Words of Sri Swami Vishwananda...

Often we think that we know God. We can always think that “God is like this and like this and like this”, but deep inside we are wrong with ourselves. Each one has their own perspective of God and each one has their own way to achieve God. Some can just sing the name of God and they will be in bliss and Realise God completely. But for some, they have to really strive, strive very deeply to achieve, to Realise God. So each one has their level. That’s why very often I say to people “Make your own experience about the Love of God.” I can talk about the Love of God. You can read about the Love of God, but it’s each one’s own experience. When you make your own experience, even a small experience, you will feel great joy and great bliss. You will enjoy it. Actually, to lift one’s hands up [when singing to God] means Lord, we are drowning in this illusion; we are drowning in this Maya. We are lifting our hands up to You, so that You pull us out of Maya; so that You pull us out of this illusion and make us Realise ourselves and Realise that we are part of You, that we are Your children, that we are Your Divine Love. So, I would like that all of you lift your hands up and cry to the Lord.

So I will ask you to stand up. Don’t be shy. It’s good. You will see when you dance, when you are moving, you keep your body fit. You are doing dancing yoga, you know, and, at the same time, you are doing nama smarana. You are singing the name of God. God is so addictive. When you start singing and dancing His glory, you will always Love and dance. You will always want to sing His Name and dance continuously. You will not even get tired. You will forget about thirst. You will forget about hunger. You will forget about everything.

This reminds me that two weeks ago I was in Croatia for seven days and every day we sang and danced until morning. This was from late in the evening to the next morning, until four o’clock or five o’clock in the morning. Every day was like this. It was so addictive. It was so beautiful. On the last day of my visit, I was in the place where we were staying and there were about seventy people in the living room, because all the devotees were there. For darshan there had been many more, there were six or seven hundred people. After darshan we came home and we were sitting and singing all the time. We had food and we were singing the Names of Krishna and Jesus, all the Names of God.

Afterwards, I looked at my watch and I said “In the morning I have to go and take my plane, you know; I have to go back to the ashram.” So, I had to stop everything. So I went up and when I went, of course, everybody dispersed and I was on the balcony. I couldn’t sleep, so I was talking with one of the people there. At the same time I looked down and there was one lady who was trying to make herself go to bed. She was like going left and right, you know, but at the same time the song, the bhajan that we had been singing was in her and she was singing like, really, she was drunk on the Divine Names, you know. So I said to this person next to me, I said to him “Look, God’s Love is making everybody crazy in His Love.” So I looked at him and I looked up in the sky – it was getting light, already – and I said “I am sure God is very happy seeing all of his children crazy like that, eh?” And at that moment, the moment I said that, there was a big ball of light, blue light, which appeared. It split into two and went back, again, together and there were flashes everywhere. And it was really amazing, you know. He was giving, in his own way, His approval “Yes, I am happy that all of you are being drunk on this Divine Nectar.” Actually, Christ was Love, you know, and this form of Christ we don’t picture in Christianity anymore. When you look at an icon or look at a statue of Christ, you know, they look so miserable, but Christ was joy. That’s how people follow His message of Love. Once I asked Him whether He was dancing, also. He said “Of course, I was dancing.” In the Jewish tradition, of course, dance is one of the very important things in it and He gave me a vision of Him dancing. You know there is this song, Lai Lai, Lai Lai? I had a vision of He and of His disciples with arms over one another’s shoulders and all of them were dancing in the same way you were dancing. And, of course, you know, this part we don’t see, we don’t express,

but you have noticed it. When you dance, you can’t think about anything.

Whereas when you come from a satsang or when you come from a kirtan, when you have just sung the Names of God, you want to be peaceful. You want to enjoy this Divine Love inside of you. And you will feel more strength when you dance and sing. If I tell you, now, to meditate, you will see that your concentration is much better then when you just sit and meditate. Try it at home. So, it was lovely to be with all of you. I have emptied my heart, which was only about the Love of God, which is also the most important in life.