God Is In The Heart
This satsang was given by Shri Hans Ji Maharaj in India at the Parliament of Religion on April 4, 1953.
Respected sisters and brothers, this parliament of religion is being held for human beings only. As a human being, I will tell you two things. I have been hearing from all since yesterday that this is a Parliament of Religion, but nobody has yet told what is that religion or universal doctrine which can unite us all. Have you gentlemen ever thought that when there is one sun and its light is the same for the whole world, that the truth is also one for all and the same in the past, present, and future? It is described as Truth, Consciousness and Bliss. That bliss is at present, was in the past, and will remain in the future also. That omnipotent God termed as truth, consciousness and bliss, is the only One for the whole world.
Yesterday, one gentleman explained something with the help of verses from scripture. I do not say that there is nobody who knows the scripture, but the persons who proclaim here that they understand scripture well do not understand it at all. If they have understood scripture, then they must have seen that Light which cannot be paralleled by thousands of suns.
If the splendor of a thousand suns were to blaze out together in the sky, it cannot resemble the splendor of that form of God which contains the entire Universe. Such splendor was shown by the Lord to His devotee Arjuna. One who has seen that splendor can show it to others as well. If one cannot show the Light and even then he claims to have known the Knowledge of the scripture, is it not deceit and fraud?
Suppose I want to learn English and two persons meet me. One of them has learned English, the other has not learned English. Both want to teach me English. Now, think it over. Who among the two can teach me English? A sensible person will say that only one who knows English can teach it and the other person who does not know English can never teach it. Similarly, one who does not know the Knowledge of the scripture, that is that divine Light, he cannot make others realize it. If anybody among you also does not know that divine Light but still claims to make others realize it, then are you not an imposter and a cheat? If you do know, and in spite of knowing, you do not make others realize such a paramount thing, then also you are deceiving the world.
Behold, I have got this mirror. It is clean. You can see your face in it. If eyes are there, the mirror is also clean, and even then the face is not visible, what is the reason? It is to be said that light is not there. Similarly, if the mirror of the heart is clean but there is darkness inside, then God cannot be seen. God is within. All outwardly methods we use are deceiving us. These methods are not enlightening us. Until we are enlightened within, we cannot see God. Lord Krishna has said in the Gita in chapter 15, verse 31: "Nor does the sun lighten there, nor moon, nor fire. Having gone there the soul returns not." The Lord showed to Arjuna such a place where there is self-effulgent Light. We should also know that place.
Though all of us read the scriptures and recite them to others, we do not try to see during our lifetime the Light which the scriptures instructed us to know. What then is the benefit of such reading or reciting to others?
Last night, a religious song was sung purporting to say: "Oh, Krishna, come and play the
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Whoever is without delusion can have Knowledge.
And whoever is without greed can dissolve in the Lotus Feet of the Lord.
flute." I humbly ask, from where are you calling Krishna? Which is that place where Krishna is not present? Lord Krishna himself has explained in the Gita that as thread runs through all the flowers in a garland, exactly in the same way all beings are adjoined in Me. Now, if flowers begin to shout, "Come, 0 thread, come," what is the use of it? In the same way, when God is in the heart, from where do you call Him? To realize God an internal method should be used.
When we go to cinemas, we say that great pleasure was enjoyed in seeing the film. But pleasure is within; it is neither in the screen nor in the scenes. The mind is concentrated in seeing the film, so pleasure is felt. Pleasure is not an external object.
Gurus and prophets of all sects say that only the mind has to be concentrated to get real pleasure. In other words, purify the mind from the impurity of enjoyments. Suppose there is dirt lying in a room and cleaning is going on outside the room. This way, the room can never be clean. Impurity is in the mind and to clean it an external method is being adopted. By these external methods impurity of the mind can never be removed. An internal method should be searched so as to concentrate the mind and to purify the mind.
Here I heard: "Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama, Rama, Hare Hare, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Hare, Hare."
It was said that by reciting this the soul gets salvation. Tell me, what will be a bigger fraud than this? That truth is not known even to themselves and others are being kept in suspense. The mahamantra, the highest chant, is that which has neither beginning nor end, which was remembered by Lord Shiva himself and was preached by him for the sake of salvation of the people.
Behold, in how much suspense the world has been kept by gurus and prophets of today! Some consider "Om" as the mahamantra and advise people to repeat it. But they do not even think that all these mantras and tantras begin and end with our pronunciation. How, then, can these be the mahamantra?
I have only this to say with humility to the people of the world. Know that primordial vibration. It can be attained by constant devotion only and that constant devotion, or the mahamantra, cannot be known without a guru. 'Gu' denotes darkness; 'ru' denotes light. Guru means one who removes darkness and shows light.
In the Gita, the Lord has explained that those who worship ghosts meet ghosts and those who worship gods meet gods, but only my devotees come to Me. Now if the Name and the Light of God are not known during this lifetime, then how can you go to God at the time of death? In chapter 8 of the Gita, the Lord has told Arjuna that only the person who leaves the body remembering Me at the last moment comes to Me. There is no doubt in it, but one should not think that he will remember God only at the last moment itself. The Lord has explained that, at the last moment, only that thing is remembered which is remembered throughout life. The idea is that the human body is transitory and we cannot meet God by leaving this body while thinking of pleasures and enjoyments. Therefore, the Lord says, "Remember Me at all times and fight also. In this way, by surrendering mind and intellect to Me, you will come to Me only. Then remember Me constantly and also perform all actions of the world."
Guru Nanakdev also says, "Light merges in light." Will you merge in light in the end merely by reading scriptures, while you have not known during your lifetime that Light which all the saints advise to know? He says for meditation also that one who remembers the Name while sitting, standing, sleeping and waking, he succeeds in every action.
Though, today, people hear and make others hear the sayings of saints, they seldom think it over. Which is that meditation which can be done while standing, sitting, walking, eating, drinking and even during sleep?
Yesterday, one seer said that there is only one real religion and suggested that we should give up all religions and take shelter in God. But it is not told how one should take shelter in God. Though all say that shelter of God should be taken, I ask, "Where are the feet of God so that we can go there and hold them?" God is in the heart. His form of Light and real Name are also only in the heart. To know and meditate on that Light and Name existing in the heart is taking shelter in God.
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