In the daily religious routine, persons are in the habit of performing what is called ‘Anga Puja’- offering the various limbs of the body to the Divine. But while uttering the Mantra, Nethram Samarpayaami (I am offering my eye), if you merely offer a flower, you are missing the real significance of this Mantra. It means that you are offering your eye for seeing the Divine. Similarly, in the Homa (sacrificial offering in the fire) the Mantra is uttered, Hridayam Samarpayaami (I offer my heart). The real significance of this Mantra is: O Lord, this is not my heart. It is yours. There is only one seat in this heart and this is reserved for you. There is no place in it for anybody else, neither for father or mother, husband or wife, or teacher. You are the only one who can occupy my heart. Accept this heart as yours.’ Instead of uttering the mantras in this faith, nowadays the ritual is converted into a mechanical offering of a flower or something else. Hence the worship becomes a hypocritical formality.

We speak of the heart as the throne of the Lord. But we seat on it all and sundry. The throne becomes ultimately a musical chair. How can the Divine be expected to come and dwell in such a heart? The first thing one has to do is to rid the heart of all the evil elements residing in it. The heart is compared to a lotus. But the lotus of our heart is infested with evil insects such as hatred, lust, greed, pride, attachment and envy. Until these pestilential creatures are removed and the lotus is cleaned by the water of Prema (Divine love) the heart is not fit to be offered to the Divine. During worship, we say Suddhodhak Snaanam Samarpayaami (I am offering you a bath in pure water). What is the pure water that is implied here? It is pure unselfish love. Any offering made to the divine should be done not in expectation of any reward or for any selfish purpose but only to please the Divine. (SSS Vol.16, pp. 149-150)