The Biggest Challenge in Bhakti
Continuous means always, without a break. There are two approaches to practising devotion continuously:
- Practising devotion through Karm Sanyas: This involves dedicating yourself solely to devotion to God, giving up all worldly actions and responsibilities.
- Practising devotion along with worldly duties: In this approach, you perform both devotion and worldly actions. However, in this, you cannot engage in continuous Roopdhyan because you practice sadhana in solitude only for a short time, and at other times, you engage in worldly activities. People do jobs or businesses to sustain their bodies. At that time, the surrounding atmosphere inevitably influences an aspiring devotee while engaged in worldly actions. No one, except those who have attained God, can remain unaffected. One is, anyway, naturally influenced by wealth, position, and other possessions. However, one is also affected by the external atmosphere.
How can you practice continuous devotion while performing worldly duties? The solution is to cultivate the feeling that Shri Krishna resides in your heart and to record your thoughts. This is not merely theoretical; it is a reality that must be accepted and practised. Begin by attempting to feel His presence for just one second within an hour, then progress to feeling it for a second every half hour. Being constantly aware of God's omnipresence requires significant effort, as worldly distractions often intervene. With persistent practice, however, this awareness will become more consistent, though it is a lengthy process.
The quickest path to your goal is to renounce everything and devote yourself entirely to God. At such a time, you will not encounter a negative atmosphere that causes tension and disturbance. You will not be troubled by thoughts such as, "He is lying, he is a crook, he is a cheat," and so forth. However, until such a situation arises, you must persistently practice feeling His presence. If you remain cautious, you will not engage in wrong actions, because if you do, you will not receive grace. If you practice in solitude continuously for some time and make sufficient progress, then the influence of the worldly atmosphere will not affect you much.
When faced with criticism, reflect in this way: "Why is this person angry? They may be confused, manipulated by others, or feel that their interests are threatened. The poor man is unknowingly causing self-harm." If you instead respond with anger, you will not only harm yourself but also cause further harm to the other person.
Nothing in this world is achievable without practice. People make an effort to be called good. Instead, by practising to become genuinely good, you can truly become good, just as people have become good in the past and will continue to become good in the future.
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