Vichara is an engagement in one’s inner world and this is to evolve to achara which is an engagement in the outer world. Our vision has to manifest as our lifestyle. When one is experiencing Rama rajya where Bhagavan Rama (joy) is our only purpose, this will naturally create Ayodhya, where there is no conflict with those around. The way to have such an Achara/Ayodhya is to train ourselves to grow out of sneha and grow into anuraaga (love with slow, steady and sincere dissolving of ‘i’).
One evolves from a seeker to a Sishya, when you are no longer interested in your life and you are more interested in your trust triangle’s life. This is a critical step in forgetting that one is an individual. We are training ourselves to feel it is an honor to be able to love our guide, our map and our divinity. In Bhagavad Gita chapter 18, Bhagavan is unconcerned about our actions , He is only concerned about our attitude. It is only our attitude that can please Him (Ashutosha is one who is easily pleased).
Lakshyas and review:
Sutra 71: Relieved
When one is saved, they become a saviour. So the whole multiverse is relieved that there is someone there to help lighten people’s hearts.
Sutra 72: Inclusion
For the one who is saved, they are inclusive of all beings.
Sutra 73: Omni
The word omni means all, Bhagavan referred to as omnipresent. In this Sutra, Rishi Narada shares that they have become Bhagava, they have the same nature and so they are omni.
Sutra 74: Prioritize
Why waste time and energy in talking about something which is not important? We need to prioritize!
Sutra 75: Confuse
Those who don’t prioritize their time and words, are engaged more in worldliness and are more confused (and tired).
Sutra 76: Reassure
When one starts to explore Bhagavan’s gunas, one comes to feel what they are experiencing is a leela. If there is a leela then there is a dhama. So Rishi Narada is sharing that we should keep reading these Bhakti shastras, because when we do so, we come to feel reassured that Bhagavan ‘is’ (then there is no need for us to worry).
Sutra 77: Present
Anyone who is waiting for the perfect context will wait forever. The best time to go from vichara to achara is the present (relates to both space and time).
Sutra 78: Integrity
Rishi Narada is sharing here that we should develop all of the values into virtues. Bhagavan is the one who has all virtues in all ways. So when we start to have some virtues in some ways, then we become closer to Bhagavan. Bhakti has the integrity of being the means and the ends.
Sutra 79: Light
By living in a light way we train ourselves not to worry. If we are not worrying, then we can practice Bhakti. Worry is anti-bhakti.
Sutra 80: Grace
In this Sutra, there is an emphasis on surrender. It is only by Bhagavan’s grace that we come to feel Bhagavan. All we can do is surrender, then grace pulls us in.
We need to remember that we are nimitta (instruments). If we follow through with that, then next would be bhakti/surrender. This leads to ‘Sthane’ or being. Non-doership is equivalent to being. The same is shared in this sutra.
This Class:
Japa is powerful. In this course the word Bhagavan is used many times, His qualities are described. The power of japa is, it has the power to remove our sins faster than we can incur them.
Sutra 81: tri-satyasya bhaktiḥ eva garīyasī, bhaktiḥ eva garīyasī
Tri-satyasya means in all triads (three periods of time, three aspects of our equipment like body-mind-intellect) , bhakti is indeed the best!
Bhakti is the best because it does not require learning more, it only requires directing more. We already love – we love our families, food etc – but we just have to direct it from sneha to anuraga.
The higher our love, the more we forget about ‘i’. In sneha it is ‘i and love’ and in anuraga it is ‘love minus i’.
This is part of the valedictory portion of the Narada Bhakti Sutra which started in sutra 76, where Rishi Narada shared that we should keep on studying the Bhakti shastras because they reassure us.
Sutra 82: guṇa-māhātmyāsakti-rūpāsakti-pūjāsakti-smaraṇāsakti-
dāsyāsakti-sakhyāsakti-vātsalyāsakti-kāntāsakty-ātma-
nivedanāsakti-tanmayatāsakti-paramavirahāsakti-rūpā ekadhā-
api-ekādaśadhā bhavati
There are 11 factors in Sutra 82 and 14 factors in sutra 83.
1 – Guṇa-māhātmyāsakti – There are some bhaktas whose love is directed towards Bhagavan’s qualities or gunas. An example of this is Rishi Shuka. When He heard the qualities of Bhagavan in Srimad Bhagavatam, he stopped wandering and started following where the gunas are coming from.
2 – rūpāsakti – those who practice ‘love without i’ towards Bhagavan’s Rupa. A classic example of this is those who lived in the jungle when Bhagavan Rama and Bhagavan Krishna were wandering in the jungle. They did not know Bhagavan Rama or Bhagavan Krishna, but they could not stop looking at them and following them.
3 – pūjāsakti – those who practice devotion through puja. A classic example is Sri Bharata, who brought Bhagavan Rama’s paduka and offered puja everyday.
4 – smaraṇāsakti – those whose love is through smarana or remembrance. An example is bhakta Prahlada. He never forgot Bhagavan at any point, neither while being burnt nor while being poisoned.
5 – dāsyāsakti – the one whose love gets expressed as being a servant of Bhagavan. The example given is of Bhagavan Hanumanji, who is the icon of seva.
6 – sakhyāsakti – the one who practices love with the relationship of being Bhagavan’s friend. An example of this is Sri Sudama. He never forgot Bhagavan and always treated Him like a friend.
7 – vātsalyāsakti – vatsalya is the emotion of being Bhagavan’s parent. An example of this is Devi Yashoda.
8 – kāntāsakti – those whose love is as a partner to Bhagavan. An example of this is Bhagavati Sita.
9 – ātmanivedanāsakti – nivedana is to surrender. An example of this is Raja Bali. He gave all his resources, time and effort to Bhagavan.
10 – tanmayatāsakti – tat maya means to be filled with the thought/feeling of Bhagavan. An example of this is Sri Tulasidasa. He wrote ‘kan kan me Sitaram’ , meaning in every dust particle he sees and feels Bhagavan.
11 – paramavirahāsakti – those who practice the pain of not being with Bhagavan. An example of this is the gopis. The gopis could not breathe when Bhagavan was not with them.
rūpā ekadhā-api-ekādaśadhā bhavati – Even though there is one Bhakti, this is expressed in eleven ways. Whatever brings us closer to Bhagavan is an expression of bhakti.
Gurudev writes “The anguish of separation makes us remember Him more often and more intensively than in any other mode of approach described above.”
Sutra 83: ity-evaṁ vadanti jana-jalpa-nirbhayāḥ eka-matāḥ
kumāra-vyāsa-śuka-śāṇḍilyā-garga-viṣṇu-kauṇḍinya-śeṣoddhavāruṇi-bali-
hanūmad-vibhīṣaṇādayo bhakty-ācāryāḥ
Rishi Narada is sharing who are the primary teachers of bhakti, who Rishi Narada has learned from.
ity-evaṁ vadanti jana-jalpa-nirbhayāḥ eka-matāḥ – Here Rishi Narada says that as He is ending the Sutras, only teaching and not afraid of people’s commenting or opinions, the forthcoming thirteen teachers all have the same narrative and are of the same visions. These thirteen primary teachers are – Sanatakumaras, Rishi Vyasa, Rishi Shuka, Rishi Shandilya, Rishi Garga, Rishi Vishnu, Rishi Kaundinya, Bhagavan Sesha, Rishi Uddhava, Rishi Aruni, Mahabali, Bhagavan Hanumana, Sri Vibhishana. The fourteenth is Rishi Narada! Although He wrote these Sutras, Rishi Narada out of humility did not put his name as one of the primary teachers of Bhakti. Gurudev writes “ Dedicated to Narada, not necessarily as its direct author, but in appreciation of his unique devotion for Narayana and his incomparable service in bringing all of mankind to the quest of the spiritual bliss.”
Although most of the primary teachers in Sutra 83 are males, we notice from Sutra 82 that most of those who are practicing are Devis (Gopis, Devi Yashoda). So both those in Sutra 82 and Sutra 83 are all teachers. In Sutra 82 they are teaching through actions, in Sutra 83 they are teaching through words!