The joy of bhakti

[Shivani Devi]

Om Namah Shivay

[Divine Consciousness]

Bhakti Yoga: To me devotion, highest respect and love flown towards our deities or God/ Goddess. Here respect is more important than love towards whome we worship.

[Shivani Devi]

Namaste.

I was just cleaning my room...just doing droll, monotonous housework...and of course, I had my own personal bhajan/kirtan collection playing on low volume in the background...

Then, I heard Shiv Ratan Dhan Payo by Vishek Sharma playing in the background...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xL0SLYIz4ag

Something moved me...I felt something...didn't know what, but the upbeat tune made me take my set of bongos out of storage...and replay the kirtan on full volume.

I sat on my bed, staring at a picture of Lord Shiva and playing my bongos, mimicking every single beat of that tune (and it's not an easy one to play either)...I was laughing...just laughing with tears of love pouring out...I was happy! I was keeping up with the tune, I was offering my playing to Shiva who was also helping me to play and teaching me...I felt it...I was laughing and crying at the same time with joy...it's been a while since that happened.

Om Namah Shivaya

[Shivani Devi]

Namaste.

My mother should not be encouraging me in this. lol

So today, she's like "come over here, Di...I've got something to show you".

I went over to where she was busy playing with her laptop and said "okay, wassup?"

Then she showed me all of the different Lord Shiva glass cabochon pendants for $2 each on Wish dot com.

I was like "ooohhhhh...screeeeee.....*insert delightful squeal*......oooohhhh.....niiiiiiice".

Then she said, "I'll buy you one for Christmas...which one would you like? choose it".

I was going "I like that one...no, I have changed my mind...that one....wait up, that one is better...nah, I'll stick with my original choice...but...no, I don't want that one either...I just cannot decide, mum".

She said "you can only choose one, which one?"

Immediately, I saw this as Lord Shiva Himself, trying to get me over His Saguna aspect of "namam" and "roopam"...He would have to do better than that to fool me. lol

I said to mum "I'm just happy to look and I don't really want one...but if you want to buy me one, go for it...I don't care which one...you can choose it".

After that, I went into a deep trance.

Om Namah Shivaya

[Shivani Devi]

What is the use of discussing the nature of Brahman,
When a flower would understand it more than a person does?
What is the use of talking about Your Infinite Reality,
When others are still fully tethered to this illusory one?
What is the use of discussing experiences of Consciousness,
When others exist in the selective, uncaring unconscious?
Words fall upon deaf ears that hear.
Actions fall upon blind eyes that see.
What would You have me do, oh Mahadeva,
Beyond loving You, giving of my soul into Your care?
I await your instruction and application.
Why do You take so long to play me as Your instrument?
Or would you rather have me serve You only,
As You're the only one who listens when I speak, who watches when I act,
Who talks to me when nobody else would even bother.
Is this how it is meant to be forever? Just existing in You without external involvement in Your illusion?
I'm lost in love for You, but I also grow weary of this lonely, mortal existence.
Rescue me Shiva! I surrender to You once more. - Your Shivani.

[Yogini]

Beautiful thread, beautiful post

To read about devotion, damru, Sri Rudram and Shiva Tandava stotram.
Sound of Har Hr Mahadev echo in my ears as I read the lines on top
Sound of Darmu in my heart.

I am new on this forum on ( or I can say forums are new to me) since I never was part of any.
I am on spiritual path with Shiva and Mata Rani in my heart, I feel blessed to have met you guys who carry similar emotions as me. I sooo related to beauty of Bhakti in this post.
Thank you to the person who initiated it and others who contributed it.
It's an inspiration for person like me - it's easy to get lost or feel lonely on this path.
Today for the first I felt I am not alone.

I would like help though.. due to misfortune events in life I have become extremely restless and can't meditate or do my jaw- simran
Any advice or guidance is welcome.

🙏

[Presence]

Originally Posted by Yogini

I would like help though.. due to misfortune events in life I have become extremely restless and can't meditate or do my jaw- simran
Any advice or guidance is welcome.
🙏

Hi Yogini, I have a neurological disorder that causes extreme restless body, some days I can not sit to meditate. Rather than suffer forcing myself, I now get up and walk while chanting mala beads. It is another form of meditation and very beautiful.

[Nitiananda]

What is bhakti?
Bhakti yoga is the yoga of love and devotion. It is devotion to the divine, in whatever form or form you want to see it (or her). It can be devotion to truth, God, supreme, Brahman, absolute, reality or any other definition of the unspeakable. This can be devotion to Christ, Buddha, Mohammed, Krishna, Rama, Hanuman, Mahavir, Shakti, Shiva, Vishnu, Kali, Durga, Ahura Mazda. You can express devotion to everything that you consider an embodiment of the divine. It can be a great saint, dead or living. This may be your guru. The concrete form does not matter ... it is the devotion that you personally feel that is important. Without such devotion, great or small, it is impossible to practice bhakti yoga. This method involves the service of a guru or work in the name of the divine. This means the practice of karma yoga, honest work in full measure of their abilities. This practice reduces the power of the ego and makes the mind focused.
The word bhakti comes from the root of bhaj, which means "to bow down, serve, love, be betrayed." And it accurately conveys the essence of bhakti yoga. From the same root comes the word bhakta, meaning a person who practices bhakti yoga, feels loyal.
Bhakti Yoga means two things - path and experience. A person can be on the path of bhakti yoga, but not have a positive experience of deep bhakti. At the same time, one can experience deep bhakti, but not admit that it is on the path of bhakti yoga. Let's illustrate this with two examples for greater clarity:
1. One who is inclined to deep devotion and worship can follow the path of bhakti yoga. This implies the concentration of the whole being of man on the object of worship. This method of bhakti yoga can ultimately lead to a transcendental experience of all-consuming bhakti. This transcendental knowledge is connected with this bhakti. With time and accumulation of experience, such bhakti will become stronger and stronger.
2. If a person is not inclined to service and devotion, he should choose other ways of yoga. These other ways, in the end, will lead to spiritual experience. This, in turn, automatically leads to bhakti, for you will comprehend something that you did not know before. Whichever method you use, the result will be the same. The ways of people located and not disposed to worship, ultimately, converge.

[Nitiananda]

Originally Posted by Presence

Hi Yogini, I have a neurological disorder that causes extreme restless body, some days I can not sit to meditate. Rather than suffer forcing myself, I now get up and walk while chanting mala beads. It is another form of meditation and very beautiful.

The problem of the restless mind (neurological disorder) is the problem of contaminated energy channels and the chakras. The problem of modern man. If there are several approaches to this in yoga. There is a way of stopping consciousness by thinking, but for ordinary people it is much easier to stop consciousness with breathing techniques and stopping breathing during breath holding.

[Shivani Devi]

Originally Posted by Presence

Hi Yogini, I have a neurological disorder that causes extreme restless body, some days I can not sit to meditate. Rather than suffer forcing myself, I now get up and walk while chanting mala beads. It is another form of meditation and very beautiful.

Namaste and thank you.

Sorry I didn't reply before to this, but for the past three months, I've cut down my internet time to only a few hours a week, but now I am back on SF and 'in full force' as it were.

There is one thing about Bhakti....a really weird thing.

It's when God turns around and says "yeah, I know you love me, but how MUCH do you?" when I can't even quantify it myself due to the unconditionality.

So I say; "You know it already because you are God and I am not" and that's when it happens..."you're NOT? that's news to me" followed swiftly by "Show me how much then" and I'm like "how do I DO that? when praying to you, offering my heart to you doesn't seem to be enough?"

All the while knowing I have not given Him my neurological disorder saying "I don't want this...here, have it back" or refusing to believe there's anything 'wrong with me' in the first place, despite my 'illusory body' showing all of these 'illusory symptoms'.

After speaking privately with nitiananda about how much spiritual practice I SHOULD be doing vs how much I am currently doing, it's akin to shutting the stable door after 'kundalini horse' has bolted...and, like it or not, Shakti has reached my Sahasrara...giving me bliss, giving me absolute knowledge and insight...and giving me incredible pain, but having attained Samadhi, I should also be aware that either bliss should negate the pain OR that NEITHER bliss/pain should exist, as per Bhagavad Gita:

http://www.bhagavad-gita.org/Gita/verse-02-14.html

Shiva enables the tolerance for me, but oft I forget this and allow the indulgence of the senses into that pain and then, I am 'down for the count' for weeks/months without respite.

So, this is what He means when He says "how much do you love me?"

Om Namah Shivaya