Jagadguru Sri Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati Mahaswamiji's profound words of wisdom showered to a man who said he chants #Bhajans for his livelihood.

Jagadguru Sri Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati Mahaswamiji's profound words of wisdom showered to a man who said he chants #Bhajans for his livelihood.

"Do not reduce Bhajan to the level of being the means to secure livelihood"

His Holiness: You know that, when a man traverses the street pronouncing the name of Bhagawan loudly, women and children go to him with handfuls of rice which fills his pot before long and is more than sufficient for the day's meal. The pronouncing of the name of the Lord is certainly a very meritorious act but ceases to be so when it is done only with a view to getting a few handfuls of rice. If there is some delay in the rice coming to him and if the man pronounces the Bhagawan's name in a louder key so that it may be heard well by the inmates of the houses in the street, it is proof positive that the name is not pronounced for the Lord to hear but only as a substitute, a paraphrase, for the words, "Bring me rice."

Not being intended for the Lord, the Lord will certainly not listen to it. It is not proper at all to use such a valuable thing as the name of God to get at such a low object. It is tantamount even to an abuse of the name of God. I want you, therefore, to give up the idea that you are getting your livelihood by means of Bhajana, and to substitute in its stead the idea, "I am doing Bhajan and God is taking care of me," without connecting these two factors as cause and effect. Otherwise the effect of the Bhajan conceived of as the cause of your livelihood will exhaust itself as soon as that livelihood is provided for and will not leave behind any spiritual benefit. Further, this cause-and-effect conception will easily make you lose faith in Bhajan if you do not get your livelihood as comfortable as you want it. In fact, you will subconsciously feel that God must be thankful to you for worshipping Him and must out of sheer gratitude provide you for your wants. You may sometimes even feel that God is not sufficiently grateful to you for your chanting His praises. Such thoughts will necessarily bring you down in the scale of spirituality. So go on with your Bhajan quite disinterestedly, secure in the firm faith that whatever happens is the best for you in the view of God. Do not make a bargain of it. Do not reduce God or His Naama Sankirtana to the level of being the means of securing your livelihood.

-From the book Sparks from a Divine Anvil

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