One of the questions that people ask me again and again is this: How can we grow closer to God?
My answer to this question is simple: “Grow in Love. Love all life; for all life is sacred. Love animals, birds, trees, flowers, the sick and the distressed, the lonely and broken ones.” This is true devotion, real bhakti; bhakti begins out of such Love. Expand your heart to enfold the world in the embrace of your love, and you will indeed acquire the gift of bhakti.
Today, even scientists are unanimous about the fact that Love is the most powerful energy in the Universe. Love can cure illness, love can heal broken hearts, love can dispel the darkness of evil thoughts, love can forgive and forget. If you wish to go closer to God, then follow the path of Love.
For at its best, bhakti is nothing but supreme Love for the Supreme Being.
God is Absolute Love — and if we love God, we must be imbued with the longing to serve our fellow men. It was a true saint of God who said: Prayer without work is as bad as work without prayer! Therefore I have always urged my friends to adopt the concept of love-in-action, love that flows out from us to all around us — which can make this world truly beautiful!
Our hearts need to be saturated with love, for love is the light which will illumine the world. For this, developed brains are not needed; we need enlightened hearts that can behold the vision of fellowship, unity and brotherhood.
Bhakti is not to be taught or discussed; it is to be experienced. It is not a science or an art that needs to be learnt; it is an attitude to the Divine and the great gift of life that has been bestowed upon us. It is not a toll-paid expressway meant for the exclusive and the elite; it is the simplest, swiftest and shortest route to God that is open to each one of us.
I invite you to join me on this beautiful way, the bhakti marga, which can lead us close to God. Let us walk the way of bhakti!
Dada J P Vaswani is a humanitarian, philosopher, educator, acclaimed writer, powerful orator, messiah of ahimsa, and non-sectarian spiritual leader
