Children, if one were to ask what is most beautiful in human life, it is devotion, pure love for God. In the vast darkness of sorrow and suffering, devotion is the light that holds our hand and leads us forward. It is like the sacred river Ganga, which washes away all mental impurities. When one attains pure devotion and pure love, life itself becomes blessed.
Many of us remember God only when faced with problems. Our devotion is limited; we pray and make offerings so that He will fulfill our desires. At other times, we forget God completely. We cannot call this devotion. True devotion is not a part-time affair. A devotee remembers God in all circumstances.
When a coin is louder than a bell
Some people were waiting outside a shop with the shopkeeper busy wrapping their purchases. Suddenly, he stopped, closed his eyes, and stood there with joined palms. After a while, when he opened his eyes, one of his customers angrily asked, “What injustice is this? Is it right of you to stand there with eyes closed when so many of us are waiting?”
The shopkeeper calmly replied, “Didn’t you hear the diparadhana bells from the nearby temple? As soon as I heard the ringing, I closed my eyes for a while to pray.”
The people gathered in front of the shop said, “We didn’t hear any bell ringing from the temple.” Hearing this, the shopkeeper did not say anything and resumed his work.
After a while, he took out a coin and threw it onto the street outside. No one noticed him throwing the coin, but they all heard the clink of the coin as it fell to the ground and turned to look. A few of them even scrambled to pick it up.
The shopkeeper said, “See, even when the temple bells clanged loudly, none of you heard it, but the moment you heard the soft clink of the coin falling to the ground, your attention went towards it.”
Those who came to buy things from the shop were focused on worldly objects. Therefore, they easily heard the sound of the coin. However, for the shopkeeper, God was the focal point in his life even while immersed in work.
An experience beyond emotion
When the person dearest to us has been hospitalized, our mind will revolve around them no matter where we are. These thoughts will continue flowing as an undercurrent amidst all our actions.
Likewise, God should become the center-point of our life. If so, no matter what we are doing and even if we are mired in worldly activities, our attention will be on God.
Devotion is not mere emotion; it is wisdom. It is inner fulfillment and the discovery of one’s true self. Such devotion becomes possible only for the most courageous. Love awakens from within, and that faith is not blind. That faith is the most luminous. It leads to love and finally to surrender.