Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

Opening Invocation

ॐ जननीं सारदां देवीं रामकृष्णं जगदगुरुम पादपद्मे तयो: श्रित्वा प्रणमामि मुहुर्मुहु :

Om Jananim Saradam devim Ramakrishnam jagadgurum Padapadme tayoh shritva pranamami muhurmuhuh.

Narada Bhakti Sutra: Commentary on Continuous Divine Remembrance

The Practice of Uninterrupted Devotion Sutra 79

So, we are almost nearing the conclusion: Sarvadā sarvabhāvena niścintai bhagavān eva bhajanīyaḥ – God alone is to be worshipped at all times, in all states of being, without any worry.

The Story of the Devoted Crow

It is a beautiful story. When Rama and Lakshmana went in search of Sita, they reached Pampasarovar, and there they found a very strange sight: a crow, very thirsty, wanting to drink water. It goes there and starts crying, then goes there again and starts crying. Lakshmana asked Rama, "What is this?"

He said, "This crow is a great bhakta, lest there is an interruption while drinking water and taking the name of God." It is a striking example! How many stories are there about such devotion?

Two Aspects of Divine Remembrance

So it happens, if we cultivate it, that whatever work you do, part of the mind is constantly feeling the presence of God. Taking God's name and practicing the way of feeling the presence of God – these are two separate issues.

You can do japa, or you can remember God's name, you can sing – that is not the only way. Whatever you do, you remember that this house belongs to God, I am in God's house, and these persons belong to God. I am with the devotees, whether they are devotees or not – that is not important.

Sarvaṃ khalvidaṃ brahma – so that is called practicing the presence of God. You can do anything: you are cooking – "I am cooking for God"; you are feeding – "I am feeding for God." Whatever you are doing, you feel the relationship with God. That is called practicing the presence of God.

Brother Lawrence: The Practice of the Presence of God

There was a great Christian devotee called Brother Lawrence. Have you heard about him? I think one of your lectures in some other school, when I downloaded, I had taken. That book is available: Brother Lawrence: The Practice of the Presence of God. Just keep it, so you can download it and then you can read it.

Beautiful! He was just teaching and helping in the kitchen. Bishops came – at first the bishops thought, "This fellow is a hypocrite." So to test him, if they found him to be a hypocrite, then they wanted to remove him or give some punishment.

When they came, the moment they sat in his presence, they were mesmerized. He would not talk anything about theology, but they could see he was an embodiment of the presence of God, a real sincere person. So that is how a bishop who came as an examiner became almost his disciple and followed him.

Then he used to keep correspondence. He wrote some letters, Brother Lawrence, in his own simple, illiterate style. In that life story, he wrote: "How many years I had to struggle! Whenever I sleep – that means whenever I forget God's name – then immediately I tell God, 'Take care. This is what happens if You don't hold me. I am listening to You now. It is Yours.'"

And again and again: "I go and I run now. If You don't hold me now, the doṣa is Yours." Now it has become that whatever we do is always in the presence of God.

Universal Practice in All Activities

People don't fully know this practice. Some think partially: "When I am driving, specifically, don't think of God. Before starting, think. After reaching, think of God. But while driving, don't divert your mind."

No! Sarvadā sarvabhāvena – with every emotion, whatever be the thoughts, you can relate them to God.

The Meaning of Niścinta

Niścintam – let there be no worry. What is the difference? Cintā also is thought. Niścintā is thought without worry.

There is some worry in you: "Who is going to look after me? Oh, this problem has come. Who is going to care for me?"

No, don't give it up. God knows better than you what to do, what not to do. Niścintāyi or niścintitāyi.

Bhagavān eva bhajanīyaḥ – Bhajana means what? Practice the presence of God in every possible way.

The Sole Object of Worship Sutra 80

Sakīrtimanaḥ – Sa means God. Kīrtimanaḥ or kīrtanīyaḥ – He alone is worthy of being thought of, practiced in the presence of God. Only God.

If you think of anybody else, what is wrong? "Father is there, mother is there." But they are also ajñānīs. How many mothers and fathers are jñānīs? Very few. How many of them are sincere devotees of God? Very few.

So that's why he is telling: Kīrtimanaḥ or kīrtanīyaḥ. Nobody else in this world is worthy of being meditated upon, of having japa done for them, of being thought about, of being practiced in presence – only God.

The Immediate Result

Kīrtimanaḥ or kīrtanīyaḥ. What happens as a result? Sākṣāt eva avirbhāvati – as soon as the devotee is ready, God will appear.

It is not that "I am ready and God will come after that, He will think, 'What shall I do now? Shall I go or not?'" No! He is right here. He wants to show Himself. It is our ajñāna which doesn't allow us to see.

So immediately – sākṣāt eva avirbhāvati. This word avirbhāvati is a beautiful word. It is used in the Gopīgīta.

The Gopīs and the Lesson of Humility

The gopīs were called by Krishna by playing the flute. They understood, "This is all meant for us." Immediately they rushed and they prayed: "We prayed for centuries, and by our effort we have attained You."

The moment that ahaṅkāra came – "We prayed. We deserved. We got it" – then they understood a terrible mistake they had done. Then they sang seventeen verses of song in the Gopīgīta.

After singing, their whole mānobhāva – their real bhāva – had come out. They would have died if they had not received Him. So immediately, avirbhāva had come.

Manmatha: The Churner of the Mind

Sākṣāt manmatha manmathaḥ – for us, manmatha means an object, a person who churns our mind.

Now some people will say, "You feel drawn: 'I want this person. I want to be near this person.'" Woman for man, man for woman – that's it. So such a person who creates churning of the mind is called manmathana, manmatha. Mana means mind, mathana means churning.

But the devotee feels like that when he sees Bhagavān: "I can't leave Bhagavān."

You know, Manmatha was reduced to ashes by Shiva. So Ratidevi prayed to him: "Lord, what have I done? He did this for good only. He had done this not to torment You. The devatās are being tormented, so if You don't get a son, then the devatās will be oppressed by the rākṣasas. It is for the sake of their welfare. They wanted You to produce a son. My husband was only an instrument."

"When You reduced him to ashes..." Then He said, "Yes. God – Nārāyaṇa – is going to be born as Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and He will have a son, and that son will be your husband. Then you will get him back."

So like that, I think his name is Pradyumna – Śrī Kṛṣṇa's son – Manmatha reborn. Then Ratidevi in another form, another body, comes. They meet, fall in love, and get married.

The Source of All Power

So this is how even Manmatha – who gave that power of attraction to Manmatha? Only God. Any power, whether it is attraction, whether it is scholarship, whether it is money, whether it is leadership – all comes from there, only from God.

That's what He says in the Bhagavad Gītā, end of the tenth chapter: "Wherever you see an excellence of power in some person – a first-class poet like Puttappa, K.V. Puttappa..." He used to chant God's name, and he was a disciple of Mahatma Gandhi. "A great leader like Mahatma Gandhi, a great scientist, a great literary person like Rabindranath Tagore – who gives them the power? It's only God's power, because they made themselves receptive. He gave them the power to receive."

That is what we have to understand. Everything is God's power, even including us. We have some power, but that power also belongs to God. Our body also belongs to God. Our mind also belongs to Him.

Divine Vision and Recognition

So avirbhavati – He comes. In fact, He is here, but we can't see. Why? We are not ready. Therefore, Nārada says anubhāvayati – He not only comes, He will grant you divine vision. He has to grant it.

If I am sitting here and if I am given divine cakṣu (divine vision), what do you think I will see when I look at you? What do you think you see?

When He gives it to me, what do you think you see? What is divya? I know. Divya means the true nature of God. That is what divya means.

Anubhāvayati ca bhaktān – all the devotees, every devotee, whatever may be the devotee's level. He will make him experience Him, and He will say, "Yes, this is Me."

Because even if God comes to us, to recognize Him as God is impossible.

Stories of Divine Recognition

One day a devotee came to Dakshineswar and he saw Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa walking in the garden. That devotee mistook Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa – he thought, "I am seeing a gardener." So he said, "You cut some flowers and bring them to me."

And Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa quickly cut them and gave them. Before the devotee could put them on the altar, this person came and sat in the room of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa. After few minutes, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa came, and he said, "Oh! You are Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa! I have asked You – I treated You like a servant!"

He said, "What is it? You wanted flowers. You asked me. There is nothing wrong in it."

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa as an Ideal Husband

But Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa also was an ideal husband. When Holy Mother came – the young woman – she came for the first time to Dakshineswar to see whether Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was really a mad man like everybody used to think, or whether he was normal.

But Holy Mother finally found – an ordinary person would find him a mad man, but she found him superhuman – God Himself in human form. If Holy Mother couldn't see God in Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa, how could she see God in all of us? How could she not see God? Her vision is unobstructed.

So at night, there was nothing – no refrigerator, no food. Everybody had finished eating. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa said, "Give me some more." Of course, Bengalis like to eat more. So she ate some more, then had some water, and she was not feeling well again. Her father and they must have slept in the same room.

Next morning, Ramachandra Dutta came. But Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa did not allow her to stay in the main building. Candramaṇi Devi was there. He spread carpet and mat and said, "You sleep here, because you are not well."

He started massaging her feet. She wanted to object. He said, "No, we are husband and wife. When I call you, you will serve. When you call me, I will serve."

How many husbands will say, "I will serve you"? "You are Nārāyaṇa!" We have to serve. Have you ever seen Nārāyaṇa serving? Only Lakṣmī has to serve.

This Nārāyaṇa – this what is called male chauvinism – even today it is running, you know. All the women have to do the cooking. Why can't men go and cook? In fact, the best chefs in the world are only men, not one single woman. They are so highly paid.

In England, there is one chef, Ian Manning. He creates extraordinary dishes which nobody else can create. Same materials, but the combination... His greatness is: all healthy. You go to that place, close your eyes and eat. Your health will improve. He will never prepare anything which is only tasty but unhealthy. First health, then taste.

The Incident of the Burning Charcoal

[Returning to the story:] It was evening time. Āratī had to go on. Then he used to sleep on the same bed. It is still there – they are not prepared to give it to us. They are very protective. Anyway...

They never felt "a stranger is lying in our bed, a grown-up man is lying in our bed, husband and wife lying in our bed."

What happened? A few days before, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was in an ecstatic state. One day they were moving about early in the morning in this village, together with others. A burning, flesh-burning smell was noticed. She looked here and there – nowhere could she find the source.

Then she went near Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa. He was lying on his bed, completely unconscious. There was a lighted charcoal piece. Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa had fallen on that, and the charcoal was eating into his flesh, burning his flesh, going deeper and deeper inside, because he was lying there unconscious.

That smell was coming – you know, when some flesh is being cooked, a very bad smell comes. Then they found out a deep wound was there in the neck, and for several months, I think, it did not get cured. It took a long time for him to get healed.

Holy Mother's Care During Āratī

So he had recovered. Now Durgāpūjā had come. Even the evening sandhyā āratī had to be performed. She wanted to go and attend, but if he attends in that ecstatic state, he might fall again into that state. Where is he going to fall? If there is a knife, he will fall on it. If there is an iron bar, he will fall on it. Nobody can say – he may not fall, he may fall also.

Then she thought, "It is better to take him, but he is in an ecstatic mood. What to do?"

Then slowly she said, "Bābā, Mother's āratī is going on. Please come, let us go."

The moment he heard "Mother," slight consciousness returned. Then she dressed him in a woman's dress. Ṭhākur had practiced woman's bhāva – this is called Rādhā's bhāva, sākhī bhāva, madhura bhāva. For quite a few months, he used to dress only like a woman, including wearing a braid. So he was accustomed to that.

She gave him her own silk saris, decorated him with all the ornaments, and slowly she led him. In front of the shrine, āratī was going on. On one side men were standing, on another side all the women were standing.

Jagadambā Dāsī naturally – she only was conducting the worship. She was very near the image, and Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was also there in madhura bhāva on the opposite side.

Madhur Babu was staring and staring and staring at this figure: "Who is this woman? I never saw her before. Perhaps my wife invited one of her friends, so I don't know." His curiosity: "It looks as though I know, but I don't know. I know, I don't know" – like that.

The whole āratī time, he was only thinking of that woman. Not "that woman" – only Rāmakṛṣṇa!

Forty-five minutes after that, slowly Jagadambā Dāsī took the hand of Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa and guided him inside the house. Madhur Babu could not hold himself – he ran after his wife and said, "Who is that lady?"

She smiled and said, "You did not recognize him? He is our Bābā!"

He said, "My God! How many years I have been serving You! Maybe that morning also You I had seen, but the moment Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa dressed like that, he became completely one with that madhura bhāva."

It is an extraordinary story. He said, then he exclaimed, "Unless Bābā helps us to recognize Him, who can recognize Him?"

Hanumān and the Sañjīvanī

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa used to say there is a plant – nobody can recognize what it is. It is such a wonder that even Hanumān could not recognize sañjīvanī. What to do? He brought the whole hill: "You sort out your own! You have to jump on some..."

Some physician was there, some Āyurveda physician was there. Every leaf looks exactly the same – anonymous.

So one day, you know – Hṛdayarām served for how many years? Nearly twenty-five years also. One day, suddenly, Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa got hold of Hṛdayarām and said, "Come, I want you to come inside."

Now people were sitting and taking food. "Who is your uncle? Find out who is your uncle among these people. Tell me who is your uncle."

He looked and looked and looked and looked and looked. Ultimately, after many minutes, he said, "This is my uncle."

Hṛdayarām was telling, "Even though day and night I lived with Māmā, it took me such a long time to recognize him when he was with others. Who could recognize God unless He gives us the knowledge?"

That is why he says God gives us that power to experience Him, to recognize Him. Otherwise it's not possible. God is right here, but it's not possible to recognize Him. Śrī Kṛṣṇa comes – He may come in any form. How can you recognize Him?

Tolstoy's Story: Where Art Thou?

It's a beautiful story of Tolstoy. You know Tolstoy? Have you heard about him? An extraordinarily great writer. He was deeply influenced by the Rāja Yoga of Swami Vivekananda, you know how.

Mahatma Gandhi was influenced by Swamiji, and Tolstoy was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi. "Where did you get these ideas – Satyagraha and all these things?" "From Swamiji." Everybody got ideas in their own way.

Anyway, he had written a story. There was a cobbler. He was a great devotee of Jesus Christ. One night the cobbler had a vision of Jesus Christ, and Christ told him, "Tomorrow I will visit you. Feed me."

The next day this cobbler prepared – because Jesus Christ will come, he will feed Him. He told his wife, "It is true." He prepared food – I don't know if his wife prepared or not. He took the food to his shop, waiting and waiting from early morning.

It was about 10:30. A dog came there, very scrawny dog, you know, bones were coming out. It was looking like this at the food. This man was thinking, "This poor dog is not getting food. I feel like giving, but I have prepared this food for Jesus Christ."

He debated and said, "I will give one-fourth of his food to this dog."

After that, a beggar woman came with a small child, and she was looking really miserable. Then he debated: "Anyway, I have been waiting for Christ. He did not come." So half the food – one-fourth he took.

At about three o'clock, another beggar came. Then he gave one-fourth of that. He was getting annoyed: "You promised You will come. You have not come."

Just before closing the shop, another beggar woman had come. In disgust, he gave the whole thing, and closing the shop, he went home. He cursed Jesus Christ and then went away.

That night again Jesus Christ appeared, and this man charged Him: "What is this? You told me last night that You are going to come, and You cheated me!"

He said, "No, no, I have come four times, and you gave Me food all four times. I was so happy."

What is the moral of this story? God can come in any form. In fact, He comes. When you go to Holy Mother, She does not say "man or woman." She says, "This is my child."

If Holy Mother is Divine Mother, then who are the rest? Dogs? No – one God, only God. No doubt, reverse of doubt.

The Three Essential Graces

So He has to give us bhakti. He has to protect us from obstacles. Ultimately, He has to reveal Himself and say, "Here I am." Then we do not have any problems.

[Brief interruption about mangoes and natural farming networks...]

So this is ultimate health. Then we move on to the next one.

Trisatya: The Triple Declaration of Truth Sutra 81

Trisatya means, you know, the highest truth is called trisatya. Three times if anybody says this and if he tells a lie, then God will punish him. Satya, Satyam will punish you.

"What I am telling is the truth, the truth, nothing but the truth." That is what in US courts, you know: "I swear on God, on the Bible, I tell nothing but the truth" – in courts, on the Bhagavad Gītā or Koran or Bible like that. "I say nothing but the truth, and the truth only."

Three times if you say that, it means you are committing a sin if you break that. Trisatya – Nārada is telling, "If whatever I have told you is not the truth, then God should punish me."

Trisatya, what is it? Bhaktir eva garīyasī – the devotional path is the supreme path. Devotion alone is the supreme. Devotion alone is the supreme. Devotion alone is the supreme.

"You told only twice. You should have told thrice!"

Bhaktir eva garīyasī – garīyasī means greatest, best. Bhaktir eva garīyasī, bhaktir eva garīyasī, bhaktir eva garīyasī.

The Eleven Manifestations of Bhakti Sutra 82

Then he is telling: if you are thinking bhakti has only one nature, only one way – no! The same bhakti, even though it is all bhakti, can be expressed, manifested in eleven ways. How many ways? Eleven ways.

So if somebody is interested in one aspect, somebody else is interested in another aspect, but the end goal is the same – attaining God at the end. So he is telling:

1. Guṇamāhātmyāsakti

Guṇamāhātmyāsakti – devotion to God's infinite qualities. But you have to understand: "good" means maṅgala, maṅgala means auspicious. What is auspicious?

See, somebody loves... A mother loves her husband – he dies. She loves her only son, and he dies. Is this maṅgala or amaṅgala?

Maṅgala means that which teaches: "The only reliable object in this world is only God and nothing else." So if that event can turn this person's mind towards God, then that is called maṅgala. If that person's mind goes away from God, then it is not maṅgala.

Swamiji can redefine what is dharma and what is adharma: "That which takes us nearer to God is dharma. That which takes us away from God is adharma." Simple definition, but very practical, workable definition.

Guṇa – some people are devoted to aśeṣa kalyāṇa guṇa. Then māhātmya – they go on praising: "You are infinite, You are this, You are that – dayāsāgara, karuṇāsāgara, kṛpāsāgara." Like Lakṣmī – all these. They don't want anything, but they want to praise You: "You are the repository of all these excellent qualities."

And if you see any great quality in anybody, it is coming from God.

2. Rūpāsakti

This is one. Rūpāsakti – some people are devoted to the form of God. This is called iṣṭaniṣṭhā.

What is it? Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa did something... The gopīs – they did not see Śrī Kṛṣṇa after He went to Mathurā. They felt like seeing Him, so they walked up to Mathurā. It is only two miles, six kilometers.

Then they had to bribe the watchman, otherwise he would not allow them. What does that mean? What does that show? Bribing was prevalent even in those days! Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa was telling this.

From the side door they have seen – what was He doing? Sitting on the throne with a makuṭa, kirīṭa, on a golden throne.

Immediately they covered their faces: "Who is this man? We have come to see – He is not our Kṛṣṇa! Our Kṛṣṇa must have that white peacock feather and all those things – not this person!" Like that, they simply left Him.

This is called rūpāsakti – intense attachment to one particular form of God.

Hanumān also wants only to see Rāma, not Viṣṇu. Śrīnāthe jānakīnāthe abhedo'haṃ paramātmani, tathāpi mama sarvasvam rāmaḥ kamalanābhaś ca – "Even though there is no difference in the Supreme Self, still, my all-in-all is Rāma with the lotus navel."

That's why it is said: Rāma's mission has come to an end. He wanted kāla – Kāla came and said, "Your mission is over. What are you doing here? Come back to Vaikuṇṭha."

Naturally, He announced: "Tomorrow I am going back to Vaikuṇṭha. Whoever wants to come with me, we will all go. I will take them."

The whole Ayodhyā decided to follow Him. They went and drowned themselves, and found themselves in Vaikuṇṭha.

He wanted Hanumān. He called Hanumān: "Come tomorrow. I am going to Vaikuṇṭha. You come with me."

He made one śāṣṭāṅga praṇāma and said, "No."

Rāma said, "You don't want to come with me?"

Another śāṣṭāṅga praṇāma: "No."

"Then why don't you want to come?"

Another śāṣṭāṅga praṇāma.

He said, "When You go to Vaikuṇṭha, what form will You be having? Caturbhuja (four-armed). I don't want to see caturbhuja. I want to see only the two-armed form."

This is called rūpāsakti, iṣṭaniṣṭhā.

3. Pūjāsakti

Yes, then pūjāsakti – some people from morning till evening are engaged only in elaborate pūjā, worship. Throughout 365 days, some special worship is going on.

4. Smaraṇāsakti

Then smaraṇāsakti – some people always want to do japa, never want to think of anything else. Like that crow in Pampasarovar – always wanting only to remember God. This is called smaraṇāsakti.

5. Dāsyāsakti

Dāsyāsakti – Hanumān represents that. He only wants to do service. "Japa, tapa, I don't know. You give me some work; I will do it."

6. Sakhyāsakti

Then sakhyāsakti – they always want to think of Śrī Kṛṣṇa as their friend. That is what is called śānta rasa, dāsya bhāva, sakhya bhāva, vātsalya bhāva, and madhura bhāva.

7. Vātsalyāsakti

Then vātsalyāsakti, vātsalya bhāva – parental attitude.

8. Kāntāsakti

Then kāntāsakti – this is like Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, Rukmiṇī and Kṛṣṇa. Madhura bhāva.

These are the śānta... He did not celebrate śānta bhāva separately.

9. Ātmanivedanāsakti

Ātmanivedanāsakti – "I want to surrender myself completely at Your feet. I am interested only to be a śaraṇāgata bhakta and nothing else." That is called ātmanivedanāsakti.

10. Tanmayatāsakti

Tanmayatāsakti – "I don't want to be merged in anything. I only want to be merged in You. My only thought will be only You." This is called in Vedanta brahmākāra vṛtti – "I want only brahmākāra vṛtti, nothing else."

11. Parama-virahāsakti

Then parama-virahāsakti – some people are there: "I never want to be united with You. Why? Because when I am not united with You, I feel tremendous pain, and that tremendous pain that comes as a result of not being near You gives me the greatest joy."

There was one fellow in Chennai, Madras. You know Madras is very hot. He would put on two, three coats and pants in summer season, and shoes extremely tight. Whole day he will suffer because every step is a pain. Like that.

Evening he will come back, and then he removes the shoes: "What a relief! What a relief!" You got it? You enjoyed that?

Somebody asked, "Why do you suffer whole day?"

He said, "You don't know how much joy I get in the end when I get rid of that! Oh my God, I cannot describe it. To get that joy, I have to..."

Some people experience viraha – burning like that – and then at last there is a meeting, a yukti. Oh, they enjoy more!

See, if you have got a son and you're seeing his face every day morning, you don't feel that special joy. Suppose he is in Australia and comes once in two, three years – oh, for one or two days! That is exceptional. But then he will keep asking, "When is he going to leave?"

This happens to me also with some Swamis. Some Swamis, they don't want to hear about anything. They want to talk only: "Swamiji, we love you, we want to be with you." I'm dead! Because they eat up my time. I like to be there – okay, if you want, sit here, talk for half an hour, forty-five minutes, one hour. Release me! Go find somebody else, pass your time. I want to go and read something, or at least rest.

Some relatives will come, you know that – for torture, for racking. It's called racking, you know – that rack made of nails, and you are made to lie down on it. It is like that with such relatives.

Then what relief you get! What joy! That's why you have to invite them occasionally to enjoy that relief!

So even though bhakti is only one, it manifests in – not only eleven ways – many more ways. Some people want to go on pilgrimage. Some people want to read only the books related to their *iṣṭadevat

The Flexibility of Devotional Practice

Some people want to read, to talk about their iṣṭadevatā. Earlier we had the definition – now they are interested in reading, they are interested also in talking to others. Their delight is in that.

So what is Nārada telling? Do not become monotonous. What does it mean? A devotee can choose all of this. Sometimes pūjā, sometimes nāmasmaraṇa, sometimes viraha, sometimes rūpa, sometimes guṇamāhātmya. So you can practice according to your mood all those things. You can go on.

Conclusion of the Nārada Bhakti Sūtra 83

So with that, Nārada Bhakti Sūtra comes to an end. Then he is trying to conclude. Two more sūtras are there.

The Unanimous Declaration of the Sages

Iti evaṃ vadanti jana-jalpa-nirbhayāḥ ekamataḥ – iti evaṃ means "thus"; vadanti means "they declare."

Jana-jalpa-nirbhayāḥ – nirbhayāḥ means "fearless." Fearless of whom? Jana-jalpa – "What will this person think about me if I tell like that? What will the other person think about me if I talk like this?" They don't care.

"You call me mad, you call me bad, you call me sad, you call me anything – I don't care!"

But all the great bhaktas are completely of one opinion with regard to this. What is it he is telling? Ekamataḥ – only one opinion. What is that opinion? All these things that Nārada told earlier, they tell the same thing in different words.

Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa also told the same thing in different words. Swami Vivekananda's excellent talks on Bhakti Yoga – there are two separate Bhakti Yoga texts, not one. There is another one which is not published; that is there in the Complete Works. The first one comes first, which is published, and what is in the form of lectures – I think the fourth volume or third volume – it is there. Both are beautiful. All more or less the same idea, but two different places, two different explanations, words – slight variation in how he explains.

So all these great souls – ekamataḥ – they are of one single opinion, and they are not frightened of anybody else. They are all speaking what I have told. They are all one. Nobody will say "Nārada was wrong and it should be like that." They all just say, "What Nārada said, that is my opinion," because they did not have any special opinion of their own. He is bringing the opinions of everybody there, and he is telling ekamataḥ.

The Great Teachers of Bhakti

Who are these? He is writing only a few of them:

Kumāra – the Brahmakumāras
Vyāsa – Vyāsadeva, who wrote the Bhāgavatam
Śuka – Śukadeva, who recited the Bhāgavatam to Parīkṣit. Śukadeva was the greatest devotee. That is why it is said the Bhāgavatam has become doubly sweet. Bhāgavatam is sweet by itself, tastes like first-class mango fruit when it's on the tree. Then what is he telling? It is said that śuka means – one meaning of śuka is parrot. The parrot pecks some fruit, especially the guava fruit like that. It pecks, and whichever fruit a parrot pecks becomes extremely sweet. That is what people say – I do not know – extremely sweet. Because it has come from the mouth of... Bhāgavatam has come from the mouth of Vyāsadeva – he had written it – but he really propagated it first. It was only Śukadeva who could be the greater devotee. That is why in the very beginning itself, śukamukha means "that which has come from the mouth" – means it is ucchiṣṭa. But this ucchiṣṭa has become all the more sweet because it came from the parrot's mouth.
Śāṇḍilya – we already got Śāṇḍilya.
Garga – we already got Garga.
Viṣṇu – we do not know who this Viṣṇu is – some devotee contemporary or earlier to Nārada.
Kauṇḍinya also.
Śeṣa – Ananta, Ādiśeṣa. With a thousand mouths, what do you think he will be singing? That is the symbolism – he is singing only about God. That's why God always wants to hear his praises, so He will not get out of this water bed. Ādiśeṣa is a spring bed, beautiful spring – the first invention!
Varuṇi – we do not know who this Varuṇi is, but Varuṇakumāra perhaps.
Bali – Bali was a great devotee of Vāmanadeva.
Hanumān – the greatest devotee.
Vibhīṣaṇa – Vibhīṣaṇa was a great devotee of Rāma.

Ādayo bhakty-ācāryāḥ – all these ācāryas, ekamataḥ – one opinion, not at all frightened of worldly people. People go on rumbling, mumbling. They all speak with one mouth.

What is it? Whatever has been expounded in these eighty-two sūtras. So with this, he is acknowledging their greatness.

The Authority and Source of the Sūtras: 84

This is Nārada Bhakti Sūtra. Why is it Bhakti Sūtra? Nārada-prokta – as expounded by Nārada. And how did Nārada expound it? Śiva taught him. Śiva's āsana – Śiva gave him that knowledge.

Śiva always stands for knowledge. Śiva, out of His compassion, has taught this bhakti, because Śiva was supposed to be the greatest bhakta of Viṣṇu, and Viṣṇu is the greatest bhakta of Śiva. So they are same, one and the same.

This is what is called – each scratching each other's back: "I scratch your back, you scratch my back."

But this is from Śiva's mouth. Whatever comes out of the mouth of Śiva never becomes false. Śive viśvasīti – one hundred percent believes. Śraddhayati – becomes extremely faithful. And practices whatever is taught – that is implied; we have to add – sādhayate.

The Final Promise: The Fruits of Practice

Then what happens? Sahaiva bhaktimān bhavati – first of all, he becomes endowed with devotion. He attains the highest. What is the highest? He attains God. He becomes one with God. He becomes merged with God. And he becomes totally, one hundred percent victorious.

Oṃ tat sat. Oṃ.

Closing Benediction

This is a maṅgala vākya – may God's grace be upon all those who expound, and who listen, and who practice, and who reach it to fruition.

Closing Prayer