It’s true that I don’t feel the need for God today, but still, one should reflect on how such a need might arise. Through contemplation of the Divine and through chanting His Name, that need begins to awaken. The longing should become so deep that even food and water seem tasteless in its absence. Just as greater thirst needs a stronger stream of water, the deeper our attachment to the body, the more intensely we must take the Divine Name.
One should not stop chanting just because there’s no love for the Name. Once you’re in water, you naturally begin to learn how to swim. Even if you haven’t been to Kashi, keep expressing the desire to go there. Similarly, even if you don’t yet feel love for the Name, keep affirming that you do. When one comes to believe with conviction that there is no truth or path apart from the Name, it becomes impossible to live without chanting it—and in the presence of the Name, love for it gradually grows.
Saints say that God exists. I, too, say that God exists—but the difference is that my belief is based on inference. Saints have transcended the body; by associating with them, one’s identification with the body begins to dissolve. It isn’t always necessary to meet them physically. Deep inner devotion can achieve what physical presence cannot. A place becomes sacred, a deity becomes divine, and a Guru becomes true only through the depth of our own feeling. If you visit a holy site believing it will cleanse your sins, then it will—otherwise, it is merely water. Ultimately, everything lies in the feeling. The Name awakens that inner feeling. When one chants with heartfelt emotion, the journey quickens.
Descriptions of saints and sages are not given merely for admiration but so that we may cultivate those traits within ourselves. But we cannot recognize a saint by their attributes alone; only by becoming saint-like can we truly know one. If a worldly person wishes to identify a saint, they should observe what effect the saint’s presence has on them. If their own mind becomes calm, if their ego softens even a little, if they begin to feel a pull away from worldly desires, then that is a sign of saintliness.
Saints perceive the Divine in every being. Because of this vision, they love all unconditionally. Loving all does not mean blind affection—it means acting rightly with pure, selfless intent. We only recognize “ourselves” in a few people, not in everyone; hence, we experience duality. But saints, having shed their ego, see only unity and oneness in the world. Their love is pure and untainted.
We should deal with everyone with sincere, unconditional love—not just in our words, but even in the way we look at others, our gaze should express love.
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