Humility and Devotion

Last updated on: May 22, 2010 at 12:19 am by Desh Kapoor

Humility and Devotion 2010-05-22T00:19:23-05:00 Desh Kapoor

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Humility is an aspiration, and an act – a farce. Devotion is being by not being.

Humility like all other virtues is an aspiration in context of an imagined moral. It is not a natural act of living but a compromise. I am, but I will nevertheless bow to you. And as an evidence of my humility, I am willing to consider you as “virtuous” and myself to be the sinner. I will make you the keeper of all Good, the owner of all Happiness; and my own self as the default keeper of Sin and the “Bad”. But despite all that I exist. Through my act, I will hide myself. From you. And my own perception. Fooling as long and as much as I can.

Humility requires effort and is a conflict of dualities. Refusal to give up one’s own self, and despite that eulogize another – however, fake as it may be.
Devotion cannot be helped. It just is. When I am so into you, that I am you. Devotion then is.

There is a Sanskrit word which is often used for Prayer -Upasna – where “Up” means being, and “Asna” means “in Position”. Upasna is an act of devotion if it really is being where and what your object of devotion is. It is not sitting away from the object of devotion and being different and YET attributing divinity through fake and practiced humility. Rather to BE your Devotion. There is no practice. There is no effort. There is no difference. When you and your love are One, distinctions are no more and no more is a pedestal there. You are the coordinates of your devotion.

Humility can wane. Can waver. The Humble may re-evaluate his position. The Devoted doesn’t. Can’t. Good and the Bad reside in One. There are no distinctions. Either all that is Good and the Bad is Me or all of it is You.

And when the distinction is just semantic then the need to re-evaluate Devotion doesn’t arise. The definition of Me is the definition of You is the definition of Us is the definition of Our interaction. Devotion is Me, You and Us. When I have no existence in absence of You, when being me is also being you, then Upasna is the result.

Karma-less Action is Devotion. Ego-less action and living. Ego-less existence is not forced detachment. Practiced Humility with a view to achieving forced detachment is a popular superstition in Ego-less living. When you understand Devotion in its entirety, you would realize being an infinite Ego can also mean an ego-less living. When the Me becomes the Infinite US.

Spirituality

Previous Post

May 21, 2010

Canada's official view: Indian Government indulges in systematic violence against civilians

Next Post

May 24, 2010 Indian Exams, Our Lives and Our Society

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Aarti Achievement and Leadership AfPak Africa Annual and Year-end Asia Audio Australia Behavioural Sciences Bhagwad Gita Bhagwad Gita Blogging Blogs Business Business Intelligence Business Strategy Cannes Careers Chanakya China Conservation Corruption Creative Daily Links Desh Poems Development & Welfare Devotional Audio Devotional Songs Drama Earth Economics Education Entertainment Environment Europe Everyday Quotes Featured Articles Featured Songs Finance Flickr Pictures Food Geo-Political Global Warming Globalization Health & Medicine Hinduism Historic History Humour India Indian Culture Indian music Indian Weddings Israel Issues Legal Link Love Minorities Misc Motivation and Personal Development Movie Lists Movie Reviews Movies Mumbai terror attacks Natural Disasters Nature News Outsourcing Pakistan Parenting Personal Philosophy Poetry Politics Poverty Quotes Recipe Regular Blog Post Relationships Religion Religious/Spiritual Audio Sciences Showcase Slideshow South Asia Special Stories Spiritual Quotes Spirituality Sports Stories Strategy Technology Technology Terrorism Travel Uncategorized US Video Women Women_s Rights Worship Yoga

Select a Month December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 June 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 September 2014 August 2014 January 2014 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who did Paul send to check on the Thessalonians when he could not come himself?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Luke Titus Timothy Silas