The Lord Cares for the Feeling

"God is Bhavapriya not Bahyapriya. The world is interested in bahyam (outward show), but God is interested in your bhavam (feeling)." - Baba

"The Lord cares for the feeling that accompanies the gift, the attitude with which the offering is made; He is not moved by the quantity or the cost. Draupadi offered a tiny piece of leaf sticking to the side of the vessel in which she had cooked the meal, and the Lord was so fully fed that He said that He was freed from all hunger. Rukmini placed just a single basil leaf on the scale, but since she had saturated it with her devotion, it weighed as much as Krishna Himself. Kuchela took a little beaten rice, and the Lord ate it with relish and was highly pleased with the offering so full of devotion. A piece of paper that is white, tough, and clean is not as valuable as another piece of equal size that, though soiled and dirty, has upon it the imprint of the Reserve Bank, making it a hundred-rupee note. The imprint of devotion makes the beaten rice precious. Give the Lord the fruit - the love that grows on the tree of life."

~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba ~

(Divine Discourse - 2.9.1963)