Sharing Sanjivani -Part 4

Chapter-(498) Which are the conditions to follow Bhakti Marg?

(498)

Which are the prerequisite conditions to follow Bhakti Marg?

A person should have control over his senses as it is said that a person who can control his senses, can do anything to accomplish his goal as the student has to abandon rest and mother abandons care for her beauty while she wants to be a mother.

क्षुद्व्याधिश्र्च चिकित्स्यतां प्रतिदिनं भिक्षौषधं भुज्यतां

स्वाद्वन्नं नतु याच्यतां विधिवशात् प्राप्तेन सन्तुष्यताम् ।

शीतोष्णादि विषह्यतां न तु वृथावाक्यं समुच्चार्यताम्

औदासीन्यमभीप्स्यतां जनकृपानैष्ठुर्यमुत्सृज्यताम् ।।( साधन पंचकम्-4 )

Aadi Shankaracharyaji has given five verses in Sadhan Panchakam to follow forty steps of meditation one by one. This is advice to all kinds of Yogi Devotee and Gruhasth whoever is looking for liberation. Shankaracharyaji shows the way to none but all the path to attain Salvation through Sadhan Panchakam.In the above verse, he says that a devotee should have control over his diet and hunger because food is essential for the body's growth and maintenance till death but to eat too much or too little, whatever and whenever becomes the cause of diseases. Hence we have to check our habit of eating. A person should eat to live. He should eat regularly at a fixed time and the quantity of food should serve the purpose of medicine. He should not have a craze for tasty and delicious food but be contented with whatever he gets. Hunger and thirst are characteristics of being alive.No dead person feel hunger and thirst.

 Our Chhandogya Upanishad says that our mind is formed with the help of what we eat. जैसा अन्न वैसा मन । Pran has been formed -constructed from water elements;  a speech from the tej elements of the universe.

अन्नमयं हि सोम्य मन आपोमयः प्राणस्तेजोमयी वागिति । (छांदोग्य उपनिषद ६-५-४)

O, Dear! Our mind is created by food, Pran is created by water ad speech by Tej is established in the universe . Our body absorbs nutrients and gives out water-liquid and stuff. This food helps the creation of blood and Pran is nurtured. Whatever we get from nature in the form of oil and ghee is considered as Tej elements for the body and they help the creation and maintenance of bones, muscles, and marrow and helps our speech organs too.

The story of Udalak Muni should be recalled. When Shwetketu told his father that he could not memorize verse properly, Why does it happen? Udalak Muni told him to observe fasting only on consumption of water. After a fortnight Shwetketu went to his father and told him now can I remember all the verses of Vedas if recited? Udalak Muni says, No, you had to feed yourself first. Have some food and then only you will understand and memorize. Fasting has purified all the dirt caused inside and now the food gives you energy and you could recite and memorize  Vedas as the story reveals it shows that a person must have food to feed himself and he should not avoid eating but he should eat only to protect his body from diseases and weakness . He should fill half of the stomach with food. One-fourth part of the stomach should be fed with water and leave the rest for Vayu to roam within while the churning of food creates gas.

Annamay Kosh, Pranmay Kosh, Vigyanmay Kosh all are depended on the food we eat, and hence we should have control over food, speech, and mind as a person should speak the truth but it should be sugar-coated.

ऐसी बानी बोलिये मुख का आपा खोल I 

औरनकु शीतल करै आपहु शीतल होइ।।

Speak in a way that nobody should be hurt. Even if he has to scold somebody, he should use soft words because Veda says SATYAM VAD PRIYAVAD सत्यं वद I  प्रियं वद। Even if our words are for the good of others benefits, we should never use harsh words. It is also considered as a तपश्र्चर्या TAPSHCHARYA VAK-TAPS वाक् तपस And hence silence is considered as silver if speech is considered as Golden. Draupadi is blamed for harsh words as the cause root of the war of Mahabharat. It is said that a person who does Swadhyay regularly can do it. SWADHYAY NA PRAMADAT स्वाध्याय न प्रमादयित् everybody should practice and learn Veda regularly then he will not remain an idiot. A devotee who recites the Name of Paramatma twenty-four hours would not be a sinful person. A person who remains silent would never be a part of a quarrel and who remains awake all the time in using his senses, consciously would not feel the fear of death and rebirth.

पठतो नास्ति मूर्खत्वं अपनो नास्ति पातकम् ।

मौनिनः कलहो नास्ति न भयं चास्ति जाग्रतः ।।

Who speaks too much is not respected in society, while whoever using words consciously is respected as Nupur ornaments are worn on legs and garland on the neck. It is said that Brahma has advised persons to keep silent to hide his ignorance as speaking nonsense in the assembly of Scholars put him in a ridiculous position. Further, five conditions are described under Sadhan Panchakam are included in single verse by Shri Krishna as; MATKARMAKRUTमत्कर्मकृत, MATPARAMमत्परम्, MADBHAKTA मदभक्तम् is the first part of following the path of salvation through Bhakti. A person should work for me,  should be with me 24*7 and should be my devotee is the primary condition while to remain SANGVARJIT  सङ्गवर्जित detached from all kinds of entertainment of senses and SARVABHUTESHU NIRVAIRYA  सङ्गवर्जितः निर्वैरः सर्वभूतेषु यः remain free from envy and jealousy for all the livings is the secondary essential pre-requisite on the path of BHAKTI भक्ति .

Whatever we do for our worldly selfish physical necessities or for the benefit of our dependents but we should do them as if we are doing not for self or others' benefit but for Paramatma यद् यद् कर्म करोमि अहम् शंभोतवाराधनम्। Only when we do it for Paramatma, we remain detached from the fear of success or failures, winning or defeat, the accomplishment of goals or non-completion of the task before we breathed a last.

 Shankaracharyaji says that a devotee should be indifferent to Sansar. He should be steady in will and woe . AUDASINAYAM ABHIPSYAPTAPऔदासीन्यम् अभीप्स्यताम्. It does not mean that he should be indifferent to his duties but he should avoid cruelty and unkindness to others. None of his activities by Manasa Vacha and Karmana should hurt or harm any living. He should give up taking the obligation of others but he should try to be thankful to all and try to serve all the others livings with whatever skill, intellectual capacity, and strength he has जनकृपानैष्ठुर्यम् उत्सृज्यताम् Even when he is not able to serve anybody due to his old age, sickness or death or poverty, he should pray for the welfare of people जनकल्याण and he should think that I am Brahma BRAHMASMI VIBHAVYATAM ब्रह्मास्मीति विभाव्ताम् So I should try for liberation .

Then,  how to concentrate our mind for meditation or serve Paramatma?

Let us surrender to Shri Krishna to quench our thirst for true knowledge ...