Quotes from 'Bhakti Shatak' for Happy Guruvaar!

[Guest guest]

Namaste. Happy Guru vaar to all!

 

I'd like to share a few Hindi verses with my translation from -

"Bhakti Shatak" - "One Hundred Gems of Divine Love"

by Jagadguru Sri Rama Kripalu Maharaj Ji.

 

Music lovers can also listen to these sublime devotional verses

set in soul-stirring melodious music.

Please click on 'Bhakti Shatak' at the web page URL:

 

http://www.jkp.org/home/home.html

 

zakti mAn kI zaktiyAn agaNit yadapi bakhAn,

tin mahan 'mAyA', 'jIva', aru, 'parA' trizakti pradhAn.

 

Lord Kishna possesses innumerable Powers, out of which the three main

are, Maya Sakti (external Cosmic power), Jiva Sakti (neutral Power of

unlimited souls) and Paraa Sakti (internal Divine personal power).

 

jIva taTastha zakti par, mAyA kar adhikAr,

vastutastu yaha dAsa hai, swAmI nanda kumAr.

 

Jiva Sakti is a neutral power- Tatastha Sakti, which has been

overpowered by insentient Maya Sakti since time immemorial, although

its true nature is eternal servitude of its Master, Lord Krishna.

 

kRSNa bahirmukha jIva kahan, mAyA karati adhIn,

tAte bhUlyo Apu kahan, banyo viSaya rasa mIn.

 

The individual soul has turned itself away from

its Master, the Supreme Lord, since time immemorial.

 

Hence, Maya Sakti has overpowered the Jiva.

 

As a consequence of having itself been turned away from the Lord,

the Jiva, individual soul has forgotten its original, transcendental

nature, and the soul identifies itself with the body and becomes

attached to material subjects and engrossed in worldly objects.

 

antaraGga hai parA jo, sarva samartha kahAya,

ati vicitra gati parA kI, mAyA-pati hun nacAya.

 

Lord Krishna's 'Paraa' Sakti, Internal Divine potency

is extremely powerful and makes impossible possible!

 

The 'Paraa Sakti' (Yoga maya) is so amazing that It causes even

the Supreme Lord, to play and dance in blissful exploits!!!

 

- Bhakti Satak Verses 3, 4, 5, 6

 

God is 'mAyAdhIza', the Lord of Maya Sakti- external illusory Power.

 

His Saintly devotees, Mahatmas, are 'mAyAtIta',

beyond the jurisdiction of Maya, the Cosmic power.

 

They come to the earth to fulfill Lord's mission and are not under the

control of material laws but directly governed by Lord's internal

Divine Personal power, Svarupa Sakti.

 

While the ordinary souls, Tatastha- neutral Jiva Sakti is 'mAyAdhIna',

ever under the control of Lord's Maya Sakti, external Illusory power,

and Cosmic laws, with no independence of their own until and unless

they surrender to the Lord.

 

According to the Karma, the jivatma, individual soul transmigrates in

many million species of life.

 

But Lord's Divine exploits are done out of His free will to bless the

souls with His Divine Grace.

 

teen roop sri krishna ko, vedavyas bakhaaya,

brahma aur paramatma, aru bhagavaan kahaaya

 

According to Sri Veda Vyasa, the Supreme Personality

has 'three aspects of Divine form', Brahman,

Paramatma and Bhagavaan.

 

sarva sakti sampanna ho, sakti vikaas na hoy,

sat chit ananda roop jo, brahma kahaave soy

 

The Sat-Chit-Ananda aspect of the Supreme Being is referred to as

Brahman Who possesses ALL powers but they are unmanifested,

except for the power of establishing eternal absolute existence.

 

sarva sakti samyukta ho, nama roopa guna hoy,

leela parikara rahita ho, paramatma hai soy

 

The aspect of the Supreme Being referred to as Paramatma,

possessing Divine form, attributes but has NO associates

NOR exploits, for the continuous flow of Rasa, Bliss.

The spiritual joy here is always in 'Shanta Rasa'.

 

sarva sakti praakatya ho, leela vividha prakaar,

viharata parikara samga jo, tehi bhagavan pukaar

 

The aspect of Supreme Personality is referred to as Bhagavan is One

Whose Powers are fully manifested. He has innumerable Divine Names,

Forms, Attributes, Abodes, Associates and Exploits for the continuous

flow and experience of Rasa (Dasya, Sakhya, Vatsalya and Madhurya) of

Divine Bliss.

 

brahma praapti-patha jnaan hai, paramatma-patha yog,

krishna praapti-patha bhakti hai, adhikaari saba log

 

'Jnana' is the path to realize Brahman and

'Yoga' is the path to attain Paramatma.

 

'Bhakti'- Divine Love, is the path to attain Bhagavan,

Lord Krishna and each and everyone is eligible

to follow this Path, unlike the other two paths

which impose severe restrictions on the seeker

- sadhaka, even for qualification.

 

- Bhakti Shatak, Verses 21-25

 

 

Sri Maharaj ji gives the analogy of water existing

in its three aspects, such as ice, water and steam.

 

In essence they are all composed of H2O but their physical

properties and qualities differ in the three states.

 

This important verse from Bhagavatam proclaims the similar truth:

 

vadanti tat tattvavidas tattvam yajnAnam advayam

brahmeti paramAtmeti bhagavAniti zabdyate

 

- Bhagavatam 1.2.11

 

The knowers of Truth declare Absolute Knowledge alone as the Reality,-

that Knowledge which does not admit of duality (the distinction of

subject and object), in other words indivisible and one without a

second, and

which is called by different names such as Brahman (the Absolute)

Paramatma (the Supreme Spirit) and Bhagavan (the Supreme Person).

 

Another verse revealing the 'Essence of Gita'-

 

kRSNa kRpA binu jAya nahi, mAyA ati balavAn,

zaraNAgata para ho kRpA, yaha gItA ko jAn

 

- Bhakti Shatak. 29

 

The essence of the philosophy taught in Gita is that

no one can be liberated from the cluthes of powerful

Maya Shakti with out the mercy of the Lord.

Lord Sri Krishna showers His grace

only upon His surrendered souls.

 

daivIhyeSA guNa mayI mama mAyA duratya yA

mAmeva ye prapadyamte mAyAmetAm taramti te

 

- Gita 7.14

 

Lord Krishna has declared:

 

Verily this Illusion of Mine,

made up of the three Gunas

(modes of material nature),

is hard to surmount!

But those who take refuge in Me, they alone

cross over this Illusory Power of Mine.

 

Jaya Sri Radhey!

[Guest guest]

Namaste.

 

adhama udhAraNa nAma suni, ura Aza baDha jAta l

bhaktivazya suni nAma pai, mana maham ati DarapAta ll

 

- Bhakti Shatak- 90, Sri Kripaluji Maharaj

 

O Lord Krishna! When I hear Your Name

as the Saviour of the fallen, I feel

there is hope for me because I am a fallen soul.

 

But when I hear Your Name as the Guardian of devotees

and Who is under the control of Divine Love,

I lose hope and become fearful!

 

The sincere humble seeker is admitting here of his/her sinful, fallen

nature since time immemorial, but still confident with hope of being

saved as the Lord is known as Friend of the fallen!

 

The Lord is also described to be very favorable to His devotees and

ever under the control of their selfless Divine Love.

The honest seeker is now afraid since he or she does not possess any

virtue of devotion to attract the Lord's attention and the heart is

filled with fear as the hope is being crushed!

 

The Lord is ever under the control of His devotees

whose unconditional surrender has been described by

many Rasik Saints in their writings.

 

viracaya mayi daNDaM dIna-bandho dayAM vA

gatir iha na bhavattaH kAcid anyA mamAsti |

nipatatu zatakoTir nirbharaM vA navAmbhas

tad api kila payodaH stUyate cAtakena ||1||

 

O Friend of the fallen! Punish me or be kind to me!

Whatever you do, I have no refuge other than You.

Whether the cloud bestows thunderous lightning or

fresh rain, it is always adored by the 'Chataka' bird.

 

Stavamala- Sri Roopa

 

pavi pASAN dAmini garaji, jhuri jhukori khiri khIri l

doSana priyatama roSa lakhi tulasI rAgahi rIjhi ll

 

- Sant Tulasidas, Sri Rama Carita Manas

 

An excerpt from 'Prema Rasa Siddhant' explains:

 

When ever there is love in the world there is always an inherent

selfishness.

The moment that self interest is harmed, the love comes to an end and

even results in enmity.

 

But the love of "Chataka" is different. It is unselfish.

 

Saint Tulasidasa wrote that the beloved of the cataka bird is very

cruel hearted.

The 'Chataka' begs for a few rain drops but his beloved makes wind,

hale, thunder and lightning fall upon him, insults and teases him

instead.

 

But the 'Chataka' never resents this cruel behaviour, nor is he

angered by it, in fact he never thinks about the imperfectness

of his beloved, but derives pleasure in his every action.

 

This should be the state of a true devotee.

 

- 'Prema Rasa Siddhant' Jagadguru Sri Kripaluji Maharaj

 

To listen to these sublime devotional verses set in soul-stirring

melodious music, please click on 'Bhakti Shatak' at the URL:

 

http://www.jkp.org/home/home.html

[Guest guest]

Namaste.

 

"soch saamcha upakaara nija, soch na para upakaar,

kari le pyaar muraari te, taji de apara vicaar!"

 

- Bhakti Shatak- 72, Sri Kripaluji Maharaj

 

O Seeker of Divine Love!

First try to help your ownself

before beginning to save the rest.

 

Start thinking about your OWN upliftment!

Strive for PERFECTION of your own devotion,

instead of worrying about improving OTHERS!!

 

Abandon all OTHER mundane thoughts!

Just surrender the ego and intellect,

LOVE Lord Krishna with

all your mind and heart!!

 

Jaya Sri Radhey!

 

, pyari_h <no_reply> wrote:

 

> I'd like to share a few Hindi verses with my translation from -

> "Bhakti Shatak" - "One Hundred Gems of Divine Love"

> by Jagadguru Sri Rama Kripalu Maharaj Ji.

>

> Music lovers can also listen to these sublime devotional verses

> set in soul-stirring melodious music.

> Please click on 'Bhakti Shatak' at the web page URL:

>

> http://www.jkp.org/home/home.html