Devotee Catches God

O Learned and Devoted Servants of God,

Initially the Lord attracts the devotee through miracles and creates belief and devotion in the mind of a human being. Thus, the human being is converted into devotee. Thus, from the stage of human being the soul carries on the journey to the stage of a devotee. This journey is taking place due to the effort of the Lord only. This is called as the “Marjala Kishora Nyaya”, which means the mother cat carrying on its off spring by catching it with her mouth. The effort of the human being is nil in this case. But, the human being must have open mind to receive the help from the Lord and to recognize the existence of the supernatural power of the Lord and thereby, to recognize the existence of the Lord. For such situation, the problems and troubles in the life which are due to Karma Chakra (the wheel of deeds) are also helping the soul. Thus, the troubles are the real helpers towards the spiritual line. The misery due to the troubles is praised by the Lord in the Gita (Aartho… Udaaraah). Kunti asked for constant troubles from the Lord. In this stage, though the effort of the soul is nil, the soul must have flexibility and open mind to recognize the helper, the Lord. The impartial Lord gives this opportunity equally to all the human beings but the atheist due to absence of open mind and due to foolish rigidity does not accept the existence of the Lord even after such help. Thus, though we say that the effort of the individual is nil in this case, to have open mind to realize the truth is also considered as the effort of the human being. When the effort of the human being exists, it is called as “Markata Kishora Nyaya”, which means the offspring is holding on itself by catching the womb of its mother-monkey. Thus, both these lines always co-exist and are mutual to each other.

In the sacred book “Yoga Vaashishta”, the preacher Vashishta preaches spiritual knowledge to Rama. In the very beginning itself, Vashishta emphasizes on the effort of the individual soul (Purusha Prayatna). Without the effort of the soul if the Lord has to carry on the devotee by His grip only, then the Lord has to carry on all the souls of the creation. Then only the Lord can become impartial. If that is done, there is no meaning of the creation because the thrill of love disappears. The love of one in millions cannot be tasted by the Lord. If all the students in the class get cent percent and if all are given gold medals, then there is no thrill. But the teacher puts his effort equally on all the students, and every student has an equal opportunity to get the gold medal. When one gets the gold medal, we cannot blame the teacher to be partial. The teacher wishes and puts equal effort on all the students and aspires every student to get the gold medal. But the fact is that only one gets the gold medal. The aspiration of the teacher and his practical effort without any partiality is completely different and the actual fact that takes place is all together totally different. You cannot link these two contradicting extreme facts. It is true that the teacher wishes that every student should stand first and he puts equal effort on every student without any trace of partiality. At the same time, it is also equally true that only one student stands first. From the point of the teacher, we have to appreciate the way of mother cat. From the point of the student, you have to appreciate the way of mother monkey. The teacher tries to carry on every student to the goal like the mother cat. But only one student reaches the goal because of his strongest grip. Thus, both the lines are equally important from their own angles. The teacher is always like the mother cat. The off spring should be always like the baby monkey.

Initially the mother carries on the child like the mother cat. But when the baby grows, the child catches the finger of the mother and walks like the baby monkey. Initially the Marjala Kishora Nyaya is valid. In course of time, the Markata Kisora Nyaya is justified. In the advanced stage the baby monkey should not become egoistic thinking that the journey is successful because of its grip. The baby monkey should analyze the reason for its own grip. The energy of the baby monkey is due to its own flesh but that flesh was due to the milk given by its own mother. Therefore, the Markata Kishora Nyaya is an indirect Marjala Kishora Nyaya only. The Marjala Kishora Nyaya is direct whereas the Markata Kishora Nyaya is indirect. When the baby is not having sufficient energy, the mother helps like cat but when the baby is having sufficient energy the mother helps like monkey. As monkey also the mother only is traveling along the path. Therefore, the credit for the journey goes to the mother only. Thus, the credit for the energy as well as for the path goes to the mother only and not to the baby. By such analysis the baby should destroy its egoism. The truth is only the line of the cat but there is no thrill of love, if the line of cat is remembered always. If you think that your wealth belongs to the Lord, then there is no thrill of love in the sacrifice. You think that you have sacrificed your wealth because it is really the wealth of the Lord. Then you will not enjoy the love in the sacrifice. Even the Lord will not enjoy the love if He thinks that everything is His own wealth. Thus, whenever the situation arises, the corresponding weapon should be used. When you become egoistic, you remember the mother cat and realize that even your effort is due to power of the mother-cat only. During sacrifice, you remember yourself as the baby monkey and enjoy the thrill of divine love. Thus, even egoism is necessary which has its own use. The egoism which is limited to the idea of just self is called as ‘Sattvika Ahamkara’. That much egoism is essential in the divine service to enjoy the divine love. You should think the existence of yourself. Then you should also think that this much is your self-earned wealth. Up to this stage egoism is not wrong. But when you feel proud of yourself and your wealth, it becomes Rajasa Ahamkara. In that stage egoism is wrong. As the pride grows, you will even deny the existence of Lord. Such climax of pride is Tamasa Ahamkara, which is seen in demons and which is worst.

When you become proud, then you remember the mother cat and realize that everything including yourself is His wealth. Thus, the concept of mother cat destroys the pride. But when you sacrifice, you must retain the Sattvika egoism. Then only you can feel that you are sacrificing your own hard earned wealth. In such sacrifice you can enjoy the sweet divine love towards the Lord. The Lord also enjoys such sweet love under the ignorance. The Lord created both knowledge and ignorance. Every item is created by the Lord and has its own divine use. When you are enjoying the cinema, you can enjoy only under the ignorance. If you realize the truth that the cinema is only a created story, which is just a picture on the screen, you cannot enjoy it. Suppose you are captured by some scene and go on feeling sad, then you must have the true knowledge of the cinema and get rid of it. You have to wear cotton shirt in summer and woolen shirt in winter but not vice-versa. Both ignorance and knowledge are creations of Lord which have equal importance like a hero and a villain in the cinema. While doing service and sacrifice to the Lord, you should be like the baby monkey and enjoy the divine love. In such context your self-limited egoism is not wrong, which helps you to enjoy the devotion. Such egoism is like the visible walls of the house, which bear the load of the roof. The wall knows that the hidden underground foundation is bearing the entire load of the walls and roof together. Such awareness of monkey-mother avoids the infection of egoism. The wall is aware of the foundation and bears the load of the roof.

Similarly, you must be aware of the Lord but you should not make yourself zero and become effortless or inactive. Action is not possible if egoism becomes zero. You must be aware of the monkey in the mind but you should be cat in the action. Don’t take the wrong sides of Rajas and Tamas. They have good spiritual sides also. Rajas is the source of action and Tamas is responsible for determination. The action of jumping of Hanuman over the sea with full determination facing all the obstacles is Rajas and Tamas only. Similarly, Hanuman killing the demons indicates the same. Both ignorance and knowledge are praised by the Veda (Avidyaya Mrityum…) and the Gita (Jnanam apohanancha…). The liberated soul is equal to the Lord in the entertainment of the world without defects like egoism and he is just like the Lord who is above the three qualities and uses both knowledge and ignorance as instruments of play. A king and a beggar are equal in enjoying the cinema. The monkey-concept is ignorance and the cat-concept is knowledge. Both are equally important, equally sacred and are equally useful. The cat-concept should not be remembered always which makes you inactive. It destroys even your self-limited egoism which is essential for action. Action is essential for the divine service. At the same time, you should not forget the cat-concept and remember only the monkey-concept, which is very dangerous and leads you to the wrong side of the egoism in a fraction of a second.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★