Quality#8
Yogee
Steady in meditation
Swami Sivananda says,
“The word
'Yoga' comes from a Sanskrit root 'Yuj' which means 'to join'. In its spiritual
sense, it is the process by which the identity of the individual soul and the
Supreme Soul is realized by the Yogi. The human soul is brought into conscious
communion with the Divine Reality. Just as camphor melts and becomes one with fire;
just as a drop of water when it is thrown into the ocean, becomes one with the
ocean; the individual soul, when it is purified, when it is freed from lust,
greed, hatred and egoism, when it becomes pure (Sattvic), becomes one with the
Supreme Soul.
A true devotee is as much a yogi because his
consciousness is absorbed in God. This absorption is not occasional or
intermittent, but steady and constant because he is established in
his union with God.
Quality#9
Yataatmaa dridha nishchayah
Possessing form conviction
The quality of determination comes from
possessing a resolute intellect. Since devotees tie their intellect to
the knowledge of the scriptures and the instructions of the Guru, it becomes so
resolute that even if the whole world tries to convince them otherwise, they do
not budge an inch from their position.
“Everything is well with me.
I shall attain God in this birth itself.” This determination, or dṛḍhaniścayaḥ, is what characterizes
all devotees.
Sri Krishna calls it conviction. In the path
of Jnana, it is referred as “Mumukshatvam”, intense craving for realizing SELF.
Quality#10
Madbaktah
Mind and intellect dedicated to the Lord
In the Kaye Na Vaacha, we say, “Manasa”
and “Buddhi”, along with body, senses, inherent nature, tendencies are all
surrendered to Narayana, the supreme Lord.
The soul is a servant of God by its inherent
nature, and as we become enlightened with this knowledge, we naturally dedicate
ourselves to the Supreme Lord. In this surrender, the mind and intellect are of
primary importance.
When they are devoted to God, the rest of the
personality — body, working senses, knowledge senses, worldly possessions, and
soul — naturally get dedicated in His service. Sri Krishna says that devotees
who exhibit these qualities are very dear to Him.
Saying is easy, but when one really dedicates
his most important faculties, Mind and Intellect, then, what would be his state?
Such a devotee, a saint says,
“will not ask the Lord even for Mukti. So long as the subtle desire for
liberation lingers in one's heart, he cannot claim himself to be a true devotee
of the Lord. Though the desire for emancipation is of Sattvic nature, yet the
devotee has become a slave of Mukti. He is still selfish and so is unfit to
call himself a sincere lover of God. Can a true devotee dare ask anything from
God, when he fully knows that He is an ocean of love and compassion?”
Love
