Narada Bhakti Sutra - Post 21

Sutra 9. Tasminnananyata Tadvirodhishooda - seenatha cha. 

(Nirodha also means single-minded devotion to the Lord and indifference to all that is antagonistic to the same)

Tasmin: in Him, in that 

Ananyata: single-heartedness, identification, complete unification 

Tadvirodhishu: in respect of what is opposed to it

Udaseenata: indifference

cha: and.

In this verse, two expressions of a true Bhakta in his advanced stage in Bhakti / love for God assume paramount significance.

1) ANANYATA

Anya means "other". When a prefix "AN" is added to anyata, then the expression becomes "NO OTHER".

It means, Nothing other than God.  This stage is reached after years of single pointed devotion / love towards God.

Let us understand the significance of this "Single pointed" in 2 stages in Love for God.

When we go for trekking, we often find that the path is steep, it is slippery and once we slip, we may fall down in the deep valley. 

How much we are focussed in this situation to be careful not to slip and fall down in the valley??

Similarly, in the early stage in Devotion / love for God, we need to be highly focussed towards God, focus our mind towards God because we know heart of heart that the same mind can take us away from our focus and we can easily slip down in our spiritual path to the deep valley of this glittering world.

However, what happens when we have gained expertise in trekking? 

Our feet swiftly trek the path and we are quite at ease. The focus is spontaneous and we do not have to take any effort, we don't have to be extra cautious. 

We then are like those people residing in those mountain huts, who can actually run up / run down with ease, without any worry of slipping / falling down.

This is the state of a Bhakta / True lover of God who is intoxicated in God's love (Mattah Bhavati).  His mind can no more jump to any desire / any object in this material world. 

He does not have to deliberate and exercise caution / control / restraint on his mind. His mind is now fully focussed or rather merged in God consciousness. 

This explains the state of "ANANYATA", None other than God.

2) UDASEENTA - Indifference towards worldly objects.

This essentially flows from the first - Ananyata.

Lord Krishna says, “An Udaseen (indifferent man) is dear to me.” Chapt. XII — 16. 

Chinmaya exemplifies this with a lucid example 

" A couple with his son go to the Bazaar.

The child's focus is on the toy displayed in a shop

Wife's focus is on a beautiful saree displayed in a saree shop.

Husband's focus is on a Blazer / Tie displayed in a shop.

The husband may be totally indifferent to toy and saree. Wife may have nothing to do with the blazer and the toy. The child has no cognizance to the blazer and tie.

Thus, each one of the three, since he / she / that child is focussed on their own point of interest, they are indifferent to the other two objects".

Whereas a Lover of God knows only God and only his love for God and is indifferent towards the whole world. No saree / No blazer / No toy / Nothing in the world attracts him any more.

Udaseenata is purely a mental state. Queen Chudalai was a perfect Udaseen, though she reigned a dominion but her husband Sikhidwaja was attached to his begging bowl and walking stick though he lived in a forest.

A man may be attached to even a  fountain-pen he owns, whereas a king like Janaka may be a perfect Udaseen though he is amidst luxuries. Living as a King, he was totally indifferent to his throne, his palace and all the luxury he enjoyed!!

Thus, udaseenta is the state of a Bhakta, whether he is in forest or in busy city, whether he is a sanyasi or a grahastha, whether he is a CEO or a cobbler!!!

Love.

Narada Bhakti Sutra - Post 20

Dear All.

Author assumes that the readers have got the clarity on how a Devotee / lover of God, ends up acting in conformance with the scriptural instructions / social norms etc., even without a ray of thought about  scriptural injunctions / social requirements.

The above was explained with an example of Buddha.

Today's post is willed to explain the same further.

Loka Veda Vyapara Nyaas - Renunciation of secular and religious activities.

As long as a devotee is in society and has to undertake actions as a householder or as a Sanyasi, yesterday's post explains how, without any concern of what Religion / Religious treatise expects from him / society expects from him, the house holder or a sanyasi Bhakta automatically ends up acting in conformance of secular/ religious injunctions.

How??

Let us see the difference between a normal jiva and a God intoxicated Bhakta, in the above context.

A Normal Jiva

• For any of his actions, there is a desire / there is a motive.
• Even standing in front of the sanctum sanctorum in Tirupathi / Prashant nilayam, the devotee has some desires which he wants the God to fulfill.
• Thus, mind, if it has even a ray of any desire, is agitated / restless till the time that desire is fulfilled and as soon as and if at all, that desire is fulfilled, the mind jumps to next desire.
• Agitated mind may end up prompting the jiva to take actions which may sometimes be against the scriptural injunctions or the social norms.

A Bhakta, intoxicated with Love of God

• Nothing mentioned above in case of a normal Jiva is applicable to a true Bhakta as he has no desire but to merge with God.
• Mira existed with so much of Love for her Krishna that she verily existed as Krishna. In such an existence, where can a place for any desire in worldly sense??
• So, what would be the texture of such a heart which is filled ONLY with love for God and with no CONCERN for the world??
• The heart is PURE, the spiritual energy is FULL, mental agitation is NIL.

Dear Readers,

This Heart's PURITY, FULLNESS of spiritual energy and ZERO mental agitation is the SECRET for perfection in all thoughts / words and actions of a true devotee because there is no mixing of any thought / motive behind any of his action.

When action is done at such a purity, they are same as actions of any Avatar / any incarnation. How can any action of an incarnation not confirm to Spiritual injunction or secular norms?????

Now, let us move to the state of a Bhakta, who  has neither any duty towards family / society, nor any need for  being in this world for any purpose, not even for transforming any human beings.

What would be such a Bhakta's state??

He even crosses the spontaneous perfection in confirming to Spiritual / secular norms. He transcends all actions, He transcends all practices, all rituals, all social requirements.

Chinmaya writes about the state of such a devotee thus:-

"When once  the world ward flow of mind has completely ended, to such a devotee, performance of rituals becomes totally impossible.

Every moment of his existence, in every thought in his heart, he is constantly at Lord's feet. 

To such a devotee who is living in unbroken memory of the Lord of his heart, his very existence is a constant flow of Love at the Alter of the Lord."

When the devotee reaches such a state, it is immaterial where he lives - whether in a cave in Himalaya or in a busy town. He exists in KAIVALYA, ALONE LESS WITH / AS / IN  SELF  or GOD.

For him, there are no more rituals, no more pilgrimages, no more yagnas, no more reading of scripture, no more fasting, no more praying, no more prescriptions of religion!!!! He crosses them all and neither is he concerned with any society norms / expectations of people from him !!!!

HE HAS MERGED WITH THE LORD!!

Love.

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.