VAISHNAVISM
Who earnestly practices Bhakti, walks the
sacred way of
Devotion,
the Lord delivers from the wheel of time.
These
Bhaktas realize Him within themselves and are absorbed
In
a sea of infinite Joy – the sea of union with Him.
Vaishnavism begins where all other religious
practices end for it speaks of an unrevealed Lord who does not deal in rewards
or punishments but only loves all his creatures
equally because it pleased Him to bring them forth in the fullness of His
blissfull heart. The infinite variety of creation has sprung from His boundless
longing for reciprocated love. Vaishnavism seeks union with the Lord through
Bhakti. It is not a religion of advice but of non-conformity, a mode
of moulding the heart in Prema. Its merit lies in making man unlearn
religious rules and codes . (Lord Chaitanya ). The easier and superior path man
treads towards salvation is to live in Bhakti and to seek the Lord’s grace. The highest Dharma is Bhakti alone and the
greatest Bhakti lies enshrined in Lord’s Name.Success in Dhyan comes when
we feel that it is the Lord who does everything, is verily in front of us and
aware of all our thoughts.Our intense effort will move Lord’s heart and grace
will flow removing all Maya-traces.
The highest devotee sees God in all beings and
worships Him in them, is forgetful of the world and its objects, constantly in
communion with the Lord. He incessantly chants Lord’s Name and experiences ever
growing love for Him in his heart. The more he progresses in Namjap the more
the sense of I- and Mine will disappear, for chanting His
Name is as good as associating with Him. “Who constantly thinks of Me dissolves
into Me”. To run mad in Prema after the Lord is the most desirable state in a
Jiva. Intense hankering after God is the core of all worship, all prayers. The
more the Self or Ego ceases to function the more the eternal Thou will enter the being.
The body is but a toy-doll –as the Master wishes to play with it so it
goes on playing.The moment we become inclined to love and adore the Lord for
His own sake and generate a keen thirst in our hearts to get him, feeling our
life to be void without Him, we become Vaishnavas in the truest and strictest
sense of the term. Vaishnavism aims at union with the Lord through the workings of the heart, is all-embracing, seeks
to bring about the union of Jivas with Him through the emotional nature in man, which is uniform in its
workings everywhere.Without Bhakti rituals, Tapas, sacrifices etc. are not bearing fruit.
The salvation
of a Vaishnava comes through Lord’s grace, not through his merit. O Lord, it is from Your love for us that you accept our devotion.
Whatever we offer you returns to us with thousands of blessings. In this Kali Yuga Your very Name can set us free. Bhakti shall be the
only way to salvation.When we love and adore God for His own sake,
generate a keen thirst in our hearts to reach him, feel our life
void without him we become Vaishnavas (Haranath Lilamritam)
A man who wears flower garlands round his neck and goes about uttering
divine names is considered a Vaishnava.
It must be conceded however that appearances are often deceptive.
A man may not have the outward marks of Vaishnavism, he may not utter Harinam
even once, yet inwardly he may be a true
Vaishnava. It is our duty nevertheless to take appearances at their face
value. If a man appears to be a Vaishnava, we have to regard him as such and
honor him.A man who has no selfish
interest, does not look for own gain or safety, has no desire for life or death,
seeks no power physical or spiritual here or hereafter but travels the world mad in his love for the Lord is certainly
a Vaishnava of the highest order. Such a one lusts for the Lord only, never has own cravings
but only yearns to make Him happy .The Lord is his greatest friend, nearest
and dearest relative. Who loves Krishna should learn to love His creatures too. In
this world created by the Father of the world, you, I, worms, flies, everything
has been created by Him, is a little portion of Him. Take each His Name in the
condition you may be in and do not forget to recognize and love each other,
knowing that everyone is included in this world family of His. Know him to be the greatest Vaishnava
the sight of whom brings Krishna’s Name to your mouth.Become a waif, cast aside
caste (P.183- Inspiring Precepts from the Divine Pen of Thakur Haranath). The devotee’s goal is to generate absolute and
conditionless love for Lord and to be united with Him, to be always humble, lowlier than the lowest grass.
Who depends on the benign grace of the Lord ever experiences supreme bliss through His grace.
In a cyclone large trees are
uprooted and buildings collapse but no matter how strong the cyclone is it
cannot damage a lowly blade of grass. This
is the greatness of humility. As long as we carry the load of our Ego and
desires Lord’s wind of grace can’t lift
us up. The more the self or Ego ceases to function the more the eternal “Thou”
will enter. The body is but a toy-doll. Once the Ego is gone we can become one with
the Lord. Vaishnavas have no
attraction for anything else.They are always wakeful. The Vaishnava religion
that flows among all down to Chandalas must certainly wash the world with the
stream of heavenly love. The whole world has to come to the Vaishnava
religion. This will be the accepted religion of the future world said Lord
Haranath.
It is our failure to perceive the common divinity
within us all that is responsible for all conflicts. If others are in trouble
we stand aloof. We cannot hope to gain His love if such is the case. All His
creatures have to be included .That will please Krishna most .- Vaishnavism
will be the accepted religion of the future world. Thakur hARANATH
said: I hav e come as forerunner of the revolution
with which the Lord is coming behind. Lose yourself completely in name and you
will feel my constant presence.Bhagavatam:” The highest man sees God IN ALL
BEINGS AND WORSHIPS hIM IN THEM . Human life has been granted to us for a veRY Short period and was vouchsafed for pleasing
God and realizing Him. The worlds work is no work at all, only the Lord’s
work iS.
WHAT
ARE THE SIGNS OF A vAIShNAVA?
wHOEVER
IS FOUND CEASELESSLY CHANTING kRISHNA’S nAME KNOW HIM TO BE THE CHIEF AMONG VAISHNAVAS.
WHENEVER ON SEEING A DEVOTEE KRISHNAS
NAME UNCONSCIOUSLY RISES TO YOUR LIPS KNOW HIM TO BE A VAiSHNAVA OF THE HIGHEST
ORDER. AS A VAISHNAVA YoU HAVE TO ACT AND BEHAVE IN SUCH A WAY AS WILL PLEASE the lORD
MOST.
13 July
2017
R.Baur
