Bhakti is not desire - Narada Bhakti Sutras

In an earlier blog, we have already discussed that no less than Swami Vivekananda - in his essays on Bhakti Yoga - has clarified that the love towards God talked about in the context of Bhakti Yoga (the yoga of devotion) is surely not mere emotionalism and is also not to be confused with disturbing or lower desires either. Further confirmation of this view is provided by the Narada Bhankti Sutras - which is probably the most famous ancient Sanskrit text on the subject. Of course there are other texts on bhakti too, and some of them are mentioned in Narada's sutras themselves. What is mentioned below is based on a commentary on Narada's Sutras by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. 

In a nutshell, bhakti is not of the nature of desire. Rather, it's nature is that of yogic control or cessation (nirodha), and what's more, the exact word - nirodha - used in Patanjali's yoga sutras to define yoga has been used here too, to describe the nature of this state of mind. To further confirm, Narada emphasizes that "love" is not the same as lawlessness. Society's rules and laws are to be respected and followed - else, there is a danger of falling into sin. While the gopis' (cowherd-women) love for Krishna constitutes  the very definition of devotion, they too forever kept in mind Krishna's greatness and Godliness, and never once allowed disrespect for Krishna to enter their minds. This is why their love for Krishna remained pure (with no place for sin there). 

In the first chapter, Narada tries to define and describe bhakti (devotion). He says that bhakti is like the greatest form of love, like amrita (nectar which is supposed to bestow immortality), attaining which, the devotee is drunk with bliss, completely immersed in the divine "atman" (soul), wants nothing, grieves nothing, hates nothing and is enthused by nothing. It is clear from related literature 

that in such contexts, not being enthused simply means that lower results (sense-pleasures) cease to be the motive for the work. The devotee is not unenthusiastic - only that enthusiasm of the lower kind is missing. The control or cessation characteristic of yoga and bhakti has been explained as adequate rest from both worldly as well as "vedic" duties (outer rituals associated with religious 

activity). Swami Vivekananda uses the words "giving up" of both popular and scriptural forms of worship, but Sri Sri explains that simply stopping of activities like worship and rituals is not implied here. It is the right kind of cessation of the outward forms of worship that is being referred to - something which flowers from within with the right kind of inner preparation and makes the outer 

forms drop away on their own. In this state, the devotee feels one with the Lord and is indifferent to contrarian impulses. While the devotees' feelings may be strong, scriptutal rules are to be followed till the state of mind is really firm. Else, there is danger of falling into sin. And similarly for worldly rules, food, etc. In other words, the devotee must not ignore rules and regulations required in ordinary life either. If improper food weakens the body, the devotee should not ignore this simple worldly knowledge because of his intense feeling of oneness with God. Swami Vivekananda adds that even after bhakti is firmly established, a few outward forms or rituals required for the preservation of the body may continue, although other social forms may be given up then. 

Narada mentions that according to the rishi Paraashar, bhakti is evidenced by an attraction towards worship and related rituals. According to rishi Garg, it manifests as an interest in stories related to the Lord. According to Shandilya, it is an unfettered immersion into the self. Narada, however, describes it as a state in which all activities (physical and mental) are offered up to the Lord, and in which forgetfulness of the Lord causes intense misery to the devotee. Just as was the case with the gopis. 

In the second chapter, bhakti has been called the greatest of all paths, because it is of the form of the result of the paths. In other words, bhakti is both the means and the end - whereas (it is perhaps being implied that) other paths are mainly the means to an end which is already captured in the path of bhakti. 

In the third chapter, the "methods" of bhakti have been "sung". The chapter starts by stating that the methods involve the devotee "giving up" lower pleasures and even association with people and being immersed always in devotion. When with the world, the devotee should continue to sing the praises of the Lord. All this, happens mainly by the grace of great souls and the grace itself happens because 

of His grace. Such souls (gurus, teachers) are no different from the Lord, so the devotee should focus on them alone, and them alone. 

The devotee is therefore advised to shun bad company - it leads to anger, lust, illusion and the well-known problems. Even if at first these may seem to have a small impact, they grow into giant waves of the sea if associated with. Only a devotee who shuns such company, serves the great souls, transcends the petty ego, removes the bondage of the world and the three gunas (modes of material nature - sattva, rajas and tamas), gives up excessive concern for bodily welfare, is beyond conflict, and even gives up the fruits of worldly action - only such a devotee crosses the ocean of maayaa (illusion) and helps others cross too. 

The fourth chapter metions that bhakti is beyond all qualities and is the finest of all perceptions, but it manifests differently depending upon gunas and conditions. The "Aarta" are people who remember the Lord due to a need while the "Arthaarthis" remember with the aim of achieving material rewards. The "jigyasus" are those who are seeking and the "Jnanis" are the ones who are in knowledge. The former are the lower kinds of devotees while the latter are the higher kinds. Again, it is emphasized that bhakti being its own result, is the easiest path to follow too. While lower desires, pride, anger, etc. are to be given up, that love which is beyond the three qualities (gunas) is to be inculcated more and more. Swami Vivekananda adds that all human feelings can be turned towards God to make them pure. Thinking of oneself as forever a servant of the Lord or a friend of the Lord are the main ways in which to think about the Lord. (Later, other manifestations of the feeling have also been mentioned.) In this way, transcending the separation between the worshiper and the worshiped, the task of devotion (love) is to be performed forever. 

In the fifth chapter, Narada says that when such a devotee arrives, even the Gods dance and the Earth gets a master (the earth becomes "sanaath"). For such a devotee, there are no barriers posed by caste , knowledge, form (gender), wealth, etc., because such devotees are His people. Arguments have no end, and therefore it is best to avoid them and focus on activities which enhance this devotion. Thoughts of pleasure and sorrow, desires and wants, gains and losses are all to be given up so that not a moment is wasted in activities other than the pursuit of this devotion. Non-violence, truthfulness, and other good behaviors are of course never to be given up. This devotion manifests in eleven different ways (attraction to worship, feeling of being a servant to God, feeling of being a friend of God, feeling of being a partner of God or married to God, feeling of oneness with God, etc.) but is the same essential feeling of devotion to the Lord. The book ends by stating that this ancient path has been this described by the author and the like of him without fearing the jeers of the world. Clearly, there was a time when people could not talk about oneness with God, or being married to God as a proper way to approach the spiritual. Because talk of oneness does not amount to experiencing oneness. And yet, it is equally clear that what we ordinarily mean by oneness (non-dualism) is not to be ignored as a mere construct of the mind. 

Sadanand Tutakne

Sri M: Living Light of the Nath Tradition

Sri M, born Mumtaz Ali in Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) in 1948, has written of his transformation into a yogi, his years with his guru travelling to different places in the Himalayas, of mystical experiences before and after meeting his guru, and of later years at the Krishnamurti foundation and afterwards in his book "Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master - A Yogi's Autobiography". A few of these experiences have also been mentioned in freely available videos of his interviews and lectures. Even if only to force our minds to remain open to the possibility of higher dimensions of consciousness and existence, it seems worthwhile to go over some parts of his life story here. Or, even closer home, think of the purity of mind these stories create or the deep rest the heart of a believer gets when it learns of these things being true. Or, think of it as a story the great yogi wanted his friends to hear - for reasons we may not yet understand. Or just think of it as a "time-pass" with a joker friend of yours who thinks much of his games. All these are non-disturbing ways of thinking of these incredible events and would be conducive to learning. If you get excited and feel depressed that you are not at the same level as the yogi on these dimensions, you are likely to feed the disturbed mind that is always crying for one want or the other. Do you have your own way to calm the disturbed mind? If not, then don't let your visualization and imagination of your junior position vis-a-vis this yogi get the better of you. The book was written to help us. It is like prasaada at the end of a puja. It is like a snack shared amongst friends. It is like a gift from a parent to the child. Surely, the ancients who wrote in Sanskrit would have called these stories "milk fed by the mother to her child". We may call it the mother Ganges instead. So such is the nature of great stories. Some of the great old ones like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata also have metaphysical (esoteric) interpretations, but the stories still retain their full status as simple stories. So might the yogi have higher or other purposes in presenting his case, but it still retains its position as a "feel good" story. Compulsive believers have a compelling reason to partake of this prasaad. May it be auspicious. 

1. In early childhood, he was often disturbed by some nightmares but even in dreams, nothing ever harmed him. Both he and his younger sister were fairly studious, his sister even more than he. He heard of great sufis from one of his grandmothers and his father too had an interest in yoga and used to keep some books on yoga in his office. He liked to eat at some of his Hindu friends' place mainly because, he says, he did not get good idli sambhar elsewhere. 

2. His guru from the Himalayas first contacted him at his Kerala residence when he was nine years old. The yogi beckoned to him from under a jack-fruit tree in the courtyard of the house, blessed him and asked if he remembered anything. Sri M replied in the negative, and the yogi left after telling him that he would remember in due course of time. After this meeting, Sri M felt himself meditating spontaneously at night, and perceived soothing lights arising from the heart center or running up his spine. Even before this incident, Sri M was inclined towards the mystical, in the sense that when Swami Abhedananda from a nearby ashram would come to his part of the town singing devotional songs, Sri M would find the music very appealing to his heart.

3. He went to see a swami called Gopala Pillai who was visiting his friend's place. Gopala Swami touched his forehead as a blessing and Sri M was in waves of ecstacy. Overwhelmed, he ran to the jackfruit tree in the courtyard of his house. Slowly, the experience subsided. 

4. A librarian provided timely help by pointing to good spiritual books by a variety of authors - e.g., Swami Vivekananda, Madam Blavatsky, the Upanishads, etc. Sri M also read philosophers like Aristotle in those days.

5. At the age of 14, he met another mystic of high repute in the area called Kaladi Mastan. The mastan sportingly called him the big thief - the thief who had come to steal the mastan's treasure.The mastan was a wandering monk who kept almost no possessions, but at his touch, Sri M went into an ecstatic trance for 3 days. Shopkeepers who were around when the mastan blessed him told him when he came to that he had been in trance for three days. 

6. Two other mystics blessed him via dreams. Swami Abhedananda, who used to sing devotional songs with his troupe, happened to bless him around this time. That night, Sri M dreamt of himself as a gopi (cowherd girl) playing with Lord Krishna, the master yogi himself. Another mystic, Mai Maa, lived in rags and was followed everywhere by a few stray dogs who she often fed. Offering her some dosas, which she accepted, when Sri M returned home, he was blessed by her in a dream. He woke up feeling the energy within him and could not go to school that day because he was so "drunk" with the ecstasy. He writes that the night of the dream, he could barely walk due to the experience and that the feeling subsided only the next evening. 

7. During these early days, he also visited the shrine of a sufi saint named Beema Bibi, in whose name exorcisms were conducted at the shrine regularly. Once he ran away to meditate in a grove where many saints were said to have had illuminating experiences. The reason was that he found in the books he was reading, different statements made by two renowned yogis about the location of the heart center and was perplexed by that. At night, he got an answer from someone who seemed to know that Sri M was bound to come into association with Babaji - a legendary figure who is said to have maintained his young body for centuries, and is said to be the preceptor of Shri Lahiri Mahashaya, who revived Kriya Yoga in the modern world. 

8. With many such experiences guiding the way, Sri M finally decided to go to the Himalayas without informing his family. However, before that he did a "trial run" which was itself an experience. Finally he took the plunge, used the trains to reach Haridwar, and started searching for a true guru. Over the next few months, he stayed at different places like an ashram and once with a naga sadhu, and met practitioners of different kinds. Some were honest to the core and were living life according to their understanding of the scriptures, while others like a naga sadhu he met were addicted to their "chillum". None of them satisfied him fully, though, because they had no direct realization of God, or the higher dimensions of reality. He was told that although there were truly realized souls in the Himalayas, they were rare to find and that there were a fair number of fraudsters too. However, some of them really wished him well and wanted to help him and with their best wishes, Sri M carried on towards the higher regions of the Himalayas. He visited caves known to have been named after ancient rishis who were supposed to have meditated there and one fine day, was willing to throw himself into the cold waters of the Alakanandaa seeing no progress on the main aim of his life. That day, he met the same yogi who had visited him at his residence at the age of nine. The yogi knew about his travails and from where he had come, and giving him something to eat and drink, asked him to stay for a few days. As Sri M found out, this was Maheshwarnath Baba, disciple of the legendary Shri Guru Babaji (of Kriya Yoga fame), and a self-realized yogi himself. With Maheshwarnath Baba (or, Babaji, as Sri M calls him), Sri M spent three and a half most wonderful years, travelling across the Himalayas, witnessing miracles performed on occasion by Babaji (Maheshwarnath Babaji) to help someone or the other, meeting other siddhas and yogis from Tibetan and other traditions, learning from Babaji’s discourses on the upanishads or yoga, and practicing meditation or yogic exercises as taught by Babaji. At some point, he was officially initiated into the Nath tradition by Maheshwarnath Babaji, but was also informed that his role, later in life, was going to require him to go back to the world of ordinary humans, live external life like a regular householder, but also try to maintain the inner spiritual awakening while doing all that. Sri M was not keen to go back, but had learnt by then that the gurus knew best. 

9. On one particular evening, a ball of light which looked the size of the moon from a distance descended from the sky in front of the cave where Sri M and Babaji were resting with the “dhuni” (fire) lit in front of the cave. The ball seemed to be a vehicle, which opened up and allowed a large blue serpent to dismount. Babaji seemingly spoke snake-language with the large serpent and at the end, asked Sri M to bow to the creature. After the creature departed in the same spaqcecraft, Sri M inquired and learnt that there was a planet in the Milky Way where these highly evolved serpents lived and that the serpents have had a long-standing relationship with humans for centuries. They had taught humans many a thing in the early phases of human development, but could not continue on earth due to problems with humans later. The being who had come to see Babaji was simply called “Nagraj” by Babaji – since he was quite high on the administration of the planet according to Babaji. Babaji said that some disputes on the planet (Sarpalok as he called it) had still not been resolved despite the higher level of spiritual evolution of these beings and that Nagraj had visited him to discuss what could be done about those disputes. 

10. Samadhi or universal consciousness had to be bestowed upon Sri M by “other means” since there wasn’t enough time to get there via meditation. It was a simple dome-shaped instrument (perhaps made of some metal) which was placed on his head by two experts who had the sanction of his guru. They pressed the helmet-like structure on his head with the help of some strings and pressed on it. Sri M was first outside the body and then back in again. He then saw that in that state, consciousness had no center – this body or that, or even another heavenly body, anything could be called the center. When someone spoke to Sri M, he could feel his consciousness being within the speaker, as though it was himself speaking to himself. All these and many more amazing experiences have been recorded by Sri M for the reader’s benefit in his autobiographical book. It includes some of his experiences with J. Krishnamurti too, whom he met after Babaji asked him to go back to the “ordinary world” and work and live like a regular householder. There were also some remarkable experiences at Shirdi where he went with his guru. 

11. Sri M did marry many years later and has two children from the marriage. He waited for a signal from his guru before starting “satsangs” and discourses in which he could teach about spiritual matters. The association with Maheshwarnath Babaji continued even physically after his return to the regular world – even though it was rare. Once, Babaji asked him to come over to Mumbai where he was planning on helping a disciple’s family with a period of emotional stress. Babaji would surprise him by surprise meetings of this kind at times. Maheshwarnath Babaji – who used to look like a 30-year old for decades and may have lived for dozens of decades according to Sri M’s calculations – finally decided to exit his physical body many years later, after duly informing Sri M and transferring most of his capabilities to Sri M. Sri M buried the body as per the guru’s instructions. 

Over the years, Sri M has been speaking at universities, in the Indian Parliament, and on television too, spreading the light as best as he can. Most recently, in 2015, Sri M undertook a padayatra from Kanyakumari to Srinagar, stopping at various cities to talk to people and just bless them, if nothing. He has written that as a youngster, he learnt several magic tricks due to his interest in the field, so the present author is skeptical about the "ashes" he materializes in some of his interviews on freely available videos. In any case, he performs this trick adding that such siddhis are child’s play and not to be given much importance. Perhaps what is much more important to Sri M is that the learning of universal oneness be reflected in daily life, by somehow translating the Samadhi experience into a light which can guide all action.

Sadanand Tutakne

Ahimsa in the Gyaneshwari - "that utmost care is ahimsa"

The 13th chapter of the Bhagawad Geeta talks of what constitutes jnana or knowledge and mentions more than a dozen characteristics of knowledge. Where these characteristics are absent, knowledge (jnana) may be said to be absent. Among these characteristics, ahimsa or non-violence also appears. As with any virtue, it starts seeming impossible to practice when taken to an extreme. Another great virtue which also seems impossible to follow in extremes is pridelessness. When stretched to an extreme,  it raises issues like whether even feeding oneself is pride because it amounts to giving your own body some importance! Other couplets in the Geeta explicitly recommend that practitioners should not go for extreme forms of penance and hurt themselves out of misplaced pride, and a number of teachers over the centuries have also recommended the same. Following them, we may also do well to not go to extremes and hurt ourselves in trying to score more points on one dimension. Jnaneshwar (or, Gyaneshwar) in his commentary on the Geeta also reminds us not to hurt ourselves, but also does whatever he can to sensitize us to what ahimsa is. The present author hopes that the great yogi's teachings are not being misinterpreted here, due to limitations of translations or the learning and absorbing capacity of the present author. 

Dnyaneshwar - as his name is pronounced in Maharashtra - is said to have been initiated by his elder brother (Nivritti Nath) who in turn is said to have received his initiation from Gahini Nath, one of the nine great teachers in the Nath sect. The present author takes great joy in thinking of the light of the evening oil lamp as a blessing from the nath yogis. As such, he is confident that even if he made an error, the naths would correct it, but wouldn't it be even better if at least the essential meaning could be conveyed properly here - given the limits of knowledge of one who has not ever been in the superconscious state? So help me Jnanadev. What did you want us to take from there? 

Gyaneshwar starts his commentary on Ahimsa by stating that ahimsa has been interpreted differently by different authorities, but some interpretations amount to cutting and selling one's own hand and then buying food from the proceeds of the sale! In particular, the translation goes, the purva mimansa of Jaimini seems to preach non-violence through violence! The present author has not read the purva mimamsa and hence cannot comment on which statement Dnyaneshwar is referring to, but Gyaneshwar himself clarifies that the mimamsa recommends more yajnas if the rain gods need to be propitiated, but forgets that these yajnas are cruel to animals and plants. Gyaneshwar moves on to criticize Ayurveda too - elaborately describing how cruel it is to dig up the roots of a plant or to peel the bark of a full grown tree in the name of helping a human! He then chastises worldly-wise men who filter water before drinking but forget that many micro organisms die when water is filtered too! 

After these examples, he begs the listeners' forgiveness for the gory details in his commentary, but adds that he also plans to present his own view, and does not intend to stop after merely criticizing others.  

Then Gyaneshwar talks of the feet, the hands, the expressions and the state of mind of the non- violent. In a nutshell, the feet of the non-violent are always careful and never forget that a living being - even if only a microbe - may get injured if they perform carelessly. The hands never rise for fear that they may cause a disturbance in the atmosphere which may harm something or someone somewhere. However, they do rise to bless or help, or to serve the needy and then they perform these tasks with dexterity and ease. The non-violent gaze never falls upon anyone for fear that it may hurt something somewhere,  but if it does fall upon someone, then it is the most peaceful and benign of looks for the being on which it falls. Similarly for the breath, and of course, these outward signs happen only because the same is the csse with the mind. The person established in ahimsa gives up violence in outward action,  speech and in his mind. As the seed grows into a plant, the seed-thought of mental non-violence has the outward effects as mentioned above on all sense organs. 

Thus elaborating on non-violence, Jnanadev again apologizes for the lengthy discourse but adds that it was not done just out of passion. Rather, he says, it would have been inappropriate to only give his view without providing a critique of the contrary ones in this matter. 

Shades of light and darkness are involved in all karmas. Walk, says Jnaneshwar, and you would be killing some micro organisms. However,  he also adds in one place that fearing all this, some people advocate not even feeding their bodies, and in practicing these extreme disciplines, continue to hurt their own bodies, which is also violence of some kind. It seems, therefore, that Jnandev - like many commentators after him - also wants mankind to continue with works which are uplifting or essential. However, they are to be executed or performed with great caution to avoid hurt, wherever possible. That utmost care, taken when performing any action, is Ahimsa, according to the Gyaneshwari.  

Sadanand Tutakne