Miscellaneous - Religion   

Progress of Bhakti

CHENNAI : That Bhakti and Jnana are indispensable for salvation is stressed in the scriptures. Practice of Bhakti is the main focus in the Puranas and Itihasas and in the hymns and compositions of saints, seers and preceptors who have realised the overwhelming force of devotion.

Spiritual advancement is a continuous process and to attain Bhakti and Jnana one needs to pass through several births, said Sri B. Damodara Dikshitar in a discourse on Sivanandalahari.

In this hymn, Adi Sankara glorifies Bhakti as unflinching faith that longs for nothing except the Lord. When one becomes conscious of divine love, all other objects of the world lose their attractiveness, and love and devotion to the divine manifests as total surrender to Him.

Going to temples to offer prayers to the Almighty for fulfilment of desires may be common. But a true devotee goes to the temple to relinquish all desires and pray for a state which makes him long for God at all times. The lives of saints, realised souls and devotees such as the Azhwars and Nayanmars establish this truth for they had successfully come out of the trials and tribulations that had tested their faith.

Human life is an opportunity to develop one's spiritual nature when one understands that as long as one returns to mortal existence one cannot attain the true aim of life. Discrimination that distinguishes true from false comes with the realisation that this world and human body are impermanent and it is only the soul that is divine and immortal. This knowledge dispels ignorance.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna promises to take the burden and cares of the true devotee who worships Him, always meditates on Him alone, and who perseveres to follow His commands.

The Lord is always committed to His devotees and ensures that they not only get the best (Yoga) but also what is attained is protected and retained (Kshema), the implication being His grace alone not only makes the highest goal of life — God realisation — attainable to the devotee but also protects the devotee to remain in the state of Bhakti.

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