None can ever dispute that devotion is the most sacred pilgrimage. Relying on this eternal truth, saints keep reminding and exhorting humanity to dedicate every thought current to God and He will make their life the saga of supreme peace and eternal bliss.
Still we find people engrossed in worldly affairs with little or no time for God, the giver of everything. Despite divine utterances and infinite wisdom available to us in the form of revered scriptures, the question which often finds expression on the lips of almost all is: Does a worldly man really need to devote himself to God — especially because man is heavily burdened in this age of intense competition?
This world is God's Creation. It is God Himself who has granted us our parents, brothers, sisters, and other near and dear ones.
Then how is it that we need to snap ties with them to devote ourselves to God or to break bonds with God to serve them?
This indecisiveness is baseless. Both can be performed simultaneously, but through a specific mental strategy. Ancient wisdom tells us that there is nothing wrong in performing and fulfilling worldly obligations.
However, we need to be cautious not to get attached to them. We have been granted body, mind and intellect to deal with the world, but our attention is meant to be directed towards God and His service.
The faculty of attention or remembrance is a divine treasure given to us by God. We are the trustees of this spiritual treasure.
Our redemption lies in offering it back to God. As a matter of fact, our mental attention is the only gift we can present Him; for he is affluent enough in everything else. Bharatrihari said, "We come to enjoy the world but we are being enjoyed by the world".
This implies we may serve the world, deal with it and enjoy but be cautious lest the world starts enjoying you. Let us dedicate our entire being to Him and look upon worldly duties as His service.
Senses are then reined in by the real Self within. Life becomes as sweet as nectar. Swami Brahmanand inspires all in these words: "Meditate, meditate and dive deep within. Know that God alone is real. Invest at least 3/4th of your mind in God. It is more than enough if you invest 1/4th in service".
The Upanishads say: "Just as a dancing girl has her attention fixed on the water pitcher, even so a devotee attends to worldly chores with his mind ever fixed on the Lotus feet of the Lord".
King Janaka is a classic example of how we should live. Shukhdeva went to Janaka for initiation into Brahm Gyan.
Seeing the riches, a doubt crept into his mind as to his being a bona fide guru and his ability to bless him with gyan.
Divining his thoughts through deep insight, the king planned a divine sport. He gave him a cup filled with oil and asked to go about his kingdom. Shukhdeva came back with the cup as it was.
He could do so by keeping his mind fixed on the oil cup. Then, Janaka told him that he too performs worldly duties keeping his mind and soul fixed on the Lotus feet of the Lord.
A devotee like Janaka, whose mind dwells on God, is un-affected by miseries and woes in life's journey. Nothing can agitate the serene composure of his focused mind.
By Ashutosh Ji Maharaj