Hari
OM
Application - that is what 'Workings-days' are about!
The Narada Bhakti Sutra is our guide for a while… the
nature of Love (with the capital 'ell') and a full exploration of it. As
always, you are encouraged to seek out the full text from Chinmaya Publications
(links in side-bar); but for those who prefer e-readers, this version is recommended. Whilst awareness and interest can be
raised by these posts on AV-blog, they cannot substitute for a thorough reading
and contemplation...and practice!
Sri
Narada has, in this first section of the text, stated clearly what is the
nature of Love Divine; that it is Supreme; that to have such devotion for this
Supreme Love means coming to know that it is also Immortal; that the devotee,
gaining this insight can themselves join the Immortal; and that such a devotee
no longer knows the extremes of emotion and experience…
There
are those who, not having this devotional experience, who might say that the
fellow is 'losing out on life', to not have any sorrow or joy. However, what
they can not know is that the devotee has something much, much better to
replace those things and instead of a life depleted, now lives life completed.
This is pointed out in the final sutra of this section.
yJ}aTva
mÄae Évit StBxae Évit,
AaTmaramae
Évit.6.
yajGYaatvaa
matto bhavati stabdho bhavati.
aatmaaraamo
bhavati||6||
Having known such (devotion), one becomes intoxicated,
silent and revels in The Self.
Throughout
history, in all societies, there have been those who have entered the realms of
spiritual fervour in such a way that, from the 'outside', they look completely
mad. These are the saints and sages who know only that bliss of union with the
Higher and are forever extolling their joy in That. They seem always to be
smiling; some may even go so far as to be dancing or singing and behaving other
than the social norm. All too often, they are mistaken for the truly insane -
but this is an entirely different frame of reference.
 |
| Sri Narada Muni |
This
is, perhaps, the key difference between one who follows, wholly, the path of
Bhakti. There is not quite enough of restraint and inwardness developed as
might be from Jnaana. It is not to be faulted though; such devotion,
unstinting, loyal and ecstatic, does bring, in its advanced stages, the level
of stillness and silence which is required to truly reside in the Divine. As
Gurudev puts it in his narration, "The
devotee at this stage becomes unconsciously lifted into the states of deepest
meditation, when the Divine Form alone has the exclusive chance to be in his
heart. When thus the devotee's mind and body
become, as a result of continuous singing and dancing, quiet, he
discovers within himself the meditative poise indicated in the sutra. During
such moments of utter meditation and without the help of any other saadhana, a
true bhakta comes to plunge deeper and deeper into his own inner quietude to
reach ultimately the realm of The Self, the Aatman, and revels there."
Thus
the 'introduction' to Love Divine has been covered. In the next section
consisting of some eight sutras, the unique characteristics of Bhakti are
elaborated upon.
sa
n kamymana inraexêpTvat!.7.
saa na
kaamayamaanaa nirodharuupatvaat||7||
She (that Love-Devotion), being of the nature of
devotion, holds no element of desire within.
It
is worth noting that the feminine is applied to Bhakti. Conversely, the
masculine is generally applied to discussion on Jnaana. It is not that only
women can be one and men the other - however, it is widely acknowledged that
the thinking patterns between the genders is, on the whole, different. It takes
effort for each to come into the realm of the other and evolve proper
understanding. At these higher levels of thinking, no matter what one's gender
may be, strong logic and intellect and the ability to stand back from emotional
involvement is required consistently in order to follow Jnaana-marg; whilst
Bhakti-marg is softer, more forgiving and permits one to work spiritually
without too much taxation of the higher brain functions. Jnaana questions, Bhakti
accepts. Both require that, eventually, the devotee be prepared to walk alone.
Here,
it is made clear that Love is its own fulfilment. Once that approach to Bliss
is achieved, all sense of desire for anything outside of it falls away.
Thus
renunciation for the bhakta takes place with nothing other than living in Love.
Whilst a jnaani has to have explanations and logics for how and why
renunciation is required and to be achieved, the bhakta simply lives it. The
ego-self, the individuality of the bhakta, comes to turn away more and more from
the usual anxieties and efforts in living daily life and truly desires but one
thing - to be in union with the Divine.
Of
course a jnaani would point to that one remaining desire and say even that must
go - which would be true from their standpoint; but to the bhakta, the Ultimate
has been reached. How does this renunciation in Bhakti look?
inraexStu
laekvedVyaparNyas>.8.
nirodhastu
lokavedavyaapaaranyaasaH||8||
This renunciation, indeed, is in the total giving up
of all secular and religious activities.
In
mundane, current-world, experience, if we seek something for some time (a home
for example) we may exert all efforts in attaining it and once we achieve that
goal we are - for a short time at least - so thrilled, we can think of nothing
else. It occupies the whole of our existence and we give up much to spend time
enjoying that home and making the most of it. This, of course is a very limited
example, because then further desires and trouble arise as we seek to keep that
home.
With
Bhakti, however, once the goal is reached, no other desire or distraction can
shake us from it. Having come to live in the Love Divine, we come to see that
actually we did so all along, but had been blind until that moment. Now
everything of the external merges with the internal and we know all things and
beings to be Naaraayana, the Supreme Itself. What room, then, for any other
desire? At this point, all the practices and rites which may have helped lift
the devotee to this highest state now become obsolete. It is not that a devotee
who has risen to the fullest will not practice these things - it is that the
acts themselves are no longer necessary for that individual to retain
connection with the Higher. The devotee may well join in with others for
celebration and such like, but does not,
for his or her own self, require the 'tools' to open a door to the
Divine.
For
the rest of us, who still consider ourselves mere mortals and troubled by the
swings and roundabouts of life, the practices and rites are still very much
required for focus and surrender to devotion.