Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam
According to the Sanskrit phrase, vasudhaiva kutumbakam, the whole world is one family, that is, we are all brothers and sisters, regardless of our culture, caste, religion, or the geographical area we come from. Right from the minutest creature up to the largest and most powerful of all celestial gods, the Supreme Lord resides within the heart of all living beings. However, there is one geographical region in the world where human civilization, culture, and all the arts of living are experienced to the fullest — where the most rarefied and important of all things, commonly referred to as spirituality, is readily accessible — and that region is known as Bharatvarsh, the land of India.
To nurture a specific art, knowledge, or culture etc. innumerable seers, sages and saints have appeared on this land from time to time, something rarely seen elsewhere. India will always be indebted to these spiritual preceptors whose guidance and knowledge has given India the privilege of being the guru of the entire world. In this eternal and traditional lineage of great seers, sages, and saints, one saint of the modern era is the most notable, being the one who boosted our eternal culture and spirituality to even greater heights.
Irrespective of a person’s religion, race, or caste, and applicable to all individuals in the world, this most magnanimous of saints imparted the eternal limitless spiritual wisdom of the scriptures to everyone. For example, the Vedas state, Subala Upanishad 6.7,
“The pleasures experienced in the world are momentary and limited, while the bliss of God is infinite. There is no happiness greater than this, and it is attained for eternity.”
Through his writings, his divine association, and service, he served humankind throughout the nine decades of his life. Millions were blessed by receiving his simple, nectar-filled spiritual association. By spreading the glory of devotion throughout the world, the eternal religion and culture of India flourished like never before. For the spiritual welfare of the world, he gave the most incomparable gifts: Bhakti Mandir, Prem Mandir and Kirti Mandir. And at the same time, for the material wellbeing of the needy, he established charitable hospitals and charitable colleges. He is India’s fifth original Jagadguru, Jagadguruttam Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj.
In 1957, at the age of just 34 years, India’s assembly of eminent scholars, Kashi Vidvat Parishat, honoured Shri Maharaj Ji with the title of the fifth original Jagadguru. In the last 5000 years, there have been only four preceding Jagadgurus in India: Adi Jagadguru Shankaracharya (2500 years ago), Jagadguru Nimbarkacharya (1400 years ago), Jagadguru Ramanujacharya (900 years ago) and Jagadguru Madhvacharya (800 years ago).
The descent of the supremely unique scholar and the fifth original Jagadguru, Jagadguruttam Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj, took place in the year 1922, on the auspicious occasion of Sharat Purnima, in a rural village in North India known today as Bhakti Dham Mangarh.
His childlike simplicity and unfathomable love attracted millions of souls. He met all who came into his contact like a loving guardian. He resolved spiritual queries and dispelled myths and misconceptions using simple language. For the benefit of the vulnerable, he conducted many charitable programmes. For the helpless, the uneducated and the impoverished, he provided free healthcare, free education, and distributed essential daily living items for free to thousands of people many times a year. The annual beneficiaries of his altruism frequently exceeded 100,000. Such benevolent saints who rejoice in seeing the happiness of others rarely come to this Earth.
The timeless knowledge he presented so simply and innovatively will go on resonating globally through his discourses, devotional songs, and poetic couplets for the benefit of all. Let us conclude with the quintessence of the priceless spiritual wisdom he revealed.
What do you want?
If we gathered all eight billion human beings in existence at one place and asked them what they are searching for in life, we would end up with more than eight billion answers! Everyone would give multiple answers to this one simple question. The fact is that all of us desire many things in a single day alone. If someone were to start noting down what eight billion people want during a lifetime, he would have to keep writing for eternity and never finish. Such is the extent of human desire.
Quoting from the scriptures, Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj stated that all living beings desire only one thing, and that is happiness of the self. Any answer you may give to the question, “What do you want?” will have one and only one motive behind it. You may answer, “I want money.” But why do you want money? For your own happiness. Whatever else you may desire in life will have only one motive behind it, and that motive is the attainment of happiness. This is not something taught to us by our parents at home or our teachers at school. This is natural knowledge that we are born with, and the Vedas tell us the reason.
We are a part or fraction of God, who is none other than Bliss Absolute or Perfect Happiness. The science behind this is very simple to understand. Every part has a natural love for its whole. This is the law of nature. For example, flames will always rise towards the sun. If we take any gross product of this world in our hand and let go of it, it will fall to the earth. Why? Because it is a part of this earth. All rivers flow towards the ocean. In other words, every part has a natural love for its whole.
In the same way, we, the individual souls, have a natural and exclusive love for our whole, and that whole is God, who is none other than Bliss Absolute. Furthermore, God resides in all living beings, and therefore, we are all one family, with one aim and one path: the path of love.
Jagadguru Kripalu Bhaktiyoga Tattvadarshan
The essence of Vedic wisdom, spirituality, and devotion in daily life.
