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Svadhyaya
for May 31, 2014
The Path of Devotion
|
This is the meaning of
religion, and all practices of Yoga: re-establishment and the development into
all its fullness your relationship with that one Reality. The central purpose
of all religions, the central message of all saints and sages is to recall it
to man once again, and to make the inner spiritual relationships into a dynamic
and living fact in one’s own life.
You belong to the Divine
eternally, and in the Divine you have your all-in-all. In the Eternal alone you
can find true joy. The Eternal alone can satisfy the Spirit, and you are the
spirit. All association with non-eternal is ultimately fraught with sorrow. The
great need in life, therefore, is to ever keep yourself closely related to that
Divine.
How can you do it? The process
of entering into a relationship through the emotional level of your being with
Divine is called Bhakti Yoga, the Path of Devotion. Bhakti is a word that
denotes love, intense attachment, a deep feeling of affection, of adoration.
Love of God is a power that even as a little ripple upon the surface of a lake
in the beginning, can assume the power of a great wave, and overcome all the
lower attachments and bondages. But it should be cultivated. You have to work
upon it with great care and devotion. You have to set up a link of pure love
with the Divine, and diligently work to develop this love relationship into a
state of perfection and completeness. This is the very essence of Bhakti Yoga.
You may feel: “God is a
strange Being. He is remote. How can I love Him?” The answer is: “God is not
remote. He is not far away. He is nearer to you than the nearest object in the
universe. He is nearer to you than your breath. He is your own self. You don’t
have to lift a finger to point to Him. You have to look within. He is to be
felt as your very own, very close to you.”
God is full of graciousness,
full of love and compassion, eager to have you to come to Him. He allows
Himself to be approached with any vision. You may take the Divine object as
your child or as your companion. So the keynote of Bhakti Yoga contains love,
affection, attachment, intimacy, nearness, absolute humility, closeness, and
also adoration and an element of worship.
God Bless You All!
Swami Chidananda
Additional Reading:
The Philosophy and
Significance of Idol Worship By Swami Sivananda
Realization
Through Devotion By Swami Chidananda
Longing for
Realization By Swami Krishnananda
Our Concept of
God By Swami Krishnananda
The Concept of God
According to Bhakti Yoga By Swami Krishnananda
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