Bhakti

[Guest guest]

Om Gurave Namah

------------------------

 

Shri Sanjay and Solai,

 

Namaste. I was reading what Shri Vishwanatham had

beautifully written about Brahma Jyothi, Gyana and

Bhakti. I suddenly had this great urge to share with

you these ....hope you don't mind.

 

There is a lovely allegory that clearly brings out the

difference between Gyana and bhakti. A gyaani is

supposed to be like the baby monkey, which clings to

its Mother with its uncertain strength and tiny

comprehension, while moving from one branch to

another. There is a big probability that the baby

monkey in its naivety and curiosity might loosen the

grip on its mother and fall down. This is known as

“Markata Kishora Nyaaya”

 

In contrast, a bhakta is supposed to be like a kitten,

who is gripped by its Mother, while moving. The mother

being so much stronger, wiser and more aware of the

dangers around will hold the hapless kitten firmly,

and the likelihood of the kitten being dropped is

minimal. This case is known as “Maarjala kishora

Nyaaya.”.

 

Bhakti is basically an initial “willing suspension of

disbelief”, which would later grow into a more

positive state of total belief/surrender.

 

The concept of Bhakti (devotion)had been very

systematically dealt with in Hindu lore. Devotion is

classified into Nava vidha bhakti (9 manifestations of

devotion), which encompass all the progressive stages

in the evolution of a consummate Bhakta. They are

Sravana, Keertana, Smarana, Paadaseva, Archana,

Namaskaara, Daasya, Sakhyatva and Aatma nivedana.

 

The first 6 steps are mandatory for all aspiring

Bhaktas. They sort of load the utilities/environment

needed for the latter three. Here God is treated as a

separate, impersonal Being and is accorded all the due

civilities.

 

In the “daasya” stage, God and bhakta move slightly

closer, and there is a defined relationship between

them. But there is also a distance…

 

In Sakhyatwam, there is some amount of sharing between

the two, but the two are still distinct. The “I” is

still very much around…like Kuchela and Krishna.

 

Then comes the glorious stage of “Aatma nivedana”, the

state of total surrender. When the Bhakta, like “the

Gopis”, holds back nothing from Him. Like “Kubja” he

stands in all his imperfections before Krishna, the

Kaarunya Sindhu… trusting that He will not turn away,

trusting that he’ll not be turned away and trusting

that He’d touch and transform him into a Beautiful

Being with His Love.

 

I can’t resist narrating a small story here…I hope

you’ll bear with me.

 

Once there was this orthodox village, where Vedas were

recited and Bhagvadgita was read every day with great

reverence and exactitude by all Brahmins…well.. all

except one. This guy had the infuriating habit of

jumbling up all the slokas in Bhagavadgita…despite

repeated warnings from other members of the community.

One day the Great Madhwacharya was passing through

the village and all the Brahmins pleaded with him to

correct the erring member of the community.

 

Shri Madhwacharya accordingly requested all members to

recite Bhagavadgita, and sure enough, soon after

“Dharmakshetre kurukshetre ….” The “culprit” started

jumping the order of slokas, lines, words…till he

faltered and stopped all together. While all others

were glaring at him, the man in question had a most

beautiful expression on his face and tears were

pouring from his half closed eyes.

 

Sometime later, Swamiji asked him the reason for his

incorrect rendition of Bhagavadgita, and the Brahmin

had simply said that the moment he starts reciting the

first sloka, all he can see is the resplendent

chariot, the four horses, the set face of Arjuna and

…finally and only KRISHNA, the Master Charioteer to

Moksha...the "Satchidananda" He knows nothing after

that.

 

Then words fail, senses blur and all his being is

caught up only in the ecstasy of flying to that Divine

Vision. His mind refuses to be sucked back into the

mundane. At last…at long last..he has the escape

velocity to break free and be borne into the Sky, into

Absolute Freedom, called Krishna.

 

Let him be…just let him be.

 

Regards,

Lakshmi

 

--- vishwanatham wrote:

>

> Namaste all,

>

> Gurudev mentioned about 'brahma-jyoti' in one of his

> mails recently

> and I find the following in Bhagavad Gita, which I

> find very

> revealing. I am repeating it in entirety in case

> some of you are

> interested.

>

>

> >>Chapter 14. The Yoga of the Supreme Person

>

> TEXT 27

>

> brahmano hi

> pratisthaham

>

> amrtasyavyayasya ca

> sasvatasya ca

> dharmasya

>

> sukhasyaikantikasya ca

>

> SYNONYMS

>

> brahmanah--of the impersonal brahmajyoti;

> hi--certainly;

> pratistha--the rest; aham--I am; amrtasya--of the

> immortal;

> avyayasya--of the imperishable; ca--also;

> sasvatasya--of the eternal;

> ca--and; dharmasya--of the constitutional position;

>

> sukhasya--happiness; aikantikasya--ultimate;

> ca--also.

>

> TRANSLATION

>

> And I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman, which

> is the

> constitutional position of ultimate happiness, and

> which is immortal,

> imperishable and eternal.

>

> PURPORT

>

> The constitution of Brahman is immortality,

> imperishability,

> eternity, and happiness. Brahman is the beginning of

> transcendental

> realization. Paramatma, the Supersoul, is the

> middle, the second stage

> in transcendental realization,

> and the Supreme

> Personality of Godhead is the ultimate realization

> of the Absolute

> Truth. Therefore, both Paramatma and the impersonal

> Brahman are within

> the Supreme Person. It is

> explained in the Seventh

> Chapter that material nature is the manifestation of

> the inferior

> energy of the Supreme Lord. The Lord impregnates the

> inferior material

> nature with the fragments of the

> superior nature,

> and that is the spiritual touch in the material

> nature.

> When a living entity conditioned by this material

> nature begins the

> cultivation of spiritual knowledge, he elevates

> himself from the

> position of material existence and gradually rises

> up to the Brahman

> conception of the Supreme. This

> attainment of the

> Brahman conception of life is the first stage in

> self-realization. At

> this stage the Brahman realized person is

> transcendental to the

> material position, but he is not actually perfect in

> Brahman

> realization. If he wants, he can continue to stay in

> the Brahman

> position and then gradually rise up to Paramatma

> realization and then

> to the realization of the Supreme Personality of

> Godhead. There are

> many examples of this in Vedic literature. The four

> Kumaras were

> situated first in the impersonal

> Brahman

> conception of truth, but then they gradually rose to

> the platform of

> devotional service. One who cannot elevate himself

> beyond the

> impersonal conception of Brahman runs the risk of

>

> falling down. In Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated that

> although a person

> may rise to the stage of impersonal Brahman, without

> going further,

> with no information of the Supreme Person, his

> intelligence is not

> perfectly clear. Therefore, in spite of being raised

> to the Brahman

> platform, there is the chance of falling down if one

> is not engaged in

> the devotional service of the Lord. In the Vedic

> language it is also

> said: raso vai sah; rasam hy evayam labdhvanandi

> bhavati: "When one

> understands the Personality of God, the reservoir of

> pleasure, Krsna,

> he actually becomes transcendentally blissful." The

> Supreme Lord is

> full in six opulences, and when

> a devotee

> approaches Him, there is an exchange of these six

> opulences. The

> servant of the king enjoys on an almost equal level

> with the king. And

> so, eternal happiness, imperishable

> happiness,

> eternal life accompany devotional service.

> Therefore, realization of

> Brahman, or eternity, or imperishability is included

> in devotional

> service. This is already possessed by a person who

> is

> engaged in devotional service. The living

> entity, although Brahman

> by nature, has the desire to lord

> it over the

> material world, and due to this he falls down. In

> his constitutional

> position, a living entity is above the three modes

> of material nature,

> but association with material nature entangles him

> in the

> different modes of material nature,

> goodness, passion and

> ignorance. Due to the association of these three

> modes, his desire to

> dominate the material world is there. By engagement

> in devotional

> service in full Krsna

> consciousness, he is

> immediately situated in the transcendental position,

> and his unlawful

> desire to control material nature is removed.

> Therefore the process of

> devotional service beginning with hearing,

>

> chanting, remembering--the prescribed nine methods

> for realizing

> devotional service--should be practiced in the

> association of

> devotees. Gradually, by such association, by the

> influence of the

> spiritual master, one's material

> desire to

> dominate is removed, and one becomes firmly situated

> in the Lord's

> transcendental loving service. This method is

> prescribed from the

> twenty-second to the last verse of this chapter.

>

> Devotional service to the Lord is very simple: one

> should always

> engage in the service of the Lord, should eat the

> remnants of

> foodstuffs offered to the Deity, smell the flowers

> offered to the

> lotus feet of the Lord, see the places where the

> Lord had His

> transcendental pastimes, read of the different

> activities of the Lord,

> His reciprocation of love with His devotees, chant

> always the

> transcendental vibration Hare Krsna, Hare

> Krsna,

> Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama

> Rama, Hare Hare,

> and observe the fasting days commemorating the

> appearances and

> disappearances of the Lord and His devotees. By

>

> following such a process one becomes completely

> detached from all

> material activities. One who can thus situate

> himself in the

> brahma-jyoti or the different varieties of the

> Brahman conception is

> equal to the Supreme Personality of Godhead in

> quality.

>

> Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the

> Fourteenth Chapter of

>

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