Types of devotees

 

The first kind is a devotee who keeps asking, ‘God give me this’, ‘God give me that’. The second kind is a devotee who is always grateful, ‘Thank you God, you gave me this and you gave me that.’ Such a devotee is emotional, prayerful and keeps crying out of gratitude. The third kind is a devotee who always remains joyful, keeps smiling, dancing and singing; a joyful devotee.

All three are different kinds of devotees, and yet all three are supreme. It is not that one is greater than another — that is not so. So there is, a crying devotee, a laughing devotee, and a devotee who keeps asking — which category are you in, you can see that for yourself. It is possible that a little of all three may be there in you. That also is okay.

Then that would be the fourth kind of devotee — one who has a little bit of all the three present. Now, one who gets lost in fun only, somewhere or the other, he is not able to attain depth, and depth is also needed. That is why saint Kabir has said – “Kabira hasana door kar, rone se kar preet, bin roye kit paaiye, prem piyara meet“.

The crying which Kabir is talking about is a different kind of crying. It is the crying that comes out of praise, out of gratitude and longing. It is not the kind of crying where one feels that this is lacking, that is lacking, this did not happen, that did not happen. He is not referring to that type of crying which is for the worldly matters or maya. He is referring to those who cry out of bliss and devotion. So that is also needed.

But the devotees who are joyful are said to be the knowledgeable ones, because they know that God is right here — He is within me, and He is present this very moment. Often people think that God is elsewhere; He existed sometime in the past or will come sometime in the future. They forget that God is right here, right now, present within everyone, present within me — this conviction should be there. We do pranayama, asana, kirtan, bhajan, seva, to know that God is inside me, right here and right now.

Sex is not a hindrance on the path

Sex is where life originates in the Orient. It is honoured as divine sexuality. It is in the second chakra, and then you move up to the other chakras. Spirituality does not disown anything or dissociate from anything. Spirituality encompasses all aspects of life. In fact, spirituality uplifts one from sex to the higher consciousness.

Sex is being attracted to a part of the body and getting some stimulation from it. The goal of sex is to find joy and not sex itself. It is to get into that moment. Forget about everything and find joy. Spirituality provides that joy, a joy, which is not through some act but a joy that is beyond the senses.

Any enjoyment or pleasure is spending energy when you spend a lot of energy. Then you do not have enough energy left to take you to your centre. That is the only reason why sex, food, too much sleep or watching television continuously or doing too much of any activity will be a hindrance on this path, to be in the hollow and empty space inside you. It is because you are not used to going deep inside of yourself that you are not in the centre; you are not calm, serene or subtle.

To be something that you're not used to being, needs some energy. It needs some effort and it is an effort to become effortless. So during this period of time, it is better to abstain from talking and all other activities like too much sex, over-eating, too much sleep, etc. Otherwise, the relationship you are in is not a hindrance for your spiritual growth or meditation. 

Sex is not a hindrance, provided both partners are on the same path; both are in a balanced state of mind and have a common goal, purpose and are engaged in service. Sex is nothing but a little stimulation on the level of the body, it gives you a "high" for a few minutes, and that's it. There's no big deal about it.

The need for a physical high will automatically reduce once you feel the inner fountain of love flowing from. You are the source of that love. The stimulation of the self is so strong that the stimulation in the body is nothing in comparison to it. The tickle of the soul is so strong that the sensations in the body don't come anywhere close to it.

It is not that one is against the other, or one creates some problem for the other. When you realise consciousness is beyond the physical body, then you go beyond the gross pleasures. You have been trying to know the male and the female in so many lifetimes - animal and human. If you just want to know sexual pleasures, then keep knowing them. But for how long? At some point of time, you will say "Enough is enough." That is when the mind will turn inward.

That is why it is said a minute of samadhi is equivalent to 1000 units of sex. The amount of joy you get in one minute of samadhi is thousand times more than the joy you get in a minute of sex and that one minute of samadhi is equivalent to a billion years of rest.

So do you want that? Then you have to go beyond these mundane things you have to give up something to get something. If you want to really enjoy a nice good meal, you have to give up eating junk food all day. Since the morning if you're stuffing yourself with potato chips, you can't enjoy your lunch because you won't have the appetite for it. If you're hungry, then you can enjoy a good meal. You don't have to give up the potato chips though. Moderation is the key.