Devotion

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DEVOTION

 

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 be 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 choses? If there is any thought of discrimation,

superioirty, 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 and humbleness are the two ornaments 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 body 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.” - SA’DI

True devtion 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 quality 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 huldles 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.

 

Ture 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 journy 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 whole mankind rather than

restricting it to one individual. May BABA bless us and guide us in the right

path.

 

Sairam

Anitha Kandukuri

Canberra, Australia

 

Source: http://www.angelfire.com/sd/SaidarbarCanberra/docs/devotion2.doc