August 16, 2017 archive

Trivikramaya namah

Maharishi Kapila continued,

“Due to spiritual ignorance (avidya) at one point the spiritual aspirant used to believe that he was experiencing joys and sorrows. He now realizes that even this belief was due to his false ego (ahamkara, sense of I-ness) and that even such feelings of I-ness are, in reality, illusory. This will be the last birth for that Jnani (supremely knowledgeable person) who has attained Self-realization and who has fulfilled the purpose of life!

An intoxicated person is unaware whether any clothing covers his waist or not. Likewise a Jnani, who is totally established in the Self, is not aware of the gross body, irrespective of whether it is moving, sitting or standing.

He retains this gross body made up of the 10 senses and the movement of the five Pranās, as long as the prarabdha karma (the portion of karma responsible for the present body) remains to be completed. The Yogi, who has realized his true Self and who is established in this knowledge, does not have re-birth even if he appears to be connected to this material world and to the relatives herein.

The truth is that even this gross body is as illusory as a dream! It is non-existing. It is unreal. A human being always has feelings of me and mine towards his wealth and family although in reality, he shines differently from them all. Likewise the Self, who is the inner resident within the body, considers himself to be the body and senses, although in reality he is different from the body and senses!

Smoke, flames and sparks emerge from fire. As such they are considered to be aspects of fire. However in reality fire is different from the smoke, flames and sparks. Likewise the Self’s illumination, due to which the mind, body and senses get illuminated, is different from them all! The Lord who is known as Brahma is different from Prakriti (Nature).

Sarva-bhūteṣu cātmānaṁ sarva-bhūtāni cātmani

Īkṣeta ananya-bhāvena bhūteṣv iva tad-ātmatām

When the material objects, which emerge from the five basic elements, are scrutinized it is evident that they are nothing but the five elements themselves! Likewise the Jnani realizes that all objects exist within him only and that in the form of the Self (atma) it is he who pervades through all objects!

There is only one Fire! But yet, due to the differences in the different types of wood, fire appears differently. In reality, Self and Brahma are one and the same. It manifests through the different bodily activities. Due to the differences within the proportions of the trigunas (attributes of Nature) within different bodies, the Self (atma) appears to be different each of them.

Nature (Prakriti) is nothing but the illusory power (maya shakti) of the Lord! It transforms as both the cause and the effect (karya-karana) and deludes living beings. Therefore the devotee should discard it and establish himself in the Self!

With this the twenty eighth chapter of the third canto comes to an end.

Third Canto Chapter Twenty nine

In this chapter, the secrets of bhakti and the supremacy of time are explained.

Devahuti enquired, “O Lord! Until now you explained about Nature and Self and about Mahat and other principles, based on Sānkhya philosophy (Shastra). Based on these characteristics their inner essence can be understood. Our elders state that this knowledge is the tool for proceeding on the path of bhakti. Therefore now please preach to me in great detail the path of bhakti.

O Lord! Please explain to me that knowledge by which the person becomes totally disinclined towards everything. Please explain to me the different levels that are attained by living beings in this samsara.

Kālasya iśvara-rūpasya pareṣāṁ ca parasya te

Svarūpaṁ bata kurvanti yad-dhetoḥ kuśalaṁ janāḥ

Time, which regulates even Lords such as Brahma and others, is not different from You. It is with the help of time that living beings perform meritorious deeds. Please explain to me the form of time.

Human beings mistakenly consider the body, which in reality is illusory, as the eternal Self. Lacking Spiritual Knowledge, for a long time they sleep in this darkness known as worldly bondages (samsara). They are eternally engaged in actions due to which they get fatigued. At such hour You, the Sun called knowledge, have incarnated to rescue them.”

Kapila Muni was deeply pleased to hear these melodious words spoken by his mother. His heart was filled with compassion. Acknowledging her He said, “O Mother! In bhakti yoga there are many paths. Mahatmas acknowledge all the varied paths. In addition, the opinions of human beings vary based on their nature and the traits.

Abhisandhāya yo hiṁsāṁ dambhaṁ mātsaryam eva vā

Saṁrambhī bhinna-dṛg bhāvaṁ mayi kuryāt sa tāpasaḥ

Trivikramaya namah

Maharishi Kapila continued, “Goddess Lakshmi, who has lotus-like eyes, is the mother of creator Brahma. She is revered by all the Devatas. Such Goddess Lakshmi keeps the Lord’s shanks on her thighs and gently massages them with her lustrous hands.

Next the yoga practitioner should meditate upon the knees of the birthless Lord Srihari who dispels the fear of re-births.

The Lord’s knees are the refuge for all energy and strength! They are luminous like the linseed flower. These knees rest on the shoulders of Garuda and glow divinely. His golden-yellow Pitambara clothing stretches up to His ankles. His waistband, made up of exquisite pearls, encircles the entire universe.

From the deep navel of Srihari, who is the support for all the worlds, arose a beautiful deep lotus which contains in it all the worlds. From this lotus arose Lord Brahma. Such navel should be meditated upon.

His breasts resemble a pair of shining lovely emeralds. They glow with a white radiance due to the luster of the pearl chains which adorn His chest. They should be meditated upon.

Srihari is that Supreme Lord who is worshipped by all the worlds. His chest is the residence for Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of fortune. It fills the mind and eyes of the practitioner who meditates upon it with total joy. The luster of His neck adds beauty to the exquisitely glittering Kausthuba gem situated on His chest! The practitioner should visualize this neck and meditate upon it.

The rotating Mandara Mountain polished the armlets and other ornaments that adorn His shoulders, causing them to shine even more resplendently. His arms and the guardian deities of the worlds who take refuge in these arms are engaged in completing their duties. It is impossible to withstand the brilliance of Sudarshana chakra (discus) that emits innumerable sparkling rays. In His lotus-like hands the conch glitters like a royal swan. The yoga practitioner should meditate upon each of them.

His mace is known as Koumodaki. This mace, which is smeared with the blood of powerful demons that were crushed by it, is very dear to Lord Srihari. A long Vanamāla garland adorns His neck. A swarm of bees hover around it buzzing melodiously. The glittering pure Kausthuba gem that adorns His neck represents the pure jeeva-tattva. The yoga practitioner should meditate upon each of them.

Purely to bless His devotees Srihari took up a form. With its long and raised nose, His lotus face glows brilliantly.  The beauty of His pure shining cheeks is further enhanced with the reflection of the crocodile-shaped earrings that dazzle on His ears. Such face should be meditated upon.

The Lord’s lotus face is the repository of all beauty! It is adorned by curly hair.  It glows with attractive eyes and strikingly beautiful eyebrows. His beautiful eyes deride even that lovely lotus which is surrounded by bees and which is a shelter for two fish. The Yoga practitioner should diligently store the imprint of this beautiful face in his mind and meditate upon it.

The Lord’s eyes are filled with compassion which flows uninterruptedly towards his devotees. To the devotee, it gives relief from the 3 types of afflictions that torment him. This gaze is filled with love and is accompanied by a charming smile. Such gaze bestows innumerable blessings upon the devotee. In the cave known as the intellect, the yoga practitioner should meditate upon this gaze of the Supreme Lord!

Hāsaṁ harer avanatākhila-loka-tīvra- śokāśru-sāgara-viśoṣaṇam atyudāram

Sammohanāya racitaṁ nija-māyayāsya bhrū-maṇḍalaṁ muni-kṛte makara-dhvajasya

His charming smile dries up the ocean of tears formed due to extreme grief in the devotee. Hence this smile should be meditated upon! The Yoga practitioner should then meditate upon the eyebrows of the Lord, which He created using His illusionary power, so as to protect the saints from the arrows of Manmatha (the Lord of desire).

When Srihari laughs loudly the glow on His lower lip emanates brightly. Due to its reflection, His two rows of teeth that are like jasmine buds gleam in red colour. The yoga practitioner should focus upon Lord Srihari in his heart-space and should meditate upon His charming smile.

The spiritual aspirant should surrender his mind that is overflowing with love to Lord Srihari. He should never desire to see anything other than Srihari! When this is done, the heart of the practitioner which is overflowing with love towards Srihari will thrive in devotion! This bliss will cause his body to horripilate. Again and again tears of joy will flow from his eyes, drenching his body.

Just as a fishing hook catches the fish, until now the mind of the practitioner caught the Lord and drew Him closer. Now the Yogi detaches this mind from the object of meditation. When this is continued relentlessly for some period of time, the mind will be absolved totally of feelings of I-ness.

The mind of the Yogi which is now totally established in dispassion, will, like the flame of the lamp merge completely into the Self. He will be totally absolved of all bondages that were caused due to oneness with the body.

He experientially realizes that the limitless Self, which is devoid of differences such as seer and seen, is the root behind everything. Spiritual ignorance (avidya) will be totally washed away in the Self-realized jnani. He will be established in his original form which is over and beyond dualities such as joys-sorrows. His mind merges into his original Self.

Third Canto Chapter Twenty eight

In this chapter Kapila Maharishi teaches Ashtānga yoga (eight fold path of Yoga) to mother Devahuti.

Kapila Maharishi said, “O daughter of Manu! O Mother! I am now going to teach you the path of Yoga. The mind experiences happiness due to accomplishment in this Yoga. It will be focused purely upon God.

Sva-dharmācaraṇaṁ śaktyā vidharmāc ca nivartanam

Daivāl labdhena santoṣa ātmavic-caraṇārcanam

O Mother! By listening to this attentively, people can obtain liberation while living (jeevanmukti). They will understand the essence of spirituality. Hence be attentive.

To the best of one’s ability righteousness (dharma) should be followed. It is imperative to distance from unrighteous activities, while abiding by righteousness. Continuing those meritorious activities which grant good human birth, he should be content with whatever he earns.

This is very difficult to practice, but yet one should strive for it. It implies that whatever the person earns through his hard efforts, he should be happy and content with it.

He should revere and worship the feet of Self-realized beings. Simultaneously he should distance from those activities which increase inclination towards material comforts. He should have true dedication and desire towards śravana (listening) and other spiritual activities. At all times he should eat only pure food that too in limited quantities. He should practice to spend time alone in solitude”.

Here lies the catch. Often we eat impure food. It is imperative to eat pure satvik food in limited quantities. Only pure satvik diet can give rise to a pure mind!

Eating stale, heavy, tamasic food only increases traits of inertia and ignorance (tamo guna). Such food propels lust and other desires. It instigates anger. The person loses control over himself. Driven by extreme desires he now eyes wealth that legally belongs to others. He devices ways in which he can acquire ownership over them. He will suffer with extreme jealousy and greed. All these are the outcomes of eating tamasic food.

The more you eat satvik pure diet, the more you become pure and clean. Here the emphasis is on both purity and limited quantity of food intake. These are the words of Maharishi Kapila, who is none other than Lord Mahavishnu.

Ahiṁsā satyam asteyaṁ yāvad-artha-parigrahaḥ

Brahmacaryaṁ tapaḥ śaucaṁ svādhyāyaḥ puruṣārcanam

He should not inflict injury on any living being i.e. he should practice Ahimsa. He should practice truthfulness. He should not steal others’ wealth”.

People in general cannot resist from eyeing property belonging to others. They find this discipline very difficult.

“He should possess only as many comforts and materials as are needed for basic living”.

Coming across people who abide by this discipline is very very rare. I have just seen two or three such people in so many years. There is one gentleman in Andhra, who lives in a big house but that house is sparsely furnished. I was very happy to see this. In his house were two tiny shelves, one to keep his belongings and another for those of his wife. In his kitchen were about 20 small containers to store required grains, two vessels for cooking, 4 tumblers and 2 dinner plates. They cooked on small charcoal stove. There was one small suitcase in which other household items were stored. This was the furniture in his home! He maintained two bank accounts each of which had about Rs. 15000/-. One was for their expenses and another for their children.

When I questioned him about his lifestyle he began to explain his life’s principles. I felt he was explaining Bhāgawatam. He said that it is essential to possess only as much materials as are needed for survival. He also said that one should eat only as much as needed. He emphasized on the need for contentment and solitude. I was deeply impressed with the disciplines that this person was abiding by. After all, he was a householder, but yet he had such appreciable values. Later on he even trained his children in these principles of detachment and eventually they gave away even that home in charity.

Similarly once in Kashmir I came across a person who abided by these similar disciplines. He was a high official but his lifestyle was simple. In his house there was not even a chair. Guests were offered mats to sit on the floor. It’s amazing that even in Kali Yuga, there are such people!

Govindāya Namah.