Bhagavatha Vahini, Chapter 1 - The Bhagavatha

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Bhagavatha VahiniThe story of God and his DevoteesWritten by Bhagavan Sri Sathya

Sai BabaDownload this Vahini

 

Chapter 1The Bhagavatha

 

The name Bhagavatha can be applied to every account of the experiences of those

who have contacted God and the Godly (Bhagavan and Bhaktha). God assumes many

forms and enacts many activities. The name Bhagavatha is given to the

descriptions of the experiences of those who have realised Him in those forms

and of those who have been blessed by His Grace and chosen as His Instruments.

The great work known by that name is honoured by all masters of the Vedas. It is

a panacea which cures physical, mental and spiritual illnesses. The Bhagavatha

is saturated with sweetness of nectar, it shines with the splendour of God.

The principle of Avathara or the Descent of God on earth, the Incarnation of the

Formless with Form, for the uplift of beings- this is the basic fact that makes

the Bhagavatha authentic. By Bhagavatha we also mean those with attachment to

God, those who seek the companionship of God. For such, the book, Bhagavatha,

is most precious; it is the breath of their life. To be in the midst of such

Bhagavathas is to foster one's own devotion. Unless you have a taste for

God-ward thoughts, you will not derive joy therefrom. To create that taste the

Bhagavatha relates stories relating to incarnations to the earnest inquirer.

Then, one developes the yearning to experience the thrill of God, through all

the levels of consciousness. He who has this intense yearning can be a true

Bhagavatha.

People believe that incarnations of God happen only for two reasons: the

punishment of the wicked and the protection of the righteous. But, these

represent only one aspect of the task. The granting of peace and joy, of a

sense of fulfilment to seekers who have striven long - this too is the task.

The Avathar, or Form Incarnate, is only the concretisation of the yearning of

the seekers. It is the solidified sweetness of the devotion of godly aspirants.

The formless assumes the Form for the sake of these aspirants and seekers.

They are the prime cause. The cow secretes milk for the sustenance of the calf.

That is the chief beneficiary. But, as we see, others too benefit from that

milk. So too, though the Bhakthas are the prime cause and their joy and

sustenance the prime purpose, other incidental benefits also accrue, such as

the fostering of Dharma, the suppression of evil, the overwhelming of the

wicked.

There is no compulsive rule that incarnations should occur only on the earth and

in human form. Any place, any form, can be chosen by the Fully-Free. Whichever

place, whatever Form, promotes the purpose of fulfilling the yearning of the

devotee, that place and that form are chosen by the will of God. God is above

and beyond the limits of time and space. He is beyond all characteristics and

qualities; no list of such can describe Him fully. For Him, all beings are

equal. The difference between man, beast, bird, worm, insect and even a god is

but a difference of the 'vessel' (the Upadhi).

It is like the electric current that flows through various contrivances and

expresses itself in many different activities. There is no distinction in the

current; it is the same. To speak of it as different is to reveal one's

ignorance (Ajnana). So too, the one single God activates every vessel or Upadhi

and gives rise to manifold consequences. The wise see only the one uniform

current; the ignorant feel that they are all distinct. God appreciates the

consciousness of unity, as the basic motive of acts. He does not appreciate the

activity itself being one, without variety; it is suited to the various needs.

The fruits of karma or activity appeal only to those who identify themselves

with the body and not for the others, who know that

they are the indestructible Atma.

Again, you must know that there is no end to the incarnations that God indulges

in. He has come down on countless occasions. Sometimes He comes with a part of

His glory, sometimes with a fuller equipment of splendor, sometimes for a

particular task, sometimes to transform an entire era of time, an entire

continent of space.

It is the story of the last of these, that the Bhagavatha elaborates. The drama

enacted by the Avathara, and the Bhakthas drawn towards Him, is the subject

matter of the Bhagavatha. Listening to it promotes the realisation of God. Many

sages have testified to its efficacy and extolled the Bhagavatha, which they

helped preserve for posterity.

Generally speaking, man gets drawn to sense objects for, he is the victim of

instincts. Instincts easily seek sense-objects. They come along with the body

and are not derived by any training. The infant seeks milk from the mother's

breast; the new-born calf nestles at the udder. No training is needed for this.

But, for the infant to walk and talk, some training is necessary. The reason is

that they are not automatic; they are socially prompted, by example and by

imitation of others.

Training is essential even for the proper pursuit of sense pleasure, for it is

the wild untrained search for such pleasure that promotes anger, hatred, envy,

malice, conceit. To train them along salutary lines and to hold them under

control, certain good disciplines like Japa, Dhyana, Upavasa (Fasts)

Sandhya-vandana (worship at dawn and dusk) etc. are essential. But, however

much their value may be praised and their practice recommended people do not

develop a taste for them. This is because the desire for sensory pleasure has

struck deep roots in the human heart. When one is asked to do spiritually

salutary acts, one has no inner prompting at all. Still one should not give up

in despair. Until the taste sprouts, the disciplines have to be

strictly followed. This taste is the result of training; no one has it from the

very beginning. Constant practice will create the zest.

The infant does not know the taste of milk. By taking it daily, it develops an

attachment for it which is so deep that when milk is to be given up and rice

substituted, it starts to protest. But, the mother does not despair; she

persuades the child to take small quantities of cooked rice daily and by this

process it starts liking rice and it gives up milk. Milk was once its natural

food, so natural that if no rice is available for a single day, it becomes

miserable.

So, too, though sense-pleasures are "natural" at first, by means of practice and

training and listening to the commendation of the wise, slowly the greater and

more lasting pleasure derivable from the glories of the Lord and their

recapitulation is grasped; thereafter, one cannot exist without that atmosphere

even for a minute; one feels that there is nothing as sweet as the experience of

listening to the splendor of the Lord. The company of the worldly who chatter

about the senses and the sense-objects will no longer attract; the company

which exults in praising the Lord will draw and hold.

This is the real hall-mark of the good. Sadhakas and votaries of the Lord are to

be judged by these, not by external apparel or appearances. If one mixes with

men who revel in sensory talks and activities, then, he puts himself out of

court. Spend your time in the company of the godly, engaged in godly affairs.

Avoid getting mixed with the company of the ungodly. Do not see their

activities or listen to their accounts. Only those who avoid them can be called

Bhagavathas, God's own.

Reading and enjoying the stories of the glory of Krishna in some sacred spot or

some temple or prayer-hall shrine or hermitage of a saint or sage, or in the

company of the virtuous and the good - that is a source of great inspiration

and joy. It makes people forget everything else. Else, one can approach pious

men and serving them, listen to their exposition of the glories of God. Taste

for such wholesome literature is the result of accumulated merit and endeavour.

It is that merit that rewards one with such company. Listening will be enough in

the beginning; later, the stories will arouse interest in the nature and

characteristics of God and the aspirant will seek and find for himself the path

to realisation.

Listening to expositions by the wise is much better than reading oneself; or,

one can be looking into the text while listening. It is preferable to listen in

company, rather than alone; of course, it is excellent to listen with a number

of earnest aspirants. If the person who expounds has had the thrill of genuine

experience, then it is the supremest luck, for it yields best results. For, his

face will blossom into joy, his eyes will shed tears of joy at the very

contemplation of the glory of the Lord. Those who listen to him will catch that

inspiration; they will experience the joy themselves. In the midst of a group

that weeps, tears will spring out of the eyes of those who have come in; when

an infant smiles, those around will also smile in unison. So too, the words of

those who are saturated with devotion to God will saturate the hearts of those

who listen. It is impossible to measure the profit that one can derive while in

the company of the

great.

Through that process of listening, a dirt-laden heart will be transformed into a

clean illumined heart, shining with genuine light. To the foul odours of

sense-pursuits, keenness to listen to the glories of God is a valuable

disinfectant, besides being in itself so full of sweet fragrance. The listening

will cleanse the heart through the prompting it gives for good work.

Such a cleansed heart is the most appropriate altar, or tabernacle. In that

fragrant bower, the Lord will establish Himself; at that very moment, another

incident too will happen; the group of six vices that had infested the place

will quit without so much as a farewell.

When these vices quit, the wicked retinue of evil tendencies and vulgar

attitudes which live on them will break camp and disappear, without leaving

even their addresses! Then, man will shine in his native splendour of Truth and

Love (Sathya and Prema); he will endeavour without hindrance, to realise

himself; and, finally, he will succeed, in merging with the Universal and

Eternal. He will liberate himself from the tangle of ignorance, or Maya. His

mind will fade away; the long-hidden secret will be revealed to him; he will

discover his Madhavathwa (Divinity).

Man's nature is Prema, Love. He cannot survive a moment, when deprived of Love.

It is the very breath of his life. When the six vices, to which he was attached

so long, disappear, Love is the only occupant of the heart; but, Love has to

find an object, a Loved one. It cannot be alone. So, it is directed to the

dark-blue Divine Child, the charming cowherd Boy, who is Purity Personified,

who is the embodiment of service, sacrifice and self-lessness, who has taken

residence in that cleansed Altar. There is no scope now for any other

attachment to grow. So, step by step, this Love for Madhava becomes deeper,

purer, more self denying, until at last, there is no other need for thought and

the individual is merged in the Universal.

When Vâsudeva enters the heart of man, vasudeva has no longer a place therein.

In other words, when the deva of vasu or wealth is seated in the heart, the

divine Vâsudeva or Krishna cannot dwell therein.

Any attempt to accommodate both in the heart is bound to fail. Darkness and

light cannot exist at the same time and in the same place; they cannot continue

together. Dhanam and Daivam cannot be joint ideals; when Dhanam or riches are

sought, Daivam or God cannot also be achieved. If both are sought by man what

he will achieve will be neither Dhanam nor Daivam but Dayyam (the Devil).

It is creditable if man behaves as man; it is laudable if he behaves as the

Madhava, he really is. But, to behave as a demon or as a beast is despicable

indeed. For, man was long born a mineral and died a mineral; then, he promoted

himself as a tree. He was long born a tree and died as a tree; but, in the

process, he got promoted as an animal; but, he has now risen into the status of

man. This rise from one scale to another has been acknowledged by science and

spiritual experience. Now, alas! he is born as man and dies as man. It is a

greater shame if he slides into the beast or a beastly ogre. Praise is his due,

only if he rises to the Divine status. That is real fulfilment of his destiny.

Therefore, avoid contact with vices; develop attachment to virtues; transmute

the heart into an altar for the Lord; destroy all the shoots and sprouts of

desire; then, your Manasa-sarovaram (the Lake of your Inner Consciousness) will

be sublimated

into a Ksheera-sagara, (the Pure Ocean of Milk, whereon the Lord reclines on the

Serpent-couch). Your real Self will, like the Celestial Hamsa, revel in the

placid waters of that Lake, thus transformed. It will discover endless delight.

Who can mark the beginning of the continuous waves of the ocean? It is an

impossible task. If any one decided to do so, the wave with which he starts the

calculation will be considered as the beginning, the wave with which he stops

his calculation will be for him the last, the end. There is a beginning and an

end for his count: there is no beginning or end for the process. No one can

visualise either, in that boundless illimitable expanse. God's Glory is the

shoreless ocean. When one starts describing it, it begins for him; when he

finishes his description it is the end, so far as he is concerned. But, His

Glory is beyond space and time. Only little minds, limited minds, will argue

that God's Glory has a beginning and an end. The stage on which He plays (His

Leela) has no boundaries.

The story of His Leela is all Nectar; it has no other component, no other taste,

no other content. Every one can drink his fill, from any part of that Ocean of

Nectar. The same sweetness exists everywhere, in every particle. There is

nothing inferior to mar the sweetness.

The love of God and the love for God are both eternally sweet and pure, whatever

the method of your accepting or attaining them. Such love is holy and inspiring.

Sugar is sweet when eaten during day or during the night. For it is night or day

for the person who eats, not for the sugar. Sugar behaves uniformly always.

 

Bhajan: Murali Krishna Mukunda Krishna

 

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