Devotion
Love is expressed and experienced in different forms.
- Love towards friends- Friendship
- Love that your mother has for you- Affection
- Love for the poor and needy- Sympathy
- Love for elders- Respect
- Love for the Nation- Patriotism
- Love for God– Devotion
Love towards the Divine is Devotion
We all love our parents, right? How do we show our love to our mother, our Deha matha? By doing all such things that please her– isn’t it? God is loka matha who has provided five elements, five senses, five values and five resources for our enjoyment. So how should we show our love for God?
- Through Prayer- We communicate with God by adoring Him and praising His divine qualities. Chanting divine names is helpful in achieving inner peace, inner harmony and inner balance. We should pray to God, the embodiment of Dharma, before the commencement of any work.
How should we pray?
- Devotion should be true and deep. If our devotion is true and deep, God comes quickly to protect us.
- Devotion promotes pure love, deep faith, good conduct, noble thought and total dedication.
- The Name of God, if recited with Love and Faith, has the power to bring upon the eager aspirant the Grace of God.
[Source-DD 23rd Nov 1968]
Gurus can narrate stories of Prahlad, Draupadi, Gajendra, Narada, Hanuman, Shabari’s devotion and other stories exemplifying the Nava Vida Bhakti (Nine forms of Devotion)
- Through Thanks Giving– We should submit the flowers of love and gratitude at the lotus feet of God. Having remembered and prayed to God while commencing our work, should we not remember to offer our thanks to God once we complete the task?
- Through Reverence to parents- ‘Mathru Devo Bhava, Pithru Devo Bhava’ is the dictum of Taithriya Upanishad. We should respect and revere our parents because they are the embodiments of God on this earth.
- Through Dedication in whatever we do- Work is worship. If we perform our karma or duty wholeheartedly with total involvement and interest, it is also a type of devotion. Duty is God. Work is Worship.