KARMA AND BHAKTI -2

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PART TWO Unfortunately, prayer these days are mere lip -service sans emotions with a time - piece kept in front of us. We seem to have forgotten the true meaning of bhakti. Love for worldly things and love for god are two things diametrically opposite to each other. To acheive, one the other has to be foregone. Bhakti is derived from the root word "BHAJ" meaning "ATTACHED TO GOD".It is pure love. It is love for love's sake. It is prema, prithi, devotion, adoration, divinity, intense attachment to the ishtam devata (tutelary god). It knows no expectations , unselfish , fearless , a spontaneous outpour of love and emotions. There is no bargaining or any kind of expectations. It is a total surrender to god. All the attachments are transfered to God who is the only dearest object which

the devotee perceives.This leads to an eternal union and finally culminates to oneness. Look how love develops. It begins with faith. Faith leads to adoration and then attraction.There is a supression of mundane desire due to the singlemindedness in acheiving the object of satisfaction which is God through pure love. We know stories of Meerabai , Bheeshma, Sudama, Hanuman , Namdev ........ the list goes on. Bhakti is a slender thread that binds the heart of the devotee to the lotus feet of the lord. The mere glimpse of the Lord fills the heart of the devotee with ecstasy. Bhakti is of many kinds but i would like to deal with just two : SAKAMYA BHAKTI : The devotion to the lord is with a desire for material gains. A student prays for success in exams, a professional prays for promotions and a better boss , a business man prays for a

flourishing business. The desire is fulfilled if the prayer is sincere and done with full devotion , done from the bottom of the heart. The joy is short lived. There is no supreme satisfaction. NISHKAMYA BHAKTI : Here the devotion is selfless and pure. There are no hidden so called motives to be acheived. There is absolute contenment with the existing and no craving with more wants.This is considered to be the best. It is expected that one must be content with what one has. There are different kinds of bhavas : SHANTA : te devotee is shant . he does not jump around publicising his bhakti. his heart is always filled with love. Bheeshma was of this kind DASYA : Hanuman's relationship with Lord Rama was that of a servany and a master. He would go at lengths to fulfill his masters wish. His masters wish was his command. SAKHYA: here the devotee is a close friend of God. Arjun considered Lord Krishna to be his sakha. Here the devotee and God move at equal terms. Lord Krishna used to eat, sleep, talk , move with Arjun as an intimate friend. VATSALYA: There is motherly love for God.There is no fear in tis kind of devotion as God is a pet child. Yashoda portrayed this bhava to Lord krishna. MADHURYA : This is the highest form of bhava. here the devotee and God share pure and absolute love. It is supreme love. This is what Radha -Krishna shared. In the Srimad-Bhagavata and the Vishnu Purana it is told that there are nine forms of Bhakti. A devotee can follow the one that suits him best and attain divine illumination. These are: Sravana (hearing of God's Lilas and stories), Kirtana (singing of His

glories), Smarana (remembrance of His name and presence), Padasevana (service of His feet), Archana (worship of God), Vandana (prostration to Lord), Dasya (cultivating the Bhava of a servant with God), Sakhya (cultivation of the friend-Bhava) and Atmanivedana (complete surrender of the self). Bhakti removes jealousy , lust , anger , arrogance , egoism , worries, negativity. It softens the heart and frees the soul from samsaric wheel of birth and death. Fruits of bhakti are jnana and jnana intensifies bhakti. Bhakti is the direct road to god and help us reach the immortal abode of everlasting peace, bliss and knowledge. To be continued .............Send instant messages to your online friends http://in.messenger.