True Form of Religion
Love God. If you do not firmly decide to love God, all your knowledge will be of no use. Even though you have heard a lot, read a lot, and thought a lot, all your effort will go to waste. You have to love God. This is the only action, the only knowledge, and the only duty.
Yuddhisthira asked Bhishma who was lying on a bed of arrows, “O Great One! I am confused by the teachings of various scriptures. Please tell me in brief what the true form of religion is? What is our religion or duty?” Bhishma replied, “Various religions and paths only create confusion, and your aim is to remove all confusion. Maya is the cause of all this uncertainty. To be free from the bondage of maya and attain divine bliss, attach your mind to the lotus-eyed Shri Krishna. Surrender to Him and practice devotion to Him. Other than this there is no other duty.”
Religion or duty means that which is acceptable. To maintain your physical body, you have to eat food acceptable to it. So, what does your soul need? What is your spiritual food? The straightforward answer is anything that increases your love for Shri Krishna. Being His eternal servant, it is your duty to love and accept Him as your own. If anyone accepts and loves anything else, or advises you to do so, then he is crazy. This is beautifully stated by Veda Vyasa in Skanda Purana, “Whoever practices devotion to Shri Krishna has performed all his duties. He has nothing left to do.” In this way, everyone else will pay respect to him.
Even in the world, those occupying important posts like collectors, commissioners and so on, will pay full respect to the personal assistant of someone on a higher seat than themselves, like the president or prime minister, and they will try gain his favour. The personal assistant is not a governor himself or the prime minister, but he is the prime minister’s right-hand man. Likewise, whoever completely surrenders to God will automatically propitiate all other divine powers.
Shri Krishna asks Uddhava in the Bhagavatam, 11.13.14, “Have you heard of the path of yoga.” “Yes, ashtanga yoga, the eightfold yogic path.” Shri Krishna then explained that the true meaning of yoga is to withdraw the mind from the world, all its objects and tendencies and attach it to God alone. Yoga actually means to unite the mind with God.
To understand God is true knowledge, and to engage in His divine service and love Him alone is true karma. There is no other karma. If someone says there is, then know that it is mayic, causing bondage that will force you to revolve in the 8.4 million species of life.
Follow the path of devotion to God only, and no other path. This is the form of true religion.
Spirituality in Daily Living, Volume 4, p48–51
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-set-of-4
