Sharing Sanjivani -Part 4

Chapter-(543) How to be a true devotee through Bhakti Yoga?

(543)How to be a true devotee through Bhakti Yoga?

भवाब्धावपारे महादुःखभीरुः पपात प्रकामी प्रलोभी प्रमत्तः।

कुसंसारपाशप्रबद्धः सदाहं गतिस्त्वं गतिस्त्वं त्वमेका भवानि।।

Aadi Guru Shri Shankaracharyaji in his Bhavani Ashtakam surrenders to Shakti Swaroop Jagadamba Bhavani and begs for mercy to show the path of liberation as Bhavani is the only Shakti to whom he can rest. O Merciful mother! I am afraid of the sorrows of Sansar and feel as if I were drowning in the ocean of grief. The waves and tides of the ocean in the form of joy and sorrow are tossing me to and fro please save me. O Mother I am full of greed for accumulating worldly comforts to entertain my senses, involved in the lustful beauty of nature and showing laziness in serving you because Tamas envelops my Buddhi and mind, I feel bondage of the strings of illusive Maya. You are the only savior. Please accept my surrenderance just like confused Arjun says to Lord Shri Krishna on the Warfield of Kurukshetra to make him his pupil and show the right path of duty because he is a coward and afraid of his deeds and does not what is real Dharma to follow.

कार्पण्य दोषोपहत स्वभावः पृच्छामि त्वां धर्मसंमूढचेताः।

यच्छ्रेयः स्यान्निश्चितं ब्रुहि तन्मे शिष्यस्तेङहं शाधिमां प्रपन्नम्।।

Our life is like war with do and don'ts about our karma and Paramatma is the only Guru to show us the righteous path. Paramatma has shown a Sadhak how he could attain Salvation through AVYABHICHAREN BHAKTI – undivided faith in one swaroop of Paramatma and pure Bhakt. When a Sadhak follows Karmayoga, he could not avoid expectations of his desired fruit. When he follows Gyan yoga he remained confused in writings of Holy Scriptures of Veda and Purans and could not get the real essence, the nectar of Param Tatva because knowledge creates doubts and he could not understand Paramatma's real Swaroop as it is described in Kenopanishad...

श्रोत्रस्य श्रोत्रं मनसो मनो यद्वाचो ह वाच स उ प्राणस्य प्राणः।

चक्षुषश्र्चक्षुरतिमुच्य धीराः प्रेत्यास्माल्लोकादमृता भवति।।

Paramatma is the source of listening, he is the source of thoughts in our mind, he is in the form of power of speech, and he is in the root of our existence. He is the light behind our eyes and helps us through various senses when he abandons our body; our body becomes a non-living thing. A Sadhak who knows this can be free from all the attachments of Sansar and he could be immortal. Bruhad Upanishad says that Paramatma has his light he does not depend on any other source for light आत्मनैवायं ज्योतिषास्ते (बृ.उप.) and everything we see in this universe Sun, Moon, Stars, fire and lightening gives us light because of HIS light. तस्या भासा सर्वमिदं विभाति (मु.उप.) While Kathopnishad repeats the same as Paramatma is a permanent light and he is the CHAITANYA –the spirit of all the living नित्यो नित्यानां चेतनश्र्चेतनाम् (क.उप.)

But Jivatma is involved in Tamas of ignorance and he cannot recognize Paramatma's real Swaroop. He sees, feels, touches, and tastes through his sense organs and enveloped by trio virtues behaves as if he is engrossed under the spell of Maya –Prakruti. No Jivatma can free himself from doing any activity. The growth process of physical and mental development begins in the womb of a mother with the entry of Ansh Bij of Paramatma as a soul. Shastras says that Jivatma remembers his previous birth deeds good or bad, but the moment he takes birth on this earth as a human being, he forgets his relation with Paramatma. He loves his body, follows his senses, desires and so-called Buddhi intellect, and thinks of himself as a doer –Karta. His attachment to Sansar creates the feeling of possession and ownership over persons, family, friends, land, and properties. According to Shastras to think about the ownership over the worldly PADARTH or for relations is a crime of dishonesty -disloyalty VYABHICHAR –DOSH with Paramatma. Then how to remain free from attachment by following undivided faith in Paramatma and devotion with true feeling of surrenderance is taught through Bhakti Yoga.

ऊर्ध्वमूलोङवाक्शाख एषोङश्र्वत्थः सनातनः।

तदेव शुक्रं तद्ब्रह्म तदेवामृतमुच्यते।

तस्मिँल्लोकाः श्रिताः सर्वे तदु नात्योति कश्र्चन।एतद्वै तत्।। (२-३-१)

Kathopnishad says that Paramatma is in the Swaroop of a piple-tree which has its roots I the sky-space and spread its branches on trio world. The Seed – is the source and the root is the visible product and source of physical growth of all the branches and this is Paramatma. He is nectar. Everything and every Jivatma lives within HIM and nobody can cross over boundary-his authority over him. Whatever we see in this universe emerges from his own Swaroop in multiple forms as we see in eighty-four yonis of living and non–living in the rest of the Universe. They are having their births, growth schedules, and various stages of life as childhood, youth and old age following death in the end –the final destination of all their lives Whoever is born has to die. Whatever is created will be destroyed one day. This Sansar tree has branches and they are the bodies of billions of creatures. Our senses, mind and Buddhi are leaves. All the kriya of charity, Tap, and Yagna are considered as flowers. Joy and sorrows are tastes of fruits in the form of our earnings in the form of sin or no sin. These fruits have lots of seeds and these seeds create our rebirth and we have to roam in the cycle of heaven and hell. This knowledge gives us enlightenment and we turn to Paramatma.

The word URDHAMOOLAM is related to all the Jivatma from Brahm to wasp while the word ASHWASTHA stands for Sansar which is perishable and illusive but because of our ignorance, we think of it as if it were permanent. Paramatma is the only cause and not the Sansar. He is known as AV YAYA because he has no birth, no death, no beginning and no adjust an apple has lots of seeds which again multiplies lots of apple trees, life and death go on as a flow of river permanently. Only those who study Veda and understand the Swaroop of Paramatma-the only Purush and Prakruti on illusive Sansar can be free from the trio virtues of Prakruti. These trio virtues are wells under and above in the middle of the universe in various forms to attract our senses and we feed bondage with them because of our karma as we seek happiness in the worldly sources karma and hence we cannot free ourselves from its bondage. How can a Sadhak be free from Sansar when he thinks about it all the time?

सेवत बिषय बिबिर्ध जिमि नित नित नूतन मार।।(मानस ६-१२)

All the yonis are Bhog yoni to enjoy the fruits of good karma or to suffer from the punishment of bad and sinful karma. Our non-ending desires of earning wealth, prestigious posts and positions in society, earning name and fame, having an obedient son and daughter, and beautiful and honest wife create bondage desires a person is never satisfied with whatever he has,he wants more and more of everything even after he gets Emperorship or prestigious position as God. This desire becomes the cause of bondage so Vivek Chudamani says that aSadhak should not only abandon his BHOGBUDDHI but should never think about entertaining his mind and senses.

दोषेण तीव्रो विषयः कृष्णसर्पविषादपि।

विषं निहन्ति भोक्तारं द्रष्यारं चक्षुषाप्ययम्।।

These desires can be Satvik obtain Salvation or to be blessed by Darshanam of Paramatma/It can be Rajsik as to acquire knowledge of Swaroop of Paramatma or to serve Paramatma unconditionally. So a pure devotee does not want Salvation. He begs for birth after birth as a human being to serve Paramatma. Though Paramatma is invisible, what we see in various statues of Paramatma is an imagination of His Sakar Swaroop depending on the description of Shastras or from the monuments or archeological proofs and pictures of ancient times. But Paramatma has no beginning and no end. He is not static or he is not unsteady. Then how to know his real Swaroop? Lord Shri Krishna says a Sadhak can see Paramatma/ original Swaroop only when he surrenders to him and remains detached from Sansar through असंग शस्त्रेण द्रढेन् छित्वा avoiding attentions to the worldly attractions, bondage of family and friends, power and Padarth to entertain senses. Then only he could follow his way. A Sadhak should know that when he has to abandon his body, his hard-earned wealth and property would be useless. It would remain in the cupboard of his house. His beloved would not follow him after death only his good and pious deeds, Dharma would accompany him So he should try to remain detached from Sansar.

Let us surrender to Jagat Guru Lord Shri Krishna and learn how to remain detached from Sansar...Om Tat Sat..Shri Krishnarpanmastu...