Narada Bhakti Sutra - Post 83

Sutra 79. Sarvadaa Sarvabhaavena Nischintaih Bhagavaaneva bhajaneeya.

[The Lord alone should always be worshipped by one whole-heartedly free from all cares and anxieties.]

Sarvadaa: always

Sarva Bhaavena: with the whole heart, through every aspect of life

Nischintaih: by those free from all cares and anxieties

Bhagavaan eva:  the Lord alone

Bhajaneeya: should be worshipped.

Chinta means ‘thinking’, ‘reflecting’, ‘being anxious about’.

Sarvabhaavena: Bhaava is mode of existence; in all their modes of existence, and in all their moods. In every aspect of life, the devotee must have only God-consciousness. In his attitude to the members of his family, to his friends who do good to him, to those who do evil, to his superiors and to his inferiors, in every relation that subsists between him and others he has only God-consciousness.

Bhagavan: He who has all glory, all power and all wisdom, i.e., the Lord.

Bhajanam: worshipping. ‘Bhaj’ literally means to ‘share in’ to obtain for oneself, to partake of. Bhakta is one who shares all the glory, power and knowledge with the Lord.

To share also means that a true Bhakta is the one who gives, who shares, who does any thing and everything for the God and the God alone. Thus, all our thoughts, words and actions must hence forth be aligned only and only with the God.

‘Nischinta Bhajana’ is complete concentration of the mind on God without a break at any time.

Dear Bhaktas,

Let us get a little more deeper to the most powerful expressions given in in thus sutra.

Sarvadaa: always

Sarva Bhaavena: with the whole heart, through every aspect of life

Nischintaih: by those free from all cares and anxieties

Bhagavaan eva:  the Lord alone

In the path of Jnana, there are these 4 pre-requisite qualifications such as Viveka, Vairagya, Shad Sampath and Mumukshatva.

With all these qualifications acquired, a proper Guru sought and intense meditation and absorption undertaken, when the God comes to such a sadhaka (Coming of God here means, the sadhaka getting the experience of SELF / Atman which is the core of Jnana path), the God comes like a King for whom you have to clean up your entire house (cleaning here means, you have made all the preparations of 4 qualifications, sravanam, mananam, nidhidhyasanam etc.). So, the God, like KING, JUST COMES AND OCCUPIES YOUR HOME (HEART).

Whereas, in the path of Bhakti, the God comes like a maid servant in the sense that you have to only invite the lord and He Himself comes and undertakes the ordeal of cleaning your home (cleansing of all your impurities within your heart), decorate your heart (with purity) and makes your home pure and perfect!!!!

We have, in our  life,  so many wants, so many desires. We say, "I want a good wife, I want a good education, good career, good bank balance, good power, good name, good fame, good pleasures etc..So, we want, want and want!!!!"

In the path of Jnana, you have to really go inward to annihilate all these passions by exercising dispassion, detachment etc.

In the bhaki, what we have to do???

Talking of Sarvabhavena mentioned in this Sutra, when a devotee went  and submitted to Sri Rama Krishna and said, “Thakur ji, I have lots of lust, I just don’t know how to overcome this lust, greed, desires”, to which, Sri Rama Krishna asks back- “Who asked you to get rid of all your desires, all your greed??”

The devotee who is shocked to receive such an answer, Sri Ramakrishna clarifies and says, "Just do one thing, divert all those desires, all that greed, all your wants intensely to GOD, rest, God will take care".

When and only when we are able to follow this simple practice, then like the maid servant example explained before, the God Himself will work through us and all the dispassion, detachment etc. will automatically happen. 

No meditation, no nidhidhyasana, no intense practice of vairagya etc., Just Love God. God will occupy your heart in such a way that there is no scope, no room, no chance of any passion, attachment, greed, lust any more for the external objects. It is all then Love, Love and only Love for and Love of God.

So, the actual problem is not our restlessness, our ignorance, our desire, our sufferings, our pain, our ego etc.

THE ACTUAL PROBLEM IS THAT WE DO NOT LOVE GOD WHOLLY, AS EXPLAINED IN THIS SUTRA WHICH SAYS,

“THE LORD ALONE SHOULD ALWAYS BE WORSHIPPED BY ONE, WHOLE-HEARTEDLY, FREE FROM ALL CARES AND ANXIETIES”.

Love.

Narada Bhakti Sutra - Post 82

Sutra 78. Ahimsaasatyasouchadayaastikyaadi chaaritryaani paripaalaneeyaani.

[Virtues like non-violence, truth, purity, compassion, faith in the existence of God and Vedas and other excellences of character should be strictly cultivated and protected.]

Ahimsaa-satya-soucha-dayaa-aastikya-aadi chaaritryaani: virtues like non-violence, truthfulness, purity, compassion, faith in the existence of God

Paripaalaneeyaani: should be strictly cultivated and protected. 

Just as a plant in a garden is protected from insects, pests, etc., and is given sufficient manure for its growth, so also those virtues have to be protected and nourished. 

Ahimsa, Satyam, etc., are the Yamas (restraints). Soucha, Santosha etc., are the Niyamas (observances). All these are the disciplines, without which no spiritual progress is possible.

Daya is active benevolence. It is the positive expression of love. Ahimsa is the negative expression of love.

In Sutra 76 Narada advises to perform actions which help the growth of devotion. In the present Sutra the devotee is asked to practise five special items of conduct.

In the practice of truth, one must speak exactly what has been seen, heard or understood about a person or a thing. There should not be the least exaggeration or twisting. The speech should be truthful and sweet. Truth which leads to another’s injury is not a desirable thing.

‘Aadi’ - etc. Narada intends to point to the other Divine qualities such as courage, charity, control of senses, austerity, straightforwardness, humility, self-abnegation, tranquility, freedom from wrath, tenderness of heart, sobriety, forgiveness, fortitude etc.

The principles of Yama and Niyama of Patanjali Maharishi’s Raja Yoga philosophy are embodied here.These are the very foundations of Yoga . 

Practice of these virtues purifies the heart and prepares the Antahkarana for the reception of divine light. Compassion softens the hard heart. Satyam purifies the heart. 

God is an embodiment of truth and He can be reached through practice of truthfulness alone. 

Truth alone triumphs. If one is well-established in the practice of Ahimsa in thought, word, and deed, all other virtues will cling to him. Most of the vicious actions are done when one loses his temper. 

Virtues of non-violence, compassion, faith in the lord and in the existence of a higher truth - the righteousness behavior and a virtuous mind must be observed and cultivated.  A perfect life of inner, clean administration, Rama Rajya, must be promulgated in the bosom, if the heart is to be transformed into a tranquil seat of peace and harmony- Ayodhya!!

Love.

Narada Bhakti Sutra - Post 81

Sutra 77. Sukhaduhkhechchalaabhaadityakte kaale prateekshyamaane kshanaardham- api vyartham na neyam.

[One should not waste even half a second, as all the time one has for meditation is the little that remains after what is spent in experience of pleasure and pain, desire, gain etc.]

Sukha-duhkha-ichchaa- laabhadi Tyakte: freed from pleasure, pain, desire, gain etc.

Kaale: in time 

Prateekshyamaane: when expectantly waited upon;

Kshanaardham: half a moment

Api: even

Vyartham: in vain

Na: not

Neyam: should be spent.

When one has given up pleasure and pain, desire, gain etc., and is in a state of high expectancy, not even half a moment should be allowed to go in vain.

Time free from the sway of pleasure, pain, desire, profit or other worldly considerations, is what every one seeks; therefore, even half a second should not be wasted. It should be spent in meditation on God.

Sukha is the quality of Sattva ; Duhkha is the quality of Tamas. Ichcha is the quality of Rajas. When one has given up pleasure, pain, desire, etc., when one has given up the three Gunas. 

When he is waiting for the appearance of the Lord in the form in which He is requested by the devotee to appear, even half a second should not be wasted. 

Within half a second, when your mind wanders, God may have come and gone without your noticing Him. Maya is very clever to take advantage of your carelessness even for half a second. You must be intensely watchful and vigilant. Be ever looking forward for God’s appearance. This is high expectancy.

If the devotee is not vigilant and alert Rajas and Tamas will pull him down from the height he has attained. Satan will easily find a loophole to enter and work in him mischief. The mind will become impure like the brass vessel if it is not cleansed every day by vigorous meditation.

In youth you are enveloped in darkness. In adolescence you are carried away by lust and are given up to sexual pleasure. 

In old age you groan under the burden of Samsara. Much time goes away in sleeping, vain talk and idle gossiping. A portion is spent in disease and suffering. Where then is the time for doing virtuous actions and divine contemplation?

Life is uncertain. You will be carried away by death without a moment’s notice. Therefore, a wise man should be very careful in spending his time profitably in meditation. Time is most precious. Every second must be utilised in the service of God. service of bhaktas and in meditation.

In this context, Author is reminded of a beautiful expression of Bro. Hari when he has visited Oman and spoke on few topics.

About Bhajan singing, he said, "Every week you start for attending your weekly bhajan in your centre and you enter your centre, you should enter with a thought, for all my communication with Swami, for showering all your feelings for Swami, for all the purification you have to undergo, for the merger with Swami if you are destined for the same, ALL THE TIME YOU ARE LEFT WITH IS THAT ONE HOUR OF BHAJAN SESSION".

Imagine, Sai devotees, if we ever enter the Bhajan session with this thought one week, next week and every week in our life, then how each such week would turn out to be, for us?!!!!!

To teach us this, Swami calls us and says, "Given moment is now", in one of His very famous quotes!!!

When we are able to live MOMENT TO MOMENT in our spiritual journey immersed in God's thoughts / in God's love, then each moment paves way for the next moment and thus, the entire life's entire moments we are able to be in the company of our LOVING GOD!!!

This way, we are able to get out of the clutches of Time's game and actually exist beyond the limitation of Time and space. 

These lines require contemplation!!!!

Love.