In the last few weeks we have celebrated Guru Poornima followed by Naga Panchami followed by Janmashtami. Tomorrow will be Ganesh Chaturthi. Then, of course, Durga Pooja is around the corner followed by Diwali. It's all a season of devotional festivals.
Yes, these are festivals and joyful celebrations but definitely devotional. Now, devotion is a topic that has been written about and illustrated in stories of saints and sages. It has almost gained a mystical quality, turning off or preventing its understanding for the modern scientific mind. It is for them that I am writing a few of these words. One has to remember that, basically, devotion is an emotion. An emotion is a response to a thought, a cognition or a recognition of something or understanding. Hence Devotion is an emotional response to your understanding of God, Ishvara. In the beginning, of course, understanding your idea of Ishvara is based on the theological stories and ideology that your religion presents. Devotion at this stage can be pretty basic which is belief-centered rather than knowledge centred. As one becomes a more mature thinker and one grows in one’s philosophical and spiritual understanding of Ishvara, our devotion also takes on a different hue. Therefore, unless there is a spiritual understanding of Ishvara, there can be no true devotion.
At the theological and ideological level one has all the stories and experiences of the devotees which are all so enthralling or dismissed as just stories and superstition, depending upon your bent of mind. Either way, all devotion is valid because it is your way of expressing your understanding of God. One cannot say which is good or bad. It depends on the psychological growth of the person. Like if you are psychologically in just survival mode, you will be God-fearing. As your understanding is more refined, your devotion also will take a better turn. Therefore, to be devotional. you need to understand how Ishvara is presented in the spiritual sense of the word.
The writer is the founder of Aarsha Vidya Foundation. You can write to him at aarshavidyaf@gmail.com
