Guru messages, speeches, bhajans, herbal treatment, mantra treatment are all, at any point of time, aimed at helping someone who is in need of it at that point of time. To one, it may be a medicine, to another it could be a divine experience. Learn not to ridicule persons when they come and share the experience that they had with Swamiji. Just remember that you are unable to experience the sweetness they have just enjoyed. You know only the taste of sugar. How then can you understand what is the taste of mysorepak (an Indian sweet made of sugar)?

Even within devotion there are 3 primary classifications- Mugdha, moodha and pragnātmaka bhakti.

Mugdha bhakti – Innocent devotion. Have you heard the story of ‘Kannappa’ the hunter, who served the Lord Shiva at Srikalahasti? He sincerely believed that God’s needs were similar to that of an ordinary human being. With this belief, he thought it necessary to offer to that Lord all those things that were accordingly essential.

He believed that like him the Lord too ate raw meat, rice and honey. Hence he offered them daily to the Lord. Once, he saw that the Lord’s eye was bleeding. He immediately plucked out his eye and placed it on the Linga. Bleeding was arrested from that eye but surprisingly the other eye started to bleed. Seeing this, Kannappa placed his foot on the bleeding eye of the Linga so as to mark the location of the eye and then with an arrow plucked out his second eye and placed it on the Lord. He did not consider placing his leg on the Linga as a sin. His only worry was to relieve the Lord of His suffering. Such innocent bhakti is called mugdha bhakti.

Radha’s devotion to Krishna, Shabari’s devotion towards Rama are all examples of mugdha bhakti. Shabari was eagerly awaiting the arrival of Lord Rama to her place. Her thoughts were all focused on serving the Lord when He arrived. As the Lord would be very hungry and tired after walking miles in the scorching heat she thought it necessary to offer only sweet fruits to the Lord to appease his hunger. Not knowing when suddenly he would arrive, she would daily pluck the fruits, taste them and select the sweetest amongst them and keep them ready for her Lord. This was her mugdha bhakti. She did not think that it was a sin to offer fruits that were already tasted, to the Lord.

Radha descended from heaven and brought with her a basket full of Parijata flowers and asked Meera to use it for worshipping Krishna. However, Meera threw all the flowers into the river. Seeing Radha’s anger, Meera said, “Amma! I know that you are Radha. Receiving flowers from you for worship is a great boon. However, if I pour so many flowers on the tender feet of my Lord, won’t they be burdened by their weight? Hence I have left those flowers in the river; please forgive me.” Radha was immensely surprised on witnessing Meera’s love for the Lord.

Moodha bhakti- In this, one blindly follows the customs, traditions or practices as a habit without reflecting on whether they are essential or not. Some instances of this are- ‘This particular procedure for worship is being passed down from many generations in my family. Hence it is essential that I abide by it without fail.’ Or ‘naivedya has to be offered to the Lord at exactly this time in my house. Abhishekam has to be done only in this way’. Such a person will not think as to why his grandfather has started such a practice and as to why his father continued it. He will sincerely believe that it is the only way for him to serve God. He will neither analyze nor stop such a practice.

‘My mother as well as my grandmother wash their hair every Friday and thereafter visit the temple. I too continue this practice.’ Nor will they think- “why can’t I wash my hair on Saturday? What happens if instead of on a Friday I visit the temple on a Saturday?” Ask them and they will reply that they are not doing all this per their wish. They are duty-bound to follow the practices that were laid down and hence they will abide by it. Moodha bhakti therefore means devotion wherein discipline, fear, obedience, responsibility and blind faith play a significant role.

Pragnya bhakti- In this, a devotee develops a liking towards a particular deity and through a thorough study of the various sevas loved by that deity, they take it up. If they err somewhere, they do not seek forgiveness from the deity. Instead they try to rectify the errors. Until in their opinion, all the errors have been rectified and the procedures are totally correct and appeasing to the Lord, they undergo great internal turmoil.

Being aware of the path in which one is proceeding and taking into account all the precautions needed as per the upasana marga (method of worship) is called pragnya bhakti. Such bhakti can be found in all Maharishis- eg; Vishwamitra, Atri, Bhrigu etc. They punish themselves for their mistakes. They repent and ensure that the mistake is not repeated.

These 3 types of devotion can co-exist or exist separately within a person. In some instances, an individual may have blind faith. Thereafter he may use his discretion and turn towards pragnya bhakti. A little later he may be enveloped by innocent mugdha bhakti. What is important is that devotion (bhakti) basically exists. Now ask yourself- to which category do you belong?

Everyone is familiar with the 9 types of devotion (nava vidha bhakti). Now, in this world there are some different types of worldly devotion (loukika bhakti) that we commonly come across. They are-

1) Aadambara bhakti: In this, pomp, show and grandeur is given predominance. The person dresses up very pompously; grand arrangements will be made for the puja. The puja will be accompanied by a great activity and display of wealth.

2) Prati-upkaara bhakti: In this, the devotee offers services to the Lord with an expectation that the Lord should reward him with some good results.

3) Chanchala bhakti: Worshipping the Lord when the feelings and thoughts are elsewhere is chanchala or wavering bhakti. Such bhakti is useless.

4. Devotion through which the person seeks to test the Lord is the 4th kind. If the Guru tells what is in my mind, then He is capable. Else he is not. Such thinking is an example of this devotion.

5) Kutuhala bhakti: Getting eager and impetuous on seeing others conducting vratas, pujas and taking spiritual baths etc. and therefore conducting them comes under this category.

6. Sākshātkāra bhakti: Devotion that is offered with discipline, determination, as per traditions and customs, shastras, with a selfless attitude and with feelings of total surrender seeking to be blessed with His darshan. Among all the above classifications, this is the best and the most superior bhakti.

- Bhaktimala