Srimad Bhagavatham

Once the Lord killed Naraka, munis and devathas showered flowers on the Lord along with utterances of “good, good”. When her son was killed Bhoomidevi appeared in front of the Lord and showered praises on the Lord.

Explanation

We find here Bhagavatham mentioning about munis and devathas showering flowers on the ultimate reality of Lord in the form of Sri Krishna. Let’s try to analyze this aspect so that we may also be able to rejoice in the victories of the Lord in the illusory world.

Muni is a person who has controlled his mind through constant practice of mananam (reflection). Reflection is nothing but trying to thoroughly analyze and convince the mind that there is nothing here but the ultimate reality of Lord alone exists as the substratum of the illusory names and forms of the world. His mind is ever calm and composed as it knows that there is no duality whatsoever here though duality appears to be existing. A person who sees water in desert for the first time might run towards water with excitement. But a person who knows that there is no water at all will not get affected even if it appears as if lots of waves are there in the water. This is because he knows beyond doubt that there is no water at all.

Similarly a person who learns the scriptures will learn that the entire world is only an illusion in the ultimate reality of Lord even as the dream world is only an illusion in the dreamer. Such a person thereby will get the intellectual conviction that there is no duality whatsoever here and everything is but the non-dual reality of Lord. This knowledge thereby will always make his mind calm – mind gets agitated when it sees duality thereby creating likes and dislikes which in turn get translated into attachment and aversion which finally give us the dual outputs of happiness and sorrow. Thus the agitated mind is often whirled between happiness and sorrow due to seeing duality as real. But when a seeker goes through scriptural learning, he learns to control the mind with the knowledge that the duality seen is not real but it is just temporary alone. Thus the mind though might perceive duality (even as a person who knows there is no water in desert might still perceive the mirage) but it will always know that there is no duality whatsoever here.

This is what Katha Upanishad beautifully explains as

Manasaa eva idam aapthavyam neha nana asthi kinchana
Mrityoh sah mrityum gacchathi ya iha nana iva pashyathi

Know through a mind (which has learnt the scriptures and gained purity) that there is no duality whatsoever here; a person who sees duality as if existing (considering it as real) will go from death to death (death here denotes dukham or sorrow and suffering).

When a person controls and focused the mind on the ultimate reality of Lord beyond the illusory names and forms, then such a mind will experience the destruction of all evil tendencies that might spring up due to vasanas (latent tendencies in this birth or many previous births). It is this destruction of the impurities of the mind that is witness by the munis as killing of Narakasura by the Lord. It is the Lord (thought of the ultimate reality of Lord) who kills all impure thoughts of the mind (impurities start with duality – the non-dual reality thereby kills duality as duality is only an illusion in non-duality). If we are ardent seekers of the ultimate reality of Lord, then we will slowly grasp the scriptural truth that everything is just an illusion in the Lord thereby killing all impurities of the mind and witnessing the Lord killing them thereby ever rejoicing in bliss like the munis in this part of the story.

Bhoomidevi praised the Lord thus:

For you who are the Lord of all gods and bearer of shankha-chakra I offer my prostrations.

Explanation

We will try to see the praises of Bhoomidevi slowly line by line so that we are benefitted by each and every line of Bhagavatham increasing our conviction about the Lord and remembrance of the Lord in order for us to realize the ultimate reality of Lord in this very birth itself.

We see Bhoomidevi offering her prostrations unto the Lord. Prostrations are a part of many ritualistic actions. When we go to meet a Mahatma or an elder or the temple, we fall at their feet – this is generally considered as prostration. But this is not the prostration that Bhoomidevi is offering here. Prostration is not just falling at another’s feet. The Sanskrit word for prostration is namah – namah means na mama (not mine). Thus prostration needs to have the attitude of surrender in it. Surrendering oneself completely to another person is real prostration – as we can know this is much more than just falling at the feet of a person. Surrender means a seeker gives up everything that he associates as “I” and “Mine”. This will leave the seeker will no sense of attachment or aversion – when there is no individuality, duality completely vanishes. Thus everything now becomes the ultimate reality of Lord. Thus surrender also needs knowledge as part of it – the knowledge that everything is but an illusion in the ultimate reality of Lord. It is this knowledge about the Lord and Mahatma’s who are ever abiding in the Lord that can bring about complete and total surrender – we will not surrender to a beggar whereas we might surrender partially to James Gosling or Steve Jobs (as they both know quite a lot). Thus knowledge about the ultimate reality of Lord as the substratum of the illusory names and forms (which is commonly known as world) is an important component in making surrender complete and total.

Surrender removes duality – duality in turn removes sorrow arising out of attachments and aversions. As Ishavasya Upanishad beautifully puts it, how can there be delusion or sorrow for a person who is seeing oneness everywhere. Thus surrender will lead us to a blissful state devoid of sorrow and suffering – it is this state that everyone desires to achieve each and every minute of their life.

Even as surrendering aspect is important in prostration, it is also important to prostrate at the right person. If we prostrate at a wrong person, then it will lead to our doom – this is very important in current day as we can find each and every person proclaiming himself to be a Mahatma after learning a few scriptures or gaining some spiritual visions.

This brings us to the question of who is a real Mahatma. A real Mahatma is one who is ever abiding in the ultimate reality of Lord thereby always speaking, thinking and making us think about the Lord. Yoga Vasistha gives a beautiful description of a Sadguru – Sadguru is one who through sight, touch and words make the seeker realize the Lord and thereby rejoice in bliss. Thus a Mahatma is one who is ever blissful and able to give us bliss – we can experience that inexplicable bliss if we approach such a Mahatma with an open mind.