Relevance of devotion in Modern age

                              Relevance of devotion in Modern age


The beauty and greatness of Indian Philosophy is that it is practical. It is not only a view of life, but a way of life as well. It is highly scientific with perfect techniques explained exhaustively adopting which one can slowly develop or evolve to reach his view of life, perfection.
Scriptures mention three approaches for human salvation in realization of his own self, in tune with human temperament by way of action, way of knowledge and by way of devotion. But these ways are not independent and exclusive but inter-dependent and inter-related. Of these,devotion is supposed to be the easiest path. Action and knowledge should blend in devotion and that alone will bring the necessitated grace of the Lord for moksha.
The beauty and easiness of Bhakti lies in the fact that there the enquiry takes an outward form also and ends in the acceptance of a Supreme Being- sacchidananda, who is the originator and master of all creation, the enratured contemplation of whose majesty and attributes leads ultimately to total surrender and absorption in Him. The devotion aiding the knowledge in salvation is compared to a lamp helping the eyes at night to have a clear visibility.
History bears an eloquent testimony to importance of devotion along with knowledge. Devotion is necessary for purification of the mind. Knowledge of the truth can dawn only on pure mind. There is plethora of devotional hymns composed by Shankara, Ramanuja, Appaya Dikshita, though widely they are recognized as stalwarts of philosophy.
Devotion toGod-head has a method and a process of its own. It involves degrees of advancement wherein the infinite is more and more coprehended. This gradual advancement is recognized by our
devotional scriptures.
From the nature of the worshipped, devotion is of two types, Nirguna and Saguna. The ideal devotion is Nirguna which is marked by a desireless state of mind and a selfless and wholly dedicated spirit is  present in it. A person who has cultivated the Nirguna Bhakti does not even care for moksha. The second type is Saguna which is again devotion marked by some kind of desire on the part of the devotee. In the Bhagavad-gita, these are mentioned as arta ( afflicted ), jijnasu ( one desirous of knowledge ), artharthi ( desirous of getting some object ), and jnani (knower of the self ). The Saguna aspect is streesed for the felicitation of upasana( worship ).
Devotion is again of two kinds from the angle of devotee- Sadhya and Sadhana. Sadhya is the highest thing a devotee can aspire for. So it is alsocalled Parabhakti or Paramabhakti.
Sadhana or gauni is again of two types from the technical point of view. They are vihita (vaidhi ) and avihita or raganuga. the devotion arising according to injunctions in the scriptures is termed vaidhi. The love for God without any injunction is called raganuga.

The vaidhi bhakti has been dealt with by many teachers of bhakti who have prescribed various forms of discipline for the realization of true devotion in practical life. But the nine principal modes of self-discipline - shravanam, kirtanam, Vishnoh smaranam, padasevanam, archanam, vandanam, dasyam, sakhyam and atmanivedanam as taught in the Bhagavata is the most poetic, sublime, scientific and psychological relating to the three  aspects nama, rupa and bhava of the Lord. Later teachers add other folds such as the company of the good, observing fasts, celebrating religious festivals, going on pilgrimages, giving alms on selected days and so on.
Viewed from the above, it is very clear that the aim of devotion is to control the senses and the mind and put them on the right path, developing concentration towards a goal.
A doubt is often expressed whether devotion is relevant to modern times. Perhaps the real reason why such a question is asked is because there is a ritualistic side to devotion. It is grossly misinterpreted and misunderstood. To an ordinary man, devotion is nothing more than organizing Bhagawati jagaran on roads causing noise pollution or compelling to part with huge amount in the form of dakshina to
priests in temples and houses on religious days. This is not devotion. Taking baths at odd hours,
doing worship or going on pilgrimage at the cost of family is not devotion. Giving huge donations
pandering to the greed of the pseudo priests and causing inconvenience to the members of family is
not devotion. Like everything in the world, with the passage of time, the spirit of devotion has been lost and faddish notions clouding devotion have led to misunderstanding and misuse. Devotion need not be stagnant or fixed. It has to be reassessed in the present day context with a right to discard the irrelevent aspects and imbibe the values or spirit of it.
Today people suffer because of their disorganized life. They get crushed in the competition of the material world. Indian philosophy declares that this need not be, if the individual knows the art of diligently using hos own abilities and efficiencies. It insists that man is essentially perfect and he has within himself all the resources, ability and energy for building up a supremely successful life for himself and for others in the world. Devotion imparts the art of living by which man discovers in
himself, the equipoise to stand up tolife's situations, meeting efficiently the ever-changing world of challenges he has to meet.
Based upon the psychological facts, the physical movements in devotional ritualism are conceived. The feeling of freshness after the bath, the special loose dress of silk for prayer, the reserved prayer-corner, the burning of scented incense, the sandal wood paste on the forehead, the sparkling lamps,the decorated altar of the Lord,the hymns sung, the flowers - all these are means to conduce the correct external atmosphere to create the required mental attitude.
Offering fruits, nirajana ( waving light before the deity ), breaking cocoanut and offering it, circumambulation and other things connected with devotion are not mere actions but symbolic and convey a deep philosophic sense. Since our mental mood determines our actions, our physical attitude can induce the right memtalmood in us. By strengthening the right physical habits, training the mind becomes simpler and surer. When the mind is conquered, then the entire world is mastered. Constant awareness of the divine self within us the secret of holding the mind away from its roaming and the energies are conserved which achieve spectacular success. Divine ideals have a powerful and uplifting effect upon the mind and the man. The success of great men lies only in the healthy and powerful mind.
Japa is a yraining by which the ever dancng rays of mind are persuaded to behave with some order amd rhythm, and thereby generate in their cooeperative efforts , a sile melody of the mantra chanting. The mind becomes extremely single pointed. The results accrued through the power of concentration are clearly noticable in the world. Men who have distinguished themselves in different fields, owe their success to single pointed efforts with a tenacity of purpose, while failures in life are marked by want of concentration.
It is an experienced fact that prayer in the morning or at any time refreshes both the mind and the body.
The modern age is characterized by abnormal stress and strain. This is due to our false values and moral break up with the divine. Devotion provodes a path. Sitting quietly and meditating is nothing but the art of relaxation advised by modern psychologists. Where we keep the mind ineace, there must be center for it to hold on and that is the feet of the Lord. Thus if for at least ten minuites every day we consciously attempt to rest our mind, it can be revived from all its fatigue, and it can get recharged with all its irressistible potentialities.
Human body is the best self-repairing machine. By getting rest, the body will correct itself. There is no illness which the mind cannot shake off by thossubtle process. That is why inmodern researches, yogas and asanas are advocated to treat complicated and deep rooted diseases like high blood pressure, migraines etc.
Love is an enriching emotion. There is no grief in devotion as the object of devotion does not decay, it is imperishable. There is no hatredness as every thing is considered as play of the Lord. There is no joy or sorrow as the devotee is in supreme ecstacy because his heart is constantly dwelling in His presence. All negative qualities like desire, hatred,greed,jealousy and passion which drain our inner wealth get washed away in devotion. This sublimation in one self leads to the welfare of the society, and the world.then the earthitself will get converted into a blissful state.the saying will come true, ' Ift there is heaven, it is here,it is here, it is here.'
Human excellence can be achieved through devotion. It solves problems like the environmental pollutants such as moral ineptitude, unethical practice in private and public, lack of motivation, the psychic-emotional instability, insecurity, mistrust etc.
Many tensions and problems in society arise because of various relationships among the members. Again devotion comes to our rescue. In Bhakti, relation to God can be imagined and enjoyed in the form of God as the master, the beloved, friend or child. The hidden emotional tones are steamed out through devotion and get sublimated. Then all agitations will quieten themselves.
Through devotion values are inculcated with a positive potential to project into the other spheres of life. Devotion provides the social expressions of meeting people to renew, refresh and reinforce the relationships for better human understanding and support. In true devotion, social and moral duties can never be neglected because the world is as real as God. Love for God extends to love for all, for God in immanent in all. Bhakti then becomes the extension of love to the whole society and reaches the vedantic height of realizing God in others also. Pilgrimages are prescribed in the scriptures to inculcate the spirit of divinity in nature and there by the worship of nature, namely ecology, the most discussed subject of today. Since pilgrimage places are all over the globe, going on pilgrimage can pave way for the national and global integration.
Clash of values is common between generations. But devotion can assume new values by inculcating ethical principles like tolerance, reverence,understanding, compassion in cementing this generation gap, for bhakti many a times crosses the frontiers of age.
Many diseases are traced to diseases of the mind. Addictions to drink, drug, crime and sex are due to this only. People resort to these means to get stimulated, to get a kick when they are tired, depressed and when they feel inwardly empty. Here in the diagnosis, Bhakti can play an important role. They can be made to enjoy the nature of God through bhajans. Slowly that will result in the ultimate realization of one's own self as the source of peace and bliss.
Rama Krshna Paramahamsa classifies all human joys into three categories.
1 Vishayananda - Joy arising from sensual or organic satisfaction.
2 Bhajananda-  Joy arising from the worship of God and devotional singing His name and glory.
3 Brahmananda- Joy arising from the experience of Brahman, from the realization of God, the one infinite self in man and nature.
The first one is natural and ordinary and common to both men and animals.As such, it does not express the true glory of man. The third, on the other hand, is too high and rare and beyond the reach of most human beings. But the second is available to all. Soul-stirring music, learning, hearing or singing of it can save addicts from over dependence on harmful external supports and kicks. Bhakti or bhajan gives stimulation from within and external, undecaying, enriching intoxication. Once the addicts are intiated into the enjoyment of bhakti ( bhajan ), they will be eternally cured. They will automatically give up going for external stimulants like a child who gives up his craze for toys once he learns to enjoy the pleasures of reading books. The same senses which demand gratification from outside and degenerate man can be trained by bhakti technique and put into the service of God and humanity for there is so much good in the world to look at, to hear at, to feelat and to serve at. Gandhiji also referred to bhakti therapy and popularized it as Ramnam. Bhakti is nothing but friendship with God, counselling with God. No matter how powerful anti-drug camps and councellings turn out to be, they will never be a substitute for salutary habits which Indian philosophy offers in the form of discipline of bhakti.
Let alone the various disciplines of bhakti, the mere remembrance of God with a pure heart without doing any ritual and the great words of eternal assurances of the Lord in the Bhagavadgita, ' My devotee shall never perish,' ' I shall save you from all evils', can rekindle in a man a fresh burst of enthusiasm to meet and overcome obstacles in his chosen goal. These sentences of Lord Krishna is a sure antidote against our sagging self-confidence, shrinking dejection and gathering mental depression.
There is always the built in modernity of bhakti resulting from self-updating character. Devotion is more a way of life. It is a mental attitude This attitude will make one realize that the peace and joy are not outside but within ourselves.If this attitude is adopted everywhere including work place, there will be no stress, no strain. Everywhere there will be peace and joy, Nothing will be insurmountable.