Jnanis eventually evolve to become bhaktas. For us to develop the same relationship with bhakti, Vivekji shared a three point plan to be followed in order.
- Live with bhaktas. If one lives with the bhaktas, then whatever is in their heart will radiate to us also.
- Enter bhakti through the doorway of Vedanta (because we are used to Vedanta)
- Serve – Bhakti is an evolution. The lowest form is ‘sit’ which evolves to ‘sing’, ‘seek’, ‘support’, ‘serve’ and finally ‘surrender’. When one serves, one experiences an expansion of their heart.
‘Live’, ‘enter’, ‘serve’ really describes this course.
This Class:
Sutra 73: yataḥ-tadīyāḥ
Rishi Narada is describing why a bhakta is so great. Yatah means because, tadiyaah means they are of the same nature as Bhagavan.
The word Narada is ‘Narasya dharma’ which means one who knows the nature or purpose of a human. Another meaning is ‘NaaraH dadaati’, naaraH means water and the implication is one who gives knowledge/insights. He is giving us a path that will align with our purpose to know what we are. Many great thinkers have shared that Rishi Narada is Bhagavan’s sankalpa. If Bhagavan had a thought then it would be Rishi Narada! So Rishi Narada is really an extension of Bhagavan and the fact that He is coming to us to share our nature/purpose shows how much Bhagavan loves us.
In Srimad Bhagavatam there is a constant message/teaching of ‘all emerges from Bhagavan’, ‘exists in Bhagavan’ and ‘ends in Bhagavan’. This means there is only Bhagavan! A wave comes in water, exists in water and ends in water, so the wave is water! We are trying to realize this – but this Bhakta described in Sutra 73 has realized this! This will be our fate too – everyone of us is going to become this bhakta that is one with Bhagavan. Our intellect comes to logicize when this will happen? Since Bhagavan is beyond time, ‘when’ cannot be assigned, it is a matter of surrender.
When we interact with such bhaktas, Rishi Narada shares ‘what not to do’ in the next Sutra.
Sutra 74: vādo nāvalambyaḥ
Avalambya means to depend on or enter, here na-avalambyaH means do not resort to argumentation (vaadaH).
One cannot prove the existence of God, relatedly one cannot disprove the existence of Bhagavan either, because Bhagavan is beyond concepts. So when a bhakta is sharing how much he/she loves Bhagavan, we should not debate or compare. Vaada is when people are talking without trying to get to a conclusion. Samvaada is when people are talking and doing this for growth and to learn.
We should try our best not to be a spiritual shopper. We have a habit of thinking that whoever can prove the most is a better teacher, our shopping takes us to that. But we cannot shop for bhakti. We can only live ‘by and for’ bhakti, that is the way one will come to evolution.
Rishi Narada explains in more detail why such futile talking is futile!
Sutra 75: bahulyāvakāśatvāt aniyatatvāc ca
Bahulya means many, avakaasha is like aakasha (space) – avakaashatvat is many opportunities/directions, aniyatvat means indecisive/unconclusive.
When we approach the sacred with a secular narrative there is lots to be shared, but we need to see if that is helping us and causing our maturation in bhakti.
Logic is required for one to grow to the sacred, but eventually logic has to be let go of. Faith takes over. Our intellect which is designed for logic is to be used but eventually we have to let go of the intellect too.
Symbolism of the Ksheerasagara Manthana (churning of the milky ocean): The parvata or mountain is symbolic of the intellect, Vasuki that is wrapped around the mountain symbolizes logic. The intellect is twisted around by logic and eventually the intellect starts to fall, so Bhagavan Kurma who is at the bottom symbolizes faith (which supports all the system). Sometimes people have too much faith (wrong faith) in themselves, and they start to fly away, so Garuda has to sit on this mountain because Garuda symbolizes humility.
Logic can only take us so far before faith and humility have to envelop it.
Bhakti has no space for scholarliness. It is a way of life and we can only live this.
Whether we think we have 100 percent freeewill OR we think it is 50 percent us and 50 percent Bhagvan OR we think its 100 percent Bhagavan – depends on our evolution. Based on our evolution, we are right. Scholarliness and logic is not applicable.
Sutra 76: bhakti-śāstrāṇi mananīyāni tad-udbodhaka-karmāṇi karaṇīyāni
Rishi Narada shares how one’s relationship should be with the Narada Bhakti Sutra.
Bhakti-saastrani means scriptures on devotion, mananiyani means one should reflect again and again, tad-udbodhaka means it is from this constancy that one will come to feel bhakti, karmani karaniyani means one will live accordingly (according to what is described in such maps).
When we are cleaning something, then usually there are instructions that we should repeat until we get desired results. Rishi Narada is sharing here that we have to repeat until we are released, until our Bhakti reaches Bhagavan! In Bhagavad Gita chapter 18, Bhagavan has shared ‘one’s buddhi is to flow through one’s dhriti’ (understanding has to be implemented). One who follows through with this is Vijaya (won their inner world and hence will win the outer world, an integrity between knowing and living). Those who are filled with Sattva or quietness (here Bhakti) are interested in this repeating, because they know the ends (at least intellectually).