Indian Spirituality and Music with

Mukul Shri Goel

The true devotee has only one aspiration: to postpone liberation and love God forever.

The book is divided into eight chapters. The first one-third (chapters 1–3) introduces the reader to the beliefs and routine practices of Hindus that are employed with the intention of connecting to God. This part focuses on the approach of a typical beginner who is setting the stage for first time remembrance and is in the process of understanding the options that are available to a spiritual seeker. Chapters 4–6 focus on how surrender can be developed through two main paths: the yoga of selfless action, which fits the career-conscious, and the yoga involving selfless love, which fits the expressive. These chapters involve the expedition, where the seeker brings surrender and love in one’s own life while continually monitoring his or her spiritual progress. Chapters 7–8 provide a picture of what the destination looks like, what spiritual knowledge is about, and how our higher insight molds our interactions with society. These final chapters throw light on the great souls, who are about to escape the universe forever.

Book Excerpts

Karma (from Chapter 4)

page 38

"Karma does not include our actions and inactions alone, which can be noticed by the people around us; it includes the entire thinking processes we use to arrive at a conclusion of doing or not doing something. Imagine you have a kid at school who expects you to be there at a function, and your presence can make him or her feel better. In one instance, you do not show up but attend a friend’s cocktail party. The child feels lonely and weeps. In the second instance, you are engaged in a pre-committed activity at your place of employment. The outcome remains the same: The kid feels sad. Does the reason for your absence really matter? As far as karma is concerned, it does. In spite of a similar outcome, the mental processes of not caring and ignoring responsibility are very different from understanding the need to be there and not being able to attend. Different mental impressions may be recorded by the two modes of decision, defining your personality for future moments. While no difference can be seen to the external observer and your child, such tiny particulars may make a major difference in your karma where you are at the center of the universe, the universe expects something from you, and you have to make a choice based on how the universe appears to you."

page 44

"Nature has a major role in our physical presence at a workplace at a particular moment. If I say that our parents were selected by Nature and we were born in a home because our impressions and karma were matched to our family, many of us would easily believe it because this is explicitly mentioned in the Gita (6: 42). What if I say that our workplace is also matched with our impressions, and our colleagues too are matched? I am not suggesting that every situation is predetermined, but we must understand that there is something in our inherent nature (instincts) that has made us opt for a particular workplace. If we are honest, we will prefer to work in an honest group. If we possess scientific aptitude, we will work with scientists. Similarly, we may have preferences of location, personal compatibility, and workplace benefits that influence our joining a company. Karma theory teaches us to see a bigger connection. Nature matches the environment with our instincts, which define our preferences, and places us accordingly."

Shadripu (from Chapter 5)

"While we do not have to attack the six impulses directly, we can use them to monitor our spiritual evolution. On observing our own behavior, we can easily know if we are living under the influence of any of these impulses. The answer will always be in the affirmative unless one is close to becoming a saint. As for a methodology, while writing thoughts down is a common option, it may be difficult to note down every instance of our getting angry or influenced by one of the impulses; the shadripu are so deep rooted that most instances of their expression can easily go unnoticed. For this reason, we may create a few simpler, more objective, short-term pointers to monitor our spiritual progress."

"If you are in the habit of cursing, the focus may be to observe how your worship affects your communication with others. When you order a pizza and get one with the wrong topping, do you start yelling? If your answer is “yes,” this could be a small pointer. Suppressing your desire so that you eat any topping that comes your way without complaining to the pizza attendant is not required; you may wish to monitor if your surrender to God inspires you to complain to the pizza attendant in a polite manner when you experience the same situation again."

Bhakti (in Chapter 6)

"In the Bhakti Sutra, Narada holds that bhakti is beyond nature and desires, ever-growing, continual, imperceptible, and only experienceable, implying that no matter how hard an author tries, the selfless love of a devotee for God cannot be elucidated. Bhakti is not simply a supportive tool that can nurture our chosen spiritual paradigm in the mind to guide us a step closer to a higher degree of happiness, but it is itself the greatest phenomenon that can possibly be experienced till we reach or merge with God...."

"Bhakti Yoga, the path of love, does not originate from bhakti (true love), which is, in fact, the conclusion of Bhakti Yoga. Because true love exists only after all expectations from God, even that of love in reciprocation, are given up, the beginner in Bhakti Yoga starts from a much lower spiritual stage and grows towards perfection. One usually begins from simpler God remembrance techniques (discussed in Chapter 2) and with time, as a certain level of spiritual evolution is achieved, bhakti starts getting embedded in our mind. Bhakti, when intensified with more unselfish God remembrance, gives rise to more bhakti, perhaps of a more blissful quality. This is why devotees commonly call it “its own fruit.” The cycle of love continues and one day we find that love and bliss have replaced the karmic cycle."

Nature (from Chapter 7)

"In the context of interacting with fellow spiritual seekers, tamas disables a seeker from seeing the “bigger picture.” One sees what one wants to see. In spite of theoretically understanding that the same God is being focused upon in all manuals, biased liking for one’s own way makes one less tolerant to other modes of worship. One forgets that a God inaccessible through alternate ways would be limited and would contradict how he (Brahman) is typically defined. The way to God cannot be a hidden formula deciphered by only one religion or humanmade sect. We start assuming that we are more preferred by God in comparison to everyone else even if this amounts to his being unfair to a part of creation. Once this belief is established, we assume that our chosen guru, path, or caste is the best. Later, along the same lines, we assume our own community, religion, or country to be more evolved or spiritual than all others. And the result is criticism, hatred, and violence, the final stages of the tamas mode."

Bhakti Saints (from Chapter 8)

"On the path of becoming selfless lovers, instead of evaluating how God takes care of the jiva, the advanced devotee spends time thinking how he or she, a jiva, can take care of God. Tulasidasa’s legendary biography tells us that when he got a hunch that Rama was personally protecting his assets, which included nothing more than a few kitchen accessories, he disowned all his possessions. Probably, he wanted to set his Lord free from his promise of taking care of his devotees’ security and needs. The mahatmas do not desire anything from the Divine, be it protection, possessions, or promises. They raise their adoration to the stage where they can take care of God in their own way. Perfected love elevates them from living as a beneficiary to becoming a “guardian” for God. People who love God as their child display this feel more openly, for not much can be expected from a toddler. Saint Surdasa, who could not see with his bodily eyes, spent his entire lifetime envisioning Krishna as a child playing in his neighborhood and interacting with his parents and childhood friends. Bhakti makes saints competent enough to offer something more than the soul, which eternally belongs to God anyway. And the only other item they consider worthy of offering is—selfless love."

Ordering Information

Devotional Hinduism: Creating Impressions for God

Author: Mukul Shri Goel, PhD

Religion & Spirituality/ iUniverse, Inc.

Trade Paperback / 126 Pages / 6” x 9”

ISBN: 0595505244

To order from BarnesandNoble.com, please click:

Buy from Barnes and Noble.

To order from Amazon.com, please click:

Buy from Amazon.