From a satsang with Pt. Balram Persad, Spiritual Leader, SWAHA Om Shakti Mandali
It is said that if we practise an action for 30 days, it will become a habit. What habits should we cultivate? Let us practise the habits of praying, worshipping, giving charity and cultivating positive qualities. Once these are habitual in our lives, then we will receive the grace of God. This is the purpose of life. It is the reason that the divine has granted us so many religious occasions for us to turn our lives towards Him. These are opportunities to reform and transform our lives.
The simple act of offering an item with love to God is one that we should cultivate daily. Bhagavan Shree Krishna says in the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita (chapter 9, verse 26),“If one offers to Me with devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or even water, I delightfully partake of that article offered with love by My devotee in pure consciousness.” The offering itself is variable, but more important is the attitude of love in the heart with which it is offered. He provides us with the opportunity to make the offerings so that we can refine our emotions and uplift ourselves. For Raksha Bandhan, we seek to buy the best rakhi for our brothers. The beauty and price of the rakhi might be a consideration, but of greater significance is the person for whom it is destined, as well as our attitude towards them. God teaches us to look at the essence and energy beyond the external form. He encourages us to look within ourselves and others as He is the indwelling force, the antaryami.
Once, devotees offered fruits and flowers in the mandir to Shree Krishna. To their astonishment, they heard a voice saying that they should place the fruits and flowers on the roadside in front of the temple. They did so and returned to the temple. Then, a devotee with nothing to offer walked along the road and spotted the fruit. Delighted, she picked them up, washed them and carried them to the temple as an offering to Shree Krishna. She was grateful to have an offering for the divine, but still, they were incidental to her worship, which was characterised by her deep love for Shree Krishna. She offered the fruits and flowers to Him with love in her heart and He accepted them as they were from a true devotee.
Even as we observe and celebrate the various auspicious occasions that the Supreme Being has provided us for worshipping Him and transforming ourselves spiritually, let us also cultivate the habit of love for the divine every day, through worship, prayer, nurturing of positive actions and qualities, and we will receive a divine transformation in our lives.
