take part. And if we see this opportunity as a gift, that will be free of Maya. If we see it as something that somebody is trying to force upon us, make us do, they say, “Lay their trip on me,” then that will be under the influence of Maya.
So let’s chant the mantras. Ok, again, time is always moving quickly.