Wednesday 17 September 2014

Srimadh Bagawatham - Krishna’s Instruction To Udhavar Part 6




The Avadhuta Sanyasi continued to instruct Yadu Maharaj.
A hunter traps an elephant by using a female elephant as bait. The male elephant desires to touch the female elephant and is hence trapped. We must avoid giving in to the desire of touch. 
A hunter similarly traps a deer by using music. We must control our sense of hearing as well. The fish on the other hand is caught when it comes to eat the bait. We should avoid falling prey to taste buds. We should eat only the right amount required to survive. Food is called “annam” in Sanskrit, which means the one which is eaten and the one which eats. If we overeat, food eats us because of which we fall sick and die. 
There was once a lady of the evening called Pingala. She lived in Mithila. Every evening she would stand outside her doors trying to attract customers. As no one came to her home one night, she started to feel anxious as she wouldn’t be able to earn money. ‘If only I had married, I would have a husband to share my worries, but who will want to marry me now that I have become a lady of the evening?’she thought. By morning she became detached with her life as she realized that it was futile to spend one’s energy to earn money just to sustain one’s body. ‘I am the only one living in this great city wasting time on materialistic pursuits,’ she thought. ‘Didn’t I once come to hear that the king had said that God resides inside each and every one of us. He never abandons us and sustains us from within. One of the nine relationships we share with Paramatma is that of a husband and his wife. When I have such a great husband, why should I seek the companionship of an ordinary mortal? All these years I have ignored the one who truly loves me, but no more!’ She finally realized that she should turn her love and affection towards God as He is the only true man in the Universe. Like this lady we should learn to detach ourselves from materialistic desires. 
A hawk found a piece of meat. Immediately it was surrounded by other stronger birds, but as soon as it let go of the meat the other birds left it alone. Like the hawk as soon as we detach ourselves from our wealth, we can be truly happy. 
Children never give in to dishonour or honour. They forget their humiliation easily. We should adopt their attitude. 
Once I met a young girl. She was at home when some people came to arrange an alliance between her and their son. As her parents were away and they were poor, the girl couldn’t find anything suitable to offer to the guests. She asked them to wait while she went to the kitchen to pound a few grains of rice so that she could make porridge with the powder. As she started to pound, her bangles started to chime rhythmically. Afraid that the guests might hear her, she removed all but two bangles from her hands. She noticed now that the noise was reduced. She decided to wear only one bangle on each hand and thus eliminated the noise completely. I learnt from her that meditation must be performed in solitude as otherwise it will only lead to idle chit chat. 
I learned to concentrate upon the Lord from a goldsmith. The goldsmith looks only at his mark while pounding on metal and avoids looking anywhere else. 
A serpent never stays in one place like that a sanyasi must never stay for more than one night in a village. As, if they stay for a long time, people will start to approach them to get predictions and if the sanyasi happens to utter something which comes true, people will start to arrive in large groups and offer money. Thus, the sanyasi will not be able to practice detachment from wealth. 
A wasp carries a bee or worm to its nest and keeps stinging it in the hopes of changing the other insect into a wasp. Like that if we associate ourselves with God, He will change our attitude and uplift us to His abode. 
Finally, I learnt from my body that it is perishable. If I don’t control it, it will pull me wayward. I learnt not to give importance to my body but to concentrate on uplifting myself the atma.’ Udhava, follow the avadutar’s instructions to lead a detached life. If you practice detachment and concentrate on attaining me, at the end of your life you will reach my abode. I will now teach you about patience.

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