Dharma Vahini - Post 31

Dear Readers,

Continuing on the puranic age, Swami writes,

"Once, Krishna told Uddhava thus: “Austerity, wisdom, renunciation (tapas, jnana, vairagya),  yoga (communion), dharma, vow-keeping ritual (vratha), pilgrimage — the merit acquired by these is acquired by My devotees with even greater ease." Realize how great true devotion is! 

By it means, an outcast can excel even a brahmin! A

devotion-less brahmin is inferior to an outcast endowed with devotion. This is elaborated in the Puranas. That which is described in the Vedas as simply, “Not this, not this (nethi, nethi)”, that which is declared as “beyond the reach of the words, far out of the grasp of the mind”, that which is unreachable by the senses, the mind, or the intellect — such an entity is capable of being felt and experienced by those immersed in meditation. Devotion brings it into the consciousness easily and fills the devotee with bliss.

First, 

·       aspirants have to practice the spiritual discipline related to the with-qualities aspect of God;  

·       this will endow them with concentration and, 

·       later, according to the law of procedure from the gross to the subtle, they can merge their minds in the quality-less Brahman itself. 

The mirage leads the thirsty person far away from the tank; the person then turns away and returns to the place where water is available; reaching the tank, the person becomes competent to drink and slake the thirst (sthula-souram-bhika-anyaya). 

So too, aspirants after liberation (moksha) get the desire for meditation and worship of the formless Supreme (nirgunopaasana); the Lord, who is attached to the devotees, takes up the forms that the aspirants and great souls seek. Out of His bounty, He grants all four goals of human life (purushaarthas). "

Author's note:

As a prelude, as though, to the aspect of Devotion and how Swami has described that a sadhaka can evolve through devotion to meditation on the formless Brahman, Swami willed and the author has already posted on " From Form to Formless", only a few days before. You may read to align that post with Swami's words in today's post easily.

Love.