We are approaching Thanks Giving. This is a time
where families gather to celebrate and give thanks for all they have received.
In the country the celebration was mostly directed
toward giving thanks to God for the harvest, which represented survival of the
farmer’s who depended on the farm for their livelihood.
Today the meaning of Thanks Giving is largely lost.
People take it for granted, that they can have anything as long as they have
the money to pay for it.
Yet we should never have to be reminded to give
thanks to the Giver of gifts and to acknowledge the love of God that we
experience in our own lives, as grace.
What better way is there to give thanks, than by
expressing our devotion?
The term used for devotion in Yoga is Bhakti; Bhakti
is love for love's sake. The devotee wants God and God alone, he feels, believes,
and conceives that his God is an Ocean of Love.
Bhakti is the spontaneous out-pouring of love
towards the beloved. It is pure, unselfish, divine love, at its highest point. It
is a felt sense of love that has no object for its support. It is a love without
a trace of expectation. This superior feeling is indescribable, it can only be
experienced.
How
does love develop?
It develops first through faith or belief, followed
by attraction and finally it culminates in adoration. In this highest form of Bhakti
all attraction and attachment which one has for objects of enjoyment are
transferred to the ultimately dearest object, God. When one experiences the
Bliss of God, he feels himself complete.
He sees the Lord everywhere and feels His Power
manifest as the entire universe. "Thou art all-pervading; Thou art the
Supreme Light, in whose borrowed light the sun, the moon, and the stars shine. He
recognizes the transcendental nature of God. Bhakti and Jnana (heart and mind)
become one. He is uplifted into ever existing, conscious bliss.
The
obstacle to devotion
The obstacle to devotion is egoism and the desire
for sense experience. Yet when one surrenders the ego with its attachment to
desires, the Lord will manifest Himself.
The enemies of peace and devotion are lust, anger
and greed. Anger destroys peace and health.
Some mistakenly consider Bhakti as a mere state of
emotionalism. It is in actuality a thorough discipline of one's will and mind,
resulting in an intuitive realization of God through intense love and affection
for Him. It is also a means to realize Ultimate Reality, beginning from the
ordinary form of admiring nature, right up to the highest form of cosmic
consciousness, of oneness.
People
often ask:"How can we love God whom we have not seen and therefore do not
know?"
There are ways to know God. We can seek the company
of devout people and study sacred scriptures; we can contemplate the manifest
aspect of God everywhere present and in everyone and at the same time fill
one’s heart with songs of glory and thanks giving. We can study the life of
Holy men and women. We can study the life of Jesus.
For Christians and many non Christians alike, Jesus
is the embodiment of love. Jesus and love are synonymous. His message is to
love God and one’s neighbor and to live righteously, to forgive and be peaceful.
Jesus never drew any attention to himself. His love was unconditional. His
teachings have survived for over 2,000 years.
Love is the most sought-after but least expressed
mystery of life. We try to express love in so many ways, still it remains a
mystery. And it rarely happens that love is expressed in its fullness, in its
totality until we realize that the source of love is God; that the love we feel
for one another has its origin in God.
Fruits
of Bhakti
Bhakti softens the heart and removes jealousy,
hatred, lust, anger, egoism, pride and arrogance. It infuses joy, divine
ecstasy, bliss, peace and knowledge.
Surrendered devotion minimizes worries, anxieties,
fears and mental torments.
The fruit of Bhakti is Jnana. Jnana is wisdom,
understanding, awareness, which intensifies Bhakti. Where our mind is, there is
our heart also. One gets to experience that, which he loves.
Bhakti is a pleasant, smooth, direct road to God
realization; it gives the highest lasting Bliss.
When we kindle divine love in our heart, our lives
will be one of peace and joy.
Ideally we should pray, sing songs of glory and
become channels of grace.
Seek His will; do His will; surrender to His will
and be one with the indwelling place of Immortal Bliss.
Shankara stated, bhakti or devotion is necessary to
attain liberation. “Bhakti is the
unswerving passion for the realization of Truth”.
To be truly thankful, let us all express our love and
devotion to the giver of gifts on this Thanks Giving and on any other day.
Happy Thanks Giving!
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