If we do have all this personal contact, we practice our yoga lifestyle, we are eating the right diet, we are in harmony with the body and the planet… that is another whole aspect of relationship, relationship to planet… But even if we are doing all of that right so that makes it so we are in a mode of goodness (we are vegetarians, we respect all kinds of life forms), it’s still not good enough.
It hasn’t solved the problem because all of this is on the material plane. And I’m not material. It feels a lot better than this world of passion and ignorance and resultant violence, etc., but still in these utopian material situations it’s not enough because there is no personal spiritual relationship that is eternal.
So the Vedas teach us that we, the eternal spirit soul, will never be happy, never be satisfied until we have that eternal relationship with the perfect person. Intuitively we all know that, everybody knows that, that is why we are looking for the perfect person. And I know if I could find that perfect person and have that loving relationship, I would be happy. That we know. The heart tells us that, you don’t have to go to school to learn that. The baby knows it, everybody knows it because that’s the nature of the soul, it’s the truth of life. One lifetime, another lifetime, another lifetime in the temporary world putting all of our hopes and aspirations on temporary relationships that can’t fulfill my need.
The only solution, there are not two or three solutions, there is only one solution: to actually be very determined to have that relationship that we need with the Supreme Person. The pure spiritual loving relationships with the pure spiritual Perfect Person. And that will make me happy. That will make me fully satisfied. And nothing else will.
And another thing. In all of the relationships of this world, no matter how perfect they seem, they come with a lot of anxiety. I’m always in anxiety.
Before I got that relationship I was in anxiety I won’t find that person. Or we have our desire to have the relationship with the certain person, we are in anxiety they won’t have the same desire toward me. So I’m in anxiety.
But then everything works and I get that relationship. It was a mutual attraction, fantastic, all wonderful. But now I’m in anxiety that I will lose it. It means so much to me. You see, I’m always in anxiety that they will become attracted to someone else. I will no longer represent pleasure to them. Somebody else will steal them away. Or they will leave me due to death. So I’m in anxiety. Now I have it and I’m in anxiety. And then it does end due to whatever reason and I’m in anxiety because I lost it.
So there is no point where there is no anxiety. And that is not comfortable for the soul. We don’t like anxiety, it is worry, anxiety, worry. Again, this is against the nature of the soul. That is why it feels so wrong. All these things that feel wrong in our life it is because it’s against the nature of the soul, it’s wrong.
But again, back to the solution. There is a perfect person – God, the Supreme Lord, the Supreme Perfect Person. And with that relationship there is no anxiety. He already loves me unconditionally. I am His child, I am His part and parcel. He is my eternal loving father, my best friend. Everything that I need is there already. So I don’t have to worry about that part.
Now I don’t have to worry about losing that relationship because it’s an eternal relationship. It doesn’t go away. Death doesn’t do anything. Death completely separates us in this material relationship, but in this perfect relationship death doesn’t touch it. You are not afraid I’m going to die and have to leave this relationship. Death doesn’t have any influence. If anything it can increase the intimacy of the relationship because when we leave the body… It’s not easy, we are usually pretty attached. Death is described in the Vedas as a very fearful event.
So when we come to this point, we get an opportunity to surrender more, to increase our dependency, to need the Supreme Lord in my life more. So it is actually a positive thing. And I will never lose it. So there is no anxiety there.
So the only variable is on my side. It is no variable on the other side. That is steady, rock solid, eternally the same. It is a stable platform. So the only variable, rocky, shaky instability is on my side.
So therefore, of course, I have what to do, a lot of work to do. But if I follow the process of bhakti yoga, which is the Supreme Lord’s process to bring us to this perfect condition, I become more and more stable in my relationship. So my life becomes more and more situated on a firm, steady, solid platform of spiritual love.
Now is there any question my life will get better? My life will become more and more perfect. We always hope our life will get better. We are always thinking, “Oh, it’s not good now, but in the future…” There is always that ‘it will get better’. Of course it may or may not materially speaking, but spiritually speaking usually not.
But with this relationship my life will get better, truly better. And that translates into peace, satisfaction, calmness, happiness and true love. That is what we are looking for, that is what we are looking for in life, that is what life is all about. So this is the only solution.