Thursday, December 18, 2008
Story 51 – Story of Narakaasura Vadha (killing) - 08
Bhoomidevi continued:
You take many forms in order to fulfill the desires of your devotees. In reality you are the supreme cause which is of the nature of indivisible Consciousness.
Explanation
In the 12th chapter of Gita titled Bhakthi Yoga, the Lord speaks about saguna and nirguna bhakthi – devotion towards form God and devotion towards formless God. This concept has been beautifully mentioned in two lines by Bhoomidevi in this part of Bhagavatham.
Ishwara is by nature formless. This is because Ishwara is unlimited, infinite and blissful in nature. Anything which has a form is limited by space, thereby finite and will not get bliss (eternal happiness – it can give happiness but not happiness which is eternal). Thus Ishwara has to be formless.
But as the Lord mentions in Gita, it is very tough indeed to worship the formless as we are still considering ourselves as the body (having a form). For people who think they are the form-body and not the indwelling formless Self, it is very tough to remember or contemplate on Ishwara without a form. Hence the scriptures speak about 33 crore devathas (forms). Even as the world consists of people with different temperament, there are different forms. Each person can choose the form he likes – it is essential to contemplate on a form which a person likes as if the person doesn’t like the form, he cannot remember the form at all. Real worship of form-God is not what we generally think it is – we consider worship as going to the temple, offering pooja in the morning etc. These are just external activities meant to help us in remembering Ishwara. Real worship is when a seeker pervades the form in the entire world. Whatever the seeker sees should be seen internally as the form Ishwara. This is one of the concepts that is beautifully brought out when a person visits Shabarimala (the abode of Ayyappa). A person who wants to visit Shabarimala maintains vows for 41 days – in the entire 41 days and until he returns back from Shabarimala the person calls everybody as “swami” or “god”. Instead of doing this for just 41 days, a seeker has to do it at all times – seeing everything as Ishwara.
If a person’s ishta devata (liked form-God) is Krishna, then he should see Krishna everyone – here seeing means considering everything as Krishna in the mind. Externally one might see things as different from one another but internally (in the mind) he considers all of them as Krishna. Whatever is heard is just the names and songs of Krishna. All actions are offerings to Krishna. Thus the entire world for a Krishna bhaktha becomes krishnamayam (filled with Krishna). When the form of Krishna pervades the entire world, it ceases to be a form (as form is that which is limited in space). Thus through form worship a seeker moves onto formless worship – the worship of that Ishwara who alone exists here. If there is only Ishwara here, how can he have a form? How can he have a name? Only when duality is there, there are names and forms. Once the seeker goes beyond duality by seeing everything as Ishwara, then there is no duality whatsoever.
It is this formless non-dual Ishwara who is of the nature of indivisible Consciousness. Ishwara is Consciousness in nature as he is ever present experiencing himself and illumining the illusory world as well. He is indivisible as he is non-dual – everything is only an illusion in him thus making him the only real existence.
Since most of us cannot contemplate on the non-dual formless reality, therefore we can worship the various forms of God (which are taken by the Lord himself in order for the devotees to easily seek him).
Bhoomidevi continued:
You who are lotus-bellied, lotus-eyed and lotus-feet I offer my prostrations. To you who are Vasudeva pervading the entire world, I offer my prostrations.
Explanation
Scriptural way of prostration is when there is not just prostration but the truth or reality of the Lord is also very clearly brought out. This is what we see Bhoomidevi doing here.
In order to understand this better let us quickly see a very popular sloka.
Satchidaanandarupaaya vishvotpatyaadi hethave
Taapatraya vinaashaaya sri krishnaaya vayam namaha
I prostrate that Krishna who is of the nature of Sat Chit Ananda (Existence, Consciousness and Bliss), who is the cause of creation-protection-destruction of the world and who removes the three sorrows of adhyatma (out of one’s body, mind), adhibhootha (out of other beings like thieves, animals etc.) and adhidaiva (natural calamities).
The above sloka is where the author prostrates Krishna. But rather than the sloka being a mere prostration sloka, the author gives a crystal clear description of the ultimate reality of Lord. The very nature of the Lord (svaroopa) is explained first as Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute. Next the author explains the Lord with respect to the world that we constantly perceive (thatastha lakshana) – the Lord is the cause-substratum of the illusory world. The Lord is the creator, protector and destroyer of the world even as the dreamer is the creator, protector and destroyer of the dream world. Even as the water seen in desert is an illusion and thereby is created, protected and destroyed by the desert, similarly the ultimate reality of Lord is the creator, protector and destroyer of the world (the world is thereby an illusion in the blissful substratum of the ultimate reality of Lord). What does a person gain by knowing or worshipping such a Lord? This is being explained through the words that the Lord is one who will completely eradicate sorrows that we face in life (all the three types of sorrows). Thus the nature of the Lord as is, with respect to the world is being explained and the author also speaks about the fruit that a seeker would achieve by worshipping such a Lord.
Thus one small prostration sloka has the entire scriptures in brief in it. This is how ancient authors who were ever abiding in the ultimate reality of Lord used to prostrate and at the same time giving the reader/learner a brief glimpse at the nature of the Lord.
Lotus is something which looks very beautiful when blossomed. This blossomed state is the blossoming of the mind wherein the mind goes beyond duality and is ever abiding in non-duality. Lotus is also a flower that is in water but its leaves are never wet by water – similarly a realized master is one who is doing activities in the world like any normal worldly person but he is ever unaffected by the impurities of the world (sorrows and sufferings). Here Bhoomidevi equates the Lord’s various parts to lotus which means that the Lord is ever beyond duality and though he might take various forms yet he is unaffected and untainted by the impurities of the world.
Vasudeva is a word which is derived in Vishnu Purana as one who is all pervasive and in whom the entire world resides. Even as the dreamer pervades the dream world but at the same time unaffected as he is the substratum of the dream world, similarly the ultimate reality of Lord pervades the entire world (like space) but is unaffected as he is the substratum in which the illusory world is seen.
If we can contemplate on the ultimate reality of Lord as pervading the entire world, then we will realize that we are not different from the Lord – thus we will find ourselves pervading the entire world (existence in all objects) yet unaffected by the objects – it is this state of living that the scriptures term as jeevan mukthi (liberated from bondage while living in the world).
You take many forms in order to fulfill the desires of your devotees. In reality you are the supreme cause which is of the nature of indivisible Consciousness.
Explanation
In the 12th chapter of Gita titled Bhakthi Yoga, the Lord speaks about saguna and nirguna bhakthi – devotion towards form God and devotion towards formless God. This concept has been beautifully mentioned in two lines by Bhoomidevi in this part of Bhagavatham.
Ishwara is by nature formless. This is because Ishwara is unlimited, infinite and blissful in nature. Anything which has a form is limited by space, thereby finite and will not get bliss (eternal happiness – it can give happiness but not happiness which is eternal). Thus Ishwara has to be formless.
But as the Lord mentions in Gita, it is very tough indeed to worship the formless as we are still considering ourselves as the body (having a form). For people who think they are the form-body and not the indwelling formless Self, it is very tough to remember or contemplate on Ishwara without a form. Hence the scriptures speak about 33 crore devathas (forms). Even as the world consists of people with different temperament, there are different forms. Each person can choose the form he likes – it is essential to contemplate on a form which a person likes as if the person doesn’t like the form, he cannot remember the form at all. Real worship of form-God is not what we generally think it is – we consider worship as going to the temple, offering pooja in the morning etc. These are just external activities meant to help us in remembering Ishwara. Real worship is when a seeker pervades the form in the entire world. Whatever the seeker sees should be seen internally as the form Ishwara. This is one of the concepts that is beautifully brought out when a person visits Shabarimala (the abode of Ayyappa). A person who wants to visit Shabarimala maintains vows for 41 days – in the entire 41 days and until he returns back from Shabarimala the person calls everybody as “swami” or “god”. Instead of doing this for just 41 days, a seeker has to do it at all times – seeing everything as Ishwara.
If a person’s ishta devata (liked form-God) is Krishna, then he should see Krishna everyone – here seeing means considering everything as Krishna in the mind. Externally one might see things as different from one another but internally (in the mind) he considers all of them as Krishna. Whatever is heard is just the names and songs of Krishna. All actions are offerings to Krishna. Thus the entire world for a Krishna bhaktha becomes krishnamayam (filled with Krishna). When the form of Krishna pervades the entire world, it ceases to be a form (as form is that which is limited in space). Thus through form worship a seeker moves onto formless worship – the worship of that Ishwara who alone exists here. If there is only Ishwara here, how can he have a form? How can he have a name? Only when duality is there, there are names and forms. Once the seeker goes beyond duality by seeing everything as Ishwara, then there is no duality whatsoever.
It is this formless non-dual Ishwara who is of the nature of indivisible Consciousness. Ishwara is Consciousness in nature as he is ever present experiencing himself and illumining the illusory world as well. He is indivisible as he is non-dual – everything is only an illusion in him thus making him the only real existence.
Since most of us cannot contemplate on the non-dual formless reality, therefore we can worship the various forms of God (which are taken by the Lord himself in order for the devotees to easily seek him).
Bhoomidevi continued:
You who are lotus-bellied, lotus-eyed and lotus-feet I offer my prostrations. To you who are Vasudeva pervading the entire world, I offer my prostrations.
Explanation
Scriptural way of prostration is when there is not just prostration but the truth or reality of the Lord is also very clearly brought out. This is what we see Bhoomidevi doing here.
In order to understand this better let us quickly see a very popular sloka.
Satchidaanandarupaaya vishvotpatyaadi hethave
Taapatraya vinaashaaya sri krishnaaya vayam namaha
I prostrate that Krishna who is of the nature of Sat Chit Ananda (Existence, Consciousness and Bliss), who is the cause of creation-protection-destruction of the world and who removes the three sorrows of adhyatma (out of one’s body, mind), adhibhootha (out of other beings like thieves, animals etc.) and adhidaiva (natural calamities).
The above sloka is where the author prostrates Krishna. But rather than the sloka being a mere prostration sloka, the author gives a crystal clear description of the ultimate reality of Lord. The very nature of the Lord (svaroopa) is explained first as Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute. Next the author explains the Lord with respect to the world that we constantly perceive (thatastha lakshana) – the Lord is the cause-substratum of the illusory world. The Lord is the creator, protector and destroyer of the world even as the dreamer is the creator, protector and destroyer of the dream world. Even as the water seen in desert is an illusion and thereby is created, protected and destroyed by the desert, similarly the ultimate reality of Lord is the creator, protector and destroyer of the world (the world is thereby an illusion in the blissful substratum of the ultimate reality of Lord). What does a person gain by knowing or worshipping such a Lord? This is being explained through the words that the Lord is one who will completely eradicate sorrows that we face in life (all the three types of sorrows). Thus the nature of the Lord as is, with respect to the world is being explained and the author also speaks about the fruit that a seeker would achieve by worshipping such a Lord.
Thus one small prostration sloka has the entire scriptures in brief in it. This is how ancient authors who were ever abiding in the ultimate reality of Lord used to prostrate and at the same time giving the reader/learner a brief glimpse at the nature of the Lord.
Lotus is something which looks very beautiful when blossomed. This blossomed state is the blossoming of the mind wherein the mind goes beyond duality and is ever abiding in non-duality. Lotus is also a flower that is in water but its leaves are never wet by water – similarly a realized master is one who is doing activities in the world like any normal worldly person but he is ever unaffected by the impurities of the world (sorrows and sufferings). Here Bhoomidevi equates the Lord’s various parts to lotus which means that the Lord is ever beyond duality and though he might take various forms yet he is unaffected and untainted by the impurities of the world.
Vasudeva is a word which is derived in Vishnu Purana as one who is all pervasive and in whom the entire world resides. Even as the dreamer pervades the dream world but at the same time unaffected as he is the substratum of the dream world, similarly the ultimate reality of Lord pervades the entire world (like space) but is unaffected as he is the substratum in which the illusory world is seen.
If we can contemplate on the ultimate reality of Lord as pervading the entire world, then we will realize that we are not different from the Lord – thus we will find ourselves pervading the entire world (existence in all objects) yet unaffected by the objects – it is this state of living that the scriptures term as jeevan mukthi (liberated from bondage while living in the world).
# posted by vedanta : 6:22 AM
