|
Chapter 12
Real worship, consists in surrendering oneself to God and believing, "I am only God's and only God is mine." When a man surrenders himself to God, all prescribed actions, including chanting His name, thinking, meditation, service and adoration etc., are performed, only for Him.
A body, is a fragment of prakrti (nature), while the soul (self), is a fragment of God. But the self having forgotten the real affinity for God, assumes affinity for nature and its evolute i.e., body, senses, mind and intellect etc. As soon as, he (the self), renounces this assumed affinity, his real and eternal affinity for God is manifested, and his memory is regained—"Destroyed is my delusion, as I have gained my knowledge (memory)" (Gita 18/73).
It is because of man's (soul's), inclination to matter (nature), i.e., by deriving pleasure out of it, that he assumes his affinity for it, i.e., he assumes, "I am body." Because of this assumed affinity for the body, he holds that he belongs to a particular caste, creed, colour, profession, order of life and regards the self, rather than the body, as at a stage of boyhood, youth and old age etc., viz., he does not regard the self, as different from the body.
This assumed affinity for the alien body, and the world, becomes so firm, that he remembers it without making any effort. If he realizes his real affinity, for the sentient and eternal Lord, he can never forget Him, and while performing all actions, such as sitting, eating, drinking, sleeping and waking etc., he automatically will think of Him.
A striver, whose only aim, instead of hankering after worldly pleasures and prosperity, is God-realization, it means, that he has started realizing his real affinity, for God. When he fully realizes this real affinity, he has not the least desire, to hanker after worldly pleasure and prosperity, through his mind, intellect, senses and body etc.
|
|