Lakshmi Narayana Aithal
There is a differnence between worldly love and devotion. Worldly love is a mental condition
which originates by
the connection of
objects in the
vicinity of sense-organs.
There arises a
mental condition according
to the form
of an object.
When the sensual objects are
known, the following
conditions are formed :
Uncertainty (विकल्प)
of the object,
doubting it (संशय), certainty about
it (निश्चय) and
egoistically attaching to
it. Similarly –
TWO FORMS OF DEVOTION (continuation from last month)
कामः सङ्कल्पो
विचिकित्सा श्रद्धाsश्रद्धा धृतिरधृतिर्ह्रीर्भीरित्येतत्सर्वं मन
एव ।।बृ. 1-5-3।।
Desire (काम), will (संकल्प), doubt (संशय), faith (श्रद्धा), lack of
faith (अश्रद्धा),
placing mind
steadily in a
particular object (धृति), not having steady mind (अधृति), shame (ह्री), intellect (धी), fear (भी),
etc. – all these are
conditions themselves. If
such conditions are
formed through the
external causes, they
are objects (विषयाणि). These objects
change themselves momentarily;
and the mind,
too, doesn’t remain
as it is.
Therefore no condition
which remains long;
similarly, the love-condition. Hence,
people are continuously
afraid of following
things : When there is
a worldly love,
the object that
causes the love
might be destroyed;
or, that may
gradually take different
form which would
not be favorable
to the one
as it is;
or that object
may be stolen
by someone; or
his mind itself
may be changed
towards that object.
In this manner,
this love has
certainly real or
imagined fear.
But
at present we
have taken devotion
for our deliberation;
even in the
worldly love which
is in the
form of a
condition (वृत्तिरूपप्रेम),
when momentarily happiness
appears due to
the cause of
an object; there
exhibits a part
of the Eternal
Love in it
due to the subjection of
moral merit, when
the mind stabilizes
for a moment,
then the Real
Bliss of the
Self which exists in every one of us is
reflected for a
while. People, in their conduct,
imagine that this itself is the happiness
of the object(विषयसुख); the
moral merit (पुण्य) which
is the cause
for that is
a little; and
therefore that happiness
also remains for
a short while.
But those
who exercise to
station their mind
in God, Himself,
through faith, etc. – the Bliss
of the Self
appears more and
more. Then the
pure mind takes
the shape of
the Self, then
the Self Himself
shines forth there.
Then the condition
of the mind
and the Self,
too, have the
same form; therefore
that condition or
its support – the Bliss
of the Self,
itself, becomes in
the name of भक्ति. In this
manner, even the
condition of the
form of Self’s
Bliss disappears the
Bliss of the
Self is Eternal;
therefore light of
love’s condition that
appears in the
mind continues to
remain. Thus, here,
the Devotion which
is of the
form of Supreme
Love and the
Supreme Self (परमात्मा) who
is the object
of devotion – have become
one only; and,
therefore, there is
no cause for
fear of its
destruction. The mind
of a great
devotee has become
the Form of
the Self which
is of the
Form of the
Supreme Bliss; therefore
from that Form
that exists in
the Immortal Form,
itself; and, it
is described here
as अमृतस्वरूपा, having the
Form of Immortality.
The Self
of a devotee
really doesn’t have
birth, He is
all pervading one,
He doesn’t have
old age and death,
He has the
nature of Immortality,
He is fearless
and He is
of the Form
of Brahman Himself;
for, the devotee
knows that there
is no difference
between himself and
the Brahman. The श्रुति declares this
Principle :
स वा एष महानज आत्माsजरोsमृतोsभयो
ब्रह्म अभयं वै ब्रह्माभयं हि वै ब्रह्म भवति य एवं वेद ।।बृ. 4-4-25.
TWO FORMS OF LOVE
13.
One should understand
the following things
from the so
far conducted deliberation : Meditation ( ध्यान), reflection (चिन्तन), worship (उपासना), thinking (भावना), singing the
praises of God (भजन), perception (वेदना), etc. – these words
have meaning in the form
of conditions; and,
the Love as
the fruit of
these conditions – is called भक्ति (Devotion) in
the scripture. The devotion
in the form
of mental condition
has the form
of action (क्रियारूप); therefore,
that can be
done, undone or
done in a
different manner. That
is dependent upon
the desire of
the worshipper(उपासक), therefore, in
order to stabilize
it, one should
be effortful to
stay his mind
in God who
is fit for
contemplation (ध्येय). But, when this
worshipper crosses the
form of exercise (साधनारूप), his devotion
expresses its fruit, the
Eternal Love; then,
the difference of
three forms – God, devotion
and devotee disappears;
and, the Indivisible Form of
God alone remains to exist. An example is given: प्रह्लाद was a great devotee of विष्णु. When his
father हिरण्यकशिपु
was torturing
him, his love
in God didn’t
perish because his
mental condition was
one with God
who was its
object. हिरण्यकशिपु , in the
excitement of anger,
pushed प्रह्लाद
in to the
sea and heaped
mountains over him;
in spite of
that, immovable love of
that boy was
steady; during the
time of daily
religious ceremony, he
used to absorb
himself in the
meditation of God.
Then, he prayed thus :-
ओं नमो विष्णवे तस्मै नमस्तस्मै पुनः पुनः ।
यत्र
सर्वं यतः सर्वं यः सर्वं सर्वसंश्रयः ।।
सर्वगत्वादनन्तस्य
स एवाहमवस्थितः ।
मत्तः
सर्वमहं सर्वं मयि सर्वं सनातने ।।
अहमेवाक्षयो
नित्यः परमात्मात्मसंश्रयः ।
ब्रह्मसंज्ञोsहमेवाग्रे तथान्ते च
परः पुमान् ।।
वि. पु. 1-19-84, 85, 86.
ओम्. Salutation to विष्णु! In
whom everything resides,
by whom everything
has manifested, who
has become everything
and who is
the shelter for
everything, salutation to
Him. He is
Infinite and all-Pervading; therefore,
I am He,
Himself. From me
alone everything has
become; and, everything
is only in
me who is Eternal.
I, myself, am
the Imperishable One,
the Perpetual One
and the Supreme
Self who is
the shelter for
all individual souls.
I, myself, am
Brahma named One
who is the
beginning of all
and I, myself,
am the Supreme
Person who remains
at last.’ Thus, प्रह्लाद
absorbed in himself.
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