Advaita Bhakti thro. Contemplative Practice of Narayaniyam (ABCPN - 9)

[V. Krishnamurthy]

ABCPN - 9
Note: Please read the Introduction
(ABCPN – 0) if you have not already read it.

Namaste.

Sloka No. 25 (Ref. nArAyaNIyaM : 96 - 9):
kashcid-kleshArjitArtha-kShaya-vimala-matir-nudyamAno janoughaiH
prAgevaM prAha vipro na khalu mama janaH kAla-karma-grahA vA /
ceto me dukha-hetus-tadiha guNagaNaM bhAvayat-sarva-kArI-
tyuktvA shAnto gatastvAM mama ca kuru vibho tAdR^ishIM citta-shAntiM //

Tr. (with added notes): Once a Brahmin, who had acquired great wealth
through hard work, happened to lose it all. His experience (generated in
him discrimination and renunciation, and ) attaining purity of mind
thereby, (he took to the life of an avadhUta (or all-renouncing naked
ascetic). Persecuted by the populace (for his strange ways of life) he
said: ‘The cause of my sufferings is neither these people, nor time nor
karma, nor planets. My own mind is the cause of my misery. (Itself a
product of the Gunas of prakriti), it causes all actions to be done and
superimposes these and other products of the gunas (on the Atman)’.
Thinking thus, he remained at peace. Oh Lord! Deign to give me also that
kind of mental poise!

Comment:  Here is a practical advaitic philosophy of action in daily life.
This portion of the bhagavatam is called BhikShu Gita.  There the Bhikshu
(renunciate) mentions 24 persons and things as his guru and also mentions
what each of the 24 stood for, in his understanding. A brief reference to
this is found in an introduction to avadhuta-gita in
http://www.za.spiritweb.org/Spirit/avadhut-gita.html

For the Bikshu Gita itself in original one can go to Bhagavatam Skanda 11,
Ch.7 Sloka 32  to  end of Ch.9.

Sloka No. 26 (Ref. nArAyaNIyaM : 96 - 10):

elaH prAg-urvashIM praty-ati-vivasha-manAH sevamAnash-ciraM tAM
gADhaM nirvidya bhUyo yuvati-sukham-idaM kShudram-eveti gAyan /
tvad-bhaktiM prApya pUrNaH sukha-taram-acarat tadvad-uddhUya sangaM
bhaktottamsaM kriyA mAM pavana-purapate hanta me rundhi rogAn //

Tr. King Pururavas, the son of Ila, was deeply involved in a love affair
with Urvasi, a heavenly damsel. After spending a long time in her company,
he developed a mood of extreme renunciation and came to the realization
that the so-called sex-enjoyment is most trivial and wretched. Attaining
to devotion for Thee, and through that to life’s fulfillment, he moved
about happily, singing Thy glory. Likewise, Oh Lord of Guruvayoor,
uprooting all my sensuous tendencies, make me the best of Thy devotees,
and free me from all my ailments!

Comment. We should remember that it is the Lord’s solemn promise to all
humanity, ‘na me bhaktaH praNashyati’ (My devotee never perishes), in Gita
IX – 31. One should understand this promise carefully. There are many
devotees whose physical and mental suffering in the world is all too
obvious. Then what does this promise of God mean? It means ‘My devotee
never perishes – in the absolute sense’. That is, there is no slip-up for
him in the spiritual ladder. Maybe the Lord doubtless takes care of our
mundane needs also, as it did happen in the case of Bhattatiri himself.
His ailment was cured miraculously.  But that should be taken as nectar
flowing from His Grace and not as ‘fulfillment of one’s demands’. In fact,
to expect Him to recompense us for our ‘devotion’ is not ‘devotion’.

Sloka No. 27 (Ref. nArAyaNIyaM : 99 - 5):

no jAto jAyamAno’pi ca samadhigatas-tvan-mahimno’vasAnaM
deva shreyAmsi vidvAn pratimuhur-api te nAma shamsAmi viShNo /
taM tvAM samstaumi nAnA-vidha-nuti-vacanAir-asya  loka-trayasyA-
pyUrdhvaM vibhrAjamAne viracita-vasatiM tatra vaikuNTha-loke //

Tr. Oh Lord Vishnu! No one either born till now or yet to be born, could
possibly know Thy greatness in its fullness. What is possible at all to
do – and that I am trying – is to chant Thy name again and again, knowing
that it promotes one’s spiritual evolution. With numerous hymns of praise
I am therefore invoking Thee, who resides in the glorious sphere of
Vaikuntha that transcends all the three material worlds.

Comment.  A sahasra-nAma is a litany of one thousand names (of God).
sahasra is one thousand and nAma is name. There are plenty of them, at
least one for each particular divinity. These long, 'streamlined' poems,
are densely packed with meaning  -- apparfently endless recitals of the
Lord's names, glories and splendours, with no sacrifice of poetic elegance
and grace. The rhythmic sound effects and the elevating moods that these
can produce must be heard and experienced to be believed. Every sahasra-
nAma describes the Lord's infinite qualities in several ways and each
description is only a fragmentary rendering of his ananta kalyANa-guNa
(infinite number of auspicious attributes). Everywhere we see the same
majesty of encyclopaedic exhaustiveness. To recite these, to be immersed
in their meaning, is to be in the company of the Lord.
 (To be continued)

praNAms to all seekers of spirituality.
profvk