Are you a true devotee of the Lord?

There are numerous persons who profess to be rationalists and claim that they are “self-made” and deny the existence of any superior power. Let us keep them aside for the moment. Then, there is a vast majority of us who are “Bhaktas” or devotees of the Good Lord. Now are we really true devotees of the Lord? To answer this question, we need to look at what Lord Krishna says in Chapter 7 of the Bhagavad Gita. He says that those who are devoted to him are the virtuous ones but classifies them into four distinct categories.

The first category is “ārtha” (the distressed) Bhakta. These devotees remember the Lord only in times of distress or a crisis. It could be anything from mitigating your tooth ache to getting you out of some mess. In Kannada, they call it “Sankata Bandre Venkatramana”. The moment the problem disappears, so also his thoughts about the Lord!

The second category is “arthārthī” (Seeker of wealth) Bhakta. He is the person who wants all material benefits and invariably offers a commission to the Lord if he were to be successful in his venture! Starting from a simple coconut to lakhs of rupees is the “offering” in return for the desired result! How ingenious. This need not necessarily be only wealth – it could also be power, position et al. That is why you see politicians rushing to perform Poojas before elections!

These two categories are known as “Sakama” Bhakti indicating that the devotion is for fulfilling material benefits and using the Lord as a means to their end. The Lord, not only answers the prayers of these devotees, but also says that they are dear to him. 

The third category is “Jigñāsu” Bhakta. This person is in quest of knowledge – tries to understand the relationship between himself, the Lord and the Universe. “Who am I?” seems to be his fundamental question. He does not pursue any worldly desires. The Lord says such a Bhakta is dearer to him.

The fourth and final category is “Jñāni” Bhakta. He is the wise one who has understood that the He, the Lord and the Universe are nothing but the manifestations of the Supreme Brahman and that there is nothing but Brahman. He has discovered his identity with the Lord. He is still devoted to the Lord as an act of gratitude. Obviously, this one is the dearest to the Lord. The third and fourth categories are known as “Nishkama” Bhakti indicating that the Lord is not a means but the end in itself. It is moving away from the material to the spiritual realm.

If you look at the above classification, most of us would fall into the first two categories – and the Lord himself says that is not a problem in itself. But, he exhorts us to progress and move from the material to the spiritual reaching the highest level of Bhakti enabling us to reach our destination in life. While all this sounds fine, do we really come across ordinary folks like us who are even close to category 3 or 4? Maybe difficult but not impossible!

This is where Perumal comes in (name changed). He was a winch operator in Palani Hills. I got his reference through a friend and when I visited Palani temple took his help to go around. He was a short man of a medium build in his late fifties with a large forehead and a kind face. The moment we landed on the outer sanctum of a temple, his entire demeanour changed. His eyes glistened; he folded his hands and looked at the “Gopuram” of the temple in awe. He prostrated then and there muttering a prayer. It was as if he was entering the temple for the first time in ages. Being a winch operator, I am sure he must have visited the temple hundreds of times. I generally see temple employees serving in such holy places seeing it as a mere “chore”. Perumal seemed to be an exception. He took us around and at each shrine or place of interest gave us a detailed historical and philosophical perspective of the location keeping us spell bound. My son and daughter-in-law (DIL) were with me too. He spoke to my DIL as if she was his own daughter taking the liberty of calling her “da” as is the custom with most of the parents when they address their daughters. At the end of our visit, my DIL offered him Rs. 500/= as a token of our appreciation. He flatly refused to accept stating that he was paid enough – despite the fact that considering his job, this must have been a fairly large amount. After much persuasion, he accepted it on the condition that he would perform Pooja for the amount in my son and DIL’s name! I could hardly believe that such people existed these days.

I casually enquired about his family and he said his son was employed and that his only daughter had just completed her graduation. On asking about her job prospects, he casually stated “I will bring her and make her stand in front of the Lord. HE will get her a job that she deserves!” he said with absolute conviction. I was stunned! How many of us pray seeking everything from the divine irrespective of whether we deserve it or not? And more importantly, he was supremely confident that HE would take care of her. This is what is termed total surrender. I was moved beyond words – here was a man who was an ordinary winch operator but one who, in my mind, was far more evolved than many people I have ever met. In my humble opinion, Perumal qualifies to be in the 3^rd or 4^th category of Bhakta.

Is it not time we appraise our devotion to the Lord and evolve as a “True Bhakta?”