This book is based on a 3 day talk given by Ma Gurupriya Ji at the Sreemad Bhaagavata Tattva Sameeksha Satram, Naimeesharanyam, Parlikkad, Thrissur.
Devotion is not meant for ensuring post-death gains of heavens, Vaikuntha and such. It does not merely rest on belief, assumption and hope. Though, undoubtedly, devotion fills the mind and heart, here and now, with inner spiritual joy to the point of inundation, the effects can and will flow to the others around.;
In the backdrop of blind beliefs and practices which prevail in the name of devotion, this refreshing composition by Ma Gurupriya brings in a clarity about what constitutes devotion and how it needs to be and can be practiced through-out the day. This book is based on a 3 day talk given by Ma Gurupriya Ji at theSreemad Bhaagavata Tattva Sameeksha Satram, Naimeesharanyam, Parlikkad, Thrissur.
Extracts from the Book:
The study of spiritual texts on the other hand, compels one to become what is read – live the qualities described therein. I understood that my experiences, my ecstasies, my feeling very close to Krishna, were not getting stabilized because I was not trying to live what I read – I was not striving to become a devotee. What is meant by becoming a devotee? It is to acquire the qualities of a devotee as mentioned in the texts.
Who is a devotee? How has Bhaagavatam described devotees? A devotee must have prema (love), maitri (friendship), kaarunya (compassion),upeksha (indifference), akhilajeeva-vaatsalya (love for all beings), shantata (tranquility) and so on. So I understood, to have the experience stabilized, I must grow these qualities in myself, and that depends on my own effort. Nobody else can do it for me. I have to seek these qualities. I must love the qualities and ensure that I gain them.
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Always we should detect the traits of the mind which are not helpful for growing devotion, which are not what a devotee should have. Such traits should be rejected. And instead, qualities of a devotee like love, sympathy, sacrifice, fellow-feeling etc., should be generated more and more. We should be very very attentive to see what our negative traits are. First we must admit to ourselves that we have those traits and then we should try to remove them. It should be a constant process.
Dear devotees, we cannot afford to be inattentive anytime. We have to be alert – alert to remove all the doshas (defects) from ourselves and not to talk of the doshas of others. Long back I had seen a dance drama on Sree Rama. There was a scene where Shabari – a tribal woman devotee living in the forest – was waiting for Sree Rama to come. She had become very old waiting and waiting for Sree Rama. Every morning she used to get up and start sweeping the courtyard of her house. She used to become tired because of her old age. But, she would not stop. While sweeping she would murmur to herself, “I should not stop cleaning my house. Suppose, today is the day when Sree Rama, my Lord comes! Can I invite Him and receive Him in an unclean house?”
It was a revelation for me. I related it to my mind. I thought our mind should be clean like that. We have to sweep our mind everyday, every moment. In that mind we have to see the Lord. Any day the Lord can reveal Himself as He is the Indweller. Can he come and reveal Himself in an unclean mind?
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Guru is the embodiment of Jnaana. He is a person, who knowns what is the best for his disciple. He will always put the disciple on the path ofshreyus (the ultimate good). He will tell the disciple, “See, you are deviating from the right path. This is the impurity in your mind; you have to correct it. This is how you should progress; this is how you should think; this should be your attitude.” He will constantly guide the disciple till the disciple attains the goal. In fact, the Guru owns the disciple. The disciple feels, “He is a person who can save me. He will always show me the right path and never blame me.”
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