Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Story 27 - Story of Daksha Prajaapathi - 3
Srimad Bhagavatham - A Spiritual Insight - Story 27 - Story of Daksha Prajaapathi - 3
When Virabhadra and others created havoc in the place of sacrifice and returned, all the Devas including Brahma went to Kailash to praise Lord Siva and calm him down.
They went to Kailash and Brahma thus said:
You are the Lord of the Universe who is the creator and material cause of the world and who is the ultimate reality of Brahman propounded in the Upanishads.
You are the Lord who is split into two as Shiva and Shakthi (Shiva denotes Brahman and Shakthi denotes Maya) – and with this form of yours, you create the world like a spider creates web out of itself as a play.
Brahma thus praises the Lord in different ways and concludes by telling that a seeker who surrenders completely to the Lord is not affected by anger at any point of time. Thus he very easily realizes the ultimate reality of Lord.
Saying thus, Brahma asked Lord Siva to accept the offering of the sacrifice thereby completing the sacrifice started by Daksha.
Explanation
Here again Srimad Bhagavatham emphasizes that all puranas and scriptures don’t discriminate between Siva and Vishnu – both are the ultimate reality of Brahman alone. It is only due to ignorance and KAAMA or RAAGA towards either of these Lords that a person enters into arguments and fights regarding who is great and who is not great. Such people are really condemned by Sri Krishna in Gita as well as in the Vedas.
As we have already discussed, the ultimate reality of Lord can never be contained into a form whether it be the form of Vishnu or the form of Siva. All these forms are meant to direct the seeker to the ultimate reality of Brahman which is formless through meditation and contemplation on the particular form. Sri Krishna very clearly in the 12th chapter of Gita says that it is tough indeed to contemplate on the formless and hence various forms are mentioned for the normal seeker. While contemplating on any form, it has to be remembered that the form is not real but the entity behind the form which is of the nature of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute is only real which is termed by Vedantins as Brahman and by devotees as Lord or Bhagavan. Both these terms are not different, it is only the attitude or the vision which is different that makes the object to seem different. Thus Lord Siva and Lord Vishnu are one and the same. This is very clearly mentioned in Skanda Upanishad which says
Yathaa Shivamayo vishnurevam vishnumayo shivah
Yathaantharam na pashyaami tathaa me svasthiraayushi
As Siva is filled with Vishnu, so is Vishnu is filled with Siva (filled with means both are equal or both are inseparable) – He who sees difference, he doesn’t realize me as he is not established in the reality of Lord (so says the Lord in Skanda Upanishad).
There can be many other statements or quotes from Upanishads and Puranas which will clearly show that there is really no difference between both Lords as both are forms alone. We have already seen in Bhagavatham in the part of AVATAARAS where Bhagavatham clearly mentioned that Avatar is taking form or manifestation of the formless Lord. The Lord is always formless and can never be limited to a form. All forms are meant to be removed when the seeker progresses in the path of spirituality.
Forms are mentioned for contemplation alone. While contemplating the seeker sees the form everywhere. When the seeker sees everything as that particular form, then there is no difference seen – when there is no difference or duality perceived as such, the seeker is saved from likes and dislikes – when there is no like and dislike the seeker’s mind is purified – when the mind is purified, the seeker gets a Guru and learns from the Guru absorbing fully whatever the Guru says – thus the seeker puts the words of the Guru into practice & thereby realizes that there is only the Lord here. Since there is only the Lord, how can there be any form as form means there are two entities, one being the form and other being that which limits the form? Thus the seeker realizes that whatever ONENESS he was perceiving as part of SADHANA is the ultimate reality!!!
This is what is the real effect or purpose of having various form Gods like Vishnu, Siva etc. in Hinduism. Let us all try to remember this reality about FORMS each and every moment so that we may not fight amongst each other in the name of various Gods (who are meant for concentration but still will lead to fight or divertion in case this reality is not known).
In order to emphasize this reality that FORMS are only meant for concentration, what is meant through Siva is the same as Brahman who is also meant through the four-handed Vishnu, Srimad Bhagavatham clearly says through Lord Brahma that Siva is none other than Brahman alone.
What is the difference between Siva and Shakthi?
Vedanta always tries to put forth the import through various examples and illustrations. Siva means auspicious entity and that which is dearly loved by all is the most auspicious entity. Such an entity is none other than the Self or Brahman or Lord as it is being sought each and every moment by every person in the world in the form of HAPPINESS or ETERNAL BLISS. Thus Siva denotes the ultimate reality of Brahman. Shakthi means power – Brahman is endowed with the illusory power of Maya – that which is mainly responsible for the creation of the dual world & the cause for the individual seeker to be deluded into the external objects. This Maya is not different from Brahman because it has no real existence but is only an illusion seen in the reality of Brahman. When the world and its creations are seen, it is the power of Brahman working – when the ultimate reality of Lord is realized, there is no Maya or power of Brahman but Brahman alone, one without a second.
Thus both these terms are meant to consolidate the entire Vedantic essence that Siva is the ultimate reality of Brahman and Shakthi is the power of Brahman which deludes people. It is Maya that obstructs the reality of Brahman so that the seeker is unable to grasp the reality of Brahman or Lord.
How to conquer Maya?
Maya is conquered when the seeker contemplates on the ultimate reality of Brahman in whom the power of Maya is superimposed as a snake is superimposed on the rope. Thus Bhagavatham says that when a seeker contemplates on the ultimate reality of Lord each and every moment, Maya is overcome (overcome means that the reality is known that there is no Maya at all!!!) and the ultimate reality of Lord is realized.
When Maya is not overcome, all problems are present. These problems are symbolized through the story of Daksha whereby each and every person is fighting with one another in the name of fame, ego etc. This is what is currently happening in the world – religions are fighting amongst each other in the name of religion (when all religions clearly say that there is only Brahman and love all people, still people attribute the fight for the religion!!! Is there any other way of degrading religion other than this???) – Brothers are fighting amongst each other – father and son are fighting for money and wealth. All these problems are being depicted through the story of Daksha. We cannot attribute all these problems to limited individuals like the terrorists etc. The real cause of the problem is the Mind of each individual. The mind is filled with the impurities of likes and dislikes which are born out of dual perception. The moment a person sees oneness everywhere, likes and dislikes vanish. When there are no likes and dislikes, there are no problems at all. This is what is to be really achieved through the hearing and implementation of whatever is being told in the story of Daksha in Bhagavatham.
Sri Krishna beautifully explains in a single sloka about the world and how to come out of this illusory world in the 7th chapter:
Daivi hi esha gunamayee mama maayaa duratyaya
Maam eva ye prapadhyanthe mayaam etaam taranthi te
My Maya which is my divine power is composed of the three gunas of Sattva depicting calmness, equanimity etc – Rajas denoting activity and Tamas denoting sluggishness. My Maya is very tough indeed to overcome or cross over. But those who SEEK Me completely, they overcome this Maya very easily.
Krishna uses the word PRAPATTI for overcoming Maya. Prapatthi means complete and total surrender. When there is total and complete surrender, there is no individual seeker present but only the Lord to whom everything is surrendered. When this real surrender of all actions, all fruits, all good and bad to the Lord is performed, the seeker merges into the Lord & whatever remains is the Lord alone. The seeker thus remembers only the Lord at any point of time, he doesn’t even spend a single moment without the thought of Lord – such a seeker realizes the ultimate reality that there is only the Lord here – none other than the Lord exists – all other things are only illusions seen in the Lord even as various things are seen in dream.
Such a seeker will have no doubts, no problems and no sufferings because everything is seen as the Lord. If something good happens, it is seen as the Lord’s grace. If something bad happens, it is seen as Lord’s will. Thus such a seeker maintains equanimity at all times and remembers the ultimate reality that there is nothing here but the Lord alone. Thus he is liberated from the illusory bondages, sorrows and sufferings in the world. This is what is being depicted in the story of Daksha.
After being praised by Brahma, Lord Siva smiled and replied thus:
I was not at all affected by the words of these “children” who are in the delusion of Maya. I was thus playing with them to destroy their Ego completely by giving them punishment. Take the head of the sacrificial goat and fix it on the body of Daksha so that he may live.
Thus the sacrifice was completed successfully and Daksha lived again. Daksha when he woke up was fully out of delusion. Daksha who had considered Siva as his enemy was now ashamed of his activities. He was also sad about his daughter’s death and thereby tears were there in his eyes & his throats were choked so that he could not praise Lord Siva which he wanted to do. But mustering courage, he praised Lord Siva for grace and compassion showered on him.
Daksha thus praised Lord Siva as the ultimate reality of Brahman who seems to be the limited individual called jeeva:
O Lord! You are pure but even then you seem to be limited by the intellect but are of the nature of Consciousness and one alone, seemingly limited by the intellect. You always remain in your own real state of Consciousness also called Purusha in the Upanishads.
Lord Brahma said thus:
Those people who see duality in the world and see only the dual worldly objects, they are unable to grasp the ultimate reality of Consciousness or Lord – Lord can be known only through the eyes of knowledge that “Lord is present everywhere and I am that Lord” – it is only due to Maya that people are unable to realize the ultimate reality which is non-dual Consciousness beyond the dual illusory world.
Explanation
Here we find Srimad Bhagavatham clearly mentioning about a real jnaani and how he will not be affected by the activities in the world. A jnaani is never affected by the activities as he knows the reality that the world is temporary and like the dream world – today the objects in the world exist, tomorrow it will vanish. Thus a wise person will never seek sensual pleasures from the world but will seek the ultimate reality of Lord underlying the world and who is full of eternal bliss. A jnaani is one who is established in the ultimate reality of Lord – he perceives nothing but the Lord alone. For him, there is no duality whatsoever, whatever exists is only the Lord, one without a second. Such a jnaani, as he doesn’t see any duality, is unaffected by actions and the results even as a person acting in a film is not affected by the activities in the film as the actor very well knows that “this is only an acting and I am not any of these”. Similarly a jnaani always has the thought that “I am the Lord, there is nothing here but the Lord alone” – thus contemplating, he does all activities even like a drama player does activities, even as a dreamer does activities – thus he is unaffected by the activities.
An avatar is a person who is beyond jnaana and ajnaana & is full of compassion towards the people in the world. This is the reason why various Mahatmas are still living along with us just to help people realize their own very nature of Lord. They have no particular desires or they don’t seek anything as they are beyond all limitations and are the Lord himself. But since they are full of compassion, they come down to normal people and help them out. This is what is mentioned by Lord Siva that it was his play to root out the Ego in Daksha and save him.
The Ego is the cause of all sorrows and sufferings in the world. Ego is nothing but in the form of “I” and “Mine” due to identification with the body and the mind. This Ego needs to be rooted out if the Self has to be realized as one’s own inner nature and one with the ultimate reality of Lord. This Ego can be rooted out only by complete and total surrender to the ultimate reality of Lord. But the Lord is so compassionate that for some of his devotees (devotee is one who constantly thinks about the Lord – the thought might be that of being an enemy like in Kamsa’s case), he himself helps in rooting out the Ego. This is what happened in the case of Daksha. Daksha had Ego which had to be removed or destroyed – this was done by the Lord through the play of the story which we have heard till now.
Unless the Ego vanishes, a person cannot realize the ultimate reality of Lord because the Lord is beyond all limitations whereas the Ego is limited to a body and mind.
Lord Siva mentions here that he is unaffected by the activities of CHILDREN who are deluded in the grip of Maya. A child denotes immaturity. Those are children who are unable to go beyond the worldly sensual pleasures and seek the eternal Lord underlying the world. They are unaware of the eternal bliss which is hidden in them; which is their own very nature because their attention is all towards the external world. Once a seeker turns his mind inward, he becomes matured enough – and when such a seeker constantly contemplates on the ultimate reality of Lord (beyond time, space and other limitations), he realizes his own very nature of Lord – he then realizes that there is nothing here but the Lord alone. He thus rejoices in the eternal bliss which is the very nature of Lord – this eternal bliss is what is being sought out by each and every person in the world through one means or the other means. But the place where a person searches for eternal bliss is wrong – he is searching eternal bliss in the temporary world. When the world itself is temporary, how can it give eternal bliss? It can never give. But the Lord is eternal and always exists – therefore the Lord alone is capable of conferring eternal bliss.
What is the main cause of problems in life?
The main cause of problem is ignorance of one’s own very nature of Lord. This ignorance causes dual perception in the world. Through dual perception, a person gets likes and dislikes – these likes and dislikes leads to attachment and aversion. Thus starts all sorrows and sufferings in the world. Thereby those who perceive the duality in the world and fail to see the underlying non-dual reality of Lord beneath the dual world will be always having sorrows and sufferings in the world. Such people will never be able to get eternal bliss which is one’s own very nature because of seeing duality and having likes-dislikes. WE have already discussed about Kaama and Krodha & how it will lead to destruction. Thus dual perception will lead to destruction alone. But when a seeker tries to remove the dual perception through seeing oneness in the entire world – the ignorance veil which veils his own very nature of Lord is removed. When this veil is removed, he realizes the ultimate reality of Lord, one without a second and of the nature of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute.
The path for the same doesn’t require any specification or limitation that only Brahmins can do it, only in pure places it should be done etc. It has no limitations at all. What is required is only constant remembrance of the Lord at all points of time, seeing the Lord everywhere and offering all actions unto the Lord. This is what Vedanta calls as Jnaana and the Bhaktaas call as Paraa Bhakthi or supreme devotion. When such a devotion is maintained, there is no problem or sorrows or sufferings as there is only the Lord perceived everywhere. There is no duality whatsoever because all duality has merged into the non-dual reality of Lord. Such a seeker is never affected any activities in the waking world which is a long dream. Thus he is ever steadfast in the reality of Lord. If something good happens, he takes it as God’s grace. If something bad happens, he takes it as God’s will. Thus he is not affected at all by environments, actions and fruits of those actions. Such a person is termed in the Upanishads as a jeevanmukta or a person who is liberated even while living. We are all intrinsically jeevanmuktaas only as our very nature of Lord or Self which is unaffected by all activities and is the mere witness of all activities. But we are unaware of this nature of ours due to ignorance. When ignorance is removed through constant contemplation of the ultimate reality of Lord – there is only bliss, bliss and bliss. This is what Srimad Bhagavatham shows through the story of Daksha – when the Ego was killed through constant contemplation of the Lord with the attitude of enmity, the Lord himself appears before the devotee & bestows eternal bliss to the devotee. Thus Daksha again came to life denoting immortality or eternal life which is realizing one’s own very nature of Self or Consciousness or Lord.
We will conclude Daksha’s story next with some very beautiful and significant mantras in this story (with which the current story concludes).
When Virabhadra and others created havoc in the place of sacrifice and returned, all the Devas including Brahma went to Kailash to praise Lord Siva and calm him down.
They went to Kailash and Brahma thus said:
You are the Lord of the Universe who is the creator and material cause of the world and who is the ultimate reality of Brahman propounded in the Upanishads.
You are the Lord who is split into two as Shiva and Shakthi (Shiva denotes Brahman and Shakthi denotes Maya) – and with this form of yours, you create the world like a spider creates web out of itself as a play.
Brahma thus praises the Lord in different ways and concludes by telling that a seeker who surrenders completely to the Lord is not affected by anger at any point of time. Thus he very easily realizes the ultimate reality of Lord.
Saying thus, Brahma asked Lord Siva to accept the offering of the sacrifice thereby completing the sacrifice started by Daksha.
Explanation
Here again Srimad Bhagavatham emphasizes that all puranas and scriptures don’t discriminate between Siva and Vishnu – both are the ultimate reality of Brahman alone. It is only due to ignorance and KAAMA or RAAGA towards either of these Lords that a person enters into arguments and fights regarding who is great and who is not great. Such people are really condemned by Sri Krishna in Gita as well as in the Vedas.
As we have already discussed, the ultimate reality of Lord can never be contained into a form whether it be the form of Vishnu or the form of Siva. All these forms are meant to direct the seeker to the ultimate reality of Brahman which is formless through meditation and contemplation on the particular form. Sri Krishna very clearly in the 12th chapter of Gita says that it is tough indeed to contemplate on the formless and hence various forms are mentioned for the normal seeker. While contemplating on any form, it has to be remembered that the form is not real but the entity behind the form which is of the nature of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute is only real which is termed by Vedantins as Brahman and by devotees as Lord or Bhagavan. Both these terms are not different, it is only the attitude or the vision which is different that makes the object to seem different. Thus Lord Siva and Lord Vishnu are one and the same. This is very clearly mentioned in Skanda Upanishad which says
Yathaa Shivamayo vishnurevam vishnumayo shivah
Yathaantharam na pashyaami tathaa me svasthiraayushi
As Siva is filled with Vishnu, so is Vishnu is filled with Siva (filled with means both are equal or both are inseparable) – He who sees difference, he doesn’t realize me as he is not established in the reality of Lord (so says the Lord in Skanda Upanishad).
There can be many other statements or quotes from Upanishads and Puranas which will clearly show that there is really no difference between both Lords as both are forms alone. We have already seen in Bhagavatham in the part of AVATAARAS where Bhagavatham clearly mentioned that Avatar is taking form or manifestation of the formless Lord. The Lord is always formless and can never be limited to a form. All forms are meant to be removed when the seeker progresses in the path of spirituality.
Forms are mentioned for contemplation alone. While contemplating the seeker sees the form everywhere. When the seeker sees everything as that particular form, then there is no difference seen – when there is no difference or duality perceived as such, the seeker is saved from likes and dislikes – when there is no like and dislike the seeker’s mind is purified – when the mind is purified, the seeker gets a Guru and learns from the Guru absorbing fully whatever the Guru says – thus the seeker puts the words of the Guru into practice & thereby realizes that there is only the Lord here. Since there is only the Lord, how can there be any form as form means there are two entities, one being the form and other being that which limits the form? Thus the seeker realizes that whatever ONENESS he was perceiving as part of SADHANA is the ultimate reality!!!
This is what is the real effect or purpose of having various form Gods like Vishnu, Siva etc. in Hinduism. Let us all try to remember this reality about FORMS each and every moment so that we may not fight amongst each other in the name of various Gods (who are meant for concentration but still will lead to fight or divertion in case this reality is not known).
In order to emphasize this reality that FORMS are only meant for concentration, what is meant through Siva is the same as Brahman who is also meant through the four-handed Vishnu, Srimad Bhagavatham clearly says through Lord Brahma that Siva is none other than Brahman alone.
What is the difference between Siva and Shakthi?
Vedanta always tries to put forth the import through various examples and illustrations. Siva means auspicious entity and that which is dearly loved by all is the most auspicious entity. Such an entity is none other than the Self or Brahman or Lord as it is being sought each and every moment by every person in the world in the form of HAPPINESS or ETERNAL BLISS. Thus Siva denotes the ultimate reality of Brahman. Shakthi means power – Brahman is endowed with the illusory power of Maya – that which is mainly responsible for the creation of the dual world & the cause for the individual seeker to be deluded into the external objects. This Maya is not different from Brahman because it has no real existence but is only an illusion seen in the reality of Brahman. When the world and its creations are seen, it is the power of Brahman working – when the ultimate reality of Lord is realized, there is no Maya or power of Brahman but Brahman alone, one without a second.
Thus both these terms are meant to consolidate the entire Vedantic essence that Siva is the ultimate reality of Brahman and Shakthi is the power of Brahman which deludes people. It is Maya that obstructs the reality of Brahman so that the seeker is unable to grasp the reality of Brahman or Lord.
How to conquer Maya?
Maya is conquered when the seeker contemplates on the ultimate reality of Brahman in whom the power of Maya is superimposed as a snake is superimposed on the rope. Thus Bhagavatham says that when a seeker contemplates on the ultimate reality of Lord each and every moment, Maya is overcome (overcome means that the reality is known that there is no Maya at all!!!) and the ultimate reality of Lord is realized.
When Maya is not overcome, all problems are present. These problems are symbolized through the story of Daksha whereby each and every person is fighting with one another in the name of fame, ego etc. This is what is currently happening in the world – religions are fighting amongst each other in the name of religion (when all religions clearly say that there is only Brahman and love all people, still people attribute the fight for the religion!!! Is there any other way of degrading religion other than this???) – Brothers are fighting amongst each other – father and son are fighting for money and wealth. All these problems are being depicted through the story of Daksha. We cannot attribute all these problems to limited individuals like the terrorists etc. The real cause of the problem is the Mind of each individual. The mind is filled with the impurities of likes and dislikes which are born out of dual perception. The moment a person sees oneness everywhere, likes and dislikes vanish. When there are no likes and dislikes, there are no problems at all. This is what is to be really achieved through the hearing and implementation of whatever is being told in the story of Daksha in Bhagavatham.
Sri Krishna beautifully explains in a single sloka about the world and how to come out of this illusory world in the 7th chapter:
Daivi hi esha gunamayee mama maayaa duratyaya
Maam eva ye prapadhyanthe mayaam etaam taranthi te
My Maya which is my divine power is composed of the three gunas of Sattva depicting calmness, equanimity etc – Rajas denoting activity and Tamas denoting sluggishness. My Maya is very tough indeed to overcome or cross over. But those who SEEK Me completely, they overcome this Maya very easily.
Krishna uses the word PRAPATTI for overcoming Maya. Prapatthi means complete and total surrender. When there is total and complete surrender, there is no individual seeker present but only the Lord to whom everything is surrendered. When this real surrender of all actions, all fruits, all good and bad to the Lord is performed, the seeker merges into the Lord & whatever remains is the Lord alone. The seeker thus remembers only the Lord at any point of time, he doesn’t even spend a single moment without the thought of Lord – such a seeker realizes the ultimate reality that there is only the Lord here – none other than the Lord exists – all other things are only illusions seen in the Lord even as various things are seen in dream.
Such a seeker will have no doubts, no problems and no sufferings because everything is seen as the Lord. If something good happens, it is seen as the Lord’s grace. If something bad happens, it is seen as Lord’s will. Thus such a seeker maintains equanimity at all times and remembers the ultimate reality that there is nothing here but the Lord alone. Thus he is liberated from the illusory bondages, sorrows and sufferings in the world. This is what is being depicted in the story of Daksha.
After being praised by Brahma, Lord Siva smiled and replied thus:
I was not at all affected by the words of these “children” who are in the delusion of Maya. I was thus playing with them to destroy their Ego completely by giving them punishment. Take the head of the sacrificial goat and fix it on the body of Daksha so that he may live.
Thus the sacrifice was completed successfully and Daksha lived again. Daksha when he woke up was fully out of delusion. Daksha who had considered Siva as his enemy was now ashamed of his activities. He was also sad about his daughter’s death and thereby tears were there in his eyes & his throats were choked so that he could not praise Lord Siva which he wanted to do. But mustering courage, he praised Lord Siva for grace and compassion showered on him.
Daksha thus praised Lord Siva as the ultimate reality of Brahman who seems to be the limited individual called jeeva:
O Lord! You are pure but even then you seem to be limited by the intellect but are of the nature of Consciousness and one alone, seemingly limited by the intellect. You always remain in your own real state of Consciousness also called Purusha in the Upanishads.
Lord Brahma said thus:
Those people who see duality in the world and see only the dual worldly objects, they are unable to grasp the ultimate reality of Consciousness or Lord – Lord can be known only through the eyes of knowledge that “Lord is present everywhere and I am that Lord” – it is only due to Maya that people are unable to realize the ultimate reality which is non-dual Consciousness beyond the dual illusory world.
Explanation
Here we find Srimad Bhagavatham clearly mentioning about a real jnaani and how he will not be affected by the activities in the world. A jnaani is never affected by the activities as he knows the reality that the world is temporary and like the dream world – today the objects in the world exist, tomorrow it will vanish. Thus a wise person will never seek sensual pleasures from the world but will seek the ultimate reality of Lord underlying the world and who is full of eternal bliss. A jnaani is one who is established in the ultimate reality of Lord – he perceives nothing but the Lord alone. For him, there is no duality whatsoever, whatever exists is only the Lord, one without a second. Such a jnaani, as he doesn’t see any duality, is unaffected by actions and the results even as a person acting in a film is not affected by the activities in the film as the actor very well knows that “this is only an acting and I am not any of these”. Similarly a jnaani always has the thought that “I am the Lord, there is nothing here but the Lord alone” – thus contemplating, he does all activities even like a drama player does activities, even as a dreamer does activities – thus he is unaffected by the activities.
An avatar is a person who is beyond jnaana and ajnaana & is full of compassion towards the people in the world. This is the reason why various Mahatmas are still living along with us just to help people realize their own very nature of Lord. They have no particular desires or they don’t seek anything as they are beyond all limitations and are the Lord himself. But since they are full of compassion, they come down to normal people and help them out. This is what is mentioned by Lord Siva that it was his play to root out the Ego in Daksha and save him.
The Ego is the cause of all sorrows and sufferings in the world. Ego is nothing but in the form of “I” and “Mine” due to identification with the body and the mind. This Ego needs to be rooted out if the Self has to be realized as one’s own inner nature and one with the ultimate reality of Lord. This Ego can be rooted out only by complete and total surrender to the ultimate reality of Lord. But the Lord is so compassionate that for some of his devotees (devotee is one who constantly thinks about the Lord – the thought might be that of being an enemy like in Kamsa’s case), he himself helps in rooting out the Ego. This is what happened in the case of Daksha. Daksha had Ego which had to be removed or destroyed – this was done by the Lord through the play of the story which we have heard till now.
Unless the Ego vanishes, a person cannot realize the ultimate reality of Lord because the Lord is beyond all limitations whereas the Ego is limited to a body and mind.
Lord Siva mentions here that he is unaffected by the activities of CHILDREN who are deluded in the grip of Maya. A child denotes immaturity. Those are children who are unable to go beyond the worldly sensual pleasures and seek the eternal Lord underlying the world. They are unaware of the eternal bliss which is hidden in them; which is their own very nature because their attention is all towards the external world. Once a seeker turns his mind inward, he becomes matured enough – and when such a seeker constantly contemplates on the ultimate reality of Lord (beyond time, space and other limitations), he realizes his own very nature of Lord – he then realizes that there is nothing here but the Lord alone. He thus rejoices in the eternal bliss which is the very nature of Lord – this eternal bliss is what is being sought out by each and every person in the world through one means or the other means. But the place where a person searches for eternal bliss is wrong – he is searching eternal bliss in the temporary world. When the world itself is temporary, how can it give eternal bliss? It can never give. But the Lord is eternal and always exists – therefore the Lord alone is capable of conferring eternal bliss.
What is the main cause of problems in life?
The main cause of problem is ignorance of one’s own very nature of Lord. This ignorance causes dual perception in the world. Through dual perception, a person gets likes and dislikes – these likes and dislikes leads to attachment and aversion. Thus starts all sorrows and sufferings in the world. Thereby those who perceive the duality in the world and fail to see the underlying non-dual reality of Lord beneath the dual world will be always having sorrows and sufferings in the world. Such people will never be able to get eternal bliss which is one’s own very nature because of seeing duality and having likes-dislikes. WE have already discussed about Kaama and Krodha & how it will lead to destruction. Thus dual perception will lead to destruction alone. But when a seeker tries to remove the dual perception through seeing oneness in the entire world – the ignorance veil which veils his own very nature of Lord is removed. When this veil is removed, he realizes the ultimate reality of Lord, one without a second and of the nature of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute.
The path for the same doesn’t require any specification or limitation that only Brahmins can do it, only in pure places it should be done etc. It has no limitations at all. What is required is only constant remembrance of the Lord at all points of time, seeing the Lord everywhere and offering all actions unto the Lord. This is what Vedanta calls as Jnaana and the Bhaktaas call as Paraa Bhakthi or supreme devotion. When such a devotion is maintained, there is no problem or sorrows or sufferings as there is only the Lord perceived everywhere. There is no duality whatsoever because all duality has merged into the non-dual reality of Lord. Such a seeker is never affected any activities in the waking world which is a long dream. Thus he is ever steadfast in the reality of Lord. If something good happens, he takes it as God’s grace. If something bad happens, he takes it as God’s will. Thus he is not affected at all by environments, actions and fruits of those actions. Such a person is termed in the Upanishads as a jeevanmukta or a person who is liberated even while living. We are all intrinsically jeevanmuktaas only as our very nature of Lord or Self which is unaffected by all activities and is the mere witness of all activities. But we are unaware of this nature of ours due to ignorance. When ignorance is removed through constant contemplation of the ultimate reality of Lord – there is only bliss, bliss and bliss. This is what Srimad Bhagavatham shows through the story of Daksha – when the Ego was killed through constant contemplation of the Lord with the attitude of enmity, the Lord himself appears before the devotee & bestows eternal bliss to the devotee. Thus Daksha again came to life denoting immortality or eternal life which is realizing one’s own very nature of Self or Consciousness or Lord.
We will conclude Daksha’s story next with some very beautiful and significant mantras in this story (with which the current story concludes).
# posted by vedanta : 9:18 AM
