Srimad Bhagavatam – day 553
The Devatas prayed, “Using sound and other sense perceptions illumined by the senses, Yogis who tread the path of knowledge realize You as the inner Self. One can remain established in the Self nevertheless, trying to learn about the Self through the aid of the senses or mind is impossible”.
When impurities within us disappear, automatically the Self makes itself visible, however, as long as the mind and senses remain filled with impurities, it is impossible to realize the inner Self. It is possible to perceive the gross form of the Lord (Paramatma) through the senses, nevertheless it is impossible to perceive the Self (atma) through the aid of the senses.
“With the help of the mind, only devotion can be intensified.
O Lord, You are the Pure witnessing Consciousness that illumines the senses. Only the intelligent can fathom the path of knowledge (Jnana marga) through which You can be reached.
It is impossible to comprehend, perceive or adequately glorify Your divine names and forms, O Lord, which You exhibit through love and other transcendental qualities or through transcendental sports enacted during Your various incarnations beginning with the fish incarnation. Only those, whose minds are totally devoid of any impurity, can comprehend Your divine form.
All Your other incarnations are partial incarnations. The present incarnation which You are about to take is Your indivisible complete incarnation. Although it is impossible to have a vision of that form, You make it possible. Although You have innumerable names and forms, a devotee can choose any one form and focus upon that form with total concentration”.
What is important is to remember to stick to a single form. It is incorrect to worship the fish form on day 1 and switch to another form for meditation on day 2. Such fickleness is not helpful. The same form should be meditated upon until that meditation fructifies.
Ananta nāmna -The Lord has infinite names; infinite forms and infinite transcendental qualities. The prayer- tvameka devam śaraṇam vrajāmaha’- implies we surrender to that non-dual Lord who takes infinite forms. Tam sachchidananda- I perceive Your existence everywhere, O Lord, who in reality are an embodiment of existence, consciousness and bliss.
“Ardent devotees earnestly worship You and glorify Your divine names while mentally meditating upon Your form”.
From this it is clear that You, who in reality are beyond the scope of mind and speech, come within their scope due to their intense devotion. Towards this, devotion (bhakti) is a very crucial pre-requisite.
“Śṛṇvan gṛṇan saṁsmarayaṁś ca cintayan nāmāni rūpāṇi ca maṅgalāni te
Kriyāsu yas tvac-caraṇāravindayor āviṣṭa-cetā na bhavāya kalpate
That person who totally fixes his mind upon Your lotus feet, who constantly chants or recollects Your glories, who listens to Your divine names and forms that are filled with auspiciousness, and who meditates upon Your form while engaging in his daily chores, will never ever be trapped in this cycle called repeated re-births!”
Such a person is eternally eager to listen to His transcendental glories. When he closes his eyes, he sees the entire story unfolding in his mind. When listening to Bhagavatam if you close your eyes and listen with rapt attention you will be immersed in the story. This is not a story. The true form of the Self is being revealed. Bhagavatam is the king among all Puranas!
The person who fixes his mind upon the Lord as he completes his daily obligatory duties does not risk falling into the repeated cycle of re-births. For this reason, we address this as Kriya yoga. While completing all your daily chores let your mind dwell upon the Lord’s lotus feet. This is the goal of Kriya yoga. This is the action (kriya).
Swamiji has been teaching Kriya yoga for past 40 years in various cities and villages. Lakhs of people have learnt and have benefited from it during this period. Merely performing some Yoga asanas is inadequate. Kriya yoga is a must!
The person who thinks of the Lord as he continues with his tasks will not fall into this samsara again. Such persons engage only in necessary talk and avoid useless chatter. They master the skill wherein they can talk to others while simultaneously fixing their mind exclusively upon the Lord and meditating upon Him. Such is their skill that even when chanting divine names with total concentration, they are aware of the words they have uttered to others. They retain only as much attention as is necessary on the worldly/ material transactions and continue to fix their main focus upon the Lord himself. They externally project an image as if they are focussed on material transactions when in reality it is far from true. Such persons can never get trapped by this cycle of repeated re-births.