Madhava Madhura Charitam

The Choice Is A Hard One

This first one is inspired by Sant Tukaram's abhanga.

Na laage mukti ani sampada,
Santsang dei sadaa

Tuka manhe garbhavaasi
Sukha ghalave aamahaasi

Meaning:-
I do not want mukti or sampada
Give me the company of your devotees forever

I am (Sant Tukaram) willing to be born again
Because that is what gives me happiness (the company of devotees and singing his glory)

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Bhargavi's upbringing was filled with the sounds of Upanishad. The first thing she remembers from her childhood memories is hearing the idea of Nirguna Parabrahma.

The most ideal kind of moksha was 'Nirvikalpa Moksha' and the debates on various topics were what she remembers from early.

Especially the ones between her brother Shukra and her father. There was no doubt that her other brothers were brilliant with knowledge but her brother Shukra had a poetic way to put everything.

In the same poetic sense, he described Narayana for her which stayed permanently in her mind.

"The sky is brilliant in itself whether the sun and stars paints it with colours or not. The vast expanse that has never even been imagined of. Creations only exists within 1/4th of that that vast vishwam that is Vishnu." He told her.

"So what is in rest of 3/4th?"

Shukra chuckled, "Only Vishnu. Only Vishnu is there in the rest."

"Is he that huge?"

"He is large enough that everything can encompass within him but at the same time so subtle that he can exists within the smallest anu of your body."

"Then what is exactly Vishnu? I do not understand how someone can be so big and small at the same time?"

"Well, that is the complexity of space itself. The space between each of your cell will still be space. It can be extremely tiny and extremely large at the same time. But the answer to 'what exactly is Vishnu' is someone extremely hard to answer."

"So, the answer to what is Bhagawan is just 'someone beyond your imagination'?"

Shukra made her sit down. "It is the tip in his crown jewel. The word bhagawan means one who is endowed with opulence. Yet, Shiva is called aadi-bhikshuka. Why would the one endowed with opulence beg for alms?"

"Exactly my question."

"Even if one has a lot of riches, they cannot become Bhagawan. Because there are six qualities which entails who can be considered Bhagawan. When we say 'one who is endowed with opulences' it is being endowed with these in its highest degree. Influence. Might. Glory. Beauty. Wisdom. And Renunciation."

Shukra showed her a Krishna Tulsi plant, "Imagine the most beautiful person in existence willing to give away all of it. Imagine the most influential person in existence willing to act submissive to someone. Imagine the most powerful person willing to be attacked by curses and weapons. Imagine the most famous person being the most mysterious one. Imagine the most intelligent person willing to do as he is told by someone else without questioning."

"I can't. This seems so impossible. Someone who has no flaws at all. They are extremely powerful and act submissive? They are famous but still secret to so many? They are intelligent but never question others? They are most beautiful but become a sanyaasi? I cannot imagine this at all, Bhrata."

Shukra laughed, "That is why 'beyond the human mind' is a part of his crowning jewel. But when you think deep within all these attributes you will understand one commonality within them."