Bhakti Sutras of Narada by Swami Sivananda 1. The Nature of Divine Love Salutation to Para Brahman and Rishi Narada! Now, we will explain Bhakti. Notes and Commentary Atha means now. It is something used in the sense of sequence. It is a word that is used when a subject is begun, to invoke the Divine blessing. Sutra means an aphorism or terse saying impregnated with deep significance. Just as flowers and pearls are arranged or studded on a thread, so also philosophical ideas are studded or spread or arranged in the aphorism. Rishis always have expressed their ideas in the form of laconic Sutras. That is the beauty in the writings of Rishis or seers. That is the sign of God-realisation. The six Darsanas or schools of philosophy are embodied in the form of Sutras only. Without a commentary it is difficult for laymen to understand these Sutras. Bhakti is defined in the following Sutra. Those who have understood the magnitude of human sufferings in this sense-universe and those who have realised that this world is unreal, impermanent, illusory, perishable, full of troubles, difficulties, miseries, pain, sorrow and tribulation and those who desire to free themselves from the round of births and deaths with its concomitant evils of old age, diseases, etc. , should know what Bhakti is, how to develop Bhakti, who is God or Lord or Isvara, the relationship between God and man and the methods to realise God, or to approach Him or to attain God-Consciousness. 2. Definition of BhaktiIt is of the form of Supreme Love towards God. Notes and Commentary The term Bhakti comes from the root “Bhaj”, which means “to be attached to God. ” Bhajan, worship, Bhakti, Anurag, Prem, Priti are synonymous terms. Bhakti is love for love’s sake. The devotee wants God and God alone. There is no selfish expectation here. There is no fear also. Therefore it is called “Parama-prema-rupaa. “ Is the son afraid of his father, who is a Sessions Judge? Is the wife afraid of her husband? So also a devotee entertains not the least fear of God. The fear of retribution vanishes in him. He feels, believes, conceives and imagines that his Ishtam is an Ocean of Love or Prem. And it is of the nature of Nectar. Notes and Commentary God, Immortality (Amritam), peace (Santi), Absolute, Infinite (Ananta), Intelligence, Consciousness (Chit), Eternity, Bliss (Ananda), Nirvana, Freedom (Mukti), Perfection (Siddhi), are synonymous terms. Devotion gives Immortality. Bhakti is an embodiment of Amritam or nectar. Nitya Sukha (eternal bliss), Immortality, Parama Santi (supreme peace), Nitya Tripti (eternal satisfaction), Akhanda Sukha (unbroken joy) can be had only in God. That is the reason why aspirants attempt for God-realisation. Worldly pleasure is not constant. He who smiles and laughs for five minutes weeps bitterly for hours together. No man in this world is perfectly happy. A multimillionaire is full of cares, worries, anxieties and fear. He is afraid of enemies. He is guarded by sepoys. He has to take injections for getting sleep, as he is always worried. He is worse than a prisoner. Rockefeller, the richest man in the world, who could pave a road of several miles with golden sheets expressed to a priest who went to behold his glory and opulence: “O reverend priest! I am the most miserable man in the world. I can’t eat anything; my stomach, kidneys and liver are filled with germs and diseases. I am always restless”. Maitreyi puts a question to her husband: “O my Lord! Can the wealth of the three worlds give me immortality?” Yajnavalkya replied: “Certainly not, my beloved. ” Yama also says to Nachiketas: “Wealthy people, on account of delusion and pride, lose their memory, intellect and understanding, and go round and round in this impermanent and unhappy world and come again and again in my clutches. Wealth and woman are my two snares to entrap the worldly-minded persons whose minds are filled with lust and greed. You are above these things. You have shunned all my temptations. You have selected the Sreyo-Marga“. This is a world of diversity. Intellects are different. Faces are different. Religions are different. Sounds are different. Faiths are different. Colours are different. Faculties are different. Tastes and temperaments are different. But one thing is common in all. Every one of us wants Nitya Sukha (eternal happiness), infinite Knowledge, Immortality, freedom and independence. These things can be obtained by God-realisation alone. 3. Fruits of BhaktiBy attaining which man becomes perfect, immortal and fully contented. Notes and Commentary These are the fruits of Bhakti. Sutras 4, 5 and 6 describe the fruits of Bhakti. All weaknesses and Doshas (faults) vanish. People put a question: “How can we love God whom we have not seen?” Remain in the company of Bhaktas; hear the Lilas of Bhagavan, His Aisvaryas (Divine powers) or Vibhutis, His Madhurya (grace and beauty); serve Bhaktas; sing His Name daily and do Japa of His Mantra; stay for one year in Ayodhya, Vrindavana, Chitrakuta, Rishikesh or Pandharpur. You will develop love for God. Yat prapya na kinchid vanchati, na sochati, na dveshti, na ramate, notsaahee bhavati. (5) By obtaining which he does not desire anything, neither grieves nor hates anything, does not indulge in sensual pleasures, nor becomes zealous (in endeavours for self-advancement or self-aggrandisement). Notes and Commentary Why does desire manifest? On account of Avidya or ignorance or imperfection or lack of bliss. When one gets Darshan of God, all desires are burnt up. When the boy Dhruva had Darshan of Lord Hari, the desire to obtain kingdom that prompted him to worship, disappeared. Devotion is a fire like Jnanagni (fire of wisdom) that burns up all mundane desires. How can a trace of earthly desire remain when the devotee attains God, the embodiment of bliss? Darshan of God comes in various ways viz. , in dreams, in physical form with four hands, with conch, mace, discus and lotus-flower in the hands, in the form of cosmic consciousness (Visvarupa Darshan) which Arjuna had, in the form of Hiranyagarbha consciousness or full knowledge of Brahma- loka, etc. Note how
