Naradbhakthisuthra-suthras 25 and 26

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Naradabhakthisuthra Part 2

 

 

Suthra 25

 

Saa thu karmajnaanayogebhyaH api aDhikatharaa

 

 

The highest bhakthi, supreme love, is something more than karma, spiritual work, jnana, Self knowledge and yoga, disciplined contemplation.

 

By highest bhakthi is paraabhakthi or ananyabhakthi where the body, mind and intellect are fully engrossed in the love of the Lord.

Karma denotes karma yoga, work without attachment to fruit, jaanan is jnanayoga , exercise of intellect and reason. The term yoga used as the third, may mean disciplined contemplation such as rajayoga or it could be taken to mean bhakthiyoga which is different from paraabhakthi, the reason for this being the fact that bhakthi yoga is the exercise of the mind whereas the paraabhakthi transcends body, mind and intellect. That is there is no awareness of the three in complete engrossed state of love.

 

The Lord says in srimadbhagavatham ,

Yogaasthrayo mayaaprokthaa nruuNaam Sreyo viDhithsayaa

Jnaanam karma cha bhakthiScha nopaayo anyoasthi kuthrachith (Bh. 11-20-6)

 

"For the liberation of men I have formulated three paths ,namely, jnaanayoga, karmayoga and bhakthiyoga."

 

He further specifies the qualifications for the three by saying,

 

nirviNNaanaam jnaanayogaH, for those who have given up all attachments and renounced all karmas jnanayoga is prescribed and for others karmayoga. Yet there are others who are naturally inclined to listen to the stories of the Lord and feel attracted towards Him. For them bhakthiyoga is prescribed.

 

But the point is that all the three yogas are disciplines leading to the goal while the paraabhakthi is the goal itself. The next suthra makes this clear.

 

 

26. phalaroopathvaath

 

being the goal itself.

 

The paraabhakthi is the goal itself. All the yogas represent a lower stage whereas parabhakthi means the highest stage of evolution. It is because the parabhakthi is not attained by sadhana which is only for purification of the anthahkarana. It happens through the will of the Lord.

 

Some commentators interpret the three yogas as karmayoga, jnanayoga and rajayoga or kriyaayoga and extol bhakthi alone as leading to paraabhakthi. It is because for all the other disciplines there are certain basic requisites such as yama, niyama etc. But for bhakthi nothing is needed except the love for the Lord. If one has it He Himself will do the rest.

 

The Lord is worshipped easily as it is said in Mahabharatha,

anyathpoornaadhapaam kumbhaath anyath padhaavanejanaath

anyath kuSalasampraSnaath na checchathi janaardhanah

 

The Lord does not expect anything else except a pot full of water, washing His feet, or words of concern, meaning that He cares for the heart only which is full of love for Him. That is why it is said in the Gita, 'maam hi paarTha vapaaSrithya ye api syuH paapayonayah, sthriyO vaiSyaah thaThaa SudhraaH the api yaanthi paraam gathim,' to denote that irrespectiveof caste, sex and birth, any one can attain salavation through ananyabhakthi., unswerving devotion.