Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Story 29 - Story of Prithu – 4
Srimad Bhagavatham - A Spiritual Insight - Story 29 - Story of Prithu – 4
Once Prithu was instructed by Sanatkumara, then Prithu offered everything unto the Lord and contemplating on the lotus feet of the Lord gave up his mortal body. Prithu distinguished the Self from the Jeeva or Ego thereby getting rid of the delusions and bondages associated with the Jeeva. Prithu thus merged into the Lord through the Uttarayana Marga thereby never returning back into the bondage of the world.
Once Prithu merged into the Lord, his wife also contemplated on the Lord and attained that place where Prithu was situated (realized state).
Those who hear to the stories of Prithu with attention and follow whatever Prithu had done, they will very well realize their own very nature of Bliss.
Explanation
We come to the end of yet another story about a devotee of the ultimate reality of Consciousness or Brahman or Lord. The discipline that all of these devotees follow is just one only – constant remembrance of the ultimate reality of Lord beyond all limitations. This is the one and only criteria for realizing the Lord who is sitting in the heart of all beings as their very Self. This doesn’t require any money, land, postures and requires very little effort – we have to put that little effort so that we can realize our own very nature of Consciousness. Unless we do that, we will be engrossed in the illusory Maya of the Lord. This Maya has just one main effect which is sorrow. Thus until a person is deluded into the thought that he is the body, he is the mind and bonded, he will be having sorrows and sufferings only. It is only when the seeker seeks the ultimate reality of Lord and realizes his very nature of ever-liberated Consciousness that he rejoices in the bliss inherent in him. Those who don’t realize their own very nature of Lord beyond the illusory body are to be called as mad people because they aren’t aware of their own very nature of eternal bliss distinct from the illusory body. If we claim that there is no time for remembering the Lord as tension, work, home etc. are there, then the Lord is not to be blamed but we are to be blamed. There is no “sorrow” associated with the Lord or his illusory creation – sorrow is only due to the seeker’s mind which associates the Self with the body thereby causing problems in the world. Thus all sorrows are the creations of the seeker only and not the ultimate reality of Lord. As AMMA says in one song, even when we are sleeping the Lord is still awake illumining the sleep & giving us bliss – the Lord is eagerly awaiting the seekers to realize their own very nature of Lord.
The path to realization is nothing but constant remembrance of the Lord – there is nothing more than this to be done. If a husband is able to think about his wife even while working, a lover is able to think about his love, an officer is able to think about his sub-ordinates – then why can’t a devotee think about the Lord? All other thoughts will lead to sorrow only. The thought of the Lord alone is able to give eternal bliss to the seeker through realization of the seeker’s very nature of Lord. As Vedas proclaim “other than knowing the Lord, there is no other means to realizing the ultimate reality and rejoicing in eternal bliss”. Svetaswathara Upanishad says “if a person thinks that he can get bliss by other means than knowing the Lord, then it is like a person trying to fold the sky as if it was a blanket” (meaning that it is impossible to get bliss/realizing without knowing the ultimate reality of Lord). If we are able to spend so much time for illusory things in the world, then why can’t we spend some time for the “real” and “blissful” entity in the world which is the Lord? We just need to constantly remember the ultimate reality of Lord at all points of time – giving it the maximum priority than other things in the world.
When the seeker constantly remembers the Lord, the Ego is overcome and the seeker realizes his own very nature of Self or Lord who is Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute. This is what is termed as Moksha or liberation. Liberation is nothing but realizing the Lord in the heart of all beings – there is no other realization in Vaikunta or Kailaash – liberation is here and now itself – it is just realizing that there is only the Lord here, whatever duality is perceived is only an illusion in the ultimate reality of Lord & thereby I am the Lord only, not different from the Lord.
Scriptures proclaim two types of mukthi or liberation. The first type is called Sadyo Mukthi or Jeevan mukthi which is realizing one’s own very nature of Self even while living in the world with a body. This is realizing now and here itself rather than going to Brahma Loka or other lokas and realizing after death in this world. Scriptures in many places stresses the importance of Jeevan mukthi maintaining that it is a big loss if the seeker doesn’t realize the Lord here and now itself. But for people who are unable to get off the shackles of bondage till the end of this mortal life, Krama mukthi or gradual liberation is mentioned. This finds a place in sruthi as well as Gita 8th chapter where the Lord clearly puts it. He who constantly remembers the Lord during his life, the same thought of Lord remains in him during the end of his life on Earth. That which a person thinks at the end of life is continued in the next birth. If a person thinks about money while dying, he takes birth as a rich person. Thus if a person thinks about the Lord at the end of his life, he follows the upper path through Soorya Loka etc. and reaches Brahma Loka where he is liberated at the end of the Kalpa (never to return back to Earth again). That person who has desires left in him and thereby thinks about those desires at the time of death, he returns back to this world with those desires. This is very same as third law of Newton about actions and reactions. So long as desires are there, the person returns back again and again to the world. It is only in this world that a person can realize his own very nature of Lord and thereby get rid of the vicious circle of birth and death – thereby all saints consider human birth as “sacred”. Humans have the capability to realize their own very nature of Lord which even Devataas are incapable of (one reason could be that Devatas have more enjoyments and hence are distracted to those rather than going inward to seek the Lord in the heart).
Thus he who remembers the Lord at the time of death merges into the Lord never to return into the illusory world. If a person has to remember the Lord at the time of death, then he has to remember the Lord at all points of time. Thus constant remembrance of the Lord is essential to get out of the illusory bondages in the world. This is what Prithu did by constantly remembering the Lord – thereby he was liberated from the illusory bondages and realized his own very nature of Lord through krama mukthi. As sruthi mentions, it is not worthy enough to wait for krama mukthi – instead a person should strive for jeevan mukthi by constantly remembering the Lord and getting rid of association with Ego and the worldly entities. That time the seeker realizes himself to be a mere witness to the illusory happenings in the world even as the dreamer is a mere witness to the illusory dream activities.
Even Prithu’s wife was liberated by constant remembrance of the Lord – thus Srimad Bhagavatham is pointing out to each and every one of us that we have to constantly remember the Lord to get rid of all sorrows and sufferings in the world. It may happen that we may not realize in one birth but we don’t need to bother much about it because birth is only for the body and not for the Self. Since “I” am the Self and not different from the Lord, “I” have no birth and am eternal. When there is complete surrender to the Lord, the Lord takes care of the devotee during all times – thus such a devotee need not worry about anything – only thing he needs to do is to constantly remember the Lord.
Lord says to Arjuna thus “Kaunteya Prathijaaneehi na me bhakthah pranashyathi” – O Arjuna! Know that my devotee never perishes. This is not just a statement but a promise which has been and is being kept by the Lord for a real devotee. A real devotee is one who constantly remembers the Lord at all points of time.
Thus ends the story of Prithu which clearly shows us the path to mukthi or liberation either gradual or instant (Krama or Sadhyo). We will start with the next story tomorrow.
We have been going through Srimad Bhagavatham and have covered almost 30 stories till now. Here we will try to recap the import of the stories. Recap or learning of stories is not what is important in hindu scriptures. Hindu scriptures point out the ultimate reality of Brahman through various stories so that it can be grasped easily by all people rather than just some intellectual people. We very well know that a concept is easily grasped through a story and this is exactly what the puranas do. All the scriptures point out the ultimate reality of Brahman or Lord alone. The scriptures are unanimous in this aspect.
Thus even though we have learned many stories, all these stories point out the reality of Lord alone through different ways. These stories mention the different paths, qualities and spiritual practices to be followed so that the seeker can realize the ultimate reality of Lord.
We will just go back and analyze as to what is the use of realizing the ultimate reality of Lord?
We are all seeking happiness which is long-lasting and ever-present (without deteriorating). This is the ultimate goal of each and every human being. This goal of eternal happiness can be achieved only from that entity which is eternal. As we all know, there is only one eternal entity in the world which is of the nature of Consciousness and termed as Brahman or Lord or Self. Thus realization of this entity alone can give a person eternal bliss – nothing else can give the seeker eternal bliss. Thus the use of realizing the ultimate reality of Lord is to get eternal bliss – that which is being sought by each and every individual at all times.
We always are searching for happiness in the external world – in the objects which are temporary and will vanish any day. These temporary objects can never give eternal bliss because they themselves are temporary and will vanish any time. Thus bliss can be achieved only from that entity which is eternal – this is one’s own very nature of Lord or Self. When this subjective reality of Lord is realized, then the seeker gets eternal bliss because the Lord is eternal and he is blissful in nature. Thus what the seeker needs to do to realize the ultimate reality of Lord is to concentrate on the reality of Lord rather than concentrating on the illusory external objects. Concentration of the Lord means constant contemplation on the reality of Lord at all times. The Lord is of the nature of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute. Lord is that reality which is underlying all the entities in the world. The changing world surely requires a changeless substratum even as the changing variable requires a changeless constant as its substratum. This changeless substratum of the changing world is something which is eternal and hence is Existence. This entity is that which gives all the other entities existence – thus it is the illuminator of all the other objects in the world. There is only one light which is capable of giving light to the entire world – this light is Consciousness.
It is very simple to understand this through the following logic. If Consciousness is there, then the objects are there. If Consciousness is not there, then the objects are not there (as in deep sleep and other cases). This means that Consciousness is that light which makes other objects existent. Thus the Lord is of the nature of Existence and Consciousness. Since the Lord is eternal, he is blissful in nature (that which is permanent and full always gives bliss only).
This Lord is what is the substratum or the underlying reality behind all the objects of the world that we currently perceive. But we do see duality as per our perception. This dual perception is only an illusion even as the dream world seems to have duality but in fact has only the non-dual reality behind the dual world. If this dual perception is removed and the right perception of the non-dual reality of Lord is there, then the seeker gets eternal bliss as he realizes his own very nature of non-dual Lord of the nature of bliss. This means all the aims of scriptural study, scriptural practices, and the various paths to the reality etc. are just various means to remove the wrong dual perception which arises due to ignorance of the underlying non-dual reality.
This dual perception is removed when the non-dual Lord is perceived in the dual objects remembering the reality that there is only the Lord – nothing else but the Lord alone. Thus all paths lead to the state where the seeker always remembers the reality of non-dual Lord who is all-pervasive. This constant remembrance of the reality is what is achieved through the various paths of bhakthi, karma and yoga. All these paths lead to the constant remembrance of the ultimate reality of Lord which is termed in Vedanta as Jnaana and by bhakthi literatures as Para Bhakthi or higher devotion (where there is no distinction between the devotee and the Lord). This is what is the aim of all the stories – to keep the mind fixed on the Lord at all points & to again and again pointing out the reality that the Lord alone is to be sought at all times.
Let us hear and learn the stories of Bhagavatham without forgetting the import behind these stories which is the ultimate reality of Lord alone and realization of the Lord. If we just hear the stories forgetting the import of the stories, then it is not really what is required & hence the goal of eternal bliss also will not be rejoiced by the seeker. It is as good as eating the peels of the banana whereas not looking into the peals and eating the banana.
Let us continue with the stories in Srimad Bhagavatham but remembering the ultimate reality that “there is only one entity here which is the Lord or Self and which is the import of all scriptures”.
Once Prithu was instructed by Sanatkumara, then Prithu offered everything unto the Lord and contemplating on the lotus feet of the Lord gave up his mortal body. Prithu distinguished the Self from the Jeeva or Ego thereby getting rid of the delusions and bondages associated with the Jeeva. Prithu thus merged into the Lord through the Uttarayana Marga thereby never returning back into the bondage of the world.
Once Prithu merged into the Lord, his wife also contemplated on the Lord and attained that place where Prithu was situated (realized state).
Those who hear to the stories of Prithu with attention and follow whatever Prithu had done, they will very well realize their own very nature of Bliss.
Explanation
We come to the end of yet another story about a devotee of the ultimate reality of Consciousness or Brahman or Lord. The discipline that all of these devotees follow is just one only – constant remembrance of the ultimate reality of Lord beyond all limitations. This is the one and only criteria for realizing the Lord who is sitting in the heart of all beings as their very Self. This doesn’t require any money, land, postures and requires very little effort – we have to put that little effort so that we can realize our own very nature of Consciousness. Unless we do that, we will be engrossed in the illusory Maya of the Lord. This Maya has just one main effect which is sorrow. Thus until a person is deluded into the thought that he is the body, he is the mind and bonded, he will be having sorrows and sufferings only. It is only when the seeker seeks the ultimate reality of Lord and realizes his very nature of ever-liberated Consciousness that he rejoices in the bliss inherent in him. Those who don’t realize their own very nature of Lord beyond the illusory body are to be called as mad people because they aren’t aware of their own very nature of eternal bliss distinct from the illusory body. If we claim that there is no time for remembering the Lord as tension, work, home etc. are there, then the Lord is not to be blamed but we are to be blamed. There is no “sorrow” associated with the Lord or his illusory creation – sorrow is only due to the seeker’s mind which associates the Self with the body thereby causing problems in the world. Thus all sorrows are the creations of the seeker only and not the ultimate reality of Lord. As AMMA says in one song, even when we are sleeping the Lord is still awake illumining the sleep & giving us bliss – the Lord is eagerly awaiting the seekers to realize their own very nature of Lord.
The path to realization is nothing but constant remembrance of the Lord – there is nothing more than this to be done. If a husband is able to think about his wife even while working, a lover is able to think about his love, an officer is able to think about his sub-ordinates – then why can’t a devotee think about the Lord? All other thoughts will lead to sorrow only. The thought of the Lord alone is able to give eternal bliss to the seeker through realization of the seeker’s very nature of Lord. As Vedas proclaim “other than knowing the Lord, there is no other means to realizing the ultimate reality and rejoicing in eternal bliss”. Svetaswathara Upanishad says “if a person thinks that he can get bliss by other means than knowing the Lord, then it is like a person trying to fold the sky as if it was a blanket” (meaning that it is impossible to get bliss/realizing without knowing the ultimate reality of Lord). If we are able to spend so much time for illusory things in the world, then why can’t we spend some time for the “real” and “blissful” entity in the world which is the Lord? We just need to constantly remember the ultimate reality of Lord at all points of time – giving it the maximum priority than other things in the world.
When the seeker constantly remembers the Lord, the Ego is overcome and the seeker realizes his own very nature of Self or Lord who is Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute. This is what is termed as Moksha or liberation. Liberation is nothing but realizing the Lord in the heart of all beings – there is no other realization in Vaikunta or Kailaash – liberation is here and now itself – it is just realizing that there is only the Lord here, whatever duality is perceived is only an illusion in the ultimate reality of Lord & thereby I am the Lord only, not different from the Lord.
Scriptures proclaim two types of mukthi or liberation. The first type is called Sadyo Mukthi or Jeevan mukthi which is realizing one’s own very nature of Self even while living in the world with a body. This is realizing now and here itself rather than going to Brahma Loka or other lokas and realizing after death in this world. Scriptures in many places stresses the importance of Jeevan mukthi maintaining that it is a big loss if the seeker doesn’t realize the Lord here and now itself. But for people who are unable to get off the shackles of bondage till the end of this mortal life, Krama mukthi or gradual liberation is mentioned. This finds a place in sruthi as well as Gita 8th chapter where the Lord clearly puts it. He who constantly remembers the Lord during his life, the same thought of Lord remains in him during the end of his life on Earth. That which a person thinks at the end of life is continued in the next birth. If a person thinks about money while dying, he takes birth as a rich person. Thus if a person thinks about the Lord at the end of his life, he follows the upper path through Soorya Loka etc. and reaches Brahma Loka where he is liberated at the end of the Kalpa (never to return back to Earth again). That person who has desires left in him and thereby thinks about those desires at the time of death, he returns back to this world with those desires. This is very same as third law of Newton about actions and reactions. So long as desires are there, the person returns back again and again to the world. It is only in this world that a person can realize his own very nature of Lord and thereby get rid of the vicious circle of birth and death – thereby all saints consider human birth as “sacred”. Humans have the capability to realize their own very nature of Lord which even Devataas are incapable of (one reason could be that Devatas have more enjoyments and hence are distracted to those rather than going inward to seek the Lord in the heart).
Thus he who remembers the Lord at the time of death merges into the Lord never to return into the illusory world. If a person has to remember the Lord at the time of death, then he has to remember the Lord at all points of time. Thus constant remembrance of the Lord is essential to get out of the illusory bondages in the world. This is what Prithu did by constantly remembering the Lord – thereby he was liberated from the illusory bondages and realized his own very nature of Lord through krama mukthi. As sruthi mentions, it is not worthy enough to wait for krama mukthi – instead a person should strive for jeevan mukthi by constantly remembering the Lord and getting rid of association with Ego and the worldly entities. That time the seeker realizes himself to be a mere witness to the illusory happenings in the world even as the dreamer is a mere witness to the illusory dream activities.
Even Prithu’s wife was liberated by constant remembrance of the Lord – thus Srimad Bhagavatham is pointing out to each and every one of us that we have to constantly remember the Lord to get rid of all sorrows and sufferings in the world. It may happen that we may not realize in one birth but we don’t need to bother much about it because birth is only for the body and not for the Self. Since “I” am the Self and not different from the Lord, “I” have no birth and am eternal. When there is complete surrender to the Lord, the Lord takes care of the devotee during all times – thus such a devotee need not worry about anything – only thing he needs to do is to constantly remember the Lord.
Lord says to Arjuna thus “Kaunteya Prathijaaneehi na me bhakthah pranashyathi” – O Arjuna! Know that my devotee never perishes. This is not just a statement but a promise which has been and is being kept by the Lord for a real devotee. A real devotee is one who constantly remembers the Lord at all points of time.
Thus ends the story of Prithu which clearly shows us the path to mukthi or liberation either gradual or instant (Krama or Sadhyo). We will start with the next story tomorrow.
We have been going through Srimad Bhagavatham and have covered almost 30 stories till now. Here we will try to recap the import of the stories. Recap or learning of stories is not what is important in hindu scriptures. Hindu scriptures point out the ultimate reality of Brahman through various stories so that it can be grasped easily by all people rather than just some intellectual people. We very well know that a concept is easily grasped through a story and this is exactly what the puranas do. All the scriptures point out the ultimate reality of Brahman or Lord alone. The scriptures are unanimous in this aspect.
Thus even though we have learned many stories, all these stories point out the reality of Lord alone through different ways. These stories mention the different paths, qualities and spiritual practices to be followed so that the seeker can realize the ultimate reality of Lord.
We will just go back and analyze as to what is the use of realizing the ultimate reality of Lord?
We are all seeking happiness which is long-lasting and ever-present (without deteriorating). This is the ultimate goal of each and every human being. This goal of eternal happiness can be achieved only from that entity which is eternal. As we all know, there is only one eternal entity in the world which is of the nature of Consciousness and termed as Brahman or Lord or Self. Thus realization of this entity alone can give a person eternal bliss – nothing else can give the seeker eternal bliss. Thus the use of realizing the ultimate reality of Lord is to get eternal bliss – that which is being sought by each and every individual at all times.
We always are searching for happiness in the external world – in the objects which are temporary and will vanish any day. These temporary objects can never give eternal bliss because they themselves are temporary and will vanish any time. Thus bliss can be achieved only from that entity which is eternal – this is one’s own very nature of Lord or Self. When this subjective reality of Lord is realized, then the seeker gets eternal bliss because the Lord is eternal and he is blissful in nature. Thus what the seeker needs to do to realize the ultimate reality of Lord is to concentrate on the reality of Lord rather than concentrating on the illusory external objects. Concentration of the Lord means constant contemplation on the reality of Lord at all times. The Lord is of the nature of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute. Lord is that reality which is underlying all the entities in the world. The changing world surely requires a changeless substratum even as the changing variable requires a changeless constant as its substratum. This changeless substratum of the changing world is something which is eternal and hence is Existence. This entity is that which gives all the other entities existence – thus it is the illuminator of all the other objects in the world. There is only one light which is capable of giving light to the entire world – this light is Consciousness.
It is very simple to understand this through the following logic. If Consciousness is there, then the objects are there. If Consciousness is not there, then the objects are not there (as in deep sleep and other cases). This means that Consciousness is that light which makes other objects existent. Thus the Lord is of the nature of Existence and Consciousness. Since the Lord is eternal, he is blissful in nature (that which is permanent and full always gives bliss only).
This Lord is what is the substratum or the underlying reality behind all the objects of the world that we currently perceive. But we do see duality as per our perception. This dual perception is only an illusion even as the dream world seems to have duality but in fact has only the non-dual reality behind the dual world. If this dual perception is removed and the right perception of the non-dual reality of Lord is there, then the seeker gets eternal bliss as he realizes his own very nature of non-dual Lord of the nature of bliss. This means all the aims of scriptural study, scriptural practices, and the various paths to the reality etc. are just various means to remove the wrong dual perception which arises due to ignorance of the underlying non-dual reality.
This dual perception is removed when the non-dual Lord is perceived in the dual objects remembering the reality that there is only the Lord – nothing else but the Lord alone. Thus all paths lead to the state where the seeker always remembers the reality of non-dual Lord who is all-pervasive. This constant remembrance of the reality is what is achieved through the various paths of bhakthi, karma and yoga. All these paths lead to the constant remembrance of the ultimate reality of Lord which is termed in Vedanta as Jnaana and by bhakthi literatures as Para Bhakthi or higher devotion (where there is no distinction between the devotee and the Lord). This is what is the aim of all the stories – to keep the mind fixed on the Lord at all points & to again and again pointing out the reality that the Lord alone is to be sought at all times.
Let us hear and learn the stories of Bhagavatham without forgetting the import behind these stories which is the ultimate reality of Lord alone and realization of the Lord. If we just hear the stories forgetting the import of the stories, then it is not really what is required & hence the goal of eternal bliss also will not be rejoiced by the seeker. It is as good as eating the peels of the banana whereas not looking into the peals and eating the banana.
Let us continue with the stories in Srimad Bhagavatham but remembering the ultimate reality that “there is only one entity here which is the Lord or Self and which is the import of all scriptures”.
# posted by vedanta : 9:44 AM
