Chapter 4  ·  Contents  ·  Chapter 6

5. TRUE DEVOTION VERSUS ATTACHMENT TO THE WORLD

Embodiments of Divine Love,

It is the bhakti (devotion) that proves the eternal sacred Truth that Tat Twam Asi (Thou art That), that the devotee and God are one. In this world the many diseases and sorrows affecting man can be classified into:

1) adibothika - relating to the body;
2) adidaivika - as a result of elements like floods, lightening, earthquakes, etc.;
3) adyatmika - spiritual; relating to the mind.

Mental diseases are more prevalent in the world today and mental worries cause much suffering. Man worries whether he could fulfil whatever he starts. Only devotion to God gives relief from the three types of diseases and sorrows.

Today man has many kinds of attachments such as to family, property and business which make him very weak. All weaknesses can be cured through bhakti, which can confer liberation. There are two forms of devotion: attachment and true devotion.

What is attachment? Man is attached to the world mainly through three types of bondage; namely: to one's wife, children and property. This world is permeated with these three types of bondage which we readily take into our hearts and consequently suffer. This is not devotion. Whatever we see, hear or talk may make us feel happy, but that is only delusion and not devotion (bhakti). Devotion is directing all of your attention to God. All of the scenarios and materials that you listen to must be dedicated to God. Having intense desire for God is bhakti. If the love that is caught up in the three bondages is redirected toward God, it would be devotion. We are attached to this world but how long can the wealth and material objects and forms satisfy us and to what extent? Money comes and goes, ephemeral like passing clouds. After life is over can wealth give you happiness?

One has attachment to one's wife though she was not born with you but came in between, and will not leave with you, and will disappear after awhile. It is only a relationship of false attachment, not Truth. The relationship with the son is similar. The son is the form that results from the attachment between husband and wife. The relationship with the son is also impermanent. The three bondages to wife, son and wealth are ephemeral, but God was there prior to one's birth, during one's lifetime, and will be there after one's death. God who exists before, during and after life in the body is the Truth and the one Goal. To live with this attitude is devotion. You are deluding yourself when you attach to other things and persons and not to God. Everything should be offered to God. Do your duty and please God. One's body has been gifted in order to transform action into Dharma (righteous conduct) through Love. Karma is action done by one's organs such as the hands and legs. Once one combines karma with Love (the heart), the action becomes Divine and Dharmic.

For example, a car has an engine, seats, fuel, etc., but runs because of the battery. Similarly, the body like a car has organs that operate because of the mind (the ear listens, the mouth talks, etc.). Each organ has a specific function: the eye only sees, it does not speak; the ears only listen, etc. According to Vedanta, the mind is the cause of the entire experience of the world. At this moment you are sitting in this auditorium listening to the discourse. If only your eyes and ears are here while the mind is elsewhere, you will not benefit from the discourse. If you suddenly become mentally absent, you would later on wonder what Swami has said. To join the purified mind with action is Dharma. One's body has been gifted to perform dedicated action, so pursuing the spiritual path means following Dharma. Man requires food to provide strength for his body and clothes to protect it. From food (bukti) one derives energy (shakti), from attachment (rakti) comes detachment, through devotion (bhakti) one attains liberation (mukti). In all of these words, bukti, shakti, rakti, bhakti, mukti, "ti" is common. In this word "bhakti," "bha" stands for brilliance, infinity, and transcendence. As the first syllable in bhakti is "bha" and the last "ti," devotion (bhakti) is the cause for all powers. Devotion should be pure, steady and selfless and one's heart should always be pure and sacred to reach Bhagavan who is effulgence, purity and selflessness. No one should see evil or look for the faults in others.

Once there was a lady travelling from Tokyo to Kyoto by train carrying a bundle of dirty clothes wrapped in a clean cloth. Someone sitting nearby asked her, "Why do you put a clean cloth outside while all dirty clothes are inside?" She replied, "I have no right to display dirty clothes to anyone. To show only goodness and purity to others is the meaning of human life." Even though there may be bad actions and thinking in people, a person with a good mind will cover them up (transform them) through devotion. For example, inside the human body are nerves, bones, blood, faecal matter, etc., which if seen by man would cause him to faint. Even though the body is covered by a pure, attractive skin, there is often a foul smell rather than fragrance around it. The abdomen has long tubes of intestines, muscles, etc., which if seen by man would cause him to become fear-stricken. God has hidden all of these unpleasant aspects behind the outer beauty, so that one sees only outer beauty and forgets what is inside. As was demonstrated by the lady from Japan who bundled her dirty clothes in a nice cloth so as not to show them to anyone, we should also sublimate the bad and concentrate on goodness.

The perfect example of this was demonstrated when the devas and the demons were churning the ocean and poison came out. Lord Shiva, the blue-throated God, thought that if He allowed the poison to remain the earth would be destroyed, so He drank it to protect the angels and the demons. This is a lesson from God to teach man, "Oh mad man, keep the bad within yourself; do not trouble or harm or hurt anyone; keep your actions and words in check."

Lord Shiva wears the moon on His forehead to signify His power to shed coolness and comfort. Due to His compassion and sacrifice He also sends the sacred water of the Ganges River to all. God keeps the bad within and shares the good with all to teach that everything should be for the benefit of all.

After birth a baby cries for the benefit of the body, to aid blood circulation. Thus the baby's cry is beneficial. Though life begins with a cry it should end in Divine Bliss. The Bhagavad Geetha also begins with the misery in human life, and ends in Divine Bliss. So life in this world comprises both the good and bad aspects, but we should show only what is good not the bad. Today, man is unfortunately showing and sharing the bad with everyone but not the good. We are finding fault with others rather than searching for our own faults. The good within everyone must be shared. Jesus too said that we should remove the block in our own eyes. If we watch and remove our own defects through self-inquiry, we can attain self-realization. In order to practice bhakti (devotion), we must know our own defects and direct all the good and bad in us to God. Due to the intimate relationship with God even all the bad will turn to good. For example no one will accept your torn 100 Rupee note, but if you take it to the reserve bank, they will exchange it for a new one. God is the Director of the reserve bank. Offer Him all the bad in you and He will turn it into good. Speak to God saying, "God, I offer You my heart that You gifted to me, please purify it." To offer everything to His Lotus Feet is surrender and devotion. God gave you the Love that is within you; so offer this Love back to Him.

There is no one today without some trace of evil. There must be evil in the world for goodness to have value. There cannot be day without night or air-conditioning without heat. This is explained in the Bhagavad Geetha in the chapters on "Kshetra Vibhaga Yoga" Take the example of the orange covered with a bitter rind with sweet juice inside. As one cannot eat the rind, it is necessary to remove it to enjoy the sweet juice. God's creation is a combination of good and bad, and one must discriminate and keep only the good. In bhakti (devotion) offer everything good and bad to God only. We celebrate birthdays to show that we are happy the child is growing up, but we do not realize that his life span is also diminishing year by year. Thus at the beginning of life there is happiness but later on there is misery. To offer both to God is bhakti. Misery, too, is a gift of God. It is bhakti (devotion) to see the universal presence of the one God in both happiness and misery.

At present, students are taping the songs and discourses. If you remove the cassette from the tape recorder you cannot hear the songs and discourses. Also you must connect the plug or batteries in order to listen to the tape. Similarly, one must connect to God through concentration in order to hear and know Him as Divinity cannot be seen through the physical eye. Only through bhakti can one experience the direct vision of God. All of one's actions should be offered only to God. In ancient times in their prayers devotees offered all of their limbs to God. Today, the devotee takes flowers, touches his eyes, and offers the flowers to God. But one is offering the flowers instead of the eyes, thus saying one thing and doing another. The devotee touches his heart with a flower and offers the flower to God, but he is not truly offering his heart. As you think so should you act. The devotee should say to God, "If I offer my heart to You, it should be filled with Divinity." In Telugu there is a saying, "As is the action so is the reaction." People today say one thing and do another, so God too reacts in the same manner. As God reflects, your own evil returns to you.

In the food prayer, "Brahmarpanam Brahmahavir," we offer food to God and God replies, "Oh mad student, you are offering food to God, but where do you think God is? I am present inside you selflessly digesting and distributing the essence of all four types of food to all parts of the body. I do not receive the nourishment, you do." Though God is selfless and full of sacred Love, today's selfish man is not able to understand this, but instead blames God. Everyone is dependent on God because He resides within one as the consciousness that enables one to see, work, and move, etc. All of the limbs by themselves are inert; the consciousness alone makes the body function. Have strong faith that God is latent within you and is the form of Love. It is enough if one has devotion but today man is drowned in attachment to the world. One can have faith only when he directs his mind to God with Love. So develop faith in God and His Love to solve the problems and miseries of life.

There are four stages in life: student, householder, renunciant and retired. Today as these are all mixed up, there is misery; a celibate acts like a householder and a householder acts like a celibate. Whether one is a celibate or a householder, he should do his duty; no other penance is required. Don't give up your duty, but rather offer all actions to God. Bhakti is the easiest path to liberation. Life is indeed full of miseries like old age, disease, and death. Family members are not born with us; we acquire these relationships only in the middle between birth and death. At birth we do not even come with clothes and we also do not know where we are going at death. If we post a letter, it must have a "to" and "from" address or it will go to the dead letter box. Likewise, you should know where you are coming from and going to. Know at least one address by inquiring into the "I" within yourself and discover that you have come from the Atma (Spirit). It is natural for beings to return to their origin.

For example, the clay pot will eventually go back to its origin as part of the earth; it was a pot in the middle stage only. Your body too is like the temporary, impermanent pot, but it has God within it, so pray and offer all to God. That is bhakti (devotion). Many miseries come in life but all are like passing clouds. Instead of spending time doing rituals and penances, offer only pure Love to God. Making her baby lie quietly in the crib, the mother resumes her work. The moment the child cries she will leave everything and run to him not taking time to consider the tune or rhythm of the cry. Likewise, God does not consider the rhythm or tune of our cry or prayer, but sees only our heart. That is the nature of the Love of the Divine Mother who expects only Divine Love and responds to whole-hearted prayer. Offer your heart full of Love; that is Supreme Devotion (Ananya Bhakti).

Swami ended His discourse by singing, "Chitta Chora Yashoda Ke Bal..."

Then He spoke again: In the song "Chitta Chora Yashoda Ke Bal," God is called a thief. The butter and milk that Krishna stole were the soft and pure hearts of the devotees, and the devotees want Krishna like a thief to steal their hearts. Ordinarily if anyone is called a thief, he would become angry, but here God is called a thief not of worldly things or pleasures but only of pure hearts. Make your heart pure so that He can steal it.

April 10, 1996

Chapter 6