(Continued from December, 2007 issue)

Isvarasyapyabhimanadvesitvat dainyapriyatvat ca. (27)

All these things are called as the path of Yoga.

Narada never considers all these things as the real Bhakti. All these things can lead to Bhakti. Bhakti is the fruit by itself. Bhakti according to Narada is the supreme love towards Divine or the pure Conscious Being. All other paths lead to this goal. Bhakti is greater than all other things because of two reasons -

1. Bhakti is the goal.
2. Thus, Bhakti can be never done with abhimana (egoistic mind). Bhakti grows there where egoistic mind diminishes. Isvara is pleased only with this pure heart that never has abhimana.

A true Bhakta inspite of making various analysis of the Divine, comes to the wonderful conclusion that the Divine cannot be analysed through the logical intelligence because logic is finite and the Divine is infinite. No speculation works in Divine.

A sincere seeker or a true Bhakta never attempts to analyse the Divine; but surrenders; very literally surrenders; surrendering each and every thought and feeling, allowing the grace of Divine to work in him. He opens his heart totally to the Divine proclaiming "I am not, my Lord! but you are".

His ego, his thoughts, feelings and instincts everything is surrendered unto the Divine by which the Divine feels to work in him easier and uplifts him to the spiritual heights. Bhakti is to surrender. But to surrender is not an easy one. Only to attain all these paths of Karma, Jnana and yoga are prescribed.

Sarvadharmanparityajya mamekam saranam vraja. (Gita:18.66)

Give up all paths and take refuge in Me says the Lord in Gita. But it is not that much easy. Only to get these practices done, religions are there and paths are made.
All practices are only to give up the practices. All sadhanas are only to cross the sadhanas. All religions are only to transcend the religions. All paths are only to lead to the goal. All these are waste without Bhakti as fruit.

Divine cannot be accomplished by learning, intelligence, logical analysis and rituals. It is the true aspiration and aspiration alone, that can uplift us to the Divine.
Thus, spake Upanisat

Nayamatma pravacanena labhyo na medhaya na bahuna srutena, Yamevaisa vrnute tena labhyastasyaisa atma vivrnute tanum svam.

"Self cannot be attained by spiritual discourses, intelligence and scholership. Self is attainable by that which a true aspirant chooses; this self also chooses the aspirant who is already its body."

Tasyah jnanameva sadhanamityeke. (28)
"Some persons say that jnanam is the sadhana to attain Bhakti."

Anyonyasrayatvamityanye (29)
"Both have mutual dependence' say few others.

Svayam phalarüpateti brahmakumarah (30).
"Bhakti itself is in the form of fruit' says Narada.
The contextual meaning of jnanam is to know the Self as pure through the proper learning of scriptures. Bhakti is the supreme love towards the pure Self. Some of the saints say through the knowledge of the pure Self (jnanam) one can attain the Supreme love towards the pure Self (Bhakti).

Some others say that both are interdependent. i.e. through the Self- knowledge, self-love is increased and through the self love Self- knowledge is developed.
But Narada is firm in his principle. He says that Self-love is the fruit of Self-knowledge. To know Self as pure through learning scriptures is scholarship. One can be well-informed of self. 'Self is pure' - this is an information given by scriptures; but not wisdom. Bhakti or the supreme love towards the supreme. Self is deeper and it takes us to wisdom.

Rajagrhabhojanadisu tathaiva drstatvat (31)
"It is seen thus, in taking food in the palace".

Na tena rajaparitosah ksudhasantirva (32)
"By that neither king is happy nor he is fruitified."
Some say that Self-knowledge is the only sadhanam of Bhakti (Self- love). Some others say that the knowledge is not needed as a sadhanam.

The fact is that some people got the self-love through the Self- knowledge; some others without self-knowledge.
Go to a master and learn the scriptures of vedanta from him. The master will give a nice information - tattvamasi. Thou art that Brahman, pure and boundless'. Have the faith in the words of master, ponder upon it. Constantly meditate upon 'I am that Brahman. I am pure and boundless'. No other thought should occur. Have a single thought that `I am boundless'. By this constant meditation one can recognize the liberation in him". This is what the traditional non-dualists say.

(to be continued in the next issue)

R Rangan