The Choice

Sunahu Sadhak Pyare - Part 20

I have already explained, everyone without any exception and teaching, naturally desires happiness only.

In addition, each living being also expects unlimited, everlasting and divine happiness. Yet, surprisingly despite of eternal and incessant quest for the same, individual beings could not attain even an iota of true happiness.

The reason of this misery was also explained that the individual souls have turned their back towards God and have embraced Maya since eternity. Hence they are controlled by Maya.

जीवेर स्वरूप होय कृष्णेर नित्य दास ।

Jīvēra svarūpa hōya kr̥ṣṇēra nitya dāsa.

“the true identify of jiva is 'being eternal servant of Shri Krishna'.”

Soul is an eternal servant of God, because it is a part of God. It is called part of God because it is a power of God. In Gita, Shri Krishna told Arjun that, “God is the master of two main powers, Para Shakti and Apara Shakti.

भूमिरापोऽनलो वायु: खं मनो बुद्धिरेव च ।
अहङ्कार इतीयं मे भिन्ना प्रकृतिरष्टधा ॥
गीता 7.4॥

bhūmirāpo'nalo vāyu: khaṃ mano buddhireva ca ।
ahaṅkāra itīyaṃ me bhinnā prakṛtiraṣṭadhā ॥
gītā 7.4॥

अपरेयमितस्त्वन्यां प्रकृतिं विद्धि मे पराम ।
जीवभूतां महाबाहो ययेदं धार्यते जगत ॥
गीता 7.5॥

apareyamitastvanyāṃ prakṛtiṃ viddhi me parāma ।
jīvabhūtāṃ mahābāho yayedaṃ dhāryate jagata ॥
gītā 7.5॥

Being a power of God, soul is called a part of God. Since every part inevitably serves its whole, the part is termed as the servant of the whole. Due to the impact of Maya, soul forgot that it is servant of God and considers itself as body. Due to this misconception, it considers the physical relatives as his own, thus increasing attachment in them. This is how we have spent uncountable lives, and have not yet succeeded in our true goal of life. Rather it suffers bodily and mental (daihik), supernatural (daivik) and material (bhautik) afflictions. This is the reason why we have been wandering in the 8.4 million life forms since eternity.

जिव जब ते हरि ते बिलगान्यो, तब ते देह गेह निज जान्यो।

jiva jaba te hari te bilagānyo।taba te deha geha nija jānyo।

Devotion can be performed in 9 different ways (navadha bhakti).

श्रवणं कीर्तनं विष्णो: स्मरणं पादसेवनम् ।
अर्चनं वन्दनं दास्यं सख्यमात्मनिवेदनम् ॥
भा 7.5.23

śravaṇaṃ kīrtanaṃ viṣṇo: smaraṇaṃ pādasevanama ।
arcanaṃ vandanaṃ dāsyaṃ sakhyamātmanivedanama ॥
bhā 7.5.23

In these 9 forms, listening (shravan), chanting (kirtan) and meditating (smaran) are the primary ones. In those also smaran is the life of devotion.

श्रवणं कीर्तनं ध्यानं हरेरद्भुतकर्मणः । जन्मकर्मगुणानां च तद्अर्थे ऽखिलचेष्टितम् ॥
हरि भक्ति विलास 502

śravaṇaṃ kīrtanaṃ dhyānaṃ hareradbhutakarmaṇaḥ । janmakarmaguṇānāṃ ca tadarthe 'khilaceṣṭitam ॥
hari bhakti vilāsa 502

In fact, the real meaning of bhakti is attaching the mind to God. Attachment of the mind is a crucial part of devotion. We are endowed with senses, mind and intellect. All our senses perform their respective work. For instance, the only function eyes can perform is of seeing, the only function ears can perform is of hearing sound. Similarly, the only function mind can perform is to think. Mind is such an energetic part of a being that it can never remain inactive even for a fraction of a second. The senses are inert, yet they perform their respective actions with the power and motivation of mind as they are under the control of the mind. That is why God does not pay any attention to our physical work. He notices only the ideas and intentions of mind alone, since the senses are completely controlled by our mind.

इन्द्रियाणि पराण्याहुरिन्द्रियेभ्य: परं मन: |
मनसस्तु परा बुद्धिर्यो बुद्धे: परतस्तु स: ||
गीता 3.42

indriyāṇi parāṇyāhurindriyebhya: paraṃ mana: |
manasastu parā buddhiryo buddhe: paratastu sa: ||
gītā 3.42

इन्द्रियेभ्यः परा ह्यर्था अर्थेभ्यश्च परं मनः। मनसस्तु परा बुद्धिर्बुद्धेरात्मा महान्परः ॥
कठोपनिषद्

Each and every work performed by an individual, is the work of mind alone. Our mind can mainly perform two types of actions, good or bad. However, a third type of action might also be considered that is a combination of good and bad deeds. But there is one more type of action that is beyond good or bad, and that is related to pure devotion towards God (Gunateet).

The reward for good or righteous deeds is the attainment of heavenly gratification (sattvik happiness), bad deeds leads us to hell (tamasi planet), and combination of both good and bad brings us back to earth, the human planet. The God related actions without any condition or desires gives reward of divine abode, a planet of unlimited divine bliss forever. Just remember this simple formula,

यान्ति देवव्रता देवान्पितॄन्यान्ति पितृव्रताः । भूतानि यान्ति भूतेज्या यान्ति मद्भक्ता यान्ति मामपि ॥
गीता 9.25

yānti devavratā devānpitṝnyānti pitṛvratāḥ । bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā yānti madbhaktā yānti māmapi ॥
gītā 9.25

"if you worship celestial gods and goddesses, you will go to heaven for a limited time period and then will return back into the lower forms of life like a dog or a pig etc. If you worship humans, for example your father, mother, brother, sister, husband, wife, son or your daughter, then you will get the next life according to their deeds". Shri Krishna ends with madbhaktā yānti māmapi, "if you worship Me alone, then you will come to My divine abode".

Sanatan Dharma (eternal and universal religion) gives freedom to every individual to act according to one’s interest. Once a pastor approached Shri Maharaj Ji and said, “ideology of our religion says that if someone slaps you on your cheek, then offer him the other one as well". Maharaj Ji replied, “Doctrine of our religion is different from this ideology. Once Bhrigu kicked Mahavishnu on His chest in order to test His humility. In turn, Mahavishnu held his feet with an immense feeling of remorse and said,“Rishivar, you must have been hurt , since my chest is very hard in comparison to your tender feet". Mahavishnu did not say to kick Me again since kicking would hurt Bhrigu as well. This is an example of real humility according to Sanatan Dharma.

Sanatan Dharma gives an avenue to pursue any goal of your choice. If you desire hell, then commit some particular sins and you will receive hell. The same scriptures also tell us ways to attain heaven. These scriptures show the eightfold (Ashtang Yog) path of attaining psychic powers (riddhi, siddhi) as well as grants the way of acquiring perfection of true knowledge. The Vedas also assert Bhakti as the only path of attainment of highest goal of divine bliss. To meditate upon a divine form of God incessantly, and shedding tears with humbleness to accomplish divine love bliss is the main practice of devotion.