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Sadhu and Bhakti
The sun, the fire, the Brahmana, the cow, the Vaishnava [1], the sky, air, water, earth, the heart and all beings - these, O friend, are the objects wherein to worship Me. These are the shrines for My worship. These are the eleven places for My worship.
I am to be worshipped in the sun through Vedic hymns, in the fire through oblations of ghee, in the Brahmana through hospitality, in the cows by the offer of grass, in the devotee through respect, kind treatment and cordial reception, in the Akasa of the heart through regular meditation, in the air by regarding it as Prana, in water by offerings of libation and with various articles such as water, leaves, flowers, etc., in the earth by sacred Mantras, in the body or one’s own Self with eatables, and in all beings, one should worship Me as Kshetrajna, with equal vision.
In all these abodes or places of worship one should with a serene and concentrated mind, meditate on My benign form with four hands, in which are the conch, disc, mace and lotus. He who thus worships Me through Ishta [2] and Purti [3] with concentration, remembers Me and serves the Sadhus or the righteous, attains perfect devotion to Me.
O Uddhava! Except by devotion that is acquired through the association of Sadhus there is hardly any other way for salvation, for I am their chief support, goal and resort. O son of Yadus! Now I am going to tell thee this profound secret, even though most confidential, because thou art My servant, friend and companion.
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