Those who follow this immortal Dharma (teaching) as declared (by Me) and who are possessed with faith, regarding Me as the supreme goal – such devotees are exceedingly dear to Me. (Bhagavad Gita Chapter XII – Verse 20)
The enumeration, of the various attributes of the true sannyasin, commenced in verse fifteen of Chapter XII, is concluded. The example is held before us. We know now who is dear to Bhagavan. We know what to do to become His beloved bhaktas. Exceedingly dear to Bhagavan is the devotee who follows this immortal teaching with absolute faith, regarding Him as the supreme goal of life. Faith conquers all obstacles; faith gives endurance, patience and perseverance. Armed with unshakable faith, the bhakta rests in supreme love, which is identification with the Deity.
Wonderful is this teaching, which makes man immortal. It is hard to follow, very hard, but great is the reward for the successful. It means eternal union with the Supreme. Such a yogi is exceedingly dear to Bhagavan.
We do not realize what a happy life the religious life really is. It is the happiest life, because it is the truest life. And it is the fullest life, the most natural life. Our true nature is godly. We are the divine spark that rests in the Absolute. The realization of that fact is true religion. Our real Being is ananda, blissful. To be religious is to be our selves. That is what we want. That is what the whole world is striving for – to know and to be itself.
We do not beg for any favours, we do not want to surpass others, to push ahead and obtain that which others cannot have. We demand our own, what is ours by birthright, what the birthright of all is, and which is obtainable by all. Our nature is bliss. Therefore we want bliss. We do not want to get it from anybody or from anywhere. We want to realize it in ourselves. We are not working for the salvation of our poor little souls. We want to be what we are. A king has a right to be a king. When he fights for his kingdom he fights for his own. That is what he wants and that is what he is entitled to. And so we want our own. We have awakened from the dream of delusion. We want to be fully awake and stay awake. That is the religious life.