When Krishna instructs Uddhava on a variety of spiritual matters, He dwells at length on the salient aspects of bhakti bhava and how it is to be cultivated and nurtured through practice of worship, pointed out Sri K. Srinivasan in a lecture. Different bhaktas seek God in many ways of worship such as prayer, nama samkirtana or sacred rites, etc. In whatever way one worships, and whatever deity may be worshipped, be it Siva, Vishnu, Sakti, Agni, Varuna, etc, the bhakti bhava of the devotee is what matters. The Lord asserts that the touchstone of true bhakti lies in internal purity and sincerity rather than external acts of worship involving ostentation and show.
Krishna had already made it clear to Arjuna that He is gladdened by even a small act of worship, such as offering a leaf, a flower, a fruit or a drop of water if the bhakta is sincere and loving. His penchant for His devotees is such that in whatever form a Bhakta seeks Him, He looks for the unflinching faith alone in the worship and offering.
The Lord makes such faith stronger to make the bhakta’s effort fruitful. Whatever is achieved by way of worship— be it worldly gains, bhakti or salvation — is because of the Supreme Lord who is the prime force behind all worship. He is the indweller of any deity who is invoked during sacrificial rites and receives the offerings thereon. He alone is sought in all these and is the Lord of all. This perception is a realised state and He who offers his entire being to the Lord is always aware of His all pervading presence. All worship reaches the ultimate being and He grants the necessary fruits of the worship according to every individual’s merit.
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