BHAKTHY TREE

Bhakthy is a plant growing from the seed Trust. Our attitudes such as vatsalya bhakthy, sakhya bhakthy, kantha bhakthy, dasya bhakthy, atma bhakthy represent the variety of the plant.

Our nurturing the seed by way of sravanam, mananam, smaranam, keerthanam, vandanam, padasevanam etc., is the constant attention we give to the growth of the plant.

Plant starts blooming flowersof Shanty, Peace, on attaining a stage. Finally when the plant grows as a tree and starts yielding fruits, we experience fulfilment – eternal happiness.

Rational thinking and logic are roasted seeds which seldom grow.

Plants grow on thir own through His Grace and those blessed with His Grace reap the benefit.Different stages in the growth of the plant benefit us similar to banana leaves, its flower, its unripe and ripe fruits and even its stem are made use of.

Plants are sometime affected by the quality of the seed, by pests and by natural calamities. (tapatriyam:adhyatmikom. Adhibowdhikom and adidaiveekom). In such situations, extra care has to be taken in nurturing it to outlive the adversaries.

Among the variety of bhakthy, dasya bhakthy (master-servant attitude)and atma bhakthy (to know one’s own Self and connecting the same to the Supreme) need special mention. The former gets expression as karma yoga and the latter as Gnana yoga. Thus, bhakthy, an attitude grown out of trust, is a must for karma yoga and gnana yoga as well.

We cannot isolate the different yogas as water- tight compartments. Each complement the other. Bhakthy as such is an attitude whether it is in the child-mother relationship, lover-loved relationship or friend and friend relationship or servant-master relationship, or disciple-Guru relationship or jeevatma-Paramatma relationship.

What do we gain by developing and nurturing this plant? We experience Shanty – Peace as the flower blooms on the plant, and fulfilent as the fruits ripe on the bhakthy tree.

Ekantha bhakthy, Ananya bhakthy, kamya bhakthy, nishkama bhakthy, saguna bhakthy, nirguna bhakthy, satwik bhakthy, rajasic bakthy, thamasic bhakthy are some of the methods adopted by persons of different temperament. Kamya bhakthy and tamasic bhakthy,one would realise by experience, wont bring in the desired result.

It is vain to argue that atma bhakthy is superior, vatsalya bhakthy is superior or above all dasya bhakthy is superior or Prema bhakthy of gopies are most superior. All the trees yield sweet fruits and the abundance depend on how we nurture them through sravanam, keerthanam, smaranam, vandanam etc.

Adwaithins advocate atma bhakthy. Bhakthy, bhaktha and Bhagavan merge into one – an adwaitha bhava. In Sri Sankara’s words ‘Aham bojanam, naiva bojyam na boktha” I am neither the fruit, nor the act of eating nor the eater. Above all I am Shiva.

In this connection, an episode from Bhagavatham is worth recalling: Gopies pretends to be angry for his disappearance and with a desire to snub Sri Krishna they raise certain doubts which Sri Krishna willingly clears. He explains – one loves another based on reciprocation, a circular love which is normally seen between husband and wife. Another one loves even if the other does not reciprocate (e.g. parents’ love tpwards children) This is more glorious than the former. There is a third category who never expresses love in either of the above situations. This category is further divided as Atmaraman, Akritgnan, and Guru drohi. Here the first one is laudable and the other two are condemnable. Krishna says that he is neither of the above categories or sub-categories. He doent reciprocate and in order to strengthen the bhakthas’ loveHe occasionally enacts the drama of invisibility. He says that he considers bhakthas with strong love, as part of Him or rather they do not have a separate existence apart from Him.

There is a saying of Bhaktha Hanuman which is also worth recalling in this connection. “When I consider my body I am your servant, when I consider my mind I am part of you, when I consider my Atma you and I are one. Thus the different view points of Dwaitha, Visishtadwaitha and Adwaitha on Bhakthy are beautifully explained.