Guest guest Posted April 28, 2008 Report Share Posted April 28, 2008 Namaste. The sadhaks discussing about 'Is Bhakti useless?' may learn more from these series of my past messages. Radhe, Radhe! , pyari_h <no_reply wrote: > > > through his discourses by quoting many verses from Srimad Bhagavatam, > Ramayan,BRS, CC, Gita, declaring the supremacy of Prema Bhakti over > Jnana as well as Karma. > > Let us never forget this beautiful statement. > > muktAnAnamapi siddhAnAM nArayaNa parAyaNah > sudurlabhah prazAmtAtmA kotisv api mahAmune > > Bhagavatam 6.14.5 > > O great sage, among many millions of liberated souls and > perfected yogis, one may be a pure devotee of Lord Krishna > Such an elevated, fully peaceful soul is extremely rare. > > The Brahma jnanis from birth, God-realized saints, the foremost > acclaimed Jnanis of heavenly abodes, the four saintly Kumaras, have > looked down upon their Brahmananda while enjoying the Divine bliss of > Prema Bhakti. > > SB 3.15.43: When the breeze carrying the aroma of tulasi leaves from > the toes of the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead entered the > nostrils of those sages, they experienced a change both in body and in > mind, even though they were attached to the impersonal Brahman > understanding. > > They prayed to the Lord that to receive the blessing of Divine Love > devotion, they would rather go even to hellish planets, what to speak > of liberation and Brahma-ananda! > > SB 3.15.49: " O Lord, we pray that You let us be born in any hellish > condition of life, just as long as our hearts and minds are always > attached in loving devotion to Your lotus feet, our speech is made > beautiful by speaking of Your blissful deeds, like the tulasi leaves > which are sanctified when offered unto Your lotus feet, and as long as > our ears are always filled with the listening of Your Divine > attributes. " > > Their father, the cosmic creator Lord Brahma himself offered prayers > to Lord Krishna praising the Lord's associates in Divine Vrindavan and > their selfless Divine Love. > > zreyaH-sRtiM bhaktim udasya te vibho > kliSyanti ye kevala-bodha-labdhaye > tesSAm asau klezala eva zisSyate > nAnyad yathA sthUla-tusSAvaghAtinAm > > SB 10.14.4: > > " My Lord, loving devotion unto You is the best path for Divine Bliss. > If one gives up that path and engages in the subtle knowledge, one > will simply undergo a troublesome process and will not achieve the > desired result, just as a person who beats on an empty husk of wheat > cannot receive grain, His gain is nothing but trouble. " > > Who could claim to be a better 'Jnani' than Lord Brahma to whom the > original Vedic knowledge was imparted directly by Lord Himself! > > SB 10.14.29: " My dear Lord, if one is favored by even a slight trace > of the mercy of Your lotus feet, he can understand the greatness of > Your personality. But those who speculate to understand the Supreme > Personality of Godhead are unable to know You, even though they > continue to study the Vedas for many years. " > > SB 10.14.30: " My Lord, I therefore pray to be so fortunate that in > this life as Brahma or in another life, wherever I take my birth, I > may be counted as one of Your surrendered souls. I pray that wherever > I may be placed, even among the animal kingdom, I can be dedicated in > loving devotion to Your lotus feet. " > > SB 10.14.34: " My greatest possible good fortune would be to take any > birth whatever in this sacred forest of Gokula and have my head bathed > by the dust falling from the lotus feet of any of its blessed > residents. Their entire life and soul is the Supreme Lord, Mukunda, > the dust of whose lotus feet is still being searched for in the wise > words of holy Vedas. > > The compiler of Vedas, the author of Brahma sutras, Puranas, and > Mahabharata admitted: > > " na tapobhir navedais ca na jnAne nApi karmaNA > harirhi sAdhyate bhaktyA pramaNaM tatra gopikAH " > > (Padma Purana, Uttara Khanda, Chapter. 2, verse.18) > > Sri Hari can be won neither by means of austerities nor through > the acquirement of subtle knowledge nor by the study of Vedas, > nor even throgh righteous action of Varna Ashrama dharma. > He can be won ONLY through Divine Love. > The cowherdesses of Vraja bear testimony to this. > > SB 10.9.21: The Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna, the son of mother Yashoda > is accessible to devotees attached to Him in spontaneous Divine Love, > but He is not as easily accessible to jnanis, nor to self-realized > yogis nor to those karmis who are in the bodily concept of life. > > Lord Krishna declared the same again to jnani Uddhava: > > " na sAdhayati mAM yogo... " > > " bhaktyAhamekayA grAhyaH... " > > (Bhagavatam 11.14.20,21) > > " O My dear Uddhava, neither Yoga, nor Subtle Knowledge, nor > Piety, nor Austerity, nor Renunciation CAPTIVATES Me so much as > the spontaneous loving DEVOTION to Me. " > > " I, the Supreme Soul of all dear souls, am ATTAINABLE by Prema > Bhakti alone, which is the outcome of unalloyed faith and > attachment. The spontaneous LOVE for Me purges even the most > fallen outcasts of their inherent impurities. " > > In treta yuga, King Janaka, the well known 'videha' - God-realized > Brahmanandi had renounced his bliss to enjoy higher mellows of Divine > Love, when he was blessed by the vision of Lord Ramacandra. > > From Bala Kanda of Rama Carita Manas: > > sahaja viraaga roopa manu moraa, > thakita hota jimi chanda chakoraa, > taa te prabhu poochhaum sati bhaavoo, > kahahu naatha jani karahu duraavoo. > > My MIND, which is BY NATURE DISPASSION ITSELF, > is ENRAPTURED at Their sight as the patridge (Chakora bird) > at the sight of the moon. Therefore, lord, > I beg you to tell me in ALL sincerity, > and to CONCEAL IT NOT from me. > > inhahi bilokata ati anuraagaa, > barabasa brahmasukhahi manu tyaagaa, > > kaha muni bihasi kahehu nripa neekaa, > bachana tumhaara na hoyi aleekaa. > > Overwhelmed with LOVE (Prema-anand) at Their very Sight, > I am CONSTRAINED to RENOUNCE the JOYS of ABSOLUTE Brahman > (Brahma-anand). " > Said the sage Vishvamitra with SMILE, > " You have SPOKEN WELL, O king, > your WORDS can NEVER be UNTRUE. " > > muni tava charana dekhi kaha raavoo, > kahi na sakaum nija punyaprabhaavoo, > sundara syaama gaura dovu bhraataa, > aanandahu ke aanandadaataa. > > " When I behold your feet, O sage, " added king Janaka, > " I cannot tell HOW richly I am REWARDED for my former good deeds. > These TWO handsome Brothers, One of whom is DARK and the Other Fair, > BRING bliss to Bliss Herself! " > > In Dwapara yuga, jnani Uddhava whose teacher was celestial Brihaspati, > the Guru of heavenly personalities, had expressed the profound > greatness of Prema Bhakti and wished to be a speck of dust in the > sacred > abode of Divine Love, Vrindavana. > > AsAmahO carana renu jushamahaM zyAM > vRndAvane kimapi gulma latauSadhI nAM > yA dustyajaM svajana mArya pathaMca hitvA > bhejur mukunda padavIM zRti bhirvi mRgyAM > > continued... > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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