Prem Ras Siddhant - The Philosophy of Divine Love
Prem Ras Siddhant - The Philosophy of Divine Love, written by Jagadguruttam Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj.
This extraordinary book brilliantly reconciles the teachings of Hinduism and India’s great Saints to give the only genuine answer. Though the knowledge contained in scriptures like the Vedas, Puranas and Upanishads is limitless, in this concise book, Jagadguruttam Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj reveals the essence in the simplest possible way, and in the most compelling manner. Authenticated by numerous scriptural and scientific references, Kripalu Ji Maharaj takes readers from the theoretical aspects of spirituality to the practical aspects of devotion and meditation and its application in daily life.
Every living being wants to be happy and is seeking happiness in every moment. But what is everlasting happiness and how can it be attained? Without the right answers, the happiness we experience in the world will never last.
Over fourteen chapters, Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji discusses the pursuit of happiness, the nature of love, the soul and Divine grace. He reconciles materialism and spirituality, details the paths of karm and gyan, describes the potential of bhakti yoga and reveals that God-realisation only happens through the grace of a genuine Saint, and then describes how to identify such a Saint.
Chapters Include:
The Ultimate Goal of all Living Beings: realising the importance of this human body, we must acquire knowledge of God so that we can attain our goal of supreme happiness (divine bliss).
The Nature of God: what is God and how can we know Him? Why is it said that He is beyond our understanding?
The Grace of God: though God is beyond our material mind, intellect, and senses, yet many Saints have realised Him. How?
Surrender: without Divine grace no one can know the Divine. What is surrender? What must we do to receive it?
The Soul, Material World and Detachment: our misunderstanding of these three prevent our mind from surrendering to the Divine. Once we realise that we are a divine entity, and that material pleasures can never satisfy us, then we can redirect our attachment from the world to God.
The Saint: after detaching the mind from the world and before surrendering it to the Divine, there is need of a divine entity, without whom one cannot attain God. That entity is called a God-realised Saint, a Guru. How can we recognise a genuine Saint and those masquerading as one?
Paths to Attain God: the scriptures state that there are only three paths to attain God - karma, jnana and bhakti. But why only three?
Karma: the performance of duties as prescribed in the Vedas according to one’s caste and stage in life is called karma. What are its four intricacies, its consequences and who is eligible to follow it?
Jnana and Jnanayoga: what are the characteristics of the path of knowledge, who is eligible to follow it, and can it take us to our supreme goal?
Jnana and Bhakti: an in-depth discussion of the apparent philosophical differences between the paths of jnana and the bhakti and the differences between the bliss of the Impersonal God and the bliss of divine love.
Impersonal, Personal God and the Secret of Descension: the reason for God possessing two forms – Personal and Impersonal – is discussed followed by the secret behind His descension in this world.
Bhaktiyoga: the unanimous verdict of all the scriptures is that bhakti, devotion, is the ultimate attainment. One must practice devotion to attain Divine grace; then he will attain His most intimate power, divine love.
Karmayoga – the Practical Sadhana: hands to work and mind to God. How should we practically follow this discipline of karmayoga while living in the world?
Kusanga: we must know how to avoid the impediments that negate our spiritual progress. What are they and what must we do?
