28 Oct 2011
[Shri Surya asked “How to purify one’s devotion so that it can really reflect in practice?”. Shri Swami replied as follows.]
For the projection of a tree, seed, water and fertilizer are necessary. Similarly, for the practical implementation of pure devotion, the knowledge of concept, intensification of concept by theoretical means and practice are necessary. First you must have the correct concept that can be received from Sadguru. The concept gains strength when you preach and discuss with others. The concept existing in your mind can be implemented in practice to little extent at least. The practical implementation of the concept even to little extent takes you near to God. The nearness can be recognized by the happiness that comes in your mind from the blissfulness nature of God. As the concept is implemented more and more in practice, you become nearer and nearer to God indicated by more and more happiness. The practice of the concept increases the strength of concept in you. Therefore, the concept gets more and more intensified by the gradual implementation in practice as well as the theoretical preaching and debates of the concept. The intensification of the concept by theoretical discussions is like the growth of the plant from the seed by the water. The growth of strength of the concept by the gradual practice is like the growth of plant from seed by the supply of fertilizer. The basic concept is the seed. The seed must be good. The good concept can be obtained from Sadguru only. Thus, the purification of devotion can be attained more and more by both the theoretical and practical steps.
You must train yourself in the concept in the society before you approach God. A solider is trained properly in the training center before he approaches the actual war. The training center is the society itself. First you serve the humanity without aspiring anything in return. You will become perfect in the concept by the training in the society. Then you will win in the presence of God. The Gita preaches that you must do any work without aspiration of the fruit. Such training purifies the human being and when it approaches God, its devotion will be also pure. But, you must be careful in the society because some cheats may exploit you and extract your work for their benefit. Therefore, you must develop the concept in the case of deserving people only. What is the first criterion of the deserving receiver of your help or service? The Veda says that the essential criterion of the receiver is not to expect anything from you. Thus, the receiver also is trained in the same concept. Some people do not express their desire by mouth but expect your help in their minds so that they impress upon you as deserving. You are not omniscient to know the hidden ideas in their minds. Therefore, there is every chance for you to slip in serving the undeserving people. As far as possible, you must analyze and analyze.
You can do the help or service to any extent provided you conclude the deserving receiver. Do not be hasty in doing service. Of course, the basic needy, who are extremely poor, need not be analyzed. Since they are in need of basic needs only, you need not apply the analysis to their case. There is a saying: “service to humanity is service to God”. The meaning of this statement is that you must train yourself in the service of humanity so that you will succeed in the case of God, whenever the opportunity comes. In the case of poor people, there is no chance of expecting anything in return. Therefore, that is the best area to develop the pure devotion by serving without aspiring anything in return. You serve the humanity. You will also develop love to the human form, which will be useful in serving the contemporary human incarnation of God without any repulsion to co-human form. All the social service is only training for the service of God. Without the ultimate service to God, mere social service gives you only heaven from which you have to return after sometime as said in the Gita (Kshene Punye…).
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