God’s Love for His Devotees is Limitless

Bhakti leads man to his ultimate goal of life; It destroys his malady of worldliness. Bhakti fosters man’s yearning for Divinity. And helps him to attain liberation.

(Sanskrit Verse)

Part II

Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Ideal Offerings to God

True devotion is not limited to ritualistic worship of God or singing His glories in Bhajans. It truly manifests in the flood of tears that flow from the ocean of love in your heart. The Gita refers to the various offerings that are made to the Lord like Patram (leaf), Pushpam (flower), Phalam (fruit) and Toyam (water). These words should not be taken literally. By leaf, the Lord does not mean the Tulsi or the Bilva leaf normally used in ritualistic worship. Truly speaking, the human body is the leaf that must be offered to the Lord. Like the leaf of a tree, the human body too would one day wither and decay. No one can say when that will happen. Before such a fate befalls it, the body in its fullness, freshness and purity should be offered to the Lord with the prayer, "Oh Lord! This body given by You, I offer reverentially back unto You, treating it as a leaf, and in the spirit in which Tulsi leaves are offered." Why should you offer this special leaf of your body to God? Because it is not the sort of leaf that would dry up in just a day or two. You must say with feeling, "Lord, I don’t know what kind of leaf would please You. I have this body, and I offer it to You. Please treat it as a leaf and accept it."

Next, flower. You must pray! "Oh God, You have given me this heart; that same heart I offer back unto You along with my humble salutations. What else is there to offer?" The flower of your heart is what would please the Lord most and not the flowers bought from the bazaar. The bazaar flowers fade in a few hours but the heart is not like that. Totally pure, fragrant, soaked in love and perfect, it does not wither easily. After this, fruit. What fruit would please God? Is it apple, orange, mango or something else? God is not interested in fruits that grow on trees. Your mind is the fruit that God likes and it must be offered to Him. Lastly, water. Is it tap water, well water or Ganga water that the Lord wants from you? None of these. God expects the tears of joy that flow when your heart is full of love for Him. These are the offerings that the Lord expects when you worship Him.

God can be Attained with Love Alone

Sathyabhama (one of the consorts of Krishna) once wanted to weigh Krishna with her wealth as part of a ritual by which she thought she could possess Him exclusively. Being very proud of her wealth, she forgot that no amount of money can buy God, love alone can. Sage Narada wanted to teach this lesson to Sathyabhama by enacting a drama. He asked for a big balance to be brought, and then invited Krishna to sit on one of the pans. Krishna of course knew very well what Narada was up to, and smilingly obliged the sage. Narada then asked Sathyabhama to place gold on the other pan. But lo and behold! No matter how much gold was placed on the other pan, the scale would not become even. Sathyabhama felt utterly frustrated.

From Bhagavan’s Summer Course Discourse in Sai Ramesh Krishan Hall, Brindavan on 19th May 2000.

© "Sanathana Sarathi" (April, 2001) published by Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publications Trust, Prasanthi Nilayam, 515 134. Website: srisathyasai.org.in. Reprinted with permission.

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