Is it Devotion or Emotion?

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Sri Sri Guru Gaurangau Jayatah

 

Is it Devotion or Emotion?

 

by His Divine Grace Shrila Bhakti Sundar Govinda

Dev-Goswami Maharaj

September 6, 1999

 

 

Jai Guru Maharaj ki jai! Last time I discussed about

devotion and devotion how much can go up to the mercy

of Radharani. But here is one question: Devotion and

emotion? We heard so many things about the spiritual

world, we heard so much, we read so many books,

spiritual books and there we have got some knowledge.

We cannot wait for that and immediate we want to start

our practicing life and if we will do that mostly it

will go to the emotional portion. Actually devotion

and emotion, it is necessary to differentiate

otherwise we will be cheated. Shrila Saraswati Thakur

said the character of devotion, very nicely he

expressed, " We should always be ready to serve

according to the desire of the Master, then it will be

devotion. "

It is not for us to offer to the Master anything

according to our own taste which may not have His

approval. This material situation, because it is not

so clean, then we always will depend upon the approval

of the Spiritual Master. He is of the fountainhead of

all potency. He is the predominating agent and we are

the predominated agent. We have no other duty but to

attend to the wishes of the Master. We need not

restrict Him. He is the proprietor of everything and

everything is within His range. We need not put Him

under the control of some restriction as if He is

natures product and nature is not one of His products.

We should always abide by the rules of civil

discipline otherwise some restlessness or disturbance

may arise in the society.

We are to remember such maxims as, " Do unto others as

you wish others to do unto you " , in the transactions

with our friends. But the cause is different in our

relations with the Absolute. The Absolute lays claim

to everything as proprietor and therefore all

properties are meant for His service only and not for

the service of anyone else. Since we are dependents we

should be restricted in every way but we need not for

this reason try to put restrictions on the Master. We

have got some independence but that independence

should not be indulged in such a way as to restrict

the Master. We must not think of Him as we do about

His created beings. When the Absolute wants something

we are morally bound to offer our services to Him and

to attend to His needs. If He thinks that He is the

husband, all should be His wives. The Soul should

adorn her body according to the taste of her Husband.

She should apparel herself in such a way as to please

her Master. We are not to think that Godhead should be

a predominated agent to serve our purpose. We cannot

Lord it over Him. We are not allowed to do so. We are

incapable of doing so, being small. We have not the

power to have Him as our dependent. We ought not to

think that He should be our parent and servant as we

find our worldly parents doing from the beginning of

our lives. We should serve and worship Bala Krishna,

child Krishna and His parents.

I need not go through and read so many religious books

for the amelioration of any troubles. Let persons who

are too much afraid of worldly troubles read the

Vedas. I do not think that the pessimistic trend of my

mind should engage me in reading these books. These

are lifeless transactions. I want a living thing. I

see that Nanda as father has got the privilege of

nurturing and fostering child Krishna from the very

beginning. So it is better for me that I should have

Nanda as my preseptor instead of all these books.

Child Krishna is found to be crawling in the corridor

of Nanda's house. I am also going to worship Him as

His parent-servitor. Therefore the parent-servitor

should be my preceptor. I should not ask Him to be my

friend but instead I should befriend Him. I should

render my services to Him as a friend. I should also

like to be known as His confidential friend and not as

His reverential friend. Flatterers are used to

flattering their master, posing themselves as friend.

I should not be His flattering friend, I should like

to be His confidential friend. I won't hesitate to

offer Him any food which I have already tasted before

to see whether it is relishable or not. If I find the

food to be nice then only shall I place it before the

Supreme Lord, whereas our reverential friend would not

allow such conduct which is quite contrary to ideas of

the reverential worshipers of the Lord. But Shri

Krishna Chaitanya has told us that we should be His

confidential friend instead of posing ourself as

friend in a reverential mood. The reverential mood

puts a sort of screen before us. The Absolute has the

right to receive the different services rendered by

His servitors. The Lord says He is ever ready to

receive service from His servitors in whatever manner

that it is offered.

Ordinary people do not understand what religion is.

Most people endure the case of service, the exception

being the school of devotion. Impersonalists want to

merge in the Personality of Godhead. Others think that

they can get rid of all miseries by annihilating their

individual personality. The worshipers of many gods

think that they will in the long run reach a state

where there is no manifested or designated features.

Devotees referre to such persons as non-devotees,

atheists and skeptics. There are also persons who try

to elevate themselves by their own endeavors. They

declare they have got a definite object for which they

work otherwise they would be called frantic or mad

people. They do their work in order to get something

in return. Then we must try to differentiate wisely

and try to realize about our devotion and emotion.

Devotion will help us if we are submissive to our

Lord, submissive to our Master, devotion always will

help us. In the Scripture it is said devotion gives

devotion. We are not to be afraid but must be careful,

then we will not lose one moment for emotion. Tears

can come in the service of Krishna, that's also to be

restricted by the devotees because there also our

realization will be pointed, it is devotion or

emotion? This way if we will try, Saraswati Thakur

what said, we can get that proper devotion and

devotional activities and service to the Lord under

guidance of our Divine Master. Jai Gurudev. Jai Shri

Guru Maharaj.

September 6, 1999

London, England