Re:Advaita Bhakti thro. Contemplative Practice of Narayaniyam ( ABCPN - 9 )

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ABCPN - 9

Note: Please read the Introduction

– post #15182 - if you have not already read it)

 

Namaste.

 

Sloka No. 25 (Ref. nArAyaNIyaM : 96 - 9):

kashcid-kleshArjitArtha-kShaya-vimala-matir-nudyamAno janoughaiH

prAgevaM prAha vipro na khalu mama janaH kAla-karma-grahA vA /

ceto me dukha-hetus-tadiha guNagaNaM bhAvayat-sarva-kArI-

tyuktvA shAnto gatastvAM mama ca kuru vibho tAdR^ishIM

citta-shAntiM //

 

Tr. (with added notes): Once a Brahmin, who had acquired great

wealth through hard work, happened to lose it all. His

experience (generated in him discrimination and renunciation,

and ) attaining purity of mind thereby, (he took to the life of

an avadhUta (or all-renouncing naked ascetic). Persecuted by the

populace (for his strange ways of life) he said: ‘The cause of

my sufferings is neither these people, nor time nor karma, nor

planets. My own mind is the cause of my misery. (Itself a

product of the Gunas of prakriti), it causes all actions to be

done and superimposes these and other products of the gunas (on

the Atman)’. Thinking thus, he remained at peace. Oh Lord! Deign

to give me also that kind of mental poise!

 

Comment: Here is a practical advaitic philosophy of action in

daily life. This portion of the bhagavatam is called BhikShu

Gita. There the Bhikshu (renunciate) mentions 24 persons and

things as his guru and also mentions what each of the 24 stood

for, in his understanding. A brief reference to this is found

in an introduction to avadhuta-gita in

http://www.za.spiritweb.org/Spirit/avadhut-gita.html

 

For the Bikshu Gita itself in original one can go to Bhagavatam

Skanda 11, Ch.7 Sloka 32 to end of Ch.9.

 

Sloka No. 26 (Ref. nArAyaNIyaM : 96 - 10):

 

elaH prAg-urvashIM praty-ati-vivasha-manAH sevamAnash-ciraM tAM

gADhaM nirvidya bhUyo yuvati-sukham-idaM kShudram-eveti gAyan /

tvad-bhaktiM prApya pUrNaH sukha-taram-acarat tadvad-uddhUya

sangaM

bhaktottamsaM kriyA mAM pavana-purapate hanta me rundhi rogAn //

 

Tr. King Pururavas, the son of Ila, was deeply involved in a

love affair with Urvasi, a heavenly damsel. After spending a

long time in her company, he developed a mood of extreme

renunciation and came to the realization that the so-called

sex-enjoyment is most trivial and wretched. Attaining to

devotion for Thee, and through that to life’s fulfillment, he

moved about happily, singing Thy glory. Likewise, Oh Lord of

Guruvayoor, uprooting all my sensuous tendencies, make me the

best of Thy devotees, and free me from all my ailments!

 

Comment. We should remember that it is the Lord’s solemn promise

to all humanity, ‘na me bhaktaH praNashyati’ (My devotee never

perishes), in Gita IX – 31. One should understand this promise

carefully. There are many devotees whose physical and mental

suffering in the world is all too obvious. Then what does this

promise of God mean? It means ‘My devotee never perishes – in

the absolute sense’. That is, there is no slip-up for him in the

spiritual ladder. Maybe the Lord doubtless takes care of our

mundane needs also, as it did happen in the case of Bhattatiri

himself. His ailment was cured miraculously. But that should be

taken as nectar flowing from His Grace and not as ‘fulfillment

of one’s demands’. In fact, to expect Him to recompense us for

our ‘devotion’ is not ‘devotion’.

 

Sloka No. 27 (Ref. nArAyaNIyaM : 99 - 5):

 

no jAto jAyamAno’pi ca samadhigatas-tvan-mahimno’vasAnaM

deva shreyAmsi vidvAn pratimuhur-api te nAma shamsAmi viShNo /

taM tvAM samstaumi nAnA-vidha-nuti-vacanAir-asya loka-trayasyA-

pyUrdhvaM vibhrAjamAne viracita-vasatiM tatra vaikuNTha-loke //

 

Tr. Oh Lord Vishnu! No one either born till now or yet to be

born, could possibly know Thy greatness in its fullness. What is

possible at all to do – and that I am trying – is to chant Thy

name again and again, knowing that it promotes one’s spiritual

evolution. With numerous hymns of praise I am therefore invoking

Thee, who resides in the glorious sphere of Vaikuntha that

transcends all the three material worlds.

 

Comment. A sahasra-nAma is a litany of one thousand names (of

God). sahasra is one thousand and nAma is name. There are plenty

of them, at least one for each particular divinity. These long,

'streamlined' poems, are densely packed with meaning --

apparfently endless recitals of the Lord's names, glories and

splendours, with no sacrifice of poetic elegance and grace. The

rhythmic sound effects and the elevating moods that these can

produce must be heard and experienced to be believed. Every

sahasra-nAma describes the Lord's infinite qualities in several

ways and each description is only a fragmentary rendering of his

ananta kalyANa-guNa (infinite number of auspicious attributes).

Everywhere we see the same majesty of encyclopaedic

exhaustiveness. To recite these, to be immersed in their

meaning, is to be in the company of the Lord.

 

(For reference to earlier posts in this series, see #s 15207,

15231, 15250, 15282, 15299, 15312, 15313, 15328)

(To be continued)

 

praNAms to all advaitins

profvk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

=====

Prof. V. Krishnamurthy

My website on Science and Spirituality is http://www.geocities.com/profvk/

You can access my book on Gems from the Ocean of Hindu Thought Vision and

Practice, and my father R. Visvanatha Sastri's manuscripts from the site.

 

 

 

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