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!
Chapter
Eight; Section 2 - Obstacles and Remedies; Cultivate Devotion. The key virtues
having been indicated, there is and extension of thinking on the matter;
svRda
svR_aaven iniciNttE_aRgvanev _ajnIy>.79.
Sarvadaa
sarvabhaavena nishchantitair-bhagavaaneva bhajaniiyaH ||79||
Always free from all mental anxiety, the Lord alone is
to be invoked and sought after, with all factors of our personality.
Again
the Guru is clear; there is no room for anything other than whole-hearted
immersion in the path of devotion. Release the worries and warts of life unto
Him. In the Bhagavat Gita, Sri Krishna says "fly unto Him for refuge with
all your being O Bharata; by His Grace you shall obtain "Supreme Peace and
the Eternal Abode." In the Bible,
Yeshu says "come unto me, ye who are heavy laden, and I shall give ye
rest."
Go
in surrender to the Higher with all your heart and being. Call upon Him,
through prayer, through song; lie before Him with your heart open and pour it
out to Him… not, though, with angst. Sarvadaa - always and at all times,
sarvabhaavena - regardless of conditions, nishchantitaiH - in a calm and serene
manner, Bhagavaaneve - seek the Lord alone.
We
do go to our various places of worship and believe we are calling upon Him; but
it is the bhajana of ego! Always from the place of "I" and
"my" for, instead of calming the mind as we enter worship, we bring
with us all the weight of our lives and sit in states of agitation and emotion.
In this clouded state, where is the Divine to enter? The saadhaka,
understanding this, will no longer say 'saadhana is too difficult', but accept
that the change must begin within, that s/he alone can make that first step
upon the path and all subsequent steps will become easier, the greater the
surrender. This capacity to invoke is already in each one of us, but we either
misuse it or are blind to it altogether due to the obstacles within ourselves.
Prayer
or invocation (bhajana) should be from all levels of our personality. There
must be no fence or guard against complete surrender to the process. At all
times, in all our parts, must we be able to give only our best to Him. Our offering unto Him can and must include
service of others and letting our every action be a sign of the Love Divine.
Let our acceptance and surrender to that Divinity shine forth from us and let
our lives become the very hymn of praise.
