Jnanam and Bhakti- Bhakti and Jnana !

[Guest guest]

Namashkar Sri Neelakantan-ji!

 

You ask some valid questions ..

 

You ask

 

( I hope I am not misunderstood. I am just perplexed by such stories.

That of Sabari serving Rama fruits after tasting them is another

such story.)

 

i understand where you are coming from. But there is a difference

between a 'rasika' premi of the Lord and a jnani bhakta . A jnani

bhakta wants to know the 'why' and 'how' of everything but a rasika

bhakta simply delights in the Leelas of the lord ... h/she does not

question why this is so or how this can happen! The sabari story may

not ring true to many but to a bhakta it has a lot of meaning !!iF

YOU UNDERSTAND THE 'ANDAAL' STORY , YOU WILL UNDERSTAND THE 'SABARI'

STORY TOO ! THE KANNAPPA NAYANAAAR STORY CAN BE UNDERSTOOD TOO! DO

YOU ALSO KNOW THE STORY OF LORD VISHNU WHEN HE OFFERED ONE OF HIS

EYES TO LORD SHIVA WHILE WORSHIPPING THE LOTUS FEET OF LORD SHIVA AS

HE RAN OUT OF LOTUSES ? for this act of bhakti, lord shiva addressed

him as a 'kamalanayana' and presented him with 'SUDARSHA CHAKRA' !

 

Bhakti cannot be explained by even the six darshanas! Even to do so

is considered an 'apradha' by true bhaktas! 'Selfless' love towards

the lord is bhakti ... this is the manobhava of the gopis! The gopis

themselves were sages in previous births but they wanted to

experience the 'raga-anuragha' bhakti towards the lord, that is why

they were bor as gopis in the next birth! SRI CHAITAYA MAHAPRABHU

WANTED TO EXPERIENCE THE 'MADHURYA' BHAVA OF THE GOPIS and that is

why he took birth to experience this great mahabhava of Smt.

Radharani!

 

Totakacharya was a favorite disciple of ADI SHANKARA ! WHY BECAUSE OF

HIS SELFLESS DEVOTION TO GURU!

 

JNANA SHOULD CULMINATE IN BHAKTI ; IF NOT SUCH A JNANA IS USELESS!

AND SIMILARY BHAKTI SHOULD CULMINATE IN JNANA OTHERWISE SUCH A BHAKTI

IS 'APARA' BHAKTI ONLY!

 

Hari Aum !