Thursday, December 18, 2008
Story 51 – Story of Narakaasura Vadha (killing) - 03
We saw yesterday as to Indra seeking the Lord in order to get rid of the problems caused by Narakaasura. We will see today as to how to overcome problems in life in a very easy way.
Yesterday was celebrated as Ganesha Chathurthi. Ganesha or Ganapathi is also known as Vighnanaashaka (remove of obstacles). And it is for this reason that before anything is undertaken we offer our prostrations to Ganesha.
In fact the 84 crore devathas that the scriptures speak about are not in any sort of conflict like the million human beings are. Though we find devathas fighting amongst each other in the puranas, those are meant to show as to what would happen if we fight amongst each other (and not to taken as such). When Rama came to Earth, Siva wanted to help his friend Vishnu and thereby gave his power to Hanuman (hence Hanuman is called Shankara suvana or son of Shankara by Tulasidas in Hanuman Chalisa).
Thus if we worship one devatha considering the devatha as pervading the entire world, then all the other devathas will give us protection. In short the easiest way to overcome problems in life is by just seeking one devatha – depending on each person’s taste he can choose an ishta devatha (liked god). It doesn’t matter as to what Ishta devatha a person chooses but it definitely matters as how the seeker is showing his devotion to the devatha.
The Lord mentions the right attitude of devotion as ananya bhajanam (always having the thought of Ishwara) in many places of Gita. The most famous sloka goes thus:
Ananyaaschinthayantho maam ye janaah paryupaasathe
Teshaam nithya abhiyukthaanaam yogakshemam vahaami aham
Those who worshp me everywhere with only my thought, I will take care of everything for such people who are ever steadfast in me.
Even as a child seeks the mother when it is in any trouble, similarly we should the ultimate reality of Lord when we are in any trouble. Unlike an ordinary mother who can only solve issues that are within her reach, the mother of ultimate reality of Lord is one who can solve all issues. The Lord needs only one thing for him to solve all our troubles – and that one is thing is constant contemplation of the Lord (having the thought of the Lord at all times). We find here Indra seeking the Lord in order to solve his troubles and we will see in the next few days as to how the Lord solves the trouble of Indra.
Didn’t the Lord once say to Indra that he cannot help Indra until the time is ripe?
Yes but the very thought of the Lord in our mind is enough to give us bliss – then what matters whether we have troubles or not? It doesn’t matter whether we are suffering physically or mentally or emotionally as long as we are blissful. It is happiness that we seek by trying to eradicate suffering. Suffering makes us sad (deprives us of happiness). If we are happy even while suffering, then there is no need for removal of suffering. Ramana Maharshi was always blissful even when he had tumor. Tapovan Maharaj had throat cancer yet he was able to blissfully advice Chinmayananda about implementation of Vedanta. If all of these spiritual masters can remain blissfully irrespective of the situation, then we also can achieve it. And the way to achieve it is by constant remembrance of the Lord as pervading the entire world.
AMMA (Sadguru Mata Amritanandamayi Devi) gives a beautiful story to illustrate this. Once the Lord was with the gopis sitting on the shores of Yamuna. At that time there was some lightning and the Lord put a question to the gopis. The question was “what would you do when you face troubles”? One gopi replied that she will pray to the Lord to remove the trouble. Another gopi replied that she will pray to the Lord to give her strength to face the trouble. Radha was silent. The Lord asked Radha as to what she would do. Radha replied “I will remember you, O Lord”. The Lord asked “then?”. Radha said “then nothing”. The Lord waited as if expecting an explanation from Radha regarding her answer. Radha replied that “if I remember the Lord, then there is no suffering or trouble or sorrow, so just remembering the Lord alone is enough”.
Though remembering the Lord alone is enough to make us blissful amidst all troubles, yet the Lord is like a mother who will ensure that his child (devotee) is taken care of. This is the promise of the Lord in Gita to Arjuna that “kaunteya prathijaaneehi na me bhakthah pranashyathi” (O Arjuna! Know for sure that my devotee never perishes).
After listening to Indra, immediately the Lord along with Sathyabhama started towards the town of Naraka.
Explanation
In the previous day we saw as to how Indra sought the Lord when he was in trouble. As to what is the use of seeking the Lord, we find it mentioned in the very next lines of Bhagavatham. The Lord immediately went to meet Naraka. This shows that if a seeker really seeks the Lord even at times of trouble or distress, the Lord will immediately come for the seeker’s help.
There is an incident related to this that comes in the Mahabharatha. When the pandavas were living in the forest, the Kauravas in order to humiliate the pandavas sent the various rishis including Durvasa to the place where Pandavas lived. The rishis came and said they would have bath and come for lunch. Draupadi looked and realized that the rice in the house was over and just one grain was left. She was certain that when the rishis would return from the river (after having taken bath), they would incur the wrath of the rishis. But she wouldn’t give up and hence sought the Lord through prayer. Immediately the Lord came into the house saying that he was hungry. Draupadi offered the one grain rice to the Lord. The Lord ate that and as it goes, half of whatever the Lord eats goes to the entire world thereby everybody in the world felt their hunger vanishing including the rishis. The rishis couldn’t bear to come to the house of the Pandavas as they cannot eat anything (since there is no longer hunger inside them). Thus they went their away – thereby Pandavas didn’t incur the wrath of the rishis.
Just one prayer from Draupadi was enough to bring the Lord and wherever the Lord exists, all problems and sufferings will completely vanish. Wherever the Lord or his thought or his remembrance is there, all sorrows will temporarily vanish. If we are able to seek the Lord at all times (thereby always remembering the Lord), then all sorrows will completely vanish. Such a person who is ever abiding in the thought of the Lord is a person who has realized that there is only the Lord present here and termed as jeevan muktha in the scriptures.
There are many puranic incidents which show as to that the Lord will immediately help his devotees when they seek him with all earnestness. But if there is something lacking in the seeking of the devotee, then the Lord will not be coming to help the devotee. When Draupadi’s dress was being removed by Dusshasana, Draupadi called unto Krishna but with just one hand while the other hand was holding unto the saree. At that time the Lord didn’t help Draupadi. Only when Draupadi let go of the hold of the saree and called unto the Lord will both hands did the Lord help her out. Letting go of the hold of the saree and calling out the Lord with two hands denotes seeking the Lord will all earnestness and letting go of everything else. Letting go of everything else doesn’t mean we have to go the forest renouncing everything – it just means that the Lord’s thought has higher priority than any other thought – the Lord’s thought is that thought which is always there in our mind and no other thought can either remove or veil the thought of the Lord.
If we are thus able to seek the Lord with all earnestness and devotion (devotion means total surrender to the Lord remembering that the Lord alone is present here), then the Lord will immediately help us out like he is helping out Indra in this story.
Yesterday was celebrated as Ganesha Chathurthi. Ganesha or Ganapathi is also known as Vighnanaashaka (remove of obstacles). And it is for this reason that before anything is undertaken we offer our prostrations to Ganesha.
In fact the 84 crore devathas that the scriptures speak about are not in any sort of conflict like the million human beings are. Though we find devathas fighting amongst each other in the puranas, those are meant to show as to what would happen if we fight amongst each other (and not to taken as such). When Rama came to Earth, Siva wanted to help his friend Vishnu and thereby gave his power to Hanuman (hence Hanuman is called Shankara suvana or son of Shankara by Tulasidas in Hanuman Chalisa).
Thus if we worship one devatha considering the devatha as pervading the entire world, then all the other devathas will give us protection. In short the easiest way to overcome problems in life is by just seeking one devatha – depending on each person’s taste he can choose an ishta devatha (liked god). It doesn’t matter as to what Ishta devatha a person chooses but it definitely matters as how the seeker is showing his devotion to the devatha.
The Lord mentions the right attitude of devotion as ananya bhajanam (always having the thought of Ishwara) in many places of Gita. The most famous sloka goes thus:
Ananyaaschinthayantho maam ye janaah paryupaasathe
Teshaam nithya abhiyukthaanaam yogakshemam vahaami aham
Those who worshp me everywhere with only my thought, I will take care of everything for such people who are ever steadfast in me.
Even as a child seeks the mother when it is in any trouble, similarly we should the ultimate reality of Lord when we are in any trouble. Unlike an ordinary mother who can only solve issues that are within her reach, the mother of ultimate reality of Lord is one who can solve all issues. The Lord needs only one thing for him to solve all our troubles – and that one is thing is constant contemplation of the Lord (having the thought of the Lord at all times). We find here Indra seeking the Lord in order to solve his troubles and we will see in the next few days as to how the Lord solves the trouble of Indra.
Didn’t the Lord once say to Indra that he cannot help Indra until the time is ripe?
Yes but the very thought of the Lord in our mind is enough to give us bliss – then what matters whether we have troubles or not? It doesn’t matter whether we are suffering physically or mentally or emotionally as long as we are blissful. It is happiness that we seek by trying to eradicate suffering. Suffering makes us sad (deprives us of happiness). If we are happy even while suffering, then there is no need for removal of suffering. Ramana Maharshi was always blissful even when he had tumor. Tapovan Maharaj had throat cancer yet he was able to blissfully advice Chinmayananda about implementation of Vedanta. If all of these spiritual masters can remain blissfully irrespective of the situation, then we also can achieve it. And the way to achieve it is by constant remembrance of the Lord as pervading the entire world.
AMMA (Sadguru Mata Amritanandamayi Devi) gives a beautiful story to illustrate this. Once the Lord was with the gopis sitting on the shores of Yamuna. At that time there was some lightning and the Lord put a question to the gopis. The question was “what would you do when you face troubles”? One gopi replied that she will pray to the Lord to remove the trouble. Another gopi replied that she will pray to the Lord to give her strength to face the trouble. Radha was silent. The Lord asked Radha as to what she would do. Radha replied “I will remember you, O Lord”. The Lord asked “then?”. Radha said “then nothing”. The Lord waited as if expecting an explanation from Radha regarding her answer. Radha replied that “if I remember the Lord, then there is no suffering or trouble or sorrow, so just remembering the Lord alone is enough”.
Though remembering the Lord alone is enough to make us blissful amidst all troubles, yet the Lord is like a mother who will ensure that his child (devotee) is taken care of. This is the promise of the Lord in Gita to Arjuna that “kaunteya prathijaaneehi na me bhakthah pranashyathi” (O Arjuna! Know for sure that my devotee never perishes).
After listening to Indra, immediately the Lord along with Sathyabhama started towards the town of Naraka.
Explanation
In the previous day we saw as to how Indra sought the Lord when he was in trouble. As to what is the use of seeking the Lord, we find it mentioned in the very next lines of Bhagavatham. The Lord immediately went to meet Naraka. This shows that if a seeker really seeks the Lord even at times of trouble or distress, the Lord will immediately come for the seeker’s help.
There is an incident related to this that comes in the Mahabharatha. When the pandavas were living in the forest, the Kauravas in order to humiliate the pandavas sent the various rishis including Durvasa to the place where Pandavas lived. The rishis came and said they would have bath and come for lunch. Draupadi looked and realized that the rice in the house was over and just one grain was left. She was certain that when the rishis would return from the river (after having taken bath), they would incur the wrath of the rishis. But she wouldn’t give up and hence sought the Lord through prayer. Immediately the Lord came into the house saying that he was hungry. Draupadi offered the one grain rice to the Lord. The Lord ate that and as it goes, half of whatever the Lord eats goes to the entire world thereby everybody in the world felt their hunger vanishing including the rishis. The rishis couldn’t bear to come to the house of the Pandavas as they cannot eat anything (since there is no longer hunger inside them). Thus they went their away – thereby Pandavas didn’t incur the wrath of the rishis.
Just one prayer from Draupadi was enough to bring the Lord and wherever the Lord exists, all problems and sufferings will completely vanish. Wherever the Lord or his thought or his remembrance is there, all sorrows will temporarily vanish. If we are able to seek the Lord at all times (thereby always remembering the Lord), then all sorrows will completely vanish. Such a person who is ever abiding in the thought of the Lord is a person who has realized that there is only the Lord present here and termed as jeevan muktha in the scriptures.
There are many puranic incidents which show as to that the Lord will immediately help his devotees when they seek him with all earnestness. But if there is something lacking in the seeking of the devotee, then the Lord will not be coming to help the devotee. When Draupadi’s dress was being removed by Dusshasana, Draupadi called unto Krishna but with just one hand while the other hand was holding unto the saree. At that time the Lord didn’t help Draupadi. Only when Draupadi let go of the hold of the saree and called unto the Lord will both hands did the Lord help her out. Letting go of the hold of the saree and calling out the Lord with two hands denotes seeking the Lord will all earnestness and letting go of everything else. Letting go of everything else doesn’t mean we have to go the forest renouncing everything – it just means that the Lord’s thought has higher priority than any other thought – the Lord’s thought is that thought which is always there in our mind and no other thought can either remove or veil the thought of the Lord.
If we are thus able to seek the Lord with all earnestness and devotion (devotion means total surrender to the Lord remembering that the Lord alone is present here), then the Lord will immediately help us out like he is helping out Indra in this story.
# posted by vedanta : 6:08 AM
