Offering Heart(Hrudaya Kamalam) to God.

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Man worships God, who gave him human birth in many ways. During the worship, he offers leaves, flowers, fruits or water to the extent of his ability. 

It may be that offering this way is a sign of gratitude, but is a human being really capable of offering to God? If we think about it this way, we can say that it is not so perfect. God is the one who created the entire Universe. The gifts that a devotee gives to God are tiny. But if he does not offer something, the devotee's mind will not be satisfied.

Once upon a time, a Yogi prepared to worship God. Then wisdom dawned within him. Performing each and every act of worship, he addressed the Lord thus...

"O God Almighty, You are the Universe itself. So how can you be invoked? Where should you place your seat when you are the support of all creation? Why do you need water to wash your feet, since you are ever pure?  Why speak of a cure when you are Holiness itself?

How shall you be bathed, who are eternally pure? What garment shall clothe you? When the whole world abides in you? What use is yajna to you, who are beyond caste, colour and creed? Why sandal paste, when no ointment can enhance your Glory? 

Why offer flowers when you are the eternal fragrance? Why ornaments, when all brilliance shines from you alone?  Why incense,  when you, who stand unveiled, need no covering?

Why a lamp when you are the witness of all light? Why offerings, when you are ever fulfilled? Shall the One who grants joy to the Universe be pleased with a drumbeat? How can I circumambulate You, who are boundless and everywhere?  How can I  bow down to you, who are not two? If the Vedas strain to praise you, what words of mine can suffice? 

Indeed, before your infinite Majesty, even the greatest of men are but dust.  Yet..out of boundless compassion..You accept the worship of frail mortals.  This alone reveals the unfathomable ocean of your mercy.

O Lord, you do not seek wealth or possessions.  What you desire is only the surrender of the heart.  You say, " Remember me with devotion...that is enough."  But alas! The human mind is restless, ever fickle, driven by desires, and unable to stay fixed on You.

Yet the fact that God accepts the worship of man is an indescribable sign of His immense mercy...What God truly wants from man is not wealth, nor even possessions. He asks for the surrender of the heart from man. He says that it is enough to remember Him with devotion. But the human mind is restless and fickle. It does not stay in one place. Due to worldly desires, it cannot be attached to God. That is why  a great saint Sankara  says:

'O Lord! My mind is like a Monkey. It is always wandering in the forest of worldly desires, clinging to the branches of family attachments, and leaping from one craving to another without rest. I offer this Monkey-mind to your grace and keep it under your control.' 

This is the prayer of the humble devotee."O Supreme Lord..The golden mountain Meru rests in your hands.  Kubera, lord of wealth, stands as your servant.  The wish-fulfilling  Kalpavriksha, the Kamadhenu and the Chintamani dwell in your abode. And the moon, dripping with ambrosial nectar, shines upon your crown, spreading coolness and grace across the worlds. O Lord of Mercy, may my heart ever be yours. The Goddess Jaganmatha, who brings all auspiciousness, is by your side as the all merciful, so I cannot give you anything. All I have is my heart. I offer it to you"

Now, a question arises: how can we offer our Heart(Hridaya Kamalam) to God instead of material things?

HRUDAYA KAMALAM  Signifies the lotus of the heart--a spiritual concept in Hinduism describing the inner offering of one's heart, emotions, and consciousness to God, rather than external or material objects. Instead of presenting physical gifts or offerings, such as flowers, food, or money, Hrudaya Kamalam refers to offering one's pure heart, love, devotion, and thoughts to God.

Lord Srikrishna in Bhagavath Githa says:
                         
                    man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
                    mām evaiṣhyasi yuktvaivam ātmānaṁ mat-parāyaṇaḥ

Always think of Me, be devoted to Me, worship Me, and offer obeisance to Me. Having dedicated your mind and body to Me, you will certainly come to Me.

Sri Swamy Mukundananda clarifies like this:

Shree Krishna now concludes it by entreating Arjun to become His devotee.  He asks Arjun to unite his consciousness with God in true Yog, by worshipping Him, engaging the mind in meditation upon His divine form, and offering obeisance in pure humility to Him. 

Namaskuru (the act of humble obeisance) effectively neutralises vestiges of egotism that may arise in the performance of devotion.  Thus, free from pride, with the heart immersed in devotion, one should dedicate all one’s thoughts and actions to the Supreme.  Shree Krishna assures Arjun that such complete communion with Him through bhakti-yog will definitely result in the attainment of God-realization; of this, there should be no doubt.

According to Sri Ramchandraji Maharaj of Shahjahanpur, founder of Sahaj Marg, the offering that reaches the Divine is not external materials,  such as flowers, fruits, money, rituals, but the heart itself.  In his philosophy, the heart is the true temple of God, and when we surrender it in purity and simplicity, it becomes the highest form of worship.

Material offerings are limited, external and temporary. The heart(Hrudaya kamalam), when offered, is eternal and becomes the seat of the Divine. The heart should be clean, free from pride, selfishness and greed.  Just as we don't offer impure food to God, we should not offer a heart full of impurities.  Through meditation, prayer and constant remembrance, the heart becomes a fit offering. 

Sri Ramchandraji further says about the prayer:

" You are the real goal of human life. 
We are yet but slaves of wishes, putting a bar to our advancement.
You are the only God and Power to bring us up to that stage". 

Here, the prayer itself is an offering of the heart, not of external objects. 
Sit in meditation with the thought that the Divine light is already present in the heart with a feeling ' O Lord, this heart is not mine--it is Thine. Dwell here and make it pure. Instead of asking for worldly gains, surrender the inner being...your love, your devotion, your very self. 

Swamy Vivekananda also said: The heart is the shrine, the mind is the priest, and love is the offering.  God loves it very much if we offer our hearts with unwavering faith, unwavering devotion and a mind that can surrender everything. 

Abhyasi, Sri Ramchandraji Maharaj Seva Trust.

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