Srimad Bhagavatam – day 663
For every living entity, ‘Self’ is dearer than body
Krishna Narayana
Maharishi Śuka continued, “Even after the body is debilitated, the desire to live continues in many”.
The aged often crave to live longer despite knowing that body won’t co-operate. They consider the body to be their own property. Only the intelligent realize that they are different from their body. ‘How can I be my body? I am not my body. I am different’- they conclude. On the contrary, those who believe, ‘this body belongs to me’ still desire to live despite the fact that their eyes, ears, inner organs are failing. Here it must be remembered that their ‘Self’ and not their ‘worn-out body’ creates this desire. The worn-out body does not desire to live.
“From this it is evident that the inner Self, which is distinctly different from the body, is actually the dearest for every living entity. It is for the satisfaction of this ‘Self’, that this world filled with living entities such as son etc., as well as non-living assets such as house and other objects, becomes very dear to the individual.
Kŗṣṇam enam avehi tvam ātmānam akhilātmanām
Jagad-dhitāya so ‘py atra dehīvābhāti māyayā
Srikrishna is the Self within every living entity! Understand this. For the upliftment of this world, using His illusionary energy He, the inner Self, appeared to have taken on a gross body”.
Let us try to understand the in-depth meaning of this verse.
Using His illusory power (maya shakti), the Supreme Lord Srikrishna who in reality is the Self (atma) within every living entity took on a body in order to uplift this world.
We discussed previously that some people consider themselves to be the body. Only those filled with wisdom think, ‘it does not belong to me’! The truth is that not everyone can think in this pattern. In order to dispel the illusion that had enveloped the ignorant beings, the Lord manifested in a body similar to that of theirs.
‘I am this body. I have earned this wealth’- thinks the ordinary. ‘I am different. Everything that is earned pertains to this gross body. All these possessions will disappear the moment I give up this body’- thinks the wise. Don’t we see situations wherein wealth earned is lost even during the lifetime? The body is temporary while the Self is eternal. To impart this lesson to the spiritually ignorant, the Supreme Lord incarnated with a form.
Can a thorn be removed with a hammer? Just as a thorn can be removed only with another thorn, incarnating with a body He aimed to dispel the ignorance of those who considered ‘body’ as their own. He explains the real purpose at the end of His incarnation.
“To those who understand His Supreme Essence, all moving and non-moving entities in this creation appear as His forms”.
The person who understands the Supreme Essence, sees the Lord in every object – living, non-living, moving and non-moving.
“There is absolutely nothing in this creation apart from Him! He pervades everything. He exists everywhere. He alone is visible everywhere. Those filled with wisdom perceive this reality. Every mobile and immobile entity in this creation has a fixed cause behind its existence. This cause is the Absolute Truth/ Essence for its existence. To them, that eternal, original truth becomes visible”.
To the person who has grasped the real truth, it becomes evident that the Supreme Essence/ Lord pervades the entire creation and that He is the cause for all causes. His form can be clearly perceived throughout the creation. Every creation has to have an underlying cause. Without a cause no creation can exist. Who is the cause for this cause (sarva kāraṇa kāranam)? It is the Supreme Lord. In this creation of HIs, He is the object- moving and non-moving.
“There is no object in this creation devoid of Srikrishna’s existence! Srikrishna, also known as Murāri, is of pure repute. His feet are akin to fresh, tender leaves. Great saints seek refuge under those lotus feet. The person who firmly holds on to these feet and who places implicit faith in them, will effortlessly cross this ocean of worldly bondages.”
Faith in the Lord is of utmost importance. Eternally meditate upon Him. Always chant ‘Datta’ or ‘Krishna’. It is important to see oneness between Datta and Krishna. Rama and Krishna are the same. When worshiping Mother Goddess, remember that She is yet another of Krishna’s forms.
In every object – living or non-living, in every movement, in every action, we must strive to see Srikrishna. When seeing a bird, believe that Krishna is flying. When a mosquito bites, think-‘aha, in the form of this mosquito Krishna has bitten me’. When using a repellent, think, ‘Due to this medicine, Krishna is now going to leave the body of this mosquito’. ‘He is in this person with these qualities’. After all, He is all the actions. He is all the qualities seen. By practising to see the Lord everywhere and in everything, we should uplift ourselves and effortlessly cross this ocean. The Lord who is beyond the three attributes also exists in the form of the three attributes. He thus exists in every behaviour seen. The person who diligently practices to see Him everywhere will be blessed with the ultimate state known as liberation.
I do accept that people of different behaviours have their own journey and take their own time for evolution. Nevertheless, the primordial root behind every existence is the Lord himself. He is the cause. We are now focussing on that root. Under no circumstance should we slip from this focus.
“Those who thus hold on to His feet, will never return to this world of bondages and which is the storehouse for all forms of suffering”.
Krishna Krishna