A Study of the Bhagavata Purana or Esoteric Hinduism Part 81

"All actions (Karma) bear fruits in the Triloki. Mahar, Jana and Tapas are attained by Yoga, Tapas and Renunciation. My abode (Vaikuntha, which is beyond the Seven Lokas) is attained by Bhakti Yoga.

"All beings in this Universe wedded to karma are made by Me, who as Kala am the Dispenser of all karma, to merge out of or to dive down in the flow of Gunas (_i.e._ they are made to go up to the higher Lokas or to come down to the lower Lokas).

"All things big or small, thick or thin are pervaded by Prakriti and Purusha.

"That which is at the beginning and at the end of a thing is also at the middle, as in the case of ornaments and earth-pots, the intervening transformations having a separate existence only for the sake of conventional use (thus the ornaments of gold are called by different names only for temporary uses. But they are gold when the forms are made and destroyed. The forms are all transitory and the ornaments are essentially gold).

"That is only Real which gives rise to the original transformation, which is at the beginning and at the end. Prakriti the material cause, Purusha - that pervades Prakriti and Kala or periodicity which causes disturbance in the Gunas - these are three in one and I am that three-fold Brahma. The creative process flows on in order of succession without a break. The multifarious creation unfolds itself to serve the purposes of the jivas and it lasts so long as the period of Preservation continues and so long as ishvara looks at it.

"The order is reversed in Pralaya, and transformations are merged in the principles from which they proceeded. The body merges in to the food grains. The food grains merge in to the roots of plants. The roots merge into the earth, The earth merges into smell, smell into water, water into Taste, Taste into fire, fire into Form, Form in to Air, Air into Touch, touch into Akasa and Akasa into sound.

"The Indriyas merge into the Adhi-daivas. The Adhi-daivas merge into the Manas. Manas merges into Ahankara.

"Ahankara merges into Mahat (_i.e._ gives up the unconscious portion and becomes Jiva Sakti and Kriya Sakti itself. _Sridhara_.)

"Mahat merges into the Gunas.

"The Gunas merge into unmanifested Prakriti. Prakriti merges into Kala.

Kala merges into Jiva. Jiva merges into atma. atma rests in self.

"When these processes are meditated on, there is no delusion."

SATVA RAJAS AND TAMAS.

*SKANDHA XI. CHAP. 25.*

"_Sama_ or Control of the mind, _Dama_ or Control of the Senses, forbearance, discrimination, tapas, truthfulness, compa.s.sion, memory, renunciation, contentment, faith, shame and charitableness are the attributes proper of _Satva_. Selfish desire, Selfish exertion, pride, discontent, variety, selfish-invocation of the Devas, idea of separateness, material enjoyment, love of excitement, love of fame, derision, power and violence, are the attributes proper of _Rajas_.

"Anger, greed, untruthfulness, cruelty, begging, parading of religion, languor, quarrel, repentance, delusion, grief, dejection, sleep, helplessness, fear and indolence are the attributes proper of _Tamas_.

"The sense of I-ness and My-ness is produced by the mixture of the three Gunas (I have Sama, selfish desire and anger. My Sama, selfish desire and anger. Thus _I_ and _My_ are common to all the three Gunas.

_Sridhara_) All our dealings having the elements of Manas (Satvic), the Tanmatras (Tamasic), the Indriyas and the Pranas (Rajasic) in them, proceed from a mixture of the three Gunas. Devotion to Dharma (Satvic), Kama (Rajasic) and Artha (Tamasic), that bears the fruits of faith (Satvic), attachment (Rajasic) and wealth (Tamasic) is also based on a mixture of the Gunas.

"The performance of religion for the gratification of desires (Kamya Dharma which is Rajasic), the performance of the duties of married life (Grihasta Dharma which is Tamasic) and the performance of the daily and occasional duties a.s.signed to one's position in life (Svadharma which is Satvic) are based on a union of the three Gunas. Man is Satvic, when he has got the Satvic attributes. He is Rajasic when he has got the Rajasic attributes. He is Tamasic when he has got the Tamasic attributes.

"When a man or woman worships Me with unselfish devotion and by the performance of duties, he or she is Satvic.

"The person who worships Me, for the attainment of desires is Rajasic.

"The person who worships Me with a view to do injury to others is Tamasic.

"Satva, Rajas and Tamas are attributes that grow in the minds of jivas, they are not My attributes.

"When Satva prevails over the other two Gunas, man acquires religiousness, wisdom, and other attributes, as also happiness. When Rajas prevails, it causes distraction, attachment and a sense of separateness. Man acquires karma, fame and wealth. But he becomes miserable.

"When Tamas prevails, delusion, inaction and ignorance follow.

"When the Mind attains calm, the senses become abstemious, the body free from fear and the mind free from attachments, Satva grows up and makes it easy to perceive Me.

"When the mind becomes distracted by actions, and desires multiply, when the senses of action become disordered and the mind always wanders away, Rajas has its hold over man.

"When the mind can not grasp, when it languishes, when even desires do not crop up, and there is indolence, melancholy and ignorance, they all proceed from Tamas.

"With Satva, the Deva element prevails, with Rajas, the Asura element prevails and with Tamas, the Rakshas element prevails.

"The waking is from Satva, dream from Rajas and deep sleep from Tamas.

"By Satva, people go higher and higher up, by Rajas they move about in the middle, and by Tamas they move lower down.

"Satva takes one to Svarga Loka, Rajas to human Loka and Tamas to Naraka. Those who are void of Gunas attain Me.

"Action that is offered up to Me or that is unselfish is Satvic. Selfish action is Rajasa. Heartless action is Tamasa.

"Satvic wisdom is that which relates to atma, as separate from the body.

"Rajasic is half perceived wisdom. Tamasic is wisdom relating to the material universe.

"Wisdom centred in Me is Nirguna or without Gunas.

"Satvics like to reside in the forest. Rajasics in human habitations and Tamasics in gambling houses. Houses where I am worshipped are beyond all the Gunas. Births are caused by Guna and Karma. Those who conquer these become devoted to Me and attain my state."

COMPANY.

*SKANDHA XI. CHAP. 26.*

"King Pururavas was forsaken by Urvasi. He then thought within himself what the body of a woman was composed of, where its beauty lay, and the origin and the end of that body. 'Therefore' said he 'wise men should not a.s.sociate with women or those that are addicted to women. By contact of the senses with their objects, mind gets disturbed, not otherwise.

What you have not seen or heard of before can not disturb your mind. Let not the senses indulge in objects and mind will attain calm.' Keep company with Sadhus.

"Give up bad company. Acquire from the Sadhus devotion to Me and you shall ultimately attain Moksha."

KRIYA YOGA AND IDOL WORSHIP.

*SKANDHA XI. CHAP. 27.*

(The details will not be interesting to the general reader).

JNaNA YOGA.