The path of Top Most Devotees
The top most devotees who also turned out top most jnanis (knowledged) by achieving the top most laurels by pleasing the Lord are ....
Hanuman, a topmost devotee identified Lord Rama and served Him and always said ‘I am servant to Lord Rama’. He even performed many miracles also and still he has given credit of them to Rama only (Dasoham kosalendrasya...). For such worship, Lord has given future creator post to Hanuman.
Gopikas identified and worshiped Lord Krishna, the then human incarnation only and got the highest fruit of top most Goloka.
Swami Vivekananda participated in the mission of propagation of divine knowledge on the order of the then human incarnation Rama Krishna Paramahamsa.
Likewise the disciples of Adi Sankara worshipped Him as lord and latter on participated in the propagation of divine knowledge.
Meerabai also propagated Krishna Bhakti by composing hymns and propagated them.
In all these the disciples identified the Lord in the human form during their time and participated in His mission as servants. So, first one should identify the Satguru and then learn divine knowledge from Him. These disciples worshipped their Satguru. At His order, they participated in the propagation of divine knowledge as Service to Lord. Service only proves our real devotion, which consists of Karma phala tyaga (sacrifice of money) & karma sanyasa (physically participating in His mission).
In all these cases, the devotees did not consider themselves as God. Sankara, who propagated advaita (Non-dualism) drank molten lead and told His disciples that 'you are all not Lord. I am only Lord' (Shivah kevaloham). The disciples could not drink it. So, only Sankara is Lord in human form and not disciples. If disciples themselves are not Lord, normal human beings cannot even think of in their dreams also.
Have we achieved Dvaita first?
People often misunderstand that Dvaita is relationship between God & an ordinary human being. Such relationship is only the creator-created relationship. In Dvaita, Madhva says that the relationship between God and the soul is the relationship of Master-servant. Madhva Himself kept in the position of the servant of God. Every human being cannot claim such position of Madhva, without reaching that state by spiritual effort (Correct Spiritual Knowledge – Theoretical Devotion – Service).
You must know that practical service to God alone can give any divine fruit. Correct spiritual knowledge & theoretical devotion are only like water & fertilizer for service-plant, which alone can yield fruit. Through such selfless sacrifice of service in terms of sacrifice of work & fruit of work, you will be selected as servant by God provided your service does not aspire any fruit including fruit of becoming human incarnation. Now you have entered inner circle of God & this is 1st step called as Dvaita.
If you see Hanuman, He straightly jumped from the knowledge to the service and never expressed His love on God through songs and tears as per Valmiki Ramayana. Some plants yield fruits just with supply of water without fertilizer. Therefore, sometimes knowledge and service are sufficient without the intermediate theoretical devotion. But here the soil acts as a hidden fertilizer. Similarly, the theoretical devotion of Hanuman was kept hidden in the mind only. Hence this intermediate state exists in a hidden way in such cases.
Now one of the closest servants excels other servants in service and becomes the Son of God and sits on the right side of God as told by Jesus. Ramanuja also says that one of the most fortunate devotees sits on the lap of Lord Narayana and talks with Him and this is exactly coinciding with the above point of Bible. This is the second state of Vishishtaadvaita. Now such Son of God comes down to the earth with a gross body (as usual like any other human being) and God enters him and pervades all over the soul and body.
Now, this Son of God is the human incarnation and is treated as God by the devotees for hearing the knowledge and serving the God. This Son of God gets the credit of all the wonderful works done by God, who is hidden in him. This is the third & final state of Advaita. God entered the devotee, stays for his lifetime and exits at the end. The entry of God is mentioned in the Veda (Tadevanupravishat…). The exit of God is mentioned in the Bible, when Jesus cried stating ‘Oh! God! Why did You leave me?
Shankara, Shri Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Ramana Maharashi are all the human incarnations. See the closest devotees of these incarnations like Mandanamisra, Padmapada, Swami vivekananda etc who were ready to do anything on the order of the Sadguru.
Now we have to think whether we should aim for the post of Shankara (GOD) or aim for the post of Disciples of Shankara?
At the lotus feet of Shri Dattaswami
-Durgaprasad
The top most devotees who also turned out top most jnanis (knowledged) by achieving the top most laurels by pleasing the Lord are ....
Hanuman, a topmost devotee identified Lord Rama and served Him and always said ‘I am servant to Lord Rama’. He even performed many miracles also and still he has given credit of them to Rama only (Dasoham kosalendrasya...). For such worship, Lord has given future creator post to Hanuman.
Gopikas identified and worshiped Lord Krishna, the then human incarnation only and got the highest fruit of top most Goloka.
Swami Vivekananda participated in the mission of propagation of divine knowledge on the order of the then human incarnation Rama Krishna Paramahamsa.
Likewise the disciples of Adi Sankara worshipped Him as lord and latter on participated in the propagation of divine knowledge.
Meerabai also propagated Krishna Bhakti by composing hymns and propagated them.
In all these the disciples identified the Lord in the human form during their time and participated in His mission as servants. So, first one should identify the Satguru and then learn divine knowledge from Him. These disciples worshipped their Satguru. At His order, they participated in the propagation of divine knowledge as Service to Lord. Service only proves our real devotion, which consists of Karma phala tyaga (sacrifice of money) & karma sanyasa (physically participating in His mission).
In all these cases, the devotees did not consider themselves as God. Sankara, who propagated advaita (Non-dualism) drank molten lead and told His disciples that 'you are all not Lord. I am only Lord' (Shivah kevaloham). The disciples could not drink it. So, only Sankara is Lord in human form and not disciples. If disciples themselves are not Lord, normal human beings cannot even think of in their dreams also.
Have we achieved Dvaita first?
People often misunderstand that Dvaita is relationship between God & an ordinary human being. Such relationship is only the creator-created relationship. In Dvaita, Madhva says that the relationship between God and the soul is the relationship of Master-servant. Madhva Himself kept in the position of the servant of God. Every human being cannot claim such position of Madhva, without reaching that state by spiritual effort (Correct Spiritual Knowledge – Theoretical Devotion – Service).
You must know that practical service to God alone can give any divine fruit. Correct spiritual knowledge & theoretical devotion are only like water & fertilizer for service-plant, which alone can yield fruit. Through such selfless sacrifice of service in terms of sacrifice of work & fruit of work, you will be selected as servant by God provided your service does not aspire any fruit including fruit of becoming human incarnation. Now you have entered inner circle of God & this is 1st step called as Dvaita.
If you see Hanuman, He straightly jumped from the knowledge to the service and never expressed His love on God through songs and tears as per Valmiki Ramayana. Some plants yield fruits just with supply of water without fertilizer. Therefore, sometimes knowledge and service are sufficient without the intermediate theoretical devotion. But here the soil acts as a hidden fertilizer. Similarly, the theoretical devotion of Hanuman was kept hidden in the mind only. Hence this intermediate state exists in a hidden way in such cases.
Now one of the closest servants excels other servants in service and becomes the Son of God and sits on the right side of God as told by Jesus. Ramanuja also says that one of the most fortunate devotees sits on the lap of Lord Narayana and talks with Him and this is exactly coinciding with the above point of Bible. This is the second state of Vishishtaadvaita. Now such Son of God comes down to the earth with a gross body (as usual like any other human being) and God enters him and pervades all over the soul and body.
Now, this Son of God is the human incarnation and is treated as God by the devotees for hearing the knowledge and serving the God. This Son of God gets the credit of all the wonderful works done by God, who is hidden in him. This is the third & final state of Advaita. God entered the devotee, stays for his lifetime and exits at the end. The entry of God is mentioned in the Veda (Tadevanupravishat…). The exit of God is mentioned in the Bible, when Jesus cried stating ‘Oh! God! Why did You leave me?
Shankara, Shri Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Ramana Maharashi are all the human incarnations. See the closest devotees of these incarnations like Mandanamisra, Padmapada, Swami vivekananda etc who were ready to do anything on the order of the Sadguru.
Now we have to think whether we should aim for the post of Shankara (GOD) or aim for the post of Disciples of Shankara?
At the lotus feet of Shri Dattaswami
-Durgaprasad
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