Bhakti and Jnana .............Wave .....3

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Om Achutaya Namaha !

 

Om GovindAya Namaha !

 

Om Namo Narayana !

 

 

 

In Narada Bhakti Sutra, verse 51 reads

 

'anirvacanIyaM premasvarUpam"

 

"The intrinsic nature of Prema Bhakti (Divine Love) defies exact and

precise analysis, definition, or description.

 

Let us see How our beloved Adi Shankara Bhagvadapada

describes 'Bhakti' in his soulful composition of Sivananda Lahari

 

aN^kolaM nija biija santatiH ayaskaantopalaM suuchikaa

saadhvii naijavibhuM lataa kshitiruhaM sindhuH saridvallabham.h |

praapnotiiha yathaa tathaa pashupateH paadaaravindadvayaM

chetovR^ittirupetya tishhThati sadaa saa bhaktirityuchyate || 61||

 

Like the seeds of the ankola tree moving towards the tree

itself; Like the iron filings clinging to a magnet; like the

love, attention, and thoughts of a chaste woman flowing

towards her husband; like a creeper tightly entwining and

embracing the supporting tree and like the river rushing

towards her beloved Ocean, the constant flow thoughts

towards the lotus feet of Ishwara is called as bhakti.

 

(Learned Members can post their delightful interpretation of this

verse! Meanwhile enjoy the metaphors and the similies - After all .

Bhakti is about 'poetry' of the heart not the 'Grammar' of the head!

smile ! in the bhasyas, we debated about Rope-snake analogy, son of

a barren woman etc... Not any more! Poetry and bhakti BELONG TO A

DIFFERENT Realm -THE REALM OF 'RASA' )

 

 

Again and again, our Shankara Bhagvadapada talks about

the 'lotus' feet of the Lord ! ( padambhujam, charanakamalam ! )

 

Advaitins may wonder what is there to be so devoted to the 'LOTUS'

feet of the Lord? AFTER ALL, TO THEM, DEVOTION MEANS DEVOTION OF THE

SELF !

 

A real bhakta never asks the God/ess for anything , not even 'moksha'

or liberation ! In fact, a simple devotee of the Lord prays thus ' O

Mukunda! Let me remember to worship your lotus feet birth after

birth' - can you imagine saying 'birth after birth' ? The very

premise of all religious quest is to escape from the cycle of birth

and death! Not for a bhakta, though !

 

 

Kulasekhara Alzhwar sings thus :

 

Kulasekhara"s request for a small and specific Boon.

 

mukunda! mUrdhnO praNipatya yAcE

bhavantam EkAntam iyantam artham |

avismRtis tvac-caraNAravindE

bhavE bhavE mE'stu bhavat-prasAdAt ||

 

O, Mukunda! I prosrate before you and only beg for this small boon.

Please bless me to remember your Lotus Feet in every one of my births

without fail.

 

Let us see how our poet-saint Adi Shankara Bhagvadapada glorifies thw

worshipping of Devi's feet in verse 'three' of his beautiful

composition SAUNDARYA Lahari

 

Avidyanam antas-timira-mihira-dvipa-nagari

jagnam caitanya-stabaka-makarandasruti jhari

daridranam cinta-mani- guanika janma-jalaudhau

ninangnanam damsira mura-ripu-virahasya bhavati

 

The dust of Thy feet is the Island city , wherefrom takes place the

luminous 'sunrise' of Spiritual Illumination driving away the

overcasting darkness of ignorance in the hearts of devotees. It forms

the cluster of flower buds, from which gushes forth the nectar of

intelligence, enlivening the dull-witted. It is a veritable necklace

of wish yielding gems for the poverty-stricken. And for those

immersed in the Ocean of Samsara , it becomes their uplifter like the

tusk of Vishnu ( which raised the earth from submergence in Pralaya

waters when He incarnated as the cosmic boar ! Varaha avatara)

 

Here our beloved Adi Shankara is describing the Divine mother as

the absolute Embodiment of 'pure' love! Yes, SHE indeed is the one

who bestows both spiritual and material wealth!

 

Bhukti- mukti pradayini Sri Lalita Parameshweri!

 

Now the various angles of Sri Devi's feet are exhibited in the form

of various triangles of Srichakra. Hence the worship of Srichakra

amounts to the worship of Sridevi's holy feet! This fact is already

known to Sri Vidya UPASAKAS ! Adi shankara is explainimng the

esoteric science of Sri Vidya worship in Saundarya lahari!

 

Can you imagine how a parama jnani like Adi Shankara finds the lotus

feet of the Devi as the abode of parama-ananda or bliss Divine ? Can

we not get the same bliss by bowing down to the lotus feet of Devi ?

 

Devi has Thousand feet - one of the names of Sri Lalita is Sahasara

pada -

 

In my very first post , i mentioned about 'paada sevanam' ... Here i

would like to recall an episode from Tulasidas's Ramayana !

 

When Sri Rama asks Guha , the boatman to cross the river Ganga , the

boatman Guha puts a condition to Sri Rama. He says to sri

Rama 'Please ALLOW me to wash the dust off your lotus feet because i

have heard that a stone was turned into a Woman by the meere touch of

your lotus feet.and since i do not want my boat to become a woman,

please let me wash your lotus feet. " Yes! Paada sevanam at its best

in the mode of Dasya bhava. ( worshipping the lotus feet of the Lord

as his servant or dasa) ... the Woman referred here is 'Ahalya' who

turned into a stone after a curse and it was Sri Rama who redeemed

her from that curse ! Even Sri Rama's brother Bharata took Sri Rama's

padukas ( footwear) to keep on the Throne of Ayodhya ... so much

reverance Bharata had for Sri Rama's feet!

 

One of the names of Sri Lalita is Bhakti · Bhakti Ghamya

 

Devi Reveals Her Self to a bhakta who worships her lotus feet.

 

POne of the names of Sri Lalita is

IDitA

SHE who is the object of praise of vedAnta.

 

(True! if a Staunch advaitin can praise the lotus feet of Sri Lalita

Parameshweri. WHY CANNOT YOU AND ME ? )

 

A humble offering to the lotus feet of Devi ! ( pada Kanikai)

 

( Remember, behind every wave of Consciousness, there is the

Infinite ocean of GOD/ESS'S divine presence! Enjoy the prema

rasa! )