The foundation of Bhakti

5 May Kochi – Bharata Yatra 2016
While visiting a house during her 2016 Bharata Yatra, Amma was giving darshan and distributing prasad. A boy about 4 years old came to Amma and told her that he wants bhakti (devotion).
Amma replied, “Aha – do you want bhakti? What is bhakti?”
The boy looked at Amma with a lost expression.
Amma asked him, “Is it chocolate?”
“Yes,” the boy answered quickly. “Its chocolate.”
Everyone had a good laugh. Amma was repeating his words – bhakti is chocolate. Then Amma compassionately explained to the boy the true meaning of bhakti:

16-bhakti

“Perform all your actions with grace (with the blessings of the Guru). Every day, when you get up in the morning, do pranams to Mother Earth. Prostrate to your parents and elders, prostrate to the teacher in the school. Seek their blessings.
When you take a book or a pen for your studies – do pranam to it. Then only you should use them. Whenever someone comes to you (in the house), you should get up, give them a seat, ask them if they have had anything to eat. Don’t fight with anyone, don’t beat anyone. This is the foundation of bhakti.”
Amma explained how one should perform his daily actions in life: “Play while you play, study while you study, Pray while you pray. When you pray, pray like this: ‘Oh Lord, please shine in and through all my actions.’”

-Sakshi