The power of Bhakti

The power of Bhakti is within all of us and our constitutional nature. In this material existence we are endlessly distracted by unlimited forms as the mind is habituated to be distracted. Yet we have Krishna, the source of all beauty, strength, knowledge, fame, wealth and renunciation and once attracted to him we can never be attracted to the mortal things of this world. That doesn’t mean we have to be callous to the world, it means we become instruments of God’s compassion.

These distractions are so powerful and we have been conditioned for so long and have taken shelter of them for so long. But we can rise above them when we experience a higher taste by experiencing the shelter of Krishna.

What does it mean to take shelter of God? It simply means to open our hearts and receive and reciprocate with the grace of the Lord.  When we take shelter of the Lord then by the grace of the Lord we get a higher taste.  We cannot attain a higher taste, but if we are sincere, the higher taste is given to us and that is grace.

What is the nature of that higher taste? The highest revelation of God, the result of receiving the most intimate grace of the Lord, is expressed by Sri Chaitanya in this verse.

na dhanam na janam na sundarim
kavitam va jagad-isha kamaye
mama janmani janmanishvare
bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi

I do not want any amount of wealth, beautiful compianship of the opposite sex, fame or prestige, followers or incredible skills or liberation from suffering, I just want to serve my Lord, unconditionally, anywhere.

The greatest treasure in all of creation, even beyond this creation forever, is the attitude to serve with love, because in the service we please God. There is nothing higher, no aspiration greater. That is love.

Whether we are teachers, doctors or swami’s we must be convinced that the higher taste is there and try to transcend all the distractions by keeping ourselves well connected with satsang, association of devotees who help keep us fixed on the true aspiration and true method of reaching that aspiration. The sadhana (practce) and the sadhya (goal) are the same – to serve with unselfish love and to chant the holy names of God.

HH Radhanath Swami