Swami Vivekananda explains about true devotion through the
story of two gardeners:
A rich man had a garden and two gardeners. One of these
gardeners was very lazy and did not work; but when the owner came to the
garden, the lazy man would get up and fold his arms and say, ‘How beautiful is
the face of my master’, and dance before him.
The other gardener would not talk much, but would work hard,
and produce all sorts of fruits and vegetables which he would carry on his head
to his master who lived a long way off. Of these two gardeners, which would be
the more beloved of his master?
Shiva is that master, and this world is His garden, and
there are two sorts of gardeners here; the one who is lazy, hypocritical, and does
nothing, only talking about Shiva’s beautiful eyes and nose and other features;
and the other, who is taking care of Shiva’s children, all those that are poor
and weak, all animals, and all His creation. Which of these would be the more
beloved of Shiva? Certainly he that serves His children.
Source - Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Vol. 3, p. 142
From the archive
Is Mind Permanent Or Temporary? (You are seeing your image in the mirror. The mirror is pushed aside. Then the image disappears. You brought the mirror in front of you. Again the image reappears. Now, do you say that the previous image and the present image are one or not? If you say that it is one, then, the image becomes permanent.)
Spiritual Experiences Cannot Be Described In Words – Swami Sivananda (Spiritual experiences cannot be described in words. Language is imperfect. They are to be felt and realised by the aspirants. Experiences vary. A devotee, a Yogi and a sage have different spiritual experiences in the beginning. )