Thursday, February 12, 2015

Not Mantra but Bhava Matters in worshiping God

Not Mantra but Bhava (internal feeling) matters

My father was a treasure of Stories. He told us a story of importance of internal feeling(Bhava) in worshiping God. 

There was a poor farmer. Very simple and pious. He had small piece of land and a buffalo to sustain his livelihood. He desired to do bhakti of Lord Krishna. And as all were saying for a need of a Guru, he used to meet each and every Sadhu coming to his village to make him Guru. But he was poor, therefore no Sadhu was paying attention to him. But one day he decided that this time he will not leave the Sadhu without making him Guru. 

A Sadhu came to the village. The farmer went to him and requested him to become his Guru. The Sadhu denied. Next day again he went but the Sadhu denied. But when he went number of times, the Sadhu get annoyed and gave him one black stone and a Mantra to chant. 
ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ।

The farmer went very happily at home, as he got a Guru and Mantra. He started worshipping that stone and tried to chant mantra. But he was illiterate therefore unable to remember and pronounce. He was loving his buffalo very much. Therefore, whenever he tried to close his eyes to remember God, his loving buffalo to come in his mind. Tired of this, he went back to the Sadhu and requested him to give easy mantra to worship God. He told him about his love for buffalo and how the buffalo comes in the mind while chanting mantra.

The Sadhu was annoyed but to get rid of the chipku farmer, made a proverb and told him to chant the new mantra.
भैंस के सींग बेर की माला, जल्दी आ तु द्वारकावाला।

The farmer was very happy with new mantra. He was able to pray Lord Krishna along with remembering his loving buffalo. Day by day his devotion to God became intense. Instead of few minutes, he was spending more and more time in devotion to God and the habit made the Nididhyasan day and night (अहर्निश). Finally he had Darshana of his Lord Krishna.With the Grace of God, he became famous as great bhakta of Lord Krishna.

After some time, the Sadhu (his Guru) visited the village. The farmer went running to pray his Guru. Guru... Guruvar... He was rushing with tears in eyes. He did sashtang dandvat pranam (namaskaar) to the Guru.
गुरु गोविन्द दोऊ खड़े काको लागूं पायं।
बलिहारी गुरु आपने जिन गोविन्द दियो बताय।।

The Sadhu was astounded when come to know about the Grace of God on the farmer. To get rid of him, he had given him some word mix as mantra. He was unable to have God's darshana even after chanting mantra without mistakes for many years but the farmer succeeded in getting God's Grace with simple words. अजब तेरी लीला, गजब तेरी कृपा। He murmured.

The moral of the story is, "Not Mantra (instrument of thought), but the Bhava (inner feeling) matters" in devotion to God.

Millions are worshipping Him in hundreds of languages.

न जानामि दानं न च ध्यानयोगं न जानामि तन्त्रं न चस्तोत्रमन्त्रम्।
न जानामि पूजां न च न्यासयोगं गतिस्त्वं गतिस्त्वं त्वमेकाभवानि।।

Punamchand
12 February 2015

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