Narada Bhakti Sutra - Post 7

Dear All,

Now to the remaining expressions in verse 2.

Tu - is used to differentiate the highest Bhakti which Maharshi Narada alludes to in this Sutra from the lower type of devotion which is actuated by ulterior motives and desires or fear of God, etc.

You should know the difference between ordinary love, the love between wife and husband, children and parents, friends and relations.

Asmin - The word  asmin in this, is used in this Sutra to denote the object of love. Narada’s teaching is non-sectarian. He did not use the word, Brahman, Ishwar, Rama, Krishna, Siva, etc.

The various objects which devotees worship according to their spiritual development are:-

1. a personal God, Vishnu, Siva, Jesus or Buddha  etc.

2. An idol or image of the personal God which will remind him of the Personal God.

3. An Avatara like Lord Rama or Lord Krishna or Sai.

4. Guru or one’s spiritual guide.

5. Humanity in general.

6. The whole world (Viswarupa) conceived as the manifestation of the Supreme Being.

7. The Antaryamin or the inner Ruler or controller of all the objects in the world.

8. One’s own Atman . 

Parama Prema Rupa: There is no trace of selfishness or egoism or any motive or fear in this kind of supreme love. Do not mistake emotion or fanaticism for devotion or supreme love. It will pass away soon. Blind faith also is not supreme love.

Bhakti is love for love’s sake. The devotee wants God and God alone . There is no selfish expectation here. There is no fear also. Therefore it is called “Parama Prem Rupa”. 

Is the son afraid of his father, who is a Sessions Judge? Is the wife afraid of her husband? So also a devotee entertains the least fear of God. 

The fear of retribution vanishes in him. He feels, believes, conceives and imagines that his Ishtam is an Ocean of Love or Prem .

Bhakti is the slender thread of Prem or love that binds the heart of a devotee with the lotus feet of the Lord. Bhakti is intense devotion and supreme attachment to God. Bhakti is supreme love for God. It is the spontaneous out-pouring of Prem towards the Beloved. 

It is pure, unselfish, divine love or Suddha Prem. There is not a bit of bargaining or expectation of anything here. This higher feeling is indescribable in words. It has to be sincerely experienced by the devotee. Bhakti is a sacred, higher emotion with sublime sentiments that unites the devotees with the Lord.

Love.

Narada Bhakti Sutra - Post 6

Sutra 2. Sa twasmin parama prema rupaa.

That (devotion), verily, is of the nature of supreme Love of God.

Sa: That (i.e., Bhakti)

tu: But;

Asmin: in this

Parama: Supreme

Prema: Love

Rupaa: Form.

SA - THAT (Bhakti)

Devotion or Bhakti is exclusive love for God. The devotee wants God and God alone. He is completely attached to God. He has no attraction or love for any object in this world. He is absolutely free from all mundane desires. He has no desire for the enjoyment of the next world. He does not want even Mukti. Supreme Love does not seek a return. It does not expect a reward. The lover wants his Beloved alone. The devotee is quite indifferent to the pleasures of this world. He has no interest in the affairs of this world.

Mark how love develops. First arises attraction. Then follows faith and after that Adoration leads to suppression of mundane desires. The result is single-mindedness and satisfaction. Then grow attachment and supreme love towards God.

In this type of highest Bhakti all attraction and attachment which one has for objects of enjoyment are transferred to the only dearest object, viz., God. This leads the devotee to an eternal union with his Beloved and culminates in oneness.

Bhakti is divided into two kinds, viz., Apara Bhakti or Gauna Bhakti and Para Bhakti. Apara Bhakti is the lower or initial stage of devotion of an aspirant following the path of Bhakti, while Para Bhakti is the highest stage of Bhakti.

The relationship of the devotee with the Lord in various stages is beautifully described here. Three stages of devotion (bhakti) are explained thus:

1.     Thamaivaaam (I am Thine) - affirms I am Yours,

2.     Mamaiva-thwam (You are mine) and

3.     Thwame-Vaaham (Thou art I) - You and I are One, the Same.

Each is just a step in the rising series and the last is the highest step of all. 

First Stage

Tham-eva-aham, the Lord is fully free and Devotee is fully bound (it is like the cat & the kitten). The cat shifts the kitten about as it wills; the kitten just mews and accepts whatever happens. This attitude is very gentle and is within easy reach of all.

Second Stage

In the second, Mama-eva-thwam, the devotee binds the Lord, who is to that extent un-free! Surdas is a good example of this attitude. "Krishna! you may escape from my hold, from the clasp of these arms; but you cannot escape from my heart I have bound You", challenged, the Lord just smiled and assented; for 'I am bound by My devotees'. The devotee can tie up the Lord with his Prema, by Bhakthi that overwhelms and overpowers his egoism. When man is full of this type of Bhakthi, the Lord will Himself bless with everything he needs; His Grace will fulfil all his wants.

Remember the promise the Lord made in the Githa 'Yogakshemam Vahaaamyaham', "I carry the burden of his welfare".

Third and Final Stage

Next about the third stage: "Thwamevaaham ithi thridhaa"; this is the Avibhaktha -Bhakthi, the inseparable devotion. The devotee offers all to the Lord, including himself, for he feels that he cannot withhold himself.

That completes his surrender. The thwa-me-vaaham feeling is the Adwaithic Saranagathi, based on the realisation that all this ('Idam') is Vasudeva and nothing else, nothing else. So long as the consciousness of the Deha or body persists, the bhaktha is the servant and the Lord is the Master. So long as the individual feels that he is separate from other individuals, the bhaktha is a part and the Lord is the Whole. When he progresses to the State when he gets beyond the limits of the body as well as of 'I' and 'Mine', then there is no more distinction; Bhaktha and Bhagavan are the same.

“when I think of myself as an embodied being. I am your servant; when I think of myself as an individual soul, I am part of you; but when I realize ‘I am Atman’ I am one with you. This is my firm conviction.” 

Continued........

Narada Bhakti Sutra - Post 5

Dear All,

The first verse contained the following 4 expressions:

Atha: now

Athah: therefore

Bhaktim: (the doctrine of) devotion,

Vyakhyasyaamah: (we) shall expound.

About the 1st verse, we covered the initial 2 words- Atha & Ahah in previous verse.

Now to the next 2 words- Bhaktim and Vyakhyasyaamah

The term BHAKTI comes from the root ‘Bhaj’, which means “to be attached to God.” Bhajan, worship, bhakti, anurag, prem, preethi are synonymous terms. Bhakti is love for love’s sake. The devotee wants God and God alone. There is no selfish expectation here.

As long as we are in material existence, we lament for the losses in our life and hanker for that which we do not have. A self-realized person is joyful because he is free from material lamentation and hankering.

Bhakti is so sublime that only through bhakti can one understand the constitutional position of the Lord. That is clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gétä (18.55): bhaktyä mäm abhijänäti. "One can understand the Supreme Lord through devotional service, and by no other process." 

It is for this reason that the Närada-bhakti-sütra begins, "Now, therefore, I shall try to explain the process of Bhakti." 

The word "therefore" indicates that this process of devotional service is for the self-realized soul, one who is already liberated. Similarly, the Vedänta-sütra (The Brahma Sutra) begins athäto brahma jigyasa. 

The word Brahma Jigyasa  refers to inquiry into the Supreme Absolute Truth, and it is recommended for those who have been elevated from the lower stage of addiction to the karma-kända portion of the Vedas to the position of interest in the Jnana-kända portion. 

Only when a person is perfectly situated in the realization that he is not the body but a spirit soul can he begin the process of bhakti, or devotional service. 

Vyakhyasyaamah: This means literally 'shall comment upon’. The posts on this theme not a commentary in the usual sense of the term. It is a commentary on the actual experiences of the devotees.  It is not a mere speculative philosophical exposition, based on reason. Nor is it a second-hand knowledge based on other’s experiences. It is the exposition based on the author’s own personal experiences, supported by scriptures.


We will move on to the 2nd verse in next post.

Love.