Narada Bhakti Sutras - Post 77

Sutra 72. Naasti teshu jaatividyaaroopakula- dhanakriyaadi bhedah.

Among them (the devotees) there is no distinction based on caste, learning, beauty, family or birth, wealth, observance or profession and the like.

Teshu : among them

Jaati-vidyaa-roopa-kula-dhana-kriyaadi-bheda : distinctions based on caste, learning, beauty, family, wealth, profession or observance and the rest ;

Na : not

Asti : exists like, there is.

In the Adhyatma Ramayana III-10-20, Sri Rama says, “Sex, birth, reputation, status, etc., do not confer any title to My worship ; only devotion, Adhikara or fitness, competence to do.”

However widely they may differ in other respects they are all alike in their pure and one-pointed love for God .

You should not judge a devotee or a saint by his birth or literary attainments. Kabir was a common weaver, Raidas a sweeper, Nandan an untouchable, Sadan, a butcher and yet they were great spiritual lights.

  

Nisada was born in a low caste, Sabari was a rustic woman, Dhruva was an un-educated boy, Vidura and Sudama were very poor, Vibhishana was an ugly Rakshasa, Hanuman was a monkey, Jatayu was a bird, Gajendra was an elephant, the Gopis of Brindivan were not initiated into Vedic rites ; but all these attained god-realisation on account of their devotion and self-surrender .

In devotion caste, culture, physical appearance, birth, possessions, occupation etc., do not matter. He who has dedicated his all at the feet of the Lord and who constantly remembers Lord succeeds in attaining God-consciousness, no matter whether he is a Brahmin or a laborer, educated or uneducated, high-born or low-born, good-looking or ugly-looking, wealthy or poor.

This Sutra has to be looked upon from the stand point of a devotee who has realized God within his heart as LOVE and not as much as a Sutra aiming to hold flag against caste system, against the 4 Varnas.

A true devotee transcends all dualities and hence, he is neither able to say, caste, creed and other distinctions are correct, nor is he in a state to say they are not correct. This duality is amongst all the possible dualities which he transcends.

First and the subtlest duality in an individual is his existence as a Jiva and God's existence as Supreme, other than himself.

If this distinction is itself transcended, then where is a Jiva, aware of his Identity with his body, mind and intellect, to even recognize the distinctions given in this Sutra??

A saint has risen above the three gunas. He shines with the resplendence of divine illumination. He does not belong to one caste or community but to the whole humanity. That is the reason why there is no distinction of caste among the saints.

There is no distinction based upon appearance. Ashta Vakra had eight bends in his body. Agastya was a dwarf. Some may be clean shaven, others may have matted hair.

Kula : It means family and also race. Saints can come out of any race. St. Francis, Saint Catherine, and several others belong to the Western race. They were realised souls. There have been saints among Muslims . Kabir is another instance . Saintliness is not affected by distinctions between the rich and the poor, between one profession and another.

He who has devotion to the Lord  (or, in other words, one who has attained/ known/ experienced Brahman) is a Brahmin . 

An out- caste who has devotion and who is leading the life divine is far superior to a Brahmin who is leading a vicious and abominable life.

The distinctions exist when a man is petty minded. These differences are created by the mind on ac- count of Avidya. ( Avidya is nothing but identifying oneself as a Jiva with an existence separate from that of God, which is explained earlier in this Post itself). 

They all melt away when one gets Darshan of God or Atma. Love is a great leveller. It develops equal vision (sama drishti). The advanced Bhakta becomes an Ativamashrami . He goes beyond varnashrama. 

In most appropriate level, if this Sutra or any sutra or all Sutras are to be explained, then the interpretation of SAI AUM bhajan  given in an earlier post is enough!!.

The line NAYAN NAYAN MEIN SAI AUM explains everything that is given in this Narada Bhakti Sutra or for that matter, any writing on Devotion.

When Sai/ lord has blessed a devotee, installed Himself in that devotee with a blessing " I am yours, Yours are mine" as  Swami says, then the eyes of the devotees are no more his eyes, they are Sai's eyes.

Eyes are not physical eyes here. It is the eye through which  one sees this entire world, even the portrait or idol of God and then, such a sight is carried through his intellect to his senses and then the senses play havoc and attribute various meaning/ ideas/ thoughts to such sight.

When the  vision is Sai's vision, then, does the author has to say, how such a devotee shall perceive ( or not perceive at all!!) this entire creation????

At that state, this sutra itself bows down to such a devotee and whispers, " ALL THESE ARE NOT FOR YOU, O GREAT SOUL"!!!

This NAYAN NAYAN MEIN is explained as Eye of the eye in Kenopanishad, which is one of the most ancient upanishads and too profound and too subtle!!!

Love

Narada Bhakti Sutra - Post 76

Sutra 71. Modante pitaro nrityanti devataah sanaathaa cheyam bhoorbhavati.

[(On the advent of a devotee), their forefathers rejoice, the Gods dance in joy and this earth gets a savior.]

Pitarah: the departed ancestors, forefathers

Modante: rejoice

Devataah:Gods, celestials

Nrityanti: dance in joy;

Jyam: this

Bhu: earth

Sanaathaa: possessing a savior

cha: and 

Bhavati: becomes.

This earth is happy in their care. This earth finds in them its protectors or guardians. The earth is blessed by them.

The manes or forefathers, the spirits of the ancestors of the devotees of God feel the spiritual influence generated by the devotional practices of their descendents living on the earth. They rejoice over the devotional state of their descendents.

The earth feels the effect of our good and evil actions. It is a living, breathing, conscious entity for a saint with a spiritual eye or the eye of intuition. It is Bhu Devi or Mother earth full of life. It is Vishnu. It is Virat.

  

All the actions of a devotee are naturally conducive to the welfare of the world. So his advent is a happy augury for all.

The devotion of a devotee redeems a number of generations going before and coming after him. So the manes rejoice on account of prospect of salvation.

The devotee puts many irreligious people on the path of devotion and Dharma. So the manes rejoice and the celestials dance in joy.

God gives darshan to His devotee. The advent of a devotee is the precursor of the manifestation of the Lord.

God manifests and destroys the Asuras or wicked men, the enemies of Gods. Therefore Gods also dance in joy.

By the term Pitarah, Devarishi, one of the greatest devotees himself, perhaps does not mean the physical mother and father of the devotee. When such a devotee lives a life in and as Love, in him, the entire past sees its total fulfillment. 

All fathers of the spiritual culture, all dead ancestors, all the great Rishis of the yore, all seekers who had honestly  tried to live a spiritual life - all of them must rejoice in him who has realized the supreme Love. 

The Asuras will not be powerful when there are devotees on this earth. The earth will be having more men with divine qualities. The saints will convert diabolical men into divine beings with virtuous qualities. So the Devas dance in joy.

Saints radiate the current of love and peace. They disseminate the message of unity, love, peace and goodwill on this earth. They stop wars. They send their disciples to preach the gospel of love and peace. Therefore this earth also rejoices. She gets a Natha or saviour.

The word Pitru is used in the scriptures to denote not only living parents but also ancestors and permanent demi-gods known by the name Agnisvatta and others. 

The living parents also rejoice because their son will be honored by the world after his attainment of God-realisation and will save them also from the wheel of birth and death. A devotee satisfies the denizens of all the three worlds.

Suppose, the whole world is in a dream state. When the dream state gets over, it is obvious that the whole world, all the children of the world who were dreaming hitherto, are awakened.

When one devotee awakens from this dream (illusory) world and realizes God as Love and exists as Love, then that awakening of one devotee is as though equal to awakening of the entire world, like all dreaming children were awakened when the dream world got over.

Such is the benefit the world gets when one devotee attains God realization. From the standpoint of such realized seer, all beings in the world are definitely awakened, definitely free, definitely divine, not now, but eternally!!

Thus, He moves in the world, singing the joy of His realization, trying to convey it to others (he does not try deliberately, it just flows). To bring the earth THAT LIGHT, which dispels the darkness of ignorance in the bosom of earth's beings, is the only purpose of such a realized devotee's inspired and inspiring existence!

Glory to saints and devotees!! 

Love.