||Sri Ram Jaya Ram Jaya Jaya Ram||

 

Chapter -23 - Uththarakandam

Sage Kakabhushundi speaks about ‘Bhakti & Maya’/describes the practice of Bhakti to get rid of sufferings of worldly existence and vicious cycles of repeated births

 

Garuda speaks “Oh! Prabho, all my misapprehensions have disappeared with your grace, I have got rid of my fears, sorrows, grief, and hallucinations, and I have achieved the serenity of the mind listening to the glorious myths of Lord Sri Ramachandra. Oh! Kripasindho, can I ask you one more question? Kindly make me understand it. The Veda, scriptures, illustrious Sages and Rishis states that it is very difficult to achieve Gnana, why didn’t you appreciate it, even after repeatedly heard from Sage Lomasha?. Oh! Kripanidhe, kindly describe the difference between Gnana and Bhakti in detail.”

 

The Mahajjyani, Sage Kakabhushundi was pleased with the question and began to speak with humility “Oh! Garuda, Oh! Pakshishreshta, there is not much difference between Gnana and Bhakti, both are capable to remove the sorrows and grief of worldly existence. Oh! Prabho, the illustrious Rishis and Sages points out some differences, listen to me carefully. The nature of Purusha is Gnana, Vairagya, Yoga, and Athmagnanam. Oh! Vishnuvahana, Sthree is considered as Abala and impure by birth. The Vishayaviraktha who has no interest in worldly matters, and Purusha with firm intellect can only abandon a Sthree, the person who is soaked in worldly matters and chasing sensual pleasures, away from the devotion at the lotus feet of Prabhu cannot abandon a Sthree. Oh! Pakshivahana, it is unfortunate that illustrious Rishis and Sages falls into the trap of the beautiful woman who has a lustrous face like the moon and attractive physical features. Sthree is nothing other than the ‘Vishnumaya’ of that supreme Lord. I am not impartial to Sthree or Purusha, I have quoted all that from the Veda and Puranas and the sayings of the illustrious Rishis and Sages. Oh! Sarppashathro, women do not fall for the beauty of the other; it is a rare thing to happen. Maya and Bhakti are described as females, Bhakti is the dearest darling of Raghuveera, and Maya is a dancer before him. Bhakti is promising to Raghunatha, therefore Maya is extremely scared of Bhakti. Whoever possesses the intense and pure devotion/ Ananyabhakthi, Maya gets scared to approach them, because she cannot play a trick on them. Therefore, the Thththvajjyanis who has a thorough knowledge of Bhramam, always yearn for ‘Bhakti’ which is the treasure house of happiness and welfare. Oh! Garuda, it is difficult to understand, highly confidential, but whoever understands this fact, would not fall in the trap of Maya, not even in their dreams. Oh! Mahajjyani Garuda, I shall describe the difference between Gnana and Bhakti, listen to me carefully.”

 

Sage Kakabhushundi continues “Oh! Garuda, Jeeva is Avinashi/has no birth or death, Chethana/intellect is pure, blissful, and free from Maya. This Jeevathma gets persuaded by the Maya, and eventually get trapped on the net of Maya, like the birds stuck in the hunter’s trap. Once, it’s caught in the hands of Maya, it acts like a monkey in the hands of magicians. Usually, the villagers keep trap for the monkeys, they put hands on the narrow-necked pot half-filled with the grains, and take a handful of it, and get troubled to take out the hand from it, without the knowledge that if it leaves the handful of grains, can come out easily. Thus, Jada/pot of grain and Chethana/monkey get wedged to each other, even though it is temporary, but difficult to get unfasten it. This is how the Jeeva gets fastened with the Maya, until and unless it gets unfasten from the worldly matters and bondage if the Jeeva does not make an effort to abandon it, Jeeva cannot get freed from miseries and sorrows of worldly existence. The Vedas and scriptures cited various methods to get rid of the Maya and unfasten the knot of interest in worldly matters and bondage.  The Jeeva while attempt to unfasten the Maya ends up in more complications, due to the darkness of ignorance, remain in the mystery without the knowledge of the origin of it, therefore it is difficult  to unfasten the Maya without the rigorous practices and discipline. It is doubtful that even the Eshwarasamyoga would remove the Maya completely or not.”

 

Sage Kakabhushundi speaks “ Oh! Garuda, I shall narrate them elaborately, 1)  the grace of Lord Srihari works in the form of fortune on the Jeeva,  2) the Sathvik nature like the cow in the Jeeva appears in the form of Yoga, Yaga, Tapas, austerities, Yama, Niyama, Japa, the performance of various religious and spiritual rites which resemble lush green grass to graze that cow of Sathvik nature, 3)  the love in the Jeeva for the performance of those austerities would bring an abundance of milk, 4)  the milking of the cow can be done by fastening its back feet with the rope of Mounam, and 5)  collect the milk in the vessel of belief, 6) the person who patiently waits with a pure heart for the milk is deserved to milk the cow, the collected milk  represents Paramadharma, 7) The collected milk boiled in the Agni of Nishkama,  8) Gets cooled down with the Samthripthi and Kshama,  9) later it is added with the curd resembles endurance and self-control, 10)  that curd is transferred to a vessel of happiness and 11) churned with the self-control as the rod,  12) tied with the rope of  truthfulness and humility, and 13) the butter formed out of it would be pure, supreme, and highly promising Vairagya.  14)The practice of Yoga brings out the serenity of the mind like the fire 15) it destroys the wood of  Shubha Ashubha Karma, causes to melt the butter, 16)  finally the tainted portions like the interest in the worldly matters remains, 17) after this process  the pure form of Viveka like Ghee is available. 18) This Ghee/Gnanashakthi is used to lighten the earthen lamp/Vivechanashakthi, and 19) place it on the dais of ‘Oneness-in-all’/impartiality, 20) the three states of sleep, awaken, and dream, and the three Guans of Rajasik, Tamasik and Sathvik use them as the cotton ball to lighten the Diya of  Thejas and Vignana, soon  21) the fireflies like the Madham would fall on the flame and get burned. The mouth of the fire represents ‘Aham Bhramasmi’/Aham Ithi Bhramasmi, this supreme knowledge would remove the Dhvandhvabhava in the Jeeva which causes repeated births. The desires and lust like the families of Avidhya causes the darkness of ignorance, would get destroyed in the supreme brilliance, this would remove the knot of Jada/Maya and Chethana/intellect, this is how it would relieve the Jeeva from the repeated cycles of birth and death.”