Training in Bhakti should begin in childhood

Devotion is not a matter of sentiment or emotion, but a scientific process for reaching God. First of all a person should realise that he like everybody else, is a "fragment" of the Supreme Being entangled in the material world and that the goal of his life is to get back to Him. Having understood that the goal of his life is to get back to Him. Having understood this truth he must act in consonance with the eternal relationship. In reality, however what happens is that people, swathed in illusion (Maya) instead of trying to become servants of God turn slaves of ever so many others resulting in their being thrown into the ocean of suffering.

The person who has realised that he is but a part and parcel of God and that soul is different from the "body", can be likened to a patient who has reached the stage of convalescence. But there is yet the danger of the disease relapsing. So, he has to follow up his knowledge with positive steps to establish rapport with the Supreme Being, if he were to get completely cured of the disease of re-birth and attain liberation. For the devotee who had become totally attached to Sri Krishna the material world would be reduced to a "zero", said Sri Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder-Acharya of the Internal Society for Krishna Consciousness.

All limbs of the body were expected to obey instructions issued by the brain and, if any of them failed to do so, it only meant something was wrong with it. Sri Krishna had said "Surrender to Me" and it was everyone's duty to submit to His command. If anyone refused, the implication was he was afflicted with a "disease". Deemed to be one of the authorities on this Bhagavata Dharma, Prahlada gave lessons on it to his young friends. Training in Bhakti should begin in one's childhood and it was foolish to think they could take to it when they became old, because there was no guarantee of their living for many more years.
                                                                          January 5, 1976.

Significance of meditation

To be born as a human being is a rare privilege as he is provided with the golden opportunity to sharpen his intellect and get inspired and enlightened. Man can make an endeavour to learn and achieve a goal. Otherwise, the purpose of his birth may be lost. The spiritual powers within should be Life without an aim may be a waste as a diamond in the hands of a fisherman.

According to a parable, a fisherman seeing the stock of fish depleting in the place he usually angled, switched on to a new pond where he caught a bundle of stones. Not realising that they were pure gems, he allowed his son to play with them. The boy threw the "pebbles" one by one into the lake till one day, his mother thought of selling one or two to procure in return, family rations. Only the purchaser could assess their worth. Sages had laid down the ways to seek God and thus direct human activities for securiting spiritual benefits. They prescribed meditation as a means to seek Truth but in the process, they had cautioned man not to collect garbage. Meditation is an integrated process to acquire Knowledge of the Brahman (The Absolute).

In a discourse, Swami Ishwarananda Giri of "Samvit Sadhanayana" (Mount Abu) explained how meditation was a "Sadhana" to seek God. It could not be sold or purchased but it implied an approach consisting of Bhakti, Shradda, Dhyana and Yoga. Meditation connoted fixing one's mind on a specified object, may be anything. To whatever subject one might apply hismind, it would reveal itself. Meditation should be centralised on Truth and on transcendental values.

A foreigner who took to this sep, sat erect and adopted the correct posture but concentrated on helicopters as he was working as an engineer in a factory manufacturing them. He said he got several ideas about their techniques. Hence meditation should not drag one to the mental plane. For this a Mantra like the Gayatri, has been recommended and meditating with its help after knowing its import, would fetch peace within and help one to be in touch with pure Divine consciousness. But meditation required intense practice and observance of rules, as "Shradda" could not be learnt through textbooks.
                                                                          August 11, 1980

Devotion knows no caste or creed

The term "devotion" has been amply defined in the spiritual classics like the Bhagavatham and the Narada Bhakti Sutras with illustrations. The Pandava Gita explains it in simple words, saying that God resides in our hearts and He is all auspicious. The only lacuna is that our minds are not mature enough to have His vision. But those who are able to experience His manifestation within will feel highly blissful and enjoy the ecstasy.

Devotion can also be described as the spiritual power that can keep away the trauma, the bad complexes and the evil in us. But devotion should not be conventional or ostentatious nor should it be stagnant. It is not the mere external exuberance that matters. Many may be found to shed tears out of devotional fervour but the same attitude should be shown in wiping out the distress of others. What then is the test of true devotion. The answer has been provided by Lord Krishna Himself. Devotion knows no caste or class or creed. A true devotee should carry the burden with a smile and there should be a "flow" in his life.

"I am the same to all beings; with Me, there is none disfavoured: but those who worship me with devotion are in Me and I am in them. You must find refuge in Me" the Lord has declared openly. Swami Ranganadananda, in a discourse referred to the Almighty's statement about the need to develop discriminative knowledge and deep devotion, the essence of which is "All beings are in Me". A staunch devotee will be contented and free from exultation or resentment. Three emotions should be overcome to reach God; attachment, fear and anger. A sincere devotee neither rejoices nor grieves, is immune to both good and evil and respects every other creation of God. He will remain silent, unmoved by praise or blame. Bhakti is infinite love of God, and praying ceaselessly within and all devotional exercises should help to "bring God before us in our life". Whereever we are, God will come to us if we display total dedication and He will reciprocate our sentiments.
                                                                          October 1, 1985

The implication of devotion

Devotion is not a sentimental drivel. It is an absolute commitment to God, in thoughts, words and deeds. It will then mature into exclusive attachment to the Supreme Being. But devotion should be sandwiched between spiritual wisdom and dispassion or renunciation. It implies a total knowledge of God's majesty. His perfection (free from any defect). His compassion an dhis easy accessibility to those who approach Him. The love that is generated towards Him cannot be compared to other types of identical sentiments.

Everyone who resorts to this path of devotion should realise that the Lord possesses unlimited, matchless qualities. There is none superior, much less equal, to Him. He is one whole, undivided but yet distinguishable. He could perform any act with any sense organ. The human law of specificity of senses will not apply to Him. There is no diffeence between His incarnations and His original form (in which He is when He resides in His abode). Therefore, one should neither distrust the Vedas nor dishonour His devotees. He is full of auspicious attributes. Devotion to God will kill the ego in man, making him realise that he is not independent but that whatever he gets in life are gifts of God.

Sri Raghuvarya Swami of Kudali Math in a discourse highlighted the fact that the propounder of the Dwaita philosophy had found that the triple texts-Upanishads, Brahmasutras and the Gita-were in perfect accord with his nine tenets. They recognised the supremacy of the Lord and the absolute reality of the universe. There was a fundamental difference between the Lord and the soul, the Lord and the world, the soul versus the soul, soul and matter and between matter and matter. All human beings have limited capacity and are not autonomous in the pursuit of their ideals. To attain salvation, Sri Madhwa has detailed the path of devotion, describing it as "Raja Vidya". Sri Madhwa insists that a devotee should approach the Almighty through a preceptor. This was not a formality but a spiritual must. It was the religious guide who steadies his disciple, warns him of the pitfalls and short curves on the path to the kingdom of God.
                                                                          March 22, 1986