DEVASYA
Jai Maa Sadasya’s,
Yesterday while driving in my car I was reflecting on the tragedy of the fires in Southern California. I felt so much sorrow for the victims going through such intense loss and uncertainty. My sorrow and deep empathy started to turn into me questioning the origins of the fire, the lack of management and preparedness, and my mind started to pull towards rajasic thoughts. By the grace of Ishvara, my Atman whispered to my mind the word DEVASYA. Hearing this word come from within, made me pause, breathe and I felt grounded in my being. I felt a refreshed sense of emotions and a redirection of my thoughts.
I picked the word DEVASYA from the Gayatri mantra during our Navodaya, New Dawn/New Year retreat. This word emerged at a moment where I need a perspective change! Shunya ji mentioned in her teachings of this word to “see the divine everywhere, to cultivate sacred vision, to use Drishti/sight to see Srishti/creation/the world. And ultimately, to embrace universal humanhood.”
When I came home and reviewed my contemplations and reflections on the word Devasya and how I would incorporate it into my own experiences in 2025, I felt such a deep connection to the things that truly matter and that I do have “control” over, such as my ability to pray, send love and light and to commit to the things, people and communities that want to illuminate our universal humanhood. To see the divinity in everything despite the samsaric atmosphere. This contemplation brought me back to our Bhakti Yoga teachings and unconditional pure love. I could then use my mind and my highest Self, as a stress free, settled and peaceful tool to pour more radiant light into the collective consciousness. My mind could stay steady and anchored as a result of me surrendering to the word DEVASYA and our teachings. What a gift to keep receiving the benefits of these teachings in every aspect of my life. JAI MAA!
Beautiful reflection. I too picked the Devasya word at Navodaya and applied it to my feelings around the devastation around us. I recall that when my family experienced a fire at our home days after the fires were put out new sprouts were coming from the scorched earth. This memory was a reminder of the cycles of birth and death that are of this world. The reminder that just like night becomes day birth becomes aging and aging becomes death helps me see what is nitya and what it anitya. I continue to connect to my atman to remember what is eternal, unchanging and permanent. Jai Maa.