The Value ofDevotion. Ill
and feeling oneself aspresentIn it,a spectator
oranactortherein. This"scientificuseofthe
imagination" isagreatprovocativeofdevotion,
and it actually brings the devotee into touch
with the scene depicted, so that he may one
dayfind himself scanningtheakashic record of
the event, a verypart of that living picture,learningundreamedoflessonsfromhispresence
there.Anotherwayofcultivating devotionistobe
muchincompanywiththosemwhomdevotion
burns more brightly than in ourselves. As
burning wood thrown into a smouldering fire
willcauseaflametoburstoutbrightlyagain,sothe nearness of the warm fire of devotion in
anotherrekindlestheflaggingenergyofaweaker
soul. Hereagain the disciplemay gain much
byfrequentingthecompanyofhisGuru,whose
steadier forcewillenergise hisown. Narada,
inhisadmirable Sutras,thus instructsusonthe
cultureofdevotion,andwhoshouldteachbetter
thanthatidealdevotee?Almost needlesstoadd thatthe directcon-
templation of, meditation on, adoration of the