There is a difference between Mansi Puja (Indirect worship) and direct worship of God.
In Mansi Puja we offer the food we like to God. Everything is done based on our taste. If God is really present here with you, then? Do we say, “Maharaj, I like it very much. You should eat it.” No. Then we offer everything based on Maharaj likes.
In Mansi Puja or indirect worship, we offer what we like. In direct worship of God, we offer what God likes.
Nishkulanand Swami stresses the importance of direct devotion and direct service to God. Direct service and devotion to God and Saints is not easy to obtain, yet the rewards are great.
Search for the opportunities to serve God and His Saints
We should constantly keep on searching the opportunities to please God and His Saints. We should always be ready to serve them. We should bear cold, heat, rain, and other obstacles and do unbreakable service to God and His Saints. We should never think of bodily comforts to serve God and His Saints. Don’t be biased for favorable conditions, and don’t be disturbed or worried for unfavorable conditions. When you get the opportunity put your best efforts to serve God and His Saints.
The one who wants to serve God, or His Saints should be ready to serve them even before the opportunity comes to him. You should be well prepared, and you should also prepare the conditions to deliver the best services.
Think about what God or His Saints might like at a given time and serve them accordingly.
You should not think, “Why God or Saints were liking something yesterday and it got changed today.” You should also not think that, “They say something and do something else.” If you think so you can’t deliver the service. You should wishfully accept the changes they make and keep on serving them.
Real servant of God
If God or Saint doesn’t like a thing or person, break your relation with that thing or person without a second thought.
Nishkulanand Swami says that such a flexible person is the only one who can serve the best and please God and Saints to the maximum extent. Only such a person is the real servant of God.
Maharaj said that, “Mulji Brahmachari has the qualities like that of God.” He doesn’t look great, but he is very flexible towards Maharaj. He exactly does as per Maharaj.
In many cases servant decides and master accepts. Many servants like this principle: “Master should take service from me in the way I like. He should take Seva as per my taste and not as per his taste.”
Indirect devotion does not help to reach God
In olden days when a king wishes to occupy another city, they used to reach the city with elephants. They use the elephants to smash the main entrance doors of the city. Without elephants they could not smash the main entrance and thus would not be able to enter the enemy’s city.
Similarly, indirect devotion may look good and precious. But it can’t be used to break the doors of Maya (illusion). To break Maya (illusion) we need the elephants in the form of direct devotion and Seva of God.
Devotees who do direct devotion are eating tasty sweets. Devotees who do indirect devotion are eating stones. Even though stones have some taste, you can’t digest them.
Scriptures always sing the importance of direct-devotion. They do not stress about indirect-devotion. A devotion is direct only when you serve God as per His wishes. If you don’t serve God as per His wishes, it is an indirect devotion even if you are serving God in person.
Indirect-devotee does the service of God in the way he likes to do service. Direct-devotee does the service of God by giving up his likings and doing exactly as per God’s wishes. Both direct-devotees and indirect-devotees does Seva (service) to God.
First step of direct devotion
Giving up our bad nature (bad as per Maharaj) is the first step of performing direct worship of God. God will forgive all our shortcomings. If you give up your bad nature and perform service to God, you have already achieved fifty percent of direct-devotion.
Doing as per the wishes of God is the direct worship of God. If God ask you to wear something, wearing it. If God wishes to shave your beard, shaving it. If God wishes to keep your beard, keeping it. That is direct devotion. There is no other wish or thought. There is no argument.
The liberated souls of Badrikashram give importance to penance. The liberated souls of Vaikunth give importance to morality. The liberated souls of Golok give importance to love and devotion of God. The liberated souls of Akshardham give importance to God and His wishes.
It doesn’t mean that God doesn’t like the devotees with penance, morality, love, detachment, devotion. If God doesn’t like you practicing detachment, you should be ready to give it up. Muktanand Swami was giving a lot of importance to detachment and rigorously practiced it. Maharaj asked him to reduce his detachment. Muktanand Swami followed Maharaj wishes without delay.
Direct-devotion is very sensitive and subtle
Anyone performing the devotion of God always wishes to do the best possible devotion. In a race no one wishes to come second. Everyone wishes to be number one. Everyone wants to do the best devotion.
What is the best possible devotion? As per Nishkulanand Swami, direct-devotion alone is the best possible devotion.
Direct-devotion doesn’t mean the devotion that is performed when you are physically present with Maharaj. If that is true, then only the devotees who were present during Maharaj performed Direct-devotion? No.
After Maharaj left the world, there are many great Saints and Devotees who had no glimpse of Maharaj. Didn’t they do direct-devotion? Balmukund Swami, Mahapurush Swami, became Saints after Maharaj left this world. Maharaj did not initiate them or even see them. Isn’t their devotion direct? Their devotion is for sure direct-devotion.
What is called direct devotion?
Whether you are living with Maharaj or not doesn’t affect direct-devotion. Giving up your bad nature, likes, dislikes, and serving as per the wishes of Maharaj is called direct-devotion.
Maharaj is not even an inch away from those who give up their bad nature, likes, and dislikes and then serve God and His Saints as per their wishes.
With direct-devotion, Maharaj is always near you
We have to focus on giving up our bad natures and intentions. We should think on how much of our bad intentions are active when we are in relaxed mode or in free time. If we give up our bad nature, likes, dislikes and become like Gopalanand Swami, Nishkulanand Swami, Maharaj is never away. We should always keep Maharaj with us. Even now there are people who are very firm on direct-devotion of God.
Jeeva Kachar tried a lot to please Maharaj. But he did not give up his nature. He used to say, “Maharaj you should stay in my Darbar (palace). All Saints should stay in my palace. My palace has better comforts and wealth than Dada Kachar’s palace.”
Maharaj never accepted his request and stayed in Dada Kachar’s palace.
That is how some people stay with Maharaj and yet don’t give up their bad nature and habits even while offering service to Maharaj. Is their devotion direct? No.
If you perform devotion to Maharaj when he is physically present by keeping all the bad nature, bad intentions, it doesn’t become direct-devotion. If you leave all the bad intentions and nature and do as per the wishes of Maharaj selflessly, it becomes direct-devotion of God even if Maharaj is not physically present.
To understand direct-devotion you need to listen to what Maharaj said, listen to what Nishkulanand Swami said, and listen to what other great Saints have said, and live as per their words. Only then you can realize direct-devotion. But it is 100% true that you can’t achieve your ultimate good unless you perform direct-devotion of God.
Direct-devotion of Lord Rishabhdev
Maharaj mentioned His tastes in Loya Vachnamrut-11. He said that He likes the renunciation like that of Lord Rishabhdev. How was the renunciation of Lord Rishabhdev? His renunciation was so strong that he didn’t even accept the supernatural powers that came to him as a result of his devotion to God.
Why didn’t he accept the supernatural powers? Because God likes those who reject supernatural powers. Also, God said to never trust the mind. So, he never trusted his mind even in the case of acquiring supernatural powers. Maharaj likes such renunciation. When Lord Rishabhdev followed those principles of God it became his direct-devotion to the Lord.
When Prahladji was performing devotion of God, was God present with him physically? No. God was not physically present to accept the devotional services of Prahladji. At the end, pleased with Prahladji’s devotion, God manifested himself before Prahladji. Similarly, we should serve God and His Saints and please God so much that He Himself would manifest before us.
References:
Sarsiddhi Katha Part 19