HOW TO DEVELOP DEVOTION?

      The devotees who come to me often ask me to give them an easy recipe for intensifying their devotion to God. While giving them hope and assurance, I usually tell them, that as long as there is room for genuine gratitude in their hearts, they have every chance of attaining to true devotion.

     The heart which is incapable of experiencing genuine gratitude can never come to taste the Bliss of Devotion. Hence, before attempting to develop devotion, one must first understand what it is to be really grateful. Gratitude comes into play only when there is the awareness of the benefit received. Thus the benefit motive is the main spring of the feeling of gratitude. Further, the intensity of gratitude depends upon the nature and extent of the benefit received.

     Supposing one is confronted with a grave and critical situation, from which he sees no way of escape, and some one comes to his rescue and saves him, then he would necessarily evince whole-hearted gratitude towards the other. In such an extremely broken and helpless situation, total and all-full gratitude naturally flows towards the Benefactor.

     Let us now take the second case. Supposing one is in great difficulty needing help only in minor details and some one comes to his help, then in this case the gratitude evinced would not be as intense as in the previous one, since the help rendered is of a minor nature. Even here, a sensitive person would have shown whole-hearted gratitude; for without the timely help and intervention of the other, all his efforts would have been in vain. It is such an attitude that would be of great help in increasing the intensity of devotion.

     Coming to the third case:- Supposing there is a job, of a trivial nature, to be done and someone voluntarily extends his help, then in such a case one may or may not show any gratitude; and even if shown, it would be almost negligible. Since the matter was trivial, any failure to attend to the same might not have caused him any perceptible harm or inconvenience. But even in such a case, a warm-hearted person would have shown genuine gratitude to the benefactor, not so much for the value or importance of the act done, as for the pure love and sense of fellowship behind the same. This attitude helps to increase our devotion.

     Lastly, supposing one is in great trouble and someone, who is bound to help him, comes to his rescue and saves him; here he may not show any gratitude, since he is aware that the other is obliged to help him. But even here, an extremely sensitive person, touched by the warmth and affection of the other, would have spontaneously shown genuine gratitude to the other. This is the way to true devotion.

     To the extent we succeed in turning this uplifting human emotion, gratitude, towards God, to that extent we will be able to experience the upsurge of pure devotion in our hearts. The heart which is bereft of gratitude is fit to be the breeding ground for Devils and Hobgoblins.

     A person who is incapable of vibrating to genuine gratitude is fit for treason and treacheries. Let no such person be ever believed or relied upon. What a tremendous benefit is conferred on man, the moment he turns his gratitude towards God, our Supreme Benefactor! Assuredly he would come to realize Heavenly Bliss in his own heart.

     A little dispassionate thinking would make us realize that we owe our all, our everything to God. Our body, mind and all that we call our own- all the objects in the entire Universe itself- belong to Him only.We live, move and have our being in Him. There is no independent source of power, strength and knowledge, other than Him. If we genuinely feel that we owe our all to God and God alone, our heart automatically goes in prayer and supplication to Him. Gratitude overflows such a heart and the entire being gets filled with pure devotion. With the increase of gratitude towards God, there is corresponding increase of our devotion to Him. Divine Grace pours down, in all fullness, in response to the sincere prayers of the devotee. As the intensity of Divine Love increases, the Lover and Beloved come closer and closer, till atlast,at its acme, they merge into each other to taste the Infinite Bliss of Eternal Union. The river of life joins the Infinite Ocean of Existence.

     Though in the initial stages the feeling of Gratitude may carry with it an element of return benefit,yet in the final stages the Lover would be prepared even to immolate himself for the sake of his Beloved. The love becomes pure and untainted. There is no more any seeking; it is all total giving, it being its own reward. The joy of the Beloved is the only concern. Hence, the feeling of gratitude, if properly nurtured and developed would certainly be of great help in increasing one's devotion and finally leading him on to his life's goal-God Vision.

JAI SRI RAM