Hindu Article-Focussed approach

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There are nine ways in which Bhakti can be cultivated. They are:

hearing the glories of God (Sravana); reciting His names and glories

(kirtana); constant remembrance of Lord's names, forms and glories

(smarana); service to all living beings seeing Him in all (pada

sevanam); worshipping His image (archanam); saluting His image

(vandanam); devotion to His servant (dasyam); love as a friend

(sakhyam); and surrender to Him of one's all from the body to the

soul (Atma nirvedanam). These nine are the means and hence

called "sadhana Bhakti". They lead to nine `Bhakti rasas'. By

performance of `sadhana Bhakti as above, the mind assumes the form of

God.

 

Focussed approach

CHENNAI: Attaining the Supreme Being is possible by fixing one's mind

constantly on Him. During the Lord's incarnation as Krishna there

were opportunities for many people to wash away their sins and get

liberated merely because they were filled with thoughts about

Krishna, though not necessarily through devotion. Sisupala's

animosity towards Krishna was proverbial, and at the time of Rajasuya

Yaga, his offensive spree was in full flow. When it exceeded the

limit Krishna used His discus, and his soul merged with Krishna.

Yudhishtira voiced a legitimate doubt about this incident to sage

Narada, seeking clarification about how such a release from human

bondage that does not always happen even to the most devout had been

possible, pointed out Sri B. Sundar Kumar in his lecture. Narada's

explanation reinforces the essential spirit of Bhakti that is

manifest in steadfast contemplation of the Lord, but also draws

attention to the different motives behind this constant thought in

many people that helped them to attain the Lord.

In the display of Kama (love) of the cowherd women, their single-

minded attachment won for them salvation. So too did the Sambandha

(kinship) of the cowherds turn to sincere devotion that liberated

them. Similarly, the Sneha bhava (attachment or affection) felt by

the Pandavas towards Krishna and the Bhakti bhava (devotion) in which

the sages and the pious like Narada himself are forever immersed, are

sure ways to liberation. But the enemies of Krishna whose minds were

fixed on Him through fear, anger or hatred, also attained the same

goal. The Dwesha (intense hatred) in Sisupala and Bhaya (mortal fear)

in Kamsa that made them think of Krishna incessantly, are examples of

communion through confrontation. Both of them met with death at His

hand, but got salvation by merging with Him. Sisupala and Dantavaktra

were actually Jaya and Vijaya, the two foremost attendants of Lord

Vishnu, who were hurled down from their divine abode under the curse

of the sages Sanaka and others to be born into the demon race for

three births. Having completed two births as Hiranyaksha and

Hiranyakashipu, and as Ravana and Kumbakarna, in this third instance,

they indulged in contemplation of the Lord through constant hatred

and were absolved of their sins and returned to their divine abode.

 

 

copy right: the Hindu-daily

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Namaste

 

The story of the two keepers, Jaya and Vijaya, of the

final doors of the abode of Lord Vishnu in the Divine

world has one more significant facet, about their

three-time incarnations. This comes out very nicely in the

following extract from the relevant portion of the

Bhagavatam.

 

The story is told in the third skanda of Bhagavatam how

they were cursed by the four boy-sages, (Sanaka et al)

who looked only five years old, even though they were the

oldest of all living creatures and had realized the truth

of the self. They had open doors everywhere. They had no

idea of "ours" and "theirs." With open minds, after

crossing six doors (of the Lord’s mansion in Vaikuntha)

freely out of their own will, they entered the seventh

door, but were stopped there by Jaya and Vijaya, who were

unaware of their greatness. The sages declared that

these two door-keepers had no right to be in Vaikuntha and

so they cursed them accordingly. Their declaration in this

context is worth study:

 

(Bhagavatam: III – 15 – 33, 34, ): In this Vaikunòtòha

world there ought to be complete harmony between the

residents and the Supreme Lord, just as there is complete

harmony within space between the big and the small skies.

For, the Lord contains everybody in Himself. Why then is

there a seed of fear in this field of harmony? These two

persons are dressed like inhabitants of Vaikunòtòha, but

wherefrom can their disharmony come into existence?

Therefore let us consider how these two contaminated

persons should be punished. The punishment should be apt,

for thus benefit can eventually be bestowed upon them.

Since they find duality (in the form of friends and foes)

in the existence of this Vaikunòtòha life, they should be

removed from this place to the material world, where the

living entities have three kinds of enemies in the form of

krodha (anger), kAma (lust) and lobha (greed).

 

By this time the Lord rushed outside to receive the sages

Himself. He said that all these events had been willed by

Him and He pleaded with the sages to offer a way out for

His sincere devotees Jaya and Vijaya to get off the curse

as early as possible. The sages offered them the choice

between being born as devotees of God or being born as

enemies of the Lord to be finally killed by the Lord

Himself. The divine devotees chose the latter option.

 

They were born three times. First as the anger-dominated

Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu in the Asuric world, second

as the lust-dominated Ravana and Kumbhakarna in the

Rakshasa world and third as the greed-dominated Sishupala

and Dantavaktra in the human world.

 

PraNAms to all advaitins.

profvk

 

 

 

Prof. V. Krishnamurthy

 

Ongoing new series of pages on my website: 'Bhagavatam and Advaita Bhakti'

starting with

http://www.geocities.com/profvk/VK2/Bhagavatam_Introduction.html