A Drop Becomes the Ocean: Bhakti and the Art of Living

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A Drop Becomes the Ocean: Bhakti and the Art of Living

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A boat with many people in it was floating calmly in deep seas.

Suddenly, water started filling in. There was panic and everyone

started pouring water out using whatever utensil they could lay

their hands on.

 

One of the travelers was a sadhu (saint). His reaction was

opposite to the general one. He took out the sacred water pot he

was carrying, dipped it into the river, and started pouring water

into the boat. Others around rebuked him:

 

" What are you doing? Do you want to sink this boat? "

 

The saint replied:

 

" Don't you see that god wants to sink this boat? I am only doing

my own bit to further his intention. "

 

However, there were many who were pouring water out.

Consequently, the boat started moving towards the shore safely.

Now, the saint too started throwing water back into the river.

Intrigued, the people asked:

 

" What are you doing now? "

 

" It looks as if god now wants to save this boat, hence, I am

working in that direction. "

 

God and His Devotee Are One:

 

There exists a timeless text called the Bhakti Sutra, which

outlines the foundations of bhakti and whose author is the sage

Narada. The name itself signifies his preeminent status as the

archetypal guru of bhakti, being made of Naar (god living in man

(nar)) and Da (giver). Thus he is the one who gives us knowledge

of the divinity enshrined in our own hearts.

 

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Narada has this to say on the nature of a true bhakta:

 

'There is no difference between god and his devotees.' (Sutra 41)

 

Bhakta is somebody who has imbibed bhakti into his life, which is

defined as follows:

 

Bhakti is the offering of all actions to god. (Sutra 19)

 

In the Bhagavad Gita god himself says:

 

" With his mind and intelligence offered to me, my bhakta is dear

to me. " (12.14)

 

The question however remains of putting this virtue into

practice. The saint in the short story above is an ideal example,

and indeed, offering all that we do to god means giving up the

reliance which we have nurtured for so long on our own

intelligence and capabilities, surrendering ourselves totally to

divine will. With such a merger, a drop in the ocean becomes the

ocean.

 

The Bhakti Sutra says:

 

Single-minded bhakti means sacrificing all other supports (and

relying on god alone). (Sutra 10)

 

Bhaktas with single-minded bhakti are the best. (Sutra 67)

 

In the Bhagavad Gita Krishna says:

 

" I am easily attainable by those who constantly remember me

single-mindedly. " (Gita 8.14)

 

In the Mahabharata, Queen Draupadi once asked Krishna why he came

so late to prevent her disrobing? He replied: " Dear Draupadi,

when you called out my name Govind, I was seated in my palace. No

sooner had I heard the first part of my name 'go', I started off

towards you and came outside your gate before you had completed

the second part 'vind.' "

 

" When I reached there, I saw that you were still holding on to

one end of your sari, i.e. you were still expectant that you

could tide over the crisis relying on your own hands. However, no

sooner had you realized the futility of your effort, and left the

garment, I immediately came to your rescue. "

 

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Indeed, this acknowledgement of our helplessness is an essential

ingredient in placing our full faith in god, Narada says:

 

God dislikes egoism and loves meekness (wretchedness). (Sutra 27)

 

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The Bible says: " He who wants to be great must become the

smallest of all. " (Mark 9.35).

 

Here we recall Krishna, even though he is the supreme lord of the

universe, running helplessly scared of his mother, who sets out

to chastise him with her stick.

 

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She even ties him up with ropes.

 

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We then have the vision of the Supreme Reality bound in the

chains of love, the Nirguna, tied up with affection, brought to

the level of Saguna. It is interesting to observe that the word

'guna' in Sanskrit also means a rope.

 

The Bhagavata Purana points out that neither Brahma, nor Shiva

nor Lakshmi received such grace of the lord as did the gopis,

including mother Yashoda. Brahma is the son of god, how can he

tie up his own father? Shiva is but his soul (self), how could

one tie up one's own self? Lakshmi Ji is but his wife, she can

never even dream of doing such a thing. No one, not ascetics nor

those who possess wisdom, but only his bhaktas are thus blessed.

(Shrimad Bhagavata Purana 10.9.20-21)

 

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Addressing one of his bhaktas, the lord says:

 

" My dear, even Lord Brahma, Lord Shiva, my brother Lord Balarama,

my wife Goddess Lakshmi, not even my own self, are as dear to me

as you are. " (Shrimad Bhagavata Purana 11.14.16)

 

The path of complete surrender has one unique feature. Krishna

promises in the Bhagavad Gita:

 

" Howsoever so bhaktas worship me, I worship them similarly. " (4.11)

 

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There is an interesting story illustrating this aspect of

divinity. It once so transpired that Krishna observed Radha

sleeping. From each and every pore of her body reverberated the

divine name " Krishna, Krishna. " Seeing this, Krishna was affected

so intensely that he fainted. When Radha woke up she saw him

lying near her. From his whole form radiated her name: " Radhe

Radhe. " She too then fainted in intense ecstasy. When the lord

woke up, he again observed the divine name pouring out from her

body and the cycle continued.

 

The above Gita verse has another implication. It suggests that

when we take a step towards god, he too takes one in our

direction. Remember, however, that this is the same god who in

his dwarf incarnation (Vaman Avatar) mapped the whole world with

one single step. Indeed, we may merely walk towards him but he,

taking a giant leap, rushes out to meet us.

 

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What however is the nature of this " first step " ? The answer is

faith (shraddha). The Gita says:

 

" As a man's faith is, so he is. "

 

The Narada Bhakti Sutra says:

 

Whenever his glory is invoked (kirtan), god manifests himself

soon and makes the devotee experience him. (Sutra 80)

 

When we view each and every circumstance as an expression of the

divine will, then we are but living in constant divine presence.

It is as simple as that. The nature of our mind is that of

resolve (sankalpa). The mind itself is Nirakara (shapeless),

however, whatever object is currently making an impression on it,

that is the shape which the mind takes. The trick is to relate

each and every activity, however mundane, to god.

 

For example, when between two persons, there comes and sits a

third, unknown to both, the first thinks: " Who knows who this man

is, perhaps he may be a thief or criminal? "

 

The second thinks: " This new guy seems like a decent man of

virtuous conduct. "

 

In this manner, one has placed within his heart thievery and

evil, while the other has inhabited it with good qualities. The

bhakta however, would rise above both such attitudes and try and

see the one divine presence that sparkles within him also

illuminating the being of the other person.

 

Numerous high standards have been laid down by bhaktas of

yesteryears to inspire us. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, perhaps one of

the greatest bhaktas the world has ever produced, when renounced

the worldly life and took up sannayasa (the highest stage of

life), his pious wife, alone at home, kept up her faith as

follows. She would constantly utter the sacred mantra:

 

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

 

Chanting thus, she would toss one grain of rice into a bowl, and

only use rice from that container for her consumption. She truly

embodied the ideal of the Gita, where god says:

 

" Whatever you eat, O Arjuna, do it as an offering to me. " (9.27)

 

However, in remaining absorbed in the divine, none can the beat

the gopis of Vrindavana. For them, living in the constant

presence of Krishna, each and every perception of the sense

organs was imbued with divine presence, representing the height

of bhakti.

 

Once Narada, the author of the Bhakti Sutras, was wandering

around the sacred land of Vrindavana when he observed a gopi, her

pot lying upturned, seated upright in padmasana with eyes closed,

on the banks of Yamuna. Intrigued, Narada beat the strings of his

vina, hearing which she opened her eyes.

 

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Seeing the great sage in front of her she immediately got up and

paid reverence. Narada then asked her whether she was meditating

upon her beloved Krishna in this secluded spot. The gopi replied:

 

" Don't take his name in front of me. Today, when I set out to

clean my house I perceived him running here and there dirtying

the place. When I was milking the cows he seemed to come near me

asking me to pass on the milk straight from the cow to him. When

I tried to do so I spilled all milk since he was physically not

there.

 

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When I came to fill water here from the river in my pot he caught

hold of my hands, muttering sweet things into my ears, leaving me

transfixed.

 

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Krishna never came near me, it is all the fault of my own mind

which is not in my control (somebody else seems to be steering

it). Therefore, I am now meditating to remove Krishna from my

mind. "

 

Tears rolled down Narada's cheeks when he heard this. With moist

eyes and a choked throat he said: " Oh! blessed are the gopis of

Vrindavana. The same Krishna, whom the yogis, by following

strenuous practices, try to imbibe in their hearts for a single

moment, this gopi wants to take him out of her heart so that she

can concentrate on her worldly duties. " (From the 'Vidagdha

Madhava' of Rupa Gosvami)

 

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Bhakti - Objections and Resolutions:

 

Objection: If god is already within our hearts, why so much

thought or effort? He is already there as it is.

 

Resolution: Indeed, god is already there, but since our heart is

always overcrowded with " worldly matters and desires " , the divine

presence cannot be experienced. Sage Narada says:

 

Bhakti is not the nature of desire rather it is renunciation

(nirodh). (Sutra 7)

 

Renunciation is the total giving up of all secular and religious

(Vedic) activities. (Sutra 8)

 

The nature of renunciation is single-minded surrender to god and

complete indifference to all that it is contrary to this

principle. (Sutra 9).

 

The gopis of Vrindavana were highly wary of Krishna's flute. Its

melodies did not let them concentrate on their duties, and they

were also jealous of the fact that it was his constant companion,

continuously partaking the nectar of his lips.

 

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One day in exasperation, they stole the instrument and asked it

in seclusion: " Dear flute, what qualities do you possess that our

beloved Krishna loves you so much? He sometimes ties you to his

stomach, makes you relish the nectar of his lips, and keeps you

by his side even when he goes to bed. You were born as a tree

(considered a lower class of being), and even in that you belong

to the base bamboo family, whose wood is characteristically tied

up in knots. By yourself, you are totally dry and devoid of rasa.

Not only are you hollow, but also full of glaring holes. We don't

really see any special quality in you. "

 

The flute spoke up: " Friends, right you are. I do not belong to a

high caste or family. I possess neither knowledge, nor rasa. I am

full of knots, and it seems that I have no life or voice of my

own. I am totally empty. That is why indeed the Great Krishna,

filling me up with his own life, expresses his voice and music

through me.

 

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How can god manifest his voice in a heart already full of blaring

noise? He will be experienced only when the heart, totally empty,

has nothing to call its own.

 

Objection: We are sinners. Our hearts are full of attachment

(towards the objects of our affection), and aversion (to those

who we dislike). The Bhakti Sutras ask us to give up both these

dualities and abide in god alone. However, it seems impossible to

achieve so much in this small life. We don't think we are

equipped for or entitled to bhakti.

 

Resolution: The question is not valid. Remember, bhakti is not

gained by looking at ourselves, but by looking towards god. We

don't do bhakti when we are pure, rather, we become pure by

bhakti.

 

The whole purpose of bhakti is that it can be inculcated wherever

we are situated in life. In fact, this is the essential message

of Bhagavad Gita, which does not glorify war; rather, it points

out that redemption is possible even in an extremely unpleasant

situation like war. According to Narada:

 

We should not waste even half a second waiting for the ideal time

when pleasure, pain, desire etc will stop bothering us. (Sutra

77)

 

Rather, at all times and with all inclinations (sarva-bhava),

only god should be worshipped (bhajaniya). (Sutra 79)

 

Bhakti is our mother. She does not expect her infant child,

embroiled in mud, to first clean itself and then climb into her

lap. Rather, she picks up the child, bathes and wipes him clean,

beautifies him and then offers him to the father's (god's) lap.

 

Not only that, she will not wait for us to become capable

ourselves, but when we are lying as infants with closed eyes she

will put her breast into our mouths and squeeze it, pouring out

both her milk and affection. The only issue is to accept bhakti

as our mother and savior.

 

Objection: Some people have the habit of worrying. How do they

direct this state of mind towards god?

 

Resolution: Where did the worry come from? That too has been sent

by god! If you wish to get over your anxiety by using your

intellect, it will not go away. See it too as inspired by god,

and it vanishes.

 

Similarly with the fear of death. Your beloved god is bored

seeing you wear the same dress (body). Like a husband who

relishes his darling wife in a fresh sari, god too wants to enjoy

you in new clothes. Therefore he tears away the old garment (like

a lover) and then offers you a new one. Indeed, the bhakta and

god are often likened to husband and wife:

 

As a man, embracing his beloved wife, does not know anything at

all, either external or internal, so does the self, when embraced

by the Supreme Self, does not know anything at all.

(Brhadaranyaka Upanishad 4.3.21)

 

Also, the seeker must keep the fact in mind that anxiety heats up

the heart, and deities do not like to live in hot spaces. Lord

Shiva for example, lives amongst the icy peaks of the Himalayas,

 

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while Shri Vishnu rests on the soft folds of Sheshanaga, floating

on the cool waves of the ocean.

 

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Objection: It all is made to sound so easy. What about the hungry

people out there? If every unpleasantness and suffering in life

can be thus reconciled, what about those penniless, diseased,

desolate people we see with our own eyes?

 

Resolution: When a guest comes unannounced at home, and there is

a shortage of food, then the mistress of the household will first

feed the guest to his heart's content and only then offer food to

her husband, if any remains. She can do this because her husband

is her own. To go hungry for a guest is a matter of pride, and

not many get this opportunity in their lifetimes. Similarly, god

may keep those who belong to him hungry, for reasons beyond our

comprehension. Indeed, it is but god in the forms of these

luckless creatures. He has presented himself before us like this

so that our hardened hearts would melt just a little and wash

away the dirt piling up on the mirror of our hearts, preventing a

clear reflection of the divine presence pervading the entire

world, which is but our own self.

 

Objection: Narada says that there is no distinction of caste in

bhakti. Does this mean that a bhakta of lower caste is equivalent

to a brahmin? This is against the scriptures.

 

Resolution: No, he will not become a brahmin, but, the fruit that

a brahmin reaps by perhaps reading the holy Vedas and performing

sacrifices, the other will receive very easily through bhakti.

 

Objection: You say that we must relate each and every activity

with god. It does not seem to be a very good idea to perform

kirtan while having a bath?

 

Resolution: No, that is not bhakti; but carefully taking a bath

because you have to perform puja afterwards, or perhaps, you need

to bow before a temple falling on the way to work. Do not think

that you are cleansing yourself in the morning for that important

meeting in the office.

 

Objection: I am a thief; I don't see any god I can relate to.

 

Resolution: For you there is the form of Krishna as the butter

thief. The mere fact that you think god will not accept you shows

your faith in divine presence, hence, you are already on the

verge of taking the first step.

 

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Conclusion:

 

The essential nature of god is as a charioteer. Let him take over

the reins of your life and sit back and relax.

 

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He has made this significant promise in the Bhagavad Gita:

 

" Those who single-mindedly think of me alone, to them not only do

I provide what they lack, but also protect what they already

have. " (9.22)

 

From self-reliant, become Self-reliant.

 

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This article by Nitin Kumar.

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References and Further Reading:

 

1. Bhagavadgita, Srimad with English translation and

transliteration Gita Press, Gorakhpur, 2004.

 

2. Chinmayananda, Swami. The Holy Geeta: Mumbai, 2002

 

3. Chinmayananda, Swami. Narada Bhakti Sutras (IDG241):

Mumbai, 2002.

 

4. Gosvami, Rupa. Sri Vidagdha-madhava: (With Transliteration

and English Translation) Vrindavana, 2006.

 

5. Goyandka, Jayadayal. Shrimadbhagavadgita with word-to-word

translation: Gorakhpur, 2004.

 

6. Ramsukhdas, Swami. Gita Darpan (Essays on the Gita):

Gorakhpur, 2003.

 

7. Ramsukhdas, Swami. Sadhaka Sanjivani Commentary on the

Bhagavad Gita (2 vols.) Gorakhpur, 2005.

 

8. Ranganathananda, Swami. The Message of the Brhadaranyaka

Upanisad Kolkata, 2005.

 

9. Ranganathananda, Swami. Universal message of the Bhagavad

Gita (3 vols.) Kolkata, 2003.

 

10. Saraswati, Swami Akhandananda. Bhaktiyoga (Discourses on

the 12th chapter) of the Bhagavad Gita: Varanasi, 1997.

 

11. Saraswati, Swami Akhandananda.Narada Bhakti Darshan

(Discourses on the Narada Bhakti Sutras): Vrindavana, 2003.

 

12. Tagare, G.V. (tr). The Bhagavata Purana (5 Volumes

(Annotated)) Delhi, 2002.

 

13. Tyagisananda, Swami. Narada Bhakti Sutras Chennai, 2005.

 

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