Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Narada Bhakti Sutra - Post 23




Sutra 11. Lokavedeshu Tadanukoolacharanam TadVirodhishoodaaseenata. 

(By “indifference to all which are hostile to Him” is understood as the performance of these secular and religious activities which are congenial to Him.)

Lokavedeshu: regarding secular and religious activities
Tadanukool Acharanam: practices or performances which are congenial to Him
Tad-virodhishoodaaseenata: indifference to all which are hostile to Him.

Swami Sivananda writes on this sutra thus:

"In the eighth aphorism, we have been taught to direct all our energies of thought and action towards God. Now we are again enjoined to respect to some extent the dictates of religion and morality. 

Here seems, therefore, to arise some confusion. This is only superficial. Only selfish activities must be given up, in order to get rid of desires. All works which can help to cultivate devotion must be regularly practised. 

There must be active cooperation with the divine plan. This Sutra explains the indifference to obstacles of Bhakti referred to in Sutra 9.

Indifference to all that are hostile to Him (to the Spiritual injunctions.)

A devotee does not do any action which is not pleasing to God, which does not help in the growth of devotion, which goes against the will of his Lord. Prahlad renounced his atheistic father. Vibheeshana his asuric brother, Bharata his cruel mother, Bali his preceptor even, the Gopis of Vraj their husbands. But they all contributed to the welfare of the world. They are all regarded as benefactors of the world.

The devotee does all actions which are pleasing to the Lord till he attains God-realisation. He abandons all selfish activities that are prohibited by the scriptures.

Dear All,


Intuitively, even before reading this verse, the essence of this verse was given by the author through the example of Buddha and then he followed up in the next post on How a Bhakta, rendered pure, serene, with all his spiritual energy in tact, ends up doing just all those things to perfection, which the spiritual injunctions and social norms expect out of a good human being.


Practices or performances which are congenial to Him (to His state of Perfection / God realization


Buddha did all things to perfection, did practice all spiritual practice NOT BECAUSE he followed the spiritual injunctions religiously but because  HE WAS GOOD IN SIDE,  because THE SPIRITUAL INJUNCTIONS got merged in him and manifested from within!!!

Sage Ramana, when one disciple handed over a very sacred and very rare treatise "Ribhu Gita" which is all about the state of a yogi after the yogi has attained SELF REALIZATION, glanced through the book and the words that came from within spontaneously were "O, This book is all about my state"!!!!!!


Sage Ramana did not follow Ribhu Gita, The Ribhu Gita followed Ramana and was but a biography of Ramana (His state)!!!!!


Love.