Letters from Sri Ramanasramam 13

[Guest guest]

3rd December, 1945

 

MOTIVELESS DEVOTION

 

In August 1944, a Bengali youth in ochre-coloured

robes, by name Chinmayananda, a pracharak (preacher) of

the Hindu religion belonging to the Birla Mandir in Delhi,

came here. He had gone round several countries, visited the

Aurobindo Ashram and came here with a letter from Dilip

Kumar Roy. He is fond of devotional music and has a fine

voice. It was clear from the conversation that he was a

follower of the Bhakti cult of Chaitanya. He performed bhajan

in the presence of Bhagavan four or five times, singing songs

in Sanskrit and Hindi. It seems some one who was in charge

of a modern adhyatmic (spiritual) institution told him that he

cannot reach his goal in this life unless he stayed at one place

undisturbed.

 

With a view to find out Bhagavan's opinion in this matter,

one day he approached Bhagavan and asked in a general

way: " Swami, can sadhakas attain this goal in life if they go

about the world absorbed in singing songs in praise of God?

Or should they stay at one place only for the purpose? " " It is

good to keep the mind concentrated on one thing only

wherever the person wanders. What is the use of keeping

the body at one place only if the mind is allowed to wander? "

said Bhagavan. " Is ahetuka bhakti (devotion without a motive)

possible? " asked that young man. " Yes, it is possible, " said

Bhagavan. Some time back, when some others also asked

the same question during conversation, Bhagavan had

replied saying, " Why is it not possible? " The bhakti (devotion)

of Prahlada and Narada was only ahetuka bhakti.

 

The devotion shown by our Bhagavan towards

Arunachala is an example of this type of bhakti. During the

very first darshan, Bhagavan had said, " Oh father! I have

come here according to your orders and have surrendered

myself to you. " Look! Bhagavan says, Lord Arunachala had

ordered and that he had come! Why was he ordered and

why had he come? Bhagavan had come and had surrendered

himself completely. If asked for what purpose he had done

all that, what is there to say! See the bhava (meaning) in the

seventh stanza of Arunachala Navamani Mala written by

Bhagavan in Tamil. This was translated into Telugu by

G. Narasinga Rao. What is the purpose indicated in this

stanza? Nothing. Bhagavan tells us, now and then, that

ahetuka bhakti, ananya bhakti, poorna bhakti and the like are

synonymous with jnana and are not different.