Any religion or ritual is complete only if practiced with devotion. A robotic repetition of words or actions can not capture the infinite power approachable through devotion. But, how exactly do we explain this state of mind dubbed ‘devotion’?
Devotion does not necessarily require sacrifice of all worldly possessions or severe penance. Devotion is an emotional attachment with God, but that does not require a mandatory detachment from this world. The measure of devotion is sincerity and belief. These sentiments are often overshadowed by the presence of distractions in the mind. Hence it is necessary to focus all our senses towards devotion. [This is the reason behind the special ambience provided in temples, where there are visual and audio factors present to induce concentration towards devotion.]
Devotion is a sentiment which has to be present in the mind and not only in words. Devotion itself can be of several forms. There are references in our scriptures to god being pleased with being considered as a master, teacher, parent, friend and even as an enemy. Even if one considers himself/herself as an enemy, it requires an uninhibited and continuous thought about god and his influences on life. It establishes an involuntary communication with God. This single-minded surrender to God is a distinguishing factor of devotion.
Devotion does not need a separate allotment of time to practice. Just like we use our eyes and ears together while watching the television, similarly it is necessary to use our mind to have devotion to god and do your work. This has been largely emphasised in many Hindu scriptures [a part of which many of us follow as Ganesha Pooja before starting any endeavour]. Regardless of what we are doing, all that devotion requires is an unshakable belief in our mind that God is omnipresent and will always be ready to help us throughout life.
Though we may all have different perspectives about the essence of devotion, it is said that nobody has the right to judge another person’s devotion, except for God.
[There is an interesting folktale on this in another onlyhinduism post : Who Is A Devotee - By Lord Vishnu]
It is important to expose children to legends and scripture regularly so that they grow into responsible and good-natured individuals. I would also like to mention that, the mere memorization of such scriptures is not enough. The parents and children have to understand the message/advice imparted through such legends. For example, an individual who knows the meaning of the bhagavad gita and implements it would definitely be a better person than the one who only knows how to recite it fully.
What is your concept of devotion? Kindly let me know your view on this topic through the comments. Om
Hari Bolo
ReplyDeleteNice website, a very noble undertaking to bring Hinduism to the young.
You have mentioned the vaira and dwesha bhAv in devotion to Lord VishNu - like KaMsa, ShishupAl, etc. However, it is not recommended to go that route. I know no one will do so voluntarily, but those involuntary atheists of today who are actually disgusted with the "God topics" and don't just stop at rolling their eyes and leaving it at that - they will be absorbed in the BrahmaJyoti, but this bhAv is undesirable. They can fall back to material samsAr is it not ?
If the very bhAv is about turning your back on God, after the heated emotion subsides, it is back to what attracts them most - the material.
Please forgive me if i said something wrong.
Jai Shri KRshNa
_/\_ praNAm
Thank you dear 'Anonymous'
ReplyDeletei agree with what you have said..i don't recommend the 'dwesha bhav' of devotion at all...i just meant to point out the infinite compassion which god has ,such that even when we hate god, god still loves us back...i also wanted to try and explain that it is a sincere emotion which counts and not a performance or 'act'...i presumed many youngsters may not have been aware of the 'dwesha bhava' of devotion and hence just wanted to try and inform that also...the intention was to make the readers understand the sincerity required in devotion (similar to how people show dedication in destroying enemies)...i repeat that devotion through hatred is not at all advised and should be avoided by all means...the aim of mentioning it was purely to show the dedication required from the devotee and the infinite love of God
it is sad to see how our society and the youth in it are being persuaded by atheists to go behind material pleasures...but, i am also sure that atleast once in their life, they will realize and call out to god for blessings...Thank you again for your comment...Om