Worship by Swami Sivananda FIVE CLASSES OF WORSHIP Rishis of yore have prescribed five classes of worship to the predominating Tattva in a man or woman. They are worship of Sri Ganesha, Lord Siva, Lord Hari, Sakti and Surya. If Prithivi (earth) Tattva is predominant, one should worship Sri Ganesha. If Apas (water) is predominant, he should worship Hari. If Agni (fire) is predominant, he should worship Surya; if Vayu (air) is predominant he should worship Sakti and if Akasa (ether) is predominant he should worship Lord Siva. FIVE KINDS OF WORSHIP There is another classification according to the capacity of the individual. Some worship elementals and lower spirits. These worshippers are Tamasic people. Some worship Pitris or forefathers and Rishis and Devas. Some worship Avataras as Lord Krishna and Rama. Some Worship Saguna Brahman. Advanced students worship Nirakara, Nirguna, Avyakta, Satchidananda Brahman of the Upanishads. These are the five kinds of worship

Puja or Worship by Swami Sivananda INTRODUCTORY Puja is worship of the Lord. This is one of the nine modes of Bhakti. This is also called Archana. The Lord is worshipped either in His Nirguana or Saguna aspect. Even this worship is done either with external materials or �merely mentally in the case of advanced devotees. The Bhakta does Puja to his Ishta-Devata. The Puja is Vedic, Tantric or mixed as is suitable to the devotee. One may choose any method according to his liking. Take bath in the morning. Perform your daily Sandhya or prayer. If there is an idol of the Devata it is good. Otherwise, worship can be done on the floor itself, after cleaning the place and drawing a Mandala there. Collect flowers, Dhoop, scented sticks, sandal paste, Arati (Dipa), camphor, fresh water, food-offerings (Bhog) to the Lord, a clean seat to sit on, a small bell, conch and cymbals if available. Offer a prayer to the Lord with Bhava and devotion. Offer flowers or rice soaked in water with Kumkum �(Akshata) to the Lord with His hundred and eight names or His Mula-Mantra repeated hundred and eight times. Offer Abhisheka with fresh water or milk or ghee or honey or Panchamrita as is convenient. Read elevating Stotras or portions of Bhagavata, Ramayana, etc., concerning the glories and Lilas of Bhagavan. If possible do Sahasranama Archana. Offer Arghya, Padya, Neerajana, etc. Mentally always think of the form of the Lord. You should not get up in the middle of the Puja for collecting anything. Keep ready everything beforehand. As many Mantras, Stotras and prayers as possible should be repeated to kindle divine emotion. You should decorate the Lord with fresh clothes and garlands made of flower. Adore Him with ornaments, flowers, scent, sandal paste etc. Do it with intense love and devotion. Offer to the Lord as Bhog sweet, cooked rice or some food that can conveniently be offered. Food specially prepared with ghee, milk etc., and those prepared with curd, vegetables, butter are very much recommended. The image should be rubbed with oil, cleaned, adorned and given all such loving treatment which one would give to his most beloved and dearest being in the world. Prepare various kinds of dishes for Bhog if possible and arrange for music, singing and dancing with divine Bhava on special days. Do Mahapuja. Offer Arati, burn camphor, wicks dipped in ghee etc. Let there be singing of the Lord’s glories and chanting of His Names. Offer prayers and surrender yourself to the Lord. Hear stories of the Lilas of the Lord as recorded in the scriptures. Say, O Lord! Have mercy on me. Be gracious unto me. Place your head on the Lord’s feet and pray, O Lord! Protect me from the ocean of Samsara with the shark of death in it. I am terribly afraid of it. I have taken shelter in Thee. Offer Prasad to others. If possible feed some poor people every day. Give Dakshina. Give clothing. Worship the poor as the Lord. Do everything with Nimitta Bhava. Have no selfish desires behind the worship you do. MANASIKA PUJA Manasika Puja is doing worship of the Lord without any external materials. All materials necessary for Puja are imagined in the mind and you feel that you are offering all of them to the Lord as in formal worship. This is more powerful than external worship. For, concentration is more in Manasika Puja than in Bahya Puja. Mentally feel all that you do in external worship. Enthrone the Lord in your heart. Do Puja, offer Arati, �Arghya etc. mentally. Do Shodasopachara-Puja mentally. This is only a feeling of what is otherwise done actually with hands. Feeling is more effective than action. PARA PUJA Para Puja is the highest kind of worship. This is the worship of the Jnanis. This is the effect of Realisation of the Self. The devotee feels that he can do nothing but only experience God. He says: O Lord! How can I worship Thee who is without parts, who is Existence itself? How can I pray to Thee when Thou art my very being itself? How can I offer �Arghya, Padya etc. to Thee when Thou art ever pure? How can I offer anything to Thee when Thou art ever an Apta-Kama? Can I wave a candle to the Sun and can I bathe the ocean with a glass of water? How can I offer Bhog to Thee when Thou art self-contented? And in this way the devotee feels the Infinite Nature of God. Para Puja is thus an illustration of impossibility of formal worship to God in consideration of His infinite and Eternal Nature full of Knowledge and Bliss. Para Bhakti and Para Puja belong to the same stage. At this stage the devotee becomes one with God and loses his individuality.

Rambles in Bhakti by Swami Sivananda TO TONGUEO Tongue!Recite, recite at all times,Om Namo Narayanaya;You will be blessed.Names of Lord VishnuPut an endTo the miseries of Samsara.Sing the Names of Hari,Sing His praise;You were leading all alongA despicable life.You lived in vain.Do not abuse anybody,Do not utter falsehood.Do not speak foul words,Do not utter harsh words.Speak sweetlyDo not backbite.Recite Ramayana,Recite Gita, Upanishads.Glorify others.Remember the LordWho gave you power to speak.Do not misuse your power.Merge in the Lord,Be ever blissful.TO CUPIDO Cupid! You are finished now,Get away from me,You cannot tempt me,You cannot excite me,Your power has gone now,You are impotent,Do you not know the powerOf Lord Hari’s discus?Sage Durvasa had to fly,He had no strength,To face Vishnu’s discus.I am under his protection;His discus will burn you:You are already limblessSiva’s third eye burnt you once.Take to your heels quickly,Become wise.Thou art Avidya’s child;Go back to your mother.Viveka and Vairagya,Devotion and Name,Will reduce you to ashes.Show not thy face,Put down thy flowery arrows,Seek refuge under Hari’s feet.Salutations unto Thee.O Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam,O Padmanabha of Triva

Prayer to Lord Krishna 1. Hey Mukunda! Thou art hypocrisy personified.How can I have reliance on Thy word?Thou preachest renunciation of wealth and women;But yet Thou Thyself wearest the Kaustubha jewel and Lakshmi.Is this Thine precept by example?Can anybody have faith in Thine teachings?Oh! tell me, I am much worried over thetrue meaningOf what You talk and how You act. 2. Hey Mukunda! Thou Thyself livest incoils of death;Why have You chosen the bed offire vomiting snake?How can You confer freedom to Thine Bhaktas?Can’t You with Your wealth purchase soft andsnow-white beddings?Thine Bhaktas feel terrible fear at sight of the snake.Thou art a bankrupt devoid of servants,palace and kingship,With ocean saltish water as Thine residence;Who will serve Thee and on whom You hold sway?Will fishes and water-animals serve Theeor obey Thee? 3. Hey Mukunda! Thou art the worst thiefand law-breakerStealing the butter from the pots of shepherdsabsent from home;And dallying with wives of men, unknown to them;Singing on the flute and dancing with themin lone forests.These, Thine acrobats never enhance Theein men’s estimate.But yet You preach that all praises aredue to Thee alone.And men should remember Thee at all times during work and sacrifice their all to Thee alone.COME QUICK, O LORD!O Lord! Thou art silent;I cried in my distress,I sought Thy shelter,I knocked at Thy door,There is no response.Why art Thou so cruel?I cannot bear anymoreThe sufferings and afflictions;My heart will break.Pundits only sayThou art Karunasasgar,Karunanidhan, Karunasindhu;Thou art cruel,Where is Thy mercy now?Is that ocean dried up now?Or have you become a miser?Can you not spare a drop for me?Why have you not shownMercy on me?Has Thy heart become stony now?Have you become deaf now?I will accuse Thee now,Keep up Thy prestige,Give me Darshan at once,Shower Thy grace on me.I will call Thee a serpentBecause you also live on air,You absorb the Prana of devotees;Come quick, O Lord!I am waiting and waiting.

Prayer to the Lord of Venkata Hill O Lord of Venkata HillTirupati or Balaji!O Seven Hill Ranga!Thou art seated at the topOf this sacred Hill;Thou art beyondThe seven planes and Sapta-dhatus.And the seven Chakras.When the Hundi is not full,The temple priest ties Thy feet,With the golden chain;Lo! Thy Hundi becomes full at once.I will also tie Thy feet now,Not with the golden chain,But with the chain of Love.How can you escape now?Please show Thy omnipotence now.Thou art bound by love;Thou art Bhaktavatsala,Thou art Bhaktapriya,Thou art Patitapavana;Enthrone Thyself in my heartAnd live with me for everThis is my fervent prayer.

Prayer to Lord Muruga 1. Hey Muruga! Thou art the most cruel andhot-headed monster,Because thou did not suck the milk ofone single motherBut grew up in the milk of six mothers,And thus developed aristocrat heads, deaf to prayersOf Bhaktas like me poor in strength, wealth and joy,With petitions manifold and diverse, ever and anon,But return despondent, mortification writ large,All due to Thine cruel heart and puffed-up pride. 2. How can I expect nobility and softness with Thee?Thou art born in a family of worst destitution.Thine father lives in burning ghats,Thine mother is the worst juggler inheavens and earth,Thine uncle is the worst thief and vagabond,Thine brother is a swell-headed andpot-bellied glutton.How can I expect mercy, kindness andprotection from Thee? 3. People blindly say of Thee as the crest-jewelof all worlds,Both here and hereafter; how can I believe themWhen my experience belies the truth of their praises?Thou art proclaimed as the destroyer ofAsuras of yore.But I find Thee withholding protection for mein sorrowsOr silent of encouragement of future help.Teach me the language used in your praiseAnd find out the meaning of the holy word,Which Thou Thyself imparted to Thine father Siva.Om Namah Saravanabhavaya.

Prayer to Lord Shiva 1. O Lord! What boons can you give me,Thyself being a pauper with a begging bowl,Going from house to house to beg your daily food;Seeing Thee at a distance, each cries Lo! our food is finished.With depicted misery and hunger writ on your face,You walk and wend your weary way in thiswealthy world,With none to feed you or your family,How can I expect gifts from one so low and abject? 2. Whenever I come to Thee for offering my praises,The bull in front nods its horns to plunge them in me,The venomous snake hissing fire keeps me away,The Ganges at the top, sprouts its coldest driblets on me,The filthy smell of bones and sharp Trisulturn me out sick with fear,The tiger and elephant skins bespeak your forest-life,Who will come and praise Thee as their Lord GodAnd sing Thy glories of which you have none? 3. People have sung of Thine extreme feeblenessThat one gave a hit on your back with his bow-stick,Another used his cane with unerring aim on your limbs,A third kicked you with his sandal-decked foot,A fourth hit you with stones from a distance,All these were emboldened in their acts of scant respect.Because Thou hast neither father nor motherWho will come to your rescue and punish the slighters?

Prayers to Lord Hari HEAR MY HUMBLE PRAYER When Gajendra was in trouble,You ran barefooted;When Prahlada was in distress,You came out of the pillar;When Draupadi was in affliction,You gave her infinite cloth.Why have You not heard my cry?The crocodile of lust has caught hold of me,The lust-Hiranyakashipu is attacking me,The anger-Dussasana is assaulting me,Please come to my rescue!Don’t delay a minute.O Lord with lotus eyes,O Lord of the Gopis,O Father of the three worlds,O destroyer of Kamsa,O Brother of Balarama,O Home of the worlds,O Slayer of Madhu!Just hear my humble prayer. HARI IS THE REAL FATHER I claim Lord Hari onlyAs my ownMine is Lord Narayana,None else;Father or mother or brotherIs not mine.They are my enemies,They are obstacles in the path;I abandoned all kith and kin.Prahlada left his father,Vibhishana his brother Ravana,Bali abandoned his Guru,The Gopis their husbands,Bharata left his mother.Relationship with HariIs alone true and happy;Hari is the real father and mother.Lord’s grace has lighted my path;The company of saintsHas elevated me:Solitude is a blessing.Meditation on the Ganges bankHas opened Vaikuntha’s door;I drink the nectar of Prem,I move about happily. WAKE UP, O LORD! The morning star is up,The day has dawned, O Lord,The sun is rising,The lotus is opening,Birds are singing,The dew-drops are drying,Devotees are waiting,Please wake up, O Narayana!And bless us.Just as the lion comes out,From its den joyfully,So also come out, O Lord Hari,Of Thy bed room,And direct Thy gaze on us,We are waiting;We are longing to beholdThy effulgent face.We have comePure in heartTo Thy holy presence;We stand before your sanctorum:We are servitors.Glory unto Thy feet!We adore Thee this early dawn;Grant us faith and devotion:Let our minds be attachedTo Thy lotus feet,Let us serve Thee for ever. INCOMPARABLE HARI I seek refuge in Lord HariBy whom the world is created,In whom it dissolves;Who is the first cause,Who is the greatest Lord;Who has no beginning, middle or end,Who is Himself all,Who is self-born.Lord Hari is incomparable,Even the Vedas cannot fathom Him;In wisdom He is the father of Brihaspati;In wealth He is the husband of Lakshmi;In beauty He is the creator of Cupid;In rulership He is the Lord of the Three worlds;In power He is the Lord of Indra;In brilliance He is the Sun of suns;In preceptorship He is the world’s first Guru;In heroism He is a terror of the Asuras;In peace He is the Lord of the Rishis;In purity He is the creator of Ganges;In godliness He is the God of gods;In love He is the source of Radha;In perfection He is Perfection itself;In freedom He is the Mukti-Dhama itself;In independence He is the Kaivalya Pada itself.Glory to Hari, the Lord of Lords! IT IS ALL THY GRACE O Madhava! O Keshava,By the sword of Thy graceI have cut off all my bonds;I am free, I am blissful,All desires have disappeared.Now I aspire for nothingBut Thy blessed feet;I have lost my thoughtsIn Thee, O Narayana.Thou hast cut the chainsOf my Sanchita Karma.Thy grace has saved me.Thou hast enthroned ThyselfIn my heart now;All my fears have vanished.Thou hast entered into meAnd possessed my entire being.I have not doneAny hard and long TapasFor such a great blessing.I have not practisedPanchagni TapasOr Chandrayana Vrata.I have not served devotees,I have not done Tirtha Yatra.Crores of prostrations unto Thee,O Hari, O Narayana,Hail Divine Grace! MY KING AND VICEROY My Lord Hari is the real King;He is the King of kings;He is the Viceroy of Viceroys.I am the servant of this Divine King;He is the Divine Majesty of Majesties,He is the Ruler of the Three worlds,He is the foremost Sovereign,He is the Emperor of emperors.Terrestrial Viceroy is selfish,He is a mortal being;But my Divine ViceroyIs Immortal and unselfish.Earthly Viceroy is the servant of the king;But my Viceroy is the Master of masters.Earthly Viceroy will retireAfter five years;But my Viceroy is the Eternal Ruler.O Hidden Viceroy of Viceroys.Salutations unto Thee!O Giver of boons.Lover of devotees,The Light of the world,The inner Effulgence,Prostrations unto Thee!Lift me up from this Samsara. OBEISANCE TO NARAYANA I bow to Lord Narayana,Who witnesses all phenomena,Who is free from all blemishes,Who is self-luminous,Who is the Supreme Soul,Who presides over all,Who is an ocean of mercy,Who is the source of Jiva.I prostrate to Lord Hari,Who is the cause of all,Who has for Himself no cause,Who brings misery to an end,Who is salvation itself,Who is the shelter for allWho has endless powers,Who is the source of Vedas.I salute Mukunda,Who has Chinmaya body,Who enlightens the devotees,Who is the best of all,Who is Purushottama,Who is the Consort of Lakshmi,Who is the Emperor of the three worlds,Who was compassionateTowards Gajendra. O LORD! HEAR MY PRAYER O Lord Hari All-merciful!Just hear my humble prayer:I decided to buildA lovely model cityIn my heart,And to bring Satsanga,Viveka, devotion, Brahmacharya,Japa, Kirtan, Prayer,To dwell there.But this mind is very mischievous;I am keeping quiet:I do not speak a word to him.He is violently attacking meOf his own accord;He is aggressive;He puts many obstaclesIn my sincere attempts.I raised the four wallsAnd put four windows;He came and pulled them down.Again I built the wallsAfter putting a strong foundation;I used cement this time:Still he broke them down.Perhaps it may beWar-quality cement;I cannot help this:When can I get Portland now?For everything there is permit;It is impossible to get permit.It is at the mercy of someWho are suffering from piles,Swelling and elephantiasis head.This is all Thy LilaLokavattu lila kaivalyam.He makes a threat to meThat he will bring his whole armyOf hypocrisy, pride, lust.And kill Satsanga and others,In the twinkling of an eyeWhat shall I do now?I cannot live without Thy grace!Save me! Protect me!Take this mind with Thee:This is only Thy Maya’s product.Let me remain at easeAnd succeed in my attempt.This time I will useThe best divine cementR. P. M. BrandRati, Prema and Mahabhava.Glory unto Thee!O Adhokshaja!Protector of three worlds. THY IMMEASURABLE COMPASSION O Lord! Thou art the protectorOf the helpless;Thy compassion is immeasurable.Thy greatness is beyond comparison.I am full of defectsAnd yet you have not picked holes in me;You have forgiven me,You have elevated me.I am a mere child,I am without intuition,I am without knowledge,I

Prayer by Swami Sivananda As children, we pray to our parents, elders and guardians at the time of our need: we seek their help, their guidance. When we grow into adolescence, we learn to pray to ourselves to our latent abilities and strength: we try to be self-supported without being dependent on others’ aid. But there is a limitation to this prayer. When we feel that we are in need of something else which is beyond our capacity, which is not always humanly possible, we resign ourselves to God, and pray for His help, for His guidance. Evidently, we feel His response: an all potent Inner Force that listens to our prayers and fulfils our wish the moment we are a little sincere and faithful. As for the devotee he resigns himself to God, surrendering his ego at His feet; he forgets all about the world and thinks of nothing else but God alone who would surely save him, and who alone is able to help and guide him. He communes his will with God’s and acts as per His guidance. There is no sense of individuality or doership in him: he knows God’s Will is his will, and must act up to it. Does that mean that he is shorn of Purushartha? Certainly not. For, he negates himself and resigns to the Lord; to him flows the divine grace instantly; his nature is divinised; and so, he naturally exerts himself in the right direction. Indeed, the very act of self-surrender is the Purushartha of the highest order. Whereas, for a Vedantin, his prayer is essentially the prayer to the Self within to Himself to the cosmic consciousness that is immanent in all. At his initial stage, he considers his prayer as a sort of desire either earthly or spiritual, either with motive or without motive. Then, when he sufficiently advances in his Sadhana, he considers his (so-called) desire as his will which finally opens his intuitive spiritual sight and becomes one with the Cosmic Will. H.P. Blavatsky views prayer as such. According to Ghazali, the Muslim mystic, prayer has three stages: verbal, mental and when merging with the Lord’s Will. At the first stage, the devotee sings the glory of God, chants His praise and pours out his anguish of heart in melodious hymns. Secondly when the mind becomes calm, when the outgoing senses have been restrained by sustained practices, when the mind cannot be easily affected by the evil influences, prayer becomes mental: there no physical effort is needed. At the third stage, when the mind gets concentrated in the Divine when it loses its outward attractions and becomes serene, devoid of desires or cravings, the prayer becomes automatic, natural and habitual: it reaches its highest stage. The Lord’s Will becomes his own will. For, God who is invoked by his prayer, merges in his mind in his will; there is no self-consciousness for him, he abides in the Lord, his mind being entirely saturated with Him: he perceives nothing external, nor anything internal; he even forgets that he is praying to the Lord, that he is absorbed in the Lord’s Willa vague sense of duality. But he has only one -experience his oneness with the Lord. Prayer is full of emotions: deep, serene emotions, marrowed with sincerity. But when it is more of an emotional, natural than of an actual sincerity, it becomes rather jejunical, and therefore, ineffective. It is here we do not receive direct response from God. Prayer has its consequences the nature of its response mainly depending upon the inner nature of the person who prays, his temperament and his object in view, his requirements, and his faith and sincerity the sine qua non of prayer. Sometimes our main object of prayer becomes selfish, grossly earthly, unreasonable and irrational. We crave for our selfish ends, for the fulfilment of our material desires. At times, we even venture to pray to meet our evil wish. It is here we experience its negative consequence. Essentially, prayer should be selfless as far as possible. We should first pray for the good of others, for welfare and peace of the world and for our own spiritual evolution; we should pray for the eradication of our evil qualities, for wisdom and knowledge, for goodness and saintliness. SLOKA Asato Ma Sat GamayaTamaso Ma JyotirgamayaMrityor Ma Amritam Gamaya Lead me on from unreal to Real, from darkness to Light, from mortality to Immortality. This is the best prayer; the prayer for the Light, for the Truth, for Immortality. The foremost prayer of an aspirant should be for the removal of his ignorance. His goal is to realise the Truth and to free himself from the meshes of those that are unreal. His goal is to realise his essential divine nature. At times even sincere prayer is not responded to. This however, should never be allowed to mar our faith or sincerity or to discourage and depress us; but should be considered as a necessity, to test our sincerity, our serenity and faith in God. At times this irresponse is often repeated. The devotee gets bewildered; he begins to lose his faith in God; and sometimes he is diverted from the Path. Indeed, it is here that we have to show our patience, our steadfastness and faith in His grace. Often God tests us with severest trials. But does it mean that He is unkindHe does not wish to pay heed to our prayers? Obviously not. It is only a test, which the aspirant must pass through. His faith may not be strong enough; his dross of mind might not have been cleaned yet; his heart might not have become pure yet. How can he strengthen his faith? How can he cleanse the dross of his mind and purify his heart? It is only through tests, trials and tribulations. Just as gold is purified by passing it through the crucible several times, so also the heart must become pure, the faith

Atma-Nivedana by Swami Sivananda Atma-Nivedana is self-surrender. In Vishnu-Sahasranama it is said: The heart of one who has taken refuge in Vasudeva, who is wholly devoted to Vasudeva, gets entirely purified, and he attains Brahman, the Eternal. The devotee offers everything to God, including his body, mind and soul. He keeps nothing for himself. He loses even his own self. He has no personal and independent existence. He has given up himself for God. He has become part and parcel of God. God takes care of him and God treats him as Himself. Grief and sorrow, pleasure and pain, the devotee treats as gifts sent by God and does not attach himself to them. He considers himself as a puppet of God and as an instrument in the hands of God. He does not feel egoistic, for he has no ego. His ego has gone over to God. It is not his duty to take care of his wife, children etc., for he himself has no independent existence apart from God. God will take care of all. He knows how to lead the world in the right path. One need not think that he is born to lead the world. God is there who will look to everything which man cannot even dream of. He has no sensual craving, for he has no body as it is offered to God. He does not love or adore his body for it is God’s business to see to it. He only feels the presence of God and nothing else. He is fearless, for God is helping him at all times. He has no enemy for he has given himself up to God who has no enemies or friends. He has no anxiety for he has attained everything by attaining the grace of God. He has not even the thought of salvation; rather he does not want salvation even, he merely wants God and nothing but God. He is satisfied with the love of God for by that there is nothing that is not attained. What is there to be attained, when God has sent His grace upon the devotee? The devotee does not want to become sugar but taste sugar. There is pleasure in tasting sugar, but not in becoming sugar itself. So the devotee feels that there is supreme joy more in loving God than becoming God. God shall take complete care of the devotee. I am Thine, says the devotee. This self-surrender is Absolute Love for God exclusively. There is nothing but God-consciousness in the devotee. Even against his own wishes, the devotee shall become one with God and lose his individuality. This is the law of being. The Highest Truth is Absoluteness and the soul rises above through different states of consciousness until it attains Absolute Perfection when it becomes identical with God. This is the culmination of all aspiration and love. There are innumerable verses in the Bhagavadgita and the Bhagavata establishing the truth that self-surrender is the only way to attain the Supreme. Krishna teaches Arjuna that self-surrender, total and exclusive, alone can give him peace and relieve him from all sins. One who studies the Bhagavadgita and the Srimad-Bhagavata will come to know what great importance is stressed upon total self-surrender. For self-surrender is the annihilation of individual consciousness and the attainment of Absolute Consciousness. This is equal to Nirvikalpa-Samadhi or Brahma-Sakshatkara. The devotee flies to the state of the highest Mahabhava and merges himself in God. The wave subsides in the ocean. The spark becomes one with fire. The ray is absorbed into the sun. The mind merges in the Atman. The individual loses himself in the Absolute. The devotee becomes one with God. Worldly consciousness vanishes into Universal Consciousness. Man becomes God and the mortal becomes Immortal. Whatever belongs to God becomes the belonging of the highest devotee. All his sins are destroyed. He has no duties to perform. He is mere Apta-Kama or perfected soul. He is the most blessed. To him the whole world appears as mere Bliss. There is only the manifestation of Supreme Love. The Gopis and Bali Chakravarti practised this love. The Gopis lost themselves in Krishna. Bali, the king, offered his self to the Lord. The Gopis lost themselves in God-consciousness and attained the Supreme.