What is True Worship?
Once you get rid of the of consciousness of individuality, all cause for anxiety ceases. It is this consciousness which imparts pride even about the sadhana that one is doing. This pride is no less harmful than the pride in any other form. The remedy is to ascribe to the divine will whatever happens. God knows wherein your good lies, and whatever He does is for your good. So never feel anxious about anything. Place your trust in Him and, eschewing all anxiety, go through life happily.
Devotion is substantially the same as non-attachment to worldly pleasures; devotion is complete attachment to God, whereas vairagya, conversely, is complete disinterestedness in worldly pleasures. When Prince Rama was about to set out on the fourteen-year banishment to forest, at the bidding of his step-mother Kaikeyi, he tried to dissuade his youthful bride from accompanying Him. She was so thoroughly devoted that she could not bear the thought of separation from him for any length of time, and counter-argued, 'Dear Rama, risks and inconveniences in your company are far more pleasant to me than the so-called safety and amenities of palace life'. Being a whole-hearted devotee, she was completely oblivious of other circumstances. We, however, depend on circumstances while, simultaneously, we aspire to attain God. So we may adopt a via media, and say to Rama, 'My circumstances entirely depend on your will.' If we say this in earnest, we shall be happy under any circumstances.
His worship can be called genuine who does it sincerely; the external formalities do not count. Worship can be only true if the worshipper sees God in everyone and everything and who, therefore, takes care not to hurt anyone's heart.
Saguna worship aims at having the feeling, 'Will my God approve of this?' as the guiding thought. The Supreme Consciousness completely pervades all creation, and manifests itself in any form anywhere at any time; this depends on the intensity of the devotee's feeling. To one who has firm belief, that is, who entertains not an iota of doubt in his mind, even a stone idol can exhibit divine qualities. The belief, however, must be absolutely genuine and pure.
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