NBS-1

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|| AUM shrImAtre namaH ||naarada bhakti suutraa-s

 

 

CHAPTER I - FORM OF INTENSE DEVOTION

=====================================

athaato bhaktiM vyaakhyaasyaamaH || 1 ||1.

 

Therefore now I will explain in detail about devotion.

 

The commencing verse of any sutra is of much importance as it initiates the

inquiry in to the topic. Taking the idle of the massive Bhrama sutra, even

Bakthi sutra commences with the phrase 'athaato' meaning 'now' or

'therefore'. The use of the word 'now' would imply that some thing has

already been discussed or the subject that is being discussed now was

preceded by another discussion. As the author does not explicitly state the

content of the preceding discussion, it's left to the commentator's

assumption.

 

Almost all commentaries on Brahma Sutra assume that the previous discussion

was about the prerequisite that is needed for one to follow the path stated.

In other words the intention of the author was to discuss the qualification

needed or the 'adhikaara'.

 

Who is an adhkaari to follow the path of knowledge? He alone, who has the

supreme sense of discrimination, whose mind is turned away from material

enjoyments, who posses tranquillity and a kindred virtue and he who has a

titanic longing for liberation is qualified to acquire the knowledge of

Brahman - According to Shankara.

 

Is there any prerequisite for Bakthi?

How is an adhikaari to follow the path of devotion?

What does he need to do to be a baktha?

Should he bear a human birth least?

 

Verses 10 to 13 of shivaananda lahari answer all these questions.

 

 

naratvaM devatvaM naga vana mR^igatvaM mashakataa

pashutvaM kiiTatvaM bhavatu vihagatvaadi jananam.h |

sadaa tvat paada abja smaraNa paramaananda laharii\-

vihaaraasaktaM ched.hdhR^idayamiha kiM tena vapushhaa || 10||

 

"Whether the birth is in human form or divine form (deva), the form of an

animal in the mountain or forest, a mosquito, a domestic beast, a worm or

bird, how does it matter if the heart is intent always in taking pleasure in

the wave of supreme bliss by remembrance of your lotus feet, sadaa tvat

paada abja smaraNa paramaananda laharii. "

 

I am reminded of a temple near Trichi called ‘Thiru erumbuur’. An ant did

bakthi here. We see a spider being held in high esteems in Kalahasti as it

worshipped the lord there. An elephant has done bakthi to the lord in

Jambukeshwaram. Bees did bakthi in thirukaNNa ma~ngai. Valture does bakthi

even today in ‘Thiru kazikundram’. From these we infer that not even a human

form is needed.

 

Now having obtained a human form, does he needs to be a celibate or a

householder or a sanyaasi?

 

vaTurvaa gehii vaa yatirapi jaTii vaa taditaro

naro vaa yaH kashchidbhavatu bhava kiM tena bhavati |

yadiiyaM hR^it padmaM yadi bhavadadhiinaM pashupate

tadiiyastvaM shaMbho bhavasi bhava bhaaraM cha vahasi || 11||

 

Celibate (student) or a householder, shaven headed or one with matted hair,

or a man other than these, whoever he is, let him be. What of it?, If his

lotus heart is observant to you, Oh lord, you are his possession. You bear

the burden of his wordly life ‘bhava bhaaraM cha vahasi’.

 

As bakthi is independent of karma, AshramA that are prescribed for karma

does not hinder one to practice Bakthi. In fact Sri Shankara has condemned

external apportionment and said these are of no use if they do not serve for

inner purity.

 

jaTilo muNDii luJNchhitakeshaH kaashhaayaambarabahukR^itaveshhaH .

pashyannapi chana pashyati muuDhaHudaranimittaM bahukR^itaveshhaH ..

 

(‘bhava bhaaraM cha vahasi’, reminds us of Krishna’s words ‘yoga kshemam

vahaamyaham’.)

 

Does one need to practice a special code of conduct?.

Is he required to transform his internal and external atmosphere to practice

Bakthi?.

 

To practice meditation,

 

shuchau deshe samaasiino yathaavatkalpitaasanaH .

jitendriyo jitapraaNashchintayetchhivamavyayam ..

 

‘Select a clean place and sit in a samaasana comfortably. Conquer your

senses and your breath. Then contemplate on the lord’ - says nandhi in

skaanda puraaNa.

 

Does a special place needed to practice bakthi. Does one needs to go to snow

covered mountains or pitch bark forest to practice bakthi?

 

guhaayaaM gehe vaa bahirapi vane vaa.adrishikhare

jale vaa vahnau vaa vasatu vasateH kiM vada phalam.h |

sadaa yasyaivaantaHkaraNamapi shaMbho tava pade

sthitaM chedyogo.asau sa cha paramayogii sa cha sukhii || 12|

 

Let him live in a cave or in a home, outside forest or on the mountain top,

in the water or in fire. Do tell, what purpose is such a residence?. He

whose mind with senses is always fixed on your feet, Oh Lord, he alone is a

supreme saint, he alone is a man of bliss.

 

Does not one require shedding all mundane pleasures to get to the almighty?

 

Even for this the answer is no. On the contrast he is required to just

intensify his desire, but direct them to the lord. He is not to suppress

anything like the other mArgAs and get rid of vAsanAs.

To get rid of wants is the most difficult thing. But if one can just change

the goal from perishable objects to the imperishable, it becomes bakthi.

 

We see all prerequisites being denied. So the discussion that was preceded

can not of a prerequisite.

 

Could it be the discussion of other ways like yoga, Gyana, karmA or others?.

 

It can not be. Taking up a discussion to prove other ways are of little use

does not seem to be a good start. The reason is, some other way may be

prescribed after the discussion of Bakthi and even Bakthi may be denied by a

successive discussion. So to conclude that the preceding discussion was to

deny another path does not seem to be appropriate, as it paves way for a

successive discussion that denies even the path discussed.

 

Then what does the term ‘now therefore’ mean?

 

Not all are in want of the almighty. Many stay satisfied in the world that

senses provide. It's due to the grace of guru, through scriptures and though

janmaantara puNya paripaaga that one at least goes in search of some thing

that senses does not provide. Narada having found such an individual,

commences his sutra

 

‘As you have come to me seeking eternal bliss, therefore I would reveal the

nuances of bakthi’ ‘athaato baktim vyaakhyasyaamaH’.

 

If some one does not have a want for the subject, then there is little use

in lecturing him even hundred times. Now as we list members have expressed

the desire to learn the subject, Narada has come forward to explain the

subject.

 

As the second sutra describes what is bakthi, I have viewed the first sutra

as an initiation to the subject. Comments are most welcome.

 

Thanks to all list members for taking up this discussion. Every ones view is

of immense importance. To have a better understanding of things members can

go through some bakthi works. As Ravi rightly remarked Shivaanandalahari is

a bakthi shastram, Mukunda maala is a bakthi lahari, Srimad Bhagavatam is a

bakthi samudram from which pearls like KrishNa bakthi rasodayam,

naaraayaNeeyam, ujvala neela maNi and brundaavana mahimaamrutam emerge.

Thyagaraaja krithis are like a breeze of bakthi, that of Raamadas is like a

bakthi storm. Narada bakthi sutra integrates them all.

 

Regards

Aravind

 

____

[Guest guest]

Here are some additional notes to Shri Aravind Krishna's excellent

introduction. (extracts from Deglurkar's commentary)

It is the practice among the learned ones to begin a treatise with an

auspicious word, in order to accomplish its completion without obstacles.

The word atha indicates this, as noted in the verse:

 

AUMkaarashchaatha shabdashcha dvaavetau brahamaNaH puraa .

kaNThaM bhittvaa viniryaatau tena maa~Ngalikaavubhau ..

 

At the beginning of Creation, the first words uttered by Brahma were AUM and

atha, hence they are indicative of auspiciousness.

 

Deglurkar makes an interesting comment that though adhikaara ia an accepted

meaning, it is not used in that sense here! For all other

saadhanas,adhikaara is expected; but for bhakti, just being born as a human

being is qualification enough!!

 

A third meaning of atha is anantara; Naradamaharshi composed numerous works,

but because of their subtlety many people would forfeit their chance to

understand them. Therefore, he composed these sutras to explain the secrets

in an easier manner.

 

This first sutra is also called a'pratij~naa suutra'; indicating the

composer's determination to fulfil the will to explain the secrets.

 

The etymology of the word Narada itself is verinterestingly derived in

various Puranas:

 

1. nare parameshvare sadaa tishhThatiiti naara.n j~naana.n taddapaati

vyaasaadibhya iti naradaH .

Parameshvara, nara, who holds the eternal knowledge, naara, and

teaches it to Vyasa and others, is called Narada.

2. yadvaa nareshhu jiiveshhu tishhThatiiti naaramaj~naana.n dyati

khaNDyati iti naaradaH .

The human, nara, whose ignorance, naara, is removed; one who

accomplishes this is called Narada.

3. arado doshhado na bhavatiiti vaa naaradaH .

ara, offence, is never recived form one, is called Narada.

4. yadva.a.araH shastrabhedastadvadaayuH khaNDako na bhavati iti

naaradaH .

ara, weapon, ends the life of another; one who protects against

such an end is called Narada.

5. naara.n narasamuuha.n dayate paalayati j~naanadaaneeneti naaradaH .

One who protects the populace by means of knowledge is called

Narada.

6. dadaati naara.n j~naana.n cha baalakebhyashcha baalakaH .

jaatismaro mahaaj~naanii tenaa.aya.n naaradaabhidhaH ..

One who gives knowledge to children like Dhruva and Prahlada, who

has memory of his past lives, and is a great sage is known as

Narada.

 

Regards,

 

Sunder

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

____

[Guest guest]

For the most terse and yet the most profound depiction of Bhakti, it would

be hard to excel verses 9 & 10 of Ramana Maharshi's Upadeshasara:

 

bhaava shuunyasadbhaava susthirtiH .

bhaavanaabalaadbhatiruttamaa .. 9..

By the strength of the thought (HE am I) firm abidance in the Existence

Principle is gained which is free from all thought modifications. This is

Supreme Devotion.

 

hR^itsthale manaH svasthataakriyaa .

bhaktiyogabodhaashcha nishchitam.h.h .. 10..

It has been ascertained that the goal of the Yoga of Action, Devotion,

Ashtanga Yoga, and Yoga of Knowledge is the abidance of the mind in the

heart (one's own nature).

 

(tr. Sw. Tejomayananda)

 

Regards,

 

Sunder

 

____

[Guest guest]

This is a mirror image of Shankara's Vivekachudamni, shlokas 31 and 32:

 

mokshakaaraNasaamagryaaM bhaktireva gariiyasii .

svasvaruupaanusandhaanaM bhaktiriyabhidhiiyate .. 31..

Among paths conducive to liberation, devotion alone holds the supreme place.

The seeking after one's rea; nature is designated as devotion.

 

svaatmatattvaanusandhaanaM bhaktirityapare jaguH .....(32)

Others maintain that the inquiry into the truth of one's own Self is

devotion.

 

Regards,

 

S.

 

 

----Original Message Follows----

"Sunder Hattangadi" <sunderh

sunderh

Re:NBS-1

Fri, 03 Dec 1999 07:55:48 EST

 

For the most terse and yet the most profound depiction of Bhakti, it would

be hard to excel verses 9 & 10 of Ramana Maharshi's Upadeshasara:

 

bhaava shuunyasadbhaava susthirtiH .

bhaavanaabalaadbhatiruttamaa .. 9..

By the strength of the thought (HE am I) firm abidance in the Existence

Principle is gained which is free from all thought modifications. This is

Supreme Devotion.

 

hR^itsthale manaH svasthataakriyaa .

bhaktiyogabodhaashcha nishchitam.h.h .. 10..

It has been ascertained that the goal of the Yoga of Action, Devotion,

Ashtanga Yoga, and Yoga of Knowledge is the abidance of the mind in the

heart (one's own nature).

 

(tr. Sw. Tejomayananda)

 

Regards,

 

Sunder

 

____

 

------

AUM shrImAtre namaH

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[Guest guest]

Every word of Deglurkar’s commentary that Sunder presented was profound and

prolific.

To add some more thoughts,

The opening word of any celestial work is normally dealt in a great deal by

successive commentators.

The shloka presented to explain the commencing word of the sUtra,

 

AUM kaarashcha atha shabdashcha dvaavetau brahamaNaH puraa .

kaNThaM bhittvaa viniryaatau tena maa~Ngalikaavubhau ..

 

neatly fits and so aptly conveys the importance of the word ‘ athaH’

 

The phrase ‘atha shabdashcha’ denotes that ‘athaH’ is a brahma shabda and

the usage ‘athH’ is equally celebrated as ‘AUM’.

The letter ‘a’ in ‘atha’ being the first alphabet denotes the beginning of

all creation. The tamil work ‘KuraL’ starts with ‘akara mudala’ to denote

the significance of the ‘a’ shabda and its association with the paramaatman.

 

‘tha’ shabda deriving its root from ‘takaara’ can denote ‘tapas’. The

unparalleled epic RamaayaNa starts with the ‘tapas’ shabda.

 

tapaHsvaadhyaayanirataM tapasvii vaagvidaaM varam |

naaradaM paripaprachchha vaalmiikirmunipuN^gavam || 1-1-1

 

tapasvii - sage

vaalmiiki - Valmiki

paripaprachchha- questioned

naaradam - Naarada (who is)

tapaH svaadhyaaya niratam= meditating and immersed in Vedic readings,

vaak vidaaM varam = the best among the knowledgeable of words

(and the)

muni puN^gavam= sublime among sages.

 

It's worth to know the first kavya, RamaayaNa commences by saluting Naaradaa

as ‘tapaH - svaadhyaaya - niratam, tapasvii, vaakvidaaMvaram and muni

punN^gavam’. These adjectives are so profound in conveying who Naaradaa was

and what were his qualities.

 

Who Naaradaa really is ?, would be a big discussion, may be we can have that

at the end.

 

The significance of ‘tapas’ can be better understood by the vedic verse,

 

R^ita.n tapaH satya.n tapaH shruta.n tapaH shaanta.n tapo damastapaH

shamastapo daana.n tapo yaj~na.n tapo bhuurbhuvaH

suvar brahma itadupaasvaitat tapaH .. 1.. (mahAnArAyaNa UP)

 

 

Understanding the first suutra as a a pratij~naa suutra solves many

confusions. Especially in dealing with other sUtras.

 

athAto brahmajiGYAsA ..1 . - Brahma sUtra

atha yogaanushaasanam.h .. 1. - yoga sUtra

athaato bhaktiM vyaakhyaasyaama.h ..1. Bhakti sUtra

 

Most commentators spend a lot of time in the first sUtra as it paves pay for

one to focus in such a way that, his school of darshana is the one really

meant. To conclude that the first sutra is just the author’s determination

to explain the subject, makes it simple.

 

For any one who is interested in following the path of devotion, Naaradaa

is the guru. Thyaagaraaja swami who lived just a century back was blessed to

have naaradaa as his guru. Some of his krithis on naaradaa ‘naarada guru

swaami’, ‘vara naarada’, ‘naarada gaana lola’ ‘naarada muni’ reveal the

relationship he had with naaradaa.

 

One interesting fact is, if some one is interested to learn about a subject,

its the recipient who has to go in search of a qualified master. In the

case of bakthaas, its vice versa. Prahlaada, Dhruva or Valmiiki did not go

in search of Naaradaa but Naaradaa himself was so compassionate to approach

them and reveal the nuances of Bhakti.

 

I request Sunder to present a concise version of Deglurkar’s commentary for

every sUtra.

 

Thanks

Aravind

 

 

 

____

[Guest guest]

Here are some more extracts for the 1st sutra:

 

[ The translation into English of such an erudite commentary, filled with

philosophical terms, is far beyond my abilities. However, if I can convey

even a glimpse of the profundity to the kind-hearted readers, I would feel

happy. ]

 

The word atah can connote two meanings: ataH kaaraNaat.h & ataH

prayojanaat.h . When the question arises as to the reason why induce

humanity to the love of God, the answer is that people get entangled

and attached to the fleeting enjoyments of life, separating them from real

happiness and peace. HENCE this exposition of the text.

 

Only the the Supreme Divinity is eternal, consciousn and blissful;That alone

can confer Its blessings, is the assurance of every scripture. HENCE the the

exposition of this text.

 

bhakti has not been dealt with in the same thorough manner as other

approaches to the Supreme; HENCE this promise (pratij~naa) to explain it. In

this KaliYuga(Iron Age), it alone has the mettle to uplift humanity, and if

it were not raised to the the same level of sublimity as other sutras, it

would fade into a profane level.

 

At the behest of his father, his own determination, and unwavering faith in

the salvation of humanity by this method free form any excesses of

austerity, Narada must have composed these aphorisms.

The tripaadvibhuuti upanishhat.h says:

 

bhaktirevaina.n nayati . bhaktirevaina.n darshayati . bhaktirevaina.n

gamayati . bhaktivashaH purushhaH . bhaktireva bhuuyasi .

 

vyaakhyaasyaamaH = vi + aa + khyaasyaamaH

 

vi = with special attributes; aa = in the proper way;

khyaasyaamaH = stating in descriptive language.

 

The special attributes are that it has no mixture of any others like

karma, j~naana, etc.

 

The first sutra is a promise to explain bhakti. However, it is a

scriptural premise (shaastra-siddhaanta) that the validity (vastusiddhiH)

of a statement can lie only in the unique property (lakshaNa) of the

indicator word distinguishing it from all others, and the proofs (pramaaNa)

adduced.

 

" nahi pratij~naamaatreNa vastusiddhiH api tu lakshaNapramaaNaabhyaa.n

vastusiddhiH . "

 

" asaadhaaraNadharmo lakshaNam.h . "

 

Statements of sages (aaptavaakya) carry the weight of proof in matters

suprasensory. [ aaptastu yathaartha vaktaa ] Hence , Narada, the well-wisher

of humanity par excellence, qualifies as one whose statements can stand as

proof. The bhagavadgiitaa extols him as :

devarshhiiNaa.n cha naaradaH .

 

Hence, Narada's definition of bhakti in the next, 2nd suutra, has an

unparallelled authoritativeness, despite many definitions scattered in all

other scriptures.

 

 

Regards,

 

Sunder

 

 

 

 

 

 

----Original Message Follows----

"Aravind Krishna" <seeksha

Re: NBS-1

Fri, 03 Dec 1999 12:46:06 CST

 

 

I request Sunder to present a concise version of Deglurkar’s commentary for

every sUtra.

 

Thanks

Aravind

 

 

 

____

 

------

AUM shrImAtre namaH

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: http://www.geocities.com/kaamaakshi/

Contact : miinalochanii & lotus