Posted on: 19 Feb 2021
[An online spiritual discussion was conducted on January 24, 2021, in which several devotees participated. Some of the questions of devotees answered by Swāmi are given below.]
[Kum. Laxmi Thrylokya asked: Padanamaskaram Swami! You taught us that we should not show over-intelligence before God because the Supreme God knows even the innermost thoughts hidden deep inside our mind. My question is how can we talk with God in our mind? How can we be honest and sincere?
Suppose I have a desire in my mind and I want to suppress it because I do not know if it is really good for me. God obviously knows what is good for me and He will give me the best. Whenever any desire comes in my mind, should I tell it to God or should I just try to ignore it and continue to learn the spiritual knowledge?]
Swāmi replied: If you have any desire to please God through sacrifice, God will be happy to hear it from your mouth. There are three instruments (trikaraṇas) to be used in the service of God and they are mind, words and the body. Mind is the instrument which produces love for God in you. The expression of that love to God is done by you through words. All the prayers are the expression of your mental love to God through words. Words are as important as the mind. God is omniscient and knows the love hidden in your mind. But when it is not expressed through prayer (words), God also keeps silent because God’s response to you is just a reflection of your behavior (Rūpaṃ rūpaṃ pratirūpo babhūva—Veda, Ye yathā māṃ...—Gītā). Keeping your love in the mind alone is the primitive stage. Expression of that love through words is a better stage. Implementing it in action is the best stage. Only action yields the fruit. God is pleased with the love in your mind. He is more pleased when it is expressed in your words or prayers. But God is most pleased when the proof of the love expressed by you in words is also given in the form of action.
Several types of sweets are prepared using flour, sugar etc. The ingredients present in all these sweets are one and the same. Then why are you not satisfied by eating only one type of sweet? The ingredients in all those sweets are not different, after all. The love existing in the mind is one type of sweet. The love expressed through words is another type of sweet. The love proved in action is yet another type of sweet. Love in the mind and love expressed in words are only theoretical sweets. Love in action alone is the real practical sweet. Meera wrote several songs in praise of God Kṛṣṇa. It was the expression of her mental love through words. When love is expressed in words, such prayers help other souls also to develop their love for God. If you hide your love in your mind alone, it justs becomes personal and it does not help others. If you keep wonderful spiritual knowledge only in your brain, it helps you alone. But when that wonderful spiritual knowledge is expressed in writing or speaking during the propagation of the knowledge to others, not only you, but others too are benefited.