Devotion

“Crying to God for five minutes is equal to one hour of meditation. If tears are not coming by themselves, try to cry by thinking, ‘Why am I not able to cry?’ Try to develop devotion. That is the easiest way.”

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"Love is not something that can be taught by someone or learned from somewhere. But in the presence of a perfect master we can feel it and, in due course, develop it, because a Satguru creates the necessary circumstances for love to grow within us. These circumstances created by the Guru will be so beautiful and unforgettable that we will truly cherish these moments as something precious and invaluable. They will remain as a sweet memory forever and ever. One incident of this kind will create a big wave of love in us. More incidents like this created by the Guru will make a chain of exhilarating memories which will produce waves and waves of love within us, until at last there will be only love. Through these circumstances the Guru will steal our heart and soul, filling us with pure and innocent love.”

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“Don't we get some relief when we confide our problems to those who are dear to us? We should feel that same love and closeness to God. We should feel that He is our very own. We need not hide anything from Him. It is in that sense that Amma says we should tell Him everything. It is good to lighten the burden in our hearts by telling God about all our sorrows. We should depend only on Him in all our difficulties. The true devotee never tells anyone else about his troubles. Our strongest relationship should be with God. If we decide to tell Him about our sorrows, it should only be for the sake of getting closer to Him.”

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“Only if lust, anger and other negative tendencies are uprooted from within through sincere effort, will God dwell within one. How can seeds sprout if they are sown without removing the weeds? In the same way, when there are the weeds of lust and anger in us, the seed of bhakti (devotion) will not sprout in us and God will not dwell in us.”

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Real Devotion

“Amma doesn't want Her children to chant the Lord's name simply with their lips. Amma wants them to chant it with their hearts and live in the Lord's name. Devotion is not simply doing pradakshina (circumambulation) around the temple, chanting ‘Krishna Krishna’ and then kicking the destitute beggar who asks for alms as you come out. The compassion and love that you show to the beggar is the real devotion to God. This is what Amma wants Her children to do.”

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“Constant remembrance of God, irrespective of time and place is real devotion. Constant waiting, waiting with intense longing for the Lord's or the Guru's arrival is the sign of a true devotee. Such a seeker is always ready to receive Him; therefore, he is always prepared both internally and externally to welcome his Guru or Lord.”

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“A real devotee considers everything as the will of his Lord. His whole being is constantly in a prayerful mood. For him, every word and deed is a prayer, a worship of his beloved. Having surrendered everything to his beloved Lord, a true devotee is always in a blissful mood.”

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“A true devotee is always optimistic. His or her first and foremost quality is acceptance, whatever may happen in his life. He or she holds on to his Lord and considers everything as prasad.”

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“A true devotee or disciple will have great humility and, because of this, will also possess a certain spiritual beauty. The beauty of spirituality lies in humility.”

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“Forgetting God in times of happiness and remembering Him only in times of sorrow is not a sign of true devotion. We should be able to see that He gives us both happiness and sorrow.”

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See God Everywhere

“Children, a sadhak is supposed to see divinity or the presence of his Guru or God everywhere. When a person tries to see and feel the divine presence everywhere, he or she will value external cleanliness. Such a person thinks that his or her God or his Ishta Devata dwells everywhere, walks everywhere and sits everywhere. With intense love and devotion, the sadhak waits with great expectation for His arrival.”

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“Devotion in principle means recognising that it is the one and the same God who manifests in all living beings and in all the deities, in all names and forms. It means surrendering selflessly to Him. That is the kind of devotion we should have."

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Devotion and Knowledge (Bhakti and Jnana)

“Bhakti is not different from jnana (knowledge). Real devotion is itself wisdom. One should put medicine on a cut only after cleansing the wound with disinfectant. Otherwise, it will get infected and become a serious wound. Likewise, having destroyed the ego through devotion, wisdom should be established. Apply the medicine of jnana after cleaning the mind with the disinfectant of bhakti. Only then will there be true wisdom.”

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"Knowledge helps you to imbibe devotion with the proper understanding of its principles. You have to have wisdom if you want to taste devotion fully. But knowledge without devotion is bitter; it has no sweetness. Those who say, ‘I am everything,’ rarely have any compassion. Devotion contains compassion.”

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“Bhakti and jnana, though seemingly different, are not two. Bhakti is the means and jnana the end. Bhakti without jnana and jnana without bhakti are both harmful.”

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Question: "Can a devotee become a Vedantin?"

Amma: "Parabhakti (supreme devotion) is pure Vedanta. The true devotee sees everything as pervaded by God. He does not see anything except God everywhere. When a devotee says, ‘Everything is pervaded by God,’ the Vedantin says, ‘Everything is pervaded by Brahman.’ Both are one and the same."

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Legendary Devotees

“Look at Prahlada. In all adversities, he was calm and unmoved like a mountain. He was fearless, courageous and always content. Why? Because he was a true devotee of God. His joy didn't leave him even when he was thrown into the ocean or was condemned to death by being trampled by a mad elephant or burned alive. Through all of this he remained calm and unperturbed. He was content with whatever happened, good or bad, because he considered life and everything that happened in life as a gift from God. All true devotees have this attitude.”

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“In Hanuman, the great devotee of Lord Rama, one can find a beautiful blending of both masculine and feminine qualities. He did everything in the name of Rama, his beloved Lord, and he took no credit for anything. Even though Hanuman succeeded in doing very difficult tasks, he was never proud of any of his feats. On the contrary, he remained the humble and obedient servant of his master, Lord Rama. 'Not by my power and strength, but by Lord Rama's grace' was always Hanuman's attitude.”