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What is the Purpose of My Life?

Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat
20 April 2023
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What is the Purpose of My Life?

(THE PHILOSOPHY OF SANATAN DHARM)

By Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj

The great big world we are living in consists of five kinds of toys. God has provided all these toys to his children. God is the wealthiest and therefore his toy (this material world) is so big that the person who plays with this toy gets so caught up with it that he is not able to get out of it. These toys are known as God’s Maya shakti.

There exists in the world the subjects of the five senses of perception. You look at the world with your eyes but you are never ever satisfied. The desire to see is so strong that you keep on seeing, and yet the desire is never satisfied. Someone asks you, “Tell me, have you been to New York?” “No.” Have you been to Europe? “No.” “Oh! In that case, you haven’t seen anything yet!“ How much can you possibly see? There is no end to the places you can see. Who has the time to see every city, every neighbourhood? We only can live up to a maximum of 100 years.

And then, this creation is so vast that no one has been able to even understand it; what to speak of seeing it in its entirety! The planet we are living on is very small. The sun that we see in the sky is much bigger than earth. The planetary system is much bigger than the sun. There are three billion suns in one planetary system, and these suns are thousands of times bigger than the sun we know of. And there are billions of planetary systems, and innumerable cosmic eggs created by God!

The same can be said of objects you can hear, smell and taste. These are the five senses and each has unlimited subjects to enjoy. These five toys are so powerful that it is impossible for someone to not be entangled by them. These toys are collectively known as God’s Maya shakti. God declares in this verse from the Gita, “Only the individual who surrenders to me and asks for my protection, can gain freedom from maya.”

Small children play with dolls and are very attached to them. If someone snatches away their dolls, they scream and start kicking their hands and feet. But when the same child grows up, he searches for a real person to get married to. He no longer plays with toy dolls. Now that he has found the real thing, he renounces the toys. In the very same way, when we also come to understand that we are the soul and that only Shyamsundar (God) belongs to us, that he is everything to us – then we will automatically turn away from the toys in the world.

Thus, we must understand that we have eternally turned away from God, and to face towards Him, we must practise devotion. We will attain God’s bliss through devotion. The world will then cease to attract us, and one day God will become ours and we will belong fully to God. So how do we practise devotion so that the worldly pleasures will become meaningless for us and we can start experiencing devotional bliss

Firmly resolve, “O mind! Be absorbed in the loving meditation of God. Meditate upon the lotus feet of Shri Radha Rani.” In the beginning, you may need to make concerted efforts to practise rupadhyana, but keep practising again and again. Then you will be able to easily meditate on the form of God, and you will effortlessly remember God. As a result, worldly pleasures will be meaningless for you. Radha Rani and Shri Krishna are the ocean of Divine bliss and will saturate your mind with their remembrance. They both are the ocean of divine bliss after all.

Even objects and people of the world fully capture your mind once you become attached to them; then what to speak of Shri Radha Krishna! Even a glimpse will give you unlimited divine bliss. Wisdom lies in making a sincere effort to walk on the path of spirituality while you are young and healthy. Yesterday is gone and all we have is today. We should use it to the fullest.

A bee tasting the nectar of a lotus became trapped within the flower and started thinking, “My night will pass nicely. In the morning, the sun will shine in the sky and the lotus will bloom once again. I will then be free to fly out.” Sad to say, that while the bee was planning thus, an elephant uprooted the lotus, bringing about the end of the bee.

Our situation is quite similar to that of the bee. We plan to live a disciplined life devoted to the quest for higher truths, but our plans fail to materialise. Instead, our life is wasted in the pursuit of worldly enjoyments until the day we breathe our last. The point is that along with the importance of the human body, we must also think about its transience and the certainty of death.

We use the word “dead sure.” What does this term mean? It means that death is something we all are sure to face. No one can escape from the clutches of death. A Saint by the name of Narayan says to spiritual seekers, “Do not forget two things – Death and God. Death first and God next. Why not God first? Because even if we understand the importance of God, we may procrastinate, thinking we have many years to live. But keeping death in mind at all times will rid us of our procrastinating tendency.

The Bhagwatam tells us, “Though momentary, this human life provides us a golden opportunity for God-realisation.” Therefore, we should constantly meditate on the fact that our most valuable treasures do not consist of worldly objects that are perishable, but of the knowledge and love of God that are everlasting. The material world should be viewed as the means to an end and not an end in itself. It is a means to perfect ourselves and attain the ultimate aim of life.

To conclude, the human form of life is the most important form of life, and human beings the most fortunate of all beings. Man is greater than other creatures, including celestial gods. But human life is transient. It can come to an end at any moment. Keeping in mind its transitory nature as well as its immense significance, we should understand the real purpose of our life. Embrace the path of spirituality and follow it with firm determination in order to realise God and attain the divine happiness that our heart and soul is craving for since time immemorial.

(Credits: A Journey Towards Divine Love)

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*A brief introduction of Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj*

(Known by His devotees as Shri Maharajji)

The original title of Jagadguruttam (‘Greatest Spiritual Teacher of the World’) was bestowed upon Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj on January 14, 1957 by ‘Kashi Vidvat Parishad’ (a council of 500 greatest scholars saints of India). He composed divine texts like ‘Prem Ras Madira’, ‘Prem Ras Siddhant’, and ‘Radha Govind Geet’ to lead us on the right path of devotion. He also gave priceless monuments as gifts to the world which include  -  Bhakti Mandir located in Bhakti Dham, Mangarh,  Prem Mandir located in Vrindavan Dham, and Kirti Mandir located in Barsana Dham. Shri Maharajji also built hospitals for the impoverished, the Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalaya in Vrindavan, Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalaya in Barsana, and another one in Pratapgarh. All three help millions of underprivileged to gain free access to medical care. His Kindergarten, School, and College for impoverished girls Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat Education is located in Kunda and provides completely free education.