JKP

Never Ask God for the World

Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat
19 June 2026
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Part 8 of Bhakti Upliftment Series

Never Ask God for the World by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj by Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat

(Excerpt of a speech delivered by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj)

Through repeated contemplation, make a firm decision that there is no happiness in this world.

This conviction will come only when you think about it over and over again. How do you get attached to the world? Through repeated thinking. How do feelings of enmity arise? Through repeated thinking. By repeatedly thinking that happiness exists in something, you become attached to that object.

Therefore, there is only one remedy. Repeatedly contemplate that there is no true happiness in the material world.

Why did our mind become attached to the world? Because we accepted ourselves to be the body. Now accept that you are the soul. Then you will understand your true self-interest. The soul is divine; therefore, the happiness of the soul must also be divine. Just as the eyes seek form, the ears seek sound, and the nose seeks fragrance, the soul seeks divine happiness. That divine happiness is with God and is attained through Guru.

Before taking even the first step on the spiritual path, your intellect must answer one question: Is happiness in the world or is happiness in God?

You may say, “Everyone knows that happiness is in God. This is basic knowledge.”

Really?

If everyone knows that happiness is in God, then why are you asking God for worldly things? Why are you asking for wealth, comfort, success, health, and material prosperity? This means that you have not yet decided where happiness actually lies.

Think about it. Why did you need God in the first place?

Because there is no true happiness in the world.

Is that not the reason?

Then why are you asking God for the world again?

Imagine walking into a sweet shop and asking the shopkeeper for a pair of slippers. He will first assume that “slippers” must be the name of some sweet and ask, “What kind of sweet would you like?”

When you clarify, “No, I mean slippers for my feet,” he will be completely bewildered.

“This is a sweet shop, and you are asking for slippers!”

In the same way, God is the abode of Divine bliss. Yet you stand before Him asking for worldly objects that bring misery. These two have opposite natures. If happiness is in God, then why are you asking Him for worldly things, especially when you know that there is sorrow in the world? If God gives Divine bliss, then why should you ask Him for worldly misery? What kind of thinking is this? It is absurd. 

So desiring worldly things from God is the most dangerous philosophy. In other words, this philosophy will completely destroy a person spiritually.

You may ask, “Why?”

Because when you ask God for something, He will not necessarily give it to you.

“But why?”

Because you have not yet established a relationship with Him. You are only asking Him to fulfil your worldly desires.

If you had surrendered to God and attained God-realisation, then your demands would be justified. But what relationship do you presently have with Him?

Suppose a beggar stops a moving car on the road. The owner lowers the window and asks, “What do you want?” The beggar replies, “Please give me something.”

The owner thinks, “Why have you stopped my car?” He is angry and does not even want to speak to the beggar.

Similarly, we have not yet established a relationship with God. We have not surrendered to Him. Yet we approach Him only to ask for worldly things.

And the more worldly things we receive, the more our pride increases. The more wealth, beauty, education, position, influence, and worldly opulence a person receives, the more proud he becomes.

That is why God Himself says, “Whenever I especially grace an individual, I take away his worldly possessions.”

Why?

So that his attachment may decrease. So that his pride may go away. So that he may look toward God and attain spiritual benefit.

Therefore, one should not ask God for worldly opulence. In fact, one should not even ask for liberation.

Worldly pleasures and even the desire for liberation have both been described as witches. Therefore, remove these two desires from your heart and mind.

Devotion and worldly pleasures are completely opposite in nature. Devotion is like the bright sun, while worldly enjoyment is like darkness. Just as sunlight and darkness cannot remain together, devotion and worldly desires cannot coexist in the heart.

God and worldly desires cannot stay together in the heart. Therefore, we must give up worldly desires. We should keep only Shri Krishna in our mind – His Name, Form, Virtues, Pastimes, Abode, and Saints.

When we fill our antahkaran with these divine thoughts, the mind gradually becomes purified.

This is the first step.

When God is attained, liberation comes automatically. Maya cannot stand before God. The very moment a soul receives the divine darshan of God, maya is destroyed. Material suffering comes to an end, and the soul attains eternal divine bliss.

In reality, we have only these two objectives: to eliminate worldly suffering and to attain true happiness.

There is nothing extraordinary that needs to be done to achieve this. Simply become like an innocent child once again.

When you were born, you were simple and innocent. You were not crafty. You were not deceitful. Later, the world taught you these things.

A mother once told her son, “When the neighbour comes, tell her that Mummy is not at home.”

The child agreed.

When the neighbour arrived and asked, “Where is your mother?” the child innocently replied, “Mummy told me to say that Mummy is not at home.”

The mother later scolded him, but the child could not understand why. He had simply spoken exactly what he had been told.

In other words, from a very young age, we begin learning worldly cleverness. We are taught how to protect our interests, how to make excuses, and sometimes even how to conceal the truth when it suits us.

As we grow older, we begin using the same tricks on those who taught them to us. A child who has learned to lie for personal gain may one day lie to his own mother.

The mother then becomes upset and says, “You are lying to me?”

The child could reply, “Mother, you taught me this. I learned it from you. Now I am using it for my own self-interest.”

Such is the nature of worldly dealings.

Therefore, give up all the craftiness, calculation, and deceit that you have learned from people and from books. Do not carry these tendencies into your devotion. Before God, become simple, straightforward, and innocent like a child.

The scriptures instruct us to discard all scholarly knowledge and scholarly intellect and cry out to God just like a newborn child.

For countless lifetimes we have been deprived of divine happiness. If a person is deprived of food for ten days, he will cry and beg for food. Since eternity we have been deprived of divine bliss, yet we do not cry for it.

Instead, we cry for worldly things.

This is our mistake.

Do not ask for wealth.

Do not ask for a position.

Do not ask for worldly success.

Do not ask even for liberation.

Cry before God and ask for only one thing:

“O Lord, give me divine love. Give me the alms of Your divine love.”

So through repeated contemplation, make a firm decision that there is no happiness in this world. To the extent that you realise there is no happiness in the material world, to that same extent your desire for God will increase. Then you will happily follow your Guru’s instructions, considering it to be your great good fortune. You will practise devotion sincerely, and ultimately attain your supreme goal.

By Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj

A brief introduction of Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj*

(Known by His devotees as Shri Maharaj Ji)

The original title of Jagadguruttam (Greatest Spiritual Teacher of the World) was bestowed upon Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj on January 14, 1957, by Kashi Vidvat Parishad (a council of 500 greatest scholars saints of India). He composed divine texts like Prem Ras Madira, Prem Ras Siddhant, and Radha Govind Geet to lead us on the right path of devotion. He also gave priceless monuments as gifts to the world which include Bhakti Mandir located in Bhakti Dham, Mangarh, Prem Mandir located in Vrindavan Dham, and Kirti Mandir located in Barsana Dham. Shri Maharaj Ji also built hospitals for the impoverished, the Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalaya in Vrindavan, Jagadguru Kripalu Chikitsalaya in Barsana, and another one in Pratapgarh. All three help millions of underprivileged to gain free access to medical care. His Kindergarten, School, and College for impoverished girls Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat Education is located in Kunda and provides completely free education. To stay updated with all the news and events of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat, visit www.jkp.org.in/jkpwhatsapp.