(From the discourses of Pujya Sri Swamiji)

Compiled by Swami Datta Pada Renu

“Whoever offers Me with devotion, a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, that I accept, offered with devotion by the pure in heart.” (26-IX)

The simple way of reaching the Lord is that of love and love alone. As a devotee loves the Lord passionately the Lord’s heart melts in sympathy for him. Therefore unswerving devotion is the simplest way to attain the Lord. Scholarship, wealth or elaborate rituals are not needed to earn the grace of the Lord. He is satisfied even with the offering of a flower, a fruit or a leaf. But the offering has to be done with pure love and devotion. This is the only condition.
Shabari offered only a fruit to Sri Rama and Gajendra offered only a flower to his Lord. And both attained Mukti by those simple offerings. Therefore, even the most poor and illiterate person can earn the grace of the Lord if he has in his heart sincere love and devotion for the Lord. This is the idea.

“Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer in sacrifice, whatever you gift away, whatever austerity you practice, O Arjuna, dedicate them to Me.” (27-IX)

To attain the Lord, a devotee has to dedicate all his actions to Him. Whatever be the action, whether of partaking of food or performance of sacrifices and penances, the devotee has to do them as a dedication to the Lord. When all life’s activities are thus dedicated to the Lord, the devotee escapes the bondage of Karma.

“Thus you will be free from the bondage of actions which are productive of good and bad results with the mind established in the Yoga of renunciation and liberated you will come to Me.” (28-IX)

Every work produces a result and creates an impression on the mind of the worker. That impression takes the form of a tendency (Vaasana), which will prompt him to do the same work again. Slowly the worker becomes a slave to the tendency. He performs more and more actions of the same nature directed by his tendencies. Thus hi is bound by his own actions. This is what is called the bond of action (karma bandhana).

Karma (action) produces both good and evil results. If the action is good, good results are produced. If the action is wicked, bad or unfavourable results are produced. A seeker after Truth has to give up both good and evil as both are obstacles to him in his path to spirituality. At first he has to abandon evil thoughts and actions and then give up good also, because, all results of action whether good or bad will bind the doer to the wheel of action. And as long as he is tied down to this wheel he will have no rest or peace.

But it is a fact that man cannot remain without doing some action or other. And action will produce reaction. Then how can he escape from this wheel of karma? For that, it is enough if he dedicates all his actions and results to the Lord. With total detachment to results he has to do his work, sincerely and wholeheartedly. Such a work will not bind him. This is what is called Karma Yoga or yoga of renunciations of fruits of actions. Leave the results to the Lord and be absolutely free from the bonds of Karma. This can be practiced even by house-holders and attain Moksha or union with the Lord.
“Towards all beings I am the same, to Me there is none hateful or dear; but those who worship Me with devotion, they are in Me and I am also in them.” (29-IX)

God loves all and His love is absolute. To him there is none hateful or dear. For instance, in winter people generally sit near a fire and enjoy the warmth of it. But those who are away from the fire will not be able to get the warmth. It is not the mistake of the fire. Fire does not have love or hatred for anybody. Those who are near it get the warmth and those who are away from it do not get the warmth. In the same way, those who want to lead a divine life spend their time in prayers and other spiritual disciplines. They come nearer and nearer to God and experience the bliss of God. Others keep themselves away from God due to their preoccupation with the material world and lose the bliss that is God.
To cite another example, sun’s light is reflected in a mirror that is clean. But a brick clean it might be, cannot reflect the sun. Can the sun be blamed for this? A mind, which is pure, is like a clean mirror. The divine light of the self within is clearly reflected in it. Whereas the mind, which is full of undesirable thoughts and impure, is like a brick made of clay on which the self is not reflected.

God is the same to all. He is not partial. Because a worldly man is immersed in the sense-world his mind does not come in contact with the self within. Whereas another man who wants to lead a divine life purifies his mind by making it free from egoism, passion and wrath. Such a man’s mind easily comes in contact with the self within and gets totally united with it.

Therefore the Lord says :
“Those who worship Me with devotion, they are in Me and I am in them.” Those who worship the Lord in thought, word and deed, they live in the Lord and the Lord lives in them. This is the idea.