In plain words
We cannot attain Ānanda. So we must remove the impurity of the mind. The disciplines that remove it in this way are the paths of Bhakti. On such a path of Bhakti we must take up certain rules. What is Bhakti? Is it merely doing japa, singing bhajans, practising dhyāna or performing pūjās? Even in these bhajans our mind does not stay steady. What is the reason? Our mind fixes itself only on the tune, the rhythm and the song. It does not turn towards God. If we turn the mind towards God and let go of tune and rhythm, this feeling becomes very sweet. But all our concentration goes to the rhythm, the tune and the song. This cannot be Bhakti, they have said.
To think of the divine with the principle of Prema, with a sacred feeling and a selfless thought: that is true Bhakti. Whatever we do, whatever we see, whatever we say, all of it must be done in the spirit of God. The reason is that God is everywhere. God is everything. We must develop that sense of the one Ātma in all. Today, whatever sādhana we do, we think we are doing it for God. That is a great mistake. We do not need to do anything for God. It is enough if you turn your mind. All the sādhana you do, you are doing for your own sake, not for God. We must recognise this principle. We sing bhajans. You enjoy it for yourself. God does not enjoy your bhajan. That is why, whatever pūjās you perform, you are doing them for your own sake. You need do nothing. What is the reason? When God is separate from you, what you do, what you give and what He receives are bound up in duality. That is why He said, ‘I am the Veda, the Vedānta and the knower of the Veda.’ That is why all that is done with speech is the Ṛg Veda, and all that is in Manas is the Yajur Veda. All that is joined with prāṇa is the Sāma Veda. So the principle of the Ṛg, Yajur and Sāma Vedas is speech, Manas and prāṇa. Everything is filled with the Veda. The Paramātma is the very form of the Veda. It is made up of many Vedas. The Vedas are endless. That is, every single person is a form of the Veda. We must develop the radiance of speech that is in him. We must try to live for the sake of life; we must live to offer our ideals, and not live for desires. Eat to live, live not for eating; that is why our life should not be as though we came here to eat. We must eat in order to live. We must recognise this truth well. Our life must take shape as an ideal life. Many hardships come to an ideal. We must face them all and keep offering the ideal. The ideal life alone is the true life. A life lived on desires is no life at all.