How do we attain pure devotion?

[A satsaṅga took place between Swami and several devotees who visited Him on January 16, 2021. Some of the questions of devotees answered by Swāmi are given below.]

[Kum. Thrylokya asked: Pādanamaskāram Swāmi! Do we achieve a pure mind after attaining devotion? Or do we need a pure mind to achieve devotion? Which is the highest state—devotion with a pure mind or devotion with an impure mind?

Swāmi replied: A pure mind or an impure mind is not important here. The direction of the mind is important. An impure mind directed towards God is better than a pure mind directed towards the world. When a thorny bush (impure mind) is put into the fire (God), it becomes sacred ash, whereas, sugar (pure mind) falling into the drainage (world) becomes a waste. There is only one lock and one key. If you turn your mind towards the world, it attains bondage (bandha) and if you turn it towards God, it attains salvation (moksha). No quality is good or bad by itself. A quality directed towards God becomes a good quality and the same quality directed towards the world becomes a bad quality. Although Dharmarājā did a lot of yajñas (ritual sacrifices) and donated to sages, he was only able to reach the third world called Svarga Lokā, which lies above Earth. The Gopikās, on the other hand, cheated their husbands to secretly dance with Kṛṣṇa at midnight and lied to their family members to give butter to the Lord. But they went to the fifteenth world i.e. Goloka for doing that! Of course, having a pure mind in worldly life is better than impure mind in the same worldly life.

Within the boundaries of worldly life or pravṛtti, purity and justice are more valuable than impurity and injustice in the same worldly life. But being directed towards God is more valid than being directed towards the world. An impure mind directed towards God is more valuable than a pure mind directed towards the world. Whether the mind is pure or impure, if it is directed towards God, it is better than a pure or impure mind directed towards the world. An impure mind or pure mind and justice or injustice directed towards God stand at a higher level than these same directed towards the world. Sometimes, you are required to vote for God against justice. In that case, if you analyze deeply, supporting the justice that is standing in opposition to God is actually injustice. That is why God is standing in opposition to such justice. Dharma Rāja thought that not telling a lie to his teacher (Droṇa) was justice. But that apparent justice was actually injustice since that teacher was fighting in support of the unjust Kauravas. Hence, it is a case of voting against the real injustice, which appears to be justice to the soul. It is also the case of voting for the real justice, which appears to be injustice to the soul.

A devotee in nivṛtti simply believes in God without any analysis since God is always correct. The extent of devotion of the nivṛtti-devotee is such that, according to him or her, whatever God does, is justice and not that God always does whatever is justice. The firm belief of the nivṛtti-devotee is that whatever pleases God is merit and justice and whatever displeases God is sin and injustice. Whenever, God stands in opposition to justice, it means that what we are thinking to be justice and merit, is actually injustice and sin. This reality can be realized by deep analysis. Hence, voting for God against justice is not only testing the faith of the devotee in God, but it is also the real justice and real merit.