Narada Bhakti Sutra - Post 24

Sutra 12. Bhavatu Nischayadardhyadoordhwam SaStrarakshanam. 

(Let a man protect the scriptural teachings even after his spiritual realization becomes well established.)

Bhavatu: let there be

Nischaya dardhyat: after realisation becomes firmly established

Oordhwam: after

Sastrarakshanam: protection of scriptural teachings.

When one is established in Dharma he is eligible to protect the Sastras. He is now able to defend the Sastras against attacks. Others can protect the Sastras by living up to the ideas of the Sastras. This is also Sastra Rakshanam or protection of Sastras and Dharma.

Men of realization unassumingly follow the scriptures in their actual life. They set an example by their own life and teachings. 

  

Scriptures are infallible. Vedas have come out from the mouth of God. They are revelations. They are traditionally handed down from Rishis and seer to their disciples in succession (Parampara). 

So long as there is world, there are scriptures and teachers to guide the people in the path of Truth and Righteousness. The number of teachers may be few in the iron age but they do exist. Books are not eternal. But the ideas in the Vedas are eternal.

Dear All,

Our own Beloved Swami, incarnated in human form, is the best example for all those Bhaktas who are nearer to Swami, with the goal to merge with Him and attain God realization.

Swami commenced the Veda  Purusha Saptaha Jnana Yagna way back in 1962 in Prashanti Nilayam, true to one of the archana hymn, "Veda Raksha Parayanaya Namah". 

Later on, after nearly 4 decades, He willed and the "Ati Rudra Homam" became an yearly festival during Shivaratri functions in Parthi.

Vedas are imparted to all students in school / college level in Swami's educational institutions, to all, boys and girls, of all religion, without discrimination.

Why do the Avatar / Realized masters take up such tasks of fostering vedas??

It is definitely not for them as they are beyond vedas and yagnas.

But it is for the spiritual seekers so that they hold on to the sacred Vedic culture to evolve spiritually and to attain God realization one day, in one birth.

Adi Sankara, Sri Ramana and all the realized masters who came after, even after attaining Self Realization, have composed hymns / prayers on Siva, on Shakti, on Krishna, on Rama etc. 

For them, these things may not be required because they are not different from God and they have attained non-dual Realization but they know the path they have travelled, towards realization, they know the obstacles faced by them in the spiritual path, they know how human mind can play havoc and can take him backward, if he does not follow the Vedic traditions and for that purpose, effortlessly, they have composed various hymns, have written several commentary on our sacred vedas and vedantha and have left the treasure for the spiritual seekers for centuries to come.

Love.

Note:- Most important thing to be understood and grasped about this verse is that the Masters, upon realization, do not go about protecting  spiritual teachings / veda / vedanta. 

Whatever they do, whatever they speak, whatever they act, even their silence - any thing about them just protects / elevates / propagates / teaches spiritual secrets to the humanity, provided the human beings have the keen-ness, sincerity and Prarabdha to observe these masters and take the secret from them and practice the same in their lives for their spiritual transformation. 

P.S: Author wrote two article at the same time "Form Worship and Self Realization" and then "Form Worship after Realization". Those of you who would like to get these articles may leave a comment in this blog and then, the articles would be sent to them.

Love.

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.

Narada Bhakti Sutra - Post 22

Sutra 10. Anyaasrayaanaam Tyaagonanyata. 

(Unification or exclusive devotion or single-heartedness means the giving up of all supports.)

Anyaasrayaanam: of all other supports

tvagaha: renunciation, giving up

Ananyata: unification, single-heartedness.

The cultivation of devotion may be disturbed by various influences in the daily life.  Desires and cravings will continue to trouble the aspirant. 

By nature, a man takes support of various things / associations in his life.

He takes support of his family;

He takes support of his parents;

He takes support of his society;

He takes support of his country. 

All the above support is sought after by a man for security and peace.

But each one of the above, how long or how far can they protect a man??

A poet wrote:

"Veedu varai uravu, Veedi varai manaivi, Kaadu varai pillai, Kadaisi varai  yaro".

(When a man  dies and his body lies there and is about to be taken for cremation, family members cry at home, sit for sometime and leave, the wife cries and walks up to the end of the street and no further, son goes upto the forest, performs the cremation rites, lits up fire for the body to burn and then returns, he does not even wait for the body to  burn fully, as it will take few hours, so, who is there for a man till the last???? (Here, last is to be construed as, till he attains moksha and reaches and merges with God, in some birth)

However, realizing the futility of this world with all its limitation, when we look towards the almighty God, He blesses us  and assures,

"I will protect you like the eyelids protect the eyes"

Only God is qualified to assure us that He will protect us because He is not the support for one or two or few or many but he is "JAGAT ASHRAYA", The ONLY support  for the entire universe!!!

Realizing this, the Bhakta cries out in his love for the God and sings:

"Jagat Ashraya Sri Raghu Rama, Jagata Udhhara Sai Rama"!!!

To confirm his inner experience on chanting the Lord's name with a faith that only Lord can protect him and take him from disaster to deliverance, the devotee once again bursts out in his ecstatic love for God and sings:

"Ye naam saare hai Jeevan Sahare, paramanand ke kholte hain dwaare"

(Lord's name, irrespective of the religion,  when taken with deepest devotion, is the only refuge for our life, the inner experience on incessant chanting of Lord's name opens the door to Supreme Bliss (of salvation / moksha))

And before settling in stilled silence (Stabdha Bhavati)  after having realized God in and through  his Ananya Prema for God, the last line which comes from the devotee before he settles in supreme peace (Paramananda)  is :

"Tum ho Anatha Natha Bhagawan, O Sai mere Prana Sakha Bhagawan"

The Lord is his only support, his only strength, his only hope and his only object of faith. Just as the eyes of the chatak bird are fixed on the cloud, so also his eyes are fixed on his Beloved Lord alone.

Once again, in this verse, "Ananyata" is referred.

In the beginning, the devotee has to rush to the world with deliberated, focussed devotion, saying to himself, "Anyata Sharanam Naasti". (There is no one other than you to whom I can surrender fully)

However, with the expression "...Sai mere Prana Sakha", the Ananyata finds its fulfillment as the devotee is now assured that Sai / The  Lord is his Prana sakha, not only in this birth, with this prana, but in all births to come, when he exists with prana in all his births, upto the day, in a birth, when the devotee finally merges with the God. 

(Prana Sakha before in all earlier births, Prana Sakha in this birth and Prana sakha till the time the soul of the diva has merged with the universal soul, THE GOD)

The doll made of salt has merged with the salt sea, never to regain its original identity as the salt doll.

The piece of gulab jamun, dipped and soaked in the sugar essence, takes over the entire essence of sweetness of sugar in entirety!!!

The stream of Love (Ananya Prema of the Bhakta) has rushed to and merged with the Supreme Love of God, Prema Sagara, the ocean of Love,  as the climax and culmination of the devotee's Ananyata!!!!!

Danava Bhanjana Deena Udharana, Prema Sagara Sai Rama!!!!!!!!

Love.