Bhakti Yoga
A man was wandering everywhere for many days from one town to another in search of a good spiritual master. But he could find none. At last, while he was walking through a forest, he decided that; whomsoever comes in his path at time, he will accept that man as his Master. It was his i bad time that a thief was just then coming along that way.
This man immediately fell at the feet of the thief. Holding his feet, he requested him saying, 'you are my teacher, you are my master; you have come to save me. I will not leave you'. But the thief replied, 'Oh! No, no. Leave me. I am a thief actually. I have just now committed a theft and am coming from there. You can see for yourself. Policemen are chasing me. I must run away now'. The thief shouted this way. But this man said, 'No. No. You are only my savior, my teacher, master. You alone have to show me the way for my salvation. I will not leave you at all'.
The thief was continued refusing, but this man would not leave him at all. He said, 'unless you show me the way I will never leave you', Finding that there was no other go for him, the thief agreed and said, 'All right, you now close your eyes and sit here. You should not open your eyes until I ask you to open'. This man immediately sat down there and closed his eves, taking in the command given by his new-found master. Saying this, the thief took to his heels, and ran away.
As the man sat there with all his sincerity, time was just passing. One day passed. Then, two, three days rolled on. He was just sitting, sitting... with eyes closed tight, with great sincerity, with a clear and sincere determination not to open his eyes. There was the fire in his sincerity, the penance. The heat was so much that it reached up to Mount Kailash that Lord Shiva Himself appeared before him and gave him darshan (divine vision); this is what the puranas (ancient texts of the East) say.
It does not matter as to who the teacher or who the master is. That is not important. But the very sincerity itself has got that much of energy and strength. This one is at least a puranic story. But there is a story which actually happened in Kashi, also called as Varanasi in North Bharat. Ramadasa was a sincere and a devout devotee. He belonged to a low caste by birth. He did not belong to a high caste. He was eager to get initiation (or deeksha, as we call in Sanskrit), wisdom etc. from somebody.
In the town where he lived, there was a pundit, a learned man who had given initiation to a lot of people. Ramadasa goes to him and requests him, 'please give me deeksha (initiation)'. But he drives him away saying, 'I will not give you any initiation; you are from a suppressed caste, low caste, just you go away'.
Now, what does Ramadasa do? An idea flashes to him, to do something when the pundit comes to take his bath in the early morning. He thinks, 'He will come at 3 in the morning to take bath in the river Ganges. Before he comes, let me lie down on the bank of the river. Surely, when the pundit comes and walks, his feet will touch my head or my body'.
Usually, in Bharat, what will we do if some thing suddenly obstructs in our path? Will we not say some thing like Rama. Rama or Siva. Siva due to the shock?
Ramadasa continues to think, 'whatever it is, he is a big pundit. What he will say due to the shock? He will say 'Rama, Rama', is it not? I will take that itself as deeksha (initiation)'.
He intends to take the touch of his body by the pundit as 'Sparsha Deeksha' (initiation by touch), and whatever the words that come out of his mouth as 'Mantra Deeksha' (initiation by taking a mantra, sacred syllable from the teacher). Thinking thus, he lies down on the steps. Now, it was early morning time. The pundit comes for taking bath, goes down the steps and he actually steps on the head of Ramadasa.
What will we say if there is any sudden obstruction? Will we not say Rama, Rama etc.? But somehow due to the bad (or good!) time for Ramadasa, the pundit, instead of saving 'Rama. Rama', he says 'Buffalo!' Ramadasa had been thinking that the pundit being well read and wise, will only say 'Rama, Rama', but he uttered, 'buffalo'. He actually shouts so getting annoyed. But, due to his sincerity, Ramadasa takes that word 'buffalo' itself as mantra; just sits there and starts chanting, 'Buffalo, buffalo...' He says that word 'buffalo' as a meditation itself and goes on repeating it as a japa (repeating some God's name).
This is a true story which actually happened. Ramadasa continues doing the meditation. Deepavali (a festival of lights, celebrated in Bharat) festival came. During the deepavali day, it is customary to bring out the gold idol of Goddess Annapooraneshwari (a synonym for Goddess Parvati) from the temple in a chariot.
The chariot will be made of Laddus (a kind of sweetmeat), and the gold deity of the Goddess will be brought in that chariot. The festival day came to bring the deity out for a procession around the village. They started to bring the idol of the deity out from the temple. They could not bring it out from the entrance. Some thing was obstructing and the idol could not be brought out. The idol was about one to one and half feet in height. The entrance was ten feet high. But still some thing was obstructing on the top of the idol could not be brought out. The pundits tilted the idol this way and that way but still, could not be brought out of the temple at all.
Ramadasa happened to come that way. On seeing the struggle of these people had in bringing out the idol, Ramadasa says, 'The horn of the deity is knocking aqainst the roof at the entrance. That is why the idol is not coming out. Just lower the idol'.
But those attending to the idol do not quite understand what he says. They tell him, 'You are a suppressed caste man. Why do you even step in to the temple premises at all? Why are you blabbering some thing like a mad fellow? Mind your work and go away. Why do you madly think some thing like that? You just go away from here'. Ramadasa says, 'Goddess is giving her darshan as a buffalo and her horn is knocking against the top of the entrance and so lower it, so you can take it easily'. But those people were not able to understand or comprehend to what Ramadasa was trying to convey. They kept trying to bring out the deity, but it did not come out at all.
Ramadasa himself goes and lowers the idol and as the horn did not hinder now, he brings it out. The idol comes out easily! This is a story which actually happened.
That is, the Goddess separately gives him a darshan in the form of a buffalo. Even today, if you go to Kashi and see, on the Deepavali day; in front of the deity Goddess Annapoorani, they keep the idol of the god Ishwara and also a silk cloth woven with the picture of a buffalo on it made out of gold. The town people there know about this incident that had happened. If you have not seen it yet, you can go and see it. It is only in memory of Ramadasa that this is being done there.
Because the goddess has given darshan to him in this manner, it is clear that even though a devotee, with all sincerity and earnestness, chants the word 'buffalo' repeatedly as a mantra, bound by his sincerity and devotion, the goddess gives him darshan in the form of a buffalo itself. Parasakthi (the Divine Mother or the Universal Energy) has appeared in the form of a buffalo. To explain this descriptively, a letter written in his own hand is available. Otherwise, we would not have known that. See the power of sincerity: the power of faith. If there is sincerity and faith, a new dimension of life will be shown to us.
A man blind by birth, goes to a doctor. He asks, 'Sir, why don't you do some thing and give me eye sight?' The doctor tells him, 'Don't worry. I will do an operation. You will get eye sight and then you can walk without the stick.' The blind people usually have a stick to lead them, is it not? The doctor says that he could then walk without the help of the walking stick. The blind man puzzled, asks, 'Sir, I understand that you will do an operation. I can also understand that I may get the vision. But without the stick, how will I be able to walk? After I get my eye sight, how can I walk without the stick at all?'
Only after he gets his eye sight will, he can understand that it is possible to walk without the stick. Until he gets his eye sight; can any one make him understand that once he gets sight, that he can walk without using the stick? No, it will not be possible.
In the same manner, in our life, only when faith and sincerity comes, it will be understood how our life gets a new dimension. Sincerity and faith will show us a new dimension itself in our life. When we live without faith and true sincerity, we may not even know what we are missing. Can a blind man know what he is missing? For, a man who is born blind will not know as to what he is missing while he is living. You can only tell him. Same way, those who live without faith and sincerity will not know what a mighty dimension of life they are missing. Those who possess the faith and sincerity only, can make them understand.
Kabirdas used to be always dancing in ecstasy. Chaitanya used to be always singing keerthans (songs). Meera was always singing. Ramakrishna used to be dancing with joy. Saint Gnanasambandhar and Manikkavachagar would sing in ecstasy
If you see the Gnanis (enlightened Beings), Yogis (those possessing some super human powers) and Siddhars (again can be referred to as enlightened ones); they say our life itself is blissful always. All gnanis, all rishis (sages), all siddhars say that the is a 'blissful festival'. Krishna says that there is no life at all. Every one says that life is a blissful granary but for us, but somehow it does not appear to be so. Why? The reason being, they look at life with an eye of belief.
When the belief comes to us that everything, be it animate are being looked after by Parasakthi (Universal Energy), and that very same energy would look after us also, only then do all our mental troubles and tribulations come to an end and we come to a state of mind of peace and tranquility.
I shall bring out a concept to tell you. I will tell you how your mental energy and power will be useful if faith comes. How sincerity and faith make things favourable to us. We can understand this from a small matter. Right from morning till evening, there will be a continuous flow of thoughts in our mind. If we start recording them, it will come up to at least ten tapes. That means our mental energy is ten tapes long.
When our mind is in a confused state, we will not be able to take clear and crisp decisions. Thoughts like, 'I cannot do this at all, I do not know any thing, my life is full of bad luck, no one has bigger worries than mine'. In this way, all thoughts will be flowing and hence out of ten tapes, eight tapes will be depressing you only. That is, out of your ten energies would have pushed you into sorrow. 80% of your mental energy would have led you to depression.
On the other hand, if your mind had faith and belief in god, or in a Master, or intense sincerity is there, what will it do? You will say God Almighty is there, Lord Muruga (son of Shiva, worshipped as a God) is there, He will look after. We need not worry as to what has happened so far. Further also, He will show us the way. Somehow good things will happen. There is no need to bother. All that happens is for good only.
If only such words which give you courage will be running within you, then what will happen is that; out of ten tapes, eight tapes will be running full with good and uplifting words which give courage. Then 80% of the mental energy will be used to make you blissful and uplift you. If you don't have belief, 80% will be of such words which give you just depression. 'Nothing is going to be all right, whatever I do will not be all right', only such thoughts will be there. When there is faith and belief, the thoughts such as ' It is definitely possible for me, there is a Divine energy, some higher power which will save me', will be running.
Chapter 5
Bhagavad Gita (literally meaning, the Song of God) says beautifully, 'Uddhareth aatmanaatmaanam aathmaanam avasaadayeth, Aathma eva aatmano bandhuhu aatma eva ripuhu aatmanaha'.
It is only you who have to uplift yourself, or help yourself ascend. If you do such jobs to uplift you or if you can help yourself ascend, then you are your best friend, and if you do things to pull you down, then you are your worst enemy.
If you have the faith, sincerity and devotion; let it be on any God, or on any Master, it will surely make your life blissful. Lack of faith and insincerity will take your life downwards.
Therefore, let faith and sincerity flower in your life, let bhakthi yoga happen in your life, for you to be in bliss, reach the eternal bliss,
Nithya ananda.
Thank you.