Inner Worship

Hemadpant has given us a novel form of worship. Let us, he says, use hot water in the form of tears of joy to wash the sadguru’s feet. Let us besmear His body with the sandal paste of pure love. Let us cover His body with clothes of true faith. Let us offer eight lotuses in the form of our eight sattvic (pure) emotions and fruit in the form of our concentrated mind. Let us apply Kaajal (black powder) in the form of emotion to His forehead and tie His kafni with the waistband of bhakti (devotion). Let us place our head on His toes. Decorating the sadguru with jewelry in this way, let us offer all that we possess to Him and wave chamar (fan) of devotion to ward off heat. After such blissful worship, let us pray thus:

Oh Lord! turn our mind inward so that we can discriminate between the unreal and the real. Develop inside us non-attachment from all worldly things, enabling us to attain Self-realization. We surrender ourselves, body and soul (body consciousness and ego). Make our eyes Your eyes, so that we should never feel pleasure and pain. Control our body and mind as per your wish. Let our restless mind find peace at Your feet.

As quoted in Shri Guru Bhagavat:

Guru hey mora janamara || Seema naahin mo agyaanara
Tamaku nathili mun jaani || Tamaku kebe ta daakini

 Tumaku chihni mun napaare || Debataa hey nara roopare
Jaanenaa ki’baa tuma dhaama || Aau tumara dibyakarma

 Tathaapi ete krupaa kala || Mo bhali paapeeku paalila
Pratidaanare debaa paain || Lotaka chadaa kichhi naahin

“Oh Guru of my past lives, there is no limit to my ignorance. I neither knew you, nor did I ever yearn for You. I never realized that You are my God, embodied in a human form. I was not aware of the abode of Your divine activities. Yet, You showered so much of grace and took a sinner like me under Your wings. I have nothing to offer in return except my tears of love to You.”

Jai Shri Sai !

Sources:
1. Shri Sai Satcharita (Chapter 26)
2. Shri Guru Bhagavat Vol.3 by Dr. C B Satpathy