Srimad Bhagavatam – day 552
The Devatas continued to glorify Lord Srihari as follows,
“Believing that they have been freed from all bondages, some self-conceited persons disregard Your lotus feet and fail to worship You”.
Swamiji explains: Some persons have the false belief that they have freed themselves from all worldly bondages and hence refuse to seek shelter under the Lord. As they do not have love and compassion towards Him, they are disinclined to seek shelter under Him. The root for this is their lack of compassion towards all forms of life. Traits of purity, penance, truthfulness, righteousness are absent in them. Just as in humans, at times even Devatas become self-conceited. It should be understood that it is an indication of their imminent fall to deplorable levels.
Such persons refuse to seek shelter under His lotus feet. They do not desire to develop feelings of love towards Him. Devotion and love fails to sprout in their heart. Their eyes can never be filled with tears of devotion. Their hardened heart can never melt. ‘What is wrong with my behaviour? After all, I have never cheated anyone. I never utter lies. I am living righteously. I have devotion. Why then should I seek shelter under the Lord?’- such stubbornness is visible in them.
If someone were to advise them, ‘If you already have these qualities, then self-surrender to the Lord. Very quickly you will obtain liberation. Effortlessly you will see divine illumination’- they will reject the idea.
Therefore, the Devatas say to the Lord Srihari, ‘O Lord, there are people who refuse to revere or worship You. Due to lack of devotion, the impurities from their inner mind can never be washed away’.
Such persons lack purity in speech. Their mind is filled with impurity.
Devatas continued, ‘Even if such persons with impure mind, through the medium of penance and other stringent austerities obtain exalted positions, they are doomed to fall from their positions.
What is the use of external garb if the inner impurities remain intact? Applying sandal paste, perfumes etc. are of no use if the mind is impure. Undoubtedly your behaviour is appreciable. You abide by truthfulness. Your actions are truly laudable. Your ideas are noteworthy. But of what use are your external actions if the inner impurity remains intact? You enjoy inner impurity.
‘Tathā na te mādhava tāvakāḥ kvacid bhraśyanti mārgāt tvayi baddha-sauhṛdāḥ
tvayābhiguptā vicaranti nirbhayā vināyakānīkapa-mūrdhasu prabho
O husband of Lakshmi! Ardent devotees who have unflinching devotion towards You will never ever fall from Yoga’.
Once they offer their mind to You, they never seek it back. They continue to remain stable in devotion.
“O Lord, in every way You protect such devotees. As their protector, You are always with them, O Lord. In every thought of theirs You are with them. They conquer all obstacles.
O Lord, shortly You are about to take a transcendental body which, being devoid of traits of passion and ignorance (rajas, tamas) will be filled only with traits of goodness (sattva) and in this body You will be bestowing liberation to living entities. Through that form, You will be teaching humans the knowledge of the Vedas and Vedic activities. They will worship You through karma as well as through Yoga”.
Listening in detail to Yoga is akin to studying it. Does penance mean only sitting in the forest, closing the nostrils and focussing on the Lord? No. In your residence itself, you can sit and focus upon the Lord with absolute concentration!
You need to necessarily inculcate this habit of sitting silently for at least half an hour daily. Try to sit motionless and with the help of Pranayama visualize the Lord within. Sit either in Padmasana or a comfortable asana. Try to see yourself because in reality you are the Supreme Lord. Covered by the veil of ignorance you falsely presume the Supreme Lord to be distinct entity. Since ignorance is also his creation, He is everything. Try to see that inner illumination. Try to merge into that illumination. Once you merge you will be freed from all bondages. This has to be practised. Without practice, liberation is impossible.
“Only a living entity who has a pure mind can acquire knowledge of Yoga and Karma. With a mind that is exclusively focussed upon You, he will meditate upon You and thus worship You.
O Lord, You possess a transcendental body composed entirely of goodness. In the absence of this transcendental form of Yours, the living entity would be deprived of the opportunity to obtain Self-realization that destroys passion and ignorance.
Mind, intellect, and other transformations of Nature which seek shelter in the Self, are responsible for illuminating sound and other subtle perceptions which pertain to the external world. They cause the bonded soul to distance from You”.
Intellect and the senses are illumined by the Self.
Narayana.