Narada Bhakti Sutra - Post 40

Sutra 29. Annyonyasrayatwamityanye.

(Others are of opinion that there is mutual dependence between knowledge and devotion.)

Annyonya-asreyatwam: Mutual dependence (of knowledge and devotion)

it: thus 

anye: others.

One cannot know God without love and without exertion. It is not possible to love truly without knowing the object of his love and without exerting to serve his beloved. 

It is not also possible to exert oneself for someone without knowing and loving him. All the faculties of the mind always cooperate with one another.

The Mutual dependence between knowledge and devotion is explained further now.

Initial Knowledge, to gain Love

• A child has to be introduced by its mother to its sibling, its father, its relatives, even to God, God's glories, stories from Epic etc.
• Unless this knowledge is gained by the child, for it, its
  
  relative is but a stranger. The mother says, "See, this is your mama, prostrate to him. Then the child looks at the man standing there, believes in its mother's words and goes and touches the feet of its Mama / uncle , the uncle showers love on the child and the child also hesitatingly accepts and reciprocates with a hug. The love starts here!!!
• Similarly, on Knowing the Glories of Rama / Krishna / Hanuman / Sai etc, depending upon its sanskara, the child develops attachment towards one particular God and starts Loving that God from deep within.
• Thus initial Knowledge kindles the initial Love towards God.

Later, Love culminates into knowledge

In the Gita you will find: 

“Sradhavan labhyate gyanam"

(the man who is full of faith obtained wisdom.”) 

Ch. IV-39.

“Tesham satata yuktanam bhajatam preetipurvakam, 

Dadami buddhi yogam tam yena maamupayantite.”

(To these, ever harmonious (worshipping in love) I give the Yoga of discrimination by which they come unto Me.”)

Ch. X-10.

• The initial love gained through knowledge about God, as explained earlier, grows and  expands enormously.
• Love grows and pervades God and His creation in entirety.
• An appropriate time comes in one birth when the Bhakta gets the intuitive experience within and realizes that the Love which is in his heart, pervading the creation, is the same as the God within one's heart, not in form, not as emotion, not with attributes but as SELF, also pervades the entire creation ( Isa vasyam Idam Sarvam) and just like the Love within the heart and the Love that pervades the creation is one and the same and is just LOVE, the SELF that is experienced within the cave of one's heart, is realized as the SELF of ALL, SELF in ALL, the supreme SELF or Supreme consciousness and exactly, it is realized and experienced that the SELF within and SELF pervading the creation is the same.

Here, through love, the ultimate knowledge is not only gained but the sadhaka who is now the seer, exists as the very knowledge itself.

This is the inter dependence or the link between devotion and Knowledge, as per pure experience!!

Sutra 30. Svayam phalaroopateti brahma-kumaaraa.

[Bhakti is its own fruit — thus opines Brahma Kumara (Narada) the son of Brahma.]

Svayam: of itself 

Phalarupata (Bhakti): being its own fruit 

its: thus  

Brahmakumara: Son of Brahma i.e., Narada (Manvate : thinks).

This has already been explained through Sutra no 26 and also further explained through comment posted by the Author on the very same sutra.

Bhakti is both the root and fruit of the tree of spirituality.

Bhakti is self-sufficient. It does not depend on any other Sadhana .

From what has devotion / Love resulted? From devotion / Love  itself. 

Bhakti is not the fruit or result of any practice . All practices enjoined by the scriptures are only to remove the ego or the veil.

Bhakti has no cause. It is not the effect of anything else also.

Love.

Narada Bhakti Sutra - Post 39

Sutra 28. Tasya jnanameva Saadhanamityeke.

In the view of some, knowledge (of the object loved) alone is the means to attain (devotion).

Tasyah: of that supreme Love

Jnanam: knowledge

Eva: alone

Sadhanam: means

Iti: Thus

[some (teachers think)].

Bhakti must be preceded by the knowledge that the object of one’s devotion and worship is the Lord, who is Omnipotent, Omniscient, all-merciful, who possesses Infinite auspicious qualities, who is the support and substratum of all etc. 

Without this knowledge, there will be no faith in God, without faith there will be no attachment to God, and without attachment there will be no lasting and intense devotion.

  

Some say: “Even in the worldly parlance, knowledge comes first. Through knowledge of a thing, one gets love for that object. A girl gets knowledge of her would be husband : "He can sing well. He is handsome. He has passed his I.C.S. examination. He is now a district magistrate and so on." A patient gets knowledge of the virtuous qualities of barley. Then he loves Barley and takes with delight bread made of barley. He knows it is cooling and sattvic and so on. So also one gets knowledge of God at first. Then he begins to love. Therefore, 'gyanam' is the 'Sadhanam' or means for devotion.

In an earlier verse, we learnt that devotion without proper knowledge (of the real grandeur, real truth) of God is like approaching one's Paramour for illicit love. 

The above meaning that Knowledge of God is necessary for devotion to God should be understood in proper sense otherwise it can be confusing.

What it means is that it has to be clear that God is eternal and beyond name and form and is LOVE in the path of devotion (SELF or Pure consciousness in the path of Jnana) and with this clarity, each step in devotion, each process in devotion, each act in the process of devotion must be focussed to go nearer and nearer to THAT GOD who IS LOVE and to ultimately merge in  Him / that LOVE.

If the above reality of God is not known clearly, then it is possible that devotion remains as a mere emotion towards a God with form, with devotee associating himself mentally and emotionally with that God and remaining at that level for ever. In this case, Love for God is but a little superior Love as compared to love for wife / husband / children etc. but not the MOST SUPERIOR LOVE FOR THE ETERNAL GOD = LOVE.

Exception to the above understanding

Devotion to God may be developed through mere faith and reverence also. Jatayu, Gajendra, Dhruva, Sabari realised God through mere devotion. 

In the love of the child to the mother, there is no understanding. So the view that Jnana is the Sadhana of devotion is only partially true.

Love.