Prema Vahini
The Vedas, the Shaastras, and the messages of the Rishis, all have proclaimed uniformly and without any possibility of doubt, from that day to this, that Paramaatma is Sarvaantaryaami (the Eternal Witness), present and immanent in everything. So too, questions like the relationship between “He, who is served,” “He, who serves,” and “The wherewithal of service, viz., Prakriti,” have also been the subject of endless discussion. Every Aastika (religious person) knows and has heard the Bhagavatam verse in which the great Bhakta, Prahlada, states, out of his own experience that Paramaatma, the Sarvaantaryaami, need not be searched far and wide, and that He is very near the seeker himself.
He is here, He is not there: give up such doubts.
Listen, O Leaders of the Daanavas!
Wherever you seek and wherever you see,
There…and there…He is!
People speak of the Lord as having a particular nature or characteristic, as having a particular form and so on. These statements are true only to the extent that imagination and guesswork can approximate to; they are not the absolute Truth. Such conceptions are valid knowledge as far as worldly affairs go; they cannot be considered as valid knowledge of the Absolute. For, it is impossible to see the Poornam (Fullness) or speak about it.
In spite of this, however, Bhaktas and aspirants have been framing, each according to the stage of his own inner progress, some form or other of the Divine as the basis of their devotion. They worship Paramaatma as existing in some Ayodhya or Dwaraka and nowhere else; as found in places where some image or picture exists and nowhere else. They worship that form itself as Poornam. Of course, it is not wrong to do so. Only, Bhaktas should not proclaim that their belief alone is the Truth, that those names and forms which they have ascribed are the only names and forms of the Divine, and that all other forms and names are worthless and inferior. It should be realised that the names and forms which are the ideals of others are as dear and sacred to those others as such names and forms are to oneself.
When a form is idealised like this, it really becomes a symbol of the Universal; but, how can a mere symbol which is limited ever become the Universal itself which is Poornam? Conscious always of this, everyone should acquire, without giving room to senseless hatred, the vision that all forms of the ideal are equally valid and true. Without this samadrishti (equal sight, unbiased sight), it is impossible to realise the Poornam. All these gross forms of the ideal are fully saturated with the subtle Divine principle of Poornam. The taste of the vast ocean is to be found, complete and undiminished in every single drop of its waters; but, this does not mean that the drop is in the ocean. Though we recognise the “drop” and the “ocean” as separate entities, the nature and taste of both are identical. Similarly, the Sarvaantaryaami (inner motivator of all) Paramaatma and the gross form and name, which Paramaatma assumes and through which He is realised, are not separate entities; they are identical.
When the All-pervasive All-inclusive Pure Existence is described, the matter and method depend on the principles of the speaker and the tastes of the listener. When the individual name and form imposed by the Bhakta are transformed into the Attributeless and the Formless, it is referred to as Brahman. When this same Brahman appears with attributes and forms, it is referred to as Rama, Krishna, Vishnu, or Shiva. Do not the followers of even other religions agree that when the devotee attains the Ecstasy of Mystic Union, all distinction between him and God disappears? The Yogis, philosophers of other lands and other faiths, too, accept without demur that this distinctionless experience can be earned through Para-bhakti (supreme or highest devotion).
Therefore, in this matter, there is no difference of opinion between Advaita (Non-dualism) philosophy and the philosophy of Bhakti, Dvaita (Dualism). Even if some little trace of difference is retained, it is due to the individual’s own taste and desire and not anything specially basic. It is only when name and form come in that it is named differently as Prakriti, Paramaatma and Bhakta. When name and form are absent, doubt and discussion whether it is masculine, feminine or neutral will not arise at all. Then any description fits. For something that is above and beyond imagination, any name and form can be ascribed.
In fact, It has no attribute and no form. It is All-pervasive, Omnipresent. When this subtle omnipresence is systematically worshipped through a gross form and as having attributes, the devotee will clearly realise Its all-pervasive nature through that Saadhana itself. To vouchsafe the knowledge of this Saadhana and that Truth, and to bless the Bhaktas with that Bliss, the Attributeless Paramaatma incarnates in this world, assuming name and form, and gives scope for all embodied beings to have concrete experience and joy.
Through these experiences, the Incarnations facilitate the realisation that Paramaatma is Sarvaantaryaami and Sarva Bhoota Antaraatma, All-pervasive, the Indweller of all beings in Creation. Lord Krishna showed in His own gross form the entire Creation. Until he saw with his own eyes how Lord Krishna had contained, in His gross form the entire Creation, even Arjuna failed to understand that Krishna was Sarvaantaryaami. On the basis of such evidence, if devotees keep practising, they too can inevitably have the vision of Sarvaantaryaami in gross form.
Love, Lover, and the Loved, all three are One, and the same. Without Love, there can be no Lover. Even if there are both Love and the Lover, without the Loved, Love has no function. In all three, Love is the chief ingredient. That which is saturated chiefly and uniformly in everything, that is Paramaatma. Love, Lover, and Loved, i.e., Prakriti, Bhakta (Jeewa), and Paramaatma, there is no difference between these three. In all three, Prema is discernible as the Sarvaantaryaami (the inner motivator of all); therefore, can it not be realised that everything is Paramaatma Swaroopa? Certainly, it can be realised without fail. Everything is suffused with Prema. So, we can unhesitatingly declare that Paramaatma is Prema-swaroopa. In the entire Creation, in all living things, Prema is manifesting itself in various forms. The nature of Prema cannot alter, though it is known under different names like Vaatsalya (affection of mother to child), Anuraaga (attachment that exists between kith and kin), Bhakti (devotion; Love of God), Ishtam (liking) etc., according to the direction in which it is canalised. But, whatever the form, the essence of Prema cannot alter. On the basis of this knowledge and experience, the truth becomes clear that Paramaatma is Sarva Bhoota Antaraatma, the Indweller of all beings in Creation.
That which teaches the highest knowledge of this Unity is known as Advaita. That which teaches the principle of the Lover and the Loved, the Jeewa and the Brahman is known as Dvaita. That which teaches about all three, Love, Lover, and Loved, Prakriti, Jeewa and Brahman, is known as Vishishta Advaita. But, these three are one. The child that is born changes into the student. The student changes into the householder; but, all three are one and the same person, isn’t it? While the manners and the attachments change in various ways, he remains the same. From milk, butter and buttermilk emerge. Milk, which is the basis and contains all, is Advaita (Non-dualism). Butter, which contains the two categories, is Dvaita (Dualism); after that is separated, the buttermilk which remains is Vishishta Advaita (Qualified Monism). But, though their names and tastes differ, the colour of all these is the same always. This, which is the same in all, is the Nirguna (Attributeless) Brahma.
Seeds for the Bhakti Sprouts
The attitude of the worshipper and the Worshipped is the seed of Bhakti. First, the worshipper’s mind is attracted by the special qualities of the object of worship. He tries to acquire for himself these special qualities. This is the Saadhana. In the early stages of Saadhana, the distinction between worshipper and Worshipped will be full; but, as the Saadhana progresses, this feeling will diminish and when attainment is reached, there will be no distinction whatsoever. Whatever may be the object of worship one has grasped and loved and sought by Saadhana, one should have firm faith that Jeevaatma is Paramaatma. There is only one wish, fit to be entertained by the Saadhaka; and, that is the realisation of the Lord, Eeshwara Saakshaatkaara. There is no room in the mind for any other wish. That is why Kunti Devi prayed thus to Lord Krishna, “Let us have always, O Jagadguru, distress and misery, if only You grant us Your Darshan, the Darshan which destroys rebirth.”
The Bhakta who desires the Supreme and seeks to attain It should have this mental attitude. Then, regardless of joy and sorrow, without any worry about one’s own satisfaction, he will engage himself in Saadhana firmly, uninterruptedly, and with conviction, and after understanding the Reality, he will have full contentment.
From this point of view, there is no difference between a Jeevanmukta and a Bhakta; they are both beyond Ahamkaara, Prakriti with its three attributes, and Varna Ashrama Dharma. The hearts of such will be full of compassion and the urge to do good to the world. It is their Brahmaananda (Supreme Bliss) which impels them to act in this way. Such a Bhakta will have no desires, for, desires are the products of “I” and “mine” feelings. Only after they are uprooted, a person becomes a Bhakta, isn’t it? So, there can be no room in him for desire. He is a Bhakta of Amruta Swaroopa, Immortal Nature. For one with that Amruta Swaroopa, there can be no appetite except for the sweetness of Aananda.
Index
Preface
Noble Qualities Form the Path for the Aspirant
Ahamkara Causes Ashanti
The Need for Sanatana Vidya
Life’s Journey Depends on Samskaras
Sanatana Dharma is the Divine Mother of Humanity
Sarvaantaryaami is One and Only One
For a Sadhaka, Today is His; but, Tomorrow?
Manava and Danava... Differences in Character
Vaanaprastha
Sat-Sankalpa is the Path for Attaining the Proximity of the Lord
The Prosperity of Yesterday, the Poverty of Today, Both are Due to the Actions of the So-Called ‘Great’
Sarvaantaryaami is One and Only One
The Vedas, the Shaastras, and the messages of the Rishis, all have proclaimed uniformly and without any possibility of doubt, from that day to this, that Paramaatma is Sarvaantaryaami (the Eternal Witness), present and immanent in everything. So too, questions like the relationship between “He, who is served,” “He, who serves,” and “The wherewithal of service, viz., Prakriti,” have also been the subject of endless discussion. Every Aastika (religious person) knows and has heard the Bhagavatam verse in which the great Bhakta, Prahlada, states, out of his own experience that Paramaatma, the Sarvaantaryaami, need not be searched far and wide, and that He is very near the seeker himself.
He is here, He is not there: give up such doubts.
Listen, O Leaders of the Daanavas!
Wherever you seek and wherever you see,
There…and there…He is!
People speak of the Lord as having a particular nature or characteristic, as having a particular form and so on. These statements are true only to the extent that imagination and guesswork can approximate to; they are not the absolute Truth. Such conceptions are valid knowledge as far as worldly affairs go; they cannot be considered as valid knowledge of the Absolute. For, it is impossible to see the Poornam (Fullness) or speak about it.
In spite of this, however, Bhaktas and aspirants have been framing, each according to the stage of his own inner progress, some form or other of the Divine as the basis of their devotion. They worship Paramaatma as existing in some Ayodhya or Dwaraka and nowhere else; as found in places where some image or picture exists and nowhere else. They worship that form itself as Poornam. Of course, it is not wrong to do so. Only, Bhaktas should not proclaim that their belief alone is the Truth, that those names and forms which they have ascribed are the only names and forms of the Divine, and that all other forms and names are worthless and inferior. It should be realised that the names and forms which are the ideals of others are as dear and sacred to those others as such names and forms are to oneself.
When a form is idealised like this, it really becomes a symbol of the Universal; but, how can a mere symbol which is limited ever become the Universal itself which is Poornam? Conscious always of this, everyone should acquire, without giving room to senseless hatred, the vision that all forms of the ideal are equally valid and true. Without this samadrishti (equal sight, unbiased sight), it is impossible to realise the Poornam. All these gross forms of the ideal are fully saturated with the subtle Divine principle of Poornam. The taste of the vast ocean is to be found, complete and undiminished in every single drop of its waters; but, this does not mean that the drop is in the ocean. Though we recognise the “drop” and the “ocean” as separate entities, the nature and taste of both are identical. Similarly, the Sarvaantaryaami (inner motivator of all) Paramaatma and the gross form and name, which Paramaatma assumes and through which He is realised, are not separate entities; they are identical.
When the All-pervasive All-inclusive Pure Existence is described, the matter and method depend on the principles of the speaker and the tastes of the listener. When the individual name and form imposed by the Bhakta are transformed into the Attributeless and the Formless, it is referred to as Brahman. When this same Brahman appears with attributes and forms, it is referred to as Rama, Krishna, Vishnu, or Shiva. Do not the followers of even other religions agree that when the devotee attains the Ecstasy of Mystic Union, all distinction between him and God disappears? The Yogis, philosophers of other lands and other faiths, too, accept without demur that this distinctionless experience can be earned through Para-bhakti (supreme or highest devotion).
Therefore, in this matter, there is no difference of opinion between Advaita (Non-dualism) philosophy and the philosophy of Bhakti, Dvaita (Dualism). Even if some little trace of difference is retained, it is due to the individual’s own taste and desire and not anything specially basic. It is only when name and form come in that it is named differently as Prakriti, Paramaatma and Bhakta. When name and form are absent, doubt and discussion whether it is masculine, feminine or neutral will not arise at all. Then any description fits. For something that is above and beyond imagination, any name and form can be ascribed.
In fact, It has no attribute and no form. It is All-pervasive, Omnipresent. When this subtle omnipresence is systematically worshipped through a gross form and as having attributes, the devotee will clearly realise Its all-pervasive nature through that Saadhana itself. To vouchsafe the knowledge of this Saadhana and that Truth, and to bless the Bhaktas with that Bliss, the Attributeless Paramaatma incarnates in this world, assuming name and form, and gives scope for all embodied beings to have concrete experience and joy.
Through these experiences, the Incarnations facilitate the realisation that Paramaatma is Sarvaantaryaami and Sarva Bhoota Antaraatma, All-pervasive, the Indweller of all beings in Creation. Lord Krishna showed in His own gross form the entire Creation. Until he saw with his own eyes how Lord Krishna had contained, in His gross form the entire Creation, even Arjuna failed to understand that Krishna was Sarvaantaryaami. On the basis of such evidence, if devotees keep practising, they too can inevitably have the vision of Sarvaantaryaami in gross form.
Love, Lover, and the Loved, all three are One, and the same. Without Love, there can be no Lover. Even if there are both Love and the Lover, without the Loved, Love has no function. In all three, Love is the chief ingredient. That which is saturated chiefly and uniformly in everything, that is Paramaatma. Love, Lover, and Loved, i.e., Prakriti, Bhakta (Jeewa), and Paramaatma, there is no difference between these three. In all three, Prema is discernible as the Sarvaantaryaami (the inner motivator of all); therefore, can it not be realised that everything is Paramaatma Swaroopa? Certainly, it can be realised without fail. Everything is suffused with Prema. So, we can unhesitatingly declare that Paramaatma is Prema-swaroopa. In the entire Creation, in all living things, Prema is manifesting itself in various forms. The nature of Prema cannot alter, though it is known under different names like Vaatsalya (affection of mother to child), Anuraaga (attachment that exists between kith and kin), Bhakti (devotion; Love of God), Ishtam (liking) etc., according to the direction in which it is canalised. But, whatever the form, the essence of Prema cannot alter. On the basis of this knowledge and experience, the truth becomes clear that Paramaatma is Sarva Bhoota Antaraatma, the Indweller of all beings in Creation.
That which teaches the highest knowledge of this Unity is known as Advaita. That which teaches the principle of the Lover and the Loved, the Jeewa and the Brahman is known as Dvaita. That which teaches about all three, Love, Lover, and Loved, Prakriti, Jeewa and Brahman, is known as Vishishta Advaita. But, these three are one. The child that is born changes into the student. The student changes into the householder; but, all three are one and the same person, isn’t it? While the manners and the attachments change in various ways, he remains the same. From milk, butter and buttermilk emerge. Milk, which is the basis and contains all, is Advaita (Non-dualism). Butter, which contains the two categories, is Dvaita (Dualism); after that is separated, the buttermilk which remains is Vishishta Advaita (Qualified Monism). But, though their names and tastes differ, the colour of all these is the same always. This, which is the same in all, is the Nirguna (Attributeless) Brahma.
Seeds for the Bhakti Sprouts
The attitude of the worshipper and the Worshipped is the seed of Bhakti. First, the worshipper’s mind is attracted by the special qualities of the object of worship. He tries to acquire for himself these special qualities. This is the Saadhana. In the early stages of Saadhana, the distinction between worshipper and Worshipped will be full; but, as the Saadhana progresses, this feeling will diminish and when attainment is reached, there will be no distinction whatsoever. Whatever may be the object of worship one has grasped and loved and sought by Saadhana, one should have firm faith that Jeevaatma is Paramaatma. There is only one wish, fit to be entertained by the Saadhaka; and, that is the realisation of the Lord, Eeshwara Saakshaatkaara. There is no room in the mind for any other wish. That is why Kunti Devi prayed thus to Lord Krishna, “Let us have always, O Jagadguru, distress and misery, if only You grant us Your Darshan, the Darshan which destroys rebirth.”
The Bhakta who desires the Supreme and seeks to attain It should have this mental attitude. Then, regardless of joy and sorrow, without any worry about one’s own satisfaction, he will engage himself in Saadhana firmly, uninterruptedly, and with conviction, and after understanding the Reality, he will have full contentment.
From this point of view, there is no difference between a Jeevanmukta and a Bhakta; they are both beyond Ahamkaara, Prakriti with its three attributes, and Varna Ashrama Dharma. The hearts of such will be full of compassion and the urge to do good to the world. It is their Brahmaananda (Supreme Bliss) which impels them to act in this way. Such a Bhakta will have no desires, for, desires are the products of “I” and “mine” feelings. Only after they are uprooted, a person becomes a Bhakta, isn’t it? So, there can be no room in him for desire. He is a Bhakta of Amruta Swaroopa, Immortal Nature. For one with that Amruta Swaroopa, there can be no appetite except for the sweetness of Aananda.