A Study of the Bhagavata Purana or Esoteric Hinduism Part 75

"Who according to Thee is a Sadhu? What sort of Bhakti (devotion) may be offered to Thee?"

Sri Krishna replied: -

"Compa.s.sionate, harmless, forgiving, firm in truth, faultless, impartial, doing good to all, undisturbed by desires, self restrained, mild, pure, not asking for anything, indifferent, temperate in eating with controlled mind, steady in the performance of duties, seeking refuge in me, given to meditation, careful, profound, patient, having control over the six-fold waves (hunger, thirst, sorrow and delusion, infirmity and death), not seeking respect from others, but respecting others, able, friendly, tender-hearted, wise, such is a Sadhu. He who knowing my injunctions and prohibitions in the performance of one's own Dharma or duties of life, even gives them all up for my sake is the best of all Sadhus. Those who seek me and nothing else, whether they know or not what I am, are the best of My Bhaktas.

"To see, touch and worship My symbols and my votaries, to serve and adore them, the humble recital of My glory and of My deeds, Faith in hearing words about Me, constant meditation on Me, the offering up of all gains to Me, even the offering up of self in a spirit of service, the observance of the sacred days, rejoicings in the houses set apart for Me (all good Hindus have a house or room set apart for divine worship), initiation according to the Vedic and the Tantric System (one who is initiated is to recite the Mantras a certain number of times, every morning and evening and he can not take his meals without doing so in the morning) to observe fasts, enthusiasm in founding My image for worship, and in founding gardens, buildings and towns (in connection with My worship) humility and silence about one's own good deeds, - these are the indications of Bhakti.

"Sun, Fire, the Brahmana, the Cow, the Vaishnava, Akasa, Air, Water, Earth, atma, and all beings - these are the eleven places of my worship.

"I am to be worshipped in the Sun, by Vedic Mantras, in the fire by sacrificial Ghee, in the Brahmana by hospitality, in the cows by the offer of gra.s.s, in the Vaishnava by friendly treatment, in the Akasa of the heart cavity by meditation, in the air by the contemplation of Prana, in the water by offerings of libation and so forth, in the Earth by secret Mantras, in atma by experiencing (Bhoga) and in all beings by equality.

"In all these places of worship I am to be meditated on as with four hands, bearing conch, disc, club and lotus.

"He who worships Me as above and serves the Sadhus acquires Devotion.

Except by devotion that is acquired in the company of Sadhus, there is hardly any other way of liberation. I am not so easily attainable by Yoga, Sankhya, Dharma, the reading of Scriptures, Tapas, gifts, charitable acts, fasts, Yajnas, the Vedas, resort to pilgrimage, Niyamas or Yamas as by the company of Sadhus. Even those that are the lowest by birth, those that have Rajas and Tamas predominant in them, the Daityas, Asuras, and Rakshasas attain me easily by the company of Sadhus. The Gopis in Vraja, the wives of the Vedic Brahmanas did not read the Vedas, they did not observe fasts, they did not perform Tapas, but they attained Me, through the company of Sadhus. Therefore O Uddhava care not for Srutis or Smritis, for biddings and for forbiddings. Have recourse to Me, the atma of all beings, with all devotion, and thou shall have no fear from any quarter."

(The following stages are to be marked: -

1. Study of Nature and self instruction.

2. Self discrimination, resuting in the separation of the conscious atma and the unconscious Non-atma.

3. The understanding of what is bondage and liberation, and the relation between Jiva atma and Parama atma (ishvara.) 4. The liberating process during which the rules are to be observed, sacrifices to be made, the duties of life to be performed and active good done to all beings. During this process, the whole nature of the man becomes one of universal compa.s.sion and friendliness. Differences vanish. Good and bad become all alike.

The Jiva rests in his own atma, which is the atma of all beings, and then all is calm and quiet.

5. The company of Sadhus.

6. Devotion acquired in that company.

7. When Devotion (Bhakti) becomes a part of one's nature then the giving up of all rules, all karma, whether pertaining to the Srutis or the Smritis.)

WHY GIVE UP ALL KARMA

*SKANDHA XI. CHAP. 12.*

This Jiva-ishvara becomes manifest in the cavities (nerve-plexuses). He enters the cavity (called adhara or prostatic plexus) with the Prana (energy) of sound (called Para). He pa.s.sed through subtle mind-made forms (Pasyanti and Madhyama) in the plexuses called Manipura or Solar and Visuddhi or laryngeal and at last comes out as) very gross (Sound forms, called Vaikhari, consisting of) Matra (Measures, such as long, short &c), Svara (accents known as Udatta or high, Anudatta or low and Svarita or mixed; and Varna the (letters of the alphabet, _ka, kha_ &c.)

(The ruling idea is that the teachings of the Vedas and the Smritis are conveyed in articulate expressions and are adapted to planes corresponding to articulation. But articulation is the last and grossest expression of Divine Sound energy. In man the highest manifestation of sound energy, the primal voice, the divine voice, the first Logos, is Para. It is the Light which manifests the whole Universe. In that highest plane of manifestation there is no difference between Light and Sound. The seat of this Light is Mula-adhara Chakra.

Coming down the line of material manifestation, this Divine Light, this Para Voice, become Pasyanti in the plane of causes, of germ thoughts, of root ideas, the Karana plane. The germs are transmitted in Man from birth to birth and in the Universe from kalpa to kalpa. They are the _causes_ of the subsequent manifestations, whether individual or universal. The Para voice pa.s.sing through the causal plane, becomes the root-ideas or germ thoughts.

In the next plane, the Sukshma plane, the voice becomes the thoughts themselves or Madhyama.

The last expression of the Voice is the articulate expression, Vaikhari.

The Srutis and Smritis as written or spoken belong to the plane of lowest manifestation. They are governed by the root-ideas and ideas of the present universe, the root-ideas and ideas of the Rishis through whom they are manifested.

When you seek the _unmanifested_ light of the Logos, the Divine Voice, or only the first manifestation of that Voice, what care you about the lower manifestations, the Srutis or Smritis, what care you about karma that pertains to the lower planes?)

In Akasa, fire is only unmanifested heat (Ushman). It is manifested further down in the fuel. By friction in the fuel, it becomes a spark.

Kindled by _Ghee_, it becomes a flame. Such is my manifestation also in this articulate Voice.

So also the senses of action (Karmendriyas) and of perception (Gnanendriyas), the faculties of Desire, Discrimination, and Egoistic perception, the thread-giving Pradhana, the transformations of Satva, Rajas and Tamas are all my manifestations. (_i.e._ I am manifested through all of them).

Primally, this Jiva ishvara is unmanifested and one. But being the resort of the three Gunas, being the generator (Yoni) of the lotus (of the Universe), He becomes in time of divided energy, and appears as many, even like seeds that have found the soil.

This Universe exists in Me, even as a piece of cloth exists in threads.

The essence of this eternal tree of the Universe is Inclination. It begets flowers (Karma) and fruits (the fruits of Karma). Two are its seeds (Merit and de merit). Hundreds are its roots (the desires). Three are its stems (the Three Gunas). Five are its trunks (the five Bhutas, Akasa &c). The branches produce 5 sorts of juice (Sound, Touch, Sight, Taste and Smell); the Ten senses and the mind are the branches of the tree. Two birds (Jivatma and Paramatma) make their nest on it. Wind, bile and phlegm are its dermal layers. Joy and sorrow are the two fruits of this tree. It extends up to the solar regions (for beyond the Solar system, the Triloki, there are no rebirths.) The country loving Gridhras (in the first sense, vultures and in the second sense, home loving men of desires) partake of one fruit (sorrow). And the forest frequenting Hansas (in one sense swans and in the other sense discriminating men who give up desires) partake of the other fruit (joy).

He who, through the favor of his Guru knows the One as becoming Many through Maya, knows the Truth.

Thus with the axe of wisdom, sharpened by whole-minded devotion acquired by the worship of the Guru, do thou calmly and steadily cut asunder the sheaths of Jiva and on attaining Paramatma, do thou let go of the instrument itself.

THE GUNAS.

*SKANDHA XI. CHAP. 13.*

Satva, Rajas and Tamas - they are the Gunas of Buddhi (Prakriti), not of atma - control Rajas and Tamas by means of Satva and control Satva by Satva itself. When Satva grows in Man, he acquires Dharma, which is Devotion to Me. By worshipping Satvic objects Satva increases and Dharma is the outcome. That Dharma kills Rajas and Tamas and it increases Satva. When Rajas and Tamas are killed, Adharma which is an outcome of Rajas and Tamas is also killed. The scriptures, water, men, land, time, karma, regeneration, meditation, mantra and purification these ten are accessaries to the Gunas. Of these what the Sages praise are Satvic, what they blame are Tamasic, what they neither praise nor blame are Rajasic. Have resort to only those of them that are Satvic, for then Satva will increase. Dharma follows that increase and wisdom follows Dharma. But wisdom has its field only so long as memory lasts and the (Gunas) are not exhausted. Fire that is produced by the friction of bamboo pieces, burns up the forest and is then extinguished of itself even so the body caused by disturbance of the Gunas is extinguished of itself, (at that final stage).

(Of the scriptures, there are some that speak of inclination, others that speak of disinclination. The latter only are to be followed. Water which has a purifying effect, as that of a sacred place is to be used, not pointed water and wine. Bad men are to be shunned and good men are to be mixed with. Quiet solitary places are to be sought, not highways and gambling places. The time before sun rise is preferable for meditation not night fall or night. Nitya Karma is to be performed, not Kamya Karma. Initiation causes a second birth. Vaishnava or Saiva initiation is Satvic and not Sakta initiation. Meditation upon Vishnu is Satvic and not the meditation upon women or upon those that are hostile to Vishnu. The Pranava Mantra is Satvic and not the lower Kamya Mantras.

The cleansing must be purification of self, not the mere cleansing of Deva houses. _Sridhara_. By these Satvic pursuits, Satva Guna prevails in man. When Satva prevails the whole nature becomes Satvic. The tendencies are all such as to lead to calmness, which is the essence of Satva. This is Dharma Adharma is the opposite of this. It is identified with such a nature as leads to distractions. Dharma is followed by wisdom. For when the mind is calm and tranquil, truths are reflected on it in their entirety and they are fully perceived. That wisdom lasts as long as memory lasts _i.e._ as long as Dvaita perception exists. But when the Gunas themselves die out, wisdom vanishes of itself, for when there is direct perception of Brahma as self, the knower, the known and knowledge become one and the same.)

HOW TO WITHDRAW FROM THE OBJECTS OF THE SENSES.

*SKANDHA XI. CHAP. 13.*

Uddhava asked: -

"Generally people know that the objects of the senses lead them to misery. How is it, O Krishna, they still follow them, like dogs, donkeys and goats?"

Sri Krishna replied: -

"When in the heart of the undiscriminating man, the false perception of 'I' arises (with regard to body &c.), the terrible Rajas takes possession of the Manas, which by its origin is Satvic. Doubts and desires arise in the mind. The mind then dwells upon attributes (oh! how beautiful, what a nice thing!) and acquires a strong liking for it.

Guided by the pa.s.sions, with the senses uncontrolled, deluded by the strong current of Rajas, the helpless man knowingly does things that bear evil fruits. The mind of the wise man is also distracted by Rajas and Tamas. But he sleeplessly controls his mind and he finds fault (with his own actions). He is not attached to them. Gradually and steadfastly offer up your mind to Me, being wide awake, at all times, controlling your breath and regulating your seat and you will then be able to control your mind.

"This is the Yoga, as taught by My disciples Sanaka and others."

Uddhava asked: -

"When and in what form did you teach Sanaka and others?"

Sri Krishna replied: -