Guest guest Posted August 1, 2007 Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 The definition for bhakti last week escalated into a whole collection of excellent dissertations on the subject, sparked off by Shrimati Dhyanasaraswati's request. I have uploaded the complete file to the Novices' folder but I will be posting the material to my website in several tranches. The first of these is at http://www.advaita.org.uk/discourses/definitions/bhakti.htm Best wishes, Dennis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 2, 2007 Report Share Posted August 2, 2007 Dear Maniji : Thank you so much for the wise observation - Yes ! A true bhakta ( parama bhakta ) never even yearns for Jnana or any other fruit, but by the grace of God/ess , jnana dawns on him/her automatically at the culmination of bhakti! These days , i am making it a point to read every verse in the Narada bhakti sutra as part of my daily readings and allow me to please quote two more verses from this great treatise on Bhakti ! sa tarati sa tarati lokams sa tarayati( verse 50) Such a person, indeed, is delivered, and he also delivers the rest of the world. Yes! This is true of all parama bhaktas ! Take Sri Ramakrishna , for instance ! He made Swami Vivekananda his 'ambassador' for spreading the message of Vedanta! now , The Ramakrishna mutt is doing fantastic work in spreading the message of vedanta all over the world through all its swamijis and books on vedanta! This is true of individual swamis as well as institutions ! It is not enough if 'one' is realized, we must make sure that everyone we come in contact with also be 'realized' - this is the best 'seva' ! ( loka kalayanam) Now read verse 51 from the same Narada bhakti sutra : anirvacaniyam prema-svarupam The true nature of pure love of God is beyond description! Yes! PARA BHAKTI IS NOT EASY TO DESCRIBE ! When you are in the company of such parama bhaktas , such as Meera Bhai , Aandal , Namadeva , Tyagaraja , etc etc .... all you can think of is God and his leelas ! Such is their influence ! Adi Shankara Bhagvadapada himself declares in Sivananda lahari In a similar manner, Sri Sankara himself says in the Sivanandalahari Stotra: Naratvamdevatvam nagavanamrigatvam masakataa, pasutvam keetatvam bhavatu vihagatvaadi jananam Sadaa tvat-paadaabja smarana paramaananda laharee vihaaraasaktam chet hridayamiha kim tena vapushaa " Let me be born as a man, as a god, as a bird, as a monkey which jumps from tree to tree, as a mosquito, or even as a worm. I do not decline any janma if only it is given to me to enjoy the bliss of contemplating the Lotus Feet of Sri Paramesvara. What does it matter which form the body takes?(Kim tena vapushaa?) " Maniji , now explain to me why a parama jnani like Adi shankara bhagvadapada desire another janma - that is the state of Parama bhakta ! HIS BODY IS THERE ONLY TO 'SERVE' THE LORD! ps - maniji in few weeks time i will be celebrating my 64th birthday along with the 'advaitin' list - the best way to avoid Alzheimer's disease,( memory loss in old age) is to keep the brain cells active by reading , writing and of course playing Sudoku! Harshaji , it is also said a vegetarian diet is good for keeping Alzhmeirs disease at bay! learning languages also helps! love and regards advaitin , " R.S.MANI " <r_s_mani wrote: > > Namaste, Dhyaneshwari Behn > > I just wonder how you get so much time to write very lengthy mails and that also one after another. I am sure it must be very absorbing for you. > > > > R. S. Mani > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 7, 2007 Report Share Posted August 7, 2007 Maniji sent this private email to me ! i liked the contents of this mail - so i thought i will share this email with you all ! i have delated the 'personal' notes in the email ..... any comments are welcome ! Sat, 4 Aug 2007 20:59:54 -0700 (PDT) " R.S.MANI " Namaste, Behnji dhyanasaraswati Dear Dhyanasaraswatiji behn, Hari Om ((((snip snip)))) One or two points, which you mentioned, require a bit of clarification, maybe because I am still a student only. <<<<by the grace of God/ess , jnana dawns on him/her automatically at the culmination of bhakti>>>> Here, any knowledge can take place through a means of knowledge only. For self-knowledge, the only available means is Shabdam (i.e. the Upanishads or Apta). Bhakti is not a pramakaranam or means of knowledge. So, how the self knowledge can take place automatically at the culmination of bhakti, unless that blessed Bhakta is also exposed to Shabdam. Maybe he/or she had already an exposure to Shabdam in his/her earlier incarnation, and continuing the thread as said by the Lord Himself, now the knowledge shines through Lord's grace. <<<It is not enough if 'one' is realized, we must make sure that everyone we come in contact with also be 'realized' - this is the best 'seva' ! ( loka kalayanam)>>>> Very true. But, is it not the experience of all who have had been blessed with a Guru and through him the Knowledge, to talk about it to all, whether others try to listen or not? It is natural even in the case of empirical knowledge, as one always try to share any knowledge with others, even if it may be for satisfying one's ego. One does gain happiness in doing it. <<<<<Maniji , now explain to me why a parama jnani like Adi shankara bhagvadapada desire another janma - that is the state of Parama bhakta ! HIS BODY IS THERE ONLY TO 'SERVE' THE LORD!>>>>> Being in the current Janma or taking another Janma is a problem only for those who are ignorant (about the self and Eshwara). A jnani never bothers about it as he Knows everything is Leela going on, including his being a Bhakta. He enjoys everything, with gratitude and love for the Lord, maybe just like getting a free ticket for enjoying a good Movie! (((((snip snip)))) Your mails in the Group are always very educative for people like me and I enjoy reading them. With warm regards and love Mani R. S. Mani ********************************************************************* Very interesting! all comments are welcome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 7, 2007 Report Share Posted August 7, 2007 advaitin , " dhyanasaraswati " <dhyanasaraswati wrote: > > Maniji sent this private email to me ! > " R.S.MANI " Namaste, Behnji > >> Being in the current Janma or taking another Janma is a problem >> only for those who are ignorant (about the self and Eshwara). A >> jnani never bothers about it as he Knows everything is Leela >> going on, including his being a Bhakta. He enjoys everything, >> with gratitude and love for the Lord, maybe just like getting a >> free ticket for enjoying a good Movie! Hari Om Dhyanasaraswatiji I also read with interest your sharing of scriptures. I wonder if we can truly understand what bothers Jnani or what doesn't. I for one wouldn't take a free ticket for a good movie simply because my toddler would spoil my fun and of others!:-) Regarding Jnani's behavior, we can say Krishna said so, Shankara explained so, or even scriptures say so. But even if we hear directly from Lord Himself, we understand only according to our own capacity. While going up a sky scraper, every floor gives a more expanding vision. It does not contract the view from lower floor(s), but adds breadth and depth to it. So too as our minds get uplifted, our understanding of the scriptures increase too. Probably, the fulfillment for all pointers of all scriptures and teachings lies in our own experience. Hari OM -Srinivas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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