Thursday, December 18, 2008
Story 50 – Story of Dwaraka Nirmaanam - 10
Explanation
The last day we saw the Lord say to Muchukunda “those who have taken refuge in me will never have sorrows or sufferings”, we will try to analyze this today.
The Lord gives a similar statement in Gita at the end:
Sarva dharmaan parityajya maam ekam sharanam vraja
Aham tvaa sarva paapebhyo mokshayishyaami maa shuchah
Renounce all activities and take refuge in me alone; I will save you from all sins, do not worry.
If we are able to surrender completely unto the Lord, then he will take care of everything. This means that such a seeker will never ever suffer as the Lord is taking care of him at all times. But in order for the Lord to take care of the seeker, the seeker needs to have complete surrender. This complete surrender is known as prapathi, samarpanam, bhakthi etc. Complete surrender is when the seeker always remembers the Lord as the substratum beyond the illusory world of names and forms; not only does he just remember the Lord but he does all actions as an offering to the Lord knowing very well that each and every action is instigated and performed by the Lord. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa’s way of explaining this was that the seeker is a mere instrument through which the Lord performs all actions.
This surrender should be total and complete. Complete means full surrender and not partial. Total means from all perspectives (which means at all times and situations). Unless the surrender is total and complete, the Lord will not be able to help us out. This is like a drowning person who doesn’t surrender completely by giving himself to the life-guard; instead he tries to help himself out and partially calls out to the life-guard. Mere calling out to the life-guard alone will not help – the drowning person should complete surrender to the life-guard thereby letting the life-guard take care of him. We find this clearly depicted in the Vastra Harana portion of Mahabharatha wherein Dusshaasana was removing the cloth of Draupadi. At that time Draupadi holding on to her saree with one hand, called out to Krishna with the other hand. Krishna didn’t come. But when Draupadi let go of her saree and called out to Krishna with both hands, that’s when the Lord helped her out. If we hold onto things and at the same time surrender unto the Lord, it is not complete surrender. Complete surrender is when the seeker fully lets go of himself. His actions are a pooja for the Lord; his words are praises of the Lord; he always thinks of the Lord whether he speaks about the Lord or not, whether he sings the praises of the Lord or not; his life becomes filled with the Lord inside and outside.
This is what a Malayalam poet by the name Ezhuthacchan beautifully describes in his work Harinaamakeerthanam:
Yathonnu kaanpathil naaraayana prathimaa
Yathonnu kelpathil naarayana shruthikal
Yathonnu cheykilathu naarayana archanakal
Yathonnathaakilathu naarayanaaya namah
Whatever is seen is the form of Narayana;
Whatever is heard is words of Narayana;
Whatever is done is an offering to Narayana;
Whatever is there is Narayana alone.
It is this state of pervading our mind with the Lord that is called prapathi. If we are able to get this prapathi, the Lord will take care of all our sorrows by removing the sorrows and replacing them with bliss.
Maameva ye prapadhyanthe mayaam ethaam tharanthi te
Whoever surrenders completely unto me, they cross the delusive power of Maya (which is very tough indeed to conquer).
Hearing the Lord’s word and thereby realizing that it is a saakshaat Narayana standing in front of him, Muchukunda replied with immense bliss thus:
O Lord! The people of the world live with being deluded by your Maya. They are not able to worship you with devotion as they are going behind anartham (anartham is that which is not real and will lead us to more sorrows). In order to get happiness, they seek sensual pleasures which are abodes of sorrow. Thereby man and woman get cheated by themselves.
Explanation
Bhagavatham here beautifully describes as to what would happen when a seeker meets with the Lord or jeevan mukthas. Jeevan mukthas are those who are ever established in contemplation of the Lord. Thus the only thing that comes out of these jeevan mukthas is bliss. A seeker who is open in his heart will be able to experience this bliss in the presence of the jeevan mukthas.
The Lord says thus in Gita about this:
Kaamakrodha viyukthaanaam yatheenaam yathachethasaam
Abhitho brahma nirvaanam varthathe vidhitaatmanaam
One who is devoid of attachment-aversion and is ever steadfast in the Lord; such a person ever resides in the Self & hence bliss dances around such a person.
It is therefore that Ramana Maharshi used to tell that “peace is the sole criterion of a Mahatma” – peace is synonymous with bliss. We find Muchukunda who pure at heart and ever residing in the Lord being able to get bliss by the mere presence of the Lord. The Lord and jeevan mukthas are embodiments of bliss and hence there presence will radiate bliss.
If this is the case, then why doesn’t everyone experience this bliss?
A person who has deficient eye-sights will see two moons rather than one at night. Similarly a person who is deluded in Maya (ignorance about the entire world being illusory names and forms in the Lord) will not be able to apprehend the bliss emanating from the presence of a jeevan muktha. In order for a seeker to temporarily get out of the delusion of Maya, he should have an open mind. With an open mind any person will be able to experience the bliss emanating from the presence of a Mahatma.
Muchukunda also explains one of the very important concepts of Vedanta which is that humans are deluded and thereby they go after worldly pleasures – even though they know that worldly pleasures will not give eternal bliss, still they seek eternal bliss from the worldly objects. This is called delusion or the power of Maya. Vedanta doesn’t say that we have to get rid of all worldly possessions but just that we have to understand that worldly objects cannot give us eternal bliss. As AMMA beautifully points out, we should understand the limitations of worldly objects and use them in our spiritual progress towards moksha or jeevan mukthi.
The Lord says in Gita that wise people don’t run behind worldly pleasures thus:
Ye hi samsparshajaa bhogaah dukhayonaya eva te
Aadhyanthavantha kaunteya na teshu ramathe budhah
Pleasure that comes out of contact of sense organs with objects are seeds of sorrow as they have a beginning and an end; therefore wise people do not take resort to them.
Katha Upanishad also says
Paraanchi khaani vyatrinat svayambhooh
Tasmaat paaraan pashyan na antharaatman
Kaschit dheerah pratyagaatmaanam aikshat
Aavritta chakshuh amritatvam icchan
The sense organs didn’t seek Ishwara but went outside; hence the Lord cursed them that they will always be outward (hence it is the very nature of sense organs to go outwards). But few wise men realize the indwelling Lord by controlling the sense organs and seeking immortality.
Most of us are so ignorant that though we don’t realize that we are cheated into worldly objects by making us think that they will give us eternal bliss. AMMA gives a beautiful story to illustrate this which we will see in the next day.
Let us remember to always have an open mind so that we are able to temporarily experience the bliss that emanates from a jeevan muktha thereby getting inspired to become a jeevan muktha in this very birth itself.
The last day we saw the Lord say to Muchukunda “those who have taken refuge in me will never have sorrows or sufferings”, we will try to analyze this today.
The Lord gives a similar statement in Gita at the end:
Sarva dharmaan parityajya maam ekam sharanam vraja
Aham tvaa sarva paapebhyo mokshayishyaami maa shuchah
Renounce all activities and take refuge in me alone; I will save you from all sins, do not worry.
If we are able to surrender completely unto the Lord, then he will take care of everything. This means that such a seeker will never ever suffer as the Lord is taking care of him at all times. But in order for the Lord to take care of the seeker, the seeker needs to have complete surrender. This complete surrender is known as prapathi, samarpanam, bhakthi etc. Complete surrender is when the seeker always remembers the Lord as the substratum beyond the illusory world of names and forms; not only does he just remember the Lord but he does all actions as an offering to the Lord knowing very well that each and every action is instigated and performed by the Lord. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa’s way of explaining this was that the seeker is a mere instrument through which the Lord performs all actions.
This surrender should be total and complete. Complete means full surrender and not partial. Total means from all perspectives (which means at all times and situations). Unless the surrender is total and complete, the Lord will not be able to help us out. This is like a drowning person who doesn’t surrender completely by giving himself to the life-guard; instead he tries to help himself out and partially calls out to the life-guard. Mere calling out to the life-guard alone will not help – the drowning person should complete surrender to the life-guard thereby letting the life-guard take care of him. We find this clearly depicted in the Vastra Harana portion of Mahabharatha wherein Dusshaasana was removing the cloth of Draupadi. At that time Draupadi holding on to her saree with one hand, called out to Krishna with the other hand. Krishna didn’t come. But when Draupadi let go of her saree and called out to Krishna with both hands, that’s when the Lord helped her out. If we hold onto things and at the same time surrender unto the Lord, it is not complete surrender. Complete surrender is when the seeker fully lets go of himself. His actions are a pooja for the Lord; his words are praises of the Lord; he always thinks of the Lord whether he speaks about the Lord or not, whether he sings the praises of the Lord or not; his life becomes filled with the Lord inside and outside.
This is what a Malayalam poet by the name Ezhuthacchan beautifully describes in his work Harinaamakeerthanam:
Yathonnu kaanpathil naaraayana prathimaa
Yathonnu kelpathil naarayana shruthikal
Yathonnu cheykilathu naarayana archanakal
Yathonnathaakilathu naarayanaaya namah
Whatever is seen is the form of Narayana;
Whatever is heard is words of Narayana;
Whatever is done is an offering to Narayana;
Whatever is there is Narayana alone.
It is this state of pervading our mind with the Lord that is called prapathi. If we are able to get this prapathi, the Lord will take care of all our sorrows by removing the sorrows and replacing them with bliss.
Maameva ye prapadhyanthe mayaam ethaam tharanthi te
Whoever surrenders completely unto me, they cross the delusive power of Maya (which is very tough indeed to conquer).
Hearing the Lord’s word and thereby realizing that it is a saakshaat Narayana standing in front of him, Muchukunda replied with immense bliss thus:
O Lord! The people of the world live with being deluded by your Maya. They are not able to worship you with devotion as they are going behind anartham (anartham is that which is not real and will lead us to more sorrows). In order to get happiness, they seek sensual pleasures which are abodes of sorrow. Thereby man and woman get cheated by themselves.
Explanation
Bhagavatham here beautifully describes as to what would happen when a seeker meets with the Lord or jeevan mukthas. Jeevan mukthas are those who are ever established in contemplation of the Lord. Thus the only thing that comes out of these jeevan mukthas is bliss. A seeker who is open in his heart will be able to experience this bliss in the presence of the jeevan mukthas.
The Lord says thus in Gita about this:
Kaamakrodha viyukthaanaam yatheenaam yathachethasaam
Abhitho brahma nirvaanam varthathe vidhitaatmanaam
One who is devoid of attachment-aversion and is ever steadfast in the Lord; such a person ever resides in the Self & hence bliss dances around such a person.
It is therefore that Ramana Maharshi used to tell that “peace is the sole criterion of a Mahatma” – peace is synonymous with bliss. We find Muchukunda who pure at heart and ever residing in the Lord being able to get bliss by the mere presence of the Lord. The Lord and jeevan mukthas are embodiments of bliss and hence there presence will radiate bliss.
If this is the case, then why doesn’t everyone experience this bliss?
A person who has deficient eye-sights will see two moons rather than one at night. Similarly a person who is deluded in Maya (ignorance about the entire world being illusory names and forms in the Lord) will not be able to apprehend the bliss emanating from the presence of a jeevan muktha. In order for a seeker to temporarily get out of the delusion of Maya, he should have an open mind. With an open mind any person will be able to experience the bliss emanating from the presence of a Mahatma.
Muchukunda also explains one of the very important concepts of Vedanta which is that humans are deluded and thereby they go after worldly pleasures – even though they know that worldly pleasures will not give eternal bliss, still they seek eternal bliss from the worldly objects. This is called delusion or the power of Maya. Vedanta doesn’t say that we have to get rid of all worldly possessions but just that we have to understand that worldly objects cannot give us eternal bliss. As AMMA beautifully points out, we should understand the limitations of worldly objects and use them in our spiritual progress towards moksha or jeevan mukthi.
The Lord says in Gita that wise people don’t run behind worldly pleasures thus:
Ye hi samsparshajaa bhogaah dukhayonaya eva te
Aadhyanthavantha kaunteya na teshu ramathe budhah
Pleasure that comes out of contact of sense organs with objects are seeds of sorrow as they have a beginning and an end; therefore wise people do not take resort to them.
Katha Upanishad also says
Paraanchi khaani vyatrinat svayambhooh
Tasmaat paaraan pashyan na antharaatman
Kaschit dheerah pratyagaatmaanam aikshat
Aavritta chakshuh amritatvam icchan
The sense organs didn’t seek Ishwara but went outside; hence the Lord cursed them that they will always be outward (hence it is the very nature of sense organs to go outwards). But few wise men realize the indwelling Lord by controlling the sense organs and seeking immortality.
Most of us are so ignorant that though we don’t realize that we are cheated into worldly objects by making us think that they will give us eternal bliss. AMMA gives a beautiful story to illustrate this which we will see in the next day.
Let us remember to always have an open mind so that we are able to temporarily experience the bliss that emanates from a jeevan muktha thereby getting inspired to become a jeevan muktha in this very birth itself.
# posted by vedanta : 5:41 AM
