Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi, a great saint of India, in his Upadesa Saram states that any object is said to have three aspects: a name, a form and a reality (the substance out of which it is made). For example, consider a gold ring - it could be a wedding ring, earring a nose ring. The name is ‘ring’, the form is round, and the reality is the gold from which it is made. In the same way, think of the Lord. His names are countless, the total universe is His form, and Existence-Consciousness is his true nature.

Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi states that we, as seekers, have three equipments (body, speech and mind) with which we invoke the Lord in His three aspects. With the body we worship the Lord’s form (puja), with speech we chant His name (japa) and with the mind we do meditation (dhyana) upon His true nature.

In the early stages, we do not recognize the universe as the form of the Lord and we are thus advised to worship Him in a given form. This particular form of the Lord is called Ishta Devata. We should then do japa in the name of the form that we chosen, whether it be Rama, Krishna, Shiva or any other form which is close to our hearts. Regularity and sincerity of devotional practices brings about purity and singlepointedness in the seeker. Devotion to the Lord grows steadily making the mind fit for the higher stages such as meditation and realization.

The best way of cultivating devotion is to be in the presence of great saints. This is granted by the grace of the Lord Himself. Our duty is to pray to Him with a sincere heart; He does the rest. We must remember that the gains of devotion and the consequent vision of God do not stem from our sadhana or efforts, but results from boundless compassion of the Lord for His devotees. Sadhana serves to attract the devotee’s attention to the Lord. He, in His love and compassion, cannot but see His devotees free from sorrow and suffering and reveals Himself to them