|| Shri Hari ||

Affinity with the Lord

continued.....

When a fisherman casts his net to catch fish,  all the fishes which come within the net are trapped.  But the fishes which are close to his feet, are not trapped.  Similarly,  beings attached to the world,  get entangled and follow a cycle of birth and death.  But those who take refuge in the Lord,  get over His deluding potency (Maya) (Gita 7/14).   There is an important difference between the attitude of the fisherman and the Lord.  The fisherman wants to trap the fish,  but the Lord wants beings to be liberated from illusion, by taking refuge in Him.  So he declares,  ‘Take refuge in Me,  alone.’  A person gets entangled in illusion,  by being attached to worldly pleasure.  

As in a grinding mill, all the grains are ground but those which are near the rivet are not pulverized.  Similarly in the grinding-stone of the world,  people are crushed i.e. they suffer and follow a cycle of birth and death.  But those who take refuge in Him,  escape suffering and the cycle of birth and death.   However,  there is a difference between,  grain and devotees.  The grains remain near the rivet,  without making any effort,  while devotees themselves, by having a disinclination for the world,  take refuge at His feet.  It means,  that man (self), though being a fragment of the Lord,  accepts his affinity with the world,  and wants his desire to be fulfilled by it,  he therefore has to suffer by following the cycle of birth and death.

A man’s affinity with the world is assumed,  while with the Lord it is real.  Affinity with the world makes him a slave to the world,  while the affinity with the Lord,  makes him a Lord, even to the Lord.   If a person regards himself superior to others,  because of learning, riches, power and even renunciation and dispassion,  it means that he is a slave to them,  because in fact he is not superior,   but these possessions have made him feel superior.  So there is superiority of these possessions,  rather than his real self.   He is inferior to them.  But if a devotee takes refuge in the Lord,  and depends only on Him,  the Lord makes him a jewel of His crown,  or considers him His Lord.   But,  even then he has no superiority complex,  no pride of his virtues.  In that case,  the Lord’s uniqueness descend on him and sometimes even their bodies, senses,  mind and intellect become divine as their earthliness is completely gone.  Such devotees merge into God,  as Meerabai did.  Only a piece of her Saree was left in the Lord’s mouth.  Similarly, saint Tukaram (including his physical body) went to the abode of Lord Vishnu.

Narayana !  Narayana !  Narayana !       

From article in 'Kalyaan Kalpatru' by Swami Ramsukhdasji