It is not enough to say that we love God.........

[Guest guest]

Devotion - It is not enough to say that we love God...

 

Devotion is a feeling of love, faith and awe expressed

by devotee/spiritual seeker towards a super power –

God or Guru who has the power to alleviate his mundane

problems. This feeling takes the form of an action

such as singing, dancing, writing the glories etc. It

is not always true to assume that when people resort

to the holy feet of the Lord they would be spared the

pain inflicted physically and emotionally.

 

One finds that there is increased restlessness, pain,

suffering and melancholy in the world with passing

time and everybody who resorts to the feet of god or

guru is not a devotee. As explained in Satcharita

“when Damu Anna once thought “There are so many

crowding to Sai Baba. Do they all get benefit from

Him? To this, He (Baba) replied orally - " Look at the

mango tree in blossom. If all the flowers brought

fruit, what a splendid crop it would be. But do they?

Most fall off (either as flowers or as unripe fruits)

by wind etc. Very few remain " .”

 

" A cheerful, courageous smile perennially dancing on

(our) lips is the visible proof of (our) invisible

faith in God " “Smiling Tears” - Sriram. Devotion is

expressed in various ways towards God/guru. People can

resort to one or more of the navavidha bhakthi such as

(1) Shravana (Hearing); (2) Kirtana (Praying); (3)

Smarana (Remembering); (4) Padasevana (resorting to

the feet); (5) Archana (Worship); (6) Namaskara

(Bowing); (7) Dasya (Service); (8) Sakhyatva

(Friendship); (9) Atmanivedana (surrender of the self)

as described in chapter 21 of Satcharita. Though there

is no prescribed form or practice of showing devotion

towards God or Guru however in the present age the

best or highest form of expressing devotion is Dasya

(service).

 

Service to man is service to God. The other types of

service can be done in isolation and do not require

contact with other people and will help man to achieve

his goal gradually but that becomes selfish doesn't

it? While serving others we not only serve God but

also help those in need and influence them through our

spiritual beliefs and actions. Service should not

distinguish between people, caste, class or religion.

While serving, the thought process is important, what

does an individual feel and think? Does he think he is

free to offer and restrict his service as and how he

chooses? If there is any thought of discrimination,

superiority, self importance or selfish motive then

that does not constitute devotion. A devotee involved

in serving will gradually lose his ego, and his

actions will be completely controlled by BABA.

 

Humility is the ornament of a true devotee. Devotion

is not said to have achieved its purpose unless a man

is humble in his service and knows that he is there to

serve God by serving His children. “The beloved of the

Almighty are the rich who have the humility of the

poor, and the poor who have the magnanimity of the

rich.”

 

True devotion inspires people to shower nectar through

the words they speak “Kind words can be short and easy

to speak but their echoes are truly endless.” - Mother

Theresa. A devotee with these qualities radiates his

perfection, sincerity for the love of God by his

actions, service and the above mentioned qualities.

Though loving God and showing devotion seems simple

enough it is not an easy path to tread.

 

Baba Himself describes devotion or bhakti as a double

edged razor - only a true spiritual seeker can

withstand the hurdles they come across in the path of

devotion. Very few people remain steady in their

devotion towards God and practice spirituality while

being subjected to tests and turmoils in life. The

rest give up and fall behind or seek solace from

elsewhere in the search for unburdening their

problems.

 

True devotion inspires a sadhak to aspire and practice

the teachings of Guru. While treading the spiritual

path one comes across a number of hurdles in life. The

victory lies in clearing these hurdles. Perhaps the

devotees might stumble while crossing the hurdles but

holding on to the feet of the lord and taking His name

would help them clear these hurdles. Devotion is the

first step towards reaching God.

 

Once a person is on this path, and places full faith

in his guru, rest of the journey is taken care of by

the guru. Guru stands by the devotee in face of all

perils and helps the seeker rise above the mundane

problems and worries. God has given us faculties and

limbs to help ourselves and also those around us. It

is not enough to say that we love God.

 

To love God we need to love His creation and people

and serve Him by serving people. Let us not wait for

others to take the first step in serving others. We

are the leaders and initiators. Show the world that

Service is the highest and the richest forms of

devotion, which helps us progress not just spiritually

but also as a community and a nation. This form of

devotion is beneficial to the whole of mankind rather

than restricting it to one individual. May Baba bless

us and guide us in the right path.

 

Jai Sai Ram