Search:
Bhakti List Archives

Re: Bhakti as I know it

From the Bhakti List Archives

sandhya_chandarlapaty • August 10, 2002 


Sree Raama Namaha:

Respected Smt.Devika's description is by far (in my humble 
experience in the path towards the Lord) the best, honest, simplest 
description of bhakti, I had ever had the bhaagyam to come across. 
We can all relate to every sentence in our day to day experiences 
with the Divine. 

-Sandhya

Sree Raama Saranam:

--- In bhakti-list@y..., Devika Varadarajan  wrote:
> 
> Dear friends
> 
> Namskarams, I am Devika Varadarajan from Hyderabad. I have been in 
this egroup for some time now as a bystander. I joined this group at 
a time when my mind was disturbed by issues big and small.
> 
> At the outset, I must confess that I am humbled by the knowledge 
and humility displayed by members of this group. I am not aware if I 
could ever hope to attain so much knowledge in this life time. 
However, I would like to share my feelings on faith and bhakti as I 
have understood it. I have not read any scriptures, though I desire 
too. Hence please forgive me if I say anything that is wrong or not 
in line with what is laid down
> 
> My faith in my God, is very simply put, like the faith of a child 
who is catching the  pleats of his mother's saree, and is content to 
watch the world go by from the relative security of standing behind 
that fold, knowing full well that she is there to take care of him 
and  no harm can befall him.   While life has come in many colours, 
I have never felt the need to ask for anything in return from my 
God. As I know what my children need, and prepare in advance for it, 
I feel that my Lord would have more than prepared for my needs. 
Whatever, is in store, is by his will and if it is okay by him, it 
is okay by me. I know that if he feels that it is important to put 
me through a difficult moment, then he also stands by my side giving 
me the courage to face it. I have always found him with me when I 
need him and he has never ever failed me yet. I dont believe he ever 
will. I dont know how to pray; yet I believe he does hear my 
thoughts and knows my innermost feelings. I am content to sing his 
name and read about him and talk about him with people who share 
this love. Satsang gives me great joy. I see him in my thoughts of 
my parents and that of my father-in-law, all of whom I revered and 
are now no more.  I feel his presence in my children, in my work, in 
the many simple people I meet during the course of my work. He is 
there in my work, well done or other wise. Over the years, I have 
found that nothing that I see or experience seems important in 
comparison to thinking /reading / talking about Him. Yet I am 
attached to these shallow experiences as I realise that they are all 
his. Hence, I find a detached attachment to things small and big. 
> 
> I donot know if this is the right path or if it will lead me to 
Him. I know that to me Bhakti is that Bhava which will help me to 
see Him in everything that I do & in every path of my life. It 
doesnt ask for much intelligence or erudition from me but asks me to 
submit my will to His, and to trust in Him, putting my faith to rest 
in his feet.
> 
> I would be greatly honoured to receive your thoughts on my views 
on this issue.  I also have one request to make, if I may -  for the 
benefit  of people like me who have not read much but would like to 
know and learn, can the sentence structuring be made simple  -  
there are some which are quite complex and hence it is difficult to 
pick up the threads.
> 
> Thank you & Regards
> 
> Devika
> 
>  
> 
> 
> 
> ---------------------------------
> Do You Yahoo!?
> HotJobs, a Yahoo! service - Search Thousands of New Jobs
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



--------------------------------------------------------------
           - SrImate rAmAnujAya namaH -
To Post a message, send it to:   bhakti-list@yahoogroups.com
Group Home: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bhakti-list
Archives: http://ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/
 

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/