Adjusting the sails of Bhakti

    Bhakti is a special relationship between the individual Jivatman and the Supreme Paramatman. Navavidha Bhakti provided an insight into the different flavors of Bhakti. But modern day Bhakti is reduced to a transactional business. In many extreme cases, when one pleads for the life of a beloved, without understanding Karma of that Jiva, an undesired results leads to these pseudo Bhaktas to even atheism. We studied this trend in greater detail in Bhakti – Now and then. Such Hindus seem to be walking with a book of excuses.

    While we are not trying to fix these fakes, a genuine Bhakta will have to fix some of the roadblocks. This is a wondrous story from Srimad Bhagavatam, found in Canto 10, Chapter 23. Vyasa Maharishi has documented this history to make us ponder deeply on how we can adjust the sails of our Bhakti boat which can help us cross the Samsara.

Moksha for Brahmana wives and their husbands:

 The Gopa boys depended on everything from food to entertainment and protection from Sri Krishna and Balarama. Once, overwhelmed by hunger, they appealed to them to provide them with some nourishment. Being aware of some Bhakta Brahmana women nearby, he realized their husbands were performing Angirasa satram, with an intention to ascend to swarga. Krishna suggested that the Gopa boys go and declare that they have been sent by Sri Krishna and Balarama and seek some food.

    The Gopa boys having fallen to the feet of the Brahmanas out of respect, wished for their prosperity and happiness. They informed that Krishna and Balarama were nearby and desired to obtain some food to quell their hunger. The word used to refer the Brahmanas is knowers of Dharma (धर्मवित्तमा: dharma-vittamāḥ). There is a stipulated time between the initiation and sacrificial rites of Sautramani, when food cannot be taken. Since it is past the time, there are no constraints in sharing the food.

Wrong Attitude: Despite the request of Sri Krishna they paid no attention. Worse yet they were entangled in their ritualistic outlook mired in desires (क्षुद्राशा भूरिकर्माणो kṣudrāśā bhūri-karmāṇo SB 10-23-9).

    Due to their perverse intelligence and by wrongly identifying the body as their self, they were unable to perceive Sri Krishna in reality was Parabrahmam (तं ब्रह्म परमं साक्षाद् भगवन्तमधोक्षजम् । मनुष्यद‍ृष्ट्या दुष्प्रज्ञा मर्त्यात्मानो न मेनिरे ॥ taṁ brahma paramaṁ sākṣād bhagavantam adhokṣajam manuṣya-dṛṣṭyā duṣprajñā martyātmāno na menire SB 10-23-11).

    Bhagawan alone manifests as the different aspects of the Yagna – the time, place, sacrificial offerings, mantras, prescribed rituals, sacrifice officiating priests, sacrificial fires, devatas, yajman of the sacrifice and the phala. (देश: काल: पृथग्द्रव्यं मन्त्रतन्त्रर्त्विजोऽग्नय: देवता यजमानश्च क्रतुर्धर्मश्च यन्मय: ॥ deśaḥ kālaḥ pṛthag dravyaṁ mantra-tantrartvijo  ’gnayaḥ devatā yajamānaś ca kratur dharmaś ca yan-mayaḥ SB 10-23-10). In short, the entire elaborate exercise of the Yagna was to get a visualization of the Parabrahman. Yet due to the wrong understanding of the self as the body, not only all the efforts went futile, but also generated a perverted stance that didn’t help the Brahmanas.

Krishna’s advice: As the Gopa boys reported the cold treatment given by the Brahmanas, Krishna redirected them to approach the Brahmanas wives, who were not only affectionate but also locked on to Krishna with their intelligence. The Gopas found a very enthusiastic response. The women carried four types of food and rushed to Krishna as a river merges into the ocean. Krishna was as pleased to see his Bhaktas as they were to see HIM. Their state of mind is captured by Vyasa as akin to the Rishis who give up their false ego on the threshold of entering their real Atmic state.

    Krishna observed that their mind is above all desires (त्यक्तसर्वाशा: tyakta-sarva-āśāḥ). He commends them on rising above their bonds to visit Krishna and Balarama. For Bhaktas, Atma is dearer than any other object (भक्तिमात्मप्रिये bhaktim ātma-priye). It is only by the contact and association with the Atman that one’s Prana, mind, relatives, body, wife, children, wealth etc become dearer (प्राणबुद्धिमन:स्वात्मदारापत्यधनादय: । यत्सम्पर्कात्प्रिया आसंस्तत: को न्वपर: प्रिय: ॥ prāṇa-buddhi-manaḥ-svātma dārāpatya-dhanādayaḥ yat-samparkāt priyā āsaṁs tataḥ ko nv aparaḥ priyaḥ SB 10-23-27). He proceeded to instruct the women to return to the Yagna as their husbands need their attention to complete the rituals.

    The women exclaimed that they have given up all their relations to surrender at the lotus feet of Bhagawan and they cannot settle for anything less than HIS lotus feet. Besides giving up all the connections to the material world, such as husbands, sons, fathers, their very act of severance will make them unfit to return back. Krishna consoled that no one will ever look at them will any malice or ill will by HIS grace. He instructed the women to stay mentally locked on to HIM for spiritual growth and physical proximity is not a factor. To remain fixated upon HIM, he recommended sravana, darshana, dhyana, bhava and kirtana.

    The women returned to perform their duties and there was no negative reception as blessed by Krishna. One of the women who was unable to participate in the rendezvous with Krishna, due to her husband’s extreme measures, heard of the great experience and abandoned her body, having merged with Krishna with her mind. Meanwhile Krishna and the Gopas enjoyed the scrumptious delicacies that were offered to them.

Brahmanas get their understanding corrected: Seeing the wondrous experience of their wives, the Brahmanas became pensive and repentant. Contemplating on the vanity of their noble birth, being initiated into rituals, learning, austerities, they understood their lack of Bhakti towards Bhagawan. They admired at the short cut the women have taken to rise above the bonds of materialism through pure devotion. They were able to rise above the limitations of not having Upanayana, training as Brahmachari or having a Guru. They don’t have the backing of Tapas, saucam or atma mimamsa, yet they have approached the highest truth through Krishna only by Bhakti.

    They realized that they completely misread the Gopas message, as it was to help them rise above their minds buried in the materialistic world. It makes no other sense for the bestower of Moksha and the Lord of all to seek alms. The very abode of Sri, prosperity, taking to alms is an act of extreme kindness towards them, as they reflected properly. They now realized that both their subject and objects of attention were pervaded by Vishnu who has taken the form of Sri Krishna.

    They offered mental obeisance to this Supreme Personality, the ones they were lucky enough to realize thanks to their wives. Though bound by HIS Maya, unable to realize his nature and caught in rituals, they were confident in HIS grace and blessings and were sure they will be pardoned for their oversight. Yet the realized Brahmanas did not go and meet Krishna, owing to the fear of Kamsa.

Adjusting the sails of Bhakti:

    An assumption will have to be made that one is practicing nishkamya bhakti. There is a constant sadhana towards Atma vichara. Despite the strong Bhava connecting the Bhakta with Bhagawan, there are a few obstacles that a Bhakta may have to circumvent.

Need for proximity and assurance: This is especially true for those in very unconducive environments. For instance a Hindu Bhakta in Pakistan or Afghanistan will need a stronger foundation of Bhakti when compared to one residing in Varanasi or Mathura. Though the mind may be very evolved and constantly meditating upon Bhagawan, the stress coming from the non-cooperative environment can shake the very basis. This is what happened to the Brahmana wives, who were very evolved spiritually, yet under the pressure of their ritualistic husbands, who didn’t grasp the essence of their own sadhana.

     So when they mustered all their courage, based on their love and devotion for Sri Krishna, they pleaded HIM not to allow their return. They could experience the ecstasy of Bhakti in the presence of Krishna alone to the fullest extent. But Krishna wanted them to overcome this obstacle.

    Krishna advised, physical contact or proximity is not needed for spiritual growth and fulfillment of spiritual love. He recommended the Brahmana wives to keep their mind fixated upon HIM always and in a short while, they will make rapid progress to permanently merge into HIM. (न प्रीतयेऽनुरागाय ह्यङ्गसङ्गो नृणामिह । तन्मनो मयि युञ्जाना अचिरान्मामवाप्स्यथ ॥ na prītaye ’nurāgāya hy aṅga-saṅgo nṛṇām iha tan mano mayi yuñjānā acirān mām avāpsyatha SB 10-23-32)

    This sloka is not found in all Srimad Bhagavatam recensions, but reiterates the above point with a lot more depth. Sri Krishna recommended the importance of Sravana (listening), darshan (by visualizing using a murti), dhyana (meditation) upon HIM, bhava (special relationship with Bhagawan) and kirtana (singing the name, qualities and connection with Bhagawan). He reminded that physical proximity is not necessary and urged them to return back. (श्रवणाद्दर्शनाद्ध्यानान्मयि भावोऽनुकीर्तनात् । न तथा सन्निकर्षेण प्रतियात ततो गृहान् ॥ śravaṇād darśanād dhyānān mayi bhāvo ’nukīrtanāt na tathā sannikarṣeṇa pratiyāta tato gṛhān SB 10-23-33)

    A common excuse given by many is that it would have been useful if their birth was with one of the Avataras. Krishna’s message removes this silly hallucination of ours. We need to incorporate exactly what Krishna advised these women for Vyasa gives the same prescription for Kali Yuga, much later in the text.

Introspection on Ahamkara: The Brahmanas developed special ahamkara owing to their special conditions and failed to introspect. Ahamkara is the arrogating principle that projects the sense of I-ness. The real Self is the Atman, but the false self is the Ahamkara tattva that reprojects something else as the self. It may be body, mind, intellect, wealth, relationship or anything but the real Self. In spirituality, one must transcend above this lower self through various Sadhana to realize the true nature of one Self.

 

    The Brahmanas were proud of their birth, ritualistic passage, rituals, learning and skill in shastras. All these achievements were mere projections of their ahamkara. Despite all the favorable conditions and practice, they were much farther than they wrongly assumed. The Brahmana women didn’t have any of their positives, yet through simple Bhakti, they were not only approaching Bhagawan but were also immensely blessed and personally coached by Sri Krishna. Only when they began to evaluate their practices against the backdrop of Bhagawan their emptiness emerged. They exclaimed, ‘vain is our high birth with eligibility for the threefold sacraments; vain is our learning, austerities, vast knowledge of the shastras and skill for rituals’. For with all these we do not have devotion to Bhagawan. (धिग् जन्म नस्त्रिवृद् यत् तद् धिग्‌व्रतं धिग्‌‌बहुज्ञताम् । धिक्कुलं धिक् क्रियादाक्ष्यं विमुखा ये त्वधोक्षजे ॥ dhig janma nas tri-vṛd yat tad dhig vrataṁ dhig bahu-jñatām dhik kulaṁ dhik kriyā-dākṣyaṁ vimukhā ye tv adhokṣaje SB 10-23-40)

    This introspection and course correction is crucial even in Bhakti. Imagine that ahamkara can hijack this agenda even at the last step by making one proud as being the best bhakta. Humility is a good friend for every bhakta.

    Bhakti is the way that works the best in Kali Yuga. Yet without these course corrections, we are mired in this samsara sagara. There are numerous stories in Srimad Bhagavatam that inspire every Bhakta. But this one is very special, as it features two ends of a spectrum, yet they need their own course correction. The grace of the Shastras is to offer these and much more insight to every earnest Bhakta. It constantly reminds every sadaka to remain alert as the spiritual journey is fraught with potential pitfalls. At the same time, Bhagawan’s unlimited unrestrained grace is upon each one of us that we need not ever feel being lonely in this journey. Jai Shri Krishna!

ॐ तत् सत