Bhakti and Jnana .............Wave 4

[Guest guest]

Sri Matre Namaha

 

Sri Gurave Namaha

 

Narada bhakti sutra says

Labhyateapi tatkripayaiva

 

Nevertheless, realization of Bhakti is possible only through the

grace of God or Guru. By one's own efforts it cannot be obtained.

 

Adi Shankara Bhagvadapada acknowledges this sentiment beautifully in

the following verse in Saundarya Lahari

 

Tava stanyam manye Dharani-dhara -kanye hrdayatah

payah paravarah parivahatt sarasvatam tva ;

dayavatya dattam dramila-sisurasvadya tava yat

kavinam praudhanam ajani kamaniyah kavayita (verse 75)

 

O Daughter of the mountain-king!

I fancy that thy breast milk is the ocean of poetic inspiration,

emerging from your heart

For, it was by drinking it,

So graciously given by thee,

That the child of the Dravida country

became a noted poet among great composers.

 

Some scholars believe this to be an autobiographical reference,

with Shankara, born in Kerala, calling himself the child of the

Dravida (southern) region, drinking at the breasts of the divine

mother the milk of poesy. Others believe the referrence is to great

Shaivite saint sri Thirujnanasambandhar. When he was a child of three

years . Thirujnanasambandhar went to the local siva temple with his

father. The father left the child on the bank of the temple tank and

took a dip in the sacred water . The child began to cry ' O mother !

O father ! Hearing the cry Lord Siva and Parvati heard the child's

cries and Devi filled a cup with her own breast milk.

 

This is called 'jnanapaal' or milk of knowledge - along with

the 'knowledge' the saint obtained Devi's grace - 'ANUGRAHAM'

OR 'ARUL' ! The child went on to become a great saint and foremost

exponent of Saiva siddhanta.

 

Thus, in the path of bhakti as well as Jnana, God/esse's Grace is

required! This is called 'kataksham' !

 

It was because of Devi's 'kataksham' that the dumb poet Kalidasa

became a great poet. Again, Muka kavi (dumb poet) became eloquent

because of the Divine grace of Mukambika of kollur and he composed

the devotional work Muka pancashati.

 

We also need the guru's grace along with the god/esse's grace.

 

One of the Adi shankara's students name was Giri . Giri was not that

scholarly and he was always ridiculled by Adi shankara's other

students . Giri was always late for class but Adi shankara would

never begin a class without him. The other students once asked

Sankara to begin, without waiting for giri to finish his other

chores. In order to teach them Giri's true worth, Sankara is said to

have caused him to understand the deepest truths in a moment's

insight. Giri returned singing the praises of his guru in the

toTakAshTakam, stunning the other students, who had not believed him

to be capable of scholarly composition. He was thereafter known as

toTakAcArya.

 

Here is one of the verses in which Totakacharya pays a handsome

tribute to his Guru Adi shankara :

 

 

VIDITA NA MAYA VISHATAIKAKALA NACHA KINCANA KANCANAMASTI GURO

DRUTAMEVA VIDEHI KRUPAM SAHAJAM BHAVA SANKARA DESIKA ME SARANAM ||8||

 

NOT EVEN A SINGLE BRANCH OF KNOWLEDGE HAS BEEN UNDERSTOOD BY ME

CORRECTLY. NOT EVEN THE LEAST WEALTH DO I POSSESS, O TEACHER. BESTOW

ON ME QUICKLY THY NATURAL GRACE. BE THOU MY REFUGE O MASTER, SANKARA

 

Yes! With the grace of Guru and goddess , all things are possible in

the path of spirituality !

 

Adi shankara himself says in Guruvashtakam

 

shadangAdi vedo mukhe shAstra vidya,kavitvAdi gadyam supadyam karo ti

manaschennalagnam gurOrangripadme tataHkim tataHkim tataHkim tataH

kim?

 

The Vedas with their six auxiliaries and knowledge of sciences may be

on the one's lips; one may have the gift of poesy; and may compose

good prose and poetry;but if one's mind be not attached to the lotus

feet of the Guru what thence, what thence, what thence, what

thence? "

 

and Sri Ramana himself says in (who am i)

 

Just as the prey that has fallen into the jaws of a tiger has no

escape, so those who have come within the realm of Guru's gracious

look will be saved by Him and will never get lost.

 

Thus, in order to progress in the path of both bhakti and Jnana,

god's or guru's grace is a prerequisite!

 

What if there is no Guru ! Till then , pray to Sri LALITHAMBIKA who

herself is a form of guru ! One of her names in LS is Sri

Gurumurtihi!

 

or one can pray to Guru of all Gurus, sri Dakshinamurthy himself !

 

The very first sloka is

 

vishvaM darpaNadR^ishyamaananagariitulyaM nijaantargataM

pashyannaatmani maayayaa bahirivod.hbhuutaM yadaa nidrayaa .

yaH saakshaatkurute prabodhasamaye svaatmaanamevaadvayaM

tasmai shriigurumuurtaye nama idaM shriidakshiNaamuurtaye .. 1..

 

The universe is the reflection of a mirror. The Truth is the supreme

Brahman, the one without a second. The mind, senses and intellect are

all able to only discern the reflection of the Atman. The

identity of the brahman and the Atman is apparent after self-

illumination.

I offer my profound salutations to the auspicious Guru, who is an

embodiment of Dakshinamurti, and whose grace is responsible for the

illumination.

 

( great statement on Advaita)

 

 

 

and since Karthikkai is approaching soon, here is one more gem

 

(Real Import of aruNaachalaa)

 

bhuddhi agamkaaram pulambu eytha oongum

maddhi idhayanthaan maRayavanum maalum

naththa aRiyaathu nalam kulaya annaar

maddhi oLir aNNaamalaiyinathu meyee.

 

Meaning: The real import of aNNaamalai appearing between Lord

Brahmmaa and Lord Vishnu who were led astray without being able to

find it's top and bottom is to indicate the fact that Heart shines

forth between the intelligence and the ego only when they both

subside without trace.

 

(the best way to acquire Jnana)

 

Jaya jaya shankara

 

Hara hara Shankara

 

Sri Gurave Namaha

 

(in the next wave, we will share glimpses from Adi shankara's various

bhakti compositions on all the deities ! Drown in the ocean of prema-

bhakti! )