Sai Baba Gita Reading for Today - Devotion

[Guest guest]

Sai Baba Gita Reading for TodayDecember 9, 2003- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

Devotion

What is devotion? It is the steady flow of love towards God. When your love

flows towards individuals or towards transient, worldly things it cannot be

called devotion; it is really only a form of attachment. But when your love

flows unceasingly towards God, the one unchanging principle behind this world

of change, then your love becomes devotion.

Initially, you develop your devotion by turning towards God and approaching him.

Then, you strengthen your love for God by cultivating the attitude that you are

his devotee or his servant and you surrender yourself to his will. As your love

for God deepens, you progress to the stage where you feel an intimate closeness

to God and experience his presence continuously. Finally, you reach the

consummation of your spiritual journey when you fully realize the truth, "I am

God. God and I are one."

In practice, devotion takes two forms. First, there is the type of devotion

which involves various devotional practices and rituals engaged in by devotees,

such as the traditional practice of worshipping the Lord with ritual offerings,

making pilgrimages to spiritual centers and attending spiritual functions,

singing devotional songs and studying devotional literature, and so on. These

are the ordinary types of devotion. In the Gita the Lord taught that these

various practices can be considered to be of a lower type. But, when your

worship expands into a total absorption in God, when your love for God enters

into every activity of your daily life and you develop a flawless, sacred

character, then you are expressing the higher devotion which very much pleases

the Lord.

There is a clear distinction, therefore, between this devotion which is

particularly dear to the Lord and the more ordinary type of devotion. The

latter uses the things of the phenomenal world to worship the Lord, such as

flowers, for example. Where have these articles come from? Have you been able

to manufacture them? Have you created these flowers? No. They have all been

created by the Lord. Where, then, is the sacrifice in offering to the Lord

things which he himself has created? Such offerings will not get you very far

on your spiritual path. But to offer to the Lord the sacred flowers of your

heart, which are not related to the world, and to offer these in loving worship

to the one who is seated in your heart, that is the highest form of devotion.

That is the devotion you should aspire for.

Source:http://www.atmapress.com/saibabagita/saigita071.html- - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sai Baba

GitaCompiled and edited by Al Drucker - Published by Atma

Presshttp://www.atmapress.com - ISBN: 0963844903Online Edition:

http://www.atmapress.com/saibabagita/index.html

 

 

 

New Photos - easier uploading and sharing