Kripalu Panchamrit
When devotees asked Shri Maharaj Ji to tell them what he had presented at the grand spiritual conference held in Kanpur in 1955, he wrote Kripalu Panchamrit. The following five most essential points encapsulate the entire philosophy of Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj:
- Every individual soul in the universe has a natural desire for unlimited happiness due to being an eternal part of Shri Krishna, who is the very embodiment of existence, knowledge and divine bliss.
- Although there are numerous theories prevalent in the world regarding the means to attain this bliss, or infinite happiness, all of them can be classified irrefutably into only two categories: Spiritualism and Materialism. One who identifies the self as the soul is a spiritualist, and the one who identifies the self with the body is a materialist.
Although both condemn one another, in my opinion, both are ignorant. Just as body and soul have an eternal harmonious relationship, likewise Spiritualism and Materialism are equally indispensable. You can practice spiritual discipline only if you keep your body healthy, and in turn, the very existence of the body depends entirely on the soul.
- The infinite happiness the individual soul desires incessantly can be attained only through the grace of Shri Krishna, which He showers only upon completely surrendered souls. The first step to receive His grace is to acquire true spiritual knowledge from a Guru, who is well versed in scriptures and has a practical experience of God. By sincerely following the spiritual discipline specified by such a Guru, your heart will begin to purify. When your heart becomes completely purified you will attain divine, unlimited and everlasting happiness through the Guru’s grace.
- The only spiritual discipline that will completely purify the heart is the practice of Navadha Bhakti (nine-fold devotion) to Shri Krishna. Chant the glory of His divine names, forms, attributes, pastimes, abodes and saints. Shed tears of love and continuously increase the longing to see your beloved Shri Krishna. Abandon all desires, even the desire for the five kinds of liberation (sarupya, salokya, samipya, sarshti and sayujya).
- The mind alone must surrender and practice devotion to Shri Krishna. Therefore, always keep the mind engaged in the constant loving remembrance of Shri Krishna and His names, forms, attributes, pastimes, abodes and saints. While doing this, perform all your necessary duties pertaining to the maintenance of your physical body. In this way, live in the world with your mind absorbed in the loving thoughts of God and your body performing all your essential duties. This is the essence of the entire Geeta known as karm-yog and the quintessence of the philosophy of the Vedant, known as gyan-yog.
