45. Significance of Inward Worship
Once, while addressing an assembly of devotees, His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Bharati Tirtha Mahaswamiji shared an inspiring episode from His personal experience:
In the sacred verses of the Lalitha Sahasranama, there is a profound epithet of the Divine Mother: Antarmukha-Samaradhya–one who is best worshipped by those whose minds are turned inward. To be antarmukha (inward-turned) means we should restrain the mind from outward diversions and direct it towards Bhagavan, the Supreme Being. Ambal, the Divine Mother, is most pleased when worship is performed with such inner focus and deep devotion.
An incident from my own personal experience illustrates this profound truth.
Once, my revered Guru and I were travelling through North India. During our pilgrimage, we visited a sacred kshetra known as Tarakeshwar, near Kolkata. This holy place is home to an Advaita monastery, whose Pontiff had immense faith and devotion towards my Guru. In his great reverence, he made elaborate arrangements for the worship of the Lord of Tarakeshwar. He ensured that all the necessary materials for the sacred worship were meticulously arranged so that my Guru, himself, and I could offer our prayers in the sanctum sanctorum of the Lord.
As we entered the sanctum, the resident Swami performed the worship in accordance with his own Bengali tradition. I too joyously commenced my Pooja. My Guru, however, closed His eyes and remained utterly motionless, deeply absorbed in meditation. Time passed and forty-five minutes elapsed. By then, the resident Swami had completed his worship, and I too had concluded my worship. Yet, my Guru remained seated in an unwavering state of sublime stillness.
After a while, He slowly opened His eyes, radiant with spiritual bliss, and softly spoke to me, saying: “I performed the pooja mentally, to my utmost satisfaction. I enthroned the Lord upon a gem-studded royal seat. I offered countless divine objects of worship unto Him. I recited sacred hymns and mantras, and in response, the Lord was supremely pleased.”
Even though the external pooja materials lay in front of Him, My Guru had worshipped the Lord purely within His mind and had derived immense joy from this inward offering. This incident stands as a living testament to the meaning of the Lalitha Sahasranama epithet–Antarmukha-Samaradhya.
From this, all can learn an invaluable lesson: when we sit for the worship of Bhagavan, we must strive to detach ourselves from worldly distractions and engage our minds wholly in God’s adoration.
To the extent possible, we must avoid letting our thoughts wander into mundane concerns. Only then does the worship yield immense spiritual benefit. This is the essence of true worship– a sacred communion with the Divine, free from ostentation or external display.
May we all aspire to cultivate such deep, inward devotion, pleasing to Bhagavan, and realize the boundless joy that arises from pure, heartfelt worship. ❀❀❀❀