The Secret of Devotional Enrichment

Ma Gurupriya is a sannyaasin disciple of the renowned Saint Poojya Swami Bhoomananda Tirthaji Maharaj the guiding force of Narayanashrama Tapovanam (Kerala), the Centres for Inner Resources Development (in India and abroad), and the Foundation for Restoration of National Values.

Born in a Bengali family of academic excellence. Ma's inner journey began during her student days while pursuing Ph.D (Physics) in Delhi University. At this time, she was engulfed by an intense wave of dispassion, a yearning for something meaningful. Her life took a turn on to the spiritual path after coming in touch with Baba Gangadhara Paramahamsa of Dakshinkhanda, West Bengal, from whom she received deeksha (spiritual initiation).

In 1984. Ma renounced her profession as a lecturer in Physics (Kolkata University), and since 1987 she has been living in Narayanashrama Tapovanam, dedicating her life to the service of Poojya Swamiji in all aspects of his mission.

Harih Om Tat Sat. Many do not know that worship of God with flowers, pastes and incense, simple or elaborate food-offering and the like, is truly the preliminary level of devotion, and it has to be elevated to the subsequent higher levels. In the preliminary phase, only the limbs and senses are involved. The tongue or mouth also plays its role, when the worship is accompanied by chanting mantras. Altogether the pursuit is still sensory-cum-oral level of worship.

Next comes the inner level. In it the mind comes first. Mind activity and involvement will have thousand times the effect of sensory-oral activity. The still next, the highest in human life, is the intelligential activity. Its effect is 100,000 times!

But alas, devotees do not know about this evaluation. Most of them take to, and end with, the sensory and oral levels of worship or devotional sadhana. They love to make visible, physical, material offerings like flowers or garlands, chanting some devotional names or hymns.

If your real personality is to be involved in the worship you do, employ the mind and intelligence. While the sensory and oral activities cannot take place without the mind's causal role, the reverse is not true; the mind and intelligence can function independently. Sit in a place, close your eyes, and then go on mentally, silently chanting the name of God or any mantra or allied formulae. In this the bodily limbs or tongue do not come to play at all. This exclusive employment of the mind and intelligence is what takes place in truthful introspection. I would like to describe it as 'infusional introspection', because its object is to infuse and instil into yourself the sublime effects of purification, refinement, attunement and elevation.

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