Thursday, December 18, 2008
Story 50 – Story of Dwaraka Nirmaanam - Summary
We have thus finished yet another beautiful story of Srimad Bhagavatham. Today we will try to see a brief summary of the story so that we will be able to remember things that are to be remembered and those which are to be forgotten thereby achieving the goal of bliss in this very birth itself.
In the spiritual path we always have to follow two things in order to reach the goal (this is same for any worldly goal as well). One is anukoola sevanam or doing activities which will help us in the goal and second is prathikoola varjanam or not doing things which will obstruct the goal for us.
For the spiritual path, anukoola is nothing but always remembering the Lord and seeking nothing but the ultimate reality of Lord alone. Therefore prathikoola is forgetting the Lord which we should never do. Thus always remembering the Lord and never forgetting the Lord is the way to achieve the goal of bliss. Along with remembering the Lord, we also have to remember that the ultimate reality of Lord is the substratum of the illusory world of names and forms that we are currently experiencing. Even as the dream world is only an illusion in the dreamer, similarly this entire world is only an illusion in the Lord. Thus the Lord pervades the entire world even as the dreamer pervades the dream world. We have to always remember this and include the Lord in all actions. Whether we are cooking or walking or speaking or any spiritual activity, we should include the Lord and never forget the Lord. If we are able to do this, then as we progress more and more towards the goal of bliss the Lord himself will appear in front of us and bless us with bliss. This is what is shown in this story of Dwaraka Nirmaanam. The Lord’s activities are for the welfare of everyone not just one or two people. This story illustrates this beautifully. For those who really seek the Lord, the Lord will provide them with wealth and anything else required for sustenance in the world as the Lord did for Dwaraka by killing and taking the money from Yavana.
Not only will the Lord provide us with worldly benefits, but if we set aside the worldly benefits and ask the Lord for the only boon of bliss (remembrance of the Lord) then the Lord will also grant us like he granted for Muchukunda. But the Lord will put in front of us lot of testing to ensure that we really deserve bliss. Muchukunda was initially involved in activities to help Indra but then he set them aside. As the final testing, the Lord also offered him any boon that he wants – if Muchukunda would have asked for worldly benefits, then he wouldn’t have got bliss. A person who sees the dream world cannot benefit out of the truth of dreamer – and a person who is concentrating on the dreamer cannot benefit or be deluded into the dream world. But Muchukunda was not to be deluded into worldly benefits and hence he asked for nothing but bliss alone. This reminds us of the story of Nachiketha in the Katha Upanishad. Nachiketha’s father was doing an yajna and giving away things. At that time, Nachiketha asked his father as to whom would he give Nachiketha to. His father didn’t respond. But Nachiketha asked quite a few times upon which his father angrily replied that he would give Nachiketha to Yama. In order to keep up his father’s word, Nachiketha goes to meet Yama. Yama tries to delude Nachiketha into giving worldly benefits but Nachiketha doesn’t fall a prey to it. Instead he asks to know that which is beyond death (that which is eternal). And as a result of seeking nothing but the Lord who is beyond death, Nachiketha was imparted knowledge of the Lord by Yama thereby attaining moksha of the nature of eternal bliss.
Through this story of Dwaraka Nirmaanam, Bhagavatham is telling each of the seeker that we have to always remember that everything is the Lord alone irrespective of whatever we are doing in the world. This in turn will make us seek nothing but the Lord alone – thereby when we will end up this life, we will be ever blissful in the Lord due to all desires getting eradicated by the knowledge of the Lord.
May the Almighty in the form of AMMA (Sadguru Mata Amritanandamayi Devi) bless us so that we may seek nothing but the Lord and constantly contemplate on the Lord at all times thereby realizing the ultimate reality of blissful Lord in this very birth itself.
The ultimate reality – an analysis
Since we have completed the story of Dwaraka Nirmaanam involving the devotee of Muchukunda, before starting the next story let us today try to bring our focus back unto that which is the basis and the subject-matter of Srimad Bhagavatham.
While speaking about the subject-matter, Bhagavatham itself speaks thus:
Sri bhagavatha puranam amalam yad vaishnavaanaam priyam
Yasmin paaramahamsyam ekam jnaanam param geeyathe
This pure Bhagavatha puranam is dear to seekers of the truth (vaishnavas) and in which the ultimate non-dual Conscious truth has been prayed.
Bhagavatham is dear to vaishnavas. Vaishnavas are those who worship Vishnu. The word VISHNU means one who pervades the entire world. The various scriptures speak about VISHNU as who is pervading the entire world inside and outside. Whatever is present is nothing but VISHNU alone.
If everything is VISHNU, then what are the differences?
The differences are mere names and forms. Various gold ornaments are in fact gold alone – the differences in the gold ornaments are mere names and forms. Names and forms have no reality whatsoever but they just appear due to the perspective vision of a person. While we differentiate between a gold chain and gold ring, the goldsmith sees both of them as nothing but gold. Similarly this entire world is mere names and forms of VISHNU – the Conscious principle which is the substratum of the world. The scriptures also give the analogy of dream to illustrate this further. The dream world is only an illusion in the dreamer – there is nothing in dream world but dreamer alone exists. Similarly this entire world is nothing but one Ishwara alone.
Those who see the truth which is Ishwara alone (truth is that which doesn’t change – ever constant) are vaishnavas as they see Ishwara everywhere. It is this Ishwara who is the subject-matter of all scriptures.
Why is Ishwara the subject-matter of all scriptures?
This is because it is knowledge of this Ishwara which makes us perfect; which gives us contentment, bliss, satisfaction and makes us complete (poorna). It is also a fact that everyone is seeking perfection, contentment, bliss etc.
The scriptures only speak of that which is useful for everyone and that which will help seekers to achieve the ultimate goal of bliss. Hence the subject-matter of all scriptures is the ultimate reality of Lord. But amidst the ultimate reality of Lord, there are other things that show up in the puranas including miraculous incidents, details about creation, ritualistic activities etc. Hence it is very important for a seeker to not get deluded into anything apart from the ultimate reality of Lord as that will not give the seeker the desired fruit of bliss. If the ultimate reality of Lord is forgotten, then bliss which is the very nature of the Lord will also be lost.
Hence let us all try to remember the ultimate reality of Lord as the main focus of Bhagavatham so that we are not deluded into other things and deprived of bliss that can be achieved through focus on the Lord.
In the spiritual path we always have to follow two things in order to reach the goal (this is same for any worldly goal as well). One is anukoola sevanam or doing activities which will help us in the goal and second is prathikoola varjanam or not doing things which will obstruct the goal for us.
For the spiritual path, anukoola is nothing but always remembering the Lord and seeking nothing but the ultimate reality of Lord alone. Therefore prathikoola is forgetting the Lord which we should never do. Thus always remembering the Lord and never forgetting the Lord is the way to achieve the goal of bliss. Along with remembering the Lord, we also have to remember that the ultimate reality of Lord is the substratum of the illusory world of names and forms that we are currently experiencing. Even as the dream world is only an illusion in the dreamer, similarly this entire world is only an illusion in the Lord. Thus the Lord pervades the entire world even as the dreamer pervades the dream world. We have to always remember this and include the Lord in all actions. Whether we are cooking or walking or speaking or any spiritual activity, we should include the Lord and never forget the Lord. If we are able to do this, then as we progress more and more towards the goal of bliss the Lord himself will appear in front of us and bless us with bliss. This is what is shown in this story of Dwaraka Nirmaanam. The Lord’s activities are for the welfare of everyone not just one or two people. This story illustrates this beautifully. For those who really seek the Lord, the Lord will provide them with wealth and anything else required for sustenance in the world as the Lord did for Dwaraka by killing and taking the money from Yavana.
Not only will the Lord provide us with worldly benefits, but if we set aside the worldly benefits and ask the Lord for the only boon of bliss (remembrance of the Lord) then the Lord will also grant us like he granted for Muchukunda. But the Lord will put in front of us lot of testing to ensure that we really deserve bliss. Muchukunda was initially involved in activities to help Indra but then he set them aside. As the final testing, the Lord also offered him any boon that he wants – if Muchukunda would have asked for worldly benefits, then he wouldn’t have got bliss. A person who sees the dream world cannot benefit out of the truth of dreamer – and a person who is concentrating on the dreamer cannot benefit or be deluded into the dream world. But Muchukunda was not to be deluded into worldly benefits and hence he asked for nothing but bliss alone. This reminds us of the story of Nachiketha in the Katha Upanishad. Nachiketha’s father was doing an yajna and giving away things. At that time, Nachiketha asked his father as to whom would he give Nachiketha to. His father didn’t respond. But Nachiketha asked quite a few times upon which his father angrily replied that he would give Nachiketha to Yama. In order to keep up his father’s word, Nachiketha goes to meet Yama. Yama tries to delude Nachiketha into giving worldly benefits but Nachiketha doesn’t fall a prey to it. Instead he asks to know that which is beyond death (that which is eternal). And as a result of seeking nothing but the Lord who is beyond death, Nachiketha was imparted knowledge of the Lord by Yama thereby attaining moksha of the nature of eternal bliss.
Through this story of Dwaraka Nirmaanam, Bhagavatham is telling each of the seeker that we have to always remember that everything is the Lord alone irrespective of whatever we are doing in the world. This in turn will make us seek nothing but the Lord alone – thereby when we will end up this life, we will be ever blissful in the Lord due to all desires getting eradicated by the knowledge of the Lord.
May the Almighty in the form of AMMA (Sadguru Mata Amritanandamayi Devi) bless us so that we may seek nothing but the Lord and constantly contemplate on the Lord at all times thereby realizing the ultimate reality of blissful Lord in this very birth itself.
The ultimate reality – an analysis
Since we have completed the story of Dwaraka Nirmaanam involving the devotee of Muchukunda, before starting the next story let us today try to bring our focus back unto that which is the basis and the subject-matter of Srimad Bhagavatham.
While speaking about the subject-matter, Bhagavatham itself speaks thus:
Sri bhagavatha puranam amalam yad vaishnavaanaam priyam
Yasmin paaramahamsyam ekam jnaanam param geeyathe
This pure Bhagavatha puranam is dear to seekers of the truth (vaishnavas) and in which the ultimate non-dual Conscious truth has been prayed.
Bhagavatham is dear to vaishnavas. Vaishnavas are those who worship Vishnu. The word VISHNU means one who pervades the entire world. The various scriptures speak about VISHNU as who is pervading the entire world inside and outside. Whatever is present is nothing but VISHNU alone.
If everything is VISHNU, then what are the differences?
The differences are mere names and forms. Various gold ornaments are in fact gold alone – the differences in the gold ornaments are mere names and forms. Names and forms have no reality whatsoever but they just appear due to the perspective vision of a person. While we differentiate between a gold chain and gold ring, the goldsmith sees both of them as nothing but gold. Similarly this entire world is mere names and forms of VISHNU – the Conscious principle which is the substratum of the world. The scriptures also give the analogy of dream to illustrate this further. The dream world is only an illusion in the dreamer – there is nothing in dream world but dreamer alone exists. Similarly this entire world is nothing but one Ishwara alone.
Those who see the truth which is Ishwara alone (truth is that which doesn’t change – ever constant) are vaishnavas as they see Ishwara everywhere. It is this Ishwara who is the subject-matter of all scriptures.
Why is Ishwara the subject-matter of all scriptures?
This is because it is knowledge of this Ishwara which makes us perfect; which gives us contentment, bliss, satisfaction and makes us complete (poorna). It is also a fact that everyone is seeking perfection, contentment, bliss etc.
The scriptures only speak of that which is useful for everyone and that which will help seekers to achieve the ultimate goal of bliss. Hence the subject-matter of all scriptures is the ultimate reality of Lord. But amidst the ultimate reality of Lord, there are other things that show up in the puranas including miraculous incidents, details about creation, ritualistic activities etc. Hence it is very important for a seeker to not get deluded into anything apart from the ultimate reality of Lord as that will not give the seeker the desired fruit of bliss. If the ultimate reality of Lord is forgotten, then bliss which is the very nature of the Lord will also be lost.
Hence let us all try to remember the ultimate reality of Lord as the main focus of Bhagavatham so that we are not deluded into other things and deprived of bliss that can be achieved through focus on the Lord.
# posted by vedanta : 5:58 AM
