Chapter 14 - The Path of Devotion and the Method of Meditation

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Uddhava said:

1. Expert expositors of Vedas state that there are many courses leading to the final emancipation of the Soul. Are they important in their own way depending on the adopter or is one of them prominent (in preference to the rest), O Kṛṣṇa?

2. The path of Devotion which, is self-dependent (or disinterested) has been taught by you, O Lord. By following it, all attachment is warded off and the mind establishes itself in you.

The Lord replied:

3. In due course of time, this word of Mine which came to be designated as the Veda became extinct at the time of Deluge. At the beginning of Creation (of the universe), I communicated it to god Brahmā. It consisted of the dharma (the righteous duty) of devoting one’s mind to me exclusively.

4. The Lore was taught by Brahmā to his eldest son (Svāyambhuva) Manu. From him (Manu) the seven Brāhmaṇa sages, Bhṛgu and others, learnt it.

5-6. From those fathers (of creation) their progeny, gods, Dānavas (demons), Guhyaka‘s (Yakṣas) human beings, Siddhas Gandharvas, Cāraṇas, Kindevas (secondary deities), Kinnaras, Nāgas (serpents), Rākṣasas (Ogres), Kiṃpuruṣas (sub-human species with man-like appearance) and others learnt it. But being born with the dominance of different proportion of) attributes like Sattva, Rajas and Tamas they were of varied natural proclivities.

7. The natural tendencies which distinguish the different species from one another, differentiate their understanding as well. It is according to the nature of these that different and varied verbal expression (and interpretation of the Vedas) severally flow out.

8. It is in this manner that due to a variety in their natures, there is a diversity of understanding owing to hereditary and traditional interpretations (even though they themselves have not studied the Vedas) while others accept anti-Veḍic heretic views.

9. Men whose minds are deluded by my Māyā enunciate various means of achieving the highest good according to their past acts (Karmas) and tastes.

10. Some (i.e. Mīmāṃsakas) hold that performance of (sacrifices and other) acts prescribed in the Vedas leads to the summum bonum; others (viz. poets and writers on rhetorics) regard (good) renown as the highest blessing. Sages like Vātsāyana regard sexual enjoyment as the highest blessing; Yogīs advocate truthfulness, self-control and quiescence (as leading to the highest goal). Realists (like politicians) say that affluence, executive power as the highest purpose in life; some regard performance of sacrifices, worship of deities, austerities, gifts, selfdenial (like the vows yama and niyama) as the highest goal in life while materialists advocate liberality and enjoyment as the highest goal.

11. All these (above-mentioned) regions are the culminations of their acts and as such they have a beginning and an end (i.e. are temporary). They give rise to grief, end up in ignorance, afford trivial pleasures and are full of grief and anxiety (even while they are being enjoyed).

12. O gentle Uddhava! How can the (incomparable) happiness be enjoyed by people who have given themselves to sensual pleasure—the happiness which is shared with me by persons who have given up attachment to all things without expecting anything in return, and have dedicated their mind to me.

13. All quarters are blissful unto him who owns nothing in this world, is self-controlled, serene in mind, regards all as equals and finds perfect delight in me.

14. He who has dedicated his heart to me does not hanker after the highest post (of god Brahmā) or the position of the rulership over gods or sovereignty over men or lordship over the subterranean regions or the mystic power of yoga or the Final Emancipation (Mokṣa) from which there is no return to Samṣāra. He wishes to have nothing else but me.

15. Neither god Brahmā (who is born from me) nor Śaṅkara nor Saṅkarṣaṇa (my brother Balarāma) nor my Consort, goddess Śrī, nay not even my Soul is so dear to me as (a devotee like) you.

16. I always follow the foot-steps of a sage who expects nothing (in return for his penance or service), is tranquil, free from the feeling of enmity, looking all with an equal eye (regarding all impartially as equals), so that I can get myself^[1] purified

17.Others cannot comprehend (much less realize), the immeasurable extent of the pure blissful state of mine which is unsullied by desires but which is enjoyed by the ego-less exalted souls who are perfect ‘have-nots’ (possessing nothing), and whose hearts are not attached to anything but are exclusively devoted to me; whose minds are tranquil, full of kindness to all beings, and whose hearts are untouched by desires.

18. My devotee, who (in the primary stage), may not have control over his senses, will be disturbed by (the attraction of) the objects of senses, but is not generally overpowered by them due to his intense growing devotion.

19. Just as fire which is ablaze with flames reduces fuel to ashes, similarly devotion concentrated on me, burns down all the sins, O Uddhava.

20. Neither the path of Yoga nor that of Sāṅkhya or Dharma (righteous duties prescribed by Veda) or the study of the Vedas or performance of austerities or renunciation lead a person attain to me as does the intensive and well-advanced devotion.

21. I, the very beloved soul of saints, am realized through unswerving devotion and faith. Exclusive devotion established in me purifies even outcastes like the cāṇḍālas from their lowly birth.

22. Neither Dharma (righteousness even though) coupled with truthfulness and mercy nor knowledge reinforced by austerities can thoroughly purify of sins a person who is devoid of devotion.

23. How can the heart be cleansed of impurities without the development of Devotion? And can intense devotion be indicated if the hairs do not stand (out of devotional love), and the heart melted with intense emotion (for god) and the tears of joy trickled down (the cheeks).

24. He is really overwhelmed with intense devotion whose voice is choked with emotion and oral expression is faltering, whose heart melts (through his love for the Lord), who laments frequently (at his separation from the Lord) and laughs at time (with the sweet memory of the Lord’s mercy). Throwing away all bashfulness (or unmindful of social etiquettes), he sings loudly and dances—such a person endowed with my devotion purifies the world.

25. Just as gold, when heated in fire, sheds off its dross and attains its pure state, so also the Soul rids himself of his impurities (and imprints of previous karmas) in heart through (intense) devotion to me and immediately gets absorbed in me. (lit. resorts to me).

26. The more the heart (of a person) gets purified by constantly) listening to and glorifying my sanctifying storties [stories?] (and repeating my name), the more it is able to visualize the subtle thing (viz. Paramātman), just as the eye can perceive minute objects (or underground treasures) when medicinal (or mystically charged) collyrium is applied to it

27. (Just as) the mind of a person constantly brooding over objects of senses gets attached to them, the mind of a person who is constantly meditating on me becomes absorbed in me.

28. Therefore giving up all thoughts of unreal worthless worldly objects as imaginary things or cravings in a dream you should purify your mind with exclusive devotion unto me and firmly concentrate it on me.

29. Avoiding from a distance association with women and those associated with women^[2] (and those who cherish the misleading notion of one’s identity with the Lord), a person should subdue his mind and sit in a comfortable secure solitary place and contemplate on me shedding off all sluggishness.

30. No such trouble or bondage would take place in association with others as a person would suffer in the company of women or those who are addicted to women.

Uddhava submitted:

31. May you be pleased, O Lord of Lotus-eyes to enlighten me on the methodology of meditation—in what manner, in what form and as what, a person desirous of Liberation should contemplate you.

The Lord explained:

32-33. Seated on a level seat (which is neither too high nor too low and is covered with a soft blanket (keeping) one’s body erect, in a comfortable bodily posture (not necessarily a particular yogic posture like Paḍmāsana), placing the palms (open) on the laps and fixing one’s gaze on the tip of the nose (for mental concentration), one should cleanse the path of vital breath (the respiratory system) by the process of Prāṇāyāma—slow inhalation (with the left nostril) called Pūraka, retention of breath known as Kumbhaka and slow exhalation of Recaka (with the right nostril) and in the reverse order, one should slowly practice it (prāṇāyāma) retaining all the while control over the senses (technically known as pratyāhāra).

34. One should propel with one’s breath the sacred sound Orii which, like a fine thread of lotus, is uninterruptedly jingling like a bell in the heart and then invest it with a nasal sound.^[3]

35. In this way, he should invest his breath with Praṇava (Oṃ) and practise the breath-control ten times, at three times (morning, noon and the evening). Thus, he will attain control over his breath within a month.

36. He should contemplate that the heart that lies in the interior of his body like a lotus-bud drooping down with its stalk upwards (like the flower of a plantain tree) has blossomed with its eight petals and pericarp turned upwards and opened.

37. He should conceive that the son, the moon and the fire are placed one over the other in the pericarp (of that lotus). He should contemplate in that fire, my form so auspicious to meditate upon.

38. He should visualize my form as symmetrical, graciously gentle, with a charming countenance and four long beautiful arms, extremely graceful with a shapely neck, beautiful cheeks and bright smiles.

39. (He should contemplate my form as having) dazzling alligator-shaped ear-rings beautifying my symmetrical ears, wearing garments of cloth of gold, in complexion dark-blue like clouds, and bearing on (the right and left side of my bosom the Śrī-vatsa mark and the abode of the goddess Śrī.

40. (He should conceive my form as) embellished with a conch (Pāñcajanya), a discus (Sudarśana) a mace (Kaumodakī) a lotus and a garland of forest-flowers (Vanamālā), with feet embellished with shining anklets and surrounded with halo of effulgent Kaustubha gem.

41. (He should meditate on my form as) adorned with a resplendent crown, bracelets, a girdle and armlets, beautiful in every part of the body, fascinating to the heart and with beautiful countenance and eye shedding grace (on the devotees) and very comely and delicate. One should concentrate one’s mind on all the parts of my form.

42. Having withdrawn one’s senses from their objects, a wise person should, with the help of his intellect, the controller of the chariot in the form of one’s body, direct it, concentrating on me completely.

43. After withdrawing the mind so spread over the whole of my personality, one should (try to) concentrate on one limb only. He should now no more think of other limbs but should contemplate on my countenance beaming with smiles.

44. Withdrawing his mind which is thus fixed up there (on my face), he should (now) concentrate it on the sky (i.e. my form which is the ultimate cause of all). (Lastly) diverting his mind from that, he should establish himself in me, the Absolute Brahman, and should not think of anything else (merging all the distinction between the subject, object and the process of thinking).

45. When one has thus established his mind (and intellect in me, he visualises me in his own self and his self in me the Universal Soul, just as (an individual) light is merged with the elemental light.

46. The mind of a yogi who concentrates his mind in this extremely intensive course of meditation, will, in no time, attain to the state of nirvāṇa (perfect serenity and bliss) and the misapprehension regarding substance, knowledge and action (or the triad of the Seer, Seeing and the Seen or the three types of miseries resulting from Fate, beings or forces of nature) completely disappears.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Bhāvāratha Dīpikā: So that I can purify all the worlds which abide in me.

[2]:

And works like Vātsyāyana’s Kāma-sūtra (Bhāvāratha Dīpikā)

[3]:

Bhāvāratha Dīpikā gives another interpretation: The sound OM is continuous there from the Ādhāra cakra near the anus to the sahasrāra in the crown of the head. One should manifest it in the heart with one’s breath and invest it with a jingling bell-like sound and keep it (continuous). There have been different gradations of these anāhata sounds heard in this process, e.g. the Nādabindu Upaniṣad (32-35) states that the first sound is loud like the rumbling of clouds which goes on softening down to the jingling of bells:

śrūyate prathamābhyāse nādo nānāvidho mahān /
vardhamāne tathābhyāse śrūyate sūkṣma-sūkṣmata hi //

But the Haṃsopaniṣad gives the reverse order of loudness:

nādo daśavidho jāyate / cin iti prathamas' ciṇcīn iti dvitīyaḥ. / ghaṇṭānādo tṛtīyas...navamo bheri-nādaḥ, daśamo meghanādaḥ / navamam parityajya / daśamaṃ evābhyaset /
  —Upaniṣat-saṅgraha P. 147 (Motilal Banarsidass)