|| Shree Hari ||
God and His Devotion
भगवान् और उनकी भक्ति
to be continued......
Therefore a devotee sees that whatever is good, is good due to God’s grace and whatever is bad, is so due to his own mistakes. In fact this point is very true. A devotee does not apply his cleverness, he does not lie, rather he sees it like this - that however I am, that is the way I am ! It is out of God’s grace that all this work has been accomplished, which people think it
is mine and are regarding me a noble and great. When Hanumanji returned from Lanka and came to Lord Ram, then God said to him ‒
सुनु कपि तोहि समान उपकारी । नहिं कोउ सुर नर मुनि तनुधारी ॥
sunu kapi tohi samaana upakaari,
nahi kou sura nara muni tanudhaari (Manas. Sunder. 32/3)
“No one endowed with a body - a god, human being or sage - has put me under such obligation, Hanuman as you have done.
Hearing this Hanumanji said “Traahi ! Traahi !!” and saying so, he fell at the Lord’s Lotus Feet ‒
सुनि प्रभु बचन बिलोकि मुख गात हरषि हनुमंत ।
चरन परेउ प्रेमाकुल त्राहि त्राहि भगवंत ॥
Suni prabhu bachana biloki mukha gaate harasi hanumamta,
charana pareu premaakula traahi traahi bhagavamta (Manas, Sunder. 32)
Even as Hanuman listened to the words of his Lord and gazed on His countenance, he experienced a thrill of joy all over his body and fell at his feet, overwhelmed with love and crying: “Save me, save me (from the tentacles of egoism) my Lord.”
What sort of difficulties was Hanumanji faced with, that he cried out “Traahi ! Traahi” (save me ! save me !!) to be saved from it ? That calamity was - Pride (egoism). Hearing his praises and greatness from the Lord, he cried out “Save me ! Save me !!” so that no pride develops in him. He then said that everything has happened due to Your radiance my Lord, not due to my power and strength ‒
सो सब तव प्रताप रघुराई । नाथ न कछू मोरि प्रभुताई ॥
Where there is no pride, an aspirant faces no obstacles whatsoever. The obstacles is only when an aspirant has pride and thinks that he has abilities, strength, understanding, knowledge, detachment, renunciation, ability to repeat the divine name of the Lord etc. A devotee sees no abilities in himself, rather he sees himself as totally incapable. Therefore God’s abilities work in his case. If one takes refuge in God, then God does all the work. ‒‘लाद दे, लदवा दे,
लदवानेवाला साथ दे’, ‘योगक्षेमं वहाम्यहम्’ (गीता १ । २२) "yogakshemam vahaamyaham" (Gita 9/22). This is exclusive devotion. It is God’s nature (habit) that he only finds that devotee dear, who has no other support ‒
एक बानि करुनानिधान की ।
सो प्रिय जाके गति न आन की ॥
Ek Baani karunaanidhaan ki |
So priya jaake na gati aan ki || (Manas, Aranya. 10/4)
Therefore ‒
एक भरोसो एक बल एक आस बिस्वास ।
एक राम घन स्याम हित चातक तुलसीदास ॥
"Ek Bharoso, ek bal ek aas biswaas;
Ek Ram Ghan syaam hit chaatak Tulsidas." (Dohaavali 277)
‒ In this manner, with exclusive sentiments, only take shelter of God and do “bhajan”. One should not have pride of even doing “bhajan”, that I am doing so much “japa”, meditation etc.
to be continued.......
From book in Hindi ‘ Bhagwaan aur Unki Bhakti’ by Swami Ramsukhdasji