Narada Bhakti Sutra - Post 18

Sutra 7. Saa Na Kaamayamaana Nirodharoopatwat. 

(Bhakti (supreme love) is not of the nature of lust (desire), because it is of the form of renunciation.)

Saa: it  that (i.e. Bhakti described as Paramapremarupa in Sutra 2)

na: not  

Kaamayamaana: of the nature of lust;

Nirodharoopatwat: being of the form of renunciation.

Bhakti is not led by desires, because it finds expression in the inhibition of all desires. The inhibition of all desires is not a total annihilation or extinction of all activities.

Kaamayamaana: It means “of the nature of Kama”. “Kama” is not only sexual lust but desire in general. 

Kaama is love for objects (which are not connected to Bhagavan) which when consumed by any of the senses gives us pleasure. It is well known and self-explanatory. 

We have something we really enjoy doing or consuming, we consume it or do it and we feel happy. This is Kaama.

Bhakti is love for Bhagavan. This love may be present due to different reasons. One possible reason (and popular, perhaps) is that the mind finds peace if it believes in the presence of a benevolent protector of oneself who is all-powerful and all-knowing and all-forgiving. 

This belief is strengthened by a number of experiences that one may have and the life of persons who have moral, ethical and spiritual purity.

This peace calms the mind, and a calm mind is the source of happiness in itself. 

Bhakti may also arise due to the understanding that Ishwara is in the form of everything one loves, i.e., in and through all the underlying sense-objects of Kaama, it is only Bhagavan that exists really.

In an earlier post, we have dealt with the flow of Kama and how the flow can be reversed to attain Moksha.

Let us revise the same in an earlier manner now.

• Man's life is filled with Kama, Love for objects as explained above.
• All objects, all human beings - everything is matter created by God and man spends several births in pursuit of Satisfaction / Happiness by running after all objects created by the God.
• Along side, he is also spending some time for pursuing God in every birth. 
• At last, there comes a birth where, man, after getting tired of the "temporary happiness" that he gets out of all worldly objects, turns towards the source of all those objects- GOD.

(Swami, pointing out at few Ex students who served Swami 24/7 by being with Swami, serving Swami in every possible way and said in a discourse- "while the entire world comes to me for fulfilling their desires for worldly objects and pray to me to fulfill such desires, these are the boys who said- Swami, you are serving the world tirelessly, we just need one thing in our life, to Love you and to serve you)

(In the Navavida Bhakti, when the state of Saakhyam is reached where the Bhakta sees and experiences God as his friend, the Bhakta says, by being God's friend itself, if it is so wonderful, then How would it be when I exist as God Himself - this thought takes him to the last culmination- ATMA NIVEDANAM)

• If the objects in this world can give some happiness for some moments and all / many such objects put together can give a higher satisfaction for a longer time, then the devotee now turns to God and wonders, "If I  desire and reach the source of all these objects, the God Himself, then will it not result in ever lasting happiness, ever lasting bliss??".
• Thus, Love for Objects or Kama also ultimately culminates in Love for God only.

Whereas, in this sutra, we are taking about SA NA KAMYAMAANA - i.e., Sage Narada talks about the one who has already crossed the above flow of Love for Objects and has reached SA - The Parama Prema Rupa, God!!!. 

Then, How such a Bhakta can ever indulge in Kama - whether sexual or any other objective pleasure????

Continued..........

Love.

Narada Bhakti Sutra - Post 17

Stabdha bhavati : 

In the previous post, we read about Sutikshana running in all directions, dancing, singing, on hearing that his Lord Sri Rama is in chitrakoot.

The same Sutikshana sat silent, motionless and when Rama came near him, Sutikshana was so much filled with Rama's Love within, that he went into total silence and Rama had to wake him up and tell that He was in front of Sutikshana.

Only one who has experienced these states in their love for God will actually know that after the madness, the ecstasy reaches its peak, the Bhakta reaches that moment when he is fully enveloped by, filled with the essence of God's love and it is at this moment, this state, that the Bhakta gets automatically into the depth of silence. 

He loses the consciousness of his body that danced, the voice that sang and is totally drawn inward and has totally immersed in God's love, God consciousness.

When a devotee acts, it is God who acts through him. A devotee is inwardly quite peaceful and serene when he serves the world out of love and mercy.

Atmaaramo bhavati : 

We sing this Bhajan Sri Rama Charanam where we sing thus:-

Vaidehi Ramam Vaikunta Dhamam Bhoopala Chudamanim
Atmabhi Ramam Prabhu Sai Ramam

(Sri Rama, who is all pervading, from the earth (vaidehi) to the high heavens (vaikunta) is that Purusha, that brahman who exists in each Jiva as Atman, the SELF and that Brahman or Atma Ram has willed to descend in Kali Yuga, crystallizing himself to a form and descended as an incarnation as Sai Rama).

The very purpose of such incarnation is to teach we Jivas, with His Darshan, Sparshan and Sambashan, with His teachings, discourses that we are verily divine, we are the pure SELF and to drive this truth into our very existence, He addresses us as "Divyatma Swaroopalara".

The devotee after the intoxicated state in His love for God, gets into deep silence and is stilled, filled with whole soul Love for His God and then, ultimately, the devotee comes to meet the purpose for which the Lord incarnated on this earth. The devotee reaches the Lord, merges with the Lord and exists verily as "Atma Ram", the SELF!!!



The devotee grows into the likeness of the Lord and therefore shares with Him His perfection and partakes of His infinite bliss and joy. He realises the Atman within and beholds the Atman in every creature.

With this, we come to the end of verse 6.

Love.

Narada Bhakti Sutra - Post 16

Matto Bhavati : 

In the Upanishads Atman is compared to Madhu or honey. 

The Sufis often compare it to wine.

The Saktas compare it to liquor. 

In the Vedic Yagna it is Soma juice. 

All these symbolize the enjoyment of the sweetness of divine bliss. 

A devotee who has drunk the wine of divine love cannot observe the conventional rules of propriety. He is not a slave of the conventional laws of society and scriptures. The God-intoxicated devotee is not conscious of himself. 

Once, Guru Nanak dev visits Babar's palace and King Babar offers a glass of Bhang (Opium) to Nanak ji.

Nanak  smiles and says,

Bhang tambaku chotara utar jaaye parbhat (prabhat), 

Naam khumari nanak chadi rahe din raat.

The intoxication of all these liquor shall remain at best for a night and will leave only with a hangover next morning,

The intoxication of Lord's name/ Lord's love grows more and more for Nanak, day and night.

Let us see one more such intoxication depicted in Ramayana.

In Ramayan, Sutikshana gets to know that his Ram is coming, in chitrakoot.

He cries in ecstasy, saying, "My Ram is coming??" His state is expressed thus:-

Dishi yaru vidishi pant nahin sooja ko mein chala yu kahan nahin bhooja

Kaba hu ka phiri paache poni jayi  kaba hu kar nritya  karata gun gaayi

(Running to the north east, west, south, everywhere, some times he dances, some times he cries, sometimes he sings)

What do we understand by "intoxicated in Divine Love"?

Since it is difficult to relate to until we have really experienced such an intoxication in God's love, let is start with our understanding of "getting intoxicated in Madhu/Liquor".

What do we see in a person who has drunk beyond limits???

- He does not see the world as others see.

- He does not behave like others behave.

- He does all those actions which appear to be " Not normal" 

Now, with this limited understanding of "intoxication", let us  try and understand how a devotee intoxicated in  his Love for God would possibly exist??

All the three things explained above about a drunkard applies to this devotee but the dimension changes. The devotee is not "abnormal" due to consuming alcohol  which will last for few hours and then when others narrate about his behavior when he was drunk, the person is ashamed.

The devotee is eternally intoxicated in his love for his God, not for a day, not for few hours but eternally.

So, his actions, his movements, his state may sound as "abnormal" for others whereas, for him, the actions of all others may appear to be "abnormal".

When a devotee reads some literature on God, when he sees  a video / movie on  lord, when he stands with his eyes closed in temple when prayer is on in the temple, when he mediates on Lord in silence, when he attends a satsangh where the Glory of God is spoken and being most fortunate when he sees his God physically (being blessed to see Sai physically in Parthi, moving around, approaching the devotee Himself, filling the heart of devotee with His darshan), such intoxicated experience, with his heart fully filled with Love, may be experienced by the devotee.

The manifestation of intoxication may be different, In some places, we see devotees dancing in ecstasy, chanting "Hare Rama Hare Krishna", in some other places, the devotee just sits quiet with tears rolling down his cheeks. Both of them are intoxicated in divine Love but the manifestation looks different.

Such is the state of identity or union with the Lord. The devotee loses his separate existence. He has no will of his own as he has already surrendered it completely to the Lord . He is simply an instrument in the hands of the Lord .

This is the madness of a devotee, intoxicated in his love for God/ in God consciousness!!

Special Note

Till the time one has really experienced such ecstasy, such madness in his Love for God, all that is said above may at best make a good reading for him.

But when one has experienced such moments of "intoxication in divine Love", then the entire post of today would be seen by him / her as though some one has observed him / her and then, written his / her experience today!!!

How ever, one has to  read such texts continuously and try to absorb and evolve in his / her divine love so that one day, he or she is also able to get the subjective experience of whatever is spoken on "Matho Bhavati".

Love.