Skip to main content

Whatever you offer God reflects your love

A gift is a memory that you create for your loved one. 

When you offer a rose to the love of your life, wouldn't you carefully pick the most beautiful rose that has bloomed? Or, when you gift the love of your life with chocolates, wouldn't you take great care to make sure it is perfect in taste and presentation? 

So, when we gift God with flowers or fruits or any form of prasad, do we dedicate it to God with the same degree of perfection, commitment and love? Or, do we do it as a mechanical chore that needs to be quickly done.

To his earliest devotees, Bhagawan Sri Sai Baba said, "When you offer something to God, it should be with purity of thought, word and deed. Your heart is the temple of God. Therefore anything that you offer God externally should reflect the same detailing, the same purity. Never offer a flower that has slipped to the floor or a wick thread that fell out. Never offer to God something that has fallen down. God needs only love. Whatever you offer God reflects your love. So, never offer God something that is remotely unclean or dirty."
Labels:

Comments

Rachna said…
And, I wonder about those people who pluck flowers from others' gardens to offer to God. That is stealing, isn't it? And, I have seen many aunties doing it.
May 13, 2012 at 9:54 PM
Swapna Raghu Sanand said…
Yes, I believe it would. I've also seen many people doing it, and even adults telling children to do that. It's equivalent to stealing even though the intention is to offer something to God. Whatever the intention, taking from some one without that person's consent is stealing.
May 13, 2012 at 10:55 PM
Ajith said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
May 21, 2012 at 9:57 AM
Ajith said…
Good one.just one thought, why cant you offer a fallen flower to God but if your heart is pure its still fine rit?
May 21, 2012 at 10:00 AM
Swapna Raghu Sanand said…
@Ajith - Thanks for stopping by. The spiritual masters say that when we offer something to God, it reflects the quality of our love and respect to God. For the same reason, we have to take extreme care of what we offer God. Best to offer namaskar before God than a fallen flower.
May 23, 2012 at 1:31 PM
Post a Comment

Most LOVED Posts

The Ugly Truth about Caste in Kerala

Many years ago, when I wrote this post on Kerala's caste system, I had not considered that people would start sending in abusive comments about one caste over the other. It baffles me that this is how Indians, all of us, continue to judge each other on account of caste differences.  [ READ: Guru Kripa: Powerful Lessons at the Lotus Feet ] My question is - why do you ABUSE any caste or community? I suggest that you read about the lives of great Masters and their stories - none of them judged anyone on the basis of caste.  You can read the life stories of Sri Adi Shankara Bhagawadpada, Tulsidas, Jnaneshwar, Namadev, Sri Aurobindo, Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Paramahansa Yogananda, Shirdi Sai Baba, and many more Gurus in Sanathana Dharma. NONE of them endorse these caste hierarchies in Bhakti Marga. Assuming that Guru Sampradaya does not appeal to your sensibilities, do read this  new book 'Ants among Elephants' written by Sujatha Gidla, who writes about herself as being bor...
181 comments
Read more

Best time to light diya

Want to know when is the best time to light diya or deepam at home? In most Hindu homes, 'deepam' or 'diya' is lit at least twice - once in the morning and then in the evening. For both times, brass is considered to be auspicious for lighting deepam or lamp at home. Clay diyas are also considered auspicious for lighting at home. When lighting diyas on Fridays, it is better to use ghee than oil, if possible. [ Connect with Svara on Facebook ] [Read: Vidyarambham - The Labyrinth Within] When Should I Start Lighting Diyas? The symbolic shift begins from darkess to light. Therefore, in the evenings, light diya before sunset to usher in divine blessings into your home. At what time should we light diya today? Every morning at sunrise and every evening before or at sunset. An ideal time would be to light the diya at least half an hour before sunset. Can we light diya after 12 PM? In Hindu homes, the diya is lit early morning at around sunrise and towards evening sunset. Can ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Does something bad happen if the diya goes off?

Is it bad if a diya goes off? This is a frequently asked question among people who light the evening lamp or diya regularly in their puja room.  [READ: How To Light Deepam at Home and  Why Malayalis Light Nilavilaku ]                                                     [Image by Sachin Yadav @ Pixabay] Why Did My Lamp Suddenly Turn Off? Where there is faith, there should be no scope for fear - this is Bhagawan Krishna's message to Arjun on the battlefield of Kurukshetra.  That represents strength of Bhakti. [READ: Bhakti: Meera's Greatest Wealth] Consider another example in the tradition of Bhakti.  When Prahlada, a young lad, is targeted by his own father, he remains calm under every situation. When he is thrown into the sea, the wise lad is reminded that the sea is the abode of Shriman Narayana. [ READ: Amazing Stories of Lord Shiva ] H...
Post a Comment
Read more

Saree Woes 2

Our earlier discussion on Saree Woes really perked up my spirits. A big thanks to all of you for pepping me up. Okay, here's the good news. There was an unexpected late night party that I had to attend in Gurgaon. To be honest, I haven't had the time or energy to attend any such parties after Adi was born. I was sure I wouldn't have the confidence to make conversation with the glitterati, let alone feel confident to carry off wearing a saree. This is one of those parties where you have to be dressed very formally. Well, at the end of a working woman's day, you hardly feel ready to attend one of these parties looking like a moron, right? So, with very little preparation and very few hours left, I called on all the gods in Heaven to help me look a little younger and prettier since I don't have the magic to look young all on my own. Although I was tempted to wear one of my awesome Kancheevaram treasures, I knew it would be very difficult to drape it without any h...
33 comments
Read more

Do you have a List? I don't!

The wise people in my life have always advised me to be organized and making lists is the best way to get started. However, I don’t make lists and when I do, I lose them somewhere and end up spending more time and effort searching for it and finally, it leads me to tears. Before marriage, I never understood the value of time. My father always told me how important it is to make use of time and his formula was  'Time is God' but I didn't understand it. Of course, watching MTV and reading books and wandering out with friends is how I spent most of my time. Now, I realize that if I had been more time-conscious, there is so much that I would love to do with my time. I have a lot of shortcomings as a person but I am very proud about the fact that I work very hard at everything that I do and I utilize my every hour of every day and extract the best out of it. A normal day is when I just get very busy, going from task to task of what seems important, listening to my inner ...
25 comments
Read more