Bhakthi -2 By Sri.Sri.Muralidhara Swamiji

[Guest guest]

Dear Members,

 

Contd...

 

Life is uncertain. No one has a permanent place on this earth.Rivalry and

jealousy come only with our contemporaries. And not with the one who had lived

in the past. Are you going to bother about the wealthy man who had lived in the

days gone by? Through

‘viveka’ we should question ourselves, “How does it bother me if one were rich

or poor? Intelligent or a fool?” You should bother about yourself first. And try

to elevate yourself. Death can knock at your door at any time without any

warning. How should you be at the time of your death? You should be prepared!

You should be certain that you will reach only the Lord’s Lotus Feet. ‘Manushya

janma’ (Human birth), this life, this body - everything is only for this. Any

other work is only a timely pleasure. ‘Shastra pramãna’ (proof from

the Shastras) is not required for this. Every moment, we can see the temporal

nature of everything. Constant prayer will help. Prayer has immense power.

Always speak to Bhagavãn. Your performance of japa and dhyana need not be

publicized. It is a matter between you and

Bhagavãn. Question yourself, “Am I publicizing it? Do I feel gladdened by others

knowing it? Do I feel proud about it?” Vritrãsura (Srimad Bhãgavatam) sheds

tears on hearing Indra praising his ‘stuti’ (praise of the Lord) on Bhagavãn.

Why? He laments, “My stuti has been known by Indra”. He sings a beautiful

‘stuti’ on Bhagavãn. During his battle against Indra,the latter’s ‘vajrãyudha’

(Indra’s prime weapon) falls down. Indra feels ashamed to pick it up. Vritrãsura

asks if he could help him! ‘Do not feel ashamed. Pick it up!’ He then threatens

Indra, ‘Are you overjoyed because you have received from Bhagavãn the boon to

kill me? Shall I go to Bhagavãn and receive a boon from Him that I should not

get killed at Indra’s hands? Why do you look so dumbfounded? Do you wonder how

could I get

such a boon from Bhagavãn while you have already been blessed with the boon to

kill me? Why do you worry on that account? Bhagavãn has a great brain! He can

keep up the word given to you and also bless me with my prayer! You need not

worry on that account! Your brain cannot understand the working of Bhagavãn.”

Vritrãsura then comforts him, “Do not worry. I will not approach Bhagavãn for

such a boon. Let this ‘sariira’ (body) die. I will reach only Bhagavãn’s charana

(Feet).” It is then that Vritrãsura composes a wonderful ‘stuti’ that astounds

Indra - ‘How can an asura compose such a ‘stuti’!’ ritrãsura weeps, “Oh! You

have heard my ‘stuti’ on Bhagavãn. I desired to do it away from others’

hearing!” Vritrãsura’s bhãva was such. One need not have Guru upadesa for such

matters. We should move on the right path - japa, dhyana.

 

When Maha Periyava sat as a ‘peetãdipathi’ in Kanchi Mutt, he thought ‘What are

the rules and regulations of a ‘peetãdipathi’? How should I conduct my life? Let

me do only whatever has been prescribed for this.’ Thus, if each person performs

the work allotted to him by Bhagavãn then this world would be prosperous. A

king should carry out his dharma of running the affairs of the kingdom. The

world would run on perfect lines if only each person carried out his dharma.

So,what is my duty? Maha Peiryava thought, ‘Why have I sat on this ‘peeta’? It

is the Will of Bhagavãn!’

 

Once we learn the ‘tattva’ from a Guru we should bring it into practice.

Learning the ‘tattva’ is one thing and bringing it into practice is another

matter altogether. And here two types of bhakti are being spoken of. One depends

on Grace and another on sadhana. Practice of sadhana itself is only due to

Grace. Yet, only because we do not have deep devotion we practice sadhana.

Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Mira and such others never moved even for a fraction of

second away from the thought of Bhagavãn. There was never a moment when they did

not think of Bhagavãn. Mira was always in the thought of Krishna with the

peacock feather, kundala, His Holy Feet, etc. All 24 hours throughout the year

(365 days) Bhagavãn was in their

dhyana. Here, dhyana was not an act but their ‘swabhãva’ (nature). While reading

the life of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, one finds that he would go in and out of

Kãli sannidhi - Offer flowers at Her Feet,throw some on his own head, keep

talking to Her. While reading this, one yearns, “Will not I be blessed with such

bhakti?” Any level below this is sheer gutter.

 

Arguments and debates have no connection with Bhakti.Where is the question of

sadhana once you attain such deep bhakti? It would not be called sadhana because

its ‘gaurava’ (state of honour) would

diminish. Bhaktãs are never separated from Bhagavãn. They have no end purpose of

attaining Moksha or any other. All these come to them on their own accord! They

just ignore all these. In Ambareesha ‘charitra’ (Srimad Bhãgavatam) we find that

he ignored everything – his Kingdom, palace, wealth. Even Moksha stood at his

doorstep and he ignored it! He called them all,‘loshta vath’!’ He treated them

all as a broken coconut shell! Later, Bhagavãn tells Durvãsa Muni, “The reason

for my being ‘Bhakta parãdeena’ (enslaved)

in the case of Ambareesha is that he has given up all else and taken refuge in

ME. Why then can I not be ‘paratantra’? I am not a ‘swatantra’ (free) but have

become ‘paratantra’ in the case of Ambareesha because he does not care for his

kingdom, queen, children,

wealth and remains with ME as the only ‘gati’ (taken refuge in ME). Hence, I

will be a ‘paratantra’ in his case.” Therefore, one type of bhakti is being

dependant on the Grace of God and the other on

sadhana. And this sadhana is only to attain such a Prema Bhakti. We cannot force

ourselves into Prema Bhakti. Can we earn the kind of bhakti that Ramakrishna

Paramahamsa had by just trying to act like

him whose behaviour seemed like a madman? We would only become a laughing stock!

But what is within our grasp? Doing sadhana. We can do japa, do Nãma sankirtan.

Through these, the ‘vãsanas’ (past imprints) are erased and Prema Bhakti is born

in our hearts.

 

The power of their (such Mahans’) Nãmasankirtan is known by the incident in

Ramakrishna Paramahamsa’s life - He used to dance in ‘bhãva’ on the banks of the

Ganga (when no one was around) clapping his hands and singing the Maha Mantra

‘Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare! Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna

Krishna

Hare Hare!’ People who happened to witness this believed that he was none other

than Chaitanya Mahãprabhu as it was the period immediately in succession to

Mahãprabhu’s period. Totãpuri used to

mock at his clapping the hands for Nãmasankirtan as ‘preparing roti’! Once,

Totãpuri suffered from severe stomach ache. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa sat near him

and sang ‘Hare Rama …’ and he was cured of it! This is found in the Gospel of

Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. They

have all enjoyed Nãmasankirtan to this extent.

 

Thus, there are three kinds of people - One who has no knowledge of dhyana, one

who is exerting effort towards this and one who is successful in dhyana. Samadhi

state is the ‘paripoorti’ (fullness) of

dhyana. One should be very careful about ‘Maya’ at this state. The ‘triputi’ -

one who performs dhyana, the act of dhyana and the object of dhyana – will cease

to be in samadhi. In this ‘turiya’ state he will not have any sleep. He will not

experience the three

states of ‘jãgrat (waking state), ‘swapna’ (dream state), sushupti’ (deep

sleep). Thus, the state of jnãni is beyond the three states of ‘jãgrat’,

‘swapna’ and ‘sushupti’. This is called ‘turiya’ state. The jnãni will have no

dream, no sleep and no waking state. This is the reason that when Draupadi cried

out for help she received bales and bales of cloth from Krishna who was

elsewhere. Mahans bless devotees living in some far off places. A devotee of

Ãndavan Pitchai says that she (Ãndavan Pitchai) had come to help her in the

delivery of her child. Ramana Maharishi describes how he had traveled in space

from Tiruvannãmalai to Tiruvottriyur (Chennai), walked into

the Ganesha temple where Kãvya Kanta Ganapati muni sat in dhyana and placed his

hand on his head in blessing. He then returned the same way to Tiruvannãmalai.

But,Ramana Maharishi had no ‘sankalpa’ of bestowing ‘anugraha’ on Kãvya Kanta

Ganapati muni who was doing japa. The tapas pulled him. Why did Lord Brahma rush

to Hiranyakashipu when he did japa? Because, Lord Brahma is under compulsion to

respond to the japa! Thus, if anyone does mantra japa, the relevant god has to

bestow the ‘phala’ on him. It cannot be otherwise. This is the ‘niyati’ (rule).

When one does japa,Bhagavãn sends Ramba, Menaka to destroy his tapas. Why? If he

is a man of short temper, or a man of desire Bhagavãn tests him by provoking

him! If he falls prey to this, then Bhagavãn destroys his tapas

because his tapas would not do good but only bad to the world. If he comes out

successfully then Bhagavãn blesses him.” "

 

GOPIKA JEEVANASMARANAM! GOVINDA! GOVINDA!”