How could we develop divine qualities?

Some may think about learn it from books, joining personality class, etc. But this was not approved by shastras. Even if we can train our self with so much difficulties and great endeavor, still it need more time and many things could happen in the course. That if we talk only about mere good qualities, but what about divine qualities of bhakti? They are more difficult to obtain. Need thousands of life time.

But anyway we have to somehow attain perfection or siddhi. What is the need to performing various sadhanas (spiritual practices), tapasya (austerities), etc. if we couldn’t gain anything? What is the need of hard sadhanas without even any trace of hope to attain the sadhya (goal)? But our shastras said by sat-sanga, pure association, we can get all siddhi, all perfections. Yes, most of us already know this. “I think I have sat-sanga with many sadhus…, but nothing happened.” How could our shastras be wrong?

The only fault was in our side. We think we have sadhus-sanga, but actually we just do some “human social conducts”. The shastras said Lava-matra, that’s mean 1/11 second, of association with a sadhu will give us all perfections. We stay near a great pure devotee of The Lord 24 hours a day for more than 10 years, but nothing happened. Did we really perform sat-sanga? Mostly not. Even if Sri Bhagavan Himself, as Antaryami, was there 24 hours a day, as long as we live in this body, still we couldn’t develop any single divine qualities. Didn’t Sri Bhagavan is ananta-kalyanaika-gunanidhi, the ocean of unlimited divine qualities? The Bhagavatas are abode of Sri Bhagavan, He stay in the core of their heart, that’s why a pure devotee verily a manifestation of Bhagavan’s mercy and also embodiment of all kalyana-gunas (kalyana-guna sad-dhama). But shastras, as we cited earlier, also said that Sri Bhagavan appear as Antaryami for all beings. Didn’t all of us always get His association uninterruptedly? Why we still get no perfection?

The Bhagavatas realized the presence of Bhagavan but we didn’t. Though Bhagavan is standing near us, still we can’t recognize Him. The revered Bhagavatas are in constant sanga with Bhagavan, since they accept; realize His divine presence, thus relishing His divine qualities. Sri Bhagavan was fully revealed to Bhagavatas, His divine presence with indescribable beauties and transcendental glories, was perfectly illumined the Bhagavatas from head to toe. They were immersed in divinity.

Similarly, though we happened to stay near a Bhagavata, but if we couldn’t recognize him/her, what is the use? There is no real sanga at all. We didn’t see a great pure devotee of the Lord, shining with His glories, and abode of Love of Godhead. We saw outwardly, an old man need some help or an ignorant young boy, but never a Sadhu-bhagavata. Accordingly, we will get an association of old man or child, but never association of a sadhu.

Then our personality was formed by outward judgments. We would find faults, discrepancies, errors, etc. After that we will become full of faults, full of discrepancies, and full of error. Why we can’t see the real form of Bhagavatas? Because we still have prides, jealousy, and the worst of all, matsarya, envious heart. We didn’t want to see any goodness in any person. “Yes, you can do that, but I can do better” or “Yes, maybe you good in that, but certainly you can’t do my expertise”. By thinking like this, though in a pond there are golden pebbles, but we will see only mud. Why? We are only looking for mud. Not gold.

We didn’t feel any joy in seeing others’ perfection. In material ground, if we see a richer person, more good looking friend, more smarter… then we want to compete him/her. We become morose when someone is better than us. We try to defeat them or we try to find fault with them. Certainly, we will find some faults. But they will give us impression in our mind and heart. Faulty impression… then we become worst, since anything begin from mind.

In spiritual ground maybe we could always think positively toward a Sadhu-bhagavata. But here the association has more sublime divine form. Gita said pranipata, surrender, and seva, serve. In real sat-sanga there are acts of surrender, prapatthi or saranagati, and service. We approach a Bhagavata and get his sanga, that’s mean we surrendered our self to the Bhagavata and do seva, serve him. But in fact we come to Bhagavata with special personal interest. To gain something from him. We are not serving but trying to enjoy Bhagavata. We are not Sevi but a Bhogi. Then Sri Bhagavan will cover the Bhagavata and cheats us by put a merchant there. What is the meaning? Let we take an example. “I shall serve this Bhagavata, since I know just by serve him I would become great too. I will get perfection if he pleased by my service. I shall become Bhagavata myself…” Sri Bhagavan could understand this intention and so did the Bhagavata. Then the Bhagavata would say, “I’m pleased with your service. May you become great!” We think this is a pure blessing from Bhagavata and Bhagavan, but how could be something pure was bestowed to us, if our service was tainted by egoistic intention? It could not be pure loving devotional service. This is vanik-vrutti, merchant tendencies, a transaction. But Sri Bhagavan and his pure devotee weren’t cheater. They will give us a fair transaction. Didn’t we get that words, “I’m pleased with your service. May you become great!”, from Bhagavata’s lotus lips as we always hankering for? Then many people will begin to recognize us. “This person is a Mahant. He got benediction from Bhagavata. Sri Bhagavan certainly was pleased with him”. Then they will fall under our feet. “Pranam Mahant! Dandavat!” We will become a great man, very important person. Did we really get our goal? Yes. Our goal, but not the real goal of life, sat-prayojana. We get what we want, but it could be real divine qualities or not. All was depending on us alone…