Re:Bhakti according to Sankara?: Advaita Bhakti - part 2

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Sankara gives five analogies for bhakti. The first one cites what is called

an ankola tree -with botanical name Alangium Hexapetalum - which has

the characteristic that when its seeds fall from the tree on the ground

and mature, they travel to the base of the tree and join the roots by their

own nature. Just as these seeds reach the tree with a one-pointed

purpose, so also the devotee should be devoted to his God of devotion -

is the theme. The second analogy is that of iron filings that are drawn to

a magnet. The remaining three are: a chaste wife being devoted to her

husband; a creeper and the tree around which it winds itself and finally;

and a river which is bound towards the ocean. In each case there is a

final destination to which they are all bound or devoted. Bhakti, Sankara

says, is that attitude of mind which draws you towards the Lotus feet of

the Lord and maintains it therein, in the manner in which these five

analogies portray.

There is a gradation, however, in the analogies. The first two analogies

are of one kind. In these, the duality of the components of the system

involved is obvious. The seed and the tree (the individual soul and God -

- jIvAtmA and paramAtmA) keep the status of two distinct entities even

after the so-called 'union'. The same comment applies to the iron filings

which are attracted by the magnet. The third and fourth analogies depict

a quality of relationship that is certainly different from the first two. It is

more towards non-duality. But still some duality remains, though it is of

the category of 'part and whole' (technically the 'amSa' type: the

individual soul is one part of the cosmic divine body). The fifth analogy

is the most ideal one, because once the river joins the ocean, the union is

irrevocable and the merger is complete. The first two portray the stand of

dvaita philosophy; the third and fourth present to us the stand of

viSishTAdvaita philosophy. The last one is of advaita. This is the

ultimate stage of devotion - the parA-kAshTa of bhakti. It is the stage

where the lower self disapopears, there is no more 'I', only 'That''; where

the Supreme Self has taken over the place of the Self in us.

Sankara does not leave the subject here. The verse in Sivananda-lahari

which gives the above five analogies is the 61st. In the 63rd verse of the

same work, Sankara cites as his model of a perfect devotee a legendary

figure known by the name of Kannappar in the Tamil world. Kannappar

was a hunter, untouched by any civilised behaviour or manners either

secular or rreligious. But somehow he had got into his head that the

stone lingam of Sivva which he had seen was verily the God of the

Universe and that to propitiate this lingam by offering flowers and

eatables and to bathe the lingam with river water were the greatest acts

of devotion pleasing to the Lord. Every day he used to visit the place

where the lingam was seen and worship it in the manner he chose fit. His

manner of worship was anything but refined. With his bow on his

shoulder, one hand carrying some bilwa leaves, the other hand carrying

some meat, which was his daily food, and a mouthful of the water of the

Swarnamukhi river he approached the Lord daily, cleared the place of all

old flowers by his sandal-clad feet (the hunter was so naïve that he did

not know even the elementary culture of his religion which tabooed the

wearing of sandals in the sannadhi of a temple deity), offered the bilwa

leaves from his left hand, spat the mouthful of water on the lingam, as a

token of ritual bathing, and offered the meat which he had not only

brought but just then tasted to see whether it was edible. This was

going on for several days. The priest who was doing the daily worship to

the lingam in the traditional manner noticed every day that whatever

flowers he had offered the previous day had all been trampled upon and

there was the further sacrilege of strewn meat in front of the Lord. The

priest started secretly observing the goings-on and was furious to note

the sacrilegious acts of the hunter at such a sacred sp[ort as the

precincts of the deity. Afraid to accost the hunter because of the latter's

patently aggressive appearance, but at the same time very much worried,

the priest prayed to the Lord to show him the way. The Lord appeared in

his dream and told him not to underestimate the devotion of the hunter

and he should observe the strange drama that would take place the next

day. The next day at the appointed time the priest witnessed a scene

which has now become history, mythological history, enshrined as one

of the greatest miracles sported by the Lord.

(To be concluded in the third posting: My apologies for saying earlier

that there will be only two parts!)

praNAms to all advaitins.

profvk

Prof.V. Krishnamurthy

My two books, one on Science and Spirituality

and the other on Gems from the Ocean of Hindu Thought, Vision and Practice,

can both be accessed at the address:

http://www.geocities.com/profvk/

 

 

 

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