Being in the presence of god is true Bhakti

Saint Baba Maharaj Arvikar says that those who feel like they love god, they should assume that they have still not come on the path of bhakti. How can we love that divine form? That parmeshwar is the one who gives us boundless love. Loving god is hard. We must remember the love of god. We are not supposed to love the divine form by ourselves. We are supposed to develop a gratitude for that love. This is true spiritual practice (sadhana). 

Once, when Baba was on the way to Vrindavan, he saw a loving bhakta (devotee) of Gopal Krishna. From a outwardly material perspective, he appeared to be poor, destitute and wearing rags. It was a very cold winter and he was sitting in the middle of the railway tracks. Baba noticed that the man’s eyes were running, his body was covered in dust and dirt, making it impossible to tell when he had last showered. 

Baba went up to him and asked, “Why are you so upset? What is happening to you?”

Hearing this, the bhakta began to bawl. He couldn’t even speak properly. 

Then Baba, consoling him, asked, “But what is happening to you?”

The bhakta said, “Shri Krishna loves me so much, but I can’t even chant his name. I say it, but I can’t remember him. That is why I am crying.”

Saint Baba Maharaj Arvikar says that being in the presence of god’s love and being grateful is called bhakti. We only have to remember the love that god has for us. That is the most important task of a bhakta. Only one who can remember the love that the divine has for us is truly in the remembrance of the divine or namasmaran!