chapter I - sutra 1
athato bhaktim vyakhyasyamah
Now, therefore, we shall expound bhakti.
The first 'Atha' is a sacred word. We are told that 'om' and 'atha' were the first sounds that emanated from Brahman - therefore, these two words are auspicious.
omkarascha atha-sabdascha dwaavetau brahmanah puraa khantham bhitwaa viniryaatau tasmat maangalikaa ubhau
'Athah', therefore, has a significance. Gurudev used to narrate this humorous story to illustrate a great truth. An aged wood-cutter was cutting wood in a forest. A Mahatma, who was passing by, questioned the old man: "Friend, why are you cutting wood?" "Sire, I have to earn my food." "Why should you eat?" "Sire, I have wood." Such is the case with everyone today. This precious human birth is taken as an accident and a burden imposed upon us - and we lead an aimless, purposeless life, just to let the days pass and life come to an end.
"Is there not a nobler mission than eating, drinking, and sleeping?", asks Gurudev, and exhorts us to strive to attain God-realisation. We realise this - and therefore study these Bhakti Sutras.
'Atha', now, also has a significance. It denotes the preparedness of both the preceptor and the disciple. Narada has studied various scriptures, sung His glories and roamed the three worlds - and, now, he is ready to expound the path of devotion.
The student should prepare himself for the reception of the light of devotion. The vessel - heart - should be purified first. The aspirant should cultivate virtues and eradicate vices. Otherwise, the teaching is likely to be misunderstood - just as Brahma's instruction was misunderstood by Virochana.
Even knowledge of scriptures, austerities, etc., if they are acquired by wicked men, will prove to be destructive - as in the case of Ravana.
The fundamental pre-requisites, the qualifications, are common to all the yogas. Viveka - discrimination, vairagya - dispassion, samadhi shat-sampat - self- control, and other virtues, mumukshatwa - desire for liberation; these are indispensable for every spiritual aspirant.
The bhakta must be free from raga and dwesha - attachment and aversion. He should not be led away from the path, whatever be the temptation. When the Lord is taken out in procession and we go to have His Darshan, if we are absorbed in watching the fireworks and listening to the music, we might miss His Darshan. We must discriminate and be dispassionate.
We must remove hatred and contempt from our heart. God may come in any form. A great bhakta had been told by his Guru that Lord Rama would give him Darshan on a certain day. The devotee had prepared a nice feast, a soft bed, and had kept ready milk, sandal paste and flowers for His worship. As he was waiting for the Lord, a buffaloe entered the house and trampled upon the articles kept for His worship, ate the food, rolled on the bed, much to the dismay of the devotee, who beat the buffaloe with a stick. As the Lord did not come, the devotee went to the Guru Who enlightened him: "Lord Rama did come - you couldn't recognise Him. He Himself ate the Prasad and accepted the articles of worship. But you beat Him and drove Him away. See, I have the marks on my back, too - how cruelly you beat Him?" The Lord had come in the form of the buffaloe.
We should cultivate divine virtues, most of all humility. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says about the eligibility of the aspirant to sing His Names:
trinaadapi suneechena tarorapi sahishnunaa amaaninaa maanadena kirtaneeya sadaa harih
The Lord's Names should be sung by him, who is humbler than the blade of grass, more patient than a tree - which yields its fruits, etc., to the one who cuts it with an axe - who is free from desire for honour, but who honours and glorifies others.
Vanity leads to great downfall - as in the case of Jaya Vijaya, the gate-keepers of Vaikuntha. They had attained sarupya, i.e., they had attained the same form as Lord Narayana. When the Sanatkumaras came to Vaikuntha and wanted to see the Lord, Jaya-Vijaya refused to admit them inside. They cursed Jaya-Vijaya to be born in the earth. Subtle spiritual egoism is very powerful and should always be guarded against.
'Bhaktim vyakhyasyamah' - the author, Narada himself, does not regard bhakti as a separate yoga or path to God. He says: "We shall expound devotion." Devotion is common to all the paths. The Vedantin is devoted to the Self, Atman or Brahman. The raja yogi is devoted to Iswara and meditates on Him. The karma yogi sees the Self or the Lord in all, and serves Him in all. Therefore, bhakti is universal and common to all the paths. Hence its supreme importance.
chapter I - sutra 2
sa tv asmin parama-prema-rupa
But, that is of the nature of supreme love to that.
'But' distinguishes Love of God from love of earthly objects and relations. Supreme Love of God is completely different from the love that we have for anyone or anything in the world. The latter changes, diminishes. Even the most intense love between two people in the world cools off and is in course of time changed to indifference - if not to positive dislike! But, bhakti is supreme love which knows no change.
There is a very good reason for it. Bhakti is unselfish love. Human love is selfish love. We expect the object of our love to reciprocate it; and when there is not adequate reciprocity, the love cools off. Not only this. When the love has served its end, and has fulfilled itself - when the little object of love is attained - then, too, it cools off. The object - being in its very nature limited, finite an imperfect - does not satisfy us for long. Hence, too, love wears out.
In the case of bhakti, however, the object of love is God, Who is Infinite, Eternal, Perfect and Full. Hence bhakti, too, becomes eternal, perfect and unchanging.
That is the ideal. But Lord Krishna, in the Gita, concedes that:
chaturvidhaa bhajante maam janaah sukritinorjuna aartho jignaasu arthaarthee jnaanee cha bharatharshabha teshaam jnaani nitya-yuktah eka-bhaktir visishyate
My devotees are of four kinds: the one who is in distress and resorts to Him for relief; the one who prays to Him for wealth; the one who wants to know all about God and His Love; and the man who knows, the wise man. Of them, the jnani is the best.
The jnani knows that God is his very Self, and that it is therefore inevitable that he should be devoted to God. His love of God is motiveless. It is irresistible, too.
The jnani's love is comparable only to the desire of a man to breathe. When one is held down in water, how intensely one longs to breathe! He does not think or ask why - but the desire to breathe is irresistible. Similar is the nature of parama- prema.
'Parama-prema' reminds us of Yagnavalkya's instruction to Maitreyi:
na vaa arey sarvasya kaamaaya sarvam priyam bhavati atmanastu kaamaaya sarvam priyam bhavati
Not indeed for the sake of all this is all this dear; but for the sake of the self all this is dear.
One Self dwells in all. Unity is the Ultimate Truth. Hence, there is love for all these objects. The Self endeavours to realise itself - pervading all and everything.
In fact, that is why love is irresistible and inevitable here. Love is God. God is Love. And, it is God's Love that holds the entire universe together. God's Love holds the planets and stars together, and keeps them movnig in their orbits. The force of gravity among planets and stars, the life-giving elements, the higher emotions of compassion, sympathy, etc., in human beings, and the instinctive attachment that even animals exhibit in their behaviour - all these are the manifestations of God's Love, in however limited and imperfect a degree they may be. Hence, that Love is an irresistible and inevitable force. When this is realised, then we shall develop supreme love for God.
'Asmin' gives us freedom to choose our Ishtham, our favourite object of devotion, and reveals the catholicity of the author, and his vision of devotion as a universal spiritual practice, unrestricted to people of any particlar sect or religion.
chapter I - sutra 3
amrita-svarupa ca
It is of the nature of nectar, too.
'Amritam' is nectar, immortality. Nectar makes us immortal. Amritam is immortality and that which immortalises us. It is a favourite word of the Upanishad-rishis. They again and again exhort us to attain immorality; for, the essential nature of the Self or Atman or Brahman is Immortality.
Bhakti is of the nature of immortality. This declaration confirms that Love is God and God is Love. Love is identical with God. Hence, God's own nature - viz., immortality - is ascribed to God-Love, too.
Moreover, in bhakti, the object of love - viz., God - is Eternal, Infinite and Immortal. This guarantees two things : (1) the love that is directed towards Him, becomes immortal, (2) the lover that is thus linked to the Immortal, is also immortalised. The person who is always facing the sun, knows no shadow or darkness. The person who is in love with God, the Eternal Being, the Satchidananda-Swarupa, knows nothing but Immortality, Infinite Bliss.
The upanishadic seeker after truth, therefore, spurns all other objects and states of existence. We have the two classical examples, viz., Nachiketas and Maitreyi.
Maitreyi was the wife of Yagnavalkya, the sage. The latter wanted to take to the life of a wandering mendicant - sanyasin, renouncing even the forest hermitage. Therefore, he called his two wives to him and said: "I shall divide the properties between you two, and shall embrace sanyasa." Maitrevi asked: "Will that, Oh Lord, make me immortal?" Yagnavalkya's reply is illuminating: "Wealth cannot confer Immortality on you." Maitreya did not want the wealth; and the delighted sage initiated her into Brahma-Vidya. Immortality - Amritam - is the goal.
When Nachiketas was sent by his father to Lord Yama, he sought the latter's guidance to immortality. Yama tempted the young lad with countless years of life, all luxuries and pleasures. But the wonderful Nachiketas was full of wisdom; he knew that pleasures only exhaust the force and that even at the end of the long life, he would meet only Lord Yama! Pleasures and luxuries are meaningless, when we contemplate the evanescence of life itself. The pleased Guru - Lord Yama - then instructed Nachiketas in Atma-Vidya. What a sublime example for us to emulate!
Nectar is also regarded as the sweetest thing. Reading that meaning into this sutra, we get a delightful vision of three blissful avenues.
(1) The path to self-realisation - Sreya Marga - is considered by the Kathopanishad to be completely different from the path of pleasure - Preya Marga. It is common knowledge that he who would have self-realisation, must mercilessly destroy all hankerings after pleasure. But in this sutra, Narada assures us that, even though we throw away the pleasures of the world, we shall lose nothing; for devotion itself is all sweetness, all-delight, all-bliss. Once we step on the path of devotion, we shall find that what we renounced - worldly pleasures - were really pains in disguise; and that they who cling to worldly pleasures, who have really renounced something worth having - viz., devotion which is all-bliss - are clinging to pain and suffering. Bhakti, in one sense, transcends even the 'satvic happiness' described in the Gita as being bitter in the beginning but amritam - nectar - in the end. Narada assures us that bhakti is amritam in the beginning, amritam in the middle, and amritam in the end.
(2) It is so sweet, because its joys are untarnished or undiminished by severance of our affections for our relations. etc. The very same emotion, the very same affection, the very same love, is sublimated, transmuted, and transferred to the Lord. The joy is intensified into bliss; the pain that deluded attachment entails is cleverly avoided.
(3) This is perhaps the most important corollary of interpretation. Bhakti is all sweetness. And, it enshrined in the heart of the devotee. Does it need to be emphasised that he will be all sweetness, too? His words, thoughts and deeds will be characterised by sweetness. Not an evil thought, nor a harsh word, nor a vicious or harmful action will emanate from him. Let us never forget this unmistakable sign in a true bhakta.
chapter I - sutra 4
yal labdhva puman siddho bhavaty amrito bhavati tripto bhavati
On attaining this supreme love, man becomes perfect, immortal and satisfied.
The first twe words remind us of Lord Krishna's thrilling utterance the Gita:
yam labdhwa cha-aparam labham manyate na adhikam tatah yasmin stitho na dukhena gurunaapi vichalyate
In the Gita it is called 'dukhena gurunaapi yogam' - the yoga who prevents misery. Here, Narada calls it bhakti. Yagnavalkya declares that only jnana can make us immortal. The faciklity with which these words 'bhakti', 'yoga' and 'jnana' are interchanged and used in the same sense only confirms Gurudev
Sivananda's argument that they are in essence one and the same.
But what is of special significance here is that Narada equates bhakti with God Himself. It is not as though man cultivates bhakti, realises God, and that God or God-realisation liberates him and makes him immortal. The attainment of Bhakti itself is the liberator, according to Narada. Bhakti itself is the goal. Hence it was defined as 'Amritam'. It is further confirmed in this sutra.
'Siddho bhavati' - that which is attained by sadhana is siddhi. It is perfection, not just psychic power. It is true that even a bhakta, during the course of his upasana, gets siddhis, unasked. Mantra japa bestows siddhis on him. But he considers them obstacles and does not consciously make any use of them. Moreover, he is a man of prayer who has the well-being of all at heart. He does not interfere with the course of events, nor with the working of the Lord's Will. Therefore, siddhi in this sutra refers only to spiritual perfection. The bhakta has detached himself from the imperfect body and finite mind; he has given up the ego, which is the root of all imperfection. Through self-surrender, he has established unity with the Lord. That is highest devotion. He is no more. The Lord is all-in-all. The Lord is perfect. So, the bhakta has attained perfection.
'Siddhi' reminds us of Lord Krishna's beautiful utterance in the Gita. Lord Krishna has been extolled in the Bhagavata and the Mahabharata, as well as by various great saints, in their compositions - like the Narayaneeyam, Krishna Leela Tarangini - as an Incarnation of God, Statesman, Musician, Dancer, etc. In the Gita, He reveals Himself as a Supreme Artist. Look at the picture he has painted for us:
svakarmana tamabhyarchiya siddhim vindati manavah
That man who worships Him, with his actions, attains to perfection.
At once the picture appears to your mind's eye. There is a true devotee of the Lord. He perceives the Lord in all beings - aham atma gudakesah sarvabhutasya sthi thah. Him he worships. With what flowers? With every one of his daily actions as the flowers. Thus, he attains siddhi or perfection. What doubt is there that he will quickly get cosmic consciousness if he keeps up this attitude throughout the day and night? This therefore is the yoga that Gurudev Sivananda extols as practical vedanta, dynamic yoga.
Only this will lead us to consummate perfection.
yo vai bhuma tat sukham, na alpe sukham asti
The Infinite alone is Bliss which is absent in finite objects.
declare the Upanishads. And, this is one of the most favourite mantras of Gurudev Sivananda. Bhuma is perfection. What is bhuma?
yatra na anyat pasyati, na anyat srunoti
Where one sees nothing else, hears nothing else, etc.
In other words, where one sees everything as the Self, and the Self as this all. Such a state can be attained only by one who sees and serves the Lord in all,
'Amrito bhavati' - since the nature of bhakti is itself amritam - vide previous sutra, the natural result of getting established in it, is the attainment of immortality. We have. Lord Krishna's own grandest assurance in the Gita:
na me bhakthah pranasyati
My devotee does not perish.
Not only does He grant us this immortality, but He also assures us that
ananyaschintayanto mam ye janah paryupasate tesham nityabhiyuktaanaam yogakshemam vahamyaham
I attend to the welfare of all My devotees who constantly think of Me.
We have numerous instances in the lives of bhaktas where the Lord has taken on the devotees' duties upon Himself. When a North Indian saint who was working as a school-master was absent from his post of duty - as he was engaged in bhajan and kirtan, the Lord went to the school in the disguise of the devotee and did his work! When the devotee was shown his signature in the register, he was deeply moved; and he renounced the world that very instant. Such stories are current everywhere in this country, and are too numerous to mention here. Suffice it to say that the moment we take one step towards Him, He runs forward to greet us. May we deserve His Grace!
'Tripto bhavati' - bhakti fills the heart with bliss and peace. He who has tasted the bliss of bhakti, does not long for anything else, as we have already seen.
Therefore, there is permanent satisfaction in the bhakta's heart. Desires do not arise in it at all; on the contrary, they find their fulfilment in it. Once again, Lord Krishna's divine art paints a beautiful and inspiring picture for us.
aapwyamanam achala pratishtham samudram apah pravisanti yadvat tadvat kamah yam pravisanti sarve sa santim aapnoti na kama kaamee
There is the huge ocean - the ocean of the bliss of bhakti. It is all peace. Countless rivers flow into it - the rivers are the desires. They enter the ocean and disappear; and the ocean is not disturbed thereby. The evil element that disturbs the heart of an ordinary worldly man viz, desire, has no power to disturb the heart of a devotee. He has already realised the Bliss in his own heart. Desires do not arise in it, but they get dissolved in it. Hence, in the language of the Updnishads, the devotee is 'aptakamah'.
chapter I - sutra 5
yat prapya na kincid vanchati na socati na dveshti na ramate notsahi bhavati
After attaining this supreme love, he does not desire anything, does not grieve, does not hate, does not indulge in sensual pleasures, and does not feel any urge to acquire anything.
In the last Sutra we were told that we shall become perfect by obtaining - or getting - bhakti. Now we are told that, after attaining bhakti, we shall not desire anything else, etc. 'Labdhwa' implies getting, not necessarily by self-effort.
'Praapya' is attaining by self-effort. The first connotes Grace; the second self- effort. The implication is that both are necessary for a bhakta. No amount of self- effort without the descent of Grace (*) will be of any avail, for the ultimate void - the abyss of primordial ignorance - can be crossed only with His Grace. He who idles away his time believing that Grace will descend on him and give him liberation, does not deserve it and will not get it. Both are necessary.
'Na kinchit vaanehati' - again and again, this point is stressed. We are constantly reminded:
aasaa hi paramam duhkham, nirasaa paramam sukham
Desire itself is the greatest misery; and desirelessness itself is the greatest happiness. When the devotee is asked by the Lord Himself what he wants, the answer is often astounding, says Kulasekhara!
nastaa dharma na vasunichaye naiva kaamopabhoge yat yat bhavyam bhavatu bhagavan purvakarmanurupam yetat prarthyam mama bahumatam janmajanmantarapi twapaadaamboruhayugala nischala bhaktirastu
I want nothing; let me get whatever is ordained by my past karma. But this I fervently pray for, my Lord - may I ever be blessed with devotion to Thy Lotus- Feet.
The devotee has realised that everything else is impermanent, that nothing else can give permanent satisfaction. To him, therefore, that condition in life is pleasant and blissful in which he is able to think constantly of the Lord. Kunti, the Mother of the Pandavas, knew nothing but unhappiness from birth. This enabled her to think constantly of the Lord. Misery is a boon from God - for it enables us to think of Him! After the Mahabharata War, Krishna asks if she wants anything from Him. Her prayer staggers our imagination: "Give me more and more suffering, Oh Krishna, so that I may never forget you!"
The one thing that all worldly men dread, viz., misery, is welcomed by the bhakta. The wise man welcomes poverty, pain and suffering. There is a subtle secret in this: when a thing is welcomed, it ceases to be undesirable and painful!
Therefore, the bhakta rejoices in all conditions. We are reminded of Kuchela's predicament. This incarnate poverty and misery, who had at the same time a large family to support, was prompted by his wife to seek Krishna's financial help. Krishna was his boyhood friend. First Kuchela refused the suggestion; and then agreed, for he felt that anyhow it offered him an opportunity to have Krishna's Darshan. He went to Dwaraka and was entertained in a royal way by the Lord.
The next morning, Kuchela took leave of the Lord and was returning to his cottage. On the way, he suddenly rememdered - how could even this thought of want enter his mind in His Presence - the purpose for which he had been sent to Krishna. For a moment he thought: "True, in His Presence I could not think of my poverty and beg for help. But, at least He, the Indweller of all beings, could have divined my heart and blessed me with a bag of gold!" Even this profane thought could not stay in his pure heart for more than a fleeting moment. "No, no," he said to himself, "He did not do so only on account of His supreme compassion for me. He should have felt that if He had given me wealth, I would forget Him. Oh! how loving of You, my Lord! You did not want me to forget You, so You have turned me out empty-handed but with a heart full of love for You!" That is the nature of devotion. That is the fruit of devotion.
'Na sochati' - brings to our mind at once Lord Krisha's admonition - with which He commences and concludes His Gitopadesam. 'Asochyan anaasochastwam' - on grieve for those things for which you should not grieve. And, 'mokshayishyami maa sucha' - I will liberate you, don't worry. The only prize that is worth having this world is devotion to His Lotus-Feet. All else is useless. The aspirant has cultivated bhakti, He cares for naught else. Hence he grieves for nothing, worries over nothing. Isavasya Upanishad questions:
yasmin sarvaani bhutaani atmaivaahhut vijanatah tatra ko mohah kah sokah ekatvamanupasyatah
When omnipresence of the Self - or God - is realised, then where is delusion and where is grief or misery? We grieve for those that are dear to us and are taken away from us. Para bhakti - supreme God-love - is itself amritam - immortality; we, the devotees, are immortal; and the Lord is immortal, too. When we have attained the para bhakti, for what, then, shall we grieve?
'Na dweshti' - does not hate - is obvious. Patanjali says in his Yoga Sutras that the individual has five great afflictions. The individual is bound to this samsara by these five. They are avidya, asmita, raga, dwesha and abhinivesha. Avidya is ignorance of our real nature - that we are in reality the Supreme Self. From that ignorance springs asmita or individuality - I am different and distinct from others. Then come raga-dwesha - likes and dislikes, love and hatred. Abhinivesha is clinging to this individual existence. Gurudev has often told us that real samsara is raga-dwesha. "The world is not made of men, women, buildings and motor cars; samsara is not made of relatives, enemies, and other objects of the world. Raga-dwesha constitute the world, samsara." When the seeker goes beyond raga-dwesha, he has crossed this ocean of samsara.
This is what Narada emphasises in this Sutra. 'Na kinchit vaanchati'. 'Na dweshti' imply transcendence of raga and dwesha respectively. Isavasya Upanishad reminds us:
yastu sarvani bhutaani atmanyevaanupasyati sarvalhuteshu chaatmaanam tato na vijugupsate
Leave alone hatred. The Upanishad says that 'he who sees his Self in all and all in the Self, does not even have contempt for anything.' He loves all.
'Na ramate' emphasises that the devotee is free from 'raga' or inordinate attachment to any object, and is therefore not elated when he gets anything. This does not mean that the devotee will always put on a castor-oil face and will have a gloomy appearance. On the contrary, he will be the happiest man in the world, ever radiating bliss to all. But the happiness is not derived from objects, but from the constant remembrance of the Lord, God-consciousness. 'Na ramate' - because he is Atma-Rama - one who delights in the Self, as the next sutra tells us.
'Notsaahi bhavati' - he does not seem eager to perform any action which is not directly connected with the keeping up of his love for God. Later we are going to be told that he positively turns away from worldlines and worldly activities. He regards that his only duty is to love God, to have constant remembrance of the Lord. He is introvert. He does not exert in order to get any object of this world.
He knows that the Lord will look after him. His faith is duly rewarded; and that is what we learn from the glorious life of Jada Bharata.
When this sage was captured by head-hunters for being offered as a sacrificial- animal to Kali, and when he was led to the altar and prepared to be beheaded, he remained calm and cool. He was inwardly conscious of his Self, the Immortal Absolue. But, the sage was not to be treated so light-heartedly. Ere the knife could fall on his neck, Kali Herself came out of Her image and killed all those who participated in this orgy. Jada Bharata's life was saved.
The devotee does not even defend himself. It is left to God. If it is His Will that he should suffer, he takes it as the working out of his past karma. If it is not, then he knows that He will mysteriously save him. It is said that Krishna did not go to the rescue of Draupadi so long as she depended on her strength, and rushed to help when she threw up both her hands and called upon Him to save her honour.
This seems to suggest that self-effort is anti-devotional. Does self-effort question the existence of God and His Grace? Is a bhakta then expected to be dumb and dead to the world? Yes! But he has already done everything and reached the pinnacle of self-effort by the one single act of self-surrender to Him. And, after that, the only self-effort that he constantly puts forth is constant remembrance of the Lord. That is his only job. It is His job to protect the Bhakta.
This is a very high stage. Till we reach that stage, we ought to adopt one of the several attitudes suggested by the Lord in Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 12, at the same time, cultivating contentment and desirelessness. 'Yadrich chaalaabha santuchthah' - he is satisfied with what he gets accidentally, is one of the ways in which our salvation from samsara lies.
(*) It is often asked: where does self-effort end and Grace begin to function? What is the line of demarcation? Well, let us take a card-board which has two sides. In the thickness, where is the line of demarcation between the sides? If we want only one side, can we then pare the board into two and achieve our object? Each 'half' will again have two sides. In other words, Grace and self-effort are identical. Without Grace, there can be no self-effort. And, the Grace itself will blossom as self-effort! Without self-effort, one does not obtain Grace - and the self-effort is a mark of the descent of Grace.
chapter I - sutra 6
yaj jnatva matto bhavati stabdho bhavaty atmaramo bhavati
By knowing this supreme love, man becomes intoxicated, peacefull, and completely immersed in the bliss of the atman.
We are now admitted into the innermost chambers of the Lord, where the devotee 'knows' Him. In philosophical parlance, knowing is used in the sense of realising the identity.
brahmavid brahmaiva bhavati
The knower of Brahman becomes Brahman.
What is the fruit of this knowledge or realisation? How does one who has realised God behave?
He is God-intoxicated. He is dazed. He is tranquil. The functions of his mind and intellect have come to a standstill, as it were. He is completely introvert. He enjoys the Self-Bliss.
That is because he has come face to face with the Supreme Reality or Truth Transcendental.
yato vaacho nivartante apraapya manosaa saha
From which speech turns back, along with the mind, unable to reach,That is the Reality. It cannot be comprehended by the mind and the intellect. Devotion has granted him a vision of God, through the eye of intuition. Intuition rises over the ashes of the mind and intellect.
Intellect died a natural death. The salt doll tried to measure the depth of the ocean!
This is the reason why Lord Buddha warned the idle speculators - "Don't measure the Immeasurable with words."
vijnaataaram arey kena vijaaneeyat - asks Yagnavalkya.
With what shall we know the Knower?
God is Himself the Light of lights.
jyotishaamapi tat jyotih tamasah param uchyate jnanam jneyam jnanagamyam hridi sarvasya tishtitam
He is beyond Darkness. He is Knowledge Itself. He is to be known by identity. He is the goal of that Knowledge or Self-realisation. He is seated in the heart of all.
He who has come face to face with God is spell-bound. How can he express that state of Supreme Bliss? By what analogy and in what words can that inexpressible state be described? When a deaf and dumb person is given a piece of sweetmeat, how shall he describe the taste to you? 'Mukasvaadanavat'. Even so is the predicament of the devotee of God-realisation.
The para-bhakta remains God-intoxicated and Self-delightful. He may not talk or discourse upon God. He may not engage himself in any activity. Yet, he is the greatest benefactor of humanity. His very presence on this earth is the greatest blessing upon mankind. He is like the Sun who illumines the whole world, without any distinction whatsoever, by his mere presence. The preacher-saint is like the beaconlight, a powerful electric lamp. The latter needs all kinds of gadgets and props to make it useful to humanity; even so, the preacher-saint needs faithful followers to listen to him, the means of the mission, etc.
The vedic seers, when they tried to communicate their experience, uttered "Haa" "U" "Haa" "U" and sang the hymns of the Sama Veda. In the Upanishads, too, we have Yagnavalkya's emphatic assertion that the Atman can only be negatively described - "Neti" "Neti". Few can reach the goal this way. Only the highly purified heart can negate all that is not Atma this way, and reach Atma-Jnana. For the vast majority, however, a positive definition is needed as a prop, to sustain their meditation. It is for their sake that provisional definitions of the Absolute as 'Satchidananda', 'Satyam, Sivam, Sundaram, etc., and the delightful murtis of the Lord have been given.
Several important points are implied in this sutra:
(1) We should not apply our worldly yardstick to measure the greatness of the saints. Some sages might behave like 'Bala, Unmattha and Pisacha - child, madman, or goblin'. Here is an instance in which the converse is not true! Sages may be 'mad'; but mad men are not sages!
(2) We should not imitate the behaviour of these sages. We are unaware of the sadhana that they have done in this birth and in past births.
(3) We should beware of the short-cuts to God-intoxication by resort to actual intoxicants like wine, ganja, bhang, etc. It is a pity that even great thinkers should advocate the use of these intoxicants to 'help meditation'. Though they may produce temporary exhilaration, they cannot transform our inner nature; and, so long of as our heart is impure, we cannot hope to attain God-realisation. We should diligently prepare the vessel by selfless service, pranayama, kirtan, japa, etc., as commanded by Sri Gurudev Sivananda.
chapter I - sutra 7
sa na kamayamana nirodha-rupatvat
Bhakti is not of the nature of desire, because it is of the form of renunciation.
This could well have followed the third sutra, for it seeks to define bhakti further. But the Indian Sage is a great psychologist. He is a pastmaster in the technique of advertisement. After giving a couple of positive definitions of bhakti, he goes off at a tangent to enumerate the glorious fruits of devotion. "Oh ye! People of the world. Come, come! By attaining bhakti, you will become immortal and go beyond grief," says Narada. When tempted by this bait, the seekers assemble around him, he quietly slips into their heart his stern admonitions: "You should
cultivate vairagya - dispassion; you should be desireless, etc." Gurudev Sivananda also adopts the same technique. He never frightens people away, but tempts them to take to the spiritual path by making it appear that they can have God- realisation overnight. Once the aspirant comes within his grip, the 'grinding' and 'cutting' start, to make a very good diamond.
'San na kaamayamsanaa' - as it is well said Saint Tulsidasa, "Where there is Kama, there is no Rama; where there is Rama, there is no Kama."
Avidya, kama, and karma - this is the universal three-fold categorisation of Godhead's involution in samsara. First, there is the veil of ignorance - avidya. Under the influence of this avidya, the jiva - individual soul - imagines that it is imperfect, finite, unhappy and mortal. It feels that it is separate from the other jivas and objects of the world. It seeks the Bliss and Peace which are its own nature, in the objects outside. Kama - desire for objects - arises. For the fulfilment of kama, the jiva engages itself in various activities - karma.
This, then, is the triple-walled prison in which the jiva is incarcerated. There are only three open door-ways to this; but all the three lead to hell. To the one imprisoned thus, these three doorways are so tempting that he can hardly resist the temptation to go away through them. But, alas, they lead to a worse condition of life. These three are kama, krodha and lobha - lust, anger and greed. The wise one, however, resists this temptation, and breaks through the triple wall on the fourth side. It demands a lot of self-control - nirodha - to do this.
Bhakti is of the nature of nirodha.
'Nirodha' is one of the basic terms of Raja Yoga of Patanjali Maharishi. He defines yoga itself as 'Chittha-Vritti-Nirodhah', 'restraint of the modifications of the mind'. He says,
abhyasa vairagyabhyam tannirodhah
The mind is controlled by practice and dispassion. The mind can do only two things - either think of various objects, through vikshepa sakti, or sleep, through avarana sakti. The vikshepa - conjuring up of objects - may be external - as during waking state - or internal - as during dream state. Hence, it is normally impossible for one to enter a fourth state of consciousness. This is the problem that faces the aspirant who begins to restrain the vrittis of the mind. Either the mind thinks, or it sleeps - it knows no other state. Hence, the great need to have an image and a mantra - form and name - when a novice attempts at meditation.
Why does the mind run after objects? We saw already that it is on account of desire - kama or raga. This is controlled or sublimated by vairagya - dispassion. Foolish, ineffectual vairagya will, through violent inhibition, lead eventually to adverse reactions. Therefore, Gurudev Sivananda exhorts us to cultivate viveka- purva pairagya - dispassion based on discrimination.
Avarana - veil of ignorance - is torn by abhyasa or constant practice. Both Lord Krishna and Patanjali Maharishi are aware of the near-impossibility of controlling the turbulent mind, and therefore insist on constant practice. Patanjali wants us to cultivate nirodha samskaras - habitual self-control. Self- control should become a habit with us. Kama samskaras or the subtle impressions and cravings have accumulated in the mind from birth to birth, since time immemorial. We should build a counter-force of nirodha samskaras of greater power, in order to conquer desire.
However hard we try, we cannot completely eradicate desire before attaining God-realisation. This is revealed by Krishna
vishayaa vinivartante niraahaarasya dehinah rasavarjam rasopyasya param dhrishtwaa nivartate
When we starve the senses, the mind seems to turn away from the objects. But it is only when we see - realise - the Supreme that even the taste for objective enjoyment vanishes.
This only reminds us of the extreme caution with which we ought to walk the path of self-control, to borrow one of Gurudev Sivananda's favourite expressions - 'till the end of life'.
chapter I - sutra 8
nirodhas tu loka-veda-vyapara-nyasah
On the contrary, control of desires means the resignation to the Lord of all worldly and scripural activities.
But, we have been thrown into this world of pain and death. The Lord Himself calls the world that He has created as 'duhkhalayam and asaswatam - impermanent house of pain. He is the maker of this house; so, we ought to take His description of it as correct. And, we have been 'blessed' with a mind into which the Creator has infused an outgoing tendency, so we are told by Lord Yama in the Kathopanishad.
anityam asukham lokam imam prapya bhaswa mam
Having come into this world of pain and impermanence, worship Me, says the Lord in the Gita. But, the mind has been so 'created' that it does not seek Him, but seeks happinesss in external objects.
Hence the supreme need of nirodha - self-control. Lord Yama eulogises him who endeavours to turn the gaze within, as a rare hero - kaschit dheerah. Each one of us ought to strive to be that hero. We should find the happiness and the peace that the mind seeks in external objects in our inner Self.
'Nyasa' can be interpreted in several ways. Renunciation, resignation, proper valuation, and final offering, are all implied in nyasa.
The supreme bhakta - para bhakta - completely renounces all activities calculated to bring any reward either in this world or in heaven. He is one with God. He is ever immersed in the Bliss of God. His body is looked after by God, either for the purpose of enabling him to do lokasamgraha karma - for the spiritual elevation of humanity, or for the purpose of letting his prarabdha karma - which gave him he body - work out. This is extreme self-control, perfect nirodha.
A step lower than that stands the highly evolved devotee who engages himself in the activities which are inevitable, in the circumstances in which he is placed, both secular and scriptural. But he resigns himself to the Will of the Lord. He surrenders himself to God and prays, "I am Thine, all is Thine, my Lord. Thy Will be done." He is working, but feels he is but an instrument in His Hands. Even in the case of this devotee, nirodha - self-control - is effortless.
One who has not reached this stage and in whom the currents of raga-dwesha do operate, is naturally engaged in the activities of the world. He must, in order to practise self-control - nirodha, discriminate and sift essentials from the non- essentials, and understand all the activities in their proper light, and give them their proper value. Activities calculated to promote spiritual growth are given the highest priority and importance, whereas the other activities - which are not neglected - are performed as inevitable to the carrying on of life. They have to exert a little, in order that they tread the path of self-control, and are not easily led astray.
There are yet others who are still in the sway of rajas and tamas - passion and ignorance - and who have just entered the path of devotion. What should they do? After the performance of their activities, they should offer them to the Lord - krishnarpanamastu. They should surrender the actions and their fruits to the Lord. This, too, will lead to self-control. By and by, they will develop the feeling that the actions which they have to offer to the Lord, should be pure and noble.
Narada does not make a distinction between the 'business-of this world' - loka- vyapara, and the 'business of the other world' - veda-vyapara. The use of the world, 'vyapara' - business - is also significant. It denotes 'selfish action performed with an eye on the return'. Loka-vyapara is 'action performed with a desire to acquire worldly objects'. Veda-vyapara is 'action performed with a desire to go to heaven and enjoy heavenly pleasures.' As the Lord says in the Gita, "Even the men of good deeds who go to heaven, enjoy the pleasures of the heaven and, when the merits are exhausted, return to the mortal plane once again." He wants us to transcend the Vedas - traigunya vishaya vedah, nisthraigunyo bhava arjuna. Saints and sages have exalted human birth as superior even to birth in heaven as a Deva; for the Deva, enjoying the pleasures of the heaven, does not develop dispassion or desire for liberation! He has to return to the earth-plane, and be come a human being, before he strives for Final Liberation.
chapter I - sutra 9
tasminn ananyata tad-virodhishudasinata ca
Renunciation also means single minded devotion to the Lord and indifference to all that is antagonistic to him.
Ananya-bhakti - one-pointed devotion - alone can help us get established in self- control. We should want God and God alone; then only will the mind be weaned away from the objects.
In the Bhagavad Gita, the Lord gives us some practical spiritual exercises for the cultivation of Ananya-bhakti. It is also in the dual-form, of ascent of the sadhaka and descent of Divinity.
The former is dealt with in Chapter ten of the Gita - the vibhuti yoga adhyaya. In order to enable us to live immersed in God-consciousness, the Lord describes all the good things that we see around us as His manifestations. He extends this to include the evil-doer also - God is the substratum of all existence. Then He says,
yad yad vibhutimat satvam srimadurjitameva va tat tadevavagachcha twam mama tejomsa sambhavam
The Satvic people, the wealthy people, and even the ones who are endowed with strength - of mind, body or the will, are to be looked upon as His manifestation.
Step by step, we are led to feel that He and He alone pervades all. Seeing Him in all is to feel His presence always and in all things. This is ananya-bhakti.
The descent of divinity is described in Chapter twelve of the Gita.
ye tu sarvani karmani mayi sanyasya matparaa ananyenaiva yogena mam dhyayanta upasate
These are the people who have established themselves in Him by ananya yoga, as is declared in this sloka - mayyavesita-chetasam. Them the Lord lifts up from the mrityu-samsara-sagaram - ocean of mortality - very quickly. Therefore, the Lord says,
mayyeva mana adhatswa mayi buddhim nivesaya nivasishyasi mayyeva atho urdhwam na samsayah
How difficult it is to control the mind! We do not really perform any actions of our own volition. We are driven to do the actions. We are not conscious of our own thoughts. We identify ourselves with every vritti or wave that arises he mind. Unless we can dissociate ourselves from the mind and the vrittis that arise in it, we cannot really control the mind. Mind is not a thing in our hands with which we can do what we like! But, is like a prison in which we are imprisoned. Therefore, if this is found to be difficult, the Lord is ready and eager to come down a little more.
atha chittham samadhatum na saknoshi mayi sthiram abhyasa-yogena tato mamicchaptum dhananjaya
If you cannot do this, then, by practice, try to create a desire for Me.
This is really the most moving sloka in the Gita. The Lord seems to plead for our Love. "Please, try to love Me", says the Lord.
Even this is not so easy. The hidden tendencies in our mind, cloud it, and goad us to indulge in sense-enjoyments again and again. They do not permit a good thought to enter the mind. They do not allow the sapling of devotion to grow in our heart. The Lord comes still further down.
abhyasepyasamarthosi matkarmaparamo bhava madarthamapi karmani kurvan siddhim avapsyasi
If you cannot do even this, then do all your actions for My sake; even thus will you attain Perfection.
If you are under the sway of rajas and tamas, and must, therefore, be constantly engaged in activity, then feel that you are doing all your actions for My sake; feel that you are doing My work.
Even this will lead to frequent God-thought, and will eventually remove the evil samskaras - mental habits - and fill the mind with satwa. But the samskaras may be so 'thick' that the compulsion to indulge in selfish actions may be intense enough to prevent the proper attitude to manifest itself. Then,
athaitadapyasaktosi kartum madyogamasritah sarvakarmaphalatyagam tatah kuru yatatmavan
If you cannot do even this, then, after doing the actions, surrender them and their fruits to Me.
When the desire has been spent in the enjoyment, then follows the period of satisfaction. During this period, when the mind is calm and free from the distractions of desire - i.e., before the next desire arises! - think of God and offer the actions and the fruits to Him. This is possible for all. God has descended to the level of the common man. From there, He endeavours to lift us up. If we grasp His Helping Hand, He will soon lift us away from the quagmire of Samsara, and place us on His Lap. Gradually, with the growth of devotion, self-control too will grow.
'Tad-virodhishu-utdaseenata' - 'tad-virodhi' may be taken to mean the 'enemies of devotion or the enemies of God.' These enemies may be internal or external. Internal enemies are the evil propensities of the impure mind. External enemies are wicked persons and those whose influence will lead us from away the path of devotion.
The Lord does not want us to attack the evil directly. The inner enemies of devotion, viz., lust, anger, greed, egoism, selfishness, etc., are hard to conquer through a frontal attack The Vali-episode in the Ramayana gives us a lesson. There are certain evil forces which have a strange power. When they are attacked, they get half of the opponent's strength - that was the boon that Vali enjoyed. Even so is the case with our inner foes. Thinking them makes them wax stronger. Fighting with them forces them into hiding, to gain more strength and attack us during a weak moment. Patanjali Maharishi gives us a method to overcome them: cultivation of the opposite 'virtue'. Gurudev Sivananda adds another: to be constantly engaged in selfless service for the good of humanity, so that the evil has no chance to manifest itself. It dies a natural death, by neglect.
Even in the case of external foes, we should avoid them, and resort to the company of the good. We should not enter into arguments with atheists and materialists. By prayer and by our own example alone can we hope to convert them.
Thus is self-control attained. On the positive side: constant remembrance of God. On the negative side: indifference to the enemies of devotion.
chapter I - sutra 10
anyasrayanam tyago 'nanyata
Giving up of all other supports is exclusive devotion.
Our mind constantly hangs on to something or other. It jumps from one object of enjoyment to another. It constantly feels that if only the next object is had, it will have perfect happiness. This, incidentally, shows that the nature of the Self - our essential nature - is perfection and bliss. Hence, till this perfect bliss is attained, the mind cannot find rest.
No object can possibly give us permanent satisfaction, eternal bliss. It is simply not in the object. Even the happiness that we get from the enjoyment of the objects of the senses, is not really derived from them, but from our own self. Just as there is the period of sleep - the happiest period of the day! - between two periods of activity, for the attainment of that happiness through the media of the objects, even so, after we have got the object we longed for, and after the enjoyment is over, before the next desire arises in the mind for another object, there is an interval. The mind is tired - that is when we feel it is perfectly satisfied! - and withdraws into itself. We are peaceful and happy. Once again we become restless when the desire for the next object arises. This itself shows that peace and happiness are in the Self, and not the objects.
The true devotee of the Lord convinces his mind of this truth; and, naturally, his mind does not long for the objects of enjoyment.
The term 'renunciation of supports' should not lead us to think that we should renounce all the helpers we have in our march along the path of love. "Is not the Guru one such support? Does not Narada want us to renounce him, too?" - one may ask. No. We cannot do without the Guru in the spiritual path. We cannot do even without the material objects, like food, clothes, shelter, etc. These are like the crutches with which the lame man walks. We cannot renounce them all of a sudden. We must develop inner strength, dispassion, to a high degree, before we can be content wiht chance alms, the shade of a tree, or near-nudity. If these are like crutches, then the Guru's guidance is Light on the Path. Even if we can give up crutches, we cannot walk the path without the Light. We have to traverse strange lands, in complete darkness. Guru's Light alone can guide us. Even if we have attained a high degree of perfection in bhakti, it is not safe to renounce the Guru. There is fear of downfall till the last moment. Even when one is established in God, it is necessary that one should remain there till the body falls - otherwise there may be a downfall. Moreover, one can never be aware of God-realisation, according to Kena Upanishad. One who has really realised God, does not know that he has. One who thinks or feels he has realised God, has not. Hence, at no stage can we renounce the Guru. To the devotee, Guru and God are one - and, therefore, the Ashraya of Guru is not 'Anyasraya', 'Support other than God'.
chapter I - sutra 11
loka-vedeshu tad-anukulacaranam tad-virodhishudasinata
By 'indifference to the enemies of devotion' was meant performance of worldly and vedic duties congenial to devotion.
The meaning of 'indifference' is made clearer. We should concentrate on what is good and congenial to the practice of Bhakti Yoga, of the love of God. We should resort to good company, satsanga; and we should avoid had company. This is congenial to the growth of devotion in our heart.
In regard to company, there is this difference among the various yogas.'The raja yogi - dhyana yogi - prefers solitude. The lesser the company around him, the greater is the concentration he achieves. On the contrary, the karma yogi seeks the crowds! His place is among the sick and the suffering, among the wicked, the poor and the down-trodden. For only among them can he develop true selflessness - egolessness, adaptability, humility and the other virtues which form the bedrock of karma yoga. Though, in one's own home, one can practise karma yoga by dedicating all domestic duties and official activities to Him, it is in serving the sick, the destitute, the down-trodden and the poor that the nishkama karma yogi finds his joy and his fulfilment. The jnani yogi and the bhakta select their company - they resort to satsanga.
Similarly in regard to worldly activities and duties imposed upon him by the Shastras, the bhakta chooses those which are congenial to God-Love. Sandhya- vandana and the performance of homa - e.g., the Arya Samajists' daily ritual - and such other practices which augment his faith in God, he does not give up.
yajno danam-tapah karma na tyajyam karyameva tat
Yajna, charity and austerity, should not be given up, but should be done,declares the Lord. But He gives a new definition of yajna. He exalts jnana-yajna above all others - the gift of knowledge is the best. Therefore, whenever and wherever possible, we should share this knowledge with others. In regard to tapas - austerity - Lord Krishna has a new vision. He discourages the foolish aussterities which torture the body and the Indweller. He prescribes the three- fold tapas; and this is conducive to the practice of God-Love.
devadwijaguruprajna pujanam saucham arjavam brahmacharyamahimsam cha sarecram tapa uchyate.
We should worship God, Brahmins - whether they are Brahmins by birth or by karma, e.g., those who have studied the scriptures, and who do japa, dhyana, kirtan, etc.), Guru, and the Wise Ones. A word about the last. We should welcome knowledge from whatever source we can obtain it. The human ego often discounts the knowledge impacted by the men of wisdom, by looking into the personal defects of these men. Our own vanity superimposes defects on them, and refuses to admire their wisdom or knowledge. We are the losers. Even if the hand that holds the lamp belongs to a lowly being, nothing but our own vanity prevents us from profiting by that light, when we walk along the forest-path in darkness. Let us make the best use of that light. The man who holds it may go to a gambling den, and there we part company and proceed our good way. 'Saucham' - external purity is also necessary. We can easily realise its importance by practising meditation one day, immediately after getting up, without having a wash; and on the next day meditating after a wash. Internal - physical and mental and moral - and external - physical and environmental, purity is necessary. Straightforwardness, continence, and ahimsa are all physical austerities.
anudvegakaram vaakyam satyam priya hitam cha yat swadhyay abhyasanam chaiva vangmayam tapa uchyate.
Our speech should not only be not ill-tempered, but should not irritate or annoy others. If, by our words, we irritate someone else, we share the sin. Provocation is a great sin. Our speech should not only be truthful, but pleasant and good - these three together only constitute truth. If one is absent, then it is better we observe silence. Swadhyaya is both study of scriptures and japa also.
manaprasada saumyatwam mounamatmavinigrahah bhavasamsuddhirityetat tapo manasa uchyate.
Serenity of mind, goodness, silence, self-control, and purity of motive, constitute mental austerity. If the mind is controlled, then the speech and the actions are controlled. If the mental attitude is good, then the words and the deeds are bound to be good. Hence Gurudev Sivananda's insistence on 'Be good, do good'. The two go together. We cannot really do good unless we are good. Mere external hypocritical show will help none - such superficial and artificial goodness will not last. Goodness should become our very nature. Then self-control will be effortless.
There are several other forms of austerity sanctioned by the scriptures: tapas, swadhyaya and iswarapranidhana constitute kriya yoga according to Patanjali Maharishi. Yajna, dana and tapah are the three essentials which the spiritual aspirant should not renounce, according to Sri Krishna.
Tapas purifies. Fasting has been regarded as a form of tapas. Its purificatory value, is admitted by even naturopaths and other health authorities. They feel that fasting enables the life-force in man to concentrate itself on the job of setting the house in order, instead of devoting itself to the digestion of the food he throws in. Healing processes are quickened when one fasts. Spiritual aspirants have resorted to fasting as a measure of self-control. A problem which has baffled one melts away after a couple of days of fast. Fasting exerts a beneficent influence over the nervous system and the psychic counterpart, the nadis. Some subtle obstructions which block these nerves or nadis are removed during the course of the fasting; and there is a more even flow of pranic currents through them. The brain is clear and unclouded. There is more energy for constructive purposes, not spent on digestion of food.
Fasting is considered 'upavasa'. Upavasa means 'living near'. Fasting enables us to live near God. The mind is more satwic. Fasting, particularly on days considered auspicious to the Ishta Deva of the aspirant, is highly efficacious. Apart from other spiritual benefits, fasting on that particular day is bound to help him in constantly remembering the Lord.
Similarly, vigil is a good practice for the development of self-control. Sleep is one of the involuntary functions of the body and mind; and to acquire some amount of control over it, means acquiring control over body and mind. The aspirant spends the period of the vigil in singing kirtan, etc. The benefits are manifold.
chapter I - sutra 12
bhavatu niscaya-dardhyad urdhvam sastra-rakshanam
Let the devotee protect the scriptures even after getting well established in realisation.
'Rakshanam' in this sutra is to be noted. How can we protect the shastras - scriptures? By perpetuating them, by adhering to them. If we protect dharma, dharma will protect us. If we are good, the whole world will be good to us. Hence Sri Gurudev Sivanandas's constant admonition: 'Be good, do good'. These two protect the scriptures, and, of the two, 'be good' is more important than 'do good'. We should first be good, and then we shall do good automatically. Otherwise, feigned goodness will evaporate soon, leaving only hypocrisy and wickedness - the unregenerate nature - in its wake. Goodness must become our very nature. Gurudev Sivananda used narrate a short story to illustrate this.
A sadhu was taking bath in the Ganga. A scorpion had accidentally got into the water and was drowning. He lifted it out of the water with his right hand; the scorpion stung him. He involuntarily dropped it. But, he again quickly lifted it with his left hand which, too, was stung by the scorpion, which once again fell into the water. With a determined effort, the sadhu used both his hands now, and lifting off the scorpion with a handful of water, threw it ashore. When he was laughed at by the onlookers, he remarked, "There nothing to laugh at in this. I expressed my nature, and the scorpion expressed its nature." That is the ideal.
It is natural to expect this in the case of one who is established in realisation. For, goodness is the indispensable prerequisite in a spiritual aspirant. Without adherence to the disciplines laid down by the shastras, without divine life, without righteousness, we cannot hope to realise God. If we have truly led the divine life, and walked the path of righteousness all through our period of sadhana, then naturally we shall shine as an abode of all divine virtues. It goes without saying that, on attaining perfection, we shall still adhere to shastras, or rather we shall be the exemplars of dharma. We shall be living scriptures, living and moving temples of Divine Life as Gurudev Sivananda wants us to be.We are unnecessarily prejudiced against the shastras. Many still regard shastras as the tools of priestcraft, to help them exploit others. This is not correct. Shastras are the re-interpretations of the sanatana dharma - eternal good - to suit our needs. They are there for our good only. We ignore their injunctions only to our own loss. Because our forefathers followed them, without question, we do not find any rational or scientific arguments in support of these injunctions; but, are not the health and longevity, mental peace and intellectual brilliance, that our forefathers enjoyed, proof enough to convince us that those who adhered to the injunctions of the shastras were wiser than those who demand explanations?
What is sadhana for the spiritual aspirant is natural for the Siddha. Moreover, the Siddha or the perfected soul has a great responsibility, a sacred duty, viz., to set an example for others to emulate. He the leader, he is the Sreshta - meaning: the masses follow the leader's example and his guidance.
yad yad acharati sreshthastattadeva itaro janah sa yat pramanam kurute lokastadanuvartate
is the declaration of the Gita-Acharya Krishna. Even if the spiritual leader is above temptation, beyond good and evil, at least for the sake of his followers, he should 'protect dharma'. Otherwise, they will imitate him and fall into the abyss of temptations.
We have Lord Krishna's own example. How wonderfully He discharged His duties as Arjuna's charioteer. He obeyed His 'master' and took the chariot here and there. He bathed the horses after the day's battle was over, and fed them with His own hands. Thus He set an example to us in nishkamya karma yoga.
The next sutra administers a grave warning.
chapter I - sutra 13
anyatha patitya-sankaya
Otherwise there is the risk of a fall.
This refers to even the 'perfected soul! Let us recall to our minds the story of Jaya-Vijaya. They had attained to (*) Sarupya Mukti and yet had a downfall - they fell a victim to pride.
Let us also recall the story of Jada Bharata. After being established in the highest wisdom, he had to take two more births - one as a deer and the other as the Brahmin's son - because of a little attachment to a deer - attachment born of compassion! Compassion was good and divine; but even the trace of moha or attachment proved 'fatal'.
The spiritual aspirant can imagine his position, when even such great perfected souls topple over. There is need for eternal vigilance. I am reminded of Sri Gurudev Sivananda's oft-repeated phrase 'Till the end', which echoes Lord Krishna's stern declaration
sthithvasyam antakalepi brahma nirvanamrichchati
When Sri Gurudev was crossing over to Ceylon from India, during the All-India Tour in 1950, we had an occasion to watch the captain of the ship at his post. He explained to us, "I am guided by this compass. If here I miss the course by a hair's breadth, instead of taking you to Ceylon, I may take you to Malaya! With the proper use of this compass, I am able to take you to the Talaimannar pier, even though from here the whole coast looks like a thin black line, and the pier is not at all visible". Shastras are our compass. They guide us. If we deviate from the path, we may land ourselves far far away from the goal we have set before ourselves.
We all know that a small hole or crack in a dam will break the whole dam and cause untold havoc. The hole could not have broken the dam. But it was the pressure of stored-up water that did it. Similarly, in the spiritual life of an aspirant, a small laxity occurs; the strict discipline is relaxed a bit. That in itself was not much; but the stored up papa-vasana - subtle impressions of past wicked deeds or viciousness - bursts, with the help of the hole, and the entire structure is reduced to nothing. Hence the need for eternal vigilance.
Shastras are endless. One is often bewildered which to choose, especially in these days, when the printing press has brought all scriptures into everyone's hands. Hence we should follow the wise adage:
srutir vibhinnah smritayopi bhinnah tatha muneenam matayopi bhinnah dharmasya tatwam nihitam guhayam mahajano yena gatah sa panthah (**)
We should walk the path trodden by sages and saints - more intimately, by our Guru. We should be guided by the Guru. That is the only safe path. Guru and shastra are the two eyes that enable us to see the path ahead clearly, and reach the goal.
(*) after securing a place in the kingdom of God, the seeker constantly meditates upon Him, and thereby gains His appearence.
(**) scriptures differ amongst themselves; the minds of sages seem to differ - the true meaning of righteousness is hidden; that is the path which is trodden by the Great Ones.
chapter I - sutra 14
loke 'pi tavad eva bhojanadi-vyaparas tv a-sarira-dharanavadhi
Social customs and practices also may be followed in like matter, to the same extent only as is conducive to spiritual progress. But eating, drinking, dress, should be continued as long as one has the body.
The Bhakta not an anti-social being. He has to live in the world and this means adapting himself to the conditions around him. This sutra amplifies the meaning of the previous one where we were asked to do 'nyasa' of the sacred and secular business that life involves.
There are endless customs and traditions. They are not always good and acceptable to the bhakta. Traditions are born of the action and re-action of the forces of good and evil. Every now and then reactionary forces disturb the eternal fountain of righteousness - danatana dharma. Sometimes unrighteousness seems to overwhelm righteousness. That, too, is the Play of the Lord. For, remember, the Lord describes Himself
kalosmi lokakshyayakrit
Here there is no distinction between the good and the evil. 'Loka-kshaya' - ultimately everything has to be destroyed. If unrighteousness alone is destroyed, and completely rooted out, then where is the need for the re-incarnation of God, for His sending us a ceaseless line of saints and sages? Therefore, periodically, the forces of evil raise their head and seem even to overpower the forces of dharma. At such a period, the tradition will be one of unrighteousness! That will not be acceptable to the bhakta. An instance in point is the period Hiranyakasipu ruled and enslaved even the Devas. 'Hiranyaya namah' was the mantra everyone was initiated into. But Prahlada did not follow that tradition, nor was he bothered about the fact that the wicked person was his own father - he boldly worshipped Lord Narayana.
One has to discriminate and choose only those social customs and practices as are conducive to his spiritual progress. The scriptures and his own Guru will guide him to choose the right ones.
Narada hints at a wholesome truth. The bhakta, regarding this body as an evanescent composite of five elements, will not disregard it. That would be committing suicide, a sin. On the contrary, he will protect it, by giving it food, clothing, and shelter, though he will not pamper it, adore it, adorn it or worship it, as the worldly men do. It is the vehicle to travel to the goal. But even here he will not resort to unrighteous means. He will live; but he will live righteously.