No Confusion
There is no shortage of discussion in our country about devotion, nor is there a shortage of different types being promoted. There is a seemingly endless list of spiritual teachers claiming they have the means to achieve the ultimate goal. With so much confusion about devotion, what are we to do? Who can clear all this up for us? Only a saint with mastery of all scriptures.
As the fifth original Jagadguru, Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj did just that by reconciling all apparent philosophical contradictions. He says that desiring God is devotion, and that desire is an ever-present quality in our mind, because we are ceaselessly desiring happiness. To whatever extent you believe happiness to be in this world, to that extent you will have devotion for the world. In other words, you will have faith in the world and will attach your mind there accordingly. This desire for happiness is central to our being and so powerful that it can never leave us. The secret is that we can use this power to our advantage, by diverting our desires to God.
If you firmly resolve that only Shri Krishna is the true form of happiness, then you will automatically start desiring Him. To the extent that happens, you will have devotion. To the same extent your mind will also become attached to Him because you will be thinking of Him more and more. Yes, He alone is mine; I will derive happiness from Him.
Surrender of the mind is another way to describe devotion. Whomever you believe is truly yours, you are emotionally dependent on that person. Having that kind of emotional attachment to God is devotion. Believing that you are related to Him and that He is yours — that feeling is devotion. You can measure your own amount of devotion by asking yourself, “To what extent do I believe Shri Krishna is mine? To what extent do I believe that if I call Him, He will come? What is the intensity of my longing to meet Him?” Now you will understand how much devotion you really have. If you want to increase it, you will have to increase your longing.
Shri Krishna says in the Bhagavatam, “If your heart does not melt while thinking of me, then there is no true bhakti. If your body does not feel a thrill when you think of me, then where is the bhakti? If tears do not flow from your eyes in longing to meet me, then your heart will not purify.”
Thus, the formality of devotion or any purely physical form of devotion will never purify your heart. True devotion is when you shed tears of love thinking of Shri Krishna and your heart melts in longing for Him. This is true devotion, and this is the only path to God.
Spirituality in Daily Living, Vol. 2, p73–75
Kripalu Bhaktiyoga Tattvadarshan, Vedic knowledge revealed by Jagadguru Shri Kripalu Ji Maharaj and presented in English by Dr Vishakha Tripathi, president of Jagadguru Kripalu Parishat.
https://www.jkpliterature.org.in/en/product/spirituality-in-daily-living-2
