6. Meditation Technique and Service
(Darshan given on January 26th, 1997.)
A visitor: I am doing my study and…
Swamiji: That is okay, but what is the sadhana that you are doing?
Visitor: I'm doing asanas.
Swamiji: Asanas you are doing? And what else?
Visitor: When I find time, then some japa and meditation.
Swamiji: Meditation you are doing? How do you do meditation? Let me hear. What are you thinking in your mind at that time?
Visitor: I try to watch my thoughts without any…
Swamiji: You see, you cannot watch the thoughts like that. It is not possible because you yourself are the thoughts. If the thoughts are to be watched, then you must be other than the thoughts. Do you understand me? Are you something other than thoughts? You yourself are the thoughts, so how can you watch the thoughts? It is no good, this method. It is not a proper method.
Do you believe in God? Do you pray to God? No, you don't pray to God? How do you pray? What is the method? How do you pray, tell me.
Visitor: By chanting some...
Swamiji: You are chanting God's name? Is it so? God's name? What is God's name? What mantra are you chanting?
Visitor: Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya.
Swamiji: It is Lord Krishna's. So why don't you meditate on that instead of watching thoughts? Your watching thoughts will not bring you any benefit. Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya means: Salutations and prostrations to Lord Sri Krishna. Why don't you think like that? Meditate on Lord Krishna because your mantra is like that. You concentrate your mind on the mighty, great incarnation, powerful, Narayana's incarnation, Lord Krishna. Think that continuously day in and day out. Don't think anything else. That is meditation. Watching thoughts is no good. It is not a proper method.
Visitor: Swamiji, I have read Krishnamurthy books also.
Swamiji: Why are you reading Krishnamurthy? You should not read anything. You simply give up all this. Read only Bhagavadgita, and Lord Krishna's name I have given you: Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya. Meditate on Lord Krishna. Don't read any other book; it will distract your mind. A hundred people write a hundred things, and you should not go on reading them. So this is sufficient. Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya is your mantra. It is the mantra of the great divine incarnation of Narayana, Lord Krishna, and if you can fix your mind on that Great Being then you have no other problem. Don't do any other sadhana; this is sufficient for you. Okay? Don't change your method. Continue. Every day you must do that, at least one hour. In the morning one hour, in the evening one hour.
Visitor: In this sadhana which you are telling, can it cultivate love?
Swamiji: Whose love? Love for whom?
Visitor: Love for every being.
Swamiji: Why do you want to love everybody? If you love God, that is sufficient because everybody is included in God.
Visitor: Swamiji, sometimes I feel my heart is empty.
Swamiji: When your heart is empty, think of Lord Krishna, then it will be filled. When Lord Krishna enters your heart, how can you call it empty? If you want to serve people, serve. What kind of service can you do, tell me? You are an agricultural man; what kind of service are you going to do? If you can do service, do it. But what kind of service are you able to do? Can you find time to do that? Are you free? How will you serve? Whom are you serving? Your mind must be clear first. Whom do you want to serve? You say “people”. Where are the people?
Visitor: Those who are near to me.
Swamiji: Who are they? Your father and mother and brothers, and all that?
Visitor: Yes, yes.
Swamiji: Okay, how will you serve them? You can serve anybody, so why only father and mother? Anybody. Even so many are sitting here; you serve them. But it depends upon how you will do that.
Visitor: Swamiji, I want to do without any want, without any expectation.
Swamiji: All right, okay. You do it without expectation. It is left to your freedom. But you must have the capacity to serve. You must have capacity. You must have means. Unless you have means, how to serve other people? You do it, no objection.
So meditate on God, as I mentioned, and serve people, if you like, in any capacity. It is left to you how to serve. If you are a medical man, serve through medicine. If you are an agricultural man, serve by agricultural methods. If you are a rich man, serve with money. If you are a professional type, you can help people in education. You can do anything, whatever you like.