Advaitic aspects of Act IV

Jīva's affinity towards Bhakti gets slackened on returning to the normal routine and trying to ward off the negative effects of the ailments upon the Śarīra. This is a normal sequence in the evolvement of the Jīva as purified soul. When the body is in normal health, Jīva remembers the efficacy of Bhakti. Here the dramatist makes use of such an opportunity at the beginning of the fourth Act.

In the fourth Act, the conversation between Jīva, Bhakti, Smṛti and Śraddhā bring out the essence of Advaita as follows:—

Bhakti in general and Śivabhakti in particular, in this play, is the only motivating energy that brings the presence of the Lord before Jīva; Bhakti is the root-cause for the Jīva in obtaining the eternal Bliss; and getting attached to Bhakti is possible only when the good deeds of the earlier births mature; and when once Jīva is immersed in Bhakti, he forgets to perform his daily routine–rather it becomes immaterial whether the daily routine is carried out or not (IV.14-5):

dṛṅmātradarśitanijaprathitaprabhāvā prahlādabhūmasurabhūruhamūlabhūtā |
janmāntarīyatapasāṃ paripākataḥ sā prāptāpi daivahatakena mayā vimuktā ||
tāmeva hā smitasudhāmadhurānanenduṃ bhaktiṃ tathā nirupamāmasakṛdvicintya |
snātuṃ ca bhaktamaśituṃ śayituṃ vihartuṃ śaktomi nāhamadhunā paritapyamānaḥ ||

Further, Bhakti is the only recourse to Jīva who is desirous of obtaining eternal Bliss; Bhakti quenches the yearnings of Jīva to obtain mokṣa by leading the soul towards it.

It is only by the grace of Bhakti, Jīva is saved from the fetters of saṃsāra (IV.16):

hṛdayānandavidhātrīṃ bhaktiṃ tāmantarā na me saukhyam |
āsāreṇa vinā kiṃ gharmamlānasya śākhinastṛptiḥ ||

Smṛti and Śraddhā, the qualities adhering to Bhakti, keep the Jīva always attached to Bhakti so that Buddhi and Māyā do not misleadJīva from his innermost to desire for libration.

Jīva, though pure by nature,moves away from Bhakti; which leads him towards achieving the mundane pleasures (IV.17/18):

sahajanissaṅganirmalasvabhāvo'pi devo jīvastathā sarvapumarthaprasavitrīmapi māṃ bhaktiṃ visṛjya buddhipāravaśyamāpanno virasaviṣayābhimukha eva saṃvṛttaḥ |

The Jīva is lured by Māyā, the repository of the three guṇas–

1. sattva,
2. rajas and
3. tamas;

Māyā makes the Jīva get involved in the mire of worldly pleasures and is powerful enough to entice even the wisest of men (IV.17/18):

devyā guṇamayyā duratyayāyā māyāyāḥ kuṭilāyā eṣo'nādisiddhaḥ svabhāvo yadvivekinamapi puruṣaṃ mohayitvā virasaviṣayapravaṇaṃ karoti |

However, Jīva is the aṃśa of the Lord (IV.18/19):–

sa (jīvaḥ) khalu parameśvarasyaivāṃśaḥ |

Moreover, Jīva, in fact, is the abode of truth and knowledge and is internally blissful; controlled by Buddhi, Jīva concentrates upon the body and its pleasures.

Keeping the body free from diseases is also necessary to contemplate on the Almighty by the grace of Bhakti (IV.19):

satyajṣānanidhiḥ sadaiva sahajānandasvabhāvo'pyayaṃ
  devo buddhivaśaṃ gataḥ puramidaṃ trātuṃ vyavasyatyaho |
āstvetaddhyupayuktamātmakalane tasmānnirastāmayaṃ
  niścintaṃ punarīśatatparamamuṃ kuryāmabhīṣṭāptaye ||

The greatness of Bhakti is extolled in this fourth Act variously by Ānandarāya Makhin.

Bhakti is personified as a Goddess who is the causeless and limitless ocean of mercy and is considered as the most effective means in obtaining the fourth puruṣārtha, namely, mokṣa (IV.20):

nirupādhikanissīmakaruṇāmṛtavāridhiḥ |
diṣṭyā dṛṣṭā bhagavatī pumarthaghaṭanāpaṭuḥ ||

The special feature of Bhakti is that while all other devas protect only the blemishless and worshipful, Bhakti alone by her grace showers causeless motherly affection towards even those who have erred (IV.21):

āvane hi nirāgasāṃ janānāṃ bhajatāṃ jāgrati daivatāntarāṇi |
āvanādvihitāgaso'pi me'stu prathitaṃ taṃ nirupādhivatsalatvam ||

Further, the grace of Bhakti does not discriminate people as high or low (IV.22ab):

pravahantī tu dayā tava parihṛtanīcoccavastuvaiṣamyā |

Again, when once the Jīva is freed of all his worries about his body and makes it healthy, it behoves for Bhakti to bless Jīva with the eternal Bliss (Paramānanda) of being with the Lord; Bhakti liberates Jīva from the bondages of saṃsāra (IV.24):

nirjitanikhilavipakṣaṃ nīrujapurasusthamapagatātaṅkam |
āham [bhaktiḥ] āgatya vidhāsye paramānandābdhimāptakāmaṃ tvām [jīvam] ||