Srimad Bhagavatham

Srimad Bhagavatham – A Spiritual Insight - Story 3 Narada's life history

Slokas (Skanda 1 Chapter 5)
Narada starts telling about his previous birth and how he came to get the knowledge about the ultimate reality and get devoted to it. Narada was born to a low caste women who used to serve Brahmins (work in the house of Brahmins). When Narada was very young, he was not naughty like other children, instead he was very devoted and calm. At that time, some rishis came and stayed in huts which was looked after by Narada and his mother. Because of his pure nature and habits, Narada was asked and allowed by the rishis to eat leftovers in their plates once a day. This cleansed the sins in the minds & body of Narada. He also used to listen to the glories of the reality from the mouth of the Rishis.

Thus, Narada now tells how karma or actions when done with the proper attitude leads one to realization of the ultimate reality of Brahman or Consciousness.

When a person is suffering from a disease that has arose out of a material, the same material in its pure form will not be able to remove the disease of the person. But when that material is mixed with some herbal medicines, then it becomes a medicine and removes the disease.

Similarly the actions of a person in their pure form (when not endowed with the right attitude of offering to the Lord or the ultimate reality) are the causes of SAMSAARA (Samsaara means sufferings due to birth-death cycle). But when they are offered to the Lord and performed, they remove the bondages of action (in this sloka Atma means karma and its avidya only and not the Soul. The word Atman is used in many places in Gita & Upanishads where it doesn’t mean the Self but the body or other things).

Thus, when actions are performed with devotion to the Reality and as an offering to the Reality (which is called as Consciousness, Self, Brahman, Bhagavan, Ishwara etc) – then that devotion itself paves way to Knowledge & the person gets the real knowledge about his own very nature – he realizes the TATTVA or Reality which bhagavatham propounded in the 2nd Chapter as non-dual knowledge or knowledge about non-dual reality.

Saying thus, Narada concludes by telling Vyaasa to recollect the glories of the Lord, recollect the ultimate reality propounded in the Upanishads and thereby write it in order for the welfare of the society & welfare of himself.

After this, Vyaasa asks Narada “what did you do after the rishis went away as you were very young at that time? How did you spent the rest of your life? How was your end achieved? How is it that you remember whatever happened in the previous births since kalam or time doesn’t allow a person to remember his previous lifes?”

Explanation
This part of Bhagavatham explains how action itself becomes the cause of bondage & liberation. It also tells about how a low born person can realize the ultimate reality even though according to the Dharma Sutras he is not entitled to learn the scriptures (there are controversies regarding this & various dharma sutras tell differently about this – the Sruthi never tells that a low born should not learn scriptures thereby inferring that anyone who has the desire to know the Reality is eligible for the study of scriptures).

Action and Brahman – Karma and Brahma are two diverse things. These both have different causes, different outputs & are of different natures. Hence it is never possible to equate both of these. Sankara deals this topic of Karma and Brahman or Jnaana being performed together (criticizing it) in many of his Upanishad Commentaries.

Let us try to analyze these two terms – a thorough knowledge of which is enough to give one realization about one’s own real nature. Any action or Karma is propelled by a desire or thought. When this limited jeeva called Hariram is typing this posting, it is propelled by the desire to spread the truth in the Upanishads. If this desire was absent, then the action would not have been done or performed (Even though these are exceptions to a realized Self or jeevan mukta – we will currently ignore the case of realized beings). Thus, DESIRE or KAAMA propels ACTION or KARMA.

Where does desire come from??? What is the root cause of THOUGHTS???
Any thought or desire if analyzed will show that it is done for perfection or for infinite Bliss. A PERFECT person will not desire anything because he is complete, he has everything, he doesn’t have any thing to be achieved or renounced – thus he doesn’t desire anything. Such a perfect person is called a jeevan mukta or realized being. Thus, it is for PERFECTION that desires arise which in turn propels action.

This takes us to the conclusion that the IMPERFECT Being desires to become PERFECT. If we analyze this IMPERFECT BEING which is “I” or Consciousness, we will understand that this being is not at all imperfect. It is perfect in all aspects. If it were imperfect, then it would not enjoy eternal bliss in the state of deep sleep. If it were not perfect, then that would mean that PERFECTNESS would be something newly achieved – which would make it an object which is born & hence will die also – thus such PERFECTNESS will be temporary and not eternal. Anything which is not eternal cannot be PERFECT – thus PERFECTNESS is not outside but it is the very nature of the Being who thinks himself IMPERFECT. So what causes this thinking of IMPERFECTNESS??? It is forgetfulness of the real nature of PERFECTNESS which causes the thought of IMPERFECTION. This is termed as Avidya or ignorance in Vedanta. Thus Avidya makes one seem to be IMPERFECT which in turn causes desire and actions (seems to be because even during times of ignorance, the being is Perfect only).

Therefore, we can conclude that DESIRES are caused due to IGNORANCE or AVIDYA.

Thus, IGNORANCE -> (causes) DESIRES -> ACTIONS.
Thus, Avidya -> Kaama -> Karma.

Any person who is in this trio is called a Samsaarin – Samsaara is nothing but Avidya alone which causes one to think that I am born and I will die – I will die & be born again – I am bonded therefore I need liberation etc.

Thus Avidya alone is the cause of actions. Liberation or realization is KNOWING one’s own real nature of PERFECTNESS – of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss Absolute. This is termed as Knowledge or Jnaana. Avidya is ignorance & Jnaana is knowledge. It is very well known that ignorance & knowledge are opposites like darkness and light – therefore Avidya cannot remove itself and make one realize his own state of perfectness. Hence, Karma which is born out of avidya cannot give one realization or eternal bliss inherent in the Self. Realization is achieved only through knowledge or Jnaana which negates and removes avidya.

What is the process of Jnaana???
Jnaana is knowing one’s own real nature of PERFECTNESS through the three steps of Sravana or hearing of the scriptures from a Guru or the scriptures, Manana or reflecting on the mind with logic the truth that has been heard from the Guru or scriptures, contemplation of the ultimate reality or truth heard from the Guru – this truth is that “I am Brahman or Consciousness, one without a second”.

What does Jnaana do????If Jnaana is something newly attained, then it also will be lost & hence temporary only???
Jnaana or the three steps of hearing, reflecting and contemplating is not to get or achieve the Self – but this is only an illusory process to remove the illusory ignorance about one’s own real nature. Somehow, ignorance about one’s own real nature has creeped in – this ignorance itself is only an illusion as it vanishes the moment one gets knowledge about the Self or Consciousness. Thus to remove this ignorance, one has to use illusory knowledge of the Upanishads that “I am Brahman” – this illusory knowledge is not real knowledge which is the very nature of the Self & one without a second. The Self or Consciousness doesn’t need any external knowledge to know itself – but the mind needs to be removed of thoughts – the Ego needs to merge into its reality or source of Consciousness. This is achieved through illusory contemplation or Vritti jnaana (jnaana in the form of though) of “I am Brahman”. This Vritti Jnaana removes Vritti or illusory ignorance – and the Self shines forth as Existence, Consciousness and Bliss Absolute – one without a second. This is what is termed as liberation or realization for the ever-realized Self.

Thus, Jnaana alone is the way to realization – there is no other way than knowledge to the ultimate reality which is of the nature of eternal bliss. Devotion, Action, Yoga etc are only paths to the final step of non-dual Knowledge.

Narada says as the venom of a snake (in its pure state) is poisonous – but the same venom if mixed with medicines and different proportions becomes the cure for snake poisons.

Similarly action is the cause of bondage – but the same action when performed with the right attitude of offering to the Lord or the ultimate reality purifies the mind & paves way for the Knowledge of the Reality.

This action endowed with right attitude is also called Bhakthi & not different from devotion.

The Self or Consciousness is veiled by ignorance (which itself is an illusion and hence its cause cannot be located & trying to find out WHY ignorance etc is waste & instead one should try to remove it through the right means). This veiling is followed by the reflection of the Consciousness in intellect which is termed as Jeeva. Jeeva or Reflected Consciousness is also called the Ahamkaara or Ego. This identifies itself with actions and other things. Unless the mirror of mind or intellect is purified, the real Consciousness cannot be realized – similarly as the mirror which is full of dust doesn’t reveal one’s face. In order to purify the mind, action performed without any motive or expectation (termed as Nishkaama Karma) is useful. This is what Narada tells to Vyaasa – and this is what helped Narada to purify his mind and realize the Self through the grace of the Rishis. Narada served the Rishis treating or thinking them as God & hence he was purified with the left overs from the plates of the Rishis. Similarly karma when performed as an offering to the Lord purifies the mind and thus makes one eligible for realization through knowledge.

When action is performed as an offering, it is called Devotion or Bhakthi. When Bhakthi becomes very strong or Drida bhakthi – the seeker gets the ultimate knowledge or TATTVA about one’s own real nature. This is termed in Bhagavatham as Bhagavat tatva Jnaana. When this reality is known – then the person becomes realized and he sees only oneness everywhere – he is always established in Consciousness or the Self whatever action he might be doing, whatever devotion he might be having. This is the ultimate and natural state of the Self which each and everyone of us already are, but forgotten.

Ramana says in Upadesa Saram about action paving way for liberation – Sloka 3
Ishwara arpitam na icchayaa kritham
Chitta shodhakam mukti saadhakam

Work when done without expectation and as an offering to the Lord purifies the mind & thereby leads to liberation or realization.

This realization about one’s own real nature is aim of Srimad Bhagavatham and the goal of human life. Any other goals a person might be having, but he should have this goal as the ultimate goal & he should never get away from that goal – such a person is termed as a real Bhaktha by Sri Krishna in Gita Chapter 12 sloka 2.

Thus, karma when endowed with devotion is performed – it purifies the mind & leads one to the ultimate and non-dual knowledge about the ultimate reality. But when the same karma is done with the Ego and doership – it leads one to the ocean of ignorance which comprises of birth-death cycles full of suffering and sorrow. The Self or Consciousness never suffers even in the ocean of samsaara – but it seems to suffer due to superimposition of itself on the unreal and illusory objects of body and mind.

Knowledge is knowing that I am not the body and the mind – but I am the Consciousness which pervades all illusions and is the one and only reality in the illusory world.

Thus, Narada instructs Vyaasa to recollect the glory of the ultimate reality – here Narada tells each one of us to recollect the glory of the Self which is our own real nature through listening to the Upanishads, reflecting on the truth of the Upanishads & contemplating on the truth. Only through this way can the incompleteness in the mind (which Vyaasa had) will be removed – thus says Narada thereby telling us that the only way to removal of sorrow and suffering is purification of the mind through action endowed with devotion & then knowledge about one’s own real nature of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss Absolute.
After this, Vyaasa further questions Narada as to what he did after getting knowledge from the rishis, how he spent the rest of his life etc.

Srimad Bhagavatham – A Spiritual Insight - Story 3 Narada's life history (contd)

Slokas (Skanda 1 Chapter 6)
Vyaasa questions Narada as to how did he spend the rest of his life, how he did his life end, what he did after the rishis left, how he remembers his previous birth (which memory fails to understand for normal people).

Narada thus continues his previous life history. Once the rishis left, Narada developed Vairagya and wanted to spent time completely in meditating on the Lord’s form & thinking about him. But he was the lone child of his mother & his mother was very much attached to him. Hence Narada could not go away from his mother. But still he was contemplating on the Lord at all times. Then one day, his mother went out & on the way a snake bit her & she died on the spot. Narada considered this as the grace of the Lord who thus made him free from all worldly bondages. Thereby Narada started wandering here and there. He then reached a forest & started meditating on the form of the Lord.

While meditating on the form of the Lord, he got a glimpse of the Lord. He could not explain it in words, he felt eternal bliss, tears came out of his eyes. He was completely immersed in the form of the Lord at that time. Then suddenly it vanished. He now struggled and cried as he wanted to get the vision of the Lord again. But he was not able to get the vision even though he meditated. He cried and then he heard the voice of the Lord. The Lord said “O Narada! You have got what even yogis strive to get. Your body and this birth is composed of sins because of which you will not be able to perceive me or have my vision. But due to your devotion, I showed my eternal form to you. You will have to spent the rest of the life like this itself. Then in the next birth, you will have remembrance of me always. You will be ever free – you will be able to visit the three lokas and at any time also. You will always be praising and singing my glories in the next birth.” Saying thus, the voice ended.

Narada then spent the rest of his life roaming here and there. Then when the time of leaving this body came, he left the body & was born as the divine sage – Narada. He thus said “I can go anywhere & at any time. I always get pleasure in singing the glories of the Lord.”

Narada then proclaimed that a person who has the six serpents of desire, anger, greed, delusion, pride and jealousy will not be able to get the vision of the ultimate reality even though they might follow the practices of yama and niyama etc. (meaning that one should get rid of the six serpents through singing the glory of the Lord & knowing the ultimate reality of Lord).

Narada concluded “I have thus explained to you about my life which you have questioned”. Saying thus, Narada started from there (as always singing the glories of the ultimate reality of God or Consciousness or Brahman).

Suta says
The divine sage Narada is blessed indeed – he always sings the glories of the Lord along with his veena & roams in the world giving the eternal bliss to the people in the world.

Explanation
Narada here explains the rest of his life in the previous birth after the rishis left the place (where he was staying). Narada was a vairagi or detached person but still he had duty towards his mother whose lone son he was. Here the typical seeker’s attitude is being pointed out. A seeker might be detached or desire to be detached – but duties will bind him. These duties are nothing but creation of the mind alone – there is no duty for anyone to any other thing in the world.

Krishna thus declares
Na Me paartha asthi kartavyam trishu lokeshu kinchana
O Arjuna! I have no duty (whatsoever) to any person or thing in the three worlds.

Here Me obviously doesn’t mean the Lord Krishna or Vishnu, but the Self or Brahman or ultimate reality alone. Wherever Krishna uses the word ME or I, it represents Brahman or Consciousness alone. Even if here we take the word “ME” to mean Ishwara – if Ishwara doesn’t have any duty in the world, then what duty can the individual jeeva has??????

If considering ME as the ultimate reality, then there is nothing different from this ME or the Self. Everything is only an illusion seen in the reality of Self – therefore how can a person have any duty in the world as there is nothing apart from the person whose very nature is Consciousness alone????

Hence, there is nothing like duty which has to be performed in the world. The one duty which is the only thing that can be admitted is attainment of knowledge or following the path of spirituality. Except this spiritual path, there is no other duty to the individual whose essence is Consciousness alone. This duty of spiritual path also comes into picture only because the individual has forgotten his real nature of Brahman or Consciousness or the ultimate reality.

Thus, a seeker has to understand that there is no duty whatsoever in the world – there is only the Lord or the ultimate reality which alone is the independent, changeless and non-dual reality in the world. Everything else is only an illusion which is dependent for its existence on the ultimate reality of Brahman or Consciousness.

But, when the empirical world & its activities seem to bind the individual through the name of “DUTY”, a person should remember the Lord and offer this DUTY to the Lord or the ultimate reality. When this offering is done, then the DUTY ceases to be a DUTY and becomes a Nishkaama karma – a karma which is devoid of any expectation. Such a karma doesn’t have any doer or enjoyer – thereby making the karma itself to become a non-karma.

This is exactly what Narada did when he could not leave his mother. He contemplated on the ultimate reality of Brahman or Consciousness or the Lord.

What is the effect of such offering or contemplation???? Wont that make the work less effective and productive????
No, instead the work will become more effective if it is offered to the Lord and done without any expectation. This is what happened in the case of Narada too. Since the work is offered to the Lord, the Lord took care of the duty of Narada by relieving him of the illusory duty which he was identifying as “MY DUTY”.

Krishna thus says in Gita
Ananyaaschintayantho maam ye janaah paryupaasathe
Teshaam nitya abhiyuktaanaam yogakshemam vahaami aham

Those who remember Me or contemplate Me alone (without any other thoughts) and thereby worship ME everywhere & at all times, I will look after his good and bad for such a person who is ever established in Me.

This is the statement of Brahman or the Lord who has kept his word till now (this is also right because from the ultimate view there is nothing but Brahman alone – hence Brahman will reveal itself to the seeker who seeks Brahman thereby making the seeker realize his own very nature of non-dual Brahman”.

Thus, Narada’s mother passed away & Narada was relieved of the DUTY towards his mother.

He then started roaming here & there – trying to contemplate on the Lord & finding out a suitable place to meditate on the Lord. He then found out a forest & sat there to meditate on the Lord. He meditated and got a vision of the Lord.

Now, the obvious question will arise that how can the ultimate reality which doesn’t become an object to either the senses or the mind or the intellect be visible (as Narada got a vision)????
If we take it as the realization of Brahman or the state of trance, then this doubt will vanish. Trance is that state where a person gets a glimpse of the ultimate reality of non-duality – it is similar to the state of deep sleep. Even though the ultimate reality is not perceptible to the sense organs, but still it can be realized as one’s own real nature – during which time the experience will be unexplainable & blissful in nature.

Here, Narada did penance in the form of meditation in order to get a glimpse of the ultimate reality. Thus, Srimad Bhagavatham is pointing out that in order to realize the ultimate reality of Brahman which is one’s own nature, the individual seeker needs to do penance in the form of Sravana, Manana and Nidhidhyaasana – hearing about the reality, reflecting about the reality & contemplating on the ultimate reality that “I am Brahman”,

When this is done, then the seeker at times gets glimpses of the ultimate reality (at the empirical level because from the ultimate level there is only the Self and nothing else to get a glimpse of the Self). This again gets converted into realization or the state of sahaja Samadhi or natural absorption (absorption in the Self or Consciousness which is one’s own natural state).

Thus, Srimad Bhagavatham here points out that sahaja Samadhi or absorption in the natural state is alone called liberation or realization (which is not something new to be attained but to be realized).

During glimpses or state of trance, the reality of Self manifests itself in the form of eternal bliss which is followed by tears running out of eyes etc.

Thus, Narada realized his eternal nature of Brahman or Consciousness and the Lord (here the non-dual Self) gave him the assurance that he will be ever-realized & will be singing HIS glory all the time (meaning that the individual seeker who is not different from the Self will always be established in the Self or Consciousness).

Thus ends the story of Devarshi Narada. Next Vyaasa starts writing Srimad Bhagavatham and starts with the Pandavas story & birth of Parikshit.