Narada Bhakti Sutra - Post 19

Sutra 8. Nirodhastu Lokavedavyaapaaranyaasah. 

(On the contrary control of desires means the resignation to the Lord of all worldly and scriptural activities.)

Nirodha: inhibition of desires

Tu: on the contrary

Lokaveda Vyaapaarasya: of worldly and scriptural activities;

Nyaasah: resignation or consecration (to the Supreme).

When divine love grows renunciation of action comes by itself. The devotee is God-intoxicated. He knows nothing but his beloved Lord. His mind is ever fixed on the form of his Lord. He is not capable of doing any action enjoined by the Smritis or the Vedas. All activities leave him of their own accord.

He sees nothing else but God. He speaks of nothing else but God. He does not listen to anything. He has no craving or desire. Sometimes his voice is choked. He sits silently. How can he work at this stage ?

Nirodha: The word Nirodha is not used here in the ordinary way as “restraint”. It is used in a special sense viz., Nyasa or ‘renunciation’, or ‘dedication’.

Loka Veda Vyaapaara: Renunciation of worldly activities and scriptural duties does not mean here the abandoning of such activities themselves.

We often take up a particular activity / we act in a particular way due to any of the following reasons:-

• Our religion and its related treatise prescribe certain actions/ certain way to act- Bhagwad Gita / Bible / Quran etc prescribe certain actions / restraints.
• There are certain accepted norms of the society / society or the people around us / the community expects us to act in a particular way
• If we do things in a particular way / if we take up some actions, then we will get appreciation from society.

How ever, what does Narada say about a Bhakta who is intoxicated in Love of God???

He says, the Bhakta is not bound by any prescriptions in scriptures, nor does  he concern himself about expectations of society from him, nor is he mindful of actions which will fetch him appreciation from  society.

Does it mean that he does not abide by scriptures/ social norms??

A true Bhakta, immersed / intoxicated in God's Love, does not act because scriptures impose / society expects such action from him, but he does everything good, everything that is honored by the society because HE IS GOOD BY HIS NATURE, He has become THAT which is  respected, accepted and loved by the world!!

Buddha, even when he was old and much later after attaining enlightenment,   used to go through all the daily duties/ practice that a young monk is expected to undertake in his initial period of training.

An young monk approached Buddha and said, " Master, you are beyond all these practice, why do you take up these practice"?

Buddha smiled and replied, " I am not taking up any practice, these practice have taken me over".

What did Buddha mean??

The rigorous practice in the initial years in renunciation has become a natural way for Buddha and he does not do any such action because the religion prescribes, but because, he spontaneously ended up acting in that manner!!!

So, a lover of God exists unconcerned about any prescriptions of religion / society  but he is essentially perfect, essentially so good that whatever he does / act / speak  are those actions / words which are prescribed as "Good" by religion / society!!.

Thus, even the distinction of sacred and secular (worldly) duty vanishes for a realised devotee. Every work is sacred to him. Every work is a sacred offering unto the Lord. Every work is an expression of his love for God.

He does not intend to subscribe to any norms but in his purity, he ends up acting pure and perfect and his actions are such which are hailed by religion/ by humanity / by society / by world at large!!

Love.

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.