Pyari ji....Gyan, karam, yog and bhakti - part 2

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continued from msg# 6579:

 

ye 'nye 'ravindAkSa vimukta-mAninas

tvayy asta-bhAvAd avizuddha-buddhayaH

Aruhya kRcchreNa paraM padaM tataH

patanty adho 'nAdRta-yusSmad-aGghrayaH

 

SB 10.2.32: [someone may say that aside from devotees, who always seek

shelter at the Lord's lotus feet, there are those who are not devotees

but who have accepted different processes for attaining salvation.

What happens to them? In answer to this question,

Lord Brahma and the other celestial personalities said:]

O lotus-eyed Lord, although non-devotees who accept severe austerities

and penances to achieve the highest position may think themselves

completely liberated, but their intelligence is not fully pure.

They fall down from their position of bliss attained through

Self-realization because they have not surrendered to Your lotus feet.

 

tathA na te mAdhava tAvakAH kvacid

bhrazyanti mArgAt tvayi baddha-sauhrRdAH

tvayAbhiguptA vicaranti nirbhayA

vinAyakAnI kapa-mUrdhasu prabho

 

SB 10.2.33: O Madhava, Supreme Lord of the goddess of fortune, if

devotees completely in love with You sometimes fall from the path of

devotion, they do not fall like non-devotees, for You still protect

them. Thus they fearlessly traverse the heads of their opponents and

continue to progress on pure devotion.

 

So Divine knowledge and God-realization are attained by the jnani only

after his total surrender to the Lord and practice of devotion through

which the jnani becomes eligible for Divine Grace,

 

Gita 18.62

 

Fly unto the Lord alone for refuge with all thy being, O Arjuna;

by His grace thou shalt obtain supreme peace and the eternal abode.

 

Even then the goal of Jnani devotee is liberation or mukti of which

there are five types, such as sarshti, samipya, salokya, sarupya and

sayujya.

 

Gita 18.54

 

Having attained Brahman reaization, serene in the self,

he neither grieves nor desires, the same to all beings,

he obtains supreme devotion to Me.

 

The bliss of mukti being inferior to Premananda of the Rasika

devotees, they forsake all kinds of mukti so that Divine bliss of

selfless Divine love and eternal service of the Lord alone is

attained.

 

Srimad Bhagavatam 11.14.25

 

Just as gold, when smelted in fire, gives up its impurities and

returns to its pure brilliant state, similarly, the spirit soul,

absorbed in the fire of bhakti-yoga, is purified of all contamination

caused by previous fruitive activities as well as subtle knowledge and

returns to its original position of serving Me in the spiritual world.

 

Caitanya Caritamritam Madhya 19.149:

 

kRSNa-bhakta — niSkAma, ataeva 'zAnta'

bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kAmI sakali 'azAnta'

 

"Because a devotee of Lord Krishna is desireless, he is ever peaceful.

Fruitive workers desire material enjoyment, jnanis desire liberation,

and yogis desire perfections of opulence; therefore they are all

desire-ridden and can never be peaceful."

 

These verses from Padyavali are Kripaluji Maharaj's favorites:

 

bhava bandhacchide tasyai spRhayAmi na muktaye,

bhavAn prabhur aham dAsa iti yatra vilupyate

 

O Lord Who is capable of giving Liberation

by destroying all the material bondage!

Under no circumstance I'd ever desire to be liberated,

in which state that I am your Loving Servant and

You are My Beloved Master is permanently lost !!!

 

- Padyavali.111

 

kA tvaM muktir upAgatAsmi bhavatI kasmAdakasmAdiha

zrI kRSNa smaraNena deva! bhavato dAsI padaM prApitA

dUre tiSTha! manAganAgasi kathaM kuryAd anAryaM mayi

tvad gandhAn nija nAma candana rasAlepasya lopo bhavet

 

-Padyavali.113

 

The devotee who is absorbed in the transcendental vibration of

Holy Names of the Lord is disturbed by a stranger.

 

He puts forth the question: "Who are you?"

Answer: "I am Mukti Devi, anxiously waiting to serve you."

Question: "So, all of a suuden how could you come so near?"

Answer: " O master, by the virtue of your fond remembrance of

my Supreme Lord Krishna in divine love, I have been blessed

to become your servant. Please do engage me in your service.

How can I serve you, my master?"

 

The frightened devotee master loudly gives his order to the servant:

 

"Stay away, stand far, far from me!

Why do you spoil my innocent desire for

selflessly serving my Lord, Sri Krishna?

By coming so close you might spread the foul odour of selfishness

over me who is being anointed with the fragrant sandalpaste of

blissful chanting of Divine Names!"

 

The implied meaning :

 

By accepting Mukti, liberation, the devotee would lose his

individuality,

name as well as form, there by permanently loosing his chance

to serve his Divine Beloved.

To be engaged in the eternal service of the Lord,

the devotee forsakes and even rebukes Mukti

which has been easily bestowed upon him.

 

Sri Hanumanji has also expressed this in the prayer

taken from the 'Hanumannataka' -

 

deha buddhyA tu dAso 'smi

jIva buddyA tvadaMzakaH,

AtmabuddyA tvamevAham

iti me nizcitA matiH

 

"O Lord!

While I identify myself with the body, I am Thy servant.

When I consider myself as an individual living entity, I am Thy part.

And when I realize myself being the Universal Soul, I am One with

Thee, - this is my firm conviction.

 

continued...