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.