devotion

There is great need for readers to ponder over this point, for it is through the weighing of pros and cons that valuable conclusions are reached. Consider, for example, the difference between Bhakthi as described in popular usage and Bhakthi as declared by the Lord. Popularly, Bhakthi is described as genuine devotion to the Lord. But it connotes much more than this. 

Devotion to the Lord is only a form of discipline to reach the goal. The seeker should not stop with the acquisition of devotion; he should pay attention not so much to the devotion or love that he has towards the Lord, as to the love and grace that the Lord bestows on him! He must be always eager to find out which behaviour of his, what acts of his, will be most pleasing to the Lord, will fill the Lord with Anandam. Inquire about that, yearn for that, carry out the things that will secure that objective, that is real Bhakthi. 

But people generally do not follow this ideal of Bhakthi, nor do they think about the implications of that ideal. They pay attention only to the love that the devotee has to the Lord; and in the process, they do not pay much attention to the Dharma and the Karma which the Lord approves or appreciates! This is why Krishna says, "Karma which pleases the Lord is superior to the Karma which fulfils the yearning of the devotee." Whatever the devotee does or thinks or plans or observes, they should draw down the grace of God. They should not be subject to his own will; they should be in accordance with His will. The devotee must test every thought and feeling on the touchstone of the Lord's declared preferences. 

The Geetha declares that though a person may have deep devotion to the Lord, he cannot be called a Bhaktha if he lives without regard to the commands of the Lord; that is, the Dharma laid down in the Sastras, which embody His orders, revealed to saints and seers. It is in this sense that Krishna uses the word Bhakthimaan, when He declares in the Geetha, "Bhakthimaan yah sa me priyah". 

 Again whatever act a Bhaktha does, he should not feel that it is "mama Karma" or "My Karma"; Krishna says that it must be conceived as "Karma for the Lord, by the Lord", "Easwareeya Karma". Usually people feel that some acts are "theirs" and others are "the Lord's". This is not the mark of the true Bhaktha. If all acts are felt as the Lord's, they will not be tarnished by egoism or the taint of "mine".