== DEVOTION: A HEAVENLY QUALITY ==
Namaskar,
In a book published not long back, one Dada makes a statement about devotion that is quite suspect-- or even shakier than that. Because what he is telling about devotion goes directly against Baba's explicit & eternal guideline.
Please read the following & write in with your valued thoughts & experiences.
DEVOTION IS THE HIGHEST THING
In our Marga, we know that spirituality is the highest attainment and that the golden nugget of spirituality is devotion-- love for God.
Baba says, "Spirituality is the summum bonum of life in all its aspects." (I & I, '93 Edn, p.77)
Baba says, "The devotional sentiment is the highest and most valuable treasure of humanity." (NH-LOI, '87. p.3)
So, by His above well-known teachings and by our own sadhana, each and every Margii knows that devotion is something very sacred-- the best quality.
And here Baba reveals one other highly unique aspect of devotion.
ONLY DEVOTION IS PERMANENT
In His below teaching, Baba pointedly guides us that devotion remains with us throughout-- not only in this life, but devotion stays with us life after life after life. It never leaves us. And it is this very devotion which carries us up to that eternal supreme stance.
Baba says, "Devotion enables spiritual aspirants to attain the pinnacled goal of their lives. It is this devotion that human beings have been seeking since time immemorial. When they finally attain the Guru and get initiation, then they begin to walk on this path of devotion. And those who have started on this path realize that they are sure to reach their destination, that to reach their goal is the sole reason for their birth. You should remember why you have been born. Following the path of devotion, you will have to ultimately reach Parama Purus'a. This is the pinnacled point, the supreme point of human glory. You should always remember this, during your lifetime and even after your death." (YP, 'Cult of Pinnacled Order')
So the whole entire idea is that devotion is a permanent quality and that it remains with us eternally-- "even after your death". This is Baba's expressed teaching and holy guarantee.
DEVOTION: A HEAVENLY ATTRIBUTION
Thus according to Baba devotion is a heavenly attribution. It has no parallel. If one has devotion they have everything.
On the other hand, in spite of having all the worldly commodities if one does not have devotion then they are a pauper.
The relation between the Lord and the bhakta is eternal. It is beyond the boundary of time, space, and person. That is why it carries from one life to the next, and beyond.
PHYSICAL POSSESSIONS DO NOT LAST
We all know physical achievements are temporary and fleeting in nature; they are ephemeral. The stocks one buys on wall street, the spoon one uses at breakfast, the clothes we wear on our back. None of these physical things remain with us.
So in this human life so many mundane things come and go-- they do not last. Today they are; tomorrow they are not. At some point, sooner or later, they will disintegrate or perish. This is the common reality. Thus one cannot take any physical property along with them at the time of their death. This is not at all possible. Nor will one necessarily have that wealth in their next life.
PSYCHIC ATTRIBUTIONS ARE ALSO TEMPORARY
The fate is the same for psychic qualifications. The knowledge one has in this life, one may or may not have in the next life. A Sanskrit professor may not even remember a single syllable of Sanskrit after his death. In his next life he may not have even an iota of understanding of Sanskrit. And same is the case with all the intellectual knowledge and facts and figures which we acquire in this life. All of that is short-lived. So psychic knowledge too is temporary-- fleeting.
So from one life to the next people lose & gain many things in the physical and psychic realms. Because none of those things are permanent.
SPIRITUAL WEALTH IS EVER-LASTING
In contrast, one's spiritual wealth is ever-lasting; devotion for the Lord is permanent-- eternal. In each and every case, devotion carries over from one life to the next. It remains with us and increases, incarnation after incarnation, till we reach our final Goal-- Baba.
That is why we see that in their early childhood some persons are great devotees and are completely sadhana-minded. This is because of their accumulated devotion from previous lives.
So here the whole idea is that devotion is never lost. Whatever devotion one acquires remains with them from one life to the next. And whatever amount of devotion which gets aroused in their next life will be added to their existing amount. Like this it goes on and on. Never is a drop of devotion lost. Rather it keeps growing and becoming more and more. Devotion is one's only permanent property. This is Baba's eternal mandate: That devotion is ever-lasting.
BABA'S BLESSING
It is Baba's eternal blessing that with our devotion we will certainly reach our Beloved Goal.
Baba says, "You will surely attain the Supreme rank and become one with the Supreme Entity." (Av-4, p. 81)
Namaskar,
Parashram
Note 1: IF ONE HAS DEVOTION THAT IS EVERYTHING
Here Baba guides us that when one has the permanent attribution of devotion then they have everything and they will get eternal salvation.
Baba says, "Bhakti (Devotion) is the best of all the means for attaining Moks'a. Whatever a sa'dhaka has to do is to be done for the arousal of Bhakti. He is not the beggar of anything except Bhakti. When one's Bhakti is once attained one is not a pauper but an emperor." (SS-18, 'Yoga and Bhakti')
Note 2: DEVOTION IS OUR PERMANENT POSSESSION
DEVOTION CARRIES US TO THE GOAL
Here again in this following teaching Baba reveals how only devotion remains along with us from one life to the next. And that this devotion is what leads us to our cherished Goal-- Baba.
Baba says, "You have no other wealth superior to devotion. All other worldly
possessions will prove of no avail. Only devotion enables you to come into close contact with Him. This is the goal of human life. This is true process." "You have been wandering through the labyrinth of a myriad of lives. You have been ever advancing toward this stage. Knowingly or unknowing you are being drawn unto Him. This is the summum bonum of life." (SS, part 10)
Note 3: WHAT ONE DADA IS TELLING
On page 89-90 of his book "My LIfe with Baba", Dada Tapeshvarananda wrote the following:
"When we feel or remember His incomparable sweetness and grace we can only weep in gratitude. As long as we remain on this earth we can never forget His infinite love for us." (My Days with Baba, p.89-90)
In his above writing, Dada Tapeshvarananda tells us that our devotional link with Baba only lasts "as long as we remain on this earth". Please excuse me, but by Dadaji's above words, it is clear that he went off the track. Because what Dadaji is telling goes against Baba's clear-cut teaching that devotion is permanent.
Indeed all bhaktas know that our love and remembrance of Baba extends far beyond the limitations of this particular life and far beyond the confines of this worldly abode.
Note 4: DEVOTION STAYS WITH US EVEN AFTER DEATH
Here again is Baba's most gracious blessing where He guides us that our devotional feelings are our permanent property and that they will remain with us even after our death-- till we ultimately reach up to Him.
Baba says, "Following the path of devotion, you will have to ultimately reach Parama Purus'a. This is the pinnacled point, the supreme point of human glory. You should always remember this, during your lifetime and even after your death." (YP, '91 Edn, p.140)
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Mayan Civilization, USA, and India
Baba says, "At one time, the ancient Mayan civilization of America was more advanced than many other civilizations, but because they lagged behind in the invention of the wheel, they were forced in subsequent times to acknowledge their defeat at the hands of other civilizations. The oldest existing artifacts of the Mayan civilization give evidence to advanced ways of life but no wheel. One should keep in mind that the Sanskrit name for America, Mayadviipa, came from the name of the Mayan civilization. During the Chola, Pa'n'd'ya, and Pahlava dynasties of the Indian Middle Ages there was contact between America and India--this was before Columbus' discovery of America." (SC-1 p. 87)
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