The very first question that needs to be answered is: who is it that experiences happiness and who is it that experiences sorrow? This needs to be deeply reflected upon. This is the first question. From here, the ABC of knowledge begins ...

Over eight consecutive mornings from 4 January 2007, while staying in the holy city of Navadvip in the Nadia district of West Bengal, Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj gave this series of hard-hitting discourses, explaining the meaning of this Hindi couplet he composed: hari anuraga hoya govind radhe, jaga viraga ho, ho mana se bata de It is the mind alone that has to be detached from the world and attached to God.

This eight-discourse series typifies the rational approach Kripalu Ji Maharaj adopted to convey true spirituality, validating each spiritual point with scriptural references from the Vedas, Puranas, Upanishads, or the writings of a great saint. It is established beyond doubt that both detachment from the world and attachment to God are performed by the mind, not by the five senses or the soul. It is the mind that is the cause of bondage and liberation.

Kripaluji explains that the duty of every spiritual aspirant in the pursuit of happiness is as simple as replacing his or her desires for the world with desires for God. This process is what the scriptures call bhakti, and bhakti yoga needs to be practiced constantly. The practicalities of how devotion and meditation is done while living in the hustle and bustle of today's world is then explained simply and succinctly.