Just Love: A Journey into the Heart of God: A Compilation of Talks by Paramahamsa Vishwananda

By Paramahamsa Vishwananda

Within the heart of every living being, the Lord is waiting, and He has His ways to remind you of His relationship with you. 

Just Love: A Journey into the Heart of God was conceived to to grant you a uniquely intimate experience of how Paramahamsa Vishwananda masterfully guides seekers throughout the journey of life towards their ultimate fulfilment: the realisation of God.

Paramahamsa Vishwananda’s timeless wisdom has been compiled into six sections, which represent the main stages of the seeker’s journey. In each session, you can find highly relevant topics emphasised by Paramahamsa Vishwananda during His talks and satsangs given throughout the years, and especially highlighted during His 2020 Live Satsangs.

No matter what stage of the journey you find yourself in, embark on this ‘Journey into the Heart of God’ with Paramahamsa Vishwananda, let yourself be guided, and awaken your unique Love relationship with God.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bhakti Marga Publications
• Release date: Jul 12, 2021
• ISBN: 9783963430800

Book preview

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword

About this Book

Introduction

THE SEARCH

Everybody is Searching

Endless Search Leading to Misery

The Greedy Neighbour

Eternal Misery vs Eternal Bliss

The Demon of the Seven Gold Pots

Short-term Human Planning

Death Doesn’t Send an Invitation

Short-term Happiness vs Real Happiness

Seeking Happiness Externally

The Unhappy Couple and the Playful Spirit

Finding Inner Happiness

The True Happiness of Mirabai’s Guru

Looking for Love

Falling in Love vs Rising in Love

‘Love’ in the Pub

Soulmates or Karmic Relationships?

The Shopkeeper and the Laughing Saint

Worldly Attachments and Karma

The Greedy Monkey

The Dying Man and His Four Wives

Missing the 84th Door

THE AWAKENING

The Divine Call

Long-term Divine Planning

The Saint Who Stole the Thief’s Heart

The Thief Ratnakar Becomes Sage Valmiki

The Sacred Gift of Life

Life is Precious

The Timely Blessing of Guruvayur

Life is Grace

A Life’s Regret of Wasted Grace

The Golden Moments of Life

Sharing and Spreading God’s Grace

Accepting and Loving Yourself

The Unique Beauty of the Creeper

THE GURU APPEARS

Why do we need a Guru?

Getting Lost Without a Guru

Man Gets Lost in a Guyanese Jungle

The Guru Removes Ignorance

The Five Blind Men and the Elephant

Meeting and Recognising a True Guru

Searching for the Satguru

The Spiritual Seeker and His Cook

How to Recognise the Satguru

Kabir Longs for His Satguru

The Roles of the Guru and the Devotee

The Guru Comes to Free the Disciple

A Tiger Behaving Like a Sheep

The Guru and the Tigress

The Disciple’s Responsibility

The Sinner Who Sincerely Wanted to Change

The Guru Calls His Disciple

Getting Ready to Follow the Guru

Shankaracharya’s Test of Humility

Vedasagara Tests His Shishyas

Accepting What the Guru is Giving You

Guru Arjan Tests Bhai Manjh

The Mind Can’t Grasp the Guru

Story of the Wise Parrot

Challenging the Doubting Mind

A Sceptical Boy Tests a Holy Man

The Naked Saint and the Doubting King

The Beauty of the Purification Process

The Story of the Teacup

Being Able to Handle Guru’s Blessings

King Pipa Wastes Sant Ravidas’ Blessing

The Importance of Trusting the Guru

The Prince’s Unflickering Faith in the Guru

Grace Manifests Through Humility

Having the Mind at the Guru’s Feet

Raghavendra Swami and the Illiterate Shepherd

The Natural Flow of Grace

Knowledge Infused by the Guru’s Grace

Dukhi Krishna Receives Everything

Guru’s Grace Changes Everything

The Miracle of the Horse’s Colour Change

Tests of Faith, Love and Surrender

The Loving Purpose of the Guru’s Tests

Chandan Fails the Test of his Guru

The Highest Test of the Guru

Guru Nanak Tests His Devotees

Matsyendranath Tests Gorakhnath

SPIRITUAL PRACTICES

Purification Process and Self-Analysis

The Purifying Teaching

Ramakrishna and the Shiny Pot

Vidyapati Blames Indra

The Glory of the Divine Name

Remembering the Divine Name

Walking on Water with Rama’s Name

The Healing Power of Rama’s Name

Knowing the Value of the Name

The Value of the Philosopher’s Stone

The Greatness of the Name of Rama

The Passing of the Greedy Shopkeeper

Lord Rama Saves His Devotee

Atma Kriya Yoga

The Importance of Atma Kriya Yoga

Kriya-yoga Infused with Bhakti

Mirabai’s Blissful Absorption in Krishna

The Inner Awareness of Surdas

The Greatness of Japa Kriya

Ramanuja’s Compassionate Gift for Humanity

The Power of the Lord’s Name

The Lord’s Name Saves Ajamila

Understanding Deities’ Worship

Focusing the Mind on a Form of God

A Child’s Pure Devotion to Lord Shiva

Expressing Love and Devotion to God

Krishna Carries His Devotee

The Mystery of a Deity’s Prasad

Dhannajara and Raja Thakur

Having The Right Knowledge

Feeding the Mind Wisely

The Lumberjack and the Chainsaw

The Greatness of the Scriptures

The Blessing of Diving into the Bhagavatam

Transcending Prideful Ignorance

Hindu Scriptures and Socratic Logic

Knowing the Goal of Knowledge

Rishi Bharadwaja Strives to Master the Vedas

Transcending Knowledge’s Limits

Intellectual Knowledge vs Knowing God

Socrates and the Oracle of Delphi

The Wise Teaching of the Scholar’s Son

Pride of Knowledge vs Wise Humbleness

Rumi Enlightens the Vizier

Pure Bhakti Awakens True Knowledge

The Transcendental Knowledge of the Gopis

CHANGE AND TRANSFORMATION

Life is a Learning Process

The Teaching of the Fern and the Bamboo

Transcending Mistakes

The Cracked Diamond

Change Yourself to Change the World

The Change of the Unfortunate Beggar

The Creative Power of the Mind

The Man and the Wish-fulfilling Tree

Transcending the Judging Mind

The Brahmana and the Prostitute

Transcending Fear

Arjuna’s Fear Creates a Huge Demon

Transcending Competitive Tendencies

The Strength of Unity

Competition Between a Monkey and an Elephant

Transcending Material Attachments

The Subtlety of Worldly Delusion

Guru Nanak and the Harvest Miracle

Letting Go of Expectations

The Kite Persecuted by Crows

The Beauty of a Rose Bush

Having a Deeper Understanding of Life

Karma Works in a Mysterious Way

The Karma of Dhritarashtra

Krishna’s Blessings Confuse Narada

Taking Problems as God’s Special Gifts

Kunti’s Devotional Request to Krishna

Rising Above ‘Good’ and ‘Bad’

Ramakrishna’s Nephew and the Wise Sadhu

The Sweeper Swaps Places with Krishna

The Clever Donkey

Transcending Spiritual Pride

Watch Out for Pride and Ego!

The Woodcutter and the Saint’s Advice

Pride vs Self-confidence

The Proud Crow and the Wise Swan

The ‘Special’ Visitor of Gondavalekar Maharaj

Cultivating Humility

The Wise Rich Man and the Grumpy Neighbour

The Humbleness of the Lord

The Exemplary Humility of Eknath

Association With Pure Devotees

Vishwamitra’s Question About Association

Association with Saints Changes Destiny

A Washerman Gets Intoxicated with Love

DIVING INTO A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

Understanding the Nature of God

God is Beyond Concepts

The Faith of the Old Varkari in the Saints

God is in Everybody and Everything

God Acts Through Each Person

Failing to Recognise God’s Help

God in the Form of an Avatar

The Lord Manifested as Krishna-avatar

God in the Form of a Deity

A Deity Gives a Lesson to a Thief

God in the Form of the Scriptures

Krishna Venerates the Bhagavatam

God in the Form of the Divine Name

The Ram Nam Bridge

The Determination to Realise God

The Determined Farmer

The King’s Test of the Heavy Iron Armour

The Deaf Frog

Accepting and Embracing Life

Junayd and the Crazy Neighbour

The Acceptance of Varadacharya and Lakshmi

The King and the Minister Devotee

Being Carried in the Hand of God

Give Your Hand to God

Footprints of God on the Sand

Trusting in the Lord’s Saving Grace

Krishna Rescues Sant Sakhu

A Miracle of Full Acceptance

Holding the Divine Grace

Everything Depends on God’s Grace

The Hidden Mystery of God’s Grace

Divination vs The Lord’s Saving Grace

Krishna Saves the Sparrow’s Babies

Offerings to the Lord

The Lord Transforms Offerings of Pride

The Lord Breaks the Merchant’s Pride

The Lord Longs for the Devotee’s Love

The Special Offering of Sulabha

A Precious Daily Donation

The Greatness of Serving the Guru and God

Deepak’s Exemplary Devotional Service

The Simplicity of Karmabai’s Service

Hanuman’s Yawning-snapping Service

Service to Humanity is Service to God

Karna’s Renowned Generosity

Sri Ramakrishna’s Advice to a Doctor

Complete Surrender to the Lord

The Secret of Krishna’s Flute

The Exemplary Surrender of King Ambarisha

Gajendra is Rescued by the Lord

The Beauty of the Lord’s Surrender

Krishna Visits a Wise and Humble Devotee

Krishna Shares the Punishment of His Devotee

Krishna Surrenders to His Friend Sudama

Lord Krishna Provides Prasad to Sant Saji

Banke Bihari Bears Witness

The Lord Manifests to Rescue Prahlad

Helping Others to Transform

King Raghu’s Exemplary Service to God

Glossary

Take the Next Step

FOREWORD

Just Love – a simple expression at first glance, but in truth, it is the most profound realisation of life’s purpose. To love is both simple and natural. Nobody needs to teach us how to love – it is our deepest, most natural expression of being. But for the human mind it can be very difficult to comprehend. To fully understand that true Love is the thing which we are all ultimately longing for, both as an acquired experience and as a given expression; it is harder than most would think. To know where to find that truest form of Love is even harder still. But the hardest thing seems to be the journey, the path to realise this unconditional Love within ourselves.

There are so many challenges, so many doubts, so many thoughts, seemingly so little time to work with and so much pressure, both internal and external, to become ‘successful’. And what is that success? Most of the time the world tells us it’s all about our external achievements – the right career, the right family, the right house, the right ‘look’, the right reputation and so on. But despite the material advancements of the world today, making it easier than ever to achieve the material prosperity and comforts that we are taught to idealise, more people than ever before are depressed. By and large, humanity has begun to feel lost in the overwhelming ocean of ‘things’ that our world has become.

And that shows us something – that the external things of this world do not fully satisfy us. And so, we are constantly reminded that deep down, the one thing we have always valued the most is Love. But most people have only ever dreamt of what real, unconditional, divine Love is. The human love we find in the world is full of ups and downs, typified by its moments of great ecstasy followed by moments of great sorrow. After all, this world is governed by one inevitable rule – everything is temporary. Circumstances change, minds change, and sometimes, through no fault of our own, we find ourselves deprived of whatever it is that we have made the object of our love. It turns out we’ve been looking for Love in the wrong place.

When you come to that realisation, there is no better person to turn to than Paramahamsa Vishwananda. He is an embodiment of unconditional Love; He is literal living proof that a higher Love exists, and He is a walking testimony to its true, eternal source – God. Guruji, as He is affectionately known, has always taught that the Love of God is the reason we’re here; it is our destination and, incredibly, it is also the boat that will carry us to it safely. And yet, as poetic and profound as that may sound, there is much to understand and learn before that becomes the reality we live. In this book, Paramahamsa Vishwananda explains every step of the human journey, from the confused and misguided beginning to the seemingly distant, yet more than worth it, destination. He does it not through the convoluted use of abstract philosophy, but rather by telling us stories, both allegorical and real. With His sharp wit and unique perspective, He unravels the human condition and the purpose of life into what seems like obvious realisations that were always within us, dormant, waiting to come out. He reminds us that there is no other real purpose to life, no other measure of success, no other worthy goal, nor any other path worth walking – there is ‘Just Love’. It may sound like an oversimplification of what life is, but what if we ignore that thought, veer away from the mind’s judgments and rather ask ourselves, ‘Why can’t it be that simple?’ In the words of Paramahamsa Vishwananda Himself, ‘You can’t understand unconditional Love out of fear.’ So let us leave our fears behind us and let Guruji guide us to our one, true home – the Love of God.

--SVR

ABOUT PARAMAHAMSA VISHWANANDA

Paramahamsa Vishwananda carries the grace of two lineages which emphasise bhakti: loving devotion to God.

He is an acharya of the Vaishnava tradition, which promotes bhakti through ritual and service. He is also a kriya Master and direct disciple of Mahavatar Babaji in the kriya-yoga lineage. With the blessing of His guru, He introduced Atma Kriya Yoga which promotes bhakti through meditation.

Paramahamsa Vishwananda expertly weaves these two traditions together, one external and one internal, with the bhakti teachings of scriptures and the inspiration of bhakti saints to show everyone how to cultivate a uniquely personal, loving relationship with the Divine.

Since Paramahamsa Vishwananda is a satguru (one who can bring devotees to the level of God-realisation), the glory of God can be revealed through Him. Still, remaining humble and humorous, He makes the unfathomable, unknowable Lord not only real, but practical, tangible and personal. He brings the most profound and subtle truths down to earth, so that the same path that, traditionally, was pursued only by the few, is now accessible to all.

Dedicating His life to uplifting humanity, Paramahamsa Vishwananda’s teachings can be found in His books, videos, spiritual practices, livestream satsangs (spiritual Q&A), online darshan blessings, and His worldwide mission and organisation known as Bhakti Marga (the path of devotion).

paramahamsavishwananda.org

ABOUT BHAKTI MARGA

Based in the heart of Europe, Paramahamsa Vishwananda’s international mission known as Bhakti Marga, ‘the path of devotion’, is a movement of universal Love that is spreading quickly throughout the world.

Its headquarters and ashram near Frankfurt, Germany, has become a hub of spiritual activities, ranging from small courses and workshops to large festivals and events, including the annual ‘Just Love’ music festival that draws thousands every year.

bhaktimarga.org

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Gitanjali is a long-time devotee of Paramahamsa Vishwananda and expresses her devotion in every line of her drawings and drop of paint from her brush. Based in Portugal, her work can be found most notably on the walls of the Bhutabhrteshwarnath Mandir in Springen, Germany, and the Shree Giridhari Dham Temple in Vrindavan, India, among others. Her heartfelt illustrations are also the basis for Bhakti Marga Art and Painting Meditation courses offered to students around the world.

bhaktimarga.org/the-path/devotional-arts

ABOUT THIS BOOK

This book was conceived to grant you a uniquely intimate experience of how Paramahamsa Vishwananda masterfully guides seekers throughout the journey of life towards their ultimate fulfilment: the realisation of God.

Paramahamsa Vishwananda’s timeless wisdom has been compiled into six sections, which represent the main stages of the seeker’s journey. In each session, you can find highly relevant topics emphasised by Paramahamsa Vishwananda during His talks and satsangs given throughout the years, and especially highlighted during His 2020 Live Satsangs.

This book honours a particular characteristic of Paramahamsa Vishwananda, which is to convey the most profound and subtle truths through stories. Thus, you will find that each topic presented in this book is embellished by a story. Guruji has explained the purpose of this storytelling as follows:

Most of the stories contain hidden truths about oneself.

It’s not really about the story itself, but about knowing what the story is hiding. That’s why stories are beneficial for people’s minds. Of course, it’s easy for the mind to understand, when it’s explained.

Bhagavan Krishna imparted the Gita, no? If you just take the Gita itself without any explanation, of course, it would make some sense, but you would not get the deeper meaning.

When you go inside certain temples or churches, you will see that there are mural paintings depicting the lives of saints. In South India, there is so much of that, why? Because people identify themselves with these stories. Then, they keep that image. Your mind thinks in images and when you are told a story, you are creating this reality inside you. So, you are living that reality. And when you are living that reality, you are getting something deeper.

It is also worth mentioning that the words of Paramahamsa Vishwananda are infused with His Love and divine grace, so the impact that this book may have on your life is in itself beyond words. As Guruji has revealed to us:

Each person holds a personal story, and each one holds a unique experience of that relationship with God. We hear about beautiful stories of saints, but all of you also have your stories to tell. And each one of your stories is unique, because it can never be the same story. Each one of you has a different wonder inside your mind, a different call inside your mind of how you forge your relationship with the Divine.

So, regardless of the stage you think you find yourself at, embark on this ‘Journey into the Heart of God’ with Paramahamsa Vishwananda; let yourself be guided, and awaken your unique Love relationship with the Divine.

--BM Editing Team

INTRODUCTION

What is life? Life is Divine. And how many people know what life is? How many people know this divinity? How many people know how precious life is?

Life is to rediscover your true Self, and beyond that also, because just discovering your true Self is not the ultimate. The ultimate reality is to go deeper within that Self and discover the Lord seated inside your Self. This is the aim of life.

God loves you and He wants you back with Him. He wants you to realise that you are with Him all the time and that He is with you all the time. Then the light which is deep inside of you will shine! Love will shine.

That light, that soul, that cell, which was once living in the cosmic body of the Lord with its individuality, has taken a personality, and now that personality has covered that soul with so many layers; we have covered ourselves with so many blankets. Now these layers have to be removed one after the other, by cleansing. The mirror is underneath, full of layers of dust, and you have to clean it, no?

So, you go through life to clean it, not to put more layers of dirt upon it. Right? Realise that! Realise the importance of life. Life is not to create more karma, it is to remove karma. That’s why you have been graced with spiritual life. That’s why God has given you that grace, saying, ‘Listen, your light is beaming deeper. Go on that path. I brought you here, I put you in this place so that you can rise.’

God has made the human body such a precious vehicle. It is very important that you look after it. It is very important to enjoy it and to be happy with it, to respect it, to realise that it is the temple of God. It is in this temple that God is dwelling. It is in this temple that God can make humanity advance and realise itself.

Within the heart of everybody the Lord is waiting, and He has His ways to remind you of His relationship with you, and that you belong to Him and He belongs to you.

Of course, when your soul goes through lives and lives, you accumulate a different understanding of things, and due to these things, when you are born again you forget about your relationship with Him. But He never forgets about His relationship with you. And His relationship is that eternal relationship that your soul has with its Creator. And it never finishes. It is eternal.

You will have your unique relationship with the Lord, you will have your unique experience of Him at each moment of your life. And it is not just a story, it is something which is inborn. Once you are deeply in touch again with your innocence, once you are deeply in touch again with that Love, you will see that God is with you at each moment of your life; it is not only when you die and that you go to Heaven to meet your Creator. No. Your Creator is with you at all times.

THE SEARCH

People are so busy with this material world that they forget about Divine Love. They try to look for this Love in the outside world. They try to look for this Love in other people. They try to look for this Love by travelling around the world, but they forget that they have to travel not outside, nor try to find this Love in other people, but they have to find this Love in themselves. You have to realise how close you are to this Divine Love, which is here, inside your hearts.

Paramahamsa Vishwananda

EVERYBODY IS SEARCHING

Endless Search Leading to Misery

Nowadays, when you look at people, you’ll see that they are fully disturbed by everything around, trying to fulfil their desires. When we look at the material world, it’s a consuming reality, a mass production reality, a reality which is in constant need of fulfilling the needs of people.

Due to the attachment to sense objects, if one fails to get something the mind desires, one goes into deep depression, one becomes aggressive, one becomes deluded.

‘Why didn’t I get this? Why did my neighbour get that? Why not me?’ This anger then becomes hatred.

In this state, one creates jealousy, one creates a state of competitiveness: ‘That person is better than me, I have to do better. That person has more than me; I have to get more.’ And in this state of competitiveness, people become jealous of the progress of others. So judgment arises, and when they start to judge, compare, compete, they lose all sense of happiness; they lose all their intelligence; they lose all their strength, vitality; they lose their energy, they become exhausted, drained. So this is the pitiful state which one calls ‘enjoyment’…you enjoy short-term happiness, but long-term suffering!

The Greedy Neighbour

I remember a funny story that my mum used to tell me when I was small. There were two neighbours who were always quarrelling with each other. One day one of them thought, ‘I will pray to God, I will meditate on Him, and when I see Him, I will ask Him for a blessing.’

He meditated and prayed, and God appeared to him and said, ‘My dear fellow, what do you want?’He answered,‘God, I want a blessing from You. I want to have the blessing that whatever I ask from You, I will get it’. God said, ‘Okay, but I will give you this blessing with one condition: whatever you ask from Me, your neighbour will get double’. He thought for a while and said, ‘Okay, fine’.

He asked God for one tonne of gold, and his neighbour got two tonnes of gold. He asked for a house, his neighbour got two houses. Then, a car for him, and his neighbour got two cars. Of course, he was jealous inside, and he was thinking, ‘I prayed so much, but how come my neighbour is profiting more?’ Do you know what he thought then? He said, ‘Okay God, I want a big and very deep hole in front of my house’. Well, God had to keep His promise, the neighbour got two holes in front of his house. The next thing he asked from God was: ‘God, I want you to take one of my eyes out’. You know what happened…

This story sounds really funny, but this is how humans are. You can’t be happy for someone else. You can say, ‘Yes, I am happy for that person’, but when you look deep inside, there is something eating you. You probably don’t think about it, but at night when you go to bed, it eats you a little bit. You think, ‘How come that person is like that, and I am not like that?’

When the big, ‘I, I, I’, and ‘mine, mine, mine’, and ‘this belongs to me’ – when all these are removed from the mind, one becomes peaceful. The feeling of ‘I want this’, and ‘I want that’, brings pain to people.

Eternal Misery vs Eternal Bliss

The goal is to attain happiness, to attain eternal bliss and this is what mankind is here for.The rest is just secondary. But nowadays, people have placed God in second or even third place, while expectation is shining beautifully and is number one! Misery dresses itself so wonderfully that it can trap you in it.

Even saints get trapped in it, but they know their goal. The yogis, the sadhus, the people who are enlightened know their goal. They know what they want. They know what is real, they know what they desire inside themselves. This is what is real: to know what you really want, what your heart wants, to listen deep inside you and to be free from the misery of this world.

As long as the mind is focused on the outside, as long as the mind wants the material, as long as the mind says that you are just a mere human being, then you will be that.

Will that give you true happiness? Will that give you this Love which you are looking for? No, it will not. Because everything that you are looking for is bound by a certain limitation.

Your desires keep changing, because you’re still thinking inside your mind, ‘I will be happy.’ You are still saying, ‘I will be happy’, and you are searching for that eternal happiness.

You have to reach the point where you feel the Love for God, where you say that the material world is not the ultimate reality.

The Demon of the Seven Gold Pots

There was a man who was passing under a tree, and he heard a voice. The voice said, ‘Do you want seven pots of gold?’ He looked around but could not see anyone. He said, ‘Okay, let’s try it’. He heard the voice again, and the voice said, ‘Go home. Your seven pots of gold are waiting for you’. He arrived home very happy, and saw the seven pots. He approached them and looked inside. Six of them were completely full of gold, and the seventh one was only half full. He said ‘What is that? Why is this one only half full? I have to fill this up’.

What did he do? He took all his savings, changed them into gold and put it in the seventh pot. In spite of doing that, the pot was not full, so he sold all his utensils, and all his furniture. Still the pot was half full. He started working very hard, night and day, to fill the seventh pot. His wife and children were starving, because he was trying to fill up the seventh pot with gold. He was getting depressed.

He was working at the king’s palace, and one day the king said, ‘What’s your problem?’ He said to the king, ‘I would like you to increase my salary. I’m not so happy’. The king said, ‘Alright, we’ll increase your salary, because you are a good person’. In spite of increasing his salary, after a few months, the king saw that he was still unhappy. One day the king called him and said, ‘Tell me something, when your salary was low, you were happy, content, and joyful. Now your salary has been doubled, but you look more depressed! You look unhappy. What’s your problem? Have you met the yaksha, the demon of the seven gold pots?’

‘He was shocked that the king should know about that, because he had kept it secret. Then he said, ‘Well, yes’. The king said, ‘Well, it’s a big mistake to accept the seven gold pots, because this will never bring happiness, but only sadness and unhappiness. It will bring only misery to your life. Go quickly and return them!’

He went and returned them, and the seventh pot was still only half full. This pot can never be full. You can’t fill it up, and it brings misery. When he returned the seventh pot, he lost everything. All his savings, all the money that he had put inside the pot, all was lost, but that’s what humans often do. Life after life, they want to fill the pot of misery. In spite of knowing that this pot will bring their own ruin, they like to play this game, but when you realise that this is bringing misery to you, do you like to play this game, or do you want to change something?

Of course, people will go left and right, looking for the truth. As long as one hasn’t found the spiritual path, one is never satisfied. It’s like a train, which is moving without knowing its destination. Like this train, people go left and right, but when one knows the destination, one goes directly there. When one knows one’s path – one goes directly. Take this path and just go and realise your Self !

SHORT-TERM HUMAN PLANNING

In life one is always planning, but it is due to greed to satisfy the needs of the outside, not knowing that at any moment everything can change in life. At the click of a finger everything can change.

Like it is said, just like a snake jumps upon a mouse and swallows the mouse, death can come at any time, changes can come at any time, nature can change everything at any time, and yet, human beings constantly plan. And with which attitude do they plan everything? They plan with an attitude of greed and an attitude of, ‘Yes, I am doing that.’ It’s not an attitude of humbleness, it’s not an attitude of, ‘What can I contribute towards changing things?’, ‘What can I give to this world?’ There is not an attitude of that. Most of the time is about ‘I, my and mine’.

You plan and plan and plan, and then from one moment to the next death is knocking at your door. Finished!

Death Doesn’t Send an Invitation

There is this story about a man, who worked throughout his life, and at the end, when he took his pension, he started to count his money. As he was counting, he was so happy that he had one hundred million dollars. But then, he noticed there was somebody behind him. When he looked he saw Death standing there.

He said, ‘Who are you?’

‘I am Death. I have come for you.’

‘But I didn’t invite you!’

Death was standing there and said, ‘Well, I’ve come uninvited.’

‘Why have you come for me?’

‘Well, it’s time for you to go.’

The man said, ‘How come it’s time for me to go? I was just counting my money and I have a hundred million dollars! I need to enjoy this hundred million now.’

Death said, ‘Well, that’s not my business.’

The man said, ‘Okay, fine. I’ll give you 50 million, just give me one day so that I can enjoy the other 50 million.’

Death said, ‘No, it’s not possible.’

Then he said, ‘Okay, I will give you 75 million. Give me half a day.’

Death said, ‘No, it’s not possible. Time is time.’

Then he said, ‘But, please, there must be something! I’ll give you the whole hundred million, give me one hour.’

Death said, ‘No, it’s not possible.’ Then the man said, ‘Okay.’

Seeing the sincerity of this person, Death said, ‘Okay, fine. I’ll give you a few seconds only.’

So, the man ran quickly to a table, grabbed a pen and wrote on a piece of paper, ‘Don’t wait for the last moment to enjoy life. As long as life is there, make the best out of it. Get to know who you really are. Don’t waste your time on petty things: those things that you think you need in life and then you realise you don’t need them at all.’

SHORT-TERM HAPPINESS VS REAL HAPPINESS

Seeking Happiness Externally

When we look at how the world functions, how people are when you see them walking on the street: are they at peace? No, they are not at peace, because they are constantly searching, they are constantly thinking, ‘How can I be happy?’, ‘What will make me happy?’

The Unhappy Couple and the Playful Spirit

Once there was a couple, and they were always unhappy. They were always complaining about everything in their life. When it was sunny, they would say, ‘Oh, it’s too hot. They were never appreciative of that. And when it was raining, they would say, ‘Oh, my goodness, it is wet, we can’t do anything.’

Throughout the years, everybody in the town had tried to help that couple, but they were super unhappy. So, some people asked them, ‘What will make you happy?’ Then the couple said, ‘Well, if we had gold, we would be happy.’

And the people from the town said, ‘Okay, forget about these people. They will never be happy. Whoever thinks like that will never be happy.’ So, they all went away from them.

One day, the husband was passing by, and a playful spirit stopped him. The playful spirit had heard about the unhappy couple, and he wanted to test them.

When the man saw him, he was frightened, and he said to the playful spirit, ‘Oh, I am fine, my health is fine, I am not sick. I am in a good state, so don’t come near me.’

And the spirit said, ‘No, no, no, no, I know you are fine and everything, but I just want to know why are you unhappy?’

And then the man said, ‘Okay, I want to have gold, and if I have gold then I will be happy.’

Then the spirit said, ‘Okay, fine. If that will make you happy.’ So, he wanted to test the man, and gave him a chicken that lays golden eggs every day. But he said to the man that the chicken would lay only one golden egg every day.

When the man heard that, he was extremely glad, and he took the chicken. He ran home and showed it to his wife. His wife was also very happy. So, that night they didn’t sleep. They were doing ‘japa’ on the

Reviews for Just Love

[Sebastián Del Callejo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book portraits an amazing journey within. Thank you Paramahamsa Sri Swami Vishwananda. All glory to the Master.