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    What is devotion?

    Branches of a tree bend gently, yielding to the wind
    Short answer: For Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, devotion is trust in an organizing power greater than yourself — expressed in the feeling "Thy will be done". It isn't passivity, but an inner stance: accepting what's happening right now instead of fighting it. Out of this devotion, Gurudev says, come contentment, enthusiasm, and a life without constant grumbling.

    What Gurudev says

    You know the feeling of trying to hold everything together yourself — and how exhausting that actually is? Gurudev describes devotion as the opposite move: not control, but trust.

    Have faith in the infinite organizing power of the Supreme Intelligence and have the sincere feeling, 'Let Thy will be done'. Then the seed – 'It's not OK' – gets burned. 'Thy will be done' is a state of total contentment, a state of just love.

    From the book "An Intimate Note to the Sincere Seeker" — knowledge sheet 176, "The Cause of Return" (21 October 1998, Montréal Āshram, Canada)

    This "Thy will be done" isn't resignation for Gurudev — it's a state where contentment and love are simply already there. So how does this attitude actually show up in how you deal with what's happening right now?

    Tapas is agreeing with the moment, total acceptance of all pleasant or unpleasant situations. Vairāgya means I want nothing and I am nothing. Sharanāgāti is I am here for you, for your joy.

    From the book "An Intimate Note to the Sincere Seeker" — knowledge sheet 103, "The Way Out of Sorrow" (28 May 1997, Marseilles, France)

    Three facets of the same stance: accepting what is (tapas), wanting nothing (vairagya), and being there for someone else's joy (sharanagati). Together, they describe what Gurudev calls devotion. And what changes when this devotion becomes truly complete?

    Total dedication brings enormous enthusiasm, zeal, trust, and does not leave any room for ego.

    From the book "An Intimate Note to the Sincere Seeker" — knowledge sheet 102, "Dedication and Commitment" (21 May 1997, Vienna, Austria)

    Enthusiasm, zeal, trust — and no more room for the ego that keeps trying to assert itself. That, Gurudev says, is the fruit of real devotion.

    What you can do

    1. Practice the feeling "Thy will be done" instead of trying to control everything. This inner yes, Gurudev says, burns the seed of "this isn't okay" — without you having to fight for it.
    2. Accept the present moment as it is. Gurudev calls this tapas: full acceptance, pleasant or unpleasant — not resignation, but a conscious inner stance.
    3. Ask yourself who you're there for right now. Gurudev describes sharanagati as the stance "I am here for you, for your joy" — turn your attention away from yourself and toward the other person.
    4. Notice how much room your ego is taking up. Complete devotion, Gurudev says, leaves no room for the ego — a good gauge for how far you've already let go.

    Frequently asked questions

    How can I learn to let go of my worries and trust? Gurudev says that everything we long for comes to us anyway once we let go — the problem is the tightly closed fist that not even air can get into. That opening, for him, is the whole point of any spiritual practice. With an everyday example, he also shows how quickly a small, unexplained thing — a partner going to the movies without saying so — can spiral into real chaos through holding onto doubt.

    How can I learn to be content with what I have? Gurudev shows how we get equally stuck whether we have something or not: someone with a big car complains about the burden of maintaining it, someone without one complains about not having one. Contentment, for him, doesn't come from the object itself. He also describes the mind's peculiar nature: it desires something, but loses interest the moment it gets it — and if it doesn't get it, it falls into frustration instead.

    What does it mean to trust in a higher power? Gurudev points out that your heartbeat and breath were never under your willful control to begin with — every cell grows and decays by itself. He calls this the basis for trusting existence instead of fearing loss of control. To the anxious loop of "why is my mind like this, when will it get better," his answer is simple: drop the question and relax into the trust that you're already being taken care of, wherever you happen to be.

    How can I become calmer inside? Gurudev warns that trying hard to "undo" restlessness is itself another form of doing, which only feeds the restlessness — he compares it to stirring a pond with a stick and then complaining that it's muddy. He also points to the paradox of wanting peace so intensely that the wanting itself makes you restless — while real peace comes only from within, never from outer circumstances.

    Related questions

    Sources

    The quotes on this page come from:

    • An Intimate Note to the Sincere Seeker — "The Cause of Return" (knowledge sheet 176, 21 October 1998, Montréal Āshram, Canada)
    • An Intimate Note to the Sincere Seeker — "The Way Out of Sorrow" (knowledge sheet 103, 28 May 1997, Marseilles, France)
    • An Intimate Note to the Sincere Seeker — "Dedication and Commitment" (knowledge sheet 102, 21 May 1997, Vienna, Austria)