Monday, January 01, 2007
Story 39 – Story of Mahaabali - 07
At this time, Vaamana called up Garuda. As Mahaabali couldn’t keep up his promise of giving three feet of land, Vaamana caught Mahaabali with Varuna Paasha (rope of Varuna). Even after he was bonded with rope, Mahaabali’s face was shining with the same happiness (that is seen in the face of a person who is ever in equipoise). Vaamana made lot of verbal statements against Mahaabali for not keeping up the promise. Bali still was without any change of expression in his face.
Explanation
Ramana Maharshi used to say again and again that peace is the sole criterion for finding a Mahatma. Here we find in Mahaabali a perfect jeevanmuktha and Mahatma. A jeevan muktha is ever immersed in the ultimate reality of Lord. He always contemplates on the ultimate reality that there is nothing apart from the Lord. As he knows that there is nothing apart from the Lord, he sees everything as an illusion of names and forms in the ultimate reality of Lord. For a person who sees everything as the Lord, there is neither likes nor dislikes. As a result, there is neither happiness nor sorrow for such a person. Therefore such a jeevan muktha is unaffected by the activities in the world. He is a mere witness to all the activities of the world. Thus there is no sense of “I” and “mine” which cause happiness and sorrow. Thereby the jeevan muktha maintains his calm at all times – nothing can affect or disturb the equanimity of the mental state of the jeevan muktha. Sankara calls the mind of a jeevan muktha as an ocean without waves. Ocean is the mind where the waves of thoughts come and go. But for the jeevan muktha the waves have subdued and thereby it is ever calm. Whatever thoughts arise in the mind of the jeevan muktha will be associated with the thought about the ultimate reality of Lord with knowledge that everything is but an illusion in the ultimate reality of non-dual Lord. Thus there is no disturbance or turbulence in the mind of the jeevan muktha.
All problems at the empirical level arises when there is a turbulence in the mind. This is caused by some or the other thoughts causing a ripple in the mind. This is in the form of either happy or sorrowful thoughts. When something good happens, it causes a happy ripple causing the seeker to become excited and overly happy. On the other hand, when something bad happens it causes a bad ripple making the seeker get sad and disappointed. When the mind enters into such turbulence and ups-downs, it becomes disturbed from its natural state. As the pendulum string is disturbed when it is moved to one end & this disturbance continues until it comes back to the equilibrium state, similarly when there are thoughts in the mind of the seeker, it becomes a disturbance and subdues only when the mind rests with those thoughts vanishing.
Bliss is rejoiced only when the mind is in natural state of calmness and without any turbulence. This is what we enjoy during the state of deep sleep as there are no thoughts at all in that state. But in the waking state, our mind goes through different types of thoughts & thereby we tend to become either happy or sad. When the seeker remembers the ultimate reality of Lord and that there is nothing here apart from the Lord, the mind is ever calm with this thought about the Lord. The mind never gets into any kind of turbulence or disturbance. Since the mind is ever in its natural and calm state, there will ever be happiness and bliss in such a seeker. The face is the mirror of the mind – hence the face of such a person will always shine with bliss whatever be the situation and mental state the seeker is in.
Thus Bhagavatham mentions here that Mahaabali’s face was ever shining with bliss even when the Lord bound him with the rope and the Lord treated him harshly with words. It is this calm and ever blissful state that we all are trying to develop. This is possible through one and only one way which is constant remembrance of the ultimate reality of Lord that there is nothing here but the Lord alone exists, one without a second.
We will continue in the next day as to what Bali replies to the Lord’s harsh statements.
Hearing the Lord’s harsh words, Mahabali replied without any change of expression thus:
O Lord! If you think that I am not true to my words, I will make sure that the words become true. Place your feet on my head as the third feet of land. You who behave as an enemy to the asuras are in fact their hidden Guru because you show them the temporary and futility of the world. If they are able to contemplate on you in their minds even by enmity, still they will be liberated. In such a case, what to speak about the state of devotees who are always contemplating on you through love???
Explanation
We saw in the last day the Lord using harsh words to Mahabali for not keeping his word of giving three feet of land as the Lord has covered the entire world with two strides of his feet (as Virat). The Lord had then bound Mahabali using Varuna paasa (rope) and called Garuda as well. All of this didn’t have any effect on Mahabali who was ever the same – there was not even the slightest of change in expression in the face of Mahabali. This is the state of a realized saint – he is ever immersed in the ultimate reality of Lord. He knows that the world is only an illusion of names and forms in the ultimate reality of Lord. Therefore he is not at all affected by the activities in the world – instead he is ever rejoicing in bliss which is his very nature of Lord. It is only when we consider the world as real and get associated with it that we tend to become affected by the activities in the world. But for Mahabali, he knew that everything is but an illusion & the world is temporary appearance of names/forms in the ultimate reality of Lord. Therefore there was no question of getting affected by the activities in the world.
It is this state of a realized saint that we all as seekers are striving to achieve. It is this state of being ever-immersed in the ultimate reality of Lord thereby remaining unaffected and a mere witness to all the activities of the world that Vedanta calls as moksha or liberation. Liberation is not going to a particular place like Vaikunta or Kailas to enjoy sensual pleasures & thereby escaping from the bondages and sorrows in the bhoo loka. Liberation is realization of the non-dual reality of Lord as the one and only entity existing – and as the substratum of the illusory world. It is the state that we find kings like Mahabali, saints like Sankara etc. ever established in. Even though Mahabali was bound by the Lord and the Lord used harsh words, Mahabali was unaffected by the activities because he knew that all these are mere illusions in the ultimate reality of Lord which is his very nature of Consciousness. If Mahabali wanted, he could have counter attacked the Lord by telling that he had offered to give three feet of land to the dwarf Vamana and not to Virat form of the Lord. But Mahabali didn’t do that. A worldly person if he was in Mahabali’s position would have done the same because he considers the body, the activities in the world as real. Mahabali was a realized jeevan muktha who knew that all these are mere illusions in the non-dual reality of Lord who alone existed, one without a second. It is this knowledge and liberated state which made Mahabali maintain equipoise and happy at all times.
Mahabali also here is making a strong point that what is important for a seeker is constant contemplation of the ultimate reality of Lord. It is not important when the seeker contemplates on the Lord as his love or as his enemy. Whatever be the attitude of contemplation, the effect that the seeker will get is liberation from the bondages of samsaara. Kamsa among other asuras is a perfect example of a person getting liberation by constant contemplation of the ultimate reality of Lord by vidvesha or enmity.
What is required by the seeker is remembrance of the ultimate reality of Lord at all times & thereby ignoring the activities of the world as temporary, futile and illusory. The world which is ever changing cannot give eternal bliss to the seeker because it is not permanent. Thus a seeker after knowing the world to be changing and temporary seeks the eternal and changeless reality of Lord. This seeking of the Lord is nothing but constantly remembering the ultimate reality of Lord at all times without any break.
If the Lord has been realized through enmity, then what to speak about the attitude of devotion? It took years for kamsa to realize the Lord (when the Lord killed the ego of kamsa) but for a devotee like Prahlaada it took hardly any time. Thus Bhagavatham here is pointing out that the attitude is not as important as contemplation but if a seeker is able to contemplate on the Lord by devotion and knowledge that is the best action by a seeker towards realization.
We will continue with the story in the next day.
Explanation
Ramana Maharshi used to say again and again that peace is the sole criterion for finding a Mahatma. Here we find in Mahaabali a perfect jeevanmuktha and Mahatma. A jeevan muktha is ever immersed in the ultimate reality of Lord. He always contemplates on the ultimate reality that there is nothing apart from the Lord. As he knows that there is nothing apart from the Lord, he sees everything as an illusion of names and forms in the ultimate reality of Lord. For a person who sees everything as the Lord, there is neither likes nor dislikes. As a result, there is neither happiness nor sorrow for such a person. Therefore such a jeevan muktha is unaffected by the activities in the world. He is a mere witness to all the activities of the world. Thus there is no sense of “I” and “mine” which cause happiness and sorrow. Thereby the jeevan muktha maintains his calm at all times – nothing can affect or disturb the equanimity of the mental state of the jeevan muktha. Sankara calls the mind of a jeevan muktha as an ocean without waves. Ocean is the mind where the waves of thoughts come and go. But for the jeevan muktha the waves have subdued and thereby it is ever calm. Whatever thoughts arise in the mind of the jeevan muktha will be associated with the thought about the ultimate reality of Lord with knowledge that everything is but an illusion in the ultimate reality of non-dual Lord. Thus there is no disturbance or turbulence in the mind of the jeevan muktha.
All problems at the empirical level arises when there is a turbulence in the mind. This is caused by some or the other thoughts causing a ripple in the mind. This is in the form of either happy or sorrowful thoughts. When something good happens, it causes a happy ripple causing the seeker to become excited and overly happy. On the other hand, when something bad happens it causes a bad ripple making the seeker get sad and disappointed. When the mind enters into such turbulence and ups-downs, it becomes disturbed from its natural state. As the pendulum string is disturbed when it is moved to one end & this disturbance continues until it comes back to the equilibrium state, similarly when there are thoughts in the mind of the seeker, it becomes a disturbance and subdues only when the mind rests with those thoughts vanishing.
Bliss is rejoiced only when the mind is in natural state of calmness and without any turbulence. This is what we enjoy during the state of deep sleep as there are no thoughts at all in that state. But in the waking state, our mind goes through different types of thoughts & thereby we tend to become either happy or sad. When the seeker remembers the ultimate reality of Lord and that there is nothing here apart from the Lord, the mind is ever calm with this thought about the Lord. The mind never gets into any kind of turbulence or disturbance. Since the mind is ever in its natural and calm state, there will ever be happiness and bliss in such a seeker. The face is the mirror of the mind – hence the face of such a person will always shine with bliss whatever be the situation and mental state the seeker is in.
Thus Bhagavatham mentions here that Mahaabali’s face was ever shining with bliss even when the Lord bound him with the rope and the Lord treated him harshly with words. It is this calm and ever blissful state that we all are trying to develop. This is possible through one and only one way which is constant remembrance of the ultimate reality of Lord that there is nothing here but the Lord alone exists, one without a second.
We will continue in the next day as to what Bali replies to the Lord’s harsh statements.
Hearing the Lord’s harsh words, Mahabali replied without any change of expression thus:
O Lord! If you think that I am not true to my words, I will make sure that the words become true. Place your feet on my head as the third feet of land. You who behave as an enemy to the asuras are in fact their hidden Guru because you show them the temporary and futility of the world. If they are able to contemplate on you in their minds even by enmity, still they will be liberated. In such a case, what to speak about the state of devotees who are always contemplating on you through love???
Explanation
We saw in the last day the Lord using harsh words to Mahabali for not keeping his word of giving three feet of land as the Lord has covered the entire world with two strides of his feet (as Virat). The Lord had then bound Mahabali using Varuna paasa (rope) and called Garuda as well. All of this didn’t have any effect on Mahabali who was ever the same – there was not even the slightest of change in expression in the face of Mahabali. This is the state of a realized saint – he is ever immersed in the ultimate reality of Lord. He knows that the world is only an illusion of names and forms in the ultimate reality of Lord. Therefore he is not at all affected by the activities in the world – instead he is ever rejoicing in bliss which is his very nature of Lord. It is only when we consider the world as real and get associated with it that we tend to become affected by the activities in the world. But for Mahabali, he knew that everything is but an illusion & the world is temporary appearance of names/forms in the ultimate reality of Lord. Therefore there was no question of getting affected by the activities in the world.
It is this state of a realized saint that we all as seekers are striving to achieve. It is this state of being ever-immersed in the ultimate reality of Lord thereby remaining unaffected and a mere witness to all the activities of the world that Vedanta calls as moksha or liberation. Liberation is not going to a particular place like Vaikunta or Kailas to enjoy sensual pleasures & thereby escaping from the bondages and sorrows in the bhoo loka. Liberation is realization of the non-dual reality of Lord as the one and only entity existing – and as the substratum of the illusory world. It is the state that we find kings like Mahabali, saints like Sankara etc. ever established in. Even though Mahabali was bound by the Lord and the Lord used harsh words, Mahabali was unaffected by the activities because he knew that all these are mere illusions in the ultimate reality of Lord which is his very nature of Consciousness. If Mahabali wanted, he could have counter attacked the Lord by telling that he had offered to give three feet of land to the dwarf Vamana and not to Virat form of the Lord. But Mahabali didn’t do that. A worldly person if he was in Mahabali’s position would have done the same because he considers the body, the activities in the world as real. Mahabali was a realized jeevan muktha who knew that all these are mere illusions in the non-dual reality of Lord who alone existed, one without a second. It is this knowledge and liberated state which made Mahabali maintain equipoise and happy at all times.
Mahabali also here is making a strong point that what is important for a seeker is constant contemplation of the ultimate reality of Lord. It is not important when the seeker contemplates on the Lord as his love or as his enemy. Whatever be the attitude of contemplation, the effect that the seeker will get is liberation from the bondages of samsaara. Kamsa among other asuras is a perfect example of a person getting liberation by constant contemplation of the ultimate reality of Lord by vidvesha or enmity.
What is required by the seeker is remembrance of the ultimate reality of Lord at all times & thereby ignoring the activities of the world as temporary, futile and illusory. The world which is ever changing cannot give eternal bliss to the seeker because it is not permanent. Thus a seeker after knowing the world to be changing and temporary seeks the eternal and changeless reality of Lord. This seeking of the Lord is nothing but constantly remembering the ultimate reality of Lord at all times without any break.
If the Lord has been realized through enmity, then what to speak about the attitude of devotion? It took years for kamsa to realize the Lord (when the Lord killed the ego of kamsa) but for a devotee like Prahlaada it took hardly any time. Thus Bhagavatham here is pointing out that the attitude is not as important as contemplation but if a seeker is able to contemplate on the Lord by devotion and knowledge that is the best action by a seeker towards realization.
We will continue with the story in the next day.
# posted by vedanta : 6:53 PM
