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!
Some
reference was made in the previous sutra to renunciation - the letting go of
those tools and crutches we use to prop us up through life. For the person who
walks the (mostly solitary) spiritual path, there is a need for full
renunciation. This is taken up by Sri Narada-ji now.
tiSmÚnNyta
tiÖraeix;UdasInta c.9.
tasminnananyataa
tadvirodhiShuudaasiinataa cha||9||
In the Lord whole-hearted, single-minded devotion, and
in all else that are contrary to it (bhakti), complete indifference - (this is
the nature of renunciation).
It
is a device of Sanskrit writings that keywords are not generally repeated in
succeeding sutras or shlokas until there is a change of direction in thinking.
Thus the term 'nirodha' (adopting total restraint) which was used in sutra
eight is not actually repeated here in nine, but is implied by the flow of the
sentence, thus added in parenthesis in the translation for clarity.
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| Image credit; Vivek Thakkar |
This
is a useful moment to explore a little about the construction of Sanskrit**.
The root verb here is रोध् /rodh. By simple addition of अ /a we get रोध /rodha, which is
to restrain, barrier, suppressing, dam, preventing and more… but it can also
indicate growing, sprouting. It is important to here emphasise once more that
context is everything in Sanskrit. The root verbs live up to that term 'root',
for who knows what will spring forth from them and in what direction according
to the 'soil' of the sentence in which they are used?! With, for example, the
prefix of वि /vi- which of itself indicates 'apart, asunder, away…', there comes a
strengthening of the meaning of rodha such that it can mean to be anarchistic,
defiant, antithesis, inconsistent, incompatible, to name but a few things. With
the prefix नि/ni- which indicates 'down, in, into…', there is what may be
described as a beautification of the root verb; thus nirodha is to fully take
up restraint = renunciation.
अनन्य /ananya
- to be unattached to all but one. By adding the suffix ता /-taa (with the character
of 'X', having 'X'-ness), again there is a strengthening of emphasis, thus
ananyataa is total and undivided focus on that object to which we are
singularly attached.
As
devotion for the Higher increases within us, the mind grows ever more fond of
That and can quite easily begin to drop attachments to all that is lesser. In
the bhakta who would take a place in The Divine, such devotion is absolutely
imperative. It becomes that the attention is ever on that Higher Element. The
external world looses its hold and no longer enchants or molests the devotee.
The objects of life only hold charm according to the state of mind of the
beholder. A bright sari is of no interest to the son or the husband, but the
wife can be besotted. Likewise, the parents have no particularly interest in
the toys and fancies of the children, but for these little ones, their toys are
everything; or for the father, the tools in his shed or the car are his lure,
whilst the mother and children look on indulgently as he focuses on these
pleasures. It is clear, then, that the objects of themselves hold no value
beyond the sense of charm created in the beholder according to their place in
life.
The
bhakta who is genuine in spiritual pursuit is not tripped up by lusts and
hankerings after the things of the world. They may have them around for
utility, but there is no attachment to them. The only attachment for such a
person is Naaryaayana, the Higher Element which is the source of all life. This
is again emphasised…
ANyaïya[a<
Tyagae=nnyta.10.
anyaashrayaaNaaM
tyaago.ananayataa||10||
Renunciation
of all other supports is whole-heartedness (in devotion).
You
may wonder at the constant repetition - but here again we see a Sanskrit
lingual device… when these texts were created they were entirely verbal. The
written form only came quite late to the tradition (circa 4000 - 6000yrs ago,
depending on the text). Learning in the Sanskrit culture was entirely by memory
and this is why in gurukulas around India you will find rhythmic recitation of
the sacred writings. This not only ensures the quality and accuracy of the
teaching traditions (parampara), but the words become part of the being of
those who recite - as long as they do it with knowledge and understanding and
not simply by rote. We all learned the times tables in our childhood, but if we
did not apply them and by not maintaining them, efficacy and power is lost, is
it not?!
Here
again, then, another iteration on ananyataa - when one has recognised that
everything springs from That and everything in the world is imbued with That
Essence all around one, how can anything other than That be our focus? A heart
filled with this Divine Love, even whilst experiencing the world of objects, is
never again lost in that world. Everything presents itself as the Lord to the
bhakta, every experience is understood to be the play of that Love, like a 'hide
and seek' for the devotee!
**It is not necessary to learn Sanskrit in order to
learn from and appreciate Vedantic philosophy. However, there is no denying
that to have some inkling of how the language itself is an intrinsic part of the
thinking process adds a dimension of satisfaction to the learning. Be not put
off by the use of Sanskrit here (there are certainly some words for which
English is a poor substitute and we are slowly learning those), absorb what you
can and grasp the essence. That is what is important.