One does not know when the last breath will be.

 The glories of Divine Name recitation (japa) that can be understood by actually doing japa, is not understood by reading, saying or hearing about it. The glories of a satisfying meal are by actually eating, are not understood by talking about meals. Laddoos (sweets) look good, but any amount of talking about it, will not be the same as actually eating it.

This world is ever changing is our visible and evidential experience. That too you do not believe? What to do? See your body and mine, how much it has changed? And it is continuing to change. Someone who had seen me in childhood and sees me now, they cannot even recognize. This world is only changing constantly, every moment. It is only an accumulation of changes. Those changes itself is called life. There is not a moment that is not changing – this is the point.

You are comfortably sitting free of concern! It is a surprising thing! There is no certaintly of even in a single moment. One does not know when the last breath will be. There is no certainty that the breath that is leaving this body, will return again. There is no trust or confidence what so ever. There is no guarantee. It will not remain. It cannot remain. It is going away. It is only a delusion that we think we are living. It is completely false, death is taking place every moment. Every moment the dying is happening. You think it is secure. There is no attention given in this direction. We talk about it, we hear about it, but there is no awareness in this direction. You consider yourself to be stable, it is a surprising thing.

By lying, cheating, dishonesty, deceit, being unscrupulous, you have accumulated wealth. For sense enjoyments you have committed so many sins, done so much injustice, have committed so many atrocities.

God has said in the Gita -


"Bhogaishvarya prasaktaanaam tayaapahchetasaam
Vyavasaayaatmika buddhih samaadhau ne vidhiyate." (Gita 2:44)

One who is attracted to enjoyment of pleasures and hoarding, that one cannot even have a firm resolve to realize God. He will be far from God Realization, but worst yet, the firm determination that I want to realize only God, I want to only gain salvation - he will be unable to firmly resolve towards this aim. Simply speaking, as long there is desire within, as long as there is attraction and importance given to worldly things and enjoyments, till that time, however much you hear these talks, you will be unable to resolve towards God. When the objective, the goal itself is not firm, then how will God Realization be possible?

From summary of discourse in hindi . by Swami Ramsukhdasji

Such a compassionate and merciful God, will he not take care of us?

If we want spiritual progress then we must have faith that God has come to our aid,  He is helping us, and will definitely continue to do so.   At present also He is supporting us and in the future too wherever there is a need, there He will most certainly and without doubt come to our aid.  This is because naturally He is eternally compassionate.  Just as He protects His devotees,  in the very same manner he protects and nourishes all other beings as well.  Those men who live their lives not in accordance to God,  them too He gives food, water, air etc.  Those evil men who live completely opposite to the Lord's principles, who entirely oppose the scriptures,  they criticize God, them too God provides the necessities for living.   God provides the necessities for living even to snakes, lions, and all insects and little creatures as well.   Such a compassionate and merciful God,  will he not take care of us?   

Ayamuttamoyamadhamo jaatyaa roopena sampadaa vayasaa |

Shlaadhyoshlaadhyo veth na vetti bhagavaannugrahaavasare ||

Antahsvabhaavoktaa tatontraatma mahaamedh |

Khadirashvaampak iva vaa pravarsham kim vichaarayati  ||  (Prabodhsudhaakar 252/253)

"While gracing someone God does not think whether the person is superior or inferior in terms of a particular race, form, wealthy, age? Whether he is praise- worthy or contemptible? This indweller within, in His vastness (like a huge cloud) understands our inner sentiments.  Does a cloud while pouring the rains, think whether this is an acacia catechu plant or a sweet fragrant flowering plant (champa)?"

Therefore we must have faith in God that whatever may be our needs, God will provide.   Now through Gita, Ramayan and other scriptures, through satsang (spiritual associations) whatever points we are getting, those too we are receiving only due to His grace. 

In essence that foremost grace is of the Lord only,  but it appears to be coming from various other mediums,  just as it appears that we are getting water from a tap.  But on deeper thinking, the water comes into the tap from a pipe,  and it comes from a tank into the pipe, and it comes from a river or a well into the tank,  and from the rains the  rivers get their water,  and the water in the ocean is born of fire (evaporation), and fire comes from air, and air is born of space and space is the energy, the power that manifests from God.  The point is that the essence of everything is God.  By which this entire creation has manifested.   

Whatever we are receiving, it is all coming from God alone.  He is not seeing towards our capabilities before giving,  rather without any cause or motive in a disinterested spirit with His grace He is giving us.  Just as mother while providing for her child does not see towards his capabilities,  strength, intellect, knowledge,  qualities, etc,  rather being a mother she takes care of him.  Similarly God is the mother and father of everyone.  It is not that He will grace us due to some cause.  He naturally is out of sentiments of good-heartedness and friendship,  graces us and provides for us.  Every person should have faith in such a God's grace.   The more that one has trust in God,  that much His grace will be fructified, it will be experienced,  by which you will attain peace,  you will be free of worries and free of fear. 

    

From "Bhagwaan aur Unki Bhakti" in Hindi by Swami Ramsukhdasji

How will others know what the Name really is?

He who is interested in the name of the Lord, he alone knows the greatness of the Lord's name. How will others know what the Name really is? What will each person understand? When one does "bhajan" (worship, remembrance, adoration), becomes immersed in it, repeats the divine Name, then one is more deeply inclined towards the Divine Name. Thos extra-ordinary points that come in saint's and great soul's speech, will automatically become part of one's experience. Saints have written about their different experiences at different times and places.

There was a lady, who said such amazing things about naam japa, which is not heard of even in saint's talks. She said that by repeating the Lord's names, the body feels cool, and in the entire body a cool fountain of water flows, and some form of sweetness and bliss is felt. I have read in saint's stories, but such descriptions have not been provided as this lady has experienced. There are such transcendental magical things that saints and great souls have written. To what extent are these written? That which one experiences is difficult to describe in words. They themselves only know.

So such jaanayi mana aru kaanaa |
Nahin rasanaa pahin jaayi bakhaanaa ||

That cannot be told in words. You simply engage your self in this. Brothers, sisters, it is my sincere prayer to all that become engaged in "nama japa". You will be greatly benefited and the world will also be benefited. All will be influenced by that and what to speak of you yourself? Your life will become blessed! There is great glories of the divine name of the Lord. Goswamiji Maharaj further elaborates -


Varsha ritu raghupati bhagavati tualsi saali sudaas |

Raam naam bar baran jug saavan bhaadav maas || (Maanas, Balakand 19)

First name of "Ram" was elaborated on, then the Mahamantra was described. Now there is description of the two alphabets. "Ra" and "Ma". Those who are loving devotees of the Lord, they are like the best rice fields, and the love and devotion in the rain season is the Lord Shri Raghunathji Maharaj. There is ample of rain in the rainy season. The grain fields become drenched and soaked. In Rajasthan if there is water in the fields then the grass dries up, but in the rice paddies there is water logging all the time. Even the fish are swimming around in the waters. Such "saalike" rice is delicious. The superior the quality of rice, that much more water it needs. They need water all the time. "Ra" and "Ma" these two are superior sounds. Similarly the rainy season of the month of "Shraavan" (july-august) and "bhaadrapad" (third-fourth lunar months). For a great devotee, rain in the form of the Name of the Lord "Ram" continues to pour continuously.

From "Manas mein Naam Vandana"

All right. I shall not do this, which will produce reaction.

visaya vinivartante
niraharasya dehinah
rasa-varjam raso 'py asya
param drstva nivartate
[Bg. 9.59]

Now negation. Negation. "All right. I shall not do this, which will produce reaction." That, I mean to say, forceful negation will not stand. "I shall not do this." Or, for example, take the small incident of our life, eating. Now, because eating has reaction, because whatever I am eating I have to repay for that... Either you eat vegetable or flesh, that doesn't matter. "Then let me... I shall not eat." Oh, that cannot be. How you cannot eat? You cannot do it. If you have to live, then you have to eat. So here the Lord says, visaya vinivartante niraharasya dehinah. Just like a person is diseased. He is advised by the doctor that "You shall not take such and such things." So he is starving or he is fasting. Suppose in the typhoid fever the doctor has advised him not to take any solid food. So under the instruction of the doctor, he is not taking any solid food. But suppose his brother is eating some bread. Oh, he likes that "If I could eat." But that means within himself... He is, by force, by the instruction of the physician, he is forced not to eat. But within himself he has got the tendency for eating. But out of fear that "If I eat, there will be very bad reaction of taking solid food," therefore, by force, he is not eating. Similarly, there are so many things which you are refrain from doing by force. No. That sort of abstinence will not make you progressive in spiritual life, by force. No. By force I cannot... Because you are independent. . Every individual being has got his little portion of independence. So anything cannot be done by forcing you. No. Even you cannot force even a child.. He has got his independence. He'll revolt if you force him. So here it is said that visaya vinivartante. One may be refraining from enjoying materially by somehow or other, by force... Niraharasya dehinah, rasa-varjam raso 'py asya param drstva nivartate. But one who is spiritually advanced, he is not forced. He is voluntarily giving up. That is the difference. Voluntarily giving up. How? Why voluntarily giving up? Now, param drstva nivartate. He has found something sublime, so sublime that he doesn't care for material enjoyment. He is not forced. He voluntarily gives up. That is the criterion of spiritual life. There is no force. Just like there is a nice verse given by Yamunacarya. Yamunacarya, he was a great emperor, but later on, he became a great devotee of the Lord under the disciplic succession. Now, he has got very nice verses written by him. One of the verses is stated like this:

Refuge is Being Happy in His Will

Ram Ram

Gist: Attain God - take refuge in Him. It is the easiest - and best path. Only God is ours - no one else is ours. A true devotee has an exclusive relation with only God. Do everything for His happiness. Let everything be His Will. Relation with the world is only for service. Serve everyone. Be only God's. You are only His.

Refuge is Being Happy in His Will

Devotion (Bhakti) is the best and easiest path for the attainment of God and even in devotion 'refuge in God' (sharnagati) tops it all and is the easiest. Gita starts with refuge (Gita 2:7) and ends with refuge (Gita 18:66,73). God says take refuge in Me and I shall liberate you from all sins. Like a chaste wife - her entire life centers and depends on her husband. Even her lineage changes. Similarly, become God's. Take refuge in His Lotus feet. By doing so, our existence does not remain. Only God remains. Even the vilest of sinners are entitled to take refuge in God (Gita 9:30).

Refuge means His exclusive support, where there is no other support. (Like the chaatak bird. Like Mirabai - Only God is mine). This exclusivity is key. Serve all, but be only God's. This path is open to all and available at all times, in any situation or circumstance (whether ascetic or householder) . Only your sentiment and feeling needs to change. A true devotee has an exclusive relation with only God. Most of us accept our relation with God, but do not accept that no one else is ours. That is why we remain bound. One who has taken refuge in God has no concern with fame, praise, money, etc. No desire whatsoever. Only whatever is God's will.

Let all work be for God only (Gita 9:27). We are only concerned with His happiness. We are only His. Only acceptance is needed. I am not the world's. The world is only to serve because it is God's. I am everybody's to serve. He is the Master and I am the servant. Just say yes to His will. No desire of our own. Stay however He keeps you. Remain ever happy in His will. Refuge mean there is no want, no worry, no fear, no doubt, no sorrow. Prahlad never felt scared in the most unfavourable circumstances also. He was thrown in fire, but felt cool and unaffected in it, as He had taken refuge in God.

No effort is needed. Simply acceptance. Like a child who gets adopted by a millionaire has to make no effort to get rich, similarly become God's. No effort is needed to experience bliss - to attain God.