Shri Raajiiva Gita: Chapter-18: The Association of Enquiry of the Essence of Devotion (Verses 1-5)

Śrī Rājīva Uvāca:-
[Śrī Rajiiv Spoke]:-

[O Divine Preacher! God Datta! You have told that devotion is the path for pleasing God. Please explain the essence of devotion. Is it mixed with spiritual knowledge (Jñāna Yoga) and practical sacrifice (Karma Phala Tyāga Yoga), or is it pure love towards God?]

Śrī Datta Bhagavān Uvāca:-
[God Śrī Datta Spoke]:-

[Some eat cooked rice along with cooked vegetables and cooked pulses separately by adding ghee to both items separately. Some eat food, which is called ‘Khicḍi’ in which all these items are mixed and cooked one time. Rice contains carbohydrates, pulses contain proteins, vegetables contain vitamins and minerals and ghee contains fat. All these are essential nutrient items for the growth of the body.]

[In the first case, the person is eating different items separately. In the second case, all the items are eaten together once itself. You are thinking the first type of food as different varieties and the second type of food as one variety. In both types of food, all the nutrient components are present equally and both are one type of food only.]

[From spiritual knowledge, you will get all types of information about the personality of God. From this information, love on God is born, which is called theoretical devotion. When this devotion is tested, the essence of devotion is proved to be true and such succeeding activity in the test is called Karma Yoga or practice. These three are the pulses, vegetables and ghee respectively. Both Jñāna Yoga and Bhakti Yoga are tested separately also and this is told by the addition of ghee to pulses and vegetables separately.]

[Knowing the special and specific details of God is Jñāna Yoga, which is the cause for devotion or Bhakti Yoga. Jñāna Yoga is related to intelligence and Bhakti Yoga is related to mind. Intelligence and mind are theoretical only without a trace of practical concept. The practical side of spiritual knowledge and devotion is called as Buddhi-Karma Yoga, which yields the divine fruit, in which the intelligence predominates the mind and guides the practice to succeed and yield the fruit.]

To be continued...