April 29, 2017 archive

Angada considered Suvarchala Devi as his mother. This can be interpreted in two ways. The first is to treat Suvarchala Devi as his own mother. The second is to see Suvarchala Devi in his own mother. Both are correct.

We can consider Lakshmi-Narayana as our parents. We can also see Lakshmi-Narayana in our parents. Both are correct. To say that God exists within us is one approach. Stating that all of us exist within God is another approach. Both are same and both attitudes are essential. We should develop such faith.

Treating all devotees of Lord as our relatives is one approach. However it is not possible to consider all our relatives as devotees of the Lord. Among our relatives, not everyone will have faith in the Lord. We have no right to demand from the Lord that all our relatives should transform into devotees of God and Guru. It is a sin to demand in this manner. It is their fate; their karma. That’s all. It is said that our balance of merit will reduce if we demand. ‘Why don’t these relatives of mine follow a Guru?’ By commenting about them your balance of merit has reduced. At the same time do not consider yourself as superior.  We should only pray to the Lord to compassionately bless all of relatives with good faith in God. We should pray that they too should develop devotion towards the Lord’s feet.  We should not criticize them nor call them as unfortunate. “O Lord, please bless that they develop devotion”- is the only prayer you can offer.

Angada was the crown price of the land. Through his prayer, he also brings out his love for his nation. He declares that all the three planes of existence exist within his nation (kingdom)- svadesho bhuvana trayam. There is yet another lesson to every being within this statement made by Angada. Each one should love and respect his/her own nation (desa bhakti). We should strive to respect our nation. Every one should have the feeling that all the three planes of existence are within his nation.

Moving on to the next shloka in Vanara Gita, Vanara ‘Neela’ offers the following prayer to Hanuman-

Bhakta kalpatarum soumyam lokottara guṇākaram

Suvarcalāpatim vande mārutim varadam sadā. 

Meaning- I offer my obeisance to the son of the wind, Lord Hanuman, who is like a wish-fulfilling tree to his devotees; who is gentle and pleasant (soumya), who is a repository of the most extraordinary and exceptional traits (guna) and who is the husband of Suvarchala Devi.

Om Namo Hanumate Namaha.

Akin to Dhruva, everyone should treat the Supreme Lord as his father, mother, Guru and God. Through this approach, the Lord’s grace quickly falls upon the person due to the feelings of oneness that he develops with the Lord.

There is a very famous verse, wherein the poet has beautifully declared-

Mātā mē Pārvati devi, pita devō Maheśwara

                Bāndhavāḥ śiva bhaktās ca svadēsho bhuvanatrayam.

Meaning- Parvati is my mother; Lord Shiva himself is my father; all the devotees of Shiva are my kith and kin; my nation is to me the three planes of existence.

Angada expresses the similar way of thinking towards Hanuman and Suvarchala Devi. He says that Suvarchala is my mother; Hanuman is my father; all devotees of Hanuman are my my kith and kin and to me my nation is the three planes of existence.

We had discussed yesterday that even Dhruva expressed the same sentiments towards the Lord. He who treats the Lord as his kith and kin, he who enjoys such closeness with divinity, reaps the fruits quickly.

One should have the deep faith that the water with which Guru’s feet have been bathed is itself the sacred Ganga. There are some devotees who regret that they had never seen the River Ganga or bathed in it. Why should such thoughts be entertained? ‘Oh, I am so busy with Guru Seva that I could not bathe in Ganga’- they think. This is akin to sitting in Vaikunṭha (abode of Lord Vishnu) and complaining,  ‘Oh, I am so bored I wish I could go to earth.’

Sitting comfortable on the sofa surrounded by all comforts people fail to meditate upon the Lord. They are eternally engrossed in finding faults with others and criticizing them. Everybody wants to be busy, but sadly they want to be busy by engaging in wasteful, sinful deeds. No one wants to be busy for good deeds. They don’t seek to utilize the comfortable life provided by God for singing diving names, cultivating good habits and for cleansing oneself of his bad habits.

Likewise they don’t have the satisfaction that they could get Sadguru Seva, which in itself is everything. ‘O I am fortunate to live in Vaikunṭha’- they don’t think in this manner.

Angada considered Suvarchala Devi as his mother. This can be interpreted in two ways. The first is to treat Suvarchala Devi as his own mother. The second is to see Suvarchala Devi in his own mother. Both are correct.

Om Namo Hanumate Namah