Narada Bhakti Sutra - Post 26

Sutra 14. Lokopi taavadeva kintu bhojanaadi-vyaapaara stwa asareeradharana vadhi.

(Social customs and practices also may be followed in like manner, to the same extent only (as scriptural injunctions). But eating, drinking, dressing should be continued as long as one wears this body.)

Lokah : social practices, social customs and usages 

Api: also

Taavad: that much, to that extent

Eva: only

Bhojanaadivyaapara: activities such as eating (drinking, dressing, sleep  etc.)

Tu: but, on the other hand 

a-sarira dharana-vadhi: as long as one wears this body.

Worldly duties such as one’s occupation in life, and maintaining the family, etc., should also be carefully and scrupulously performed along with religious duties according to the injunctions of the scriptures.

As a seeker, till the dawn of total forgetfulness in Love which is the culmination of His Ananya Prema for his Lord, we learnt in the previous verses that the spiritual injunctions, moral code of the society etc. have to be followed.

All the selfless dedicated practice, as prescribed in the spiritual books of devotion, only encourage, improve and cultivate more and more devotion with more and more purity, in the seeker.

As regards eating, drinking, sleeping, exercises etc., these would continue even after one reaches the supreme Goal of God realization. 

Why??

Not because the realized yogi enjoys eating, drinking, sleeping etc. but because, till the time his left over prarabdha karma has to be cleared, this present body is required to be kept in tact so that the body helps / undergoes the left over karma of the yogi.

Even for a realized master, for the actions undertaken by him up to the point of Realization, he has accumulated Karmas and those Karmas have to be cleared / borne. 

This explains why Realized masters like Ramana, Rama Krishna, Sivananda, Chinmayananda etc. had grave diseases like cancer / heart problem / paralysis etc. 

So, for clearing those left over prarabdha, eating, drinking, sleeping, exercise etc. is required. 

Dear Readers,

This verse is from reader's point of view, in case, a curious human being has to ever look at a realized master and wonder, why he is still enjoying the food / sleep etc like a normal human being. 

This verse is to clear their doubts and to make them understand that a realized Master can be understood only by another Master and that they should not try to look at a Master with their mind and attribute ideas  for his actions just like how they go about doing those actions.

For example, when they take food, they enjoy it to the core, they can't even wait till the food is brought from the kitchen and served in their plate because the aroma / smell of food taunts them all the while, whereas, a yogi partakes food just to preserve his body  just for 2 things.

1)  To maintain his body for clearing his prarabdha karma. ( About this, the yogi does not even think)

2) To maintain his body for serving the society, for Loka  Kalyanam.

Thus, a sincere devotee and the one who has already merged with God through and in his devotion to God,  the verse has no relevance because eating, drinking, sleeping etc. are not anymore in his thoughts.

Food etc. just come to him and he partakes it.  If, on a day, no one serves him food, he has no thought that he has not had food on that day. He just accepts whatever comes to him, without running for the same.

Sankara explains this  in Viveka Chudamani while described the qualities/ lakshanas of a realized being  beautifully thus:

A Yogi / Jivan Mukhta (in our context, a devotee who has realized God), exists unaware, unconscious about the material world, 

(just like, when a blanket is placed on some one in  cold by any unknown being, the person who has been wrapped with a blanket does get the warmth of the blanket but he is not aware that some one has helped him, placed a blanket on him etc.

A child, when it is hungry, sucks milk from its mother's breasts, unaware of the same and it continues to lie on its mother's lap with its eyes closed.

This is the state of a realized yogi. He just accepts what ever is offered to him, like a child  (with a child-like innocence), without any other thought (of happiness on getting blanket, thanking the one who gave him the blanket, searching for the one who placed the blanket on him etc, thanking the mother for giving milk etc.)

A time will come when all activities religious as well as mundane will drop by  themselves.

A Videhamukhta   has  to be served food by people around him, otherwise, he may not even eat any food / drink any water and the body, after existing for few days without any food , leaves on its own!!

Love

PS- The verses we have learnt so far, is all about "RENUNCIATION". 

We will move on to the next  subject covered from the 14th sutra, from tomorrow.

Love.