Hari Gita

Hari Gita - Characteristics of Sadhus

Suvrat Muni continued, "O king! Bhaktimata asked her son, Lord Narayan Himself." 'I know You are Lord
Narayan. You have taken birth as my son for the benevolence of Your devotees. You relieve all sorrows of
Your devotees. I have come under Your shelter. Please advise me how I can surmount Your Maya and
attain Moksha in this life. I have become detached from the worldly affairs and come to You for salvation.'

Suvrat Muni said, "O Pratapsinh! Shree Hari, Who is the true origin of all knowledge, became pleased at
the humility of His mother. He explained the process by which one can surmount Maya and attain
salvation."

Shree Hari replied, 'O mother! Listen to Me. I will explain to you how a true seeker can attain Moksha. The
answer I give is the same as given in the Vedas and other scriptures. All seekers and devotees must serve
and worship Lord Krishna. He is the supreme Bhagwan and is also known as Lord Vishnu (because He is
present in everything), Lord Narayan (the shelter of all Muktas) and Purushottam (beyond temporary -
visible and eternal - invisible entities). The whole universe is influenced and entangled in His Maya. Only
those who seek His refuge can overcome Maya. One must serve Bhagwan with Bhakti (devotion) which
must be accompanied by the observance of one's Dharma (ethical duties), Gnaan (knowledge of His glory)
and Vairagya (detachment from the mundane affairs of this world). The association and mercy of the true
saints are the only means by which one can understand Dharma, Gnaan and Vairagya. Bhakti in Bhagwan
remains unwavered only if accompanied by Dharma, Gnaan and Vairagya. Devotion surely wavers in the
absence of any of these three. Bhakti (accompanied by these three elements) is the only means by which
one can surmount the mighty Maya. The staunch devotee, with the help of Bhakti, attains the ultimate
abode of Bhagwan. The scholars call it Braham as well, which is beyond the effects of Maya and Time.
Upon reaching this supreme abode, the devotee enjoys the ultimate bliss and any other pleasures he
desires.'

Bhaktimata, though pleased with the answer, was not fully satisfied with such a short answer. She asked
Shree Hari again, "O Bhagwan! You just said that one can surmount Maya only with the three pronged
Bhakti in You, which can only be acquired by the close association with true saints. How does one
recognise such saints? Please explain their characteristics. O Lord Krishna! You know everything there is
to know. Also explain the traits of Bhakti and its three prongs i.e. Dharma, Gnaan and Vairagya. I have not
studied the scriptures. You are the only one Who can remove my ignorance.'
Suvrat Muni said, "Lord Shree Hari was very pleased with His mother for asking such profound questions."
Shree Hari replied, 'O mother! You have asked very important questions. Indeed, this is what everybody,
including scholars, needs to know for one's salvation. I will explain the characteristics of true saints first
from whom one learns about Bhakti in Bhagwan. A true saint should be kind towards all living creatures,
honest, pious (fearful of sins), calm (physically and mentally), lenient (able to forgive other's insults), soft
spoken, patient (not influenced by unfavourable circumstances), expert at sermonising, generous (forgiving
others' faults), a scholar (of scriptures), wise (able to discriminate between right and wrong and truth and
false), a believer (in the separate existence of God and soul), faithful (in the gospel of the scriptures),
satisfied (with whatever God has given), devout, non critical of others, honourable (afraid of committing
sins), non attached (towards the body and its relatives) and chaste. He should be free from jealousy, greed,
envy, anger, cant, enmity, ego, lust and desires. He should also be free from vices like gambling, stealing,
consuming meat or alcohol, exposing someone's secret publicly and indulgence in gossip. He should
observe his Dharma (sincerely and willingly), practice non violence (in thought, speech and deeds) and
Brahamcharya strictly without letting his senses wander about. He should have won over hunger, sleep,
lethargy and the tendency to amass wealth. He should have equanimity (able to remain unaffected by cold
and heat, insult and praise and pleasure and pain). He should always be engaged in reading or listening to
God's Katha, Kirtan or meditation. Indeed all of his deeds should be just to please God and not a moment
should pass without the remembrance of God. O mother! Know such person as a true saint. Three pronged
Bhakti can only be acquired from such a saint. One should listen to God's Katha only from such a saint.
Indeed, the greatness and glory of God, His shrines and His supreme abode can only be understood from
such a saint. One's Bhakti ascends only through the association of such saints. A single Darshan of such a
saint redeems one of his accumulated sins of their past lives. Lord Krishna has described such saints as
His heart and all shrines rest at their feet. Indeed, nothing is impossible to get from the Darshan of such
saints!'

Thus ends the thirty second chapter of the first canto of the Satsangi Jeevan

Hari Gita - Characteristics of Dharma

Shree Hari continued, "O mother! I shall now explain the characteristics of the three elements of Bhakti
starting with Dharma. Dharma must be followed by everybody from the mighty Brahma to the smallest of
living entity. Inversely, Dharma sustains every living entity including Devtas. A person, even if born to the
lowest clan, becomes reverential to everyone including Lord Brahma, if he observes Dharma. Every one
must follow Dharma as a person who deviates or transgresses from Dharma becomes disrespectable in the
eyes of all. The Shrutis, the Smrutis and the moral conduct of the pious have defined Dharma for humans
and classified it in two categories; Samanya (common) and Vishishtha (specific). Dharma to be observed
by persons of all four Varnas (Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra) and of four Ashrams
Brahamcharya, Grahastha, Vanprastha and Sanyaas) is called common Dharma.

O My wise mother! I will explain both categories of Dharma in short. Non violence, truth, not stealing,
forsaking meat, alcohol, addiction and adultery, not giving in to anger, greed and lust, fear of committing
sins, serving saints and engaging in the Bhakti of Bhagwan are defined as common Dharma, i.e. to be
observed by persons of four Varnas and four Ashrams. A total control of the senses and sensual organs,
austerity knowledge, compassion, leniency and belief in the supremacy of God etc. are the natural specific
Dharma of Brahmins. They should engage in teaching, sermonising and overseeing Yagnas to earn their
livelihood. Bravery, patience, strength, generosity, defence of cows, Brahmins and saints, judiciousness
etc. are specific Dharma of Kshatriyas. To earn a living, they should bear arms to protect the community.
Vaishyas should engage in agriculture, animal husbandry, trade, lending etc to earn their living and their
specific Dharmas include having a staunch belief in religion and making financial contributions to sustain
the community they live in. The Shudras' specific Dharma is to serve the other three Varnas according to
their abilities. They should earn their living by engaging in servitude of others. They must forsake violence
and stealing in pursuit of their livelihood. The Brahmins and Kshtriyas may earn a living as Vaishyas and
Vaishyas may engage in servitude for their livelihood in detrimental times, but must return to their originally
intended livelihoods at the end of such detrimental times.

O Mother! A Brahamchari (a person of three Varna who has undergone sacred thread ceremony) must
reside at the residence of his guru in pursuit of education. He must retain a wooden stick, water jug, Mala,
waist band, Dhoti etc. with him. He must refrain from using mascara, scents, jewellery, garlands etc. It is
said in the scriptures that the association with pious persons is the gateway of Heaven and the company of
a lusty persons is the gateway of Hell. Therefore, a Brahamchari must only associate with the pious. He
must renounce woman in thought, sight and contact. He must not even touch the feet of his guru's wife. He
must never see any animals engaged in opulation. Indeed, he should never even touch a statue or picture
of a woman except he Murti of a Goddess. He must perform Sandhya thrice a day, Homa and Japa at dusk
and dawn and remain speechless for some time in the morning and evening. He must go to the village to
seek alms for himself. He must study at least one (if not all four) of the Vedas and other scriptures
intensively by controlling his senses. He may enter into Grahastha (householder) Ashram after giving
appropriate Dakshina to his guru at graduation. He may also enter Vanprastha or Sanyas Ashram if he has
developed detachment from worldly affairs.

Shree Hari continued, "A Brahamchari wishing to enter Grahastha Ashram should select a bride younger
than him, of an unblemished character and of the same Varna but of different clan. He must earn his
livelihood by judicious means. He must undertake Snaan (a ritual bath in the morning and before all
religious ceremonies), Sandhya (thrice a day), oblation to Pitris (dead ancestors), veneration of Lord
Vishnu, Swadhyay (study of scriptures) and Vaishvadev (sharing and distributing food) daily as appropriate
He may perform morning Sandhya at noon or noon Sandhya at morning if lack of time is the prime factor.
However, the evening Sandhya must never be brought forward. Even a Brahmin scholar of all the four
Vedas is deemed as Shudra if he does not perform Sandhya, Homa or veneration. After the ritualistic bath,
he must neither touch unwashed cotton robes nor the robes of any material which may have been washed
by an unchaste person. Solemnisation of the marriage, the acceptance of inheritance or the division of
property amongst siblings must be done in the presence of a holy fire. He must take due care of his
dependants (mother, father, wife, children, servants etc.) with food and clothes. He must always try to
satisfy any guest or alms seeker arriving at his door step. He must always associate with saints and
perform any of the nine types of Bhakti. He must neither associate with evil nor get madly entangled in his
property.

O mother! Let me explain the hierarchy among the immovable life form in ascending order; mountains,
ordinary plants, grain and medicinal plants, flowering vines, fruit bearing trees like mango and the plants
used in religious ceremony. The same for the movable life form is; crawling insects like ants, flying insects
like butterflies, small birds like sparrows, birds of prey like kites, small mammals like rabbits, goats, cow and
humans. The order among humans is; a Brahmin, a pious Brahmin and a scholar among Brahmins, but a
devotee is the best among all living beings because God resides in his heart. No one is even equal to him.
Therefore, a Grahastha must treat a God's devotee with respect and reverence and bow in front of him. Evil
is the householder who treats a devotee on par with others without understanding the greatness of a
devotee of God.

A householder Vaishnav, (devotee of Lord Vishnu) must not accept anything for personal use, be it food,
clothes, jewellery, flowers etc. without offering them first to Lord Shree Hari. As Pitris are Vaishnav too, he
must never offer meat as oblation to Pitris. They should be venerated only with grains. Indeed! He must not
even believe in the deities where live animals are sacrificed. Non violence is the cornerstone and the
cardinal principle of Sanatan Dharma. A householder must observe reverently all Vrats and undertake the
pilgrimage of shrines as to his personal capabilities. Even a small donation, gifts or alms given in a holy
place, at a holy time or to holy recipients becomes inexhaustible. A wealthy person should construct
temples, help install God's Murtis inside and arrange for the future income for the upkeep of such temple.
He should perform non violent Yagnas and build wells and lakes for the benefit of the community at large.
He should generously feed Brahmins and saints and behave in a transparent manner with saints. One must
never insult saints or Brahmins. He must show due compassion towards all living beings. He must not allow
himself to be overtly influenced by greed, ego, anger, envy and lust. A householder must not deliberately
touch a widow who is not a close blood relative. He must not remain alone with his mother, ister or
daughter except in absolute emergency. He must not commit suicide or murder at any shrine in hope of
getting deliverance from his deeds. He must always behave in a religious manner. A Sadhava (a woman
whose husband is alive) must treat and serve her husband as a Devta by subordinating everything else. A
Vidhava (a woman whose husband has died) must serve God as her husband without indulging in worldly
pleasures. She should not touch, speak nor look at any other male who is not her close blood relative. She
must not stay alone even with her father, brother or son unless totally unavoidable. A Grahastha should
prepare to become detached from household duties at the third stage of his life (at the age of fifty). He
should migrate to the forest to become Vaanprasthi with (if willing) or without (if unwilling) his wife. He
should build a hut to protect the holy fire and grains. He must live out in the open and perform austerity to
please God by bearing the blazing sun in the summer, falling rain in the monsoon and spending time in
water in the winter. He must sustain himself with fallen fruits and uncultivated grains from the forest. The
same must be offered to God during His veneration. He should accept the Sanyaas Ashram after spending
a long time as a Vaanprasth A Sanyaasi should keep two loin cloths and Dhoti apiece, one piece of cloth to
cover the torso, an alms bowl, a water bowl and a wooden staff. He should endeavour to spend all his time
in chanting God's name. Without a good reason, he must not stay at one location except during the four
months of monsoon. He should seek alms from a pious Brahmin's home and that too, only once a day. He
should observe total Brahamcharya and all Vrats reverently. He should control his senses and be inward
looking at all times. The scriptures forbid Vaanprastha and Sanyaas Ashram in this age of Kali Yug.

Therefore, one may become Varni (celibate saint) by accepting proper Vaishnavi Diksha either before or
after Grahastha Ashram. He should stay with other like minded saints rather than on his own. As the
company of a woman is like a web of delusion from which even the best of Yogis cannot escape, Varni
must forsake women by speech, sight and direct contact. The knowledge, Bhakti, austerity, Vairagya etc. of
a Yogi becomes futile as a result of an association with a woman. Varni must fear a woman just as one
fears the poisonous snake. He must forsake these six gateways of the Hell; lust, anger, greed, ego, palate
and company of the sinners. He should remain engaged in any one type of Bhakti at all times. Such a
saint's only wish is to serve God with pleasure. He does not wish for the pleasures of the Heaven or even
desire the four types of Mukti without Gods' service. As God resides in the heart of such a pious saint, the
vices such as lust and anger are unable to enter his heart to disturb his inner equilibrium. He immediately
must forsake bad place, time, Japa, deeds, scripture and company.
O judicious mother! I explained the Dharmas of four Varnas and four Ashrams. The virtuous devotee must
atone immediately for any lapses in his Dharma. Let me explain the traits of knowledge next.

Thus ends the thirty third chapter of the first canto of the Satsangi Jeevan.

Hari Gita - Characteristics of Gnaan

Shree Hari continued, "O Mother! To understand the things as they actually are is called the knowledge.
The knowledge is of two types; one pertains to the soul and the other pertains to God. A soul, as a life force
of the body, though dwells in the heart, pervades the whole body. It is the force behind the sensual organs
like eyes, ears, mind, intelligence, hands and feet. Though it permeates the body, it is a separate entity.
Just as fire permeating the steel rod is distinct from the rod, the soul is distinct from the body it permeates.
A soul is not effected by any changes in the structure of the body neither does it perish when the body dies.
Thus a soul is eternal, indestructible, indivisible, impregnable, miniscule and radiant. God, the supreme
entity of this universe, is known by many names such as Lord Krishna, Lord Narayan, Lord Vishnu,
Purushottam etc. He is full of divine virtues and Nirgun (not affected or influenced by and beyond the traits
of Maya); everything that comes into His contact also becomes Nirgun. He is independent, cause of all
causes, self illuminated, more radiant than thousands of suns and supreme. Everybody should worship
Him. His supreme abode, AksharBrahm, is surrounded by millions of universes like ours. Though said to be
soul of AksharBrahm, He is distinct and beyond Akshar. He is omnipresent, invariable and eternal. Maya,
Time and Purush (creative force) are His extensive powers and answerable to Him. He, independently,
takes birth in this world from time to time for the benevolence of the mankind. Lord Krishna glances at
Prakruti (Maya in dormant form) with the aim of creating the innumerable universes. O Mother! I will explain
the chain of creation of one universe among them. This happens with the express desire of Lord Krishna
Himself. Purush (as a male token) and Pradhan (a female) emerge from within Prakruti. Pradhan and
Purush merge to create Mahatatva, the seed of all creation. Three types of Ahankaar (Ego) Satvik, Rajas
and Tamas, emerge from Mahatatva. Shabda (sound) emerges from Tamas Ahankaar. Aakash (the
space), as a beholder of Shabda emerges from Shabda itself. Sparsha (touch), Vaayu (wind), Roop (sight),
Tej (light), Ras (taste), Water, Gandha (smell) and the Earth emerge progressively from Aakash. The
Aakash, Vaayu, Tej, Water and Earth are called five base elements and sound, touch, sight, taste and
smell are called five senses. Five cognitive organs (ears, skin, eyes, tongue and nose) and five conative
organs (able to perform), mouth, hands, feet, anus and urinary organ, Pran (life force) and Budhhi
(intelligence) emerge from the Rajas Ahankaar. The Man (mind) and Devtas (the grasping and controlling
fforces behind them) of senses and sensual organs emerge from the Satvik Ahankaar. Dik, Vaayu, Surya,
Varun, Ashwinikumar, Agni, Indra, Vishnu, Mitra, Prajapati, Chandrama, Brahma, Vaasudev and Rudra are
fourteen controlling Devtaas. Though not fully capable to do so, they created a huge body called Virat from
their own parts as per God's wish. (As Virat was unable to do anything without God) Lord Krishna, as
Purush, entered the body of Virat as its soul. Therefore, this soul is known as Virat(or Vairaj)Purush. He is
also called ViratNarayan, as he was lying on the water, which later became ocean, secreted from its own
body. Brahma arose from the navel of ViratNarayan. God creates everything that is visible through Brahma.
Brahma created Prajapatis, Devtas, Rishis, Gandharvas, Demons, ghosts, mountains, rivers, animals,
birds, snakes, humans etc. as per God's wish. The souls lying dormant within Maya were given different
bodies. All these souls are engaged in various activities according to their Prakruti (inherent nature) some
of them pious, some sinful while some the mixture of two. The Nirgun (free from the traits of Maya) are
engaged only in the Bhakti of Lord Krishna. O mother! Thus God creates through Brahma, sustains through
Vishu and destroys through Shiv. He is present in every soul and witnesses the deeds of the soul. He
alone, gives pains and pleasure as the result of one's deeds impartiality. Just as the emperor appoints a
smaller king to undertake various duties, the Supreme God has appointed various Devtas to undertake His
commands. He is the true force behind everything; temporary (visible) and eternal (invisible forces like
Time and Maya). All Devtas are His subordinates and dependant. Only Lord Krishna is supreme and
independent and only He is to be venerated and worshipped. He is omnipresent in the whole universe. O
mother! Whoever knows this ultimate knowledge about soul and almighty God from true saints described
earlier does not need to know anything else. Whoever, realising the full greatness of God, engages in His
Bhakti is considered liberated from the cycle of life and death.

Thus ends the thirty fourth chapter of the first canto of the Satsangi Jeevan
Hari Gita - Characteristics of Vairagya

Shree Hari continued, "O Mother! Let Me now tell you about Vairagya. The apathy in mundane things of
this world and interest exclusively in God is called Vairagya. One should be indifferent towards one's body
and its relatives (like wife and offspring), home and hearth, wealth and it's by product like land and
ornaments and the pleasures of physical and sensual gratification. Indeed, one should not even have the
desire of Heaven or various abodes of other Devtas. Great sages define Vairagya as total disinterest in
everything except God."

Premvati said, "O Shree HariKrishna! Please tell me how one develops such Vairagya."

Shree Hari replied, "Everything, including all living beings, all visible pleasures, Brahma, Virat and indeed
anything that is created from Prakruti is annihilated at some point of time. There are four types of
annihilations; Nitya (regular and continuous), Naimittik (causal), Prakrut (near total) and Atyantik (total).
One becomes detached from mundane things when he realises the temporary nature of everything that is
visible. Similarly, one becomes detached from this world on seeing or experiencing the sorrows arising from
their sins. People, in the company of evil persons, are engaged in sinful activities for food and sensual
gratification. The association with such evil persons destroys one's intellect, knowledge, distinction between
right and wrong and other virtues. Consequently, one becomes egoist of the self and possessive towards
the acquisitions and relatives. As a result of this greater attachment, one tends to commit sins and take up
immoral means to acquire wealth to satiate the financial greed of his family. He not only covets the things
that does not belong to him, but is not afraid to commit adultery and treachery even with his friends. He
does not see anything wrong in accumulating wealth by foul means. He forsakes truth, honesty and even
religion in pursuit of his goals. He criticises the pious for trading the religious path. Under the influence of
immoral wealth, he turns against the Vedas, Brahmins, Devtas and shrines. He twists the meanings of
scriptures to suit his selfish ends and tries to establish wrong as right with the power of his ill-gotten wealth.
He indulges in the consumption of alcohol and meat to satisfy his palate and sexual relationship with other
women and widows for sensual gratification. Overcome by false pride, he becomes shameless and
charlatan. O Mother! Such evil persons suffer extreme pain at death and afterwards as well. Terrible
looking Yamdoots (messengers of Death) come to take him to Hell at a time of his death. He shivers by the
fear at the sight of cruel and vicious Yamdoots. Panic and helplessness grips him. His soul is painfully
separated from his physical body. Yamdoots drag his soul, now enveloped in his causal body, to Hell. The
path to the Hell is covered with hot sand and many thorns. Unable to walk steadily on this awful path,
merciless Yamdoots repeatedly beat him with iron rods and chains to force him to walk. They do not heed
his loud cries of mercy from relentless pain. Yamdoot force him to walk fast on the inhospitable path to Hell
without a moment of respite. He is brought as a prisoner in front of Yamraj (Devta of Death) and Chitragupt
(his record keeper) who are aware of each and every sin he has committed during his life on the earth.
Yamraj pronounces the sentence according to his sins and throws him into one of the various Hells to
undergo severe punishment. O Mother! Let me name just few among thousands of Hells. Tamisra,
ArdhTamisra, Raurav, MahaRaurav, Kumbhipak, AndhKup, Asipatravan etc. are the main Hells. The sinner
is sent to one or many Hells according to the sins he has committed. He is bitten by the animals and
insects he has killed on the earth. He is forced to embrace the red hot iron statue of woman repeatedly. He
is fried in boiling oil and bitten by snakes, dogs, vultures etc. His eyes are pierced by the hot rods and
molten metal poured into his ears and mouth. On completion of his punishment, he enters the cycle of life
again at the end of his sentence befitting his sins. He is born into one of the four types of life; born in the air
like viruses, emerge from the earth as plants, born from eggs like birds or born from the womb like
mammals according to his past deeds. He suffers the pain of birth, ageing and death repeatedly. He suffers
various types of sorrows during his lifetime. He remains entangled in the vicious cycle of life and death until
he is born as a human by the mercy of God.

O Mother! One can attain the freedom from this cycle of death and birth with the help of Bhakti which one
learns from pious saints. The fools, without God's Bhakti remain subject to repeated births and its
associated pains. He goes to Hell after death to suffer the punishment of his past sins to re-enter the cycle
of birth and death. One refrains from sins when he realises the pain one has to suffer from his
misdemeanours. He keeps away from evil persons and associates with the pious. As a result, his Vairagya
ascends and he does not indulge in temporary and miniscule pleasures of this world. One does not get
pleasures without sorrows or God's favours and mercy without Vairagya. O Mother! One attains salvation
with deep devotion of God. The devotion can ascend only after the development of detachment. One
attains Moksha and God's abode through Bhakti. I have explained the characteristics of Vairagya and the
reasons of its ascent. Now I will describe the characteristics of Bhakti by which one may become free from
the cycle of death and birth and attain salvation.

Thus ends the thirty fifth chapter of the first canto of the Satsangi Jeevan

Hari Gita - Characteristics of Bhakti

Shree Hari continued, "The scholars define Bhakti as serving God with profound love. Just as a married
woman serves her husband with total honesty and single minded love, a devotee should serve Lord with
full fervour. Listening and singing His Kirtans or Leelas, remembering, physical serving, veneration, bowing,
servility, friendship and total surrender to Shree Hari, are the nine types of Bhakti. A devotee engaged in
any of these nine types of Bhakti attains bliss in this life and Moksha in the next. O Mother! One should
listen to the Katha retelling Lord Krishna's Leelas, His various incarnations such as Varah etc., His true
devotees like Prahlad, Dhruv, Ambarish etc. and His saints from a religious and staunch devotee. One
should recite the scriptures ddetailing His and His saints' Leelas for the purification of one's soul. A devotee
should sing aloud lovingly lyrics or hymns praising Lord Krishna with or without musical instruments and
should extol loudly the virtues of Lord Shree
Hari. A devotee should meditate on each and every part of God's body from feet to face. One should
always remember His glory, Leelas and virtues, His abodes, His saints and His devotees. One should
massage Lord's feet with humility. One can do this mentally or simply touching the feet of his Murti in the
absence of God in person. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiv have acquired the ability to create, sustain and
destroy the universe and holy Ganga has become able to wash away the sins of sinners by prostrating at
his feet. Sage Vyas has extolled the virtues of Gopis of Vraj higher than Devtas only because of their
servitude at God's feet. Radha and Laxmiji massage His feet at all times. Touching His feet removes the
fear of Maya. Indeed, there is no other assured way to attain Moksha than serving or touching His feet.

O Mother! The scholar saints have divided the veneration in two categories; external (or direct) and internal
(or mental). To worship God with the actual artefacts like flowers, sandalwood paste etc. while chanting
hymns is called external veneration. To worship Lord Krishna with imagined substances in the absence of
actual artefacts is called the mental veneration. Mental veneration should be performed prior to external
veneration at all times. God must be invited to be present during veneration of movable Murti before
worship. Artefacts offered in worship must be free from alcohol and meat and must not have been offered
to any other deity previously. Offer Lord Krishna fresh water for bathing, then offer robes appropriate for the
season. Sandalwood paste should be smeared on His body in summer and only on His forehead in winter.
Offer ornaments, flowers, garlands, Naivedhya etc. to one's capabilities. Light an incense stick and lamp in
front of His Murti. Perform Dandvat (prostration) - Sastang or Panchang, Pradakshina (circumambulation),
prayer, Japa etc. This process must be conducted five times a day. Five venerations a day is the best,
thrice a day is medium and though the worst, one must offer veneration at least once a day (in the
morning). The special worship accompanied by musical instruments, must be conducted on Janmashtami,
RamNavmi and Ekadashis. One must fast on these days and offer food to saints and Brahmins the next
day. The wealthy devotees should build temples and organise festivals to facilitate other devotees. They
should also arrange for the future and continuous source of income for such temples by donating farmland,
money etc. The wealthy devotee should built lakes, wells etc. for the benevolence of all living beings and
arrange grand Kathas, Yagnas etc. The Devtas, Pitris, Brahmins should be worshipped with the leftover
artefacts. One must serve God by forsaking one's ego as if he is His servant. He should collect flowers,
fruits etc. artefacts of worship himself. He should clean the temple complex and honour all devotees and
saints humbly. He could treat God as his personal friend by considering Him of greater importance than
relatives or wealth just as Arjun and Draupadi had treated Him as their best friend. One must not cast any
doubt or scepticism in any of His actions in any of His incarnations. O Mother! The last type of Bhakti is
total surrender of self to Him by forgetting one's self. The body, soul, wealth, indeed everything must be
surrendered to Lord Krishna. Nothing must become more important than Him. Anything that becomes a
hindrance in the service of God, be it one's nature, relatives, wealth, home or friends, must be given up.
The eye must be used solely for His Darshan, ears for listening to His Katha, tongue for singing His glory
and paeans, feet for His Pradakshina and walking towards temple, head for bowing at Him, mouth for
eating only His Prasad, nose for smelling His leftover flowers, hands for serving Him and His saints and
devotees and touching His feet, mind and intellect for thinking and remembering Him at all times. Indeed
the whole self must only be utilised for His and His devotees' service. This must be done by forsaking ego
and without any unjustified pride as well. He should not accept, use or consume anything without first
offering it to God. Whatever he does is only for His pleasure. Devotees are of two types; Sakam and
Nishkam. Sakam (desirous) devotees expect wealth happiness or Moksha as a result of His Bhakti while
Nishkam (nondesirous) devotees do not even expect anything in return for their Bhakti, not even Moksha or
any special powers. Any special powers attained by Bhakti are actually a hindrance in God's service,
therefore Nishkam devotees do not even think about them. Such a Nishkam devotee is the best and is
considered as God's heart. A staunch devotee's love for God ascends all the time. Factors like Time, place
and actions do not cause hindrance. Just as the flow of great rivers like Ganga makes way through the
hindrances like mountains to reach its final destination - ocean, a devotee's love for God never diminishes
despite many hindrances and surely reaches its final destination - God. His senses are always engaged in
Lord Krishna and not in worldly pleasures. His profound love in God does not allow his senses to deviate
from or focus in anything mundane. Pleasing substances of the world that entices the normal man cause
distress to such an Atmanivedi devotee. Smearing sandalwood paste is like a poisonous massage,
garlands are like snakes, bed of flowers is like a bed of ambers, a grand mansion is like an isolated deep
forest, sweet smelling air is like a whiff of scorching air of desert, tasteful fare is like a poison, finer clothes
are like a gunny sack, amorous music is like sharp arrows, a beautiful maid is like a witch to him. Indeed
even moonlight burns his skin. Anything that gives pleasure to ordinary man distresses such a devotee. His
heart beats with the name of God, and God remains constantly in his mind. One should recognise such
Atmanivedi devotee by such traits. He suddenly smiles at the remembrance of God's mental Darshan and
abruptly cries at the feeling of distance from God. He often dances, sings aloud, speaks with Him, becomes
stunned, begs, prays lovingly, prostrates etc. without any obvious reasons. The dust becomes holy by his
footsteps. O Mother! His soul and mind becomes united with God. He or she becomes free from all effects
of Maya and becomes as Nirgun as God Himself. By the grace of God, such a devotee, at the time of his
death, attains a divine body and goes to Golok, Vaikunth or Akshardham as per his wish. He enjoys all the
trappings of His abodes. I have told you the secret of the Vedas, Panchratra, Puranas etc. in short. This
knowledge is enough to redeem a man from the cycle of death and rebirth. Anyone who recites or listens to
this knowledge (Hari Gita) will attain whatever he desires. His love for God will become everlasting."

Suvrat Muni said, "O King! Bhaktimata's doubt vanished totally after listening to the Hari Gita. She became
very pleased and said, 'I am very pleased to hear the nectar of knowledge from You. I do realise that You
are Lord Krishna Himself. You have taken birth as my son for the benevolence of mankind. Becoming free
from all doubts and sorrows, I am going to Your supreme abode.'

Suvrat Muni said, "Saying This, Bhaktimata slipped into Samadhi and her soul attained unison with God. O
King! Whoever recites or listens to this Hari Gita, in full or partly, will have his desires fulfilled and his Bhakti
in Shree Hari will become more profound. This nectar of knowledge is given by Lord Shree Hari Himself.

Thus ends the thirty sixth chapter of the first canto of the Satsangi Jeevan