Bhakti as the Antidote to Doership
Bhakti, characterized by humility and servitude, serves as the primary antidote to the lingering sense of doership and ego, guiding one to dissolve personal will into the Divine will for a life of deepening devotion.
When one is living in that space with... can you repeat my... when one is living in that heart temple, yeah, and there is a... the more the sense of this, it comes slowly and slowly and little by little, more the feeling of 'I'm not the doer,' right? I mean, you are not actually. So that goes with... so in that, sometimes I make... I'm really like, if there was a judge he would say like, 'You're a real fool, idiot, you've been rude to so-and-so,' or 'You didn't do this nicely,' or 'This is hardly the way to behave in this journey.' And then I find that now when I don't beat myself up on that at times, yes, then I'm more able to let go also of the other side of feeling great if I... or like I sometimes get carried away with the feeling that I'm now, you know, reached some... like you said, there is no mountain even, but whatever. But I think that that is helping me to let go of that also, that I have done something not good. I mean, there's an awareness of it, but it's also then let go.
Very good. So let's look at this question also. This is also fundamental to our spirituality. So like we said, in the human condition there always remains at least a remnant of this ego, of this pride. In the same way, in this human condition, there always—and both are probably the same in some sense, but just to express in a different way—there remains a remnant of doership, of agency, of volition. As much as we want to be free from that, it remains. And that will always lead to some pride or some guilt. So as long as I take myself to be the doer, there will be some... the mind will come with an offer of some pride or some guilt about that, you see?
So what is the best antidote? What to do with that agency? See, and I feel that Bhakti, and specifically the servitude aspect of Bhakti, is the antidote for that remnant of the sense of agency that we have, you see? Which is linked with that humility, servitude, faith, gratefulness, prayerfulness—all of these are the ingredients of a true bhakta. And the Bhakti then itself becomes the antidote to any sort of egoic pride stepping in. And because this agency seems to remain, because this pride seems to remain, then we must allow ourselves to be just moved by Him or just guided by Him. And these very simple instructions can be a lifetime of sadhna, but that lifetime will be worth it, you see? Because the original infection—I don't want to call it sin, but the original infection—is for us to go our own way with our own agency, with our own mind, with our own idea of choice. So allowing self-will to dissolve in His will, you see? It may not fully happen, but it may deepen more and more, and that deepening more and more itself will be the best life.
Key Teachings
- The human condition retains a remnant of doership, leading to pride or guilt.
- Bhakti, especially its aspect of servitude, is the antidote to this sense of agency.
- Humility, faith, gratefulness, and prayerfulness are essential ingredients of a true bhakta.
- Allowing self-will to dissolve into God's will is the path to a fulfilling life, deepening devotion over time.
From: Humility Is the Best Way to Enter God's Temple in Your Heart - 26th February 2024