Let’s Grow the Bhakti Crop
Good land is a fundamental necessity for growing crops. Only on fertile land do lush crops grow. Crops do not grow well on wasteland.
Satsang is verily the fertile land for growing the crop Bhakti. It is verily proximity to sadhus that is the fertile land for the lush growth of the Bhakti crop.
Should not one dig a deep pit in that land for sowing the seed? That (deep pit) is verily our mind. The mind should be deepened through scriptural education and queries.
Choosing to sow the seed in good monsoon season helps. Well! The Guru’s compassionate glance falling on us is verily that good monsoon season! We should not miss that good season!
God’s Name (Naama) that the Guru initiates us into is verily the good seed.
Once the seed has been sown, manure has to be used! Listening to stories of God and sadhus is the manure that we use for this.
The seed we had sown would then begin to sprout. It is but natural that as the seed begins to sprout, the weeds of ego, pride, attention-seeking, etc. also begin to sprout around it. Cautiously we need to weed them all away. Otherwise the weeds would grow big and block the growth of the Bhakti crop.
We have to take precaution until the Bhakti crop has grown well and strong. It will then bear flower. That flower is verily the sadhana that one has done day and night.
The flower then turns into an unripe fruit. That is the state where the Bhakta, with full dispassion, awaits the darshan of God.
Finally it turns into a tasty fruit. That is indeed Prema Bhakti combined with absolute Jnana.
Then the fruit falls down from the plant on its own. That is the state of videha mukti the jiva attains.
– Sri Swamiji
Originally published in Madhuramurali magazine
