Narada Bhakti Sutra - Post 33

Sutra 22. Tatraapi na maahaatmyagyana vismrityapavaada.

(Even there [the love of the Gopis], there is no particular reason for forgetting the glory and greatness of the Lord.)

Tatra: there, i.e., in respect of the example of the Gopis

Api: even

na: not

Mahatmya-gyana-vismriti-apavaadah: particular reason for forgetting the glory and greatness of the Lord.

A full and conscious realization of the grandeur and majesty

of God increases, all the more His supreme importance as an object of admiration and adoration in the eye of the devotee. Without a clear consciousness of the majesty and grandeur of God, devotion cannot operate as a persistent factor of spiritual development.

  

The gopis surrendered themselves to Sri Krishna knowing Him to be God Himself and the embodiment of Satchitananda. They said to Lord Krishna, “You are the primal Purusha or Purushottama, the protector of the Devas. You are the witness of everything. You have taken an incarnation for the protection of the whole world.”

The Gopis danced in the moonlight and played with Sri Krishna and yet they were not unconscious of His divinity, His Omniscience and Omnipotence even for a second. They recognized Him as the soul of the universe and also as their own Atma.

The Rishis of Dandaka forest wanted to embrace Lord Rama. Lord Rama said, “You will be born as Gopis of Brindavan. You will embrace Lord Krishna who is no other than My own Self.” This is the cause for Ras Leela.

“Tatra api: Even there.” Even though the Gopis had physical attachment to Lord Krishna, the attachment was of the nature of supreme devotion. It was perfectly taintless too.

Dear All,

Let us now see what Sai had to say on His avatar in this Kali Yuga.

Why does God incarnate? No doubt Krishna has already outlined the reasons, but Swami goes deeper into the subject. He says,

"To elevate man to the level of Supreme Consciousness, God has to incarnate as man. God has to speak to man in his own style and language. He has to teach mankind the methods that they can adopt and practice. Birds and beasts need no Divine incarnation to guide them for they have no inclination to stray away from their respective duties. Man alone forgets the goal of life."

Playing a role in Swami's global Mission calls for a proper attitude and frame of mind. Many people are carried away by Baba's miracles, but that is not correct, as Swami warns. 

He says: 

You must take a path by which you can see deep in My heart, and experience the various Divine aspects of Mine. You must understand the all-knowing power in Me. Do not be led away by people who always talk of having got a locket or a watch or a ring from Me. These things have no deep meaning. 

Because the Avatar has a human form, man thinks (mistakenly of course) that the Avatar too is just another human being. In this context, Swami points out that,

When Narayana (Supreme God) takes the form of a man and wants to help humanity, He will act like a man. Just because God comes in human form, it is no excuse for man to be indifferent. He must realise that all the Poorna Avatars are incarnations of the same Formless, Eternal, Supreme Consciousness and the Cosmic, Omnipresent, Omnipotent, and Omniscient God.

(Source- http://media.radiosai.org/journals/Portal/On-Himself.htm)

Dear Bhaktas,

By now, you would have got perfect connectivity between Swami's words on His avatar and this sutra which says, "Even there (the love of the Gopis), there is no particular reason for forgetting the glory and greatness of the Lord."

Two lines from Swami's declarations above are repeated in order to bring about the total alignment of the same with today's verse.

"You must take a path by which you can see deep in My heart, and experience the various Divine aspects of Mine. You must understand the all-knowing power in Me."

"Just because God comes in human form, it is no excuse for man to be indifferent. He must realise that all the Poorna Avatars are incarnations of the same Formless, Eternal, Supreme Consciousness and the Cosmic, Omnipresent, Omnipotent, and Omniscient God."

Thus, the essence of this sutra, in alignment with Swami's gospel is that:

'A devotee, even when he / she takes to form worship of his / her chosen God - Rama / Krishna / Shiva / Muruga / Hanuman / Buddha / Sai etc., he / she must be fully aware of the eternal truth that all these are in essence the "Supreme consciousness or Purusha as God is explained in Upanishads." 

It is just that for a devotee, it may be difficult to start off in the initial stage of devotion that God is Satchitananda or Sathyam Jnanam Anantam Brahman or the Supreme Purusha  and hence, devotee takes some God with a form  as his / her Ishta Devata. 

Even while doing so, the conviction must be there in the devotee that from this form worship, I have to reach the state where, as Swami has said before, I am able to realise that (My chosen God, as much as) all the Poorna Avatars, are incarnations of the same Formless, Eternal, Supreme Consciousness and the Cosmic, Omnipresent, Omnipotent, and Omniscient God."

Love.