How to Realize the Divinity Within?

This is the simplest question and yet the solution seems to be beyond all vocabulary and Intelligence of the whole universe put together. As a matter of fact, all questions seem the same way to me!

How to swim? The answer seems simple to start with … We would say, by steering the body in certain fashion using our limbs. But, if we really want to explain the same phenomena, the words and sentences start piling up, and yet we would not have effectively answered the question. Actually, the solution IS simple. Just jump into the water, your body will start educating itself just the same way it has done to walk and talk! The fundamental property of the water is to make everything lighter and to float! Therefore, just jump and you WILL swim. Will a child trust this simple fact? Will you trust it?? Will I trust that???

Realizing The Divinity within is the simplest - do nothing ... just be … Lo! You are THAT!!

The real question is how to "do nothing"? The inertia we have collected to stake ownership on doing, knowing and enjoying can never let us appreciate the simplest of all - "doing nothing"! Therefore, the solution for the question is in the solution we could seek in "how to do nothing? how to know nothing?? and how to enjoy nothing???".

The solution to these questions are also simple … just be the activity! be the knowledge!! be the joy!!! But, again raises the question … "how to be the activity or knowledge or the joy?" as we only know how to have them and have never dabbled on the idea of being them - Paraanchi khaani vyatriNaat swayambhooh tasmaat paraangpashyati naantaraatman ...

All the instructor can do is to fill in confidence in the learner that it is perfectly OK to jump into the water and swimming is a POSITIVE POSSIBILITY for the one who wants to learn. So are the scriptures … to a seeker, they provide the basic confidence to start with that the divinity is a positive factor within everyone and everyone is CERTAINLY capable of attaining the same. Just like the instructor cannot make you learn swimming, the scriptures also cannot make you experience The Divinity.

Just like one who wants to learn swimming SHOULD jump into the water and figure out how to swim, one has to just jump within to experience The Devine - kashchiddheerah pratyagaatmaanam aikshat aavrittachakshuh amritatvamicchhan …

You need courage to experience tha water since its dynamics seem totally different from the dynamics of earth and air that you are used to. You had screamed in pain when you were exposed to that environment from your mother's womb as well ... you can't just recall that! Same way you need courage to take a deep dive within as you are always used to jump around in the external existence. Actually, you needed the same courage to interact with the external world as well ... you can't recall that growing pain you experienced when you were a baby!!

Realizing The Divinity within is a possibility ONLY WHEN you take a deep dive within. It is possible to find The Divinity around as well … but there are too many possibilities confusing us … one who takes a dip in the Ganga within starts experiencing the same everywhere else as well ... but how to know The Ganga to say it is That ... ONLY BY TAKING A DEEP DIP WITHIN ...

How? Try it! … Again!! ... And Again!!! …

Divinity of " MANJULAL " ( A True Event )

”Manjula” was a virtuous Variyar caste young girl . Guruvayoorappan ( Guruavayoor Sri Krishna ) was her Ishta-Devata . Every night , Manjula used to bring to Guruavyoor temple, home-made garlands for Bhagavan .

One day, due to some domestic problems , she could not complete the garland on time . By the time she reached, the temple got closed . She could reach only up to the banyan tree, in front of the temple compound .

Manjuala started feeling guilty for failing in her SEVA . She was heart broken . Unable to bear the sorrow, the innocent girl broke down and wept .

Sri Poonthanam Namboodiri , an elderly devotee was on his way back from the temple . He saw the girl crying near the banyan tree . He mercifully asked her the reason for crying . Amid sobbing , she narrated the events . Poonthanam was deeply moved when he learned about the poor girl’s sincere devotion to Sri Krishna . He comforted her by saying :

“ My child ! Don’t cry . Sri Krishna is all pervading and He never lets down His Bhakta . So , just think of Him in your mind and keep this garland on the stone in front of this banyan tree ” .

Manjula obeyed as she was told . Fixing her mind on Sri Krishna , she kept the garland on the stone . After doing this, she felt relived and peacefully went home .

Next day morning , as usual the Chief Pujari started removing all garlands from the Deity . But , one garland remained stuck on the Deity and the Pujari could not remove it though he tried several times . The Pujari was astonished and he did not know what to do next . The devotees standing for Darshan too watched this and were puzzled .

Poonthanam was one among the devotees . He remembered the events of last evening . It was the garland, which Manjula had placed on the stone at the foot of the banyan tree. He told the story to everyone . Then he urged aloud to Bhagavavan :

“ Oh, Bhaktavalsala ! If that garland is the one belonging to Manjula , please drop it down ”.

Suddenly , the garland dropped down from the Krishna-Deity .

Seeing this Krishna-lila , the devotees started chanting aloud the names of Sri Krishna ; and they all struggled to collect the flowers from that garland .

Later, the devotees went to the Banyan tree to make their obeisance .

Since then , this Banyan tree ( which was blessed by Bhagavan Krishna’s presence) came to be known as “Manjulal” .


“ Whosoever offers to Me with bhakti a leaf, a flower, a fruit or even water, I will delightfully accept that offering in person .” ( Sri Krishna , in Gita 9.26) .