Is Bhakti conflicting with Advaita?

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Re: Re: Is Bhakti conflicting with Advaita?

 

Friday, May 2, 2008 6:50 AM

 

This sender is DomainKeys verified " Arakampakkam Thiaagrajan

jagadeesan " <atjags

 

pyari_h

 

this article is very good. but how many really feels what they are

supposed to do when the whole world is glued to materlistic and

killing the nature.

am a strong follower of advaita atleast few %

but am fish with out water...now

can send e mail to me at atjags and at blore

a srividaya upask

 

atjags

 

 

dr. jaya <pyari_h

 

Thursday, 1 May, 2008 7:22:25 AM

Re: Is Bhakti conflicting with

Advaita?

 

Also listen to what the foremost Vedantist and Advaita acarya

Adi Jagadguru Sri Shankara Bhagavatpada said-

 

When one of his desciples questioned him:

 

" mumukSunNA kiM tvaritaM vidheyam? "

 

" What should the seeker who is desirous to attain Salvation do

immediately?

 

Acarya's reply:

 

" satsangatir nirmamateza bhaktiH "

 

Shakaracarya replied that the bonds of material attachment should be

broken, and the mind attached to God (bhaktiH) and the aspirants

should seek the Association of Saints.

 

In fact Acarya Shankara, the unrivalled propounder of Advaita

Vedanta, advised his own mother practise Devotion to Lord Krishna,

and blessed her with the vision of the Lord.

 

 

Jaya Sri Radhe!

Divine_Lovers/

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Devi Bhakti

 

Swami Satyadharma Saraswati

 

The Srimad Devi Bhagavatam is one of the Mahapuranas or ancient

texts of Indian literature. This voluminous text is dedicated

entirely to the wisdom, worship and stories of Sri Devi Bhagavati,

the universal Mother and creatrix of all manifest and unmanifest

existence. Now listen to the divine exposition of bhakti given by

Sri Devi in Book 7, Chapter 28.

 

Sri Devi said: There are three paths leading to moksha: karma yoga,

jnana yoga and bhakti yoga. Of these three, bhakti yoga is the

easiest path in all respects. Through the practice of bhakti people

can bring their minds to a perfect point of concentration without

incurring any physical suffering or hardship.

 

Apara bhakti is of three types which correspond to the three gunas.

Bhakti is tamasic when it is tainted by anger, jealousy or pride, or

when performed with the intention of inflicting harm or pain upon

others. But bhakti becomes rajasic when practised for one's own

benefit or welfare, without any intention of harming others. This

kind of devotee may have some desire or aim in view, such as name

and fame, freedom from difficulty or the attainment of certain

objects of enjoyment. With such an object in mind, he worships me

with the greatest devotion, ignorantly thinking himself to be

separate from me.

 

Bhakti is sattwic when my worship is performed for the sake of

purification and for the welfare of others. This type of devotee

offers the fruit of all his practices and actions to me, but still

regards himself as separate from me. He worships me in the

prescribed ways, knowing that these actions are authorized by the

Vedas and, therefore, must be observed. This type of sattwic bhakti

is different from para bhakti or supreme devotion because the

devotee thinks of me as separate. But it leads to para bhakti, while

the other two forms of bhakti do not.

 

Now listen to the description of para bhakti. The highest bhakta is

one who ever hears my glories and recites my name, and whose mind

dwells steadily in me, like a constant flow of oil. This devotee is

the receptacle of all auspicious qualities and does not retain even

the slightest trace of desire for the fruit of his actions. He does

not even wish for the attainment of the higher states of bhakti,

such as salokya, sarsti, samipya and sayujna, or any other forms of

liberation. He is filled with devotion for me alone and worships me

only. He knows of nothing higher than serving me and has no desire

to attain moksha. He never likes to forsake the idea of sevaka (one

who serves) and sevya (one to be served).

 

This devotee of mine, who always meditates on me with one-pointed

awareness, is charged with divine bliss, which arises from the

feeling of supreme love. He loves me as he loves himself, and does

not consider himself as separate from me, but rather thinks `I am

the Bhagavati'. Considering the entire creation as my form, he makes

no differentiation between all beings and myself. He respects all

beings equally, even those of the lowest class, because he

experiences the same consciousness manifested everywhere and in all.

Thus he never quarrels with anybody, as he has abandoned all

feelings of separateness and individuality.

 

This devotee is filled with the highest love whenever he sees my

abodes, attends my devotions, hears my stories, or meditates on my

mantras or names. His hair stands on end and tears flow ceaselessly

from his eyes out of love for me. He worships me with intense

feeling as the Mother of the universe and the cause of all causes.

He observes my vows, performs my yajnas and participates in my

festivals without any miserliness in regard to time or expenditure.

He sings my name loudly and dances with the intoxication of my love.

He has no egoism and is free from bodily identification, thinking

that he is not the body. Considering that whatever is his destiny

must come to pass, he experiences no fear or agitation for the

preservation of the body.

 

In para bhakti the prominent thought is of the Devi, and no other

idea arises. One whose heart is filled with such para bhakti is

immediately dissolved in my consciousness. One who surrenders in

devotion entirely to me goes to my abode, Manidvipa, the island of

jewels, and there, even though unwilling, enjoys all the possible

objects of enjoyment.

 

At the end of this period he receives the knowledge of my

consciousness, and through that jnana attains final liberation

forever. Without that knowledge, final liberation would not be

possible. Thus, in Manidvipa the knowledge of oneness arises, and

through that jnana my bhakta becomes free from bondage and rebirth.

 

from: http://www.yogamag.net/archives/2005/cmar05/devibhak.shtml

 

Jaya Sri Radhe!

 

Divine_Lovers/

 

, " dr. jaya "

<pyari_h wrote:

>

> Also listen to what the foremost Vedantist and Advaita acarya

> Adi Jagadguru Sri Shankara Bhagavatpada said-

>