Monday, March 19, 2018

Narada Bhakti Sutra - Post 43


Sutra 34.Tasyaa Saadhanaani Gayanti Acharyaha

[The Teachers have sung (as follows) about the means (for the culture) of devotion.]

Tasyaa : its; of that supreme love
Sadhanaani: means
Gaayanti: sing 
Achaaryaha: Teachers.

The means here described are only accessory, because Bhakti is its own means as has been shown already.

‘Achaarya’ means those who are practicing what they preach. 'Char' is to move. They move along the path about which they speak. They live the life of the highest Bhaktas of the Lord. They alone are really fit to teach. Their teaching alone will be the most effective. 

Achaaryas or teachers are those who have had first hand experience of the discipline and the consequent Realisation.

A very important note for all those who sing (bhajans etc, the bhajan singers of all centres)

This note may appear to be digressing from the essence of this sutra but it comes from within and hence, it is just being poured. We will see if it connects to this Sutra, at the end.

Why Devarishi Narada chose the expression "Achaaryas SING one various means of sadhana" in this sutra?? Why He did not write, Acharyas have SPOKEN about the various means of Sadhana??

There  is a purpose.

In Spiritual journey, when it comes to just speaking, we may speak theoretically, taking few hints from here and there on the topic in which we speak, thanks to WWW.GOOGLE.COM.

One can speak on " Only purpose of human  is to realize  the innate divinity" and earn applause without knowing what the following really means, as an experience 

- Human ( How human being is created by God) 
- Purpose ( what is the real purpose of being born as human
- Realize - What is to be realized, How it is to be realized
- Innate Divinity ( What this means, as an experience)

But when it comes to singing (singers, please note), the expression, the Bhava has to come from the inner heart. Singing is the manifestation of a devotee's innermost feelings, innermost love, innermost experience in / with/ through his /her proximity with God. 

The song  comes (IT MUST COME), from the inner heart and has (MUST) have no artificiality at all. 

When we sing, "Janam Maran Se Paar Karo, Bhava Bandhan Se Uddhar Karo" and then add more stress to repeat the line by prefixing Sai's name to sing, "Baba, Bhava Bandhan Se Uddhar Karo", it cannot and it must not be a theoretical rendition limiting to the sound, the articulation in our voice, matching to the beat of the tabla. The innermost feeling has to be:-

- O Sai, Enough of this vicious circle of Punarapi Jananam Punarapi maranam.
- Each birth sees accumulation of more and more karmas, fetching more and more results for the Karma accumulated.
- I am surrendering my entire identity O Swami, my ego is gone, my self rushes to merge in THY SELF, O Prana Sakha.
- Like the calf rushing to the cow, I am rushing to You Sai, take me, finish off this cycle of birth and death, take me, make me worth of merging unto You, to exist as You, O Sai Natha!!!

The feeling / Bhava may not be in this much  detailed points but the essence of these points has to flow from the devotee's heart and has to melt Sai to rush to the devotee as Sai is verily the Bhakta vatsala!!!

Now, coming to the Sutra, the purpose of using the word "SING" makes more sense because:-

Devarishi conveys, through usage of the expression SINGING, that the Acharyas, who have also struggled in their Spiritual path, followed all the means to the ultimate goal to its minutest level, experienced the Joy of spiritual evolvement through the Sadhana path, are now, in the following verses, not just speaking theory, but are singing the joy of their own inner experience in the path of Sadhana through devotion!!!

Love.