Bhakti - & Realisation
One Stephen King’s quote goes like this
“The most things are hardest to say, because words diminish them”
While visiting a shrine, it is difficult to imagine, anyone without a wish-list. But when the moment arises, and one is face-to-face with the presiding “Deity”, what happens? One is speechless, the wish-list is forgotten, but thru the period of the “Darshan” , the experience is one of “total peace”
I remembered this, when I read the quote, and tried to find a similarity between the quote & the above experience, and was left with a not-quite-satisfied sort of feeling. The typical grandma’s saying that you “forget” all your grievances when you see “Him” was also not so-fulfilling.
This then led to a serious quest to understand this phenomenon, and find out if there is a co-relation between the quote & the experience, & which for some reason, I seem to be sure. I hope you wouldn’t mind if I share some of the ideas which came to my mind, and would be happy to share yours.
When one comes face-to-face with the “Deity” (I am only talking of a believer), in that fraction of the moment, one is in union with “Him”, and once this happens, the physical existence just ceases, and the wish- lists, the prayers, etc lose their meaning. As once you are delivered, everything, including speech just “cease”. (Perhaps to give credit to the grandma, one does forget his physical existence& experiences a union with “God”.)
Alas, the moment, he comes out of this experience, however, the physical existence, the wish- list etc reappear once again. And he re-forgets that fraction-of-a- moment realization. Surely, it cannot be gainsaid that this “experience” is beyond anyone’s capacity to express in words, or to borrow from King, these can only diminish its value.
But, all these beg the following questions
(a) Does it then mean that verbal finery, ability to articulate, etc are actually taking one away from the path of being in “oneness with God?
(b) And that one’s mere lack of these, becomes a sine-qua-non for “realization”
After all, there are excellent works of profound Bhakti, expressed in form of remarkably beautiful & poignant poetry/ narration, by any number of Godly men; From Veda Vyasa, Shankaracharya, to Thyagaraja, toTukaram, Surdas , & scores of others. Surely, it’s nobody’s case that they were all away from the “path”.
Its said that after compacting the enormous Vedas into just 4 in number, Vyasa, was feeling tremendously devoid of a feeling of “fulfillment”, when the Gods ordain him to expound on the glories of the lord, & the resultant tome that emerged is the “Bhagavatham”. This tome extols the “bhakti” form to a means to attain “salvation”
If Vyasa can attain a sense of “fulfillment” with Bhakti, is it not therefore safe to infer, that the extra-ordinarily brilliant pieces of verbal finery or simply “Bhakti” was all meant for us -the ordinary mortals-- to transcend from our mundane existence. From Vyasa to all the noted ones, were all “Jeevan Mukhtas” ( They were all liberated souls, even in their physical existence) who had donned the mantle of human beings, to not only experience this bliss for themselves but to be a guidance to all of us.
Without Bhakti, the path to “realization” would therefore seem to be extremely difficult, and its said that (as evidenced above), even the liberated Advaitins, feel the need for experiencing the bliss of Bhakti; the divine darshan being available only to the “Bhakta”.
In the Gita, the lord asks Arjun to just concentrate on “Him” and there is also a dictum, that one has a right only to “actions”.
And how is “action” defined? We have an answer in Siva Manasika slokam; it says “every action of mine is an oblation unto you”( Yadyat karma karomi, thathakhilam Shambo thava aaradhanam).
Words can fail you, one can be frightened, overwhelmed, but if one can feel the full import & devote all actions as seva to “Him”, is there any doubt that one can never be in the wrong path? Once liberated, every word will be profound.
To be more in sync with the present day phraseology is it not better to outsource, anything which is not within one’s core competence? And when one is not sure of ones competence in any field, is it not better to let Him decide?
Saranagathy or Free will…… The choice is for the individual to take…..
Think it over……..Vichu
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