Gita Series – 108: Bhagavad Gita Chapter IX. Verse 29 – 32

“I am impartial; there is none dear to Me or hateful to Me. However, those who seek Me with true devotion reside in Me and I also reside in them. Even if a perpetual sinner worships Me with sincere devotion, he should be declared as a saint, because of his righteous resolve. He transforms into a virtuous man and attains everlasting peace. Arjuna, know for sure that My sincere devotee never falls. Irrespective of gender and caste, whoever takes refuge in Me, attains the supreme goal.”

Every being is equally important to the Lord. There is no favouritism in the domain of the Lord. All are equal. Lord looks at His creations only from one angle, the intensity and truthfulness of devotion. If one is truly devout to Him, He reveals Himself to the devotee. A devotee’s visualisation manifests in any form, as the Lord is not bound by any particular shape and form. Such manifestations can happen in all the stages of consciousness, the active state, dream state, deep sleep state, turya state and turyatita state. Generally, such manifestations happen when one is in isolation. Brahman is waiting for His devotees to think about Him all the time. The devotion that is discussed here is not the type of devotion that is exhibited as a daily ritual. It is not the devotion by visiting places of worship. It is the devotion arising out of pure love, expecting nothing in return. Nearest comparison to this kind of love is the love of a mother towards her newborn baby. The devotion for the Lord has to be absolutely pure. The devotion has to transform into love for Him. The Lord is always waiting for this kind of love. When He sees the tinge of this kind of love in someone, He is ready to shower His grace on him, in some way or other. However the experience differs from person to person.

If a perpetual sinner begins to love the Lord, Krishna says that the sinner should henceforth be known as a saint. Saints and sages always dwell in the Lord’s domain. When Krishna gives such a great importance to a sinner, who is just entering the spiritual path, it means that his transformation is more important. But Krishna does not say that He will declare Himself to Him. To put it the other way, Krishna says that the change in his thought process is important. It is like rising up from an abysmal fall. He knows the pains of his fall and would never resort to his evil thoughts and actions again. As he knows the pains of his fall, he turns into a sincere devotee and leaves no stone unturned to attain the eternal peace. A mere thought of the Lord is more than enough for Him to shower His Divine Energy to protect him at all times. This energy enters into his body through brahmarandra, an orifice at the top of the head and through the back head chakra, the medulla oblongata. Once a sinner has transformed as a devotee, the Brahman never lets him down. He is not allowed to fall, as a sincere devotee is always protected by the Lord.

There are no preconditions to become a devotee. A man or a woman does not matter. A rich or a poor does not matter. Nothing matters when it comes to spirituality. The door to spiritual path is always kept open for anyone with sincerity and perseverance to enter and reach the destination. But the glittering and inducing world of illusion distracts and pulls down many, making them to not even look at the ever open gate to bliss and liberation.

Further Readings:

Bhagavad Gita Chapter IX. 33 - 34

Bhagavad Gita Chapter IX. 25 - 28

Bhagavad Gita Chapter X. 1 - 5