God Within Our Hearts - The Ultimate Goal of Meditation
A fundamental flaw in material consciousness is the belief that we are entirely alone in our bodies, acting independently and in secret. Śrīla Prabhupāda consistently shatters this illusion by revealing the profound Vedic truth of the Paramātmā—the Supersoul. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is not merely an expansive energy or a distant creator; He has localized Himself within the core of every living entity's heart. By understanding the nature of God within our hearts, we learn the true purpose of meditation, the source of all intelligence, and the intimate loving reciprocation available to a surrendered soul.
The Localized Aspect of the Absolute
The Vedic literatures describe the Absolute Truth in three progressive phases. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that after realizing the all-pervading, impersonal Brahman, the next stage of realization is perceiving the localized form of the Lord situated directly within the heart.
- Absolute Truth is realized in three phases of understanding, namely Brahman or the impersonal all-pervasive spirit; Paramatma, or the localized aspect of the Supreme within the heart of all living entities.
- The first understanding of the Absolute Truth is impersonal Brahman, brahma-darsanam. Then, if you can make further progress, then you will see that Absolute Truth within your heart by yoga system.
- God is living within the core of the heart, and the living entity, he is also living within this core of heart. They are living just like two birds sitting on the branch of one tree. These are the Vedic statement.
- It is not that Bhagavan is difficult to find. Bhagavan is within the heart. Isvarah sarva bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati. That is the real Bhagavan, within the hearts of all. That Bhagavan is always active.
The Supreme Witness and Director
Because the Lord sits within the heart, He is the ultimate, inescapable witness to all our desires and activities. Furthermore, Śrīla Prabhupāda notes that He is the supreme director, supplying the necessary intelligence for us to act, whether our desires are material or spiritual.
- The demoniac person, who has no faith in God or the Supersoul within himself, performs all kinds of sinful activities simply for sense gratification. He does not know that there is a witness sitting within his heart.
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supersoul within the core of everyone's heart, gives inspirations for action according to one's mentality. All of these mentalities are merely facilities given by Krsna to the person acting.
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead in His Paramatma feature is always present within the hearts of all living entities and from Him come memory, knowledge and forgetfulness. This is indicated here by the word suparnam, which means "friend."
- Because the Supreme Lord, as Supersoul, sits within the core of every living entity's heart, the dictation by which one advances in scientific knowledge or creative faculties comes from Him.
The True Purpose of Yoga
In the modern age, yoga has been degraded into mere physical gymnastics or health exercises. Śrīla Prabhupāda strictly defines real yoga: withdrawing the restless senses from the external world and meditating constantly on the four-armed form of Lord Viṣṇu within the heart.
- Real meditation is to find out the Supersoul within the core of the heart. That is real meditation. God is situated in everyone's heart, so the yogis, they try to find out the Supersoul within the heart. That is real yogi.
- Actually yoga meditation means to see the form of the Lord, four-handed visnu-murti within the heart. That is real meditation. Now these rascals, they have manufactured so-called meditation. That is not meditation.
- Those who are real yogis, they always observe the Visnu form within the heart. That is the process of meditation and samadhi.
- The perfection of yoga is reached when you are in samadhi, always thinking of the Visnu form of the Lord within your heart, without being disturbed.
The Inner Spiritual Master
For those who take to the direct path of bhakti-yoga (devotional service), the Lord within the heart becomes extremely active. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the Lord acts as the caitya-guru, the internal spiritual master who cleanses the heart and dictates the exact path to liberation.
- Krsna is sitting within your heart. Krsna is acting as your spiritual master, caitya-guru. Caitya-guru means the guru, or the spiritual master, who is sitting in my heart, citta.
- The Lord Himself as Paramatma, or the spiritual master sitting within one's heart, gives the devotee exact directions by which he can gradually go back to Godhead.
- They became so powerful because they sincerely followed the Bhagavatam principles by regular hearing and worshiping. By such actions the accumulated material lusts, etc., become cleansed by the personal endeavor of the Lord within the heart.
- Now it is up to you to keep on working vigorously in the service of the Lord and because He is seated within your heart, He will reveal from within all necessary intelligence for you to further extend your loving devotional service to Him.
The Vision of the Pure Devotee
While the mystic yogī must endure intense discipline to briefly glimpse the Lord within, the pure devotee achieves this vision effortlessly. Śrīla Prabhupāda confirms that through the power of love, the Supreme Lord becomes entrapped within the devotee's heart, visible twenty-four hours a day.
- This is confirmed in the Brahma-samhita: a person who has developed pure love for the Lord, and whose eyes are smeared with the ointment of transcendental loving exchange, always sees within his heart the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- Premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena: a saintly person who has developed love of Godhead by devotional service always sees the Lord's transcendental form of Syamasundara. This Syamasundara form of the Lord within the heart of a devotee is not imaginary.
- Sadyo hrdy avarudhyate, susrusubhis tat-ksanat. Susrusubhih, those who are serious about understanding about the Supreme Absolute Truth, so for him, immediately God becomes entrapped within the heart.
- In Srimad-Bhagavatam the Lord confirms that He sits within the heart of the pure devotee: sadhavo hrdayam mahyam sadhunam hrdayam tv aham.
Conclusion
A comprehensive understanding of spiritual life begins with the realization that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is our constant, intimate companion. Śrīla Prabhupāda systematically establishes that the Lord is not merely a cosmic force; He is a localized person, the Paramātmā, sitting directly within the core of everyone's heart. For those ignorant of this reality, He acts as the silent, infallible witness to all activities and the supreme director who fulfills their material desires. However, for those who wish to transcend material existence, recognizing the Lord within the heart is essential. It is the true, original purpose of all yoga and meditation systems. Ultimately, when a soul takes up the process of bhakti-yoga and sincerely serves the Lord, the Lord within actively reciprocates. Acting as the caitya-guru, He cleanses the heart of material contamination and provides the exact spiritual intelligence needed to return to the spiritual world. By developing spontaneous love for Kṛṣṇa, a pure devotee achieves the highest perfection: seeing the beautiful, transcendental form of the Lord within their heart twenty-four hours a day.
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Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category God Within Our Hearts. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.