2023-05-31 04:00:39 by ambuda-bot
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INTRODUCTION
flowers, madhu parka etc., (a mixture of milk, honey, sugar,
curds and ghee) respectively called aupacharika (ceremonial),
samsparsika (tactile) and abhyavaharika (edible) - all gathered
with pure bhakti, and in haste by the agitated feeling of frust-
ration that he (the devotee) is unable to show full gratitude
for the great act of grace shown him by the Lord by making
the devotee His own.
It is this bhakti which is identified by the Vedas with the
yoga said to be the royal road to salvation. Because, the
venerable Bādarāyaṇa, after examining the Vedānta texts
llke "Knowing Him (Brahman) thus"; "The Brahman-knower
attains the Highest"; "With the help of sacrifices, charity,
penance and fasting (the devotee desires to see God)"; and
also "A person restraining the inner and outer senses sees the
atman in the atman"-has laid down in his aphorisms
thus:-"Bhakti requires as ingredients all things like sacrifice,
etc., as in the case of a horse (which can be used only with a
saddle)"; "(Not only karma) but that the devotee must also
cultivate restraint of inner and outer senses"; and "He must
repeat often and often the practice of contemplation".
Thus, he shows that bhakti is the best means for attaining
moksha. For this bhakti is worship and meditation induced
and fostered indirectly by the varnaśrama duties and directly
by peace of mind and restraint of senses, which are synony-
mous with the ideas expressed in the words, vedana (knowing).
dhyāna (meditation), dhruva-smriti (unceasing remembrance)
and vivekaja (born of discrimination). For its climax, it has
the direct clear vision (of God), which is attained by the strong
impressions on the mind made by pleasant and often repeated
thoughts, flowing in a constant stream, uninterfered with by
any distractions by outer objects or things. The Vükyakāra
also says that vedana (knowing) is nothing but contemplation,
for it is said: "It is this upāsana which, when duly perfected,
is nothing but bhakti. Why? Because it has the names of
(1) samyoga (union), (2) rūpa (form) and (3) chodana (injunc.
tion).
name
name
(1) Samyoga-This
denotes that bhakti, like
upasana, leads to moksha. It is said: "His form does not
appear within the range of physical vision, no one has seen
Him with the physical eyes. He is perceived by the mind
21
flowers, madhu parka etc., (a mixture of milk, honey, sugar,
curds and ghee) respectively called aupacharika (ceremonial),
samsparsika (tactile) and abhyavaharika (edible) - all gathered
with pure bhakti, and in haste by the agitated feeling of frust-
ration that he (the devotee) is unable to show full gratitude
for the great act of grace shown him by the Lord by making
the devotee His own.
It is this bhakti which is identified by the Vedas with the
yoga said to be the royal road to salvation. Because, the
venerable Bādarāyaṇa, after examining the Vedānta texts
llke "Knowing Him (Brahman) thus"; "The Brahman-knower
attains the Highest"; "With the help of sacrifices, charity,
penance and fasting (the devotee desires to see God)"; and
also "A person restraining the inner and outer senses sees the
atman in the atman"-has laid down in his aphorisms
thus:-"Bhakti requires as ingredients all things like sacrifice,
etc., as in the case of a horse (which can be used only with a
saddle)"; "(Not only karma) but that the devotee must also
cultivate restraint of inner and outer senses"; and "He must
repeat often and often the practice of contemplation".
Thus, he shows that bhakti is the best means for attaining
moksha. For this bhakti is worship and meditation induced
and fostered indirectly by the varnaśrama duties and directly
by peace of mind and restraint of senses, which are synony-
mous with the ideas expressed in the words, vedana (knowing).
dhyāna (meditation), dhruva-smriti (unceasing remembrance)
and vivekaja (born of discrimination). For its climax, it has
the direct clear vision (of God), which is attained by the strong
impressions on the mind made by pleasant and often repeated
thoughts, flowing in a constant stream, uninterfered with by
any distractions by outer objects or things. The Vükyakāra
also says that vedana (knowing) is nothing but contemplation,
for it is said: "It is this upāsana which, when duly perfected,
is nothing but bhakti. Why? Because it has the names of
(1) samyoga (union), (2) rūpa (form) and (3) chodana (injunc.
tion).
name
name
(1) Samyoga-This
denotes that bhakti, like
upasana, leads to moksha. It is said: "His form does not
appear within the range of physical vision, no one has seen
Him with the physical eyes. He is perceived by the mind
21