Bhakthi is to be identified as the discipline which removes egoism and the limitations of "I" and "mind". That is the reason why the Bhaktha is defined by those who know as one who is A-vibhaktha with God, "non-separate" from God. At all times and under all conditions, one's acts and feelings must be God-centred. Instead, if you pray when overwhelmed by misery, worry and loss, "O God! Save me, rescue me from these", and when they pass, if once again you plunge into objective affairs enslaved by worldly alms, such conduct is reprehensible.
This is the teaching of the Geetha. You should not worship the Lord as an emergency measure. When the tongue is affected and does not relish food, people seek hot pickles; so too, when grief afflicts, people seek God! This kind of demonstrative devotion is rampant today, perhaps due to the influence of the fundamental hypocrisy of this age. Hollow devotion seeking to exhibit the strength of one's attachment to the Lord is unfortunately evident even among 'great' Sadhakas and persons who have renounced 'everything' for the sake of Him, whom they consider to be their 'All'! For many, Bhakthi is a 'Burkha', a veil, which is worn when on pilgrimage or when approaching elders or when visiting temples. Once they are back home, they discard the veil and with it, all ideas and feelings of reverence for the Lord.
These are but exhibitionist stunts. Bhakthi, however has to be steady and full; it is the establishment of the mind in the Lord, under all situations, at all times. Many assert that all their acts are dedicated to Deva (God) but their attitude shows that they are dedicating them to Deha only. Instead of dedicating them to God, they dedicate them to themselves. They assert, "This I offer to Krishna", but really, it is an offering to their Puthra (son). "This is an offering to Rama", they declare; but their urge reveals that it is an offering to their "Raga", (sense of attachment, passion). How can these acts be dignified by the word dedication or offering?
Dedication inspires the body, mind and speech. If what you speak is not approved by the mind, if what is felt in the mind is not wholeheartedly put into action, then it becomes sheer hypocrisy. Be convinced that the doer, the deed and the doing are all He; be devoted to Him, rather than to riches, wife and children.
Where your mind attaches itself, there your Bhakthi also stays. Bhakthi is pure as the waters of the Ganga; Karma is as the water of the Yamuna. And, Jnana is like the Saraswathi, flowing secretly and mysteriously underground and sanctifying itself by merging with the other two. It is the commingling of these three that is called Triveni. It means the disappearance of the mind, the "becoming-one" of the three Gunas; it brings about the destruction of the ego.
