Bageshwar Dham Sarkar

Is applying tilak and chanting on a mala enough to be a devotee?

Bhakti is in the heart, not outward signs

Tilak, katha and mala do not make you a devotee by themselves. Remember God every moment and walk the path of His good conduct; that is bhakti.

Bhakti does not mean that you applied a tilak, heard a katha and took up a mala, and so became a devotee.