I am the servant of Narayana’s servant, his servant, his servant, his servant’s servant; my Narayana is the Ishwar of other Gods and of all mankind; so I am thrice blessed in the world.

Even those, who are overwhelmed with disease and sorrow, who are poor in health, tired in body and suffering from incurable malaise, can leave their sorrows behind and be happy if they sing Sri Narayana’s Naam even once.

Q. Please tell me more about Bhakti.

A. Vaishnava saints have said that uttama (good) Bhakti is of three types — Whatever feeling of devotion can be developed by concentrating one’s senses, that is common Bhakti and is known as Sadhan Bhakti. This awakens the love and devotion which lie dormant in a creature’s heart; hence it is called Sadhan Bhakti. That Bhakti which generates in the heart snighdhata of prema (i.e. softness or mellowness) like the rays of the sun in the form of pure sattva is called Bhava (ecstatic devotional) Bhakti. Bhava is the first stage of Prema. When that Bhava thickens, then it turns into prema. Prema is the final result of all effort, Prema is the constant dharma (duty) of the living creature, Prema is purushartha (the aim of existence — Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha).

Q. I do not quite understand the meaning of the word Prema.

A. Ruci is the incipient pleasure of plodding on to achieve the state of elation. When ruci becomes stronger, it not only destroys many evils but also brings about attachment to His Naam. Up to this point, it is sadhana i.e. practice. When attachment is complete, the creature becomes self-fulfilled. When attachment is complete it is called love for ecstatic devotion or the beginning of Prema. Up to the state of attachment, pure sattva does not come. When devotion acquires pure sattva, it produces softness of the mind and heart. When Bhava feels like chit full of love and thereby gains undiluted love, it is called Prema. This is the permanent state of living in rasa (enjoyment of God’s love).

When ecstatic devotion or attachment acquires thickness and depth it is called Prema. The constant and happy relation with Krishna is Prema.”

Q. Now I have understood the meaning of the word Prema. The constant happy relation of a creature with Sri Bhagwana is Prema. So long as one does not get Atma-Darsan (i.e. his real identity or God in himself), this type of Prema cannot grow.

A. Prema is to keep constantly awake the ecstatic devotion which does not tolerate any separation from God. The feeling that ‘I am the body’, makes a creature forget that he is ever-existent in God himself in the same way as the rays of the sun remain in the sun, the waves of the ocean remain in the ocean, the radiance of the moon is in moon itself; so long as this feeling that ‘I am the body’ is not removed, Prema cannot appear.

O Narayana, you are the atma of all living creatures and you are the God of all the gods like Brahm, I salute You. In the Kali Yuga, due to the evil tendencies of the mind, it is impossible to do tapasya. The mind has lost the power to perform any works enjoined by the shastras. So how can tapasya be done and who will do it? Due to the identification of the self with the body, all good work as laid down by the shastras have been destroyed. From childhood, people are habituated in doing only such works as would keep their bodies in pleasure. Even the parents and other relations also give their wards instructions on these lines. Hence all works as laid down by the Vedas have been destroyed.

If one earns money honestly and gives away that money in charity, such act earns merit. But if one earns money by committing theft or cheating or by taking recourse to falsehood, he thereby incurs much sin. If the ill-earned money is given in charity, it produces no good result. In the present age, the only way for salvation is to hear and sing the Naam of Narayana, who is called by the sages the only Param Purusha and whose heads with ears, noses and mouth cover the entire universe.

All the four Vedas have, by direct vision and by quoting others, established Narayana as the Param Purusha.

Q. Have the Vedas got no other aim except to extol Narayana?

A. No, the Vedas have tried to prove Narayana at some places by direct methods and at others by quoting from the great sages. The Vedas have drunk deep at the fountain of Narayana-mahima (greatness of Narayana). There is not one sloka in the Vedas which does not pertain to Narayana. The only difference is that at some places Narayana comes as the principal figure and at other places in a secondary role; in some places by direct references and in others by indirect means or by referring to others. The ultimate and the principal aim of all the works like yajna that are performed according to the Vedas, is to please Narayana and the necessity of doing yajna is also Narayana Himself. The aim of all tapasya is to attain Narayana and Narayana is the param gati (the attainment of moksha and becoming one with Narayana).

Q. But people do tapasya with other aims also.

A. For whatever reason a person does tapasya, his aim is to get ananda. Is it not a fact that anyone who does tapasya for the fulfilment of a desire does it really to gain ananda?

Q. Yes

A. Ananda itself is Narayana. Those who do tapasya for non-permanent pleasure, as a result of this tapasya, gain wealth, consort, son, swarga (heaven) which they desire. But not being satisfied with the outcome, they start further tapasya to gain Narayana who alone is the abode of all ananda. The pleasure of gaining non-permanent ananda by winning material objects gives them the clue to the permanent ananda which is not of the sansara. Sing the name of Narayana, do japa of the names of Narayana, chant the name of Narayana.

Narayana, Narayana Narayana
Narayana Narayana Narayana