Guest guest Posted November 10, 2005 Report Share Posted November 10, 2005 Hari Om! On this day dedicated to Guru, i was delighted to read IswaranandaJI's post on how to be a ' great disciple' and SRI Sammeer choudhary's sequel to it and quotes from JNaneshweri! Thank you so much! I specially liked these words in Ishaan-ji's post (Someone asked Mata Amritanandamayee "Maa, whom do you think is the best Guru?" to which Maa replied :- "One who is a great Disciple only can be a Great Guru".) may i now recall a verse i read longtime ago and stored in my archives? As a bee seeks nectar from all kinds of flowers, Seek teachings everywhere. Like a deer that finds a quiet place to graze, Seek seclusion to digest all that you have gathered. Like a madman, beyond all limits, go wherever you please; And live like a lion, completely free of fear. A Dzogchen Tantra Let us take 'one Line' at a time and see what it means ! * As a bee seeks nectar from all kinds of flowers, Seek teachings everywhere.* The 'Bee' is a favorite 'metaphor in scriptural texts . In Srimad Bhagvatam also, there is a reference to the 'bee' which states simply this - just as the 'bee' gathers nectar from all sources by treavelling from one flower to another, one must also learn from all the sources one comes in contact with. Lord Dattatreya also lists the 'Bee' as one of his 24 Upa Gurus. Pray, what is so special about a 'bee '? A bee is always in the company of other bees - 'SATSANGATI' is like a 'beehive' - here also like-minded Sadhaks seek each other's company and stick to one other just like 'Bees' in a beehive! on another note, "In Hindu myth and iconography, the bee surmounting a triangle is a symbol of Shiva. Sometimes we see a blue bee on the forehead of Krishna, as the avatar of Vishnu. Kama, the god of love, like Cupid has a bow and arrows, and the bow string is made up of bees. In the yogic doctrine, where each chakra emits a different sound in meditation, the lowest chakra (muldhahara) emits a hum likened in the writings to a bumblebee. Note that the first chakra represents our strongest bond to the material world and Eros or Cupid in Greek philosophy is the natural impelling force towards sensual objects. " and the flies are always attracted to dirt and filth ! whereas the bees are attracted to flowers, fragrance and honey!! Sadahaks are always arttracted to the company of Holy men/women! No wonder, bhaktas are always attracted to the Lotus feet of Lord Krishna whose very name is Madhusudana -' Madhu means 'honey' and krishna is full of sweetness like honey!! That is why Sri Vallabhacharya sings in his 'Madhurashtakam' venur madhurO renur madhurah pAnir madhurah pAdau madhurah nrityam madhuram sakhyam madhuram mathurA dhipate rakhilam madhuram Sweet is Your flute, sweet is the dust of Your feet, sweet are Your hands, sweet are Your feet, sweet is Your dance, sweet is Your friendship, O Lord of Mathura, everything about You is sweet. ******************************************************************** now, the second line : Like a deer that finds a quiet place to graze, Seek seclusion to digest all that you have gathered. In the upanishads , the gurus encouraged the disciples to undertake 'mouna' vrata ( observe silence) and seek 'seclusion' and contemplate preferably away from the hustle and bustle of daily life and go away to mountains or caves to 'meditate' Have you read the book 'Living with the Himalayan MasterS'by Swami Rama ? In this wonderful book Swami Rama describes all his experiences while travelling in the Himalayas!Swami Rama says in this book 'do not renounce and retire to the cave as a renunciate until and unless you have given up all your latent desires' ! True! 'solitude' is good for 'sadhana' but taming the mind is a pre- requisite Another point - the deer has 'musk' in its navel but it roams all around the forest looking for the 'musk' not knowing the musk is right in its navel... Vivekananda says 'the divinity is within' but we go to pilgrimages , visit temples, read scriptures etc when by mere contemplation on the divine name we can unearth the divinity within! Third line Like a madman, beyond all limits, go wherever you please;! this is the state of true tantrik - he is full of 'swatantra' (freedom) - he is full of 'swechha" ( own desire) A fully realized tantrik does not care for customs; he does not conforms to rules of society... this was the state of shri ramakrishna ; often the thakor behaved like a 'madman' - he would dress as he pleased , eat as he pleased - sing and dance as the moods dictated ... sometimes Thakore would cry like a child... Once a very realized tantrik visited shri ramakrishna at dakshineshwer temple- this holy saint was seen eating 'food' from the garbage cans along with strEet dogs - and when people ridiculed him, thakore reprimanded them by saying that was the mahabhava of a great tantrik ! they just do not care what they eat, where they eat and how they eat... AVADHUTA Ddattatreya was also known for his free 'spirit' - he would roam naked in the tue spirit of an 'avadhoota' and would be seen in the company of women prostitues swimming naked... lord dattatreya never observed any of the social norms or etiquette! "One may be like a child, a madman, a king, or like one in a swoon, independent minded, like a lord hero, like a Gandharva, or like a naked person, a tridandin or like one who sells Veda for cash. Effulgent One, the way to be is to act howsoever one wills, knowing both Akula and Devi is Kula." (Kaula Jnana Nirnaya, XII. 3-6.) Have you heard of the tantrik guru Bamashepa? HEhe was known for his eccenticities... he would set fire the murtis of of goddesseses, roam about the cremation ground eating with jackals and dogs, beat up his disciples, etc....He was called 'pagla' ( madman) but that is how 'tantriks' behave .... ********************************************************************** and the last Line : 'fearless like a lion!' wow! that is it! tantriks have no fear! they are not afraid of anything! have you heard of the 'bauls' - they are true tantriks in this sense- they have no 'fears' - they roam about freely ; with not a care in the world ' they live one' moment' at a time with no anxiety... that is why many kshatriyas pray to durga mata before going to the war - even lord rama prayed to durga mata before undertaking the battle with demon ravana for durga mata is fearless ( the very fact that she rides a lion is proof of that) and it is believed when you pray to durga mata , she banishes all fear!! ' but fear can be of many kinds... fear of physical death... but the greatest fear is fear of 'ego' death... that is why many people are afraid to pray to mother kali - because she takes away your 'ego' with one strike!!! and believe me, our ego is our greatest attachment! One of the greatest qualities of a good disciple is 'vinaya' and Adi Shankara Bhagvadapada describes this beautifully in Shatpadi Stotra : Sri Adi Sankara has given us proper guidance in the matter of prayer in his Shatpadee Stotram, the opening verse of which is : Avinayam apanaya vishno Damaya manah samaya vishaya mriga-trishnaam; Boota dayaam vistaaraya Taaraya samsaara saagaratah "In the Shatpadee Stotra, Sri Adi Sankara prays to God to remove Avinaya, evils like arrogance, which are opposite qualities to Vinaya. Vinaya is an accretion that comes to be attached to persons, and if that is removed, Vinaya will express itself naturally. Then Sri Adi Sankara prays to God to keep his mind under control (Damaya manah). When the mind is brought under control, it will cease to race after transient pleasures, and will remain steady in the thought of God. The next prayer is to eradicate the desires prompted by the senses. (Samaya vishaya mrigatrishnaam) when we no longer hanker after worldly pleasures. Our heart begins to beat in harmony with the rest of the world, and we acquire a broad and sympathetic outlook. So Sri Adi Sankara next prays to enlarge his compassion for all creation (Bhoota dayaam vistraaraya). When the mind is so elevated spiritually step by step, the inevitable result will be the end of birth and death or the crossing of the ocean of Samsaara. So he prays, Taaraya samsara saagaratah. " To read the entire article , go to http://www.kamakoti.org/acall/ac-value.html Jai Gurudeva! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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