Srimad Bhagavatham

Baana who had fled earlier now came in his chariot to face Krishna. The Lord cut down Baana’s hands with his Chakra even as a person cuts down the branches of a tree. Seeing that Baana’s hands were cut and knowing that Baana’s death was near, bhaktha-valsala (protector and dear to his devotees) Siva came in between and started singing praises of Krishna.

Explanation

We find here Baana going on to fight again with the Lord. This is what many of us do most of the times. Though we know something will not work out, we will still try all the means in the world to get what we want. If only this strong persistence to our goals were there for the ultimate goal of moksha, we would be realized very soon. Unfortunately our persistence is towards worldly goals. Worldly goals will only create more and more craving in us. Trying to put an end to worldly desires by enjoying them is like trying to put an end to fire by pouring ghee into it – the more a person pours ghee, the stronger fire will become. Similarly the more a person enjoys worldly desires, more desires will be created – thus a person will get weaved in an endless web of desires.

The scriptures aren’t against enjoying worldly pleasures but remembering the sorrowful nature of the world while enjoying worldly pleasures (dharma aviruddho bhootheshu kamosmi bharatharshabha – desire that is not against the non-dual reality of Lord is me O Arjuna).

This has been mentioned in simple words by Ramana Maharshi thus in Upadesa Saram:

Ishwara arpitham na icchaya kritham
Chittha shodakam mukthi saadhakam

Actions done as an offering unto Ishwara and without craving any fruit in return purifies the mind and thereby helps in liberation.

Thus a seeker just has to add the ultimate reality of Lord in the form of offering all actions unto Ishwara while enjoying even sensual pleasures – this will ensure that such a seeker is always protected by the Lord. Even the gravest danger couldn’t affect such a seeker as he is protected by all-pervasive, blissful Lord who controls the entire illusory world.

Here we find Lord Siva coming to the rescue of Baana. Even though Baana got egoistic still he had initially surrendered unto the Lord (his ego was as a result of his own foolishness). A person who worships the Lord through constant contemplation and has surrendered completely unto the Lord will always be protected by the Lord. It is the Lord’s duty and very nature to protect those who are ever immersed in him. We find many asuras like Kamsa among others being liberated from sorrow by the Lord into the state of eternal bliss (Mahabali is the best example for this). We can add Baana as well to this list of people whose surrender unto the Lord has protected them at all times.

This means that if by chance we becoming egoistic yet not letting go of the Lord, then the Lord will be there to protect us – but do we have to get to that state wherein we commit a mistake? No – as seekers of the ultimate reality of Lord we should always be focused on the Lord with the knowledge that this entire world is just an illusion of names and forms in the Lord. This knowledge will ensure that there is no sort of ego or dual notion – a seeker who always remembers this will be able to do external activities in the best possible way all the while contemplating on the non-dual Lord in the mind. Such a seeker does actions like an actor does actions while portraying his role in a movie – portraying the role to perfection while internally ever abiding in the knowledge about one’s true nature. Similarly such a seeker will do all activities externally while ever rejoicing in bliss in the mind with contemplation of the ultimate truth that the Lord alone exists here, one without a second.

We will see the praise of Lord Siva tomorrow and try to briefly touch upon the most controversial question of “which Lord is greater”.

Let us try to offer ourselves completely unto the Lord by contemplating on the non-dual Lord as pervading the world so that we may be able to get rid of sorrow and rejoice in bliss.

Siva praised Lord Krishna thus:

You are Brahman of the nature of indivisible and immovable Consciousness. You are the supreme cause and substratum of this world. You are the light behind the entire world (existence of the world depends on you). You are the reality residing in the scriptures (the world itself). One who gets rid of dual notions and perceives you like space (unassociated, untainted and unaffected from everything) will get eternal bliss.

Explanation

Siva here speaks about the nature of the ultimate reality of Lord. If a person has to go beyond sorrow and ever rejoice in blissful Lord, the Lord says that two things are essential to be implemented in the below sloka:

Mayyeva mana aadhatsva mayi buddhim niveshaya
Nivasishyasi mayyeva atah urdhvam na samshayah

Fix your mind unto me; fix your intellect unto me; thereby you will ever abide in me, there is no doubt regarding this.

Fixing the mind unto Ishwara means constantly remembering the Lord even as a mother always thinks about her child and a lover always thinks about his/her love. Fixing the intellect means knowing the nature of Ishwara as all-pervasive non-dual reality behind the illusory names and forms (collectively called world).

Thus in order to ever rejoice in blissful Lord, we need to remember the nature of the Lord. This is the reason why we find praises of the Lord in each and every story of Bhagavatham. Here Siva beautifully summarizes as to what we have to remember as the nature of the Lord.

The Lord is termed as Brahman in the scriptures (it is ok if we don’t remember the word “Brahman”). The word Brahman is derived as “brihattvaat, brimhanattvaat vaa brahma” – that which is very huge (infinitely huge as it is the entire world), that which is seen as the external world (the world is only an illusion of names and forms in the Lord).

The various words of Lord, Brahman, Ishwara etc. all stand for the one entity which is all-pervasive (non-dual reality behind the illusory world). An entity which is real should exist and experience its own existence (a rock exists but it cannot experience its own existence) – that which experiences its own existence is Consciousness alone. Consciousness is that which pulsates inside each of us as “I-exist, I-exist” – Consciousness is the light behind all existences – everything exists because of the light of Consciousness. The Sun, the moon, fire etc. and any other light sources shine because of the light of Consciousness – without Consciousness, nothing exists at all. Thus the Lord is of the nature of Consciousness.

The Lord is all-pervasive – that which is present everywhere cannot move and hence the Lord is immovable. That which is immovable also is indivisible as division is with respect to either time or space. The Lord is beyond time due to being eternal; the Lord is all-pervasive and hence beyond space.

We will continue with the explanation of the Lord’s nature in the next day.

Let us remember the nature of Lord as all-pervasive, immovable and indivisible Consciousness so that we will ever abide in blissful Lord through constant contemplation of Lord (along with remembering the Lord’s nature).