WHERE CAN YOU LEARN BHAKTI #Blog0015

where can you learn Bhakti

यदि आप जानना चाहते हैं कि ये भक्ति कहाँ पड़ाई / सिखाई जाती है ,

(1) 

तो ये समग्र अस्तित्व पल पल पग पग सिखाता है

Nature itself teaches bhakti :

Twenty-Four gurus from Nature < click this link to read

Each thing in creation & each step in life teaches you bhakti, provided you tune yourself.

अरे संसार में कोई कहता है  “सैयाँ भए कोतवाल, तो डर काहे का”

Even in this world, if someone is related to a judge, he starts feeling fearless - similarly if you relate yourself to God, you'd become fearless first thing.

इतनी सी बात कोई निर्भय हो जाता है, फिर ये भी सत्य है कि गिरिधर गोपाल मेरे रक्षक हैं और हमें छोड़ कर कहीं गए नहीं, यहीं हैं - इतना विश्वास हो जाए तो भक्ति है

(2) 

पहले जितना पड़ा है, वो सब भूल जायो,

खाली रिक्त मन कर के प्रभु के हाथ में दे दीजिए

शांति अर्थात रिक्त मन, रिक्त चित्त सुंदरता है जीवन की (रिक्त = clean)

यंत्र खुद बोले तो शोर है, कोलाहल (noise)

यदि संगीतकार बजाए, तो संगीत है

ऐसे जीवन का यह यंत्र (our ego) बोले, तो कोलाहल है

यदि कृष्णा को सौंप दें (surrender),  तो भक्ति है  

इसलिए आपकी प्रार्थना भी शिकायत है (our prayer is also like a complaint only), वो शुक्रिया नहीं है (we are not being grateful)  क्योंकि उसमें याचना (our demand) छुपी है

क्योंकि आपको उसके स्वरूप और स्वभाव का बोध नहीं है, i.e., due to ignorance of Lord's personality & nature, we are not able to establish relationship with Him 

उसके स्वरूप और स्वभाव का बोध होगा निरंतर सत्संग से -  उनके बारे में सुनना, पड़ना, देखना, मनन (contemplation) करना    

Normally, people are aware only of influence / power of God BUT not aware of nature of God which is known only through continuous stasang.  

Even normally, when we hear about a very rich, wealthy & famous personality, we simply shrug our shoulders & say “ok, how are we concerned” BUT if you have a relationship with such a person, then you feel great & are attracted towards him.    

And relationship with God can be established only by learning about nature of God.

“दिल देके दिल की चर्चा कौन करे” Once having given your heart to Lord, no one would grudge about this & complain.

“उमा, राम स्वभाव जिन जाना, ताहिं तजत, इन्ही भाव न आना”                     ,

तजत = to live without

LORD SHANKAR TELLS HIS WIFE DURGA (UMA) "WHOEVER COMES TO KNOW THE NATURE OF RAM (GOD), HE NEVER EVER THINKS OF LIVING WITHOUT HIM"      

So, to learn bhakti, we have to know His nature & His personality - possible only by satsang.

(3) 

अगर ये जानते होते कि भगवान तो :

“बिन बोलया सब कुछ जानदा, किस आगे कीजे अरदास”

click for video 1

click for video 2

"चींटी के पग नूपुर बाजे, तो भी साहिब सुनता है"               

Even if an anklet worn on an ant sounds, He listens                             

उनका नाम भक्त वांछा कलपतरु है  (वांछा = desires, कलपतरु = fulfiller)                    

His another name is Acceptor of Wishes  of His devotees                               

किसी के सुषुप्त (while sleeping) मन में कोई भाव उठता हो,               

कोई और जाने ना जाने आप भी शायद पहचाने ना पहचाने,               

लेकिन प्रभु लिख लेते हैं अपने उस कागज़ पर               

in someone, even if sleeping, when a desire is raised, God knows earlier than the subject person 

नानक कहते हैं “अनबोलत मेरी वृथा जानी, अपना नाम जपाया, ठाकुर तुम शरणाई आया"

,i.e., He knows your wishes / difficulties (वृथा) even without telling (अनबोलत) - be aware of this nature of His & you'd automatically become grateful & become a devotee.

He knows my troubles even without my saying (as He sits in heart of each)

click for video 1

click for video 2

click for video 3

Best option to be a devotee is to surrender to Lord & let His will take over

(4)

आत्म परिचय के बिना भक्ति नहीं हो सकती

WITHOUT ONE’S KNOWING ONESELF, ONE CANNOT DEVELOP LOVE FOR LORD & CANNOT LEARN BHAKTI

आत्म परिचय के बिना भक्ति नहीं हो सकती   कौन करता है भक्ति? हाथ करते हैं भक्ति? या पैर, कान, मुख, आंख, नाक करते हैं ? आपकी चेतना भक्ति करती है Your consciousness does bhakti और यदि आपका उससे परिचय नहीं है तो आप उस मार्ग पर एक पग भी आगे नहीं बढ़ सकते   आत्म चिंतन के बिना आत्म परिचय नहीं होता It is self-acquaintance ; you must know the pros and cons of your personality, your own fault, your qualities आपको अपने गुण अवगुण पता हो   विचार के बिना एकांत नहीं हो सकता बिना विवेक के विचार नहीं होता बिना सतसंग के विवेक नहीं होता   इसलिए सतसंग से विवेक (discrimination power), विवेक से विचार (thought), विचार से एकांत (solitude), एकांत से आत्मचिंतन (introspection), आत्मचिंतन से आत्म परिचय (self-acquaintance) और आत्म परिचय से भगवत भक्ति (Devotion) जैसे कोई 50 साल के लिए अपनी याद भूल गया हो, कोई उसे याद करा दें कि आपके असल में सगे संबंधी कौन हैं फिर वह असली संबंधी के पास ही जाना चाहता है   ठीक वैसे ही हमारी स्थिति है हम भगवान को भूल बैठे हैं और भगवान ही हमारा एकमात्र सगा है   सतसंग आपको स्मरण करा देता है आपका अपने सगे भगवान का रिश्ता Actually it is just a memory loss, somehow due to non stop lording over material world  

“आए थे हरी भजन को और बन बैठे भगवान” we have forgotten our relationship with God and OUR ONLY TRUE ETERNAL RELATIONSHIP is with LORD , e.g., someone in a coma for say 50 years, once he regains his memory, on being told that his real relative is someone else, will immediately want to be with his real close relative. Satsang (सत + संग - सत्य का संग) awakens our lost relationship with God by revealing God's NATURE (स्वभाव) and once one is awake, he tastes such a bliss which is eternal that all other worldly pleasures seem a trifle & too short lived.

Gita shloka 3.4, DEVOTIONAL SERVICE TO THE LORD IS BEST, 10th June

Gita shloka 3.4

TRANSLATION

NOT BY MERELY ABSTAINING FROM WORK CAN ONE ACHIEVE FREEDOM FROM REACTION, NOR BY RENUNCIATION ALONE CAN ONE ATTAIN PERFECTION.

PURPORT

The renounced order of life can be accepted upon being purified by the discharge of the prescribed form of duties which are laid down just to purify the heart of materialistic men.

Without purification, one cannot attain success by abruptly adopting the fourth order of life (sannyasa).

According to the empirical philosophers, simply by adopting sannyasa, or retiring from fruitive activities, one at once becomes as good as Narayana.

BUT LORD KRSNA DOES NOT APPROVE THIS PRINCIPLE.

Without purification of heart, sannyasa is simply a disturbance to the social order.

ON THE OTHER HAND, IF SOMEONE TAKES TO THE TRANSCENDENTAL SERVICE OF THE LORD, EVEN WITHOUT DISCHARGING HIS PRESCRIBED DUTIES, WHATEVER HE MAY BE ABLE TO ADVANCE IN THE CAUSE IS ACCEPTED BY THE LORD (buddhi-yoga).

Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trayate mahato bhayat.

EVEN A SLIGHT PERFORMANCE OF SUCH A PRINCIPLE ENABLES ONE TO OVERCOME GREAT DIFFICULTIES.

Gita shloka 3.3, PATH OF KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS IS BEST PATH, 9th June

Gita shloka 3.3

TRANSLATION

THE BLESSED LORD SAID: O SINLESS ARJUNA, I HAVE ALREADY EXPLAINED THAT THERE ARE TWO CLASSES OF MEN WHO REALIZE THE SELF. SOME ARE INCLINED TO UNDERSTAND HIM BY EMPIRICAL, PHILOSOPHICAL SPECULATION, AND OTHERS ARE INCLINED TO KNOW HIM BY DEVOTIONAL WORK.

 

PURPORT

In the Second Chapter, verse 39, the Lord explained two kinds of procedures—namely sankhya-yoga and karma-yoga, or buddhi-yoga.

 

In this verse, the Lord explains the same more clearly.

 

Sankhya-yoga, or the analytical study of the nature of spirit and matter, is the subject matter for persons who are inclined to speculate and understand things by experimental knowledge and philosophy.

 

The other class of men work in Krsna consciousness, as it is explained in the 61st verse of the Second Chapter.

 

The Lord has explained, also in the 39th verse, that by working by the principles of buddhi-yoga, or Krsna consciousness, one can be relieved from the bonds of action; and, furthermore, there is no flaw in the process.

 

The same principle is more clearly explained in the 61st verse—that this buddhi-yoga is to depend entirely on the Supreme (or more specifically, on Krsna), and in this way all the senses can be brought under control very easily.

 

Therefore, both the yogas are interdependant, as religion and philosophy.

 

Religion without philosophy is sentiment, or sometimes fanaticism, while philosophy without religion is mental speculation.

 

The ultimate goal is Krsna, because the philosophers who are also sincerely searching after the Absolute Truth come in the end to Krsna consciousness.

 

This is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita.

 

The whole process is to understand the real position of the self in relation to the Superself.

 

The indirect process is philosophical speculation, by which, gradually, one may come to the point of Krsna consciousness; and the other process is directly connecting with everything in Krsna consciousness.

 

Of these two, the path of Krsna consciousness is better because it does not depend on purifying the senses by a philosophical process.

 

Krsna consciousness is itself the purifying process, and by the direct method of devotional service it is simultaneously easy and sublime.