Narada Bhakti Sutra - Post 44

Sutra 35. Tattu Vishaya Tyagat Sangatyagaatccha.

[Devotion to God is attained by abandoning all sensual pleasures and all attachment to sensual objects] 

Tat: that (Prema. supreme devotion); 

Tu : now 

Vishayatyagaat : from abandonment of sensual objects 

Sangatyagaat : from renunciation of attachment 

cha : and. 

The consciousness of 'I' and 'Mine' in everything you do and deal with is the strongest of all attachments . 

If there is craving when objects are renounced the renunciation is not true renunciation. Renounce the craving. This is real renunciation. 

One may subject himself to deliberate renouncing, run away from the world, take to recluse in a solitary place, deprive himself of all worldly comforts, sit down for meditation but the mind may still run after all the worldly pleasures. He feels most desperate and even chides himself for having left the world!!!.

So, the real renunciation is renouncing the CRAVING, wherever one lives. May it be in Himalayas in a cave or in the busiest city!!!

There can be devotion in a mind only when the mind is freed from all cravings. One enjoys supreme bliss and peace through renunciation of objects of enjoyment. 

Without Tyaga or renunciation no spiritual progress is possible. 

One should practice internal and external renunciation. 

External renunciation is absolutely necessary in the early stages

Internal renunciation is essential at all times. 

In the initial stage in devotion, when the mind travels behind all sensual pleasures, it is absolutely necessary to control one's mind and channelize towards God.

This is most difficult in the path of sadhana, may it be in devotion or in Jnana. 

No detachment is actually possible without the discrimination that the sensual pleasures, the attraction in this glittering world is all temporary and cannot fetch permanent, everlasting happiness.

The discrimination referred above is VIVEKA and the fruit that VIVEKA gives is VAIRAGYA,  dispassion towards all that is known as temporary, through VIVEKA.

It is detaching from world and attaching to God.

Later on, the very attachment to God results automatically in spontaneous and automatic detachment from the world and its objects.



So, it is detach to attach in the beginning which by itself results in Attachment resulting in automatic detachment.

Here are the nine means of cultivating Bhakti. Sri Rama says to Sabari : 

1)The first means, it has been taught, the company of the good 

2)The second is conversation about My achievements

3)The third is recital of My virtues 

4)The fourth means will be occupation of expounding my words  

5) The fifth is, 0 gentle one, constant and sincere worship of the preceptor, thinking that I am he  

6) The sixth means has been said to be virtuousness, self-restraint, observance, etc., and ever living attachment to My worship 

7) The seventh is said to be religious service with every detail, reciting the mantra specially applicable to Me; greater adoration to My votaries, consciousness of Me in all beings, indifference to external objects, together with internal peace, make up 

8 & 9) The eighth; and, 0 lady, the ninth is the consideration of My essence. O auspicious one, devotion in the form of love is produced in any and every one who employs this means in the shape of ninefold (secondary or instrumental) devotion, no matter whether one be a woman or a man or gone to the inferior creation. 

And as soon as devotional love is produced, one feels My essence, as it were and one who becomes accomplished by the awareness of Me, attains Me. He attains liberation even in this birth Therefore it is sure that devotion is the Source of Salvation.”

Love.

PS- It is worthwhile to refresh our memories with a blog post in detachment posted ling before, on a Quote by Swami Chinmayananda.

The link to that post is given below

https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1610524805172322992#editor/target=post;postID=3965023794733898527;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=10;src=postname

Love

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.