ध्यान बिनु सब साधना है, प्राण बिनु तनु प्यारे।

मन को जो भाये बना लो, रूप वैसा प्यारे।

सामने हरि को बिठा कर, साधना करु प्यारे।

dhyān binu sab sādhanā hai, prāṇ binu tanu pyāre

mana ko jo bhāye banā lo, roop vaisā pyāre

sāmane hari ko biṭhā kar, sādhanā karu pyāre

How do we meditate upon God? We have two options. Devotees are of two types – one who loves God in His formless aspect and the other who loves God in His personal form. If we love God in His formless aspect, the affinity and closeness with God is lost because you would never be able see your Beloved, massage His lotus feet, fan Him, nor be able to serve Him. You would only try to concentrate on some source of light. It is not possible to experience the sweet Divine nectar, which one can get from His personal form. Even the devotees of the formless aspect very naturally take the support of a personal form of God in their meditation.

Without the support of a form, it is not possible to concentrate or fix the mind. If we remember the beautiful form of Shree Krishna, His pastimes and His Divine abode as described in the scriptures, it will be advantageous to us. This way, we can take the support of His name, form, pastimes, virtues and abode.

A believer in the formless aspect of God can ask, “If you imagine the personal form of God (in your mind), He is not the true God. The true God is Divine and our mind is material. With this mind, how can we meditate upon God?” A worshipper of the personal form of God answers, “People who believe in His formless aspect, concentrate on a source of light, which is also material by nature. It is not the true light of Divine God. The human mind cannot reach the Divine light by itself.”

गो गोचर जहँ लगि मन जाई।

सो सब माया जानेहु भाई॥

go gochar jahaṅ lagī man jāī,

so sab māyā jānehu bhāī

Wherever and whatever the mind thinks, it is related to this material world and God is beyond the realm of matter.

राम सरूप तुम्हार बचन अगोचर बुद्धिपर।

rām svaroop tumhār vachan agochar buddhi par

God is beyond human intellect. It does not matter if we worship Him in his personal form or His formless aspect, the human mind cannot meditate on the true God. Then how can we attain our goal? God says, “Do not to worry – I am causelessly merciful, whatever grace I have bestowed upon you, utilize it with care, then I will bestow more”. God says, “Create Divine feelings in your material mind (Roop-dhyan). Just do that and I will provide the Divine energy to your mind. With My Divine energy, your material mind will become Divine.

In meditation (Roop-dhyan), feelings are the most important. Meditate on any form of God you like. For example, some people like Shree Krishna as a child, while others like Him in His adult form. We can find different deities of Jaganathji and Ganeshji, but it is not that only one particular form of the deity will help us reach God and rest cannot help us reach Him. God always notes the sentiments and feeling that we have in our heart.

Even if you meditate upon the black and round Shaligram with the true sentiments that it is God, He will give you its Divine fruit. Shree Kripaluji Maharaj says that it is very difficult to meditate in this material world but there is nothing to worry. Shree Maharajji says, “Try to imagine your father’s face. You will not be able to imagine the exact face, because you have never watched him so closely. Now, if you cannot imagine the exact face, it means you are not able to picturize your father; it is some other image. But God is causelessly merciful. He accepts any face you can imagine with your material mind. He says, “Just create Divine feelings and sentiments. Try to develop your love for Me. The rest is left to Guru and God. It is their duty to grace you with a Divine mind and bestow Their Divine vision.” Hence, Shree Kripaluji Maharaj tells us to first “picturize” God in front us and then meditate upon Him. Using our material mind, we must imagine God to be in front of us, and only then start to meditate on His form, virtues, pastimes and abodes.