Vedanta and Bhakti (Devotion)

Questioner: Namaskar Acharya ji. Acharya ji, I have been listening to you for quite some time now, and one thing that I have noticed is that whenever you speak on any topic, you always speak in the light of Advait Vedant. One thing also on which you have spoken a lot is the Saints of Bharat and their teachings. Sant Vani. One of the most prominent teachings of these Saints is devotion, Bhakti. So, I wanted to ask you about Bhakti or Devotion. What is Devotion? Because in the youth there is a more tendency towards devotion rather than knowledge, these days. People usually prefer to go to the temples instead of reading the scriptures and other things. So, I wanted to ask you what is the meaning of Devotion in the light of Vedant.

Acharya Prashant: Vedant does not talk too much about devotion because Vedant is entirely based on devotion. What is Very foundational does not show up too much in words, and where there are a lot of words, it points towards a certain superficiality. It was Lao Tzu who said that when people are talking too much of love. It simply means there is no love.

So, what is devotion? The answer must begin from the one who is at the beginning. Who will be the devoted one? Who is the one who will practice devotion? The mind, right? It is the mind that gets devoted. You say that fellow has a very devoted mind. So, it is the mid that gets devoted. Now, what is this mind, and what is its fundamental problem?

Questioner: It is unfulfilled.

Acharya Prashant: This mind is unfulfilled. This mind is unfulfilled. It wants something, but it does not know what it wants. We are talking about facts, right? That’s the condition of every single person on Earth, right? You want, and you want endlessly, but you do not know what you want. Therefore, you want endlessly. You roam door to door, knocking at each door because you do not know which particular one is the suitable door.

From one shop to the other, you wander and lose out on all your earnings, and you fill your life up with all kinds of trash accumulated from these shops, and you lose out on all your earnings, and you fill your life up with all kinds of trash accumulated from these shops, and none of that satisfies you just that you have lost everything that you had in accumulating that trash. That’s the condition of mankind. So, the fundamental problem of the mind is that it does not know what it wants. At the same time mind is very adept at running after its desires, right., the mind is very adept at running after its desires, right? And all desires arise from mind stuff.

Can you draw a map, if not on paper, then can you have a mental map, If you see look at the mind think of the mind as an incompleteness, right.? If not on paper, then can you have a mental map? When you look at the mind, think of it as incompleteness. Right? Think of the mind as an enclosed entity.

Questioner: It is running to stop running.

Acharya Prashant: Wait, wait, wait. So, there is an area that you call the mind. Its small area is a small area, and the mind is dissatisfied with itself because of its smallness. The mind feels suffocated and unfulfilled. The mind is a small area, correct? A small area, correct?

The mind certainly wants something outside of itself. Whatsoever the mind has within itself fails to satisfy it, is that the common human condition or not? Whatsoever is within the mind that fails to satisfy the mind, correct. ?

The mind wants something outside of itself. But the mind is an expert at running after its desires and where. Where do all the desires come from? They come from whatsoever is within the mind. Now whatever is within your mind becomes your desire, correct., whatever is within your mind becomes your desire, correct? Can you desire something that is not in your mind? Right, so all the desires you have come from the area within the mind. But that’s now a very funny situation because whatever is inside the mind is anyway not satisfying the mind, a very funny situation because whatever is inside the mind is anyway not satisfying the mind, and the mind is running after the desire that is arising within the mind. So, the mind will never be satisfied if it gets devoted to something that arises from within the mind.

The mind has to be devoted to something outside of itself, correct. ? Now, what is it that is within the mind? Names, experiences, memories, forms, shapes, stories all this is mind stuff, all this is within the mind, correct.; all this is within the mind, correct? And the mind is such a prolific manipulator; it keeps creating more and more shapes, stories, images, names, forms, colors, and attractions, all that is happening within the mind constantly. If it keeps creating more and more shapes, stories, images, names, forms, colors, attractions all that is happening within the mind constantly, is it not happening? But none of that, mind you, can satisfy the mind because the mind is sick and tired of its own stuff.

What happens in the name of devotion, we get devoted to mind stuff. We get devoted to something of our own desire and that is problematic, devotion, and that is problematic. Devotion is wonderful. Bhakti is the highest possible. Raman Maharishi used to famously say, ‘ ‘Bhakti is the very mother of all realization.’ such a profound and beautiful statement. There is nothing higher than devotion at all. The problem is not with devotion; the problem is not with Bhakti; the problem is with the nonsense that is practiced in the name of Bhakti.

Most of these youngsters, in the name of devotion, are practicing nonsense. Now, devotion is profound and beautiful, but nonsense is not. Bhakti is wonderful, but that which you are doing is not Bhakti, it is something else. Devotion is when, first of all, you decide that ‘I will not respect mind-stuff,’ I will not respect mind stuff, correct. ? If you are respecting the mind- stuff that is desire, that is desire, not devotion. If you say ‘I am devoted to something’ and that something that you are devoted to is arising from within the mind, ‘I am devoted to something,’ and that something that you are devoted to is arising from within the mind, then is that devotion or is that desire?

Questioner: Desire.

Acharya Prashant: Desire. That is what is happening in the name of Bhakti in most of the places where devotion. What they are actually practicing is desire. In most places where they say that we are worshipping somebody in a devoted way, what they are actually worshiping is the ego.

So, in the name of worshipping the Lord they are actually worshipping their own ego, they are actually worshipping their own ego, and that is the problem. Otherwise, devotion I say, I say, is the highest possible.

I repeat Devotion is higher than knowledge. Bhakti is actually higher than Gyan. In my own way I express that Bhakti and Gyan are inseparable because ultimately, I express that Bhakti and Gyan are inseparable because, ultimately, the disease is one. The disease is the lack of fulfillment that the mind experiences, and if your disease is lack of fulfillment, your devotion has to be towards fulfillment.

That is what is Bhakti, that is also what is Gyan. So, the way I put it is that Bhakti and Gyan are inseparable. They are just one. Bhakti is love. What is it that you love? One loves freedom, one loves understanding so Gyan is understanding; one loves understanding, so Gyan is understanding, and Bhakti is love towards understanding. How are these two different? And if you do not love understanding, you will not get understanding.

Therefore, Raman Maharishi use to say that, Bhakti is used to say that Bhakti is the mother of Gyan. Bhakti means you must love freedom or realization or understanding. Love comes first, right. ? If you do not love something, how will you get it? If you do not love to liberated you will never be liberated, you will never be liberated. Therefore, love comes first. But you have to love liberation, not mind stuff. That is the problem.

Are you getting it? There has to be love, there has to be devotion, there has to be Bhakti but sir, but sir, what is it that you are loving? Please open your eyes and honestly investigate; I am asking all the devotees. What are you really devoted to? What will you get by being devoted to your own ego and your own images? How will that help you? It's like loving one's own shadow. That’s you.

Somebody is worshiping his own face in a mirror, what will you get from this kind of; what will you get from this kind of worship? That thing is our own reflection. That thing is just your own projection, your own creation. Being devoted to that will fetch you nothing. In fact, being devoted to that is highly irreligious. It is very, very anti-spiritual because spirituality is all about transcending the ego. Instead of transcending the ego, if you start worshiping the ego, are you spiritual or religious? No. So, that’s the problem, in the name of Bhakti: in the name of Bhakti, people are practicing desire as devotion. How to be cautious of that? Whenever you find yourself loving something ask yourself, ask yourself, is it mind stuff? If it is mind stuff, it is not worthy of devotion. Attraction toward mind stuff is desire, that toward mind stuff is desire; that’s the definition. Kindly remember this definition. Attraction towards mind stuff is called desire, desire toward mind stuff is called desire, not devotion. Devotion is when you love liberation, that is called devotion. Devotion is when you are attracted towards something beyond the mind to something beyond the mind, that is devotion. When you are attracted towards within the mind that is desire.

Will you remember the distinction? When you are attracted to something within the mind, that is desire. When you are attracted to something beyond the mind, that is devotion. Now, most people who practice devotion are just actually allowing themselves to be attracted to something within the mind practice devotion are just actually allowing themselves to be attracted to something within the mind, and that will not help. That will not help.

And again there the problem is in the name of practicing devotion they are just following rituals which they call practices. Even Bhakti has to be studied you have to go to a Saint Kabir, you have to go to a Shandilya Bhakti Sutras, Narad Bhakti Sutras and people have not read them. People have not read again the problem is that in the name of practicing devotion, they are just following rituals, which they call practices. Even Bhakti has to be studied. You have to go to Saint Kabir, you have to go to Shandilya Bhakti Sutras, Narad Bhakti Sutras, and people have not read them.

If you go to a Saint Kabir or if you go to Guru Nanak Dev they are all worshipers, they are all Saints of Nirguni Bhakti, but the so-called, they are all worshipers, they are all Saints of Nirguni Bhakti, but the so-called devotees never go to them. They think that just you know blindly following some rituals would turn them into devotees, that, you know, blindly following some rituals would turn them into devotees; that is not devotion. And if you object to them they say that you are objecting to devotion. What you do not understand is that devotion is beautiful, Bhakti is supreme but in the name of Bhakti if you do nonsense, but in the name of Bhakti, if you do nonsense, that cannot be accepted. For your own good because that which you are doing in the name of Bhakti, I am saying to those youngsters your question referred to, in the name of Bhakti, if you are doing all kinds of miscellaneous things that will not help you and you deserved to be helped.

Every single creature on this Earth deserved deserves to be helped. We are all potentially very beautiful, we are deserved; we deserve to be liberated. But not if we choose blind paths. I repeat fall in love, commit yourself fully to something, fall in love, commit yourself fully to something, but be very cautious that that which you are committing yourself to is just not a creation of your own fertile mind. And when I say your mind, I mean man's mind, a human being man's mind, a human being's mind. If something is arising from the imagination of a human being, it is just mind stuff. And mind stuff can be good, bad, ugly whatever it is, whatever it is, but mind stuff can never be divine.

Mind stuff can be good, bad, useful, useless all those categories are ok or useless; all those categories are ok, but mind stuff can never be worthy of your worship. Worship is sacred and the sacred is that which is beyond your mind. Whatsoever is within this little vessel, how can it be worthy of worship? This vessel is so small, how; how can this be worthy of worship? Instead, you are worshiping something from within this vessel? It will not help. Yes.?

So, love is wonderful, and love is the highest, Bhakti is; Bhakti is the topmost. But be cautious, in the name of Bhakti do not; in the name of Bhakti, do not be fooled. Learn from the real Sages, go to the Saint Poets, and see what they have said in their devotion about devotion. And then you will know the real nature of Bhakti.

Questioner: In the Saint literature, some of the Saints have been emphasized a lot on the Lord's Name, I was reading Ramcharitra Manas, first few pages of Ramcharitra Manas, Tulsidas ji says he places the name of the Lord above everything else. And as you say the names and the forms everything arises from the mind. So, what is the name being used here to refer to something else, or is the name in itself is —In Saint literature, some Saints have emphasized the Lord's name a lot. For example, I was reading Ramcharitra Manas. In the first few pages, Tulsidas ji says he places the name of the Lord above everything else. And as you say, the names and the forms arise from the mind. So, is the name being used here to refer to something else, or is the name in itself being called supreme?

Acharya Prashant: – Naam Anaam Anant Rehet Hai - that’s the name. That which does not have a name is the name, Naam Anaam. Naam Anaam Anant Rehet Hai, Duja Tatva Na Koi, no second one. No second one has any substantiality, Duja Tatva Na Koi. That which does not have a name, that alone is the name which can help you. That alone is the unlimited name beyond time. Are you getting it?

So, when you are asked to repeat the name of the Lord essentially you are been, essentially, you are given a name that does not have any meaning so that the mind can be taken away from all the names it remains very absorbed with.

What is mind stuff? A lot of names. Is there anything in your mind that does not have a name, tell me. Tell me. Think of all the things that are there in the mind do they have a name or not? Do they have a name or not? So, the names are the curse of the mind, names; names are the curse of the mind.

Realizing this the Saints said that let there be a name that can have no meaning within the mind. Naam Anaam, there is a name but it should be nameless, it should have no meaning then it becomes useful even though it is the name, but it should be nameless; it should have no meaning, then it becomes useful even though it is the name, yet it is taking you beyond the mind. Are you getting it? So, when you repeat the nameless that is also what is called as, that is also what is called, Ajapajap, repeating the nameless. When you repeat the nameless, then the great blessing is that you are relieved of all the names that plague and dominate the mind. If you are totally absorbed in that one name, then you will have to leave behind all the other names. And all the other names are mind stuff. So, in leaving behind all the names, you have left behind all the mind stuff. And that is peace. That peace is the final destination of all spiritual effort. Are you getting it? It’s a beautiful method of remembering that one name, but that one name cannot be mind stuff. One name that cannot be the stuff of stories. That one has to be something that takes you beyond all your stories. Because the mind finds nourishment in stories. We do not want to give more nourishment to the mind. That one name has to be something with which you can not attach any attribute. No story, that one name have not; that one name should have no past, no future. That one name is something you should not be able to give any association to. So it has to be a super special name. A name without a father, a name without a son. A name without a form, a name without a story. Only that kind of a name can really help you. The knower, the Saints have advised you to constantly abide in, have advised you to constantly abide by such a great and unique name.

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