Nārada-bhakti-sūtra E-Book

Paramahamsa Vishwananda

• Herausgeber: Bhakti Marga Publications
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 668

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

The Nārada-bhakti-sūtra, compiled by Sage Nārada, is a foundational text in the path of bhakti and Vaiṣṇavism. As one of the Lord’s greatest devotees, Sage Nārada stands as a role model and an expert guide to all aspiring devotees. In these bhakti sūtras, he has extracted the essence of devotion and presented it concisely in only 84 verses. Each sūtra is infused with the insight of one who truly lives bhakti to its fullest.

Maximising the effect of this wisdom by His commentary, Paramahamsa Vishwananda has added the only missing ingredient: practical application. How can I actually live such elevated principles today? How do I walk this path in this present time and in my current circumstances?

Paramahamsa Vishwananda has answered these questions and many more in these pages, making this a vital handbook of devotion for anyone who considers themselves a bhakta on the path to God Himself. It is tailor-made for our times, by the most extraordinary spiritual Master of our times.

Leseprobe

Nārada-bhakti-sūtra: Commentary on the Perfection of Devotion

Commentary and translation, copyright © 2023 Bhakti Event GmbH Sanskrit translation by Stefan Koschel

Cover artwork by DasAvatarDas, copyright @ 2023, used with permission

All international rights reserved. No part of this publication can be translated or reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of Bhakti Marga International, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by international copyright law.

English, First Edition, February 2023

Printed in Germany

ISBN 978-3-96343-098-5 (Hardcover)

ISBN 978-3-96343-099-2 (Softcover)

ISBN 978-3-96343-100-5 (Ebook)

Bhakti Marga Publications

c/o Shree Peetha Nilaya

Am Geisberg 1-8, 65321 Heidenrod–Springen, Germany

[email protected]

Find more books by Paramahamsa Vishwananda at the BhaktiShop: bhaktimarga.org/publications

TABLE OF CONTENTS

About Paramahamsa Vishwananda

About Bhakti Marga

Foreword

Introduction

What is Bhakti?

Who is Nārada?

Sūtra 1

Sūtra 2

Sūtra 3

Sūtra 4

Sūtra 5

Sūtra 6

Sūtra 7

Sūtra 8

Sūtra 9

Sūtra 10

Sūtra 11

Sūtra 12

Sūtra 13

Sūtra 14

Sūtra 15

Sūtra 16

Sūtra 17

Sūtra 18

Sūtra 19

Sūtra 20

Sūtra 21

Sūtra 22

Sūtra 23

Sūtra 24

Sūtra 25

Sūtra 26

Sūtra 27

Sūtra 28

Sūtra 29

Sūtra 30

Sūtra 31

Sūtra 32

Sūtra 33

Sūtra 34

Sūtra 35

Sūtra 36

Sūtra 37

Sūtra 38

Sūtra 39

Sūtra 40

Sūtra 41

Sūtra 42

Sūtra 43

Sūtra 44

Sūtra 45

Sūtra 46

Sūtra 47

Sūtra 48

Sūtra 49

Sūtra 50

Sūtra 51

Sūtra 52

Sūtra 53

Sūtra 54

Sūtra 55

Sūtra 56

Sūtra 57

Sūtra 58

Sūtra 59

Sūtra 60

Sūtra 61

Sūtra 62

Sūtra 63

Sūtra 64

Sūtra 65

Sūtra 66

Sūtra 67

Sūtra 68

Sūtra 69

Sūtra 70

Sūtra 71

Sūtra 72

Sūtra 73

Sūtra 74

Sūtra 75

Sūtra 76

Sūtra 77

Sūtra 78

Sūtra 79

Sūtra 80

Sūtra 81

Sūtra 82

Sūtra 83

Sūtra 84

Other Related Books by Paramahamsa Vishwananda

ABOUT PARAMAHAMSA VISHW ANANDA

Paramahamsa Vishwananda carries the grace of two lineages: He is an ācārya in the Vaiṣṇava tradition as well as a direct disciple of Mahāvatār Bābāji in the kriyā-yoga lineage. Masterfully weaving these two traditions together, His teachings focus on bhakti (loving devotion to God) through meditation, ritual, and service. Even more important than His lineage, however, Paramahamsa Vishwananda is a satguru (one who can bring devotees to the level of God-realisation), which means that the glory of God can be revealed through Him. He can make the unfathomable, unknowable Lord a personal and tangible experience.

Dedicating His life to uplifting humanity, He has brought back to the world a set of ancient meditation techniques that naturally help cultivate bhakti: Atma Kriya Yoga. To complement and deepen that inner experience, He uses the bhakti teachings of scriptures and the inspiration of bhakti saints to show everyone how to have their own unique and loving relationship with the Divine.

Throughout years of continual travel, teaching, and guiding, Paramahamsa Vishwananda has remained humble and humorous, bringing the most profound and subtle truths down to earth so that the same path that, traditionally, was pursued only by a few, is now accessible to all.

His teachings can be found in His books, videos, spiritual tools and practices, livestream satsaṅgas (spiritual Q&A), and online darśan blessings. Even more can be explored at local centres of His organisation known as Bhakti Marga (the path of devotion).

To find out more about Paramahamsa Vishwananda, and how you can have an experience of the master for yourself, visit paramahamsavishwananda.com

ABOUT BHAKTI MARGA

Bhakti Marga, ‘the path of devotion’, is a global community of individuals whose goal is to attain God-realisation by the grace of Paramahamsa Vishwananda. These devotees aim to develop a unique and personal relationship with the Divine and focus their lives on serving God and guru and everyone around them.

In countries all over the world, these like-minded spiritual seekers come together to study and learn from the wisdom of Paramahamsa Vishwananda, to share their experiences, and to celebrate festivals and events with Gurudev throughout the year. As the number of devotees grows, so does the number of new Bhakti Marga temples and āśramas, ensuring that every heart that yearns to experience a personal connection with God can find a welcome there.

Located near Frankfurt, Germany, the international headquarters and āśrama called Shree Peetha Nilaya is a hub of spiritual activities, ranging from small courses and workshops to large online events made available in multiple languages. Annual celebrations also fill the calendar, including the Just Love Festival, a renowned music event that draws thousands from all over the globe to its beautiful German countryside every year.

Find out more by visiting our website or visit a Bhakti Marga centre near you to experience this extraordinary path of devotion for yourself.

bhaktimarga.org

FOREWORD

Paramahamsa Vishwananda’s choice to comment on the Nārada-bhakti-sūtra is both incredibly meaningful and well-timed for several reasons. Many would say that the world, especially in the West, is going through a rough phase. It is a time of uncertainty and of highly polarising ideas and identities, be they political, religious, or societal. The world desperately needs clarity, direction and most of all, truly virtuous and deeply wise role models to look up to. In gracing us with this commentary, Paramahamsa Vishwananda has met all those needs.

Sage Nārada is undoubtedly one of the most famous personalities found in Vedic literature. He is often depicted as a messenger of the Lord, an aide used to advance the Lord’s plans but, in truth, he is rarely spoken of as a teacher and the exemplary devotee that he is. Yet that is precisely what he acts as in giving us his bhakti-sūtras: his vision of devotion, of love for God, coming from one of the Lord’s pre-eminent associates. The clarity and precision with which he speaks, the certainty of his convictions, the strength of his faith and the depth of his wisdom leave an indelible mark on the reader, inspiring us to reach for the heights of true spirituality. It is something that Paramahamsa Vishwananda has always done – shone a light on the great devotees of the Lord, bringing them into the forefront of our minds.

But what of the subject matter? Bhakti: the essence of our path, and the antidote to the suffering of this world. The world is on a constant search for happiness and fulfillment. The problem is not in the pursuit itself, but rather in the places where it is pursued. The expectation that we, eternal beings, will find our unceasing fulfillment in the finite things of this world, no matter how grand or how important they may seem to be at present, is, frankly, delusional. And yet we care so deeply about a great many things that do not deserve it. Paramahamsa Vishwananda pushes us, again and again, to wake up from this wearisome illusion. True happiness and lasting fulfillment cannot be obtained anywhere but at their source: the Supreme Lord, Nārāyaṇa. And the road to that incomparable being is none other than the path of bhakti: the bhakti-mārga. There is no need to elaborate on the greatness of bhakti, nor on the intricacies of how to walk this path most effectively, for that is precisely what Sage Nārada and Paramahamsa Vishwananda have done so expertly.

— SVR

oṁ ajñāna timirāndhasya

jñānāñjana śalākayā

cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena

tasmai śrī gurave namaḥ

he kṛṣṇa karuṇā sindhu

dīna bandhu jagat pate

gopeśa gopikā kānta

rādhā kānta namostute

tapta-kāñcana gaurāṅgī

rādhe vṛndāvaneśvarī

vṛṣabhānu sute devī

praṇamāmi harī priye

hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare

hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare

yā kundendu tuṣāra hāra dhavalā

yā śubhra-vastrāvṛtā

yā vīṇā vara daṇḍa maṇḍita-karā

yā śveta padmāsanā /

yā brahma‘cyuta śaṅkara prabhṛtibhir

devaiḥ sadā vanditā

sā māṁ pātu sarasvatī bhagavatī

buddhi pradām śārade //

INTRODUCTION

What is Bhakti?

What Nārada-muni explains in this Nārada-bhakti-sūtra (also called the Nārada Gītā) is the aspect of devotion which devotees should carry inside of their hearts: bhakti.

What is bhakti? Bhakti is that single-pointedness with which one focuses upon the Supreme Lord. And for some people, bhakti is expressed in many ways and comes in many forms. Some people pray to God, and have devotion to God, because they want something in return. Or they pray to God for necessity: whenever someone has a problem in their life, they always run to God, whether they believe in God or not! God is like a wish-fulfilling tree for them, and once He fulfils their wishes, they go back to their normal life.

But that is not what we call bhakti. That’s called ‘business’. You see, bhakti is when your heart has this hunger. Like when you feel the hunger for food, or you are thirsty for something to drink. If you don’t have that hunger for God, if you don’t have that yearning for God, irrespective of what you are doing in life and however you are worshipping, if you don’t have that longing for Him, that is not bhakti.

So, due to that yearning, that hunger, for the Divine and for that union with Him, we enter into a relationship with Him. We enter into a personal relationship with God. And with that union of ātmā and Paramātmā, that eternal bliss awakens. That real peace, which is what we mean when we talk about bliss, is there. This personal relationship with Him is not just a fantasy. It is a personal, one-to-one relationship.

When we look at the saints, they have all been absorbed into that personal relationship with Him. It doesn’t matter which form of the Divine they are worshipping, those who have come to that point of understanding bhakti have dived into that ocean of that divine existence. They have submerged themselves in that ocean of Love where they completely forget about themselves. Just like a drop of water, when it drops into the ocean it disappears into that ocean of Love. But we don’t disappear. We just forget our egoistic nature.

The transformation that one goes through is one of removing that egoistic personality which you have cultivated for perhaps thousands of lives. But once you dive into that ocean of bliss, that disappears. When it disappears, there is only one reality that stays. That’s the real reality of Love, the reality of bliss. That tiny self which you call you, and which the ego plays upon, disappears. Very often we try to understand with the mind what is happening, but the mind, the intellect, can comprehend only things that are physical. Something that is subjected to change, to transformation, our mind and intellect can comprehend. However, can the mind comprehend that eternal truth of devotion when the heart is burning with that love and the yearning? When we talk about eternity, when we talk about something eternal, can our mind comprehend that? Our mind is bound by limitation; it can’t comprehend eternity. That’s why, when we are talking about bhakti, our mind can’t comprehend it. As long as people want to comprehend with the mind the mystery of bhakti, they will fail. Many have tried, but they have failed.

To understand bhakti, it’s a journey which one goes on step by step, not all at once. When we look at all the saints, for example, it’s a gradual advancement towards that Love, because you can’t just jump into that ocean just like that. You have to prepare yourself. You have to be ready. And this is where your sādhana, step by step, takes you.

As you know very well, there are these nine steps of bhakti, nine forms of bhakti. And during that journey, we allow that divinity, we allow God, we allow Giridhārīji, to become the magnet which attracts us. If we look at life itself, from wherever we are, what has attracted you to the spiritual path? What has brought you to the path where you have to engage yourself? What has brought you onto the path where you can do all your sādhana, train your mind, transform it and be free?

So, let’s see bhakti as the foundation of one’s spiritual life and practice. Before we go into the sūtras, let’s understand a little bit about bhakti itself, because bhakti is not just a devotional exercise that we do on the outside. It is the means, but it is also the end in itself. Bhakti is the beginning of everything, and it is the end of everything.

In the Nārada-bhakti-sūtra, actually, in verse 2, ‘sā tv asmin parama-prema-rūpā’, devotion is a manifest form of the highest pure love for God. It is that kind of nature that we are talking about. Not just a superficial devotion. We are talking about the supreme kind of devotion towards God. It’s not just to say we believe. It’s not just to say, ‘Yes, we believe in God, we believe in Giridhārīji, we believe in Viṭṭhala’, but we have to have that one-to-one relationship with Him. In that way, love towards the Divine manifests itself.

The Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Canto 7, Chapter 5, verse 23, explains Navadhā-bhakti. I will just touch on the nine forms of bhakti very quickly. Śravaṇa, kīrtana, smaraṇa, pādaseva, arcana, vandana, dāsya, sakhya, ātmanivedana-bhakti, these are the nine aspects of devotion. Hearing about God, chanting His Name and glory, remembering Him, serving His Lotus Feet, worshipping Him as per the scriptures, prostrating before Him, being His servant, befriending Him, offering oneself unto Him.

You see, it is step by step. It doesn’t happen all at once. It is a journey which, once you have found your path, you engage yourself on that journey. You can’t just say, ‘Yes, I have found my path, but I don’t want to walk.’ Although many people do that. They say, ‘I have found what I was looking for. I don’t want to walk anymore.’ It’s like you have heard about your destination, but you refuse to take the transport to reach it.

Would you ever reach there? It’s like somebody who is sitting, feeling thirsty and says, ‘I am thirsty, I am thirsty’, and in front of him there is a tap of water. It’s a well of water in front of him, but yet, due to his laziness, he will never walk to get it.

Here in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, it is explained about these nine steps that one has to go through. Hearing about God is śravaṇa-bhakti. When you hear the Name of Kṛṣṇa, what is happening inside of your mind? You have an image of Kṛṣṇa, no? I don’t know how it is for you, but those whose minds are centred upon the Divine, the moment they hear the Name, they close their eyes and they will see Kṛṣṇa. They don’t need to have any effort to reach there. With His Name, His Divine Form, His qualities, His action, His mysteries—actually, one gets lost in His glorious līlā! When one is fully absorbed and one is trapped in that, one can’t go out. When you get trapped by that Love, when beautiful music is heard, when there is a beautiful fragrance you can smell, your mind is captivated by that and you want to know where it comes from. The same, by hearing about the līlā of Bhagavān, one’s mind gets captivated.

In the Gītā, Bhagavān said in Chapter 4, verse 34, ‘You can get that knowledge by humbly prostrating yourself before the guru.’ So, that first step of śravaṇa-bhakti is to surrender to the feet of the guru.

From the feet of the guru, just like King Parīkṣit surrendered to Śukadeva, he started to listen to the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. When he listened to what Śukadeva was telling him, his mind was transformed. What kind of effect does listening have upon you when you are listening? At the end, Rāja Parīkṣit said to Śukadevaji, ’You have made me experience the highest and fearless state. As a consequence, I am now totally at peace. I am not afraid of death. Let it come to me in any form. I am totally fearless.’ Just by listening for seven days to the Bhāgavatam, he was free from all fears because he had that realisation that he is not that body.

Second is kīrtana-bhakti: chanting, singing the holy Name and glory of Bhagavān. When we are singing kīrtan and bhajan, we are singing the glories of His forms. We are singing about His qualities. We are chanting. Here, it’s not just mere listening and chanting. It is said that, for those who possess the gift of bhakti, when they sing, tears roll out from their eyes. Because it is not the ears which are listening. It is the heart which is listening. And the heart starts vibrating with that bhajan and kīrtan. Even when we see Nārada-muni, Sage Nārada, what does he do? He is always engrossed in singing the glory of Śrīman Nārāyaṇa. There is not a single moment of his life where Hari-nāma is not present on his lips. ‘Nārāyaṇ, Nārāyaṇ, Nārāyaṇ’, that’s the only thing that he does. He travels around in bliss singing the Name of Śrīman Nārāyaṇa. Why do you think he was singing? Why do you think he travels around singing? (That I will come to later on.)

Rāja Dakṣa wanted to populate the earth, but when they visited Badrīnāth and the Bhadra āśrama, Nārada-muni instructed them, ‘What’s the use of living in this world? This world is nothing. Only the Name of the Lord is everything.’ So all his children became renunciants. Because of that, King Dakṣa cursed Nārada and said to him, ‘I curse you that you can’t stay in one place. You will never have a fixed place. You will roam around singing.’ But Nārada was so happy. Even though he was cursed by Dakṣa, he was not crying. He saw an opportunity to bring the glory of Śrīman Nārāyaṇa to everybody and he was happy. So, like that, he said, ‘I will be able to roam around freely in the three worlds bringing the glory of my beloved Lord to all, bringing His Name to everybody.’ This is kīrtana-bhakti, because in kīrtana-bhakti, with what has transformed you, with that joy you express in chanting and singing, you can bring that intoxication to others also. That’s why kīrtan is very important.

In Bhakti Marga, we see it everywhere. I was just now in Portugal, at a wonderful bhajan-maṇḍali, singing the grace of God. Everywhere where there is Bhakti Marga, I see there is this effort to bring and to sing the glory of the Lord. And I see the devotees, how joyful they are, how excited they become. And in this excitement, in this joyfulness, you forget about yourself completely. You are so absorbed in the bhajan and kīrtan, only Hari-nāma matters. And that’s kīrtana-bhakti.

Third is smaraṇa-bhakti: remembering Him. So, smaraṇa means to remember the Lord of your heart at all times. Just like when you are freshly in love, you remember your beloved in whatever you are doing. ‘What is he or she doing? Why he or she is not picking up the phone?’ Constantly. Your mind is not on anything else. It is on who you are remembering. Here, Bhagavān said, ‘As you are on the path of bhakti, your remembrance should not be on limited things. Your remembrance should be constantly on the Lord Himself.’

In the Bhagavad Gītā, Chapter 6, verse 30, Bhagavān said, ‘The one who sees Me in everything and everything in Me, I am always present for him and he is always present for Me.’ So, you see in this verse itself, ‘Those who perceive Me everywhere, who perceive Me in everything, they are dear to Me and I am dear to them. So, I am always with them, those who constantly remember Me.’ How can you remember somebody like that if you are not constantly thinking of that person? The best way is to constantly do Nāmasmaraṇa. Smaraṇa-bhakti is constantly chanting. When you are chanting, you stay aware of Him.

Chapter 8, verse 7 of the Bhagavad Gītā says, ‘Therefore, always keep Me in mind and then enter the battle of life. Undoubtedly, you will attain Me.’

Chapter 8, verse 14, says, ‘The one who does not ruminate on anything else, but constantly remembers Me only, he finds Me easy to reach.’

Here Bhagavān is saying clearly, ‘If your mind is fully absorbed in Me, your mind can’t be attached to anything else outside. If your mind doesn’t attach itself to anything outside, then I become very easy to attain. It’s not difficult. I am always with you. But why are you still blind? Why don’t you perceive that I am with you? Why only when you have a problem, do you come running to Me, and then you can feel Me?’ That remembrance of the mind happens at that moment of, ‘Yes, You are not there, but You are always with me. You are near to me; You are there.’ Due to that, the miracle happens; the wonder happens.

In the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Canto 11, Chapter 14, verse 27, it is said that, ‘The mind that thinks of material objects becomes attached to those very objects. However, the mind that constantly remembers Me merges into Me, transforms into Me.’ That’s what a bhakta’s mind is, you know. Take Prahlāda: why did God come out from the pillar? It was his constant remembrance of Śrī Hari. His mind was so completely absorbed that he could see Śrī Hari in the pillar itself. To prove his words right, Bhagavān came out of that pillar. But first, he remembered that it is not just the material things; everything is pervaded by the Supreme Lord Himself. That remembrance itself made Bhagavān come out of the pillar. So, due to this constant remembrance, Prahlāda could perceive Śrī Hari everywhere.

Would his father perceive that? No, his father could not perceive anything. Those minds that are evil, those minds that are full of dirt, can they perceive the Divine? No, they can’t perceive the Divine. Even if God were in front of them, they would not see Him. Kṛṣṇa was standing in front of all the Kauravas. Did they know that Kṛṣṇa was the Supreme Lord? No, they could not. Their minds were fully absorbed in their own dramas. That’s why here He said how your mind must be first.

Smaraṇa-bhakti is where you focus your mind and that becomes your reality. If your mind focuses upon the world, the world will become your reality. And what comes with the world will also become your reality. Which means all the worry, pain, all the drama of this world will become a reality. But for the bhaktas, those who have bhakti inside of their hearts, their minds perceive a different reality.

Very often in India, you will see people worshipping trees. Like the peepal tree. And we worship Tulsī-devī in plant form, no? But they are not what we perceive with the physical eyes. They are the essence of the divinity; they are the reminder of the presence of God. This is smaraṇa-bhakti: where your mind is fully saturated into remembrance. There is not a single moment that you can be away without remembering Him.

Next is pādaseva-bhakti. Pāda means the feet, and seva means serving: service to the Lotus Feet of Bhagavān.

In the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Canto 3, Chapter 9, verse 6, it’s said that only until we have sought recourse to the Lotus Feet of the Supreme Lord is there no longer any concern for money or family, which otherwise are a cause of fear and misery. It says, before you engage yourself into the world, first take shelter at the Lotus Feet of Bhagavān. Why do you think the Bhāgavatam says that? Because once you engage your mind completely into the world, the world will come with all its worries, with all its pain, and then do you think you will be able to concentrate on Him? You can’t!

That’s why the sages were very wise to say there is Brāhma-muhūrta. Do your prayer, do your sādhana when your mind is at peace, when your mind is calm in the morning. Do your sādhana first thing. Remember, the first thing when you wake up, remember the feet of the guru and remember Śrīman Nārāyaṇa. Then engage yourself in the world. But people do the opposite. What’s the first thing they do in the morning: ‘Where is it? Where did I put that thing? Where is my mobile?’

The mobile. Jai mobile māta ki…! The first thing that you will say from your bed is not, ‘Jai Śrīman Nārāyaṇa’. It’s not, ‘śrīmat parabrahma gurum namāmi, śrīmat parabrahma gurum bhajāmi’. You say, ‘Where is my phone?’ This is your first remembrance. How many of you have that first remembrance? The first thing, when you open your eyes, you turn and look for your phone. So, you don’t do pādaseva-bhakti. You do mobile-bhakti. This is a new form of bhakti. Maybe you should put two little feet on that mobile and touch it! ‘I have received my blessing from the mobile.’ That is the bhakti of nowadays.

When we talk about pādaseva-bhakti, we remember the feet of the guru first, we remember the Feet of the Lord first. When we look at Śrīman Nārāyaṇa, who do we see sitting at His Feet? Mahā-Lakṣmī. The Universal Mother has created everything material, yet, She is doing service to the Lotus Feet of Śrīman Nārāyaṇa. This is an example of what pādaseva-bhakti is: to surrender to the Lotus Feet. First thing in the morning, remember the feet of the guru and Śrīman Nārāyaṇa. Not your mobile. (Afterwards you can do mobile-bhakti, it’s fine.) Engage your mind into pādaseva.

Then the fifth, arcana-bhakti: worshipping Him as per the scriptures. There is a certain way of worshipping Bhagavān, worshipping the deity, to show our respect to Him or Her. When we are doing arcana-bhakti, it’s a worship of the outside. Like we do the washing, the abhiṣekam of the deity, with the 16 steps of worshipping; this is arcana-bhakti where the devotees express themselves.

That’s why Bhagavān, in Chapter 9, verse 26 of the Bhagavad Gītā said, ‘Whatever is offered to Me, whether it is a leaf, a fruit, a flower, or few drops of water, but when it is done with love and devotion, I shall accept it.’ You see how uncomplicated He is? When love is present, everything becomes easy. When love is present, you have peace of mind. But when love is not present, you have a headache. You know that. That’s why it is said arcana-bhakti is that expression. We express our love to Him; we express our service to Him. Just like when you are in love and you are going to meet your beloved, and then you remember, ‘Oops, I forgot to buy a flower for that person.’ What do you do? You are walking nearby in a garden, or even if there is just a flower on the fence of somebody, you will just pick it up and bring it to your beloved. For sure that beloved has seen that flower many times while waiting for you, but when receiving it, it is like the first time. ‘You remembered me!’ But, you see, it’s not about the flower itself. It’s that expression, that intention, that you have brought something. And this is the same. It’s not that our deity needs us to worship Him every day. No. It’s the joy that you have when you are remembering Him, when you are offering your service to Him. That is arcana-bhakti. You look forward to that. King Pṛthu, in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, satisfied Mahā-Viṣṇu just by performing Vedic sacrifices and Bhagavān Himself appeared in front of him and blessed him.

Next is vandana-bhakti: prostrating before Him. When we bow down in front of the guru, we bow down in front of the deity.

When Akrūra saw the footprints of Lord Kṛṣṇa first while entering Vṛndāvana, what did he do? He got down from the chariot. He bowed down to the land. He bowed down to the soil on which Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa Himself had walked. And it is said in the Bhāgavatam that when he did that, he was overcome with emotion. He could feel the horripilation (goosebumps), his hair was standing on end, he was crying in tears. He jumped in ecstasy, he rolled in that dust of Vṛndāvana, and he said, ‘This is the dust touched by the Lotus Feet of the Supreme Lord Himself.’ We see in vandana-bhakti how one has to prostrate at the feet of the master and Bhagavān, and that mental state itself. When he bowed down to Kṛṣṇa, he could not even get up. He was trembling. He was crying so much that Kṛṣṇa had to pick him up. But what did Bhagavān do? Seeing that sincerity of love, Bhagavān embraced him.

That is one thing that we can say. When would Bhagavān really embrace somebody? Only when you become dear to Him. If you are not dear to somebody, somebody will not embrace you. But when you are dear to that person, there is no malicious mind. The mind is free because of that dearness, and He will embrace you.

Then there is dāsya-bhakti. Dāsya means servant. So, dāsya-bhakti means that we serve Him with selfless devotion: selfless service to the Supreme Lord, fulfilling whatever

He wants, whatever is His intention. Whatever He wants is unquestionable. We just accept whatever from Him. His order is the most important thing. Dāsya-bhāva, dāsya-bhakti. Dāsya-bhakti, actually, in the path of bhakti is the most powerful emotion that awakens inside. When we look at Hanumānji, Hanumān was fully realised, but how was his service to his beloved Rāma? It was without any doubt. His service to Śrī Rāma was amazing. Imagine Hanumān: every day he would long to have a glimpse of Śrī Rāma, even being in His presence itself, being at His service constantly, he would long to have the glimpse of Śrī Rāma. So, he declared to Rāma that, ‘I am Your servant.’ Being the servant of Rāma, being the servant of God, what does that mean? It means doing whatever is pleasing to the Lord.

It’s not about what I want. It’s about what will fulfil His desire. I will leave all the work that I have to do, irrespective of what it is, to just fulfil what my beloved Lord has ordered me to do, leaving everything. Here is the complete forgetfulness of oneself, just to fulfil the desire of the Beloved one.

In Hanumān, you will see that he forgets everything. When he is in the presence of Rāma, he is like a child. He says, ‘Rāma, You are the only one who has power over my body. You are the only one who has the power over my life. You are the only one who is everything for me.’ Here we have to understand that Hanumānji said this about these three things: wealth, life, body. These are three things which you have only when you are embodied. And as an embodied being, why have you received this human form? This human form has been given to you for the service of the Supreme Lord Himself. The quicker you understand that, the more joyful you will become. If you have not understood that - that your life, your body and your wealth is for the service of the Supreme Lord - then you have not understood what life is. Hanumānji has given himself fully to Śrī Rāma. In the Hanumān-cālīsa there is one verse that says that Rāma said to Hanumān, ‘You are more dear to me than My own brother, Bharata.’ Bharata was very dear to Rāma. But He said to Hanumān, ‘But you are even more dear to Me.’ With Bharata, there is still this brotherly relationship. Due to that brotherly relationship, there is a barrier. But that service, that dāsya-bhāva or dāsya-bhakti that Hanumānji has, made him even dearer to Śrī Rāma.

Then sakhya-bhakti. Sakhya-bhakti means befriending the Lord; it’s that personal friendship with God. In this friendship, in which there is a constant desire to be in His company, one enjoys every conversation. In life, nowadays, you have many friends. You have Facebook friends, you have Instagram friends, and so on. These are not friends. They don’t even know you. And yet, those are what you call friends.

There is this beautiful story of a lady. She was on her deathbed. And as she was laying down, her husband was next to her. The husband held the hand of his beloved and said, ‘Do I call the doctor?’ And she said, ‘No, don’t call the doctor. I want to fall asleep peacefully with your hand in mine.’

So, he started talking about the past, how they met, how was their first kiss, and they were not crying, they were smiling. They talked about their life without any regret. They were grateful about life, about every moment of their life, even in the ups and downs of life.

She held his hand and softly said, ‘I love you forever.’ He replied back to her, gave her a soft kiss on the forehead, and she closed her eyes and fell asleep peacefully, happy. He was her best friend throughout her life. In whatever situation life had shown them, he was always there for her, and she was always there for him.

If you can say that, then that person is your friend. Who is your friend who has been with you at all times whether you notice that person or not? It’s only God who was always with you. Everybody comes into your life for a certain time, and they call you ‘best friend’. How many times have you called someone your best friend in your life? How many best friends have you had since childhood? ‘This is my best friend, that is my best friend’. Where are they now? For many ‘best friends’, they are the first ones to criticise you. They are the first ones to whom you have said, ‘Yes, my best friend, I am on that path’, but they are the first ones to tell you, ‘Ah, you are wrong.’ Because they don’t have any understanding of you, and yet, they call you friend. You don’t even know the meaning of friendship. What does friendship stand for? To be in that companionship.

We are going to go through that journey of Love. Nārada-bhakti-sūtra is just a journey of Love. It’s a constant reminder that you are love and that you have to love the Supreme. That eternal relationship is forged not only for now. What matters is only Love. Everyone comes into this world with nothing, and everyone will leave with nothing, but Love is something that you carry always with you. It’s not about your profession, it’s not about your bank account. It’s not about your title, your name, your fame, your glory. None of these matter. In friendship, you value the friends as they are. It’s not that, in good times you know them and in the bad times, you run away. That’s why we say ‘just love’. You really get to know about friendship in times of distress. When there is an important moment in your life, then you get to know about your true friends. So, in sakhya-bhāva, sakhya-bhakti, we enjoy every moment of that friendship.

In Bhagavad Gītā, Chapter 4, verse 3, Bhagavān said to Arjuna, ‘You are both My friend and bhakta.’ It’s so beautiful how He said that. ‘You are both to Me. You are devoted to Me, but you are also My friend.’ The Bhāgavatam is full of that friendship, that relationship between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna. You will see that example throughout the Nārada-bhakti-sūtra. We see the nature of that mutual friendship, and then you will have a glimpse of what friendship really is. It’s not just the word of somebody calling you ‘friend’ when they don’t really mean it.

The last is ātmanivedana: offering oneself unto Him. It is voluntarily saying, ‘I offer myself fully, wholly, and by myself I am doing it. It’s not that somebody else has asked me to do it. It’s not that He has asked me to surrender my life to Him. No, I do it because I want to give my life unto Him, offering myself wholly, offering all I possess with firm conviction, without any doubt.’ That is ātmanivedana.

King Bali is such an example. You know the story of how Bhagavān came in the dwarf form of Vāmana-avātara and asked for three steps. Śukrācārya, the guru of King Bali said, ‘No, you should not listen.’ But the king said, ‘Somebody has come in front of my house, how can I send them away empty-handed?’ So, he offered the three steps, ‘I renounce everything, I offer the three steps to you.’ In one step, Vāmana covered the whole world itself. And with the second step, He covered the whole universe. Then He said to King Bali, ‘Where shall I put My third foot? There is no place. In two feet I have covered everything that has been created. Where shall I step?’ King Bali prostrated and offered himself fully, bowed down to Him and offered his head. So, he offered himself fully to Vāmana, without any remorse, without any bitterness, without any restriction. He gave himself to the Lotus Feet of the Supreme Lord Himself.

In the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Canto 8, Chapter 22, verse 5, King Bali said, ‘Thank you God for Your grace! Indeed, when we become blind with pride due to our wealth, You, by taking away our money, give us back our eyes.’ This was the glorious Bali who gave all to the Supreme Lord, that willingness, that surrender. When we are talking about surrender, it’s not, ‘Yes, I will think about it. Am I ready to surrender or not? Am I ready to take initiation or not? Am I ready for this or not?’ No, that is not surrender. Ātmanivedana-bhakti says, ‘You are everything for me, I give everything back to You.’

That is, in short, the nine forms of bhakti: the nine ways in which one can relate to God. And when we look at the nine forms of bhakti, it is a personal connection with the Supreme Lord. It is personal temperament. And these qualities exist in those who have that bhakti. Bhaktas have that quality inside of them.

So, we have touched upon the nine forms of bhakti just for you to understand that Nārada-bhakti-sūtra is about that surrender. Bhakti is what is reflected around; it is something natural.

Who is Nārada?

I have told you before about the story of Nārada. He is the one who is walking with the ektārā and always singing the glory of Nārāyaṇa: ‘Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa Nārāyaṇa’. The Nārada-bhakti-sūtra comes from Sage Nārada. And those 84 verses or sūtras deal with the nature of bhakti and the nine aspects of bhakti that we just spoke about. All 84 verses speak just about bhakti.

There are many stories related to Nārada. In one story, Veda Vyāsa was staying in his hermitage of Bhadrika āśrama, in Badrīnāth. One day, Nārada went to the āśrama. Sage Vyāsa welcomed him with due respect. And Vyāsa wanted to know, how can somebody have ultimate freedom? It’s so beautiful. You see, this question which Sage Vyāsa offered to Nārada, it reminds us of what is happening right now in this world. Everybody wants to be free, but everybody has a different understanding of freedom. But here, it’s not just a superficial freedom. Here Vyāsa is asking about, ‘How can I be free from that cycle of birth and death?’ The ultimate freedom; how can humans be free? Because without devotion, it is dry. Everybody seeks freedom, but they don’t engage themselves in devotional service. When we are engaging ourselves in devotional service, it doesn’t lead directly to the goal. It brings you, step by step, through that transformation. That is when what is inside of you blossoms and opens up to that glory.

That’s why Vyāsa asked Nārada, ‘I don’t want a dry kind of devotion. I want a devotion which is with flavour. I want a devotion which is pleasing to the Supreme Lord, one which can truly free everyone.’ Here he is asking the question not only for himself, he is asking this question for the whole of humanity. He is asking, ‘Please, bestow upon me the knowledge of freedom – a knowledge which can liberate not only human beings, but anyone who has that devotion to the Supreme Lord, may it be an animal, a plant, or a human being.’ That is ultimate freedom. Ultimate freedom means something that can liberate every creature. (We think that only human beings can be free, but no. Many animals have surrendered too.)

Sant Jñāneśvara, when he was in Paithan, made a young buffalo recite the Vedas. That buffalo was free just by reciting the Vedas by heart. He was singing the glory of Lord Viṭṭhala. And when he died on the way to Alandi, Sant Jñāneśvara did a proper cremation for him, like a human being.

Here, he is asking about how one can attain ultimate salvation, not just the salvation which people talk about which doesn’t have any meaning or understanding of what salvation is. No, he is asking about the ultimate salvation which is attaining of the Lotus Feet of the Lord. ‘What can make me come to His abode, which even the Devas can’t enter? What can make me come and reside with Him there?’ Here Vyāsa is saying, ‘I humbly ask you to explain to me the virtue of devotion.’

Nārada smiled and said, ‘Your disciple Jaimini has already discussed that. I have already explained to him. And now you are asking me about devotion.’ Then he blessed him and said, ‘Well, while you write.’ Vyāsa compiled the Vedas, the Purāṇas, the Itihāsas, but there was complete dissatisfaction inside of him. He was not feeling that bliss inside of him. So, he asked, ‘How can I feel that love, actually? How can I feel that bhakti inside of me?’

Then Nārada said, ‘Well, in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam you will expound upon bhakti.’

That is the time when Nārada gave these 84 sūtras to him. But how did Nārada come to that point of receiving this? Bhakti is about one’s own experience. It’s not about hearing it from somebody else. It’s about, ‘What have I experienced?’ If you ask any one of you, what has brought you to the path of Bhakti Marga, everyone would have their own stories. But deep inside, everybody was searching, everybody was looking. Due to the searching and looking from inside, you have had experiences in your life. Nārada also has had experience of that bhakti, of that surrender. Like I was saying earlier, bhakti doesn’t just sprout just like that without proper preparation. Bhakti comes step by step. That desire to be free from that cycle of birth and death, to be free from more mortality, to be free from suffering; there must be a point in your life when you say enough is enough, no? Just like normally in life itself, when there are certain things you are trying and trying and trying very hard to make something work, and it’s not working, what do you do? You are on the verge of giving up. Then you say, ‘Enough is enough’, no? ‘I change.’ That’s why bhakti arises.

When we are talking of bhakti, we are talking about two kinds of bhakti: parā-bhakti, aparā-bhakti. Parā-bhakti means highest devotion with the ultimate goal itself. That parā-bhakti is the Lotus Feet of Śrīman Nārāyaṇa. And with parā-bhakti, there is this ekānta-bhāva, which means that single-pointed mindedness, wholeheartedly devotional. Like I just explained to you, there are nine aspects of devotion, but in reality, there are 81 kinds of devotion. But just contemplate on those nine forms of devotion. Devotion is for everybody, irrespective of your creed, irrespective of your caste, irrespective of whether you are knowledgeable or you are illiterate; it doesn’t matter. Everybody in bhakti is equal. And everybody can follow the path of devotion. This is the only quality which one needs as qualification: longing, yearning, hunger for the Lotus Feet of the Lord, hunger for that Love. Because if you don’t hunger, you don’t get that food to eat. You can say, ‘Yes, I am devoted, I do my sādhana every day’, but if your heart doesn’t have hunger, what food would you put inside? If you are hungry, you are eating, and you appreciate the food. But if you are not hungry, you just eat the food and forget about it. You don’t really appreciate the food. So, that hunger is that qualification that bhakti needs.

And how to have that hunger? It is said, be in the companion of saints, sādhus. Those who have that hunger are the only ones who can give that hunger. By keeping company, and by hearing, like I said earlier, the līlā of Bhagavān, by studying the scriptures, worshipping Him with the nine aspects that we were talking about, that devotion sprouts inside one’s heart. Later on, we will come to that point where Nārada said that bhakti is the fruit and the result itself. Devotion is that supreme sentiment which Nārada has dealt with, has experienced, and is continuously moving in that experience. And that’s what Nārada wants to give you. He reminds the devotees that you have to grow into devotion.

In spite of devotion being simple and easy, it is very difficult. Devotion is the most desired, but yet, many find it difficult. Why? Because when we are talking about ātmanivedana, ātmanivedana means, ‘I forget completely about myself. I’ve given myself completely to Him.’ When you give something, you forget about it. You can’t give something, then keep remembering. But that is the problem. Why is devotion difficult? Because you keep thinking that, ‘I am doing it. I, I, I, my, my, my, mine, mine, mine.’ It becomes very difficult. When he is talking about devotion, he is talking about this self-forgetfulness. Only when there is this self-forgetfulness can that bhāva awaken.

The last time I was in Sri Vitthal Dham I was talking with one mātāji about bhāva. Very often, some of the traditions like to talk about bhāva: which kind of bhāva do you have, which kind of bhāva do you have? As if we are in a competition of bhāva. But firstly, for us to be able to talk about bhāva means that we are not in that bhāva. To compare is even further away because you are still very much aware of the ‘I’. When Nārada is talking about bhāva here, he is talking about that complete self-forgetfulness. Then only can Bhagavān reveal Himself in that personal relationship which you have forged with Him.

Otherwise, bhāva doesn’t awaken just like that. Sentiment will awaken inside of your heart, but it will not grow into mahā-bhāva. You will have a glimpse of that feeling, but it doesn’t transform, it doesn’t grow into mahā-bhāva.

When we are talking about devotees, we are talking about those who have given their lives. They live in that bubble of mahā-bhāva, that self-forgetfulness. They forget about everybody. When you call yourself a devotee, there is this self-forgetfulness that, ‘I belong to Him only. I am His.’ It’s not that, ‘Ah, yes, I am a devotee, but I would like to have my personal time. I like my personal space.’ What kind of devotee is that? Very often I laugh when people tell me that, you know, ‘I like my space.’ The devotee perceives and enjoys each moment as if they are with the Lord Himself. That is a devotee. And this is what bhāva stands for: when you live, you move around, whatever you are doing, you are doing in the presence of Bhagavān Himself at all times. And this is in the second verse of Nārada-bhakti-sūtra. That’s why I was telling you earlier, ‘parama-prema-rūpā’, that word, ‘parama-prema-rūpā’, is that constant absorption, when you are consumed into that supreme Love.

In the Navadhā-bhakti that we were talking about earlier, each one vibrates differently. Each one has a different bhāva to Bhagavān. You have a different relationship to Him. I don’t say that everybody has to go through each step like this. It is a gradual transformation. But as I said, dāsya-bhāva is the most ultimate. Then you have sakhya-bhāva. But everybody who has dāsya-bhāva can’t become sakhya-bhāva. You enjoy the bhāva which your heart and your relationship is focused upon. By focusing the mind upon the Supreme Lord with love, all the negative qualities like hate, fear, and everything else disappears. It’s said that different people have approached Bhagavān in different ways: whatever sprouts inside of the heart so that we can approach Him.

The gopīs approached Him with the feeling of love. Kaṁsa approached Him with the feeling of fear. Rāvaṇa approached Him with a feeling of fear. Śiśupāla, His cousin, approached Him with a feeling of hate. The Vṛṣṇis, the wives of the ṛṣis, approached Him with a relationship. Each one approaches Bhagavān, that Ultimate Being, with a different bhāva. Throughout life, each one has a different bhāva.

It’s not about comparing. You are unique, and that bhāva inside of you will be unique also due to your relationship with Him. Bhakti-yoga is for everybody. You have to come to that parā-bhakti. And I said there is also the lower form of bhakti, aparā-bhakti, premature bhakti, which very often people dwell in. All that you do in aparā-bhakti must lead you to parā-bhakti. All that you do in the most simple way, in the most easy way, even if you don’t have any feeling or anything, still, you just keep doing it. Keep practicing without any feeling of, ‘Yes, I am not better’, or comparison or anything. Keep doing it, and that lower form of bhakti will disappear. Just by you wanting to grow, that will rise. So, when your mind becomes calm and serene, when your meditation becomes firm and steady, when you enter into that absorption of love, you will feel yourself in the presence of the Supreme. You will feel that your consciousness is devoid of all duality. This is where the devotee attains that grace of guru and Bhagavān, guru and God. This is where we are talking about where bhakti awakens.

Bhakti awakens when one loses one’s ego identity. When one loses one’s ego identity, Bhagavān reveals Himself. Very often people will say, ‘But I am not with ego.’ Then I will ask you, ‘Have you perceived the Lord Himself?’

Bhakti is where you focus. Your nature of happiness depends on where you are focusing. Who you set in your heart, who you put in your heart, who you focus your heart on – that will become the object of your happiness or your sadness. But the object of true Love is the Supreme Lord Himself, is Viṭṭhala, the Supreme Lord who is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, all-merciful, all-loving.

This is the nature of bhakti itself; the nature of your heart. And because of that nature of the heart, it is said that a devotee should not do any aparādha.

Aparādha means offenses. Especially Nāma-aparādha, which means offenses to the holy Name. There are 64 aparādhas which a devotee should not commit. So, among the 64: never consider a Tulsī as just a mere plant. The second says never consider the Bhāgavatam as a mere book. Never think that your deity is just a piece of metal or stone. Never consider the caraṇāmṛta, the water offered to the feet of guru and God as just mere water, or the prasāda which you offer to the deity as mere food. Like that, there are 64 offenses that a devotee should not commit for Love to awaken inside, because that supreme Love doesn’t awaken just like that. Constantly I am repeating myself: supreme Love doesn’t awaken just like that.

Earlier, I was telling you how Nārada visited Sage Veda Vyāsa. Nārada is always playing on his vīṇa singing the praises of Śrī Hari, drawing the hearts of people towards God, looking at all of them and how excited they are, how blissful they are. They are in bliss when they see Nārada, when they hear the glory of the Lord. Nārada said wherever the Name of the Lord is being sung, it radiates joy, love and peace. This is where Nārada resides: the reminder of the Name of the Lord. He can go anywhere. He has that grace. He can go to Vaikuṇṭha whenever he wants; nothing can stop him, no one can stop him. In the blink of an eye, he can be anywhere.

Often, when we look at Nārada, especially in the movies, we see Nārada as somebody who is taking one story from here and gossiping about that story on the other side, no? We see that he likes to create quarrels. Where everything is fine and nice, he likes to make problems. But in reality, no. Whatever he does, he does in accordance with the law, with the order of the Supreme Lord Himself. And what He does, He always does for the benefit of humankind. He is so merciful that the worst thing He does is choose to be the bad guy so that He can bring something nicer.

Vālmīki is the composer of Rāmāyaṇa, and this is one of the most beautiful stories, where we see that devotion is beyond all castes, that it’s beyond every norm. Before he was named Vālmīki, he was called Ratnākara. Ratnākara grew up in a tribe without any tradition. He was killing people, attacking everybody in the forests who was passing by. When Ratnākara saw Nārada, he wanted to attack Nārada. But Nārada said, ‘Wait…I don’t have any fear of you. But all the killing that you have done for your wife, for your children, go and ask who will take on the sins that you have committed. Then you come back; I will wait for you here.’

Ratnākara went and asked, and they all refused him, saying, ‘We can’t.’

Then he came back and surrendered to the feet of Nārada. Nārada gave him the word ‘Rāma’ to chant. But he could not pronounce ‘Rāma’. He kept chanting, ‘Marā, marā, marā’. (‘Marā’ is the upper part of a knife.) Since he was holding a knife, Nārada asked him, ‘What is this?’

Ratnākara said, ‘Marā.’

So Nārada said, ‘Just chant “Marā, marā, marā”’.

‘Marā, marā, marā’ became ‘Rāma, Rāma, Rāma’. This is how he inspired Vālmīki, and how he inspired Sage Vyāsa, Śukadeva and Prahlāda Mahārāja. Prahlāda was instructed when Hiraṇyakaśipu was meditating. First the Devas wanted to kill the wife of Hiraṇyakaśipu. He said, ‘No, how can you do that? A great bhakta is inside. ’They said, ‘How can he be a great bhakta? He is a demon’s child.’

He said, ‘From that demon child, I will make a great bhakta.’

This is the greatness of Nārada. He transforms the worst into the best. From the womb of the mother, he chanted the Name of Śrī Hari. He instructed Prahlāda while still in the womb.

Dhruva, another child who wanted to sit on the lap of his father, could not because of the stepmother. The stepmother said, ‘No, my son is the right one. You can’t sit there.’ Dhruva said, ‘No.’ He wanted to go into the forest to kill himself. Nārada came and instructed him, ‘Instead of doing that, there is the Supreme Lord and you can sit upon His lap. Forge your relationship with Him. Meditate upon Him. He is the only one who will free you, who can give you that deep satisfaction.’ He said, ‘It’s only Śrī Hari, no one else.’

Before he became the son of Brahma, Nārada was born as a servant from a servant. Nārada was born many times; he had devotion for Śrī Hari, but he could not let go of his desire. One day, there was a muse, an āpsara, by the name of Rambha. When Nārada saw Rambha, the desire inside of his heart was so great, and he wanted so much to bebr with Rambha. Due to that, he was cursed to be born into the lowest caste, and so he was born from a servant.

However, many sages and saints would visit his village. And when they would visit that village, they would stay for four months during catur-māsa, the rainy season. In India, sages go to one place and they stay in that place for that time. Even today it is like that. During catur-māsa, when Nārada was small, he would serve the saints together with his mother. They would engage in the service of the sādhus and the saints. He would not be like other children who would be playing with toys. He was mature and he would be very quiet, sitting at the feet of the saints. The saints were very pleased with him and they would instruct him, they would teach him, and they would tell him wonderful stories of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Rāma. All these līlās which Bhagavān performed created a deep impact upon his mind, and his mind became firm and steady, so the sages and saints gave him instruction. When the sages left the village, Nārada carried on practising what he had been told. He would sing bhajans and he would chant the Name of the Lord. And inside of his heart, that desire to surrender to the Feet of Śrī Hari was growing more and more.

He went to his mother and said to his mother, ‘Mother, I want to take sannyāsa. I want to renounce this world. I want to surrender my life to Śrī Hari.’

The mother was shocked, said, ‘No, you can’t do that. As long as I am alive you can’t do that.’ Nārada was sad. Miraculously, a snake bit the mother and that night the mother died. He did the cremation of his mother and then he left everything. He went into the dense forest. He sat under a peepal tree on the bank of the river and meditated upon Śrī Hari, upon the Supreme Lord. He was chanting the Name of Śrīman Nārāyaṇa. Bhagavān was so pleased with him. His devotion, his yearning for the Lord - again that word, yearning - was so great inside of him, inside of his heart, that Bhagavān revealed Himself. And when Bhagavān revealed Himself first in Nārada’s heart, he was filled with the divine radiance, the ecstasy of love and all his hair stood up. He forgot about everything around him. He forgot about himself. He was so completely absorbed in that ocean of bliss, in that relationship with Śrīman Nārāyaṇa, that Bhagavān wanted to test him. Bhagavān disappeared and when Bhagavān disappeared, Nārada became very sad and he tried by all means, by all his efforts, to have a vision of the Supreme Lord again. Then he heard a voice that said, ‘My child, you cannot again have My vision in this birth. I have revealed Myself to you in order to increase and strengthen the love you have for Me.’

Here you see that Bhagavān had given him that vision inside of his heart so that this love could sprout inside of his heart. Nārada understood that to be able to perceive Him again, he would have to take birth; he would have to strengthen that love relationship towards Him. He had to make that devotion stronger and stronger. In due time, through association of the sādhus and saints, that love became so intense that he could not live in the world, and then he died.

Like that, he had 84 lives. In each life, he gave one of the sūtras. Each of the 84 sūtras is one of his lives in which he incarnated on Earth. In each life, he would remember; he had that clear remembrance of every incident that happened. At the end of these 84, Bhagavān appeared in front of him and he attained his spiritual body, full of bliss.

At the end of the present birth of Nārada, after the kalpa (which means after thousands of yugas