Devotion and the purpose of life

 Hari Aum.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Yogis are fond of musing upon the purpose of life. "Why do we exist?", they ask. "What is all this about?" The spiritual answer is the usually the same-- we exist to attain self-realisation i.e. a state of wisdom, bliss and peace beyond the sphere of worldly suffering. Of course, we all know that the spiritual path is a long, and sometimes dreary road, but we still continue plodding along it because we feel deep-down that it will be worth it in the end (we just know it in our bones, as it were).

I was reading a bit of the Bhagavatam today-- the section where Krishna is teaching Uddhava about the value of devotion. Uddhava asks Him which spiritual path is the most effective. Krishna replies that the success of various spiritual practices, including the entire range from mantra recitation and selfless service to control of the senses and meditation, all rest upon the cultivation of devotion. Without devotion to God or the Higher Self, all these are about as useful as a car without wheels-- completely pointless. Devotion, He says, is the life breath that enlivens all spiritual practices, it ensures spiritual success. Through devotion alone, the mind is transformed from rajas and tamas (negative qualities) to sattva (goodness). 

And, He says, nothing generates devotion so well as the company or contact with the wise (or Self-realised souls; this is known as 'satsang' in Sanskrit). Their mere presence, He says, has the effect of uplifting and transforming one's very nature. Sivananda says that this spiritual contact can be had by a mixture of meeting self-realised souls (if one is fortunate enough to be able to) and also by reading their books. This combination, he says, will have a potent, transformative effect on the mind.

Sivananda and other Gurus also praise the path of devotion, calling it the 'path of sweetness'. Although they acknowledge that all spiritual paths (whether related to devotion, selfless action, meditation or contemplation) can be challenging, the yogis declare that the path of devotion excels as it is 'sweet in the beginning, sweet in the middle and sweet in the end'. 

Unlike other paths which may feel arduous, lonely and terrible at times, the path of devotion involves cultivating the company of God, and walking with Him/Her the whole way, from beginning to end. And as He/She is described as supremely sweet, the devotee experiences increasing levels of bliss on this path. Even in the midst of the most dreadful situations in life, whether it be illness, loss of dear ones, work-related issues, national and global problems, no matter what the calamity, the devotee feels secure holding the hand of God. 

It is a bit like a calf or other animal tied to a tree. The calf may wander about a little in different directions, but it cannot go too far from the tree. Similarly, the mind, tied with the rope of devotion to the holy feet of God, may wander hither and thither depending upon one's life events and past 'samskaras' (or thought impressions), but ultimately it cannot travel too far from God and always returns to Him/Her. 

I was reflecting a little upon this subject today (as it was a relatively quiet day spent at home due to my family coming down with a seasonal viral illness). To lift my spirits and ease my symptoms, after my daughter went off to bed this evening, I prepared a cup of herbal tea and sat down to watch some Bharatanatyam dance. 

I watched a few performances that had been put up online by the dancers, and after a while, I found myself exclaiming inwardly "Rama, Rama! What a performance! How beautiful, how excellent, how positively divine!" For a short while, the world was forgotten, the annoying viral symptoms did not bother me, and I felt completely blissed-out (contemplating the meaning of the songs while watching the dance is truly an amazing experience). 

"I get it", I found myself saying mentally to God, "this is why I exist, why people exist. We exist so that we can experience the bliss of devotion to You! If we were constantly in a state of Advaitic oneness, there would be nobody to experience God as we would all be one with Him/Her." (This view has been expressed by various yogis over time but this was an occasion when I really felt the truth of their words). And of course, devotion is an ever-increasing experience on the spiritual path. We keep walking and at different stages, experience different manifestations of devotion; the beauty is that, as the yogis say, it has so many layers and flavours. 

And even a few brief moments of devotional feeling-- whether it be created by mantra or kirtan or dance or anything else-- even those brief moments create a bliss that cannot be matched by worldly pleasures. It is like comparing a real rose with an artificial one; they simply cannot be compared. To use another analogy based on sweets (which remain a favourite, despite my attempts at self-discipline), it is like comparing a delicious, moist chocolate cake with a piece of stale, and possibly mouldly, bread. Ewwww, one would say! There is just no comparison.

All spiritual paths are of course wonderful. But those of us who like the path of devotion, would choose no other for we feel the bliss of the path we walk. And we know, deep down, that despite the various life situations that we encounter, this path is only going to get sweeter the more we continue upon it.

And as devotees, we know that, just as Shakespeare famously wrote "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet", God by any other name is also equally sweet. Sivananda said that true devotees will appreciate all names and manifestations of God even if they have their own personal favourite (on this path, one cannot help but appreciate the devotion of others to their own favourite forms; there cannot be any conflict with anyone on the path of bhakti as we know we are all are ultimately walking towards the same One, who has all forms and is also formless, beyond all form). 

On that happy note, I wish all of you a lovely Easter. May God bless us all with true devotion and the bliss associated with this.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

P.S. There is an eclipse coming up next week on April 19 and another in May. These are very good times to do mantras and prayers for world peace. 

P.P.S. Just sharing some more Bharatanatyam videos:

1. In praise of Narayana:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lxi9hJuETI

2. Bhaja Govindam (the famous Vedantic poem by Adi Shankaracharya; will write a post on this sometime as it is inspiring and thought-provoking):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_W9XPZc2-k

3. In praise of the Varaha avatar of Narayana:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfKuzsc3nqM

Hari Aum Tat Sat.