Esoteric activity means to do everything with the consciousness of God. Work with your heart calm and full of love. “My feet are purified walking for Thee; my voice is sanctified talking of Thee; my feelings are pure, feeling Thee. Work Thou through my hands and my feet, through my eyes, my brain, and my speech.”
Calmness is the throne of God. Meditate day and night and do not lose that power. As often as you think, bring back that power. My Master said: “There are willing instruments and unwilling instruments. God works through willing instruments.” So do not obstruct His power.
When you drink God, endless throngs of intoxication are with you. That silent, burning devotion comes to you. Pray silently until He answers you. Pray when others are asleep: “Father, answer my heart-burning prayers. I am no longer satisfied with playthings, Father, I want Thee. I will wake all Creation with my cries. Come, I want Thee. Playthings no more!”
Devotion is the love expressed to God. Devotion must not have fear. It is to your own interest that you should show devotion to God silently, devotion of the heart, burning devotion. Surrender yourself to Him and pray until He answers you. No one can destroy the charm of Divine Love.
Now the great Saint, Sri Chaitanya, shall use my speech, my voice, my thoughts, my brain, everything to express his devotion as follows:
“Way, way long ago, I, Chaitanya, came to India, I didn’t preach any sermons. I didn’t talk of anything but the love of God. The burning love of God expressed wherever I went, I talked no wisdom. I only spoke as I felt, but thousands followed me just to hear me say two or three words, as follows: ‘Radha, Radha, Radha Govinda jaya Radha’ ‘Spirit and Nature, Spirit and Nature dancing together. Victory to Spirit and Victory to Nature.’
Nature is the consort of my Beloved Father, and my Father is the Spirit. Those two phases I saw everywhere, and I wanted to speak of their love in all — the love of the mother and the child, the love of the father and the mother, the love of man and woman, and the love of all things.
As I was walking through the village, I was singing, ‘Victory to Spirit and Victory to Nature.’ And as I was singing this in the streets, men and women left the village and followed me, but as I was going along I lost sight of them and came into a vast field, where a washerman was washing some clothing and I said: ‘Washerman, washerman.’ He said: ‘Don’t talk to me, I am too busy; get away, you mad man.’ But I said: ‘You have got to talk to me. All I ask you to do is to sing. Give me the happiness of singing my Beloved’s name and then I will go.’
So, I sang and he sang with me: ‘Victory to Spirit and Victory to Nature,’ and the washerman sang, and all the clothes he was washing fell from his hands and he followed me, singing, and the birds sang of their love of Nature and God. And as we went singing, the wife of the washerman came and said: ‘What is the matter, you follow that crazy man?’ And the washerman said: ‘You may beat me up, but sing just once with me.’ And the washerwoman sang, and we all sang, and the broomstick dropped from the washerwoman’s uplifted hands. And we all sang: ‘Spirit and Nature, Spirit and Nature.’
Then four village gossips came along and they cried: ‘Hey, what is the matter? You follow that crazy man and your husband?’ The washerwoman said: ‘That is all right. You sing once with me.’ And we all sang: ‘Spirit and Nature, Spirit and Nature,’ and those broomsticks dropped from their hands. One hundred, two hundred, three hundred, five hundred, all came to drive us away as we sang while going through the village, but I walked off with all of them.
So, dear ones, don’t take the name of God in vain. Sing, live, and drink the name of my Beloved and get all drunk with His name. Let us all sing, as I sang long ago, of the love of God. Hearts aflame, souls afire. ‘Radha, Radha.’ Sing on! Sing on! ‘Spirit and Nature, Spirit and Nature — I will sing Thy name, I will drink Thy name, and get all drunk with Thy name.’”
May the bliss of Lord Chaitanya be with you — every one. Sing His name with all your heart. No more with a dry voice and absent-minded prayers; drink His name, and get all drunk with His name!