Narada Bhakti Sutra - Post 57

SAH TARATI- HE CROSSES.

Who crosses the ocean of Samsara???

The answer is given in the previous 4 Sutras which we will refresh here:

He crosses the ocean of Samsara or Maya, Who:-

Ø  Gives up attachment to sense objects;

Ø  Serves the great devotees;

Ø  renounces all sense of possession in himself;

Ø  keeps himself in a solitary place;

Ø  plucks the bondage with the world by its roots;

Ø  beyond the clutches of the (three) Gunas;

Ø  renounces all his anxieties in acquiring & maintaining;

Ø  relinquishes the fruits of his actions;

Ø  renounces all egocentric actions;

Ø  is free from play of opposites (Nir-dvando Bhavati);

Ø  renounces even the vedas;

Ø  gains a pure unbroken flow of devotion;

AND

Does he stop there?? No. What does he do?

SA LOKAAMSTAARAYATI.

Author recalls a line repeated by one of his best ever friend / his brother who flew from Muscat to US, who used to add a line to the Kathopanishad line (quoted by Vivekananda very often) and say,

“Arise, Awake, Stop not till the goal is reached and …. Having reached, help / take others with you to reach there”.

One who has crossed this maya and has become one with God / SELF, when such a person happens to look at this world of beings, he is able to know that all these beings are verily the same SELF / GOD but they are innocently / ignorantly unaware of this grand truth and are caught up in the clutches of Maya.

The state of such men has been given by Sankara in vivekachudamani when he writes,

“Those who have only an apparent dispassion and are trying to cross the ocean of worldly existence are caught by their throats by the shark of desire which violently dragging them along, drowns them in the middle of the ocean.”

(verse 79)

Speaking of such shark, Chinmaya, in his own unmatched style and expression, writes, such beings who are drowned into the worldly existence, live a life as though they are in the belly of shark (the shark of samsara) which has already swallowed them. Poor beings, unaware that they are already dead and swallowed by the shark, still, in their ignorance, they walk about, talk, eat and live their life, suited and booted, within the belly of the shark.

Now, when the God realized being, (SAH TARATI) sees these beings, He is clearly able to see their pathetic life within the belly of the shark of samsara though they do not miss any chance to announce to the world through their actions, if not through word, “Here I am, suited and booted, working in a great company, having great family, having 3 residential properties back home, driving a 4 wheeler here, have sufficient bank balance and FDs”.

The realized master can only smile with compassion on seeing them in this false identity, innocent of their life within the belly of shark.

Thus, the expression "SA LOKAAMSTAARAYATI" or "Helps others to cross", is not a deliberate, planned series of actions by the realized seer to help others to cross, but it is a natural act of LOVE, seeing them caught up in this samsara whereas being aware  fully that they are ever born free, they are verily God themselves.

All that he does in helping them to cross the ocean of Samsara is to extend his hands and tell them in LOVE,

“O great souls, O embodiments of divinity, look, you need not struggle in this ocean of samsara, not knowing how to swim and reach the shore, I have struggled myself , learnt swimming and have crossed this ocean, it is just the Love within, not any special quality exhibited by me, but that LOVE, which is the essential nature of all, you and me, which makes me offer my hands, come, hold my hands and rest assured, I will do my best to take you to the shore (the gate way of liberation) and then you can / you need to  walk yourself to reach your home, the goal, Moksha”

Love

Note - Out of millions and trillions of beings singing merrily inside the belly of shark, only 1 or 2 or 3 really believe that they are not in a place where they have to be, believe that here is a person who can help us reach our home somehow by getting out of this shark’s belly and ultimately, offer themselves to the realized seer to help them out!! This is Samsara, Maya, which is most powerful, apparently even more powerful than the creator, the God Himself.