|| Shri Hari ||
Relationship with God
भगवान्से सम्बन्ध
continued....
People doubt that what is the need for God to incarnate ? Is He not able to protect the holy men, destroy the evil men, and establish righteousness (Dharma), merely by a resolve (sankalp) ? No it is not that he cannot do this. He continues to do this, then what is the reason in incarnating in the form of an avataar ?
परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् ।
धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय संभवामि युगे युगे ॥
"Paritraanaaya saadhunaam vinaashaaya cha druskrutaam |
Dharmasansthaapanaarthaaya sambhavaami yuge yuge ||" (Gita 4/8)
For the protection of the good as for the destruction of the wicked as for the establishment of righteousness, I manifest myself from age to age.
To destroy the evil men, to protect the good, does not mean to kill the evil men and to not let the good men die, as even the devotees to die. Then the word ‘protection’ does not mean to protect their bodies so that they may live forever. It means - to protect their feelings and sentiments (bhaavas). In the eyes of devotees, the body has not value whatsoever. There the value is of ‘loving devotion to the Lord.’ Those men like Mansur etc., who had chosen to walk the path towards God, smiling even accepted execution. There is no prestige of the body over there. This has been called ‘एकान्तविध्वंसिषु’. The body is going to perish, it is the kind of thing that is bound to perish ‒ ‘पिण्डेषु नास्था भवन्ति तेषु ।’ God, incarnates and conducts His divine play (lila). The devotee, singing the glories of God, becomes blissful. This is not possible, without incarnating. God’s ecstatic, talks about God, His divine tales, His Divine play, continue on. All this is possible, only due to incarnating as an ‘avataar’. Then people while singing the glories of the Lord, are able to remain afloat and cross this ocean of life. God know this in Essence, therefore incarnates and conducts His divine play. It is due to this that saints-great souls, talk abou the Lord.
तव कथामृतं तप्तजीवनं कविभिरीडितं कल्मषापहम् ।
श्रवणमंगलं श्रीमदाततं भुवि गृणन्ति ते भूरिदा जनाः ॥
tava kathāmṛtaṁ tapta-jīvanaṁ
kavibhir īḍitaṁ kalmaṣāpaham
śravaṇa-maṅgalaṁ śrīmad ātataṁ
bhuvi gṛṇanti ye bhūri-dā janāḥ
The nectar of Your words and the descriptions of Your activities are the life and soul of those suffering in this material world. These narrations, transmitted by learned sages, eradicate one’s sinful reactions and bestow good fortune upon whoever hears them. These narrations are broadcast all over the world and are filled with spiritual power. Certainly those who spread the message of Godhead are most munificent.
Those who tell, listen, contemplate on, Your nectar-filled Divine Tales, they are ‘bhuri-daa’ they give a lot. They give a lot and also take. As if, they are giving to the listeners, and on hearing they take in. The listeners surely benefit from it, then those who are speaking and telling, are they not benefiting ? Most certainly they are benefited. Therefore, in reality, God incarnates and conducts His Divine play, then what is meant by the protection of the devotees ?
The devotee’s treasure is God. Go on telling, hearing and contemplating on the Divine Plays of the Lord ‒ in fact this itself is the protection of the devotees, therefore for Hanumanji has been called as ‘Prabhu charitra sunibe ko rasiya’ - relishing and sentimental about listening to the Lord’s Divine tales. It has been said that they relish listening to the divine tales of the Lord. In Valmiki Ramayan, it has come, that when God, started going towards the Divine Abode of the Lords, then Hanumanji said, that I will not go with you. As long as your divine tales (katha) remains in the planet, I will stay here. Wherever your Divine Tales are being narrated, there I will be present to listen. Leaving God, Hanumanji felt the insatiable need for the Lord’s Divine tales (katha).
to be continued......
‒From the book in Hindi ‘Bhagwad Praapti Sahaj Hai ’ by Swami Ramsukhdasji