What is so special about the Number 64 ?

[Guest guest]

In Hinduism , there are '64' Tantras , '64' Bhairavas , '64' Kalas

and '64' yoginis !

 

Goddess Saraswati is well versed in all '64' Arts !

 

Lord Krishna is called 'Purna Avatara' because he is endowed with

64 ' Kalyana gunas

 

and then , Today happens to be my '64' th Birthday - a Turning point

in my Life - Today is the day of my 'spiritual Re-birth! Punar

janmam!

 

My day started with a Brahma-muhurtha meditation on my Diksha mantra

Guru at 5 AM followed by some 30 minute of Yoga asanas . A long

distance call was made to my 85 year old Mother in Delhi , India to

seek her blessings. My mother's perennial advice as usual was never

to forget to Drink Milk! Yes! older women like me are easy prey

to 'osteoporosis' - a bone disease - we need at least 1500 gms of

Calcium per day! One's prathama guru is always your womb mother ,

don't ever forget that ! my fellow advaitins!

 

This was followed by listening to M.s. Subbalaxmi's rendering of

Kanchi Mahapperiyavaal's 'Durga Pancharatnam' Kriti - Durga , the

Goddess - Moksha Datri ! Then, i listned to Swami Paramarthananda's

divine talk on Bhakti 1 and Bhakti 2 - Mind blowing ! First , he

talks about Eka rupa bhakti , then on Aneka rupa bhakti and finally

about Arupa bhakti - Bhakti without forms! There is something very

endearing about Swami paramarthananda-ji -specially the way he

pauses - and then the cute way in which he goes into speaking in

colloquial Tamizh language in the midst of English!

 

On this auspicious day , it is my pleasure to share these two

important passages from Shri Atmananda's teachings on 'Bhakti'

 

1st June 1957

52. Devotion

So also bhakti or devotion is a mental attitude directed to an

object, generally an iShTa-deva [a chosen form of God]. This by

itself does not give the ultimate result, moksha.

Moksha [liberation] is impersonal. To attain moksha, the goal of

bhakti has to be gradually changed to the impersonal, by

understanding the nature of God. But the truth about God is that it

is the highest concept of the human mind. Therefore, a subjective

examination of the mind has to be gone through and its background,

the Self, visualized. This can never be done by the mind alone,

unaided.

Hence the truth of one's own real nature has to be heard from the

lips of a Sage (Guru). By that, one's svarUpa [own true nature] is

immediately visualized. It is then that incessant devotion has to be

directed to that goal. That is real bhakti, and it enables one to

get established in Atma. That is mukti (liberation).

 

12th October 1958

 

78. What is bhakti?

Answer: You cannot have bhakti for something non-existent, nor can

you have it towards anything you do not know. Every object of bhakti

has two aspects:

1. The impermanent or non-existent form, and

2. The permanent or the real consciousness.

Bhakti should be directed to the latter aspect, and the former can

be blissfully ignored when it has fulfilled its legitimate purpose.

The purpose of the 'form' is only to arrest your attention and to

enable you to direct it to Consciousness, which is its background.

The Consciousness can never be objectified. That is always the

ultimate subject (viShaya). It is in the devotee himself and

indivisible.

Therefore, a real devotee can only and need only direct his

attention to the Consciousness in him. This is real bhakti; and it

immediately yields Peace or ananda, which is Consciousness itself.

This is vastu-tantra, the outcome of Truth. Shri Shankara defines

real bhakti of the highest order as follows:

moksha-sAdhana-sAmagryAm bhaktir eva garIyasI sva-svarIpA-

'nusandhAnam bhaktir ity abhidhIyate [Viveka-cudamani, 31]

'Incessantly clinging onto one's own real nature is verily termed

bhakti.'

Bhakti for anything other than this is really unworthy of the name.

It may, at the most, be called a fascination as unreal as the object

itself.

 

http://www.advaita.org.uk/discourses/atmananda/atmananda6b.htm

 

 

So, my dearesr Friends and family , i am very fortunate to be a

member of this holy satsangha ! This year , i feel specially

fortunate to have discovered the teachings of Shri Atmananda through

the good offices of shri Ananda-ji , my mentor and Guide . I also

feel very blessed to enjoy the membership of the this group wherin i

can read and partake the collective wisdom of all learned

advaitins ! My special thanks are due to Dennis-ji for showing

compassion and kindness in accomadating my views on his wonderful

website. He practices 'Kindness' as a religion in the Dalai Lama

style!

 

May i now share the 64TH VERSE OF CHAPTER 2 of Srimad Bhagvad Gita

as my 64th birthday' gift to all the members here ?

 

 

raga-dvesa-vimuktais tu

visayan indriyais caran

atma-vasyair vidheyatma

prasadam adhigacchati

 

Swami Chinmayanandaji's translation

 

But the self-controlled man, moving among objects, with his senses

under restraint, and free from both attraction and repulsion,

attains peace.

 

May Lord Krishna grant you all Peace , Tranquility and above all

eternal Happiness !

 

LOVE AND ONLY LOVE

 

Hari Aum Tat Sat !