Srimad Bhagavatam Skanda 1- The Axiom of Yoga continued
Srimad Bhagavatam cleanses kalimala or the pollutant of Kali, destroys sins, shows the indweller, the Lord, in oneself by bringing Vairagya towards the materialistic world, and gives pure devotion, crystal clear, and clean knowledge.
|| Sri Veda Vyasaya Namaha || |
Always being satisfied, having no expectations with full of attributes, stainless, creates, sustains, destroys, regulates all non-living including liberates all living just by expression of his attributes is the only Lord having the Lordship. My salutations to HIM. My Salutations to Goddess Lakshmi who always wonders about the attributes of Lord to whom she is dearest. By assigning the most important and difficult task of locating Goddess Sita or getting the Sanjeevani, has been dear to Lord. My Salutations to Prasanna Hanuman in whose abode resides Goddess of Bhakti. Appearing always as sweet sixteen and bitten the sweetest fruit of all seasons and in whose orchestration only the best of Bhagavatas like Indra, Bali, SanatKumara, Uddhava, Narada, Prahlada, Dhruva, do sankeertana, my salutations to Sri Sukacharya the dear son of Lord and all the Bhagavatas. By repetition of whose name the quintessence of Vedas would be understood easily, my prostration to such Guru Sri Raghavendra.
Sri Sutacharya initiating Bhakti Yoga to accomplish Aparoksha Jnana says,
भिद्यते हृदयग्रन्थिश्छिद्यन्ते सर्वसंशयाः ।
क्षीयन्ते चास्य कर्माणि दृष्ट एवाऽत्मनीश्वरे॥
As the Indweller reveals himself in the Lotus of
Heart, the thread of actions tied and entangled with the soul will break and all
the doubts will disappear.
दृष्ट एवाऽत्मनीश्वरे, with the sight of the Lord who is brilliant and is the cause for the brightness
of Moon and Sun, full of Knowledge and bliss in the Lotus of Heart, भिद्यते breaks the ग्रन्थि or knot tying हृदय or Linga deha.
However, our current experience says that Sun is too
bright to see with the naked eyes. How is it possible to see the Lord in the
lotus of Heart? We have been contemplating about the sensory organs, their
nature and their susceptibility to disease and decay. Also, what happens to
Jiva or being after losing the physical body. The Shastra is saying that
there are two minds. One which is made of nature or the exterior and the other
with Swaroopa or in Jivatma. Similarly, eyes for seeing, ears for hearing,
nose for smelling, tongue for taste and skin for touch. All Sensory organs that are seen exterior,
the same is in swaroopa or Jivatma including cause for thought and intellect. The
ones that are exterior are prone to get the disease. However, those in Jivatma is not
destructible. The exterior sensory organs are the cause of samsara or death
and birth. As these exterior sensory organs are made of Prakriti having guna of Sattvika, Rajasik and
Tamasik and reason for Arishadvarga. These external sensory organs are tied to हृदय or Linga deha with ग्रन्थि or Knot. As
the cracks appear, क्षीयन्ते चास्य कर्माणि or the Sins
will disappear.
There are three types of Sins.
1. Sanchita Karma or the sins accumulated over
several births. This will completely disappear at the sight of the Lord.
2. Prarabdha Karma or part of the Sanchita karma
to be experienced in the current life. As Sanchita Karma would be daunting or impossible to bear by
a Jiva, the Lord out of extreme kindness would assign only part. This will not
disappear but would have a very little impact after the sight of the Lord.
3. Hence, Agami Karma or the sin which Jiva is
yet to experience. This will drastically get reduced after aparoksha jnana and
would have no impact on the individual’s life.
श्छिद्यन्ते सर्वसंशयाः, All the
doubts including the relationship with the Lord or Gods, or the Creation itself, Or about oneself, that an individual would have, will disappear and will have a crystal clear Knowledge. Hence, would be
able to see the Brilliant Lord with the divine sight of Jivatma.
अतो वै कवयो नित्यं भक्तिं परमया मुदा
वासुदेवे भगवति कुर्वन्त्यात्मप्रसादनीम्॥
Hence, The wise will worship the Lord Vasudeva daily
with great Love and Joy and accomplish Tranquility or Divine Happiness.
कवय or the Rishis, including
Adikavi or Brahma, Paramakavi or Rudra, Indra and so on, after extensive study
of indoctrination, distilling the essence and being convinced that अत, this Bhakti Yoga is the वै essence of all indoctrination, easy, definitive and
axiom. Hence, without any doubt nor being scared, परमया मुदा or brimming with divine
happiness practice भक्तिं Bhakti Yoga in भगवति or the
indweller, Lord Vasudeva. For whom creation, regulation, bestowing ignorance,
knowledge, confinement, and Moksha is a Sport.
नित्यं कुर्वन्ति or Doing so daily अत्मप्रसादनीम् they
accomplish Tranquility.
Sri Sutacharya explaining how Such Bhakti is got,
says,
सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति प्रकृतेर्गुणाः तैर्युक्तः परः पुरुष एक इहास्य धत्ते ।
स्थित्यादये हरिविरिञ्चहरेति सञ्ज्ञाः श्रेयांसि तत्र खलु सत्त्वतनौ नृणां स्युः ॥
Having created Jada or non-living substance from the
nature with Satvika or Rajasika or Thamasika characteristics and entering the
same, the Lord would take three forms of Brahma, Hari, and Hara to carry out
Creation, Sustenance, and Destruction respectively. However, with his form of
Hari accepting the Satvika Guna, he would bestow Shreyas or special benefit to the beings.
In Srimad Bhagavatam Skanda 1 - Mangalacharna
continued, we noted:
Tejovarimrudam yata vinimayo, from the processing of Fire, Water, and Soil, an
earthen Pot is made by a potter.
Like the Potter makes earthen Pots, so too the Lord
creates mahat-tattva, ahamkara tattva and all non-living Substance including Fire, Water, and Soil made of
three Gunas and being in several forms of himself enters these
non-living substance and is called Jada Sristi.
Srimad Bhagavatam Skanda 1- The Influence of
Arishadvarga and Gunas For Bhakti
The Prakriti constitutes Jada or non-living substance
with three Gunas of viz. Satvika, Rajasika, and Thamasika and is a nonliving
substance or raw material to create the Universe.
With this prakriti, the Lord creates the entire universe.
परः पुरुष – He is Supreme and above the
Prakriti. Prakriti cannot influence him. In fact, the Prikriti is under his
control. He accepts this and enters these substances during the initial phase of
creation.
स्थित्यादये – From Satvika, he sustains, Rajasika, he creates and
Thamasika, He destroys. Having accepted these three Gunas. He accepts three
Roopa or forms. From Satvika he accepts the form of हरि, Hari. From Rajasika, he accepts the form of विरिञ्च, Brahma and from Thamasika he accepts the form of हर or Maheshwara. This is during the initial phase of
creation and before the birth of God Brahma and Maheshwara. When God Brahma and Maheshwara takes birth, Lord with his form of Brahma enters God Brahma as his
indweller. And so too in Maheshwara. Hence, Lord regulates these three Gunas.
Being Hari or Vishnu Satvika Guna. Being the indweller of God Brahma with his
form as Brahma regulates Rajasika and being the indweller of Maheshwara he
regulates Thamisika Guna being above Goddesses Sridevi, Bhoodevai, and Durgadevi respectively influence these Gunas.
However, श्रेयांसि तत्र खलु सत्त्वतनौ नृणां स्युः Lord Hari accepting the
Satvika Guna would be the cause for the Shreyas
or special benefit to human beings.
With this, the question arises that though the Lord
Purushottama like a potter carries out Jada Srishti which has these three Gunas,
has it under his control, then why is it that Sativika Guna is the cause for
Bhakti!
Sri Sutacharya says,
पार्थिवाद् दारुणो धूमस्तस्मादग्निस्त्रयीमयः
तमसस्तु रजस्तस्मात् सत्त्वं यद् ब्रह्मदर्शनम् ॥
Like in a Fire Sacrifice, Smoke is better than the
wood and much better is Fire. Because, though the wood is constituted of earth
substance and has fire in it, only when ignited would consume the substance of
sacrifices like ghee or rice. While the smoke would carry the substance of
sacrifice, it is the Fire that carries the radiance. So too, Rajasika Guna is
better than Thamisika Guna and Much better is Satvika Guna.
भेजिरे मुनयोऽथाग्रे भगवन्तमधोक्षजम् ।
सत्त्वं विशुद्धं क्षेमाय कल्पन्ते येऽनु तानिह ॥
In the earlier yugas, the Saints and
Great Yogis would worship the Lord Adhokshaja who regulates Satvika Guna for
their Special benefit of Moksha. Even
now, their followers continue with that tradition.
With the analogy of Fire Sacrifice and
the citing the established Traditions of earlier yugas of Dwapara, Treta and
Satya, Sri Sutacharya says Satvika Guna regulated by Lord Hari is the cause for
Special benefit or Bhakti Yoga.
To understand as to what are the cause
of Satvika Guna or how to increase, let’s take look at few verses from 17th
adhyaya of Srimad Bhagavad Gita:
आयुःसत्त्वबलारोग्यसुखप्रीतिविवर्धनाः ।
रस्याः स्निग्धाः स्थिरा हृद्या आहाराः सात्त्विकप्रियाः ॥BG (Bhagavad Gita) 17 (Adhyaya)
- 8 Verse॥
The food that is easy, comfortable to
eat, full of flavor and increasing the desire to eat more often and has
the Juice or the substance to increasing
the length of life, virtue, physical strength, wellness, comfort, love and so
on is a Satvik food.
अफलाकाङ्क्षिभिर्यज्ञो विधिदृष्टो य इज्यते ।
यष्टव्यमेवेति मनः समाधाय स सात्त्विकः ॥ BG 17- 11॥
The yagna or sacrifice as specified
in Shastras done with a sense of duty and without any expectation is Satvika
Yagna.
देवद्विजगुरुप्राज्ञपूजनं शौचमार्जवम् ।
ब्रह्मचर्यमहिंसा च शारीरं तप उच्यते ॥ BG 17 - 14॥
अनुद्वेगकरं वाक्यं सत्यं प्रियहितं च यत् ।
स्वाध्यायाभ्यसनं चैव वाङ्मयं तप उच्यते ॥ BG 17 - 15॥
मनः प्रसादः सौम्यत्वं मौनमात्मविनिग्रहः ।
भावसंशुद्धिरित्येतत्तपो मानसमुच्यते ॥ BG 17 - 16॥
श्रद्धया परया तप्तं तपस्तत्त्रिविधं नरैः ।
अफलाकाङ्क्षिभिर्युक्तैः सात्त्विकं परिचक्षते ॥ BG 17 - 17॥
दातव्यमिति यद्दानं दीयतेऽनुपकारिणे ।
देशे काले च पात्रे च तद्दानं सात्त्विकं स्मृतम् ॥ BG 17 - 20॥
Worshiping the Lord, Gods, Brahmin
Priests, Guru and the Knowledgeable; Keeping the Body and Mind Clean, being
straight forward, maintaining celibacy and not hurting others is called Tapas
or Asceticism.
Not getting restless, being pleasant to
the Virtuous and daily Study of Shastras is called Vangmaya Tapas of Asceticism
of Speech. Being Tranquil, Sober, Silent, directing the mind towards the Lord
and Stainless is called Asceticism of Mind. Doing these Austerities without any
desire or expectations, having Trust and Belief is Satvika. So too, donation or philanthropy without any
desire or expectations is Satvika.
In Srimad Bhagavatam Skanda 1 - The Spiritual Gathering
of Naimisharanya, Sri Saunaka Rishi had asked the below question:
तत्र तत्राञ्जसाऽऽयुष्मन् भवता यद्विनिश्चितम् ।
पुंसामेकान्ततः श्रेयस्तन्नः शंसितुमर्हसि ॥
So, Kindly tell us, of all
Shastra or indoctrinations of beliefs, which is the one that gives a special benefit to the human in this Dark Age of Kali Yuga? And which is easily
accomplishable?
Hence, Sri Sutacharya has answered that doing Bhakti Yoga is the essence of
all indoctrination and Satvika Guna regulated by Lord Hari is the cause for Special benefit or Bhakti Yoga.
अशास्त्रविहितं घोरं तप्यन्ते ये तपो जनाः ।
दम्भाहङ्कारसंयुक्ताः कामरागबलान्विताः ॥ BG 17 - 5॥
कर्षयन्तः शरीरस्थं भूतग्राममचेतसः ।
मां चैवान्तःशरीरस्थं तान्विद्ध्यासुरनिश्चयान् ॥ BG 17 - 6॥
Sinners and walking on the path of Evil are those:
- Who practice opposite to the Vedic Indoctrinations like witchcraft or black magic.
- Undermining the Indweller, the Lord and various Gods influencing to propitiate the Lord and carry out intense austerity or
- Those who deceive themselves by coming under the pressure of disease or desire and pray with expectations.
Consistent to this, Sri Sutacharya says,
मुमुक्षवो घोररूपान् हित्वा भूतपतीनथ ।
नारायणकलाः शान्ता भजन्ति ह्यनसूयवः ॥
रजस्तमःप्रकृतयः समशीला भजन्ति वै ।
पितृभूतप्रजेशादीन् श्रियैश्वर्यप्रजेप्सवः ॥
Mumukshu or those who wish to break the cycle of death and birth, without blaming anyone nor seeing fault in others, or
practice the evil witchcraft full of Rajasika and Thamasika guna would worship
only Lord Sriman Narayana for whom Satvika Guna is dear. They will get rid of arishadvarga and
accomplish divine peace and happiness.
However, those with रजस्तमः or
Rajasika and Thamisaka Guna would work to accumulate unnecessary श्रियैश्वर्यप्रजेप्सवः Wealth and
Richness. Also, with the greed of having children, wealth or materialistic happiness would worship the spirit of
forefathers or Ghosts or Gods by undermining the Lordship of Sriman Narayana.
|| Hari Om ||
|| Sri Krishnarpanamastu ||
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