Bhakti is intense love for God. God is love and to love God for what He
is – is Bhakti. Bhakti has no conditions. We don’t put stipulations to God and
demand that He fulfils our wishes the way we want to receive them or else we will not love or respect Him.
A bhakta ( Lover of Lord) loves God. Just like that! There are no stipulations attached to that
love. There is fervour in the love. Like the mad lover craving for his beloved,
the bhakta craves for God. He thinks of God at all times of day and night and
this remembrance is continuous. There is no break in the longing for God. In
sleep, in waking state, at work, at home, while eating, while walking, the
bhakta thinks of God. It is an obsession. And this obsession binds God to the
bhakta. When the bhakta needs help from
his Beloved God, the Supreme Power rushes to the instant aid of the bhakta.
Bhakti is a sacred emotion. It is sublime. It elevates the bhakta to the
highest level of consciousness. Intense bhakti is cause of merger of self with
the Supreme. The bhakta associates all that he has and does with the object of
his adoration i.e. God. Everything in his life is connected to his Beloved God.
All of his life becomes an adoration and worship of God. When the mind is
focussed steadily and constantly on God – it becomes one with God.
Bhakti starts with faith. We are
taught about the wonders of Nature and World and so we have faith that God is
good. As we acquire more knowledge of the miracles and wonders of Nature and
Life, our faith makes us attracted to God. We ponder about His abilities and
the gifts that He showers on us and we are attracted to Him. Constant
attraction to God leads to greater understanding of the role of God and His ways
and we begin to adore Him. As our adoration grows more intense, we let go of
all our silly desires and long only to Love Him for what He is. We get attached to God and we love Him with
Supreme Love. We love God for sake of Love. Consider this story:
A thief wanted to earn name as the greatest thief of his time. He roamed
around checking out for treasures people had. One evening as he passed by the
temple, he heard a preacher speak about Sri Krishna. He was describing the beautiful form of the
Lord and the array of gorgeous jewels he wore. The thief was attracted by the
description and entered the temple and sat amongst the crowd hearing the
lecture. The preacher had a way with words and could paint a beautifully
detailed picture of young Krishna playing in Vrindavan. He spoke with utter conviction that every day
Sri Krishna played in the dusty lanes of Vrindavan. The thief who heard his
words could picture and visualize the form of Sri Krishna and every piece of
precious jewels he wore. He wanted to
steal the jewels. He would become the most famous thief of his time!
After the lecture, the thief walked towards Vrindavan visualizing the
form of the boy and the valuable jewels. His mind was obsessed with the form
and the description of the jewels. He felt that he could see the boy right in
front of him. He crossed to Yamuna river and reached Vrindavan. As he walked
towards the village, he saw a young boy of the same description and jewellery
standing in front of him. He ran towards
him to catch him. That young boy caught him and embraced him. At the touch of
the Lord, the thief was transformed. He forgot why he had come there and what
he wanted to do. He forgot the precious jewels and his fame and glory as thief.
Great love for Sri Krishna welled up in
him and he became a friend and a great bhakta of the Lord. He was thereafter
named ShyamChor – meaning robber of Krishna. The touch of the Lord was the
touch of the philosopher’s stone which transformed the thief from a mere robber
of treasures to one of the greatest bhaktas of the Lord.
When the ParamGuru comes in one’s life and showers knowledge and divine
love, Bhakti for God and Guru grows day by day. The guru mantra and spiritual
practices taught by the ParamGuru show the path of intensifying devotion to
God. As we do our daily practices of japa and dhyan and thinking of the Guru
and God, Grace flows into our lives and we are eternally surrounded by the love
and grace of God. When our Bhakti intensifies and reaches the pinnacle, we
become one with the Lord. Do your daily japa of SitaRam mantra and meditation.
Follow the teachings of the Guru. Your bhakti will increase and you will reach
God.
