Maharishi Nārada continued,

“At times Prahlāda would weep that Srihari has not manifested before him. He would grieve at his inability to see the Lord. At other times, he would laugh soaked in complete bliss. Sometimes he would loudly sing the glories of the Lord.

At times, without any inhibition, he would dance while chanting His names. Irrespective of the time and place he would dance in great joy. At times, he would experience oneness with God and then, soaked in bliss, he would imitate the divine plays of the Lord.

At times, his body would horripilate due to the Lord’s nectarous touch and he would be soaked in peace. He would feel the Lord’s touch. Or he would feel he has touched the Lord’s lotus feet or hands. He would believe that the Lord would be eating along with him. He felt the Lord sitting beside him when he was immersed in meditation etc. With this he would remain silent and peaceful”.

These are the qualities of an ardent devotee. Unaware of his surroundings he would eternally sing, chant, laugh, weep, walk, and search for God. Such was his ripened devotion! It can be said that he had become insane due to his love for God. Externally his actions appeared like an insane person when they were far from it.

Let us recollect a story. Once, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was walking back and forth from one building to another. In the second building there was a mad man who was seated in a corner. Seeing Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, who was running up and down without reason, approaching him, the mad man screamed, “O a mad man is coming towards me” and he ran away from there. From this, it is evident that Ramakrishna Paramahamsa’s actions were such that real lunatics considered him mad!

Lord Datta is extolled as bala (child), unmatta (insane), piśaca (ghost) since He appears in all forms. It is impossible to predict how He will behave at any point in time. He will eat only if he chooses to or He will remain without food. At times he will act like an infant or small boy. Even when he behaves like a small child He continues to appear like a jnani. He appears like an Avadhoota. He appears like a house-holder. He appears like a king.

When devotion is fixed permanently upon the Lord it remains stable! Therefore we should practice developing this firm devotion towards the Lord. Devotion wherein you spend a few minutes in the morning and a few minutes in the evening with God is not true devotion. True devotion is when 24 hours are dedicated to him. Irrespective of whether one is sitting, standing, sleeping, eating or talking, the mind should be focused upon Him. Such devotion never wavers! It is unshakable! This level of devotion is explained in the following verse:

Dattātreya harē Krishna unnmattānanda dāyaka Digambara munē bāla piśāca jnāna-sāgara

Prahlāda’s devotion belonged to the above category. **If you firmly believe that Swamiji is everything to you, then that’s it! You should strive to reach that level wherein you consider Him as everything. Having feelings of devotion for a few minutes off and on is not devotion at all! In fact it is atheism. True devotion means to remain firm irrespective of the time and situation. **

“Due to this unflinching devotion, tears of joy would flow from Prahlāda’s eyes blurring his vision”.

When the mind is totally focused upon Him, where is the scope for other thoughts? Instead of developing this good habit, many people are obsessed with unnecessary addictions. They are so obsessed with computer games that they eat with one hand while playing with the other. Some others are so obsessed with talking to people that irrespective of the work, the left hand is dedicated to the mobile handset. They will be talking endlessly. Some others are obsessed with movies so much so that they stay up late every night watching movies. All these wasteful addictions do not in any way help in your next life. At least when devotion is developed, it will come along with you in the next birth. These wasteful addictions ultimately turn beneficial to hospitals because ultimately they end up taking us there. The person who becomes mad due to devotion never ends up in any hospital. Due to the influence of satsang his mind will be peaceful and calm. He may get disturbed perhaps when someone abuses his God but his devotion never disappears.

“Due to association with saints who have renounced everything in this world, the opportunity to serve the lotus feet of the Lord with total devotion arises in the person”.

**Due to association with such supreme saints, the desire to renounce this world arises within us too! **Feelings of dispassion arise in us! The opportunity to serve the lotus feet of Srihari is bestowed upon true devotees. We become like the person under whom we seek shelter. We inculcate those habits and qualities. Just as the insect focuses upon the bumble bee and thus converts into a bee, the disciple who follows the Guru will obtain the bliss similar to that which his Guru enjoys. To obtain this bliss he does not have to dress like his Guru. He enjoys true inner bliss.

It is a pity that it has become rare to spot such good devotees these days. For a trivial reason they destroy their devotion towards God. How can that extreme devotion, dispassion that they displayed so far just reduce to dust in a matter of seconds? Such persons are also classified as demons. True devotion is that wherein the devotee remains firm and stable in his devotion even when struck by lightning. By serving those who have renounced the world, ardent devotees obtain the chance to serve the lotus feet of Lord Srihari.

Sankarśanāya namah