Narada Bhakti Sutra - Post 43

Sutra 34.Tasyaa Saadhanaani Gayanti Acharyaha

[The Teachers have sung (as follows) about the means (for the culture) of devotion.]

Tasyaa : its; of that supreme love

Sadhanaani: means

Gaayanti: sing 

Achaaryaha: Teachers.

The means here described are only accessory, because Bhakti is its own means as has been shown already.

‘Achaarya’ means those who are practicing what they preach. 'Char' is to move. They move along the path about which they speak. They live the life of the highest Bhaktas of the Lord. They alone are really fit to teach. Their teaching alone will be the most effective. 

Achaaryas or teachers are those who have had first hand experience of the discipline and the consequent Realisation.

A very important note for all those who sing (bhajans etc, the bhajan singers of all centres)

This note may appear to be digressing from the essence of this sutra but it comes from within and hence, it is just being poured. We will see if it connects to this Sutra, at the end.

Why Devarishi Narada chose the expression "Achaaryas SING one various means of sadhana" in this sutra?? Why He did not write, Acharyas have SPOKEN about the various means of Sadhana??

There  is a purpose.

In Spiritual journey, when it comes to just speaking, we may speak theoretically, taking few hints from here and there on the topic in which we speak, thanks to WWW.GOOGLE.COM.

One can speak on " Only purpose of human  is to realize  the innate divinity" and earn applause without knowing what the following really means, as an experience 

- Human ( How human being is created by God) 
- Purpose ( what is the real purpose of being born as human
- Realize - What is to be realized, How it is to be realized
- Innate Divinity ( What this means, as an experience)

But when it comes to singing (singers, please note), the expression, the Bhava has to come from the inner heart. Singing is the manifestation of a devotee's innermost feelings, innermost love, innermost experience in / with/ through his /her proximity with God. 

The song  comes (IT MUST COME), from the inner heart and has (MUST) have no artificiality at all. 

When we sing, "Janam Maran Se Paar Karo, Bhava Bandhan Se Uddhar Karo" and then add more stress to repeat the line by prefixing Sai's name to sing, "Baba, Bhava Bandhan Se Uddhar Karo", it cannot and it must not be a theoretical rendition limiting to the sound, the articulation in our voice, matching to the beat of the tabla. The innermost feeling has to be:-

- O Sai, Enough of this vicious circle of Punarapi Jananam Punarapi maranam.

- Each birth sees accumulation of more and more karmas, fetching more and more results for the Karma accumulated.

- I am surrendering my entire identity O Swami, my ego is gone, my self rushes to merge in THY SELF, O Prana Sakha.

- Like the calf rushing to the cow, I am rushing to You Sai, take me, finish off this cycle of birth and death, take me, make me worth of merging unto You, to exist as You, O Sai Natha!!!

The feeling / Bhava may not be in this much  detailed points but the essence of these points has to flow from the devotee's heart and has to melt Sai to rush to the devotee as Sai is verily the Bhakta vatsala!!!

Now, coming to the Sutra, the purpose of using the word "SING" makes more sense because:-

Devarishi conveys, through usage of the expression SINGING, that the Acharyas, who have also struggled in their Spiritual path, followed all the means to the ultimate goal to its minutest level, experienced the Joy of spiritual evolvement through the Sadhana path, are now, in the following verses, not just speaking theory, but are singing the joy of their own inner experience in the path of Sadhana through devotion!!!

Love.

Narada Bhakti Sutra - Post 42

Sutra 32 . Na Tena Rajaparitosha kshudhasaantirva.

[Not by that (by mere knowledge of things) does the king become king, nor does the hungry man become satisfied.]

Na: not

tena: by that

Raja: king

Paritosha: satisfaction  

Kshudhasaanti: appeasement of hunger

vaa: or.

Not as a result of the hearing of the news does the boy become a prince. He was a Prince already. No status was added to him by his mere hearing.

The pilgrim’s satisfaction is also there already. Nothing new was added to him by his return to his home.

Mere knowledge of the food and its ingredients cannot satisfy your hunger. You must eat the food. Then alone satisfaction will come and hunger will be appeased. Even so mere verbal knowledge of God cannot develop devotion and give peace.

The followers of the path of devotion oppose those who hold the view that knowledge is means for attainment of devotion by the aid of the above illustration. They say: “Mere knowledge of food cannot appease hunger; so also mere knowledge cannot develop devotion”.

A Prince, as explained in the previous Sutra, does not become a worthy Prince/ King only on knowing that he is a Prince. The worthiness is not guaranteed to him just by virtue of being born in Royal family. He has to be virtuous, generous, kind, just, brave, compassionate .., he has to process all such qualities to be a successful King. 

If he does not develop these virtues and becomes worthy enough to hold on to the throne, he may be dethroned by an enemy king or by his own people in his own kingdom.

What does this sutra teach a Bhakta??

• Mere visits to temple, singing kirtan, engaging in rituals, Poojas, garlanding God's idol / portrait, speaking on Devotion in a gathering, mere outward appearance as kind hearted, desireless  devotee, even few people praising someone to be a true devotee, does not make him a true devotee.
• The devotee should crave for nearing Lord and merging in Lord. The Devotee's heart should expand in Love. In that expansion of Love, the entire creation should be enveloped. 
• Even in the worst phase in his life, he must hold on to
  
  Lord and laugh away all the struggle and surrender to Lord and say, "O LORD, THY WILL BE DONE".
• Surrendering all thoughts, words, actions is not to be spoken like a parrot. In worst times or in best times, not being aware of one's individual body, mind and intellect and to exist just as a Lover of God, losing one's self to God, existing with that LOVE filled heart makes him a true devotee.
• Lord says, it is not enough if you call yourself my devotee, I should recognize you as my true devotee. Krishna has prescribed 26 qualities of a true devotee in Bhagwad Gita. Even to fulfill 4 to 5 of those 26 qualities at all times is most challenging in this Kali Yuga!!

Sutra 33. Tasmaatsaiva graahyaa mumukshubhihi.

[Therefore the path of devotion alone should be adopted by those who desire salvation.]

Tasmaat : therefore; hence; (since devotion is higher than the other paths);

hi: Saa: supreme devotion, that

Eva: alone (to the exclusion of the others)

Mumukshubhihi: by seekers of liberation

Graahya: worthy of being adopted (as the goal) .

In the foregoing 32 Sutras the nature of Para Bhakti has been described and explained.

The royal road to liberation is devotion to God. Devotion is a sure, natural and easy means to liberation.

There are few people who are really intellectual enough to grasp the subtleties of the metaphysics of Sri Sankara and can take up the path of Knowledge / SELF inquiry.

The path of devotion ends at the same point as the path of knowledge. Para Bhakti and Jnana are one. This has been explained in a previous sutra where, the author has given his own real life experience as to how Bhakti glides to the attainment of true Jnana on its own.

One must become a Mumukshu. One should pine for liberation. One should not desire anything else than the Lord. Then alone God will choose him. Then alone the Lord stretches out His hand to lift you up from the mire of this Samsara.

This has been  explained in the previous sutra in this post itself, when it just flowed from within, without realizing that the next sutra is talking about the same subject!!

With the 33rd Sutra, the part dealing with Para Bhakti comes to an end. All the remaining sutras of the book deal with the means for attaining Para- Bhakti and God-Realisation.

In the next chapter consisting of Sutras 34 to 50, the Sadhanas are mentioned.

Love.

Narada Bhakti Sutra - Post 41

Sutra 31. Rajagrihabhojanaadishu tathaiva drishtatwaat.

(For it is seen to be just so in the case of the king, home and dinner.)

Raja-griha-bhojanaadishu : in the case of the king, home and dinner 

Tatha : in similar manner

Eva : only

Drishtatwaat : because it has been seen.

Narada gives here three illustrations to explain his view that the experience of bliss by a Bhakta in the presence of the Lord is not the result of any practice. 

KING REMAINS KING WHEREVER HE IS

Once a king lost his son in a forest. The prince was found by a forester. He grew in the forest under the care of the forester. Neither the forester nor the child knew that the child was a prince. Later on, the truth was known and the prince was taken to his kingdom.

During the period that the prince stayed with the forester, he had not been any other than the prince. After he came into his kingdom also, he was not any other than the prince.

When the boy, who was ignorant of his parentage, and who considered himself a mere forester, heard of his parentage accidentally, nothing new is produced but he is only reminded of an existing fact. 

HOME IS THE SAME, WHENEVER ONE RETURNS HOME

A man goes on a long pilgrimage. For many days he wanders about and endures many hardships, he experiences severe kinds of troubles. He cannot enjoy during his journey, the conveniences which he enjoyed in his own home. 

The home continues to be his home even in his absence but the distance which stood in the way of his enjoyment is removed when he comes back. 

A DINNER / ANY ATTAINMENT ONLY SETTLES THE ATTAINER IN HIS ORIGINAL STATE (OF HAPPINESS)

When a man is hungry, he is unhappy. The food does not

produce any new satisfaction but only removes the disturbance caused by hunger . It removes hunger, the source of unhappiness. When the uneasiness is removed, the natural satisfaction remains undisturbed.

WHAT DO THE ABOVE 3 EXAMPLE TEACH, IN DEVOTION?

The three example teach a / the supreme truth which a devotee experiences in the path of devotion and a Mumukshu experiences in the path of wisdom, when the goal is reached, when they attain GOD / SELF Realization.

Swami goes through a display of Art / paintings etc in Parthi , way back in 90's and then when He comes out of the Bhajan hall where the paintings were displayed, He smiles and says, "Happiness is within". 

Author had a video of this scene and this one line from Avatar, stored in the depth of author's heart, in sub conscious mind, as though, charged him with a never before fire to take up the path of wisdom after Sai's parting (yet conveying, directing and gracing) glance in Aug 2010.

He has to give the example which he has given umpteen number of times, to drive home the truth revealed by Swami in his words above and the three illustrations in this sutra.

A South Indian coffee is indispensable for a Brahmin down south and his day cannot begin without that hot, filter coffee, the aroma of which captivates the one even when his wife makes coffee for him in kitchen.

A Pathan living in Kabul hates the same coffee and for him, his heaven is in his hot cup of tea, which he won't mind taking 10 times a day!!

Now, readers, is the real happiness there in that coffee or in that tea??

If it is there, then the coffee must give the same satisfaction to Pathan or that tea must give the same satisfaction to the Brahmin in South India. 

So, where is the real satisfaction or real happiness, as poured by Bhagawan, really is???

• The  peace, the  Bliss, the  pure  existence (SATH) is the  REAL / ETERNAL  NATURE of Any Individual.
• Since we are infected by the ignorance of our real existence as given above, we tend to move away from our real nature and fail to be in the realm of Bliss / peace always.
• Then the man cries, "ENGE NIMMADI?", From where do I get peace??
• God replies, Know who you are, the real I, then that real I need not search for peace, for, you are the Truth (Sath), pure existence consciousness (Chit) , pure bliss (Ananda)!

In the context of devotion, the journey starts with Love for God and it is external in the beginning, as the object of Love is God whom you think as some one other than you.

At the end of the journey, God bestows His grace on you, being satisfied with your devotion and you realize that You and the God whom you loved hitherto, this creation, this earth, that heaven is all nothing but LOVE!!.

So, here, Swami's pour comes true- "True Happiness / Love, is within".

Just like,

The Prince, on knowing his reality, had no confusion that he was the same prince even when he was in forest, as he is born as prince.

The one who returns home after pilgrimage, has no confusion about the reality of his home, even if he returns after 10 years, he knows his home, he is not stranger to his home.

A hungry person, after a sumptuous meal, is as much satisfied as if he was never hungry!!!!!

The happiness that a Pathan gets on drinking a Tea or a Brahman on sipping a coffee are not inherent in  tea / coffee. The real nature of that Pathan or that Tamil Brahmin (as much in the case of all beings) is inherent in them, it is their real nature. 

Their forgotten nature, Happiness (real happiness),  comes to the forefront and their heart goes and touches and embraces the same eternal happiness once a desire is fulfilled. The texture of the happiness, even on fulfillment of a mean desire is the same, the eternal happiness / peace / Love / Bliss, whatever you may call it.

Sadly, this is not realized by human beings that, irrespective of what comes and goes, our real nature is happiness / bliss. So, ignorant of this truth, the human mind, like a monkey, jumps from one desire to another till the time it gets tired, sick and dies!!!!

The Author can go on and on to explain, but for a sincere reader, what ever explained till now, is MORE THAN ENOUGH to know the real significance of Sai's gospel- "REAL HAPPINESS IS WITHIN".

Love.

PS. There is a school of thought which gives a totally different meaning to this verse.

They say, whether it is going to a Raja Graha or settling for a dinner, the efforts must be sincere, the goal must be clear and the significance of being blessed by a King or having a good dinner must always be clear . 

i.e., In devotion, the efforts must be sincere, the goal must be clear, the worthiness of reaching God must wash off the pain / the struggle undertaken in the journey to reach God.

However, the interpretation which has been given in the above post, i.e., on reaching the destination (God realization), one discovers that he is always THAT (Love / Bliss / Ananda / Real Existence), which came from within, is more suitable, as it connects directly to the author's experience as well as the eternal secret which our Srutis have given us.

Love.