SS: How do we develop bhakti?
KG: By listening to the glories of the lord.
VS: Swamiji... As you told to Neelima yesterday, Bhakti has to be nurtured. By reading more about the Lord and His Glories I will be able to intellectually appreciate and emotionally connect to Him. Then I think about his glories during during the day. Then i think, , discuss or share it as a story or as bhajans. I like it so much that I dedicate some time to think or tp meditate on his forms or glories.
NG: By satsang
Su: I think there should be an intellectual angle to it, where i know the nature of the object of my Bhakti. Unless I know the Lord, who He is, what is His nature etc. The question of loving or respecting Him does not arise ( for me atleast)
So I think before satsangh and listening to His glories etc, I need to have knowledge of Him. So I guess that's the first step..
I think most people fear God... because of their concept of the Lord . To graduate from God fearing to God loving, we need a change in perspective
SS: Satsang is the best way to gain knowledge. Ram tells shabari about 9 steps in devotion. First step he says is satsang. Prathama bhagati santan kar sangaa.
Su: Got your point....
I guess doing pooja and other related rituals help in developing/nurturing Bhakti
SS: Verse 4: kaaya-vaang-manah kaaryam-uttamam.
Poojanam-japah-chintanam kramaat.
The actions done by the body i.e pooja, by the speech i.e japa, by the mind i.e contemplation are serially superior to the previous one.
DM: Oh.. I have been doing puja swamiji for years without this understanding. .
I wouldn't stop for fear of the paap of stopping not because I believed. . There r times wen I would feel extremely peaceful or tears would roll down n I would wonder y.. now I understand that was wen I United with Lord.. bhakti was flowing endlessly within n flowing out as tears..
When we say japa is it sitting in one place n chanting one name?
SS: Yes. We will see more about it once we finish discussing about pooja
DM: Ok swamiji
Su: I must confess I feel uncomfortable when doing any ritual like pooja, kirtan etc... I find it extremely difficult and awkward. Is it wrong... because I feel like Iam committing a mistake by thinking like this. But can't shake the discomfort
So my questions is can pooja/rituals be avoided.
SS: What causes the discomfort has to be found out and addresses instead of avoiding
KG: Pooja like say Guru-paduka, is very involving not just 4 body but also mind. I think it's more of a concentration exercise where the radius of concentration is larger than other means.
Pooja confines ones body to follow a discipline or actions keeping all sense organs active and focussing on pleasing the Ishta.
NP: When we do Pooja to please Ishta aren't we having expectations? Instead out of love without expectations, knowing The Lord knows what's best for me attitude would reduce vasanas
Also is it Sunita that we are uncomfortable doing Pooja because surrender is not complete. Our intellect is not convinced?
Su: I have thinking seriously abt the cause of the discomfort ....still thinking
VS: Swamiji we say khaate bhi Ram kaho Peete bhi Ram kaho. is it wrong to invoke the Lord when we are stressed out.
SS: No
GP: Sunitha, sometimes we are embarrassed about expressing our emotions. Sometimes we think it's inferior to study and contemplation and japa and meditation.
KG: By listening to the glories of the lord.
VS: Swamiji... As you told to Neelima yesterday, Bhakti has to be nurtured. By reading more about the Lord and His Glories I will be able to intellectually appreciate and emotionally connect to Him. Then I think about his glories during during the day. Then i think, , discuss or share it as a story or as bhajans. I like it so much that I dedicate some time to think or tp meditate on his forms or glories.
NG: By satsang
Su: I think there should be an intellectual angle to it, where i know the nature of the object of my Bhakti. Unless I know the Lord, who He is, what is His nature etc. The question of loving or respecting Him does not arise ( for me atleast)
So I think before satsangh and listening to His glories etc, I need to have knowledge of Him. So I guess that's the first step..
I think most people fear God... because of their concept of the Lord . To graduate from God fearing to God loving, we need a change in perspective
SS: Satsang is the best way to gain knowledge. Ram tells shabari about 9 steps in devotion. First step he says is satsang. Prathama bhagati santan kar sangaa.
Su: Got your point....
I guess doing pooja and other related rituals help in developing/nurturing Bhakti
SS: Verse 4: kaaya-vaang-manah kaaryam-uttamam.
Poojanam-japah-chintanam kramaat.
The actions done by the body i.e pooja, by the speech i.e japa, by the mind i.e contemplation are serially superior to the previous one.
DM: Oh.. I have been doing puja swamiji for years without this understanding. .
I wouldn't stop for fear of the paap of stopping not because I believed. . There r times wen I would feel extremely peaceful or tears would roll down n I would wonder y.. now I understand that was wen I United with Lord.. bhakti was flowing endlessly within n flowing out as tears..
When we say japa is it sitting in one place n chanting one name?
SS: Yes. We will see more about it once we finish discussing about pooja
DM: Ok swamiji
Su: I must confess I feel uncomfortable when doing any ritual like pooja, kirtan etc... I find it extremely difficult and awkward. Is it wrong... because I feel like Iam committing a mistake by thinking like this. But can't shake the discomfort
So my questions is can pooja/rituals be avoided.
SS: What causes the discomfort has to be found out and addresses instead of avoiding
KG: Pooja like say Guru-paduka, is very involving not just 4 body but also mind. I think it's more of a concentration exercise where the radius of concentration is larger than other means.
Pooja confines ones body to follow a discipline or actions keeping all sense organs active and focussing on pleasing the Ishta.
NP: When we do Pooja to please Ishta aren't we having expectations? Instead out of love without expectations, knowing The Lord knows what's best for me attitude would reduce vasanas
Also is it Sunita that we are uncomfortable doing Pooja because surrender is not complete. Our intellect is not convinced?
Su: I have thinking seriously abt the cause of the discomfort ....still thinking
VS: Swamiji we say khaate bhi Ram kaho Peete bhi Ram kaho. is it wrong to invoke the Lord when we are stressed out.
SS: No
GP: Sunitha, sometimes we are embarrassed about expressing our emotions. Sometimes we think it's inferior to study and contemplation and japa and meditation.
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