Bhakti - Narada Sutra

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Sri Krishnaya Namah!

 

Arya dharman thiraskrutya puraskrutya mahotsavan

thadanaham harerdaso loketwam na pravarthaye

 

Devarshi Narada vouch for the fact that " If I won't spread Hari bhakthi

across the world, leaving aside all the dharmas, I would not call myself as

Hari Dasa"

 

Sage Narada, thus, as all of us know, always on his toes for spreading

bhakthi in the world and his Narada sutra is one of his works which stands

out as one of the torch bearer for bhagavathas to do prapatti at His

divyapadam.

 

Bhakti, he says, purifies the heart and not vice versa. I.e., we should not

think that first our heart should be purified to allow bhakthi to flourish,

but bhakthi enters heart of any sort and slowly but steadily purifies it.

 

To illustrate, let us dwell on "Bhikshu Pada Praschana Nyayam" . As per

this, One begger, in a broad day light, unable to withstand the heat and

humidity, requests the indweller of a house to let him stand inside for a

while to cool himself. The host agrees and the begger enters and stands

inside his house for a while. Then after some time, he sits there and

after a while he relaxes and then lay down on the floor. The surprised

host asks him to leave but the Bhikshu(i.e., the begger) instead of leaving

at the order of the host, tells the host to go out of the house. This is

how Lord (through our Nirhetuka/sahetuka bhakthi) enters our heart as a

small spark, then He becomes a gyana jyothi and after sometime He will

become a powerfull beam of light inside our hearts and throws our Aham,

i.e., the feeling of I, out of us.

 

Also, Narada envisages in this sutra that Bhakti cannot be experienced /

nurtured by force and it is all His krupa. To illustrate this he narrates

Prahlada's and Lord Narasimha's conversation, wherein, after many years of

successfull kingship, Prahlada finally has been graced by Lord Narasimha

liberation(mukthi). Prahlada, suitable to his caliber/character, pleads

with the Lord - "Naitan vihaya krupanan vimumuksha ekasa" Lord, I can't

come alone to you leaving all these distress souls(mankind) behind. Lord

Narasimha says " Oh Vatsa, I can't take them into my abode by force, as, If

I do like that, they will not feel happy and hence, please ask them whether

they want to come with you". Prahlada, then went on to ask his subjects

and all of them say one reason or the other which is left pending to be

done in the karmabhoomi, which forbids them to get liberated. They cite

loukika reasons (influenced by maya and being in agnana) viz., age is not

ripe, daughter's marriage on the anvil etc. but none follows him. Finally,

unable to get anybody, Prahlada turns vainly to animals and other jeevas.

Even there also he gets a negative reply, except a sookara(pig) which asks

him whether the abode of Lord gives him food and when Prahlada replies in

negative, that, food is not required there, as there is amrutham(nectar)

which eradicates hunger etc., finally, the pig refuses to come with him.

The moral He won't liberate jeevas by force.

 

As you may be aware, in the adhyathma ramayana also, those who follows Lord

Ramachandran, his subjects, vanara sainya etc., all are promised of moksham

by Lord Rama himself. And all the jeevas (those who follows Him, whether

human beings, vanaras, birds, animals etc.,) have been sent to His abode.

There might be many karana janma jeevas but in all, those who are intent

to reach His abode, have been liberated by the all merciful God.

 

 

Ananyamamatha Vishnemamatha prema sangatha

Bhakthirithyuchyathe Bhishma Prahladodavanaradaihi

 

Just like the love and care we have towards our body & our people, if we

love Lord Achyutha, that is called as real bhakthi -- says Bhishma,

Prahlada, Uddava & Narada.

 

 

Sarvaaparadha Kshamasva!

 

 

Sukumar

 

 

Sri Krishna Parabrahmane Namah!