KinkarVitthal Ramanuja, is a spiritual personality of great relevance in today’s times, a scholar and great renunciate, well established in celibacy and vow of truth, he brings to the world the life and teachings of Naam Avatara, Sri Sitaramdas Omkarnath. He is the present Sarvaadhish of the Order founded by the Master.
He was barely eleven when Sri Sri Sitaramdas Omkarnath accepted him as a dear disciple and initiated him by bestowing diksha. He graduated from Burdhaman University of West Bengal securing the first-class-first in English literature! On graduating, he had promising job offers, but Sri Omkarnath wanted him to promote the welfare of the world. He completed his M.A. exam in English from Calcutta University on 8th of January 1973. The day after, 9th of January, he renounced home! He became the member of Akhil Bharat Jai Guru Sampradaya Trust in the same year.
He has performed severe austerities, often taking recourse to maunaand isolation in hermitages established by Sri Sitaramdas Omkarnath at Uttar Kashi, Dumurdaha, Rishikesh and Omkareshwar.
He faithfully chronicled in fine detail all the significant events of His Preceptor’s life in Bengali in two volumes of ‘Navo Navo Rupe Eso’. Vitthal Maharaj has also penned three volumes of a series that deals with the unique relationship of Sri Sri Sitaramdas Omkarnath and His disciples. The series is named as ‘Sitaram Mahasindhu Tire’. This is the most exhaustive and authentic biographical tribute that has ever been made to a Guru.
Keeping up with the need of the age Maharaj-ji has devised a very easy method of practicing Yoga. The technique is an amalgamation of the yogic practices of pranayama, pranaam and mantra yoga. He has named this as SKY – Sahaj Kriya Yoga. This method of yoga has gained great popularity among his disciples, the spiritual practitioners as well as the modern masses whose motto in life is fitness first.
The most endearing gift to this panic-stricken humanity by Vitthal Maharaj is a book written by him named as Be Tension Free.
Sri Vitthal Ramanuja since then has been involved in a vast array of activities: looking after the hermitages, preaching of Naam (God’s Name), promoting the tenets of Sanatana Dharma, nationwide discourses, singing bhajans and samkirtans, authoring spiritual works and disseminating the supremely sacred life and teachings of Sri Omkarnath.
Q. “What is swadharma, how should I find or decide my swadharma?”
Ans. This has been explained in the Gita. In the verse 3.35 –
स्वधर्मेनिधनंश्रेय: परधर्मोभयावह:
You must follow your own dharma even if it is at the cost of your life. And what is the swa-dharma that the Lord has preached here in the Gita? He says you are a kshatriya, you must fight. This is dharma yuddha, a spiritual war, and you must wage it. Face it, don’t run away from the battlefield.
Now, this is a situation of the olden days. What do we see these days? There are four castes as you know. Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra. The duty of a Brahmin is to perform religious rites and pujas, study scriptures and give discourses. To learn and to teach, to give and to accept daan; if someone given daan, accept it graciously, if someone asks for daan, give it charitably; to keep the senses in control and live a life of virtue and high spirituality, these are Brahminical duties.
Kshatriya should fight and protect the masses, vaishyas should do trading and agriculture and shudras should serve everyone. This was the directive for division of labour in the olden days.
Coming back to स्वधर्मेनिधनंश्रेय: The Lord told Arjuna जित्वावाभोक्ष्यसेमहीम्।। (Gita 2:37)
If you are killed in the battle, you will go to heaven; if you win, you will rule the earth, so O son of Kunti, take a firm resolve and fight!
Trouble these days is that there is no swadhrama anymore. A Brahmin files suits in the court and acts as an advocate and he polishes shoes too. If he doesn’t get to do anything, he serves in a big shoe shop which is the same thing as polishing shoes. Do you understand what a difficult situation this is! It’s a matter for concern. These precepts of the olden days were followed by everyone back then, now some rare soul continues his allegiance to the prescribed duties. Such a person is bound to reap the merit. But it’s not that easy. You may find a Brahmin who’d say I will live by doing puja-paath, but it is not easy to find such a soul.
The second problem is that of vrittis or innate or acquired tendencies. Everyone acts according to one’s vrittis or tendencies. There are so many students in a college, but some take up science, and some opt for arts, yet others opt for commerce. It’s a matter of taste, each to his own. Whatever one has chosen, often one has to ride along that path. It’s not that these tendencies and preferences won’t change. As time passes, one switches interests, swings from one thing to another. The karma and therefore dharma thus changes. Isn’t it like this?
How can you determine what is good for you? Only a Guru can tell you that. Just like a teacher can tell you which academic stream to opt for, only a Guru can tell you for sure which way to go. This is true of spirituality as well. This bhajan, in general, is good for all. But it’s possible that’s not the path meant for you. A Guru will tell you if it’s so.
Some people encounter an even greater dilemma. Should I opt for samsara or not? Shall I be a householder or a saint? A Guru might tell you: the path of a householder is best for you, the life of a renunciant, and life of tyaga, is difficult. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea. This is a general answer. But there are a couple of them who have been dispassionate from very childhood and unaffected by worldliness, never swayed and firmly rooted in spirituality. Do you understand? To them, the Guru says pursue sadhana. Look at luminary chelas (disciples) like Vivekananda, Abhedananda, or great souls like Chidananad Maharaj! These people worked for the welfare of the world, but they did not lead a worldly life. They served the world, strove to achieve welfare for the people, tried to give them methods of gaining peace.
Now, those who opt for samsara also do well. It’s just that one should not be mad after samsara. There is a great danger in that. How does one escape it? भगवानकोलेकेसंसारकरो। Pursue your samsara with God. 99% of the people like you who come to us, they don’t come seeking God. They are not aspiring to be saints. They come to us to know how one can pursue samsara taking God as a partner, how one can gain peace living in the midst of samsara. We give you answers from the scriptures and our spiritual insights.
Sri Sri Omkarnath used to advise: “Happiness and sorrow are nothing but the two feet of the Almighty God. If happiness comes your way, think that He has extended His right foot before you, and if sorrow comes your way, welcome it thinking He has put the left foot forward. Bow graciously and offer your obeisance at both the feet accepting both happiness and sorrow gladly. This is the only way you will be at peace fully. Then you will win supreme bliss that lies above all happiness and sorrow.
The Scripture declares, “Chakravata parivartate sukhaanicha duhkhaanicha.” Happiness and sorrow appear cyclically like day and night. They come and go. If you court happiness, don’t rejoice too much because it is certain that happiness will be followed by sorrow. And if sorrow hits you, don’t be terribly disenchanted because this sorrow is the herald of impending happiness. In order to achieve equanimity in happiness and sorrow, try and remember Thy Lord in times of happiness—that will ensure sorrow does no trouble you terribly.
Dukha mein sumiran sab Karen such mein kare na koy
Jo sukh mein sumiran karen tau dukh kaaheko hoye (Tulasidas)
Remember one thing—he who always remembers God, even he will encounter unhappiness according to his prarabddha (fruition of past deeds), but his experience of sorrow will be much lightened. The point is happiness and sorrow will confront everyone, but for those who take refuge in chanting the name of God, the worldly afflictions will pale considerably. Secondly, he who takes shelter at the lotus feet of God, sings His Names, and meditates on Him naturally enters into a Kingdom of Heaven where there is only joy and no sorrow. At that divine stage no material loss or worldly grief can touch his mind or diminish his immense joy and peace. Here is an example.
A boy who has most delicious sweets preserved for him at his own sweet home, will he go abegging like a street beggar from one shop to another for a piece of sweets? Surely not! And the inner joy (spiritual experience) is a hundred times sweeter and deeper than the materialist pleasure. Similarly the seeker who has got the taste of spiritual bliss within will not definitely hanker after mundane pleasure. Hence, make provisions for either thinning or completely eliminating the sorrows by taking refuge in Hari Naam in the happy times.
A bird who has been taught a few songs: let’s say a parrot, will sing several sweet things usually, but as soon as a cat gets hold of him, his original melody returns to his tongue. In that moment, he does not have recourse to the chatter that he has learnt from the world. He simply shrieks and squawks. That comes to him naturally.
We too, just like the parrot, might sing all the worldly songs well, but in times of despair, when there is no way out, we return to the Hare Krishna Naam.
That’s what you might like to call the ‘home turf’. This has been beautifully explained by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Harer naama harer naama
Harer naamaiva kevalam
Kalau naasty eva naasty eva
Naasty eva gatir anyathaa
Naam, in Kaliyug is of utmost importance, especially Hari Naam! There are eight Gopis, all dear to Krishna but Radha is the ultimate. You can sing Ram Ram, Krishna Krishna, Radha Radha or any name dear to you but Hare Krishna Naam is the ultimate. Hence Ramakrishna Bhagawan underlined the fact that in Kaliyuga, it is not ahara shuddhi or samyama but “Naam” which is of prime importance. The only help a seeker has in Kaliyuga is Naam Kirtan (singing, reciting, panegyrising the sports and legends of God). Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Ramakrishna Dev, Omkarnath Baba— everybody has mentioned this. They were all avatarapurushas.
A Sadguru rescues individuals from the suffering where as an avatarapurusha transforms the Yuga they are born in. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Ramakrishna Dev redeemed the society at large. Omkarnath Baba emphasized the importance Naam and paved the path to yoga and dhyana.
Japo Naam Japo Naamaviraam monn
Ramakrishna Bhagawan has mentioned that in Kaliyuga, chitta (the mind) is restless, the food we eat is impure (ashuddha ahara), the environment is contaminated both within and without. His words were “Joto mot toto poth” (as there are a number of beliefs, there are a number of ways). He walked on different paths with complete faith and believed that all of them were true. Joto mot toto poth– these words came out of His transcendental experience, not just empirical knowledge. He too, has highlighted that “Naam kirtan”, is the quickest way to purify the chitta (mind).
Ramakrishna Dev used to be engrossed in kirtan, singing Hare Krishna Naam, Sri Ram Jai Ram. This annoyed the Jnana Margi Guru Totapuri. “You’re clapping your hands while doing kirtan, are you making rotis?” he would say mockingly.
Well, he was not making rotis, as we all know, he was crossing the ocean: by clapping the hands and discarding sins, and by beating the drum, through words, through observance of silence, through gazing.
This was how Ramakrishna Dev, Thakur and all the great saints promoted and spread “Naam”. Thakur Omkarnath too excelled in every path. He wrote many books on Yoga Marga, Jnana Marga, Bhakti Marga, Raj Yoga and so on. But at the end of it all, he said: “Japo Naam Japo Naam aviraam monn paaibe param shanti je nibe sharan…”
Chant the Naam at all times. Life might get hectic, but go on chanting Naam. Do it with or without faith, do it while sitting, standing, walking, eating, drinking. Sing Naam always– when in the midst of a crowd, in solitude, in despair, in happiness.”
If you’re wondering why it should be done at all times, it is because eventually this is all that will remain. It is not very difficult, it only needs some practice. The Gita says– abhyasena tu kaunteya vairagyena cha grihyate.
This isn’t for everybody. This is for the ones who only want to walk on God’s path. The ones who have the grace of a Satguru and have spent their previous lives doing sadhana. Only such souls would want to walk this path. Then why is everyone told to do it at all times? Because it is only through practice that we will be led to the path and the eventual goal of realising God.
The Mantrayoga-Samhita classifies Bhakti into Vaidhi, Ragatmika and Para. The bhakti, which is determined by one’s own destiny, is called vaidhi bhakti. Ragatmika bhakti produces intensely absorbing sentiments. Para bhakti is supremely blissful and consists of unbroken remembrance, described as being like taildhaara, the uninterrupted flow of oil. Yogis attain this state.
The Saatvat Tantra categorises Bhakti into three types: Jnanamayi, Bhagavati and Premamayi. Bhakti is a state characterized by absence of name, form and attributes (nirgunatwa), continuum of infinity (akhandatwa) and bliss (anandatwa). Though, depending on the knowledge, the action and also on the divine sport, one or the other may predominate. Thus Jnanamayi bhakti is the complete and uninterrupted merger into God. This latter state is of higher eminence than the one in which the form of the Lord is witnessed. The actual revelation of the form of the Lord results in the welling up of sublime emotions, which make for interruptions in the state of the mind. In the state of separation, the mind flows uninterruptedly towards the Beloved.
The natural engagement of the mind and all the senses in Sri Vishnu is called Bhagavati bhakti. The service rendered to the Lord results in bhakti the sublimity of which surpasses that of Moksha.
Renouncing worldly concerns, assimilating the preaching of the Guru, enthusiastically participating in listening, chanting, singing, deliberating on the name, form, sports of the Lord, one attains the Premamayi bhakti.
The Skanda Purana describes Tamasi, Rajasi and Sattviki bhakti.
Bhakti as practiced for the fulfillment of worldly objectives, even under negative emotions such as anger, lust and so on, is called tamasi bhakti.
Rajasi bhakti is practiced for the attainment of fame, to become the recipient of feelings of reverence and to attain an exalted plane of existence in the afterlife.
The Skanda Purana also tells of Advaita bhakti the attainment of which is so extremely rare as to be virtually impossible. “The Lord takes the form of the Universe; this being the cause, there is none other to seek. I am not different from the Lord, and the Lord is no other than my own self.” The afore-stated knowledge, knowledge of the external names and titles, incomparablelove and excellence, all together, as a composite, constitute Advaitabhakti.
Another classification speaks of Sadhan bhakti, Prema bhakti and Bhava bhakti.
Sadhan bhakti consists of bhakti owing to obedience to the dictates of the scriptures. Over time the rajo and tamo gunas begin to wane in the practitioner. The love of God’s name increases. Finally, the bhakta is unable to take the name of the Lord during wakefulness, dreaming and sleep states. The sattvik emotions well up and tearfulness, perspiration, horripilation, breaking of voice, fainting, becoming rooted to the spot, becoming pale etc. manifest. Love and attachment to God increase. The divine sports of the Lord are remembered and the exalted emotions of contentment, servitude, companionship and so on play in the heart of the bhakta. When these sentiments deepen, pure love or Prema emerges. The temple of the heart remains illumined by this light of Prema. Identification with and pride in the body, which is the root of nescience, drops off completely - Pranava Prem Piyush by Sri Sitaramdas Omkarnath.
Prema bhakti materializes only on having the vision of God; hence Prema bhakti is known as Siddha bhakti. The dawn of Prema bhakti enables the seer to soar beyond Vishnumaya, which proves to be insurmountable to most. The bhakta who worships Ishwar as omnipresent and all-permeating knows the true essence of God. Such a bhakta is the well-wisher of every single entity.
Sri Krishna said to Uddhava, “The chitta which is always filled with contents, when filled with bhakti, purifies the entire world.”
The Agastya Samhita categorises bhakti on the basis of the five emotions into shanta (peaceful), daasya (servitude), sakhya (companionship), vaatsalya (parental love) and madhura (romantic love). Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the very personification of Bhakti, is the peerless example of the signs, growth and climaxing of the exalted emotions of bhakti. Shravanam and Kirtanam of Vaidhi bhakti gradually make the individual eligible for bhakti sadhana with the support of the exalted emotions. On destroying the lustful tendencies and having undivided bhakti, the chitta becomes tranquil. The seers like Sanaka Rishi, who worshipped Sri Krishna as poornabrahmaparatpara (the complete expression of Brahma who is the first Guru in the lineage of Gurus) enjoyed tranquility of this nature.
Vaatsalya, that is, worship of the Supreme as one’s own Prana, as one’s child who enjoys unending and unconditional affection from the bhakta who harbours parental love is exemplified by Yashoda, mother of Sri Krishna. Madhura bhakti is the final attainment in bhakti. In the sequence of the different emotions, eachsubsequent one contains all the ones preceding. Thus Madhura or romantic love contains all theother emotions. Srimati Radha Rani the consort of Sri Krishna best exemplifies it.
Sri Radhakrishna is Shakti in its fullness and its power in perfect form; it is the undifferentiated One expressed as the polarity of two for the enjoyment of divine sport and play. At Nadeeya, the two assumed a Supreme divine form as the One. The incarnation of Sri Krishna was intended to teach about, and enable the joyful partaking of the state in which bhakti is felt as Krishna in the innermost recesses of the heart while Radha as the outer and external manifestation. The madhurabhava state (the highest among the states of exaltation) is devoid of desire and lust. With the exception of those who are beyond the tyranny of the senses, none are eligible to even discourse on this subject, let alone partake of the state. Hence the Mahaprabhu did not elaborate much on the different emotions of bhakti. Instead he advised preaching Harernamaivakevalam (only the name of Hari or God) as the best refuge in Kali Yuga. This method, simple and uncomplicated as it is, is equally powerful in yielding peace and bliss.
The four focal points for a bhakta are Name, Form, Divine sports and Dwelling of the deity. Resort to any one of these yields exaltation of the bhakta.
The name of God is imbued with the same power as God. It is a widely known truth that Naam and Naami are one and the same (Naami here refers is the one whose Name is chanted or sung).
It is however, not very easy to resort to mentation on the divine sports, since it is not easy to visualize the deity. Nor is it easy to reside every single day at the pilgrimage spots where the deities’ reside.
On the other hand, the absence of strictures for chanting and singing of Naam makes it accessible to all. Naam may be resorted to irrespective of one’s state, company, caste, community and religion. The universal appeal of bhakti yoga lies in its simplicity. And among the bhakti yoga practices, collective naam singing (Naam samkirtan) is the simplest and most appealing.
Jiva is Bhagawan’s nitya das or sevak, a servant forever. Nitya means ‘janam janam’, a relationship that lasts life after life. Bhagawan is complete, jiva is His part. In Bhagavad Gita 15:7, Bhagawan says, mamaivamso jiva-loke jiva-bhutah sanatanah– The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental parts.
One is Complete, one is a part.
When the part does not want to stay as part or separate from the One, then the journey towards the Creator begins.
Then one starts with japa, dhyana etc. In the beginning, one says, “I belong to You, Oh Master! If I belong to You, then I have to obey Your instructions. Your instructions are given in the Shastras in the form of vaani, aadesh, upadesh.”
In Bhagavad Gita, it is said, “tasmaat cha shaastram pramaanam te kaarya-akaarya-vyavasthitau”– One should understand what duty is, and what it is not, by the regulations of the scriptures. Further, the Gita says jnaatva shaastra-vidhanoktam karma kartum iha arhasi– Knowing such rules and regulations, one should act so that he or she may gradually be elevated.
The first stage was ‘I am your das, servant.’
Then comes the second stage – “You are mine”.
Now, one is more intimate with God, friendlier and more amiable, so one can now command Him. How? The eternal companion of God in this stage says, “I am running after you. I try to seek you all over the place. I am a worldly person, so I don’t really know how to seek you.”
He is unable to figure out where God is. After seeking him here and there and every place possible, he just sits down in one place. The devotee is indeed disheartened. He says, “We run after you all over and you trick us? Why do you deceive us? We left our home and our kith and kin for your sake, and you are running away from us? Alright, go wherever you wish to go! Where will you go apart from my heart? Let me see how far can you go from my heart? Now, this is the command of a bhakta, his position of authority. In his sentiment of ‘I am yours’, he has an unalienable right.
Now, the last stage. There is no difference between Bhagawan and jiva, God and a devotee…
After doing intense sadhana, one starts to become divine (Ishwarmaya, Brahmamaya), then differences disappear.
Ramakrishna used to go to offer bhog (food) to Kali Ma at the temple, and he would end up eating that food himself! People said, ‘What audacity?’ Everyone started cursing him! This news reached Mothur Babu who used to look after the temple administration (Rani Rashmoni’s eldest son n law). Mothur Babu personally went to the temple to investigate the matter and examined Sri Ramkrishna’s bhakti. Mothur Babu concluded that this is the only person who knows how to conduct Mother’s puja and only he must continue and the rest can leave!
This is the final stage. All differences dissolve and the bhakta becomes One with God.