Narada Bhakti Sutras - Post 77

Sutra 72. Naasti teshu jaatividyaaroopakula- dhanakriyaadi bhedah.

Among them (the devotees) there is no distinction based on caste, learning, beauty, family or birth, wealth, observance or profession and the like.

Teshu : among them

Jaati-vidyaa-roopa-kula-dhana-kriyaadi-bheda : distinctions based on caste, learning, beauty, family, wealth, profession or observance and the rest ;

Na : not

Asti : exists like, there is.

In the Adhyatma Ramayana III-10-20, Sri Rama says, “Sex, birth, reputation, status, etc., do not confer any title to My worship ; only devotion, Adhikara or fitness, competence to do.”

However widely they may differ in other respects they are all alike in their pure and one-pointed love for God .

You should not judge a devotee or a saint by his birth or literary attainments. Kabir was a common weaver, Raidas a sweeper, Nandan an untouchable, Sadan, a butcher and yet they were great spiritual lights.

Nisada was born in a low caste, Sabari was a rustic woman, Dhruva was an un-educated boy, Vidura and Sudama were very poor, Vibhishana was an ugly Rakshasa, Hanuman was a monkey, Jatayu was a bird, Gajendra was an elephant, the Gopis of Brindivan were not initiated into Vedic rites ; but all these attained god-realisation on account of their devotion and self-surrender .

In devotion caste, culture, physical appearance, birth, possessions, occupation etc., do not matter. He who has dedicated his all at the feet of the Lord and who constantly remembers Lord succeeds in attaining God-consciousness, no matter whether he is a Brahmin or a laborer, educated or uneducated, high-born or low-born, good-looking or ugly-looking, wealthy or poor.

This Sutra has to be looked upon from the stand point of a devotee who has realized God within his heart as LOVE and not as much as a Sutra aiming to hold flag against caste system, against the 4 Varnas.

A true devotee transcends all dualities and hence, he is neither able to say, caste, creed and other distinctions are correct, nor is he in a state to say they are not correct. This duality is amongst all the possible dualities which he transcends.

First and the subtlest duality in an individual is his existence as a Jiva and God's existence as Supreme, other than himself.

If this distinction is itself transcended, then where is a Jiva, aware of his Identity with his body, mind and intellect, to even recognize the distinctions given in this Sutra??

A saint has risen above the three gunas. He shines with the resplendence of divine illumination. He does not belong to one caste or community but to the whole humanity. That is the reason why there is no distinction of caste among the saints.

There is no distinction based upon appearance. Ashta Vakra had eight bends in his body. Agastya was a dwarf. Some may be clean shaven, others may have matted hair.

Kula : It means family and also race. Saints can come out of any race. St. Francis, Saint Catherine, and several others belong to the Western race. They were realised souls. There have been saints among Muslims . Kabir is another instance . Saintliness is not affected by distinctions between the rich and the poor, between one profession and another.

He who has devotion to the Lord (or, in other words, one who has attained/ known/ experienced Brahman) is a Brahmin .

An out- caste who has devotion and who is leading the life divine is far superior to a Brahmin who is leading a vicious and abominable life.

The distinctions exist when a man is petty minded. These differences are created by the mind on ac- count of Avidya. ( Avidya is nothing but identifying oneself as a Jiva with an existence separate from that of God, which is explained earlier in this Post itself).

They all melt away when one gets Darshan of God or Atma. Love is a great leveller. It develops equal vision (sama drishti). The advanced Bhakta becomes an Ativamashrami . He goes beyond varnashrama.

In most appropriate level, if this Sutra or any sutra or all Sutras are to be explained, then the interpretation of SAI AUM bhajan given in an earlier post is enough!!.

The line NAYAN NAYAN MEIN SAI AUM explains everything that is given in this Narada Bhakti Sutra or for that matter, any writing on Devotion.

When Sai/ lord has blessed a devotee, installed Himself in that devotee with a blessing " I am yours, Yours are mine" as Swami says, then the eyes of the devotees are no more his eyes, they are Sai's eyes.

Eyes are not physical eyes here. It is the eye through which one sees this entire world, even the portrait or idol of God and then, such a sight is carried through his intellect to his senses and then the senses play havoc and attribute various meaning/ ideas/ thoughts to such sight.

When the vision is Sai's vision, then, does the author has to say, how such a devotee shall perceive ( or not perceive at all!!) this entire creation????

At that state, this sutra itself bows down to such a devotee and whispers, " ALL THESE ARE NOT FOR YOU, O GREAT SOUL"!!!