भगवंत भक्तीचा भुकेला...

Out of some unnamed curiosity and will to hear more, I was searching for Osho's speech online and I came across one video.

There I heard a story of King Akbar and one Preyasi. The king was in jungle for a fairly long time (I think for hunting only) and it started becoming darker. It was an evening. He sat for Namaaj and was busy in praying. After some time, one girl passed by him running almost crazily. She passed by him but while passing she unknowingly hustled the  king. King became furious to know that someone disturbed him in his Namaaj. But he didn't say anything at that time as if he would have done that it wouldn't have been right. The girl didn't even bother to look back as she didn't realise only that she has disturbed king. She disappeared in long and broad trees. But the king couldn't forget that someone has disturbed him in his prayer. He waited till the time the girl returned. Angry king stopped the girl and asked her a reason for disturbing him. Poor girls got surprised to know that she had disturbed someone in his Namaaj. She said that she was in hurry to meet his Priyakar who had returned to the village after long time and she politely apologised. But asked one question. " I was in so hurry to meet my Priyakar that I didn't even realise that I disturbed someone in his Namaaj. I was so much engrossed in running. My Priyakar is just an ordinary human being. But you were praying. You were trying to communicate with God then how did you come to know that someone has disturbed you? I didn't understand. Please tell me." The angry king calmed down. He introspected and realise that till now I have prayed only  as a duty. I didn't pray wholeheartedly. An ordinary Preyasi changed Akbar throughout.

It was such an insightful story that it made me ponder. Don't we too do this? We too pray to God just as a duty, just as a formality. We don't pay full attention in our prayers. We don't devote ourselves completely in prayers. We don't devote the self to God too. Most of us, we just see him after taking bath as a formality. Don't we? आपण देवाला पूर्णपणे शरण जातच नाही. मग तो तरी कसाला हाकेला 'ओ' देणार? And very first thing, why should we pray only for gaining something?

We human beings are too greedy and selfish. We pray just to get something. We  rarely pray to God to thank him. Isn't it ? Being completely immersed in the prayer, itself it's rewarding. But we don't understand this. We are always aiming at the results. We are concerned only about ' what are we going to get out of our prayers'. Isn't it?

We don't understand a simple fact that if we don't devote completely to God, how would we be able to hear us. How would he be able to reciprocate our prayers? He  won't. He doesn't need our 111 modak, belapatre, tulsee, doogh and dahi etc. He doesn't ask for gold jewellery or silver coated clothes. He just wants our intense Bhakti. We say in Marathi, 'भगवंत भक्तीचा भुकेला.' It means, the God wants only Bhakti (an intense love) and that's it. He doesn't expect much. And what are we offering? We are offering food, gold and silver and this and that... Have we ever thought what must be he feeling or thinking by seeing such things as offerings? We haven't right. Of course we have not... Because if we would have thought then we wouldn't have behaved like this.

It's time of Ganpati festival. Maharashtra specially Mumbai celebrates the festival completely, by all means. But I think the God doesn't want that DJs and current Bollywood hits not even regional irreverent songs... But we don't understand. We want everything grand. Why? Does God demand that? No. Never. Lokamanya Tilak started Ganpati festival beacuse he wanted to get Indians united. But what's happening now? It's totally opposite. People are competing with each other. People have commercialised the festival. And not just this... Even others like Gokulashtami and Navaratri... Only God knows where are we heading...

I hope the God of intelligence will give us bright intelligence and sensitivity.

But even in this gloomy picture, I see a little lamp which gives me a hope of brightness... The brightness of intelligence, sensitivity, common sense and serenity... I pray to it...

"शत्रुबुद्धी विनाशाय दीपज्योती नमोस्तुते ..."

- Dipti S. A. Shinde