January 24, 2014: According to the Bhagavad-Gita, single minded devotion to Vasudeva is the surest path to self-realization. In whatever way a devotee approaches Him, He accepts them, for men approach Him from all directions. Such souls are rare but dearer to God who have completely surrendered themselves to Him and spend their lives in total devotion to and continuous contemplation of Him. The mahatmas (great souls) know how to worship God with undivided mind, as they know Him to be Imperishable and the true cause of all beings. Always singing His glories, striving to attain Him, with firm determination, prostrating them before Him, ever established in Him, they worship Him. A true devotee is never lost to God. He lives in His constant gaze and under His continuous protection. The Lord always takes care of the needs of a pure devotee who is totally lost in pure devotion to him. Pure devotion is the highest form of love to which God responds with unconditional love and immediate attention.

 Those who worship Vasudeva Krishna with single minded devotion are speedily rescued from the ocean of mortal existence. A man should live in God, with his mind and intelligence fixed in Him, to attain Him. If devotion with concentration of mind is not possible, then one should practice concentration. If that is also not possible then one should take refuge in Him and renounce all fruits of actions.

 God is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent. All living entities are created by Him and they all exist in him. But deluded by the three fold modes of nature, many do not recognize Him and acknowledge His supremacy and His greatness. The deluded persons of illusory hopes and actions, follow the way of the asuras (demons) and do not worship Him. But the noble and the virtuous, who possesses divine nature, knowing Him as the prime cause of creation and imperishable, by worshipping Him and identifying themselves with Him, in complete state of surrender and egolessness, become extremely dearer to Him. And God gives the assurance that they would never perish. Even if a sinful person worships him with complete devotion, he should be regarded as saint for he has rightly decided to do so and speedily he becomes a dharmatma (righteous soul).

 Those who perform sacrifices and those who worship other gods also in a way worship Him, but they do not attain Him. The knowers of the Vedas, who worship him through the sacrifices, ascend to the heavens on death and after enjoying the celestial pleasures and exhausting their merit they come back to the earth again.

                                                                                                --- Excerpts from Sri Ravi Shankar guru’s preaching