[Advaita-l] namo namah: and some questions

[Ravisankar S. Mayavaram]

IMHO, we can not use that chapter in gita to compare two people. It is
provided so that each person can evaluate and improve his/her own position
from that knowledge.

Only the Lord knows what is the true motive of a person and will be able to
evaluate his love based on the complete knowledge -- with not just the
current birth and all the previous ones.  Hence, bhakti is a matter purely
between the bhakta and the bhagavan. In a sense, it is a rahasyam or secret.

Unless you are bhagavan (who knows all), you can not say A's bhakti  is
better than B's just based what you can observe with your senses. Not only
we can't say that,  it is simply not our business.

There was once a jain monk, who had a change of heart and became a devotee
of Lord shiva. He was afraid that he will be persecuted if it is known. Yet
wanted to do archana to lord. Hence, he used to imagine stones as flowers
and throw at the linga. This was a time jaina-shaiva clashes and
persecitions were in peak in TN.  His fellow jains were amused and shaiva-s
were displeased. But shiva was pleased. He made him in one of the 63
nAyanmArs. Outward appearances are often deceptive.


My 2c. Corrections are welcome.

Ravi





> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jaldhar H. Vyas [mailto:jaldhar at braincells.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2004 12:17 AM
> To: A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta
> Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] namo namah: and some questions
>
>
> On Thu, 12 Aug 2004, Sanskrit Beginner wrote:
>
> > > > The third question is bhakti: Can two peoples' bhakti be
> > > > compared, measured, and contrasted as better/worse etc.
> > >
> > > Yes.
> >
> >  Can you please elaborate? How does one know, measure and
> > differentiate?
>
> We had a discussion a while back about the verses of the Gita where the
> three types of bhakti are described.
>
> When one worships out of fear that God will do bad things to you if you
> don't that is the worst, tamasika kind of bhakti.
>
> When one worships as a kind of bargain that if you do good things for God,
> he will do things for you in return such as give wealth, heaven etc. that
> is middling rajasika bhakti.
>
> when one worships purely out of a sense of duty and love of God without
> caring about the results that is Sattvika Bhakti.
>
> And when one realizes that the Lord the self of all pervades ones own self
> that is jnana which is the highest bhakti.
>
>