Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Story 18 - Worship of Deities for various fruits
Srimad Bhagavatham - A Spiritual Insight - Story 18 - Worship of Deities for various fruits
Shuka continues:
For getting indraloka or heaven, worship Indra. A person desiring prajaas (or future generations) should worship Prajaapathi or Brahma. One who wants aishwarya or prosperity should worship Devi Maya (the power of Brahman or God). One should worship the Vasus if one requires splendor or Tejas. One should worship the children of Aditi (the twelve Adityaas) for good children. For long-life or Ayus, one should worship the Aswini Devataas. One who desires to have good form should worship the Gandharvaas. One who desires for women or pleasure from women should worship the apsara Urvashi. For good family life, one should worship Uma or Parvathi. For Knowledge, one should worship Siva.
(thus Shuka enumerates more worship also to various deities for getting the required results). Shuka concludes thus:
A person whether he is desireless or has many desires or desires for liberation should worship the Supreme Lord through strong and supreme devotion.
He whose mind is purified by the knowledge about the Lord and all actions has fallen off from him, all gunas have ceased to work and the person is established in the Self – such a person will follow devotion to the ultimate reality of Lord at all times and therefore how will he not be interested in hearing the glories of the Lord?
Explanation
Srimad Bhagavatham here beautifully brings out a very important aspect for the seeker.
Each and every person in the world has desires. It is very rare to find a person who has no desires at all. Either such a person is mad or he is a realized being. The mad person is completely ignorant about things whereas the jnaani is fully aware of the illusory world and its objects but knows them to be illusion and hence doesn’t crave for them. In the first sight or external perception, a jnaani and a mad man will seem to be the same. But a little analysis and discrimination will show that the mad man is fully in tamas or ignorance whereas the jnaani is in Sattva or consciousness or illumination. Both places, there will be inactivity. One case, inactivity is due to malfunctioning of the sense organs and the inner instruments whereas in the other case inactivity is due to complete cessation of desires.
It is desire that propels a person to actions. All actions are performed with some motive. This motive is the craving for some fruits. Only when desires end, actions will end. Till then, actions will continue. Actions are not bad by themselves but when actions are performed with the sense of doership, the fruits also will affect the doer. Since “I” attach myself as the person posting about Srimad Bhagavatham, the fruits also will come to me. When a person replies back telling the article is very good, “I” (the Ego here) becomes happy. But when another person criticizes the article saying that this point you have mentioned is not right, “I” become sad. This sorrow and happiness arose only because of the doership. The moment I realize that the doer is the Ego alone whereas “I” am the witness to the actions. Sorrow and happiness affect the doer whereas I am that which gives sorrow and happiness light. If “I” cease to exist, there is no happiness or sorrow. But even when happiness and sorrow are not there, “I” exist. Therefore, “I” am unaffected by happiness and sorrow. This realization dawns only when the sense of doership vanishes. This vanishes when the actions are offered to the Lord and the seeker says that “I” am just an instrument in the hands of the Lord. Thus, the great saying that “man proposes, God alone disposes”. We decide many things but nothing happens – whatever the Lord decides, it happens. Therefore, why should I worry about these? When this attitude is followed and the seeker offers all actions to the Lord, he is not affected the fruit of the action. If something good happens, it is God’s grace. If something bad happens, it is God’s wish. Since, I have surrender to the Lord, it is HIS duty to protect me (which he has done and illustrated in the lives of great Mahatmas and saints). And he is the substratum of the world, the creator and protector of the world. Therefore, he knows better than me as to what is good for me. Therefore it is proclaimed in the scriptures that one should surrender completely unto the Lord and offer all actions unto him. Whatever are the fruits, whether good or bad, are his blessings – hence they can never give sorrow to the individual.
When this attitude is followed, slowly the sense of Ego or doership vanishes and the Lord who is sitting in the heart of the seeker shines forth as Bliss. The seeker therefore slowly gets the bliss which starts emanating from his heart. The culmination of this is what is termed as realization when the seeker realizes that the Lord whom I was surrendering to is my own Self and I am that Lord, there is no difference between Me and HIM, there is no duality but only the Lord of the nature of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute exists.
Thus, as mentioned desires are the cause of actions and the sense of doership which causes sorrow and sufferings. Thus, it is essential to eradicate desires completely. But initially a seeker might not be able to root out all desires. Therefore, scriptures give a relaxation here and states that one can have those desires which don’t obstruct the path of spirituality (which are not against dharma which is realization of Lord who is one’s own very nature). Thus the desires to earn, the desire to have children and look after them are all valid and a seeker can have them initially. But ultimately, all these desires have to be renounced for the ultimate goal of realization of Lord.
For the initial seeker, various deities are mentioned whose propitiation will lead to the attainment of specific fruits. All these help only in the empirical and material level. Material or sensual pleasures and craving for external sense objects will never end as the desires will go on building on and on. One desire will lead to 10 other desires and these will again lead to 100 desires. This will continue ceaselessly.
Then, what is the way out of these cyclic desires?
This is stated by Shuka itself. Those who have desires or those who don’t have desires or those who have the desire for liberation or cessation of sorrow should remember the ultimate reality and be devoted to the ultimate reality of Lord. Here three types of people are being mentioned. One is the normal person who has lot of desires, the second is the realized being who has no desire at all, the third is the mumukshu or one who desires liberation. For each of these, contemplation of the Lord is being propounded. For the realized being, there is nothing but the Lord alone and hence each moment he contemplates on the Lord alone. The person who desires liberation will surely do contemplation on the Lord, remember the Lord at all times, singing his glories etc.
But those who have desires (worldly) should also contemplate and be devoted to the Lord because this alone will lead to the ultimate goal of permanent and eternal bliss. The worldly objects can never confer eternal bliss as the objects themselves are temporary (they seem to be present today and will vanish tomorrow like the material car which a person has today but will be damaged and vanish tomorrow surely). Thus, the one and only thing in the world which can confer eternal bliss which is final goal of human life (every human being) is the Lord and contemplation on the Lord. Therefore, Bhagavatham says that when a person has desires, at that time also the individual should offer the action to the Lord, offer the desire to the Lord and then crave for things. Slowly the desires will vanish and the individual will rejoice in the eternal bliss of the Self.
Thus, what is required is not going to a secluded place and taking sanyaas but constant remembrance of the Lord even when desires are there. When the seeker desires for promotion, he should have the desire but add the thought that “O Lord! I offer this desire to you, if you feel I should get it, then let me get it. If you feel I should not get it, then let me not get it”. The important thing to be noted here is that if the individual has this attitude, then it will never happen that the individual will not get promotion. This can be experienced by each and every devotee. The Lord takes care of the needs of the devotee. The devotee needs just to think about a thing and the Lord will bring the object to the devotee. This is the glory of the Lord and contemplation on the Lord.
Another thing which Bhagavatham points out here is that if we pray to a God for a particular desire, we will get that desire alone. But if we contemplate on the Lord who is the creator of the various gods, then all desires will be satisfied. If the gate keeper of the palace of a king is pleased, then the individual will get the privilege of entering in and out of the palace at any time. Only this will be achieved. Instead, if the individual pleases the king, then he gets the maximum privilege in the kingdom and his words become powerful and his desires are satisfied by each and every person in the palace and kingdom. This is what is the importance of contemplation on the Lord rather than on the individual Gods for meek worldly desires.
A story is said about a king who used to give daana (alms – whatever was being asked – mostly money) to whoever came to him asking for it. One day a person went to the king for asking some money. The gate keepers took him to the room of the king and told that the king was praying to the Lord and thus he should wait for the king to come. The king was at that time praying to the Lord that “O Lord! Give me enough money so that I may be able to give it to those who ask for it”. The person overheard this. The king after his prayer came to the person and asked him how much money he wanted? The person replied “you yourself are a beggar asking from the Lord, so I will directly get it from the Lord from whom you are getting money”.
Thus, if a person prays to the Lord, he gets his all desires satisfied and hence he need not go for worship of many deities. The advantage that a devotee gets by praying to the ultimate reality of Lord is that he also gets the added fruit of moksha or liberation (if the proper attitude is followed).
The God or Lord mentioned here is not of any particular form but he is the all-pervading Lord from whom this world has come, in whom the world exists and unto whom the world merges at the time of destruction. Such an all-pervading Lord is present in each and every object. Whatever is present here is the Lord alone. Therefore, each and every action is an offering to the Lord. As everything is the Lord, there remains no particular thirst for the fruits of the actions and hence desires completely vanish in course of time. Such a contemplation of the Lord is real devotion which is mentioned in Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatham.
Let us all try to contemplate on the Lord – even if there are desires, let them be there. But let us remember the Lord and offer these desires also unto him. Constant remembrance alone is required here and not going to temples or spending money on archanaas and poojaas. Just constant remembrance of the Lord when each action is performed alone is required.
A real devotee thus will always be engrossed in contemplation of the Lord at all times (this is what shuka says in the last verse). And therefore, all his desires will be satisfied and he will ever rejoice in the eternal bliss of the Lord (which is the final goal of all desires and actions in human life).
Shuka continues:
For getting indraloka or heaven, worship Indra. A person desiring prajaas (or future generations) should worship Prajaapathi or Brahma. One who wants aishwarya or prosperity should worship Devi Maya (the power of Brahman or God). One should worship the Vasus if one requires splendor or Tejas. One should worship the children of Aditi (the twelve Adityaas) for good children. For long-life or Ayus, one should worship the Aswini Devataas. One who desires to have good form should worship the Gandharvaas. One who desires for women or pleasure from women should worship the apsara Urvashi. For good family life, one should worship Uma or Parvathi. For Knowledge, one should worship Siva.
(thus Shuka enumerates more worship also to various deities for getting the required results). Shuka concludes thus:
A person whether he is desireless or has many desires or desires for liberation should worship the Supreme Lord through strong and supreme devotion.
He whose mind is purified by the knowledge about the Lord and all actions has fallen off from him, all gunas have ceased to work and the person is established in the Self – such a person will follow devotion to the ultimate reality of Lord at all times and therefore how will he not be interested in hearing the glories of the Lord?
Explanation
Srimad Bhagavatham here beautifully brings out a very important aspect for the seeker.
Each and every person in the world has desires. It is very rare to find a person who has no desires at all. Either such a person is mad or he is a realized being. The mad person is completely ignorant about things whereas the jnaani is fully aware of the illusory world and its objects but knows them to be illusion and hence doesn’t crave for them. In the first sight or external perception, a jnaani and a mad man will seem to be the same. But a little analysis and discrimination will show that the mad man is fully in tamas or ignorance whereas the jnaani is in Sattva or consciousness or illumination. Both places, there will be inactivity. One case, inactivity is due to malfunctioning of the sense organs and the inner instruments whereas in the other case inactivity is due to complete cessation of desires.
It is desire that propels a person to actions. All actions are performed with some motive. This motive is the craving for some fruits. Only when desires end, actions will end. Till then, actions will continue. Actions are not bad by themselves but when actions are performed with the sense of doership, the fruits also will affect the doer. Since “I” attach myself as the person posting about Srimad Bhagavatham, the fruits also will come to me. When a person replies back telling the article is very good, “I” (the Ego here) becomes happy. But when another person criticizes the article saying that this point you have mentioned is not right, “I” become sad. This sorrow and happiness arose only because of the doership. The moment I realize that the doer is the Ego alone whereas “I” am the witness to the actions. Sorrow and happiness affect the doer whereas I am that which gives sorrow and happiness light. If “I” cease to exist, there is no happiness or sorrow. But even when happiness and sorrow are not there, “I” exist. Therefore, “I” am unaffected by happiness and sorrow. This realization dawns only when the sense of doership vanishes. This vanishes when the actions are offered to the Lord and the seeker says that “I” am just an instrument in the hands of the Lord. Thus, the great saying that “man proposes, God alone disposes”. We decide many things but nothing happens – whatever the Lord decides, it happens. Therefore, why should I worry about these? When this attitude is followed and the seeker offers all actions to the Lord, he is not affected the fruit of the action. If something good happens, it is God’s grace. If something bad happens, it is God’s wish. Since, I have surrender to the Lord, it is HIS duty to protect me (which he has done and illustrated in the lives of great Mahatmas and saints). And he is the substratum of the world, the creator and protector of the world. Therefore, he knows better than me as to what is good for me. Therefore it is proclaimed in the scriptures that one should surrender completely unto the Lord and offer all actions unto him. Whatever are the fruits, whether good or bad, are his blessings – hence they can never give sorrow to the individual.
When this attitude is followed, slowly the sense of Ego or doership vanishes and the Lord who is sitting in the heart of the seeker shines forth as Bliss. The seeker therefore slowly gets the bliss which starts emanating from his heart. The culmination of this is what is termed as realization when the seeker realizes that the Lord whom I was surrendering to is my own Self and I am that Lord, there is no difference between Me and HIM, there is no duality but only the Lord of the nature of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute exists.
Thus, as mentioned desires are the cause of actions and the sense of doership which causes sorrow and sufferings. Thus, it is essential to eradicate desires completely. But initially a seeker might not be able to root out all desires. Therefore, scriptures give a relaxation here and states that one can have those desires which don’t obstruct the path of spirituality (which are not against dharma which is realization of Lord who is one’s own very nature). Thus the desires to earn, the desire to have children and look after them are all valid and a seeker can have them initially. But ultimately, all these desires have to be renounced for the ultimate goal of realization of Lord.
For the initial seeker, various deities are mentioned whose propitiation will lead to the attainment of specific fruits. All these help only in the empirical and material level. Material or sensual pleasures and craving for external sense objects will never end as the desires will go on building on and on. One desire will lead to 10 other desires and these will again lead to 100 desires. This will continue ceaselessly.
Then, what is the way out of these cyclic desires?
This is stated by Shuka itself. Those who have desires or those who don’t have desires or those who have the desire for liberation or cessation of sorrow should remember the ultimate reality and be devoted to the ultimate reality of Lord. Here three types of people are being mentioned. One is the normal person who has lot of desires, the second is the realized being who has no desire at all, the third is the mumukshu or one who desires liberation. For each of these, contemplation of the Lord is being propounded. For the realized being, there is nothing but the Lord alone and hence each moment he contemplates on the Lord alone. The person who desires liberation will surely do contemplation on the Lord, remember the Lord at all times, singing his glories etc.
But those who have desires (worldly) should also contemplate and be devoted to the Lord because this alone will lead to the ultimate goal of permanent and eternal bliss. The worldly objects can never confer eternal bliss as the objects themselves are temporary (they seem to be present today and will vanish tomorrow like the material car which a person has today but will be damaged and vanish tomorrow surely). Thus, the one and only thing in the world which can confer eternal bliss which is final goal of human life (every human being) is the Lord and contemplation on the Lord. Therefore, Bhagavatham says that when a person has desires, at that time also the individual should offer the action to the Lord, offer the desire to the Lord and then crave for things. Slowly the desires will vanish and the individual will rejoice in the eternal bliss of the Self.
Thus, what is required is not going to a secluded place and taking sanyaas but constant remembrance of the Lord even when desires are there. When the seeker desires for promotion, he should have the desire but add the thought that “O Lord! I offer this desire to you, if you feel I should get it, then let me get it. If you feel I should not get it, then let me not get it”. The important thing to be noted here is that if the individual has this attitude, then it will never happen that the individual will not get promotion. This can be experienced by each and every devotee. The Lord takes care of the needs of the devotee. The devotee needs just to think about a thing and the Lord will bring the object to the devotee. This is the glory of the Lord and contemplation on the Lord.
Another thing which Bhagavatham points out here is that if we pray to a God for a particular desire, we will get that desire alone. But if we contemplate on the Lord who is the creator of the various gods, then all desires will be satisfied. If the gate keeper of the palace of a king is pleased, then the individual will get the privilege of entering in and out of the palace at any time. Only this will be achieved. Instead, if the individual pleases the king, then he gets the maximum privilege in the kingdom and his words become powerful and his desires are satisfied by each and every person in the palace and kingdom. This is what is the importance of contemplation on the Lord rather than on the individual Gods for meek worldly desires.
A story is said about a king who used to give daana (alms – whatever was being asked – mostly money) to whoever came to him asking for it. One day a person went to the king for asking some money. The gate keepers took him to the room of the king and told that the king was praying to the Lord and thus he should wait for the king to come. The king was at that time praying to the Lord that “O Lord! Give me enough money so that I may be able to give it to those who ask for it”. The person overheard this. The king after his prayer came to the person and asked him how much money he wanted? The person replied “you yourself are a beggar asking from the Lord, so I will directly get it from the Lord from whom you are getting money”.
Thus, if a person prays to the Lord, he gets his all desires satisfied and hence he need not go for worship of many deities. The advantage that a devotee gets by praying to the ultimate reality of Lord is that he also gets the added fruit of moksha or liberation (if the proper attitude is followed).
The God or Lord mentioned here is not of any particular form but he is the all-pervading Lord from whom this world has come, in whom the world exists and unto whom the world merges at the time of destruction. Such an all-pervading Lord is present in each and every object. Whatever is present here is the Lord alone. Therefore, each and every action is an offering to the Lord. As everything is the Lord, there remains no particular thirst for the fruits of the actions and hence desires completely vanish in course of time. Such a contemplation of the Lord is real devotion which is mentioned in Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatham.
Let us all try to contemplate on the Lord – even if there are desires, let them be there. But let us remember the Lord and offer these desires also unto him. Constant remembrance alone is required here and not going to temples or spending money on archanaas and poojaas. Just constant remembrance of the Lord when each action is performed alone is required.
A real devotee thus will always be engrossed in contemplation of the Lord at all times (this is what shuka says in the last verse). And therefore, all his desires will be satisfied and he will ever rejoice in the eternal bliss of the Lord (which is the final goal of all desires and actions in human life).
# posted by vedanta : 9:42 AM
