THREE FUNDAMENTAL FACTORS TO SUCCEED IN SA'DHANA' MA'RGA PARAMA PURUS'A -- THE ONLY BANDHU THE THOUSAND-HEADED PURUS'A KNOWING AND NOT KNOWING BHAKTI IS THE BEST AVENUE FOR SALVATION THREE FUNDAMENTAL FACTORS TO SUCCEED IN SA'DHANA' MA'RGA official source: A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 6 cross-references: none this version: is the printed A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 6, 1st edition, version (spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition. Wherever there is any effort to achieve anything in the physical, psychic or spiritual spheres, one does not succeed easily. That is to say the path of fulfillment, the path of forward movement, is not always a smooth one. In this respect three basic points should be remembered very carefully. The first one is the qualification, that is, the minimum qualification that a sa'dhaka should possess. According to the definition given by Lord Shiva a sa'dhaka must possess a human structure, that is he or she must be a human being. This is the minimum qualification of a sa'dhaka. The second point is that to succeed in the path of sa'dhana' ma'rga seven secret codes must be learnt and mastered. What are these seven codes of success? This question was asked by Shiva's wife Parvati. Shiva replied: "Phalis'yatiiti vishva'sa siddherprathama laks'an'am, Dvitiiyam' shraddhaya' yuktam trtiiyam' gurupu'janam. Caturtho samata'bha'vo paincamendriya nigrahah Sas'thainca pramita'ha'ro saptamam naeva vidyate." At Patna, I discussed this matter in detail. You may go through my discourse. Now what is the effective way to perform an action (karma)? You all know that even if one has fixed one's goal, even if one's goal has been predetermined, one may fail to attain it if one does not follow the correct procedure. It has been said that this procedure, this method should be based on `Pran'ipa'tena, pariprashnena and sevaya'. That is to say, in order to succeed in the field of karma, one should be fully conversant with pran'ipa'tena, pariprashnena and sevaya'. What is the meaning of `pran'ipa'ta?' The word `pran'ipa'ta'; is derived from the Sam'skrta prefix `Pra' + `ni' + `pat' + `ghain' pran'-ni-pat + ghain. Pran'ipa'ta means `total surrender'. But where should one surrender? At the altar of one's goal. The Sa'dhaka should surrender totally and selflessly at the base of that altar. And to whom should one surrender? One is to surrender to the supreme goal of one's life, to the highest point of one's supreme stance. The second factor is `pariprashnena'. People generally ask questions to improve one's intellectual knowledge. Sometimes questions are asked simply to test someone's depth of learning. Again having ascertained something, sometimes questions are being asked in order to perform the karma rightly and properly. Here the meaning of `Pariprasna' means those questions whose answers one will execute in one's daily life. Questions are asked to obtain correct guidance so that one may march ahead and act accordingly. The third point is `sevaya''. `Seva' means rendering selfless service. To whom is this `Seva' to be offered? It is to be offered to the oppressed classes ascribing the idea of Na'ra'yan'a or Brahma on them. "By rendering this seva' or service, I am doing nothing extra-ordinary. Rather I feel grateful to the needy person for having given me the opportunity to serve." This is how one should feel while serving. Hence everyone should be conscious of the actional side of life in order to be successful. This actional side is nothing but to serve according to the direction of the main rules of `service' inherent in `Pran'ipa't, Pariprasna and Seva'.' 15 December 1978, Calcutta PARAMA PURUS'A -- THE ONLY BANDHU official source: A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 6 cross-references: none this version: is the printed A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 6, 1st edition, version (spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition. One of the names of Parama Purus'a is `Jagat-bandhu.' Why is He called Jagatbandhu? In the Sam'skrta language the word `Jagat' has been derived from the root word `gam'. `Gam' means to go, to move. `Jagata' means that which is moving or going, that is, `Jagata' has motion inherent in its nature. `To go' or `to move' is the main respect of the matter. Everything in this universe is in motion. Nothing is stationary. Even the pole star (dhruva tara) is not static. Everything is circling around, and that is why the universe is known as `jagata'. And Parama Purus'a is the bandhu (friend) of this jagata. What is the meaning of `bandhu'? In Sam'skrta, the meaning of the word `bandhu' is `to bind'. Bandhu indicates that person or entity who cannot stand separation. Parama Purus'a or Saguna Brahma is closely and intimately connected with this expressed world or jagata. He is pervasively connected with every individual entity, be it a living being or a crude object. He is also linked through and through with the universe as a whole. In other words, He is indissolubly and inextricably involved (ota prota) with everything. Therefore, He is the only bandhu of this universe. The rest of your bandhus in the physical world are not your eternal friends. Though they are with you now, a day will soon come when they will go away; they will be separated from you. When you depart from this world, these friends will accompany or carry your dead body. But how far will they accompany you? They will accompany your body up to the cremation ground or the burning ghat. Having gone so far, at the most they will return to their own dwelling places. So they are not your real bandhu. There is a sloka in Samskrta: "Atya'gasahano bandhu sadaeva'numatah suhrd, Eka kryam' bhavenmitram' samapra'n'a'h sakha'smrtah" He who loves too much, he who can never sustain grief of separation, is known as bandhu. In this sense, nobody can have any bandhu in this world. Only that jagatbandhu - that Parama Purus'a - can be your bandhu. None else is your bandhu. Only he is your real fried. `Sadaeva'numatah suhrd.' The meaning of this is that where there is no difference of opinion - where there is no conflict of ideas and ideals with a particular person - that person is called `suhrd'. In this world you also cannot have any suhrd, for differences of opinion will always arise, even within the family among brother and sister, among father and mother and among husband and wife. So neither in the family nor in society will you find a suhrd. `Ekakryam' bhavenmitram.' One who is engaged in the same line or profession with others, such a person is known in Samskrta as `mitram'; the English synonym is `colleague'. In this world you will find so many colleagues. Two physicians are mitram, that is, they are colleagues; so are two lawyers. But these colleagues will remain associated with you only as long as you are physically alive and exist in the world. When you die - discard your body - when your psychic entity and your body separate - then all those colleagues will no longer be with you to give you company. Only as long as your mind remains within your body structure will they remain with you. So, while you may have some colleagues or mitram in this world, they are not your eternal friends. In Samskrta, when the word `mitram' is used in neuter gender the meaning of the word is `colleague', and where it is used in the masculine sense the meaning is `the sun'. `Samapra'n'a'h sakha' smrtah'. Where love and devotion are so overwhelming that it appears as if there is only one entity in two bodies, such a pair of persons is known as `sakha''. The bhakta, the devotee, is the sakha of Parama Purus'a, because the bhakta can never think of him or herself as a separate entity from Him. Here he or she altogether forgets that he or she is separated from God. That is why Parama Purus'a is also a sakha' to His bhaktas and the bhakta is the sakha' of Parama Purus'a. For that reason Arjuna addressed Krs'n'a as his sakha' in the Giita' and Lord Krs'n'a, too, addressed Arjuna as His sakha'. You should also know - you should remember this truth - that the only well-wisher that you have in this universe, the only mitram, the only sakha is Parama Purus'a or that Infinite Entity. So it is your duty to strengthen the hand of your only bandhu in every sphere of your life. 16 December 1978, Calcutta THE THOUSAND-HEADED PURUS'A official source: A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 6 cross-references: none this version: is the printed A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 6, 1st edition, version (spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition. From very ancient times, human beings slowly started to realize that behind whatever they know and whatever they obtain behind every action - there is a very powerful force working as the cause. From then on human beings started to nurse a desire to reach or master that great force. Through this craving, this longing to know and to obtain - out of this hankering - the dharmabuddhi (intellect of dharma) of human beings has grown and developed in their minds. It can be said that form that very day that this dharmabuddhi arose in their minds, human beings became truly human. Before that the condition of humans was the same as that of other animals and birds. In those days the human intellect was not as widely developed as it is today. Rather than striving to attain the Supreme Goal, humans directed their thought and endeavor towards winning and realizing various objectives from that Supreme Being: `Give me this', `Destroy my enemies', etc. `Make me handsome, give me victory, shower me with honours, give me this, give me that, kill my enemy' - these were people's dharmacakra (practice of dharma) from prehistoric times. Thereafter humans came to understand and asked the question: `Whatever I am longing for - is that my real necessity? Do I fully understand what I really need? Do I know more than that entity who is a thousand times more intelligent than me - and is my dearest bandhu?' What is the capacity of the human brain? and how much of that capacity has been within human grasp? and humanity's Is't'a - not only their Is't'a, but the One who is also the source of everything, from whom humans have emerged and to whom they will one day return - is not His shakti. His intellect is more powerful than humanity's? Parama Purus'a is witnessing everything: He keeps a sharp watch and will keep everything under His observation constantly. `What more could I ask from Him? What I actually need He knows better than me.' A two or three-month-old boy does not know what his actual needs are. His mother knows best, knows everything. The child only cries and reminds his mother to do her duty. What is the duty of his mother? The child does not know. But he wants his mother to attend to her duties. The child only feels discomfiture - discontent. He feels something is required by him. Then his mother comes rushing to him and examines him. She observes that her child has caught a chill. Quickly the mother wraps him up in a quilt and the child stops crying. Or she observes that the child is hungry and needs milk. And he is given milk. For all of these, the child need only remind the mother by crying once; that is all. Parama Purus'a is the Father of this universe. He understands perfectly the needs of all. Even when one does not cry to Him, He will attend to His job. It is only for the satisfaction of one's own mind that one reminds him by crying a bit, there is nothing else in the matter. Humans have come with their limited capacity to stay in this world. If due to their ego and pride, they think that they have enough intellect, that they are powerful, then they will certainly commit a blunder, for in that case Parama Purus'a may think, `If you are such a capable person, if you have that much intellect, then why not attend to your own affairs and manage them by yourself?' A man gave his word to somebody: `Yes, you may come tomorrow morning at 8 o'clock. I am a man of my word. Please do come at 8 o' clock. But then he expired at seven o' clock; so 8 o' clock never came in his life again. So a clever person should say, `God willing, if Parama Purus'a so wishes, then I will meet you at 8 o' clock tomorrow morning.' If one says it in this way, then at least he or she stays true to his or her word. and if a person finds it difficult to utter such things then one may utter those words silently in one's mind. `Yes come tomorrow at 8 o'clock if God so wishes.' Have you not heard of `soliloquy' - as in the theatre and in drama? So the capacity of human beings is too small, too meager. And Parama Purus'a is: `Sahasra shrs'a'h purus'a sahasra'ks'ah sahasrapa'd Sa bhu'mirvishvato vrttva' atyatis't'hadasha'ungulam. Purus'a evedam' sarvam' yadbhu'tam yaccabhavyam' Uta'mrtatvasyesha'no yadanyena' dhirohati.' What is the nature of Parama Purus'a? You should know that in laukika Samskrta the word `sahasra' means a thousand. `Ha'za'ra' is a Persian word but in vaedika Samskrta `sahasra' means endless, innumerable, that which cannot be counted. In the early age human beings were not proficient in counting figures above a thousand. They understood `sahasra' to mean too many, countless or innumerable. For example, to some of the original tribes, the figure 20 was the highest digit. Why? Because people used to show one finger to count `one', then used two fingers to indicate `two', a hand for showing five denoted the digit `five', which is pa'nja' or painca; in the Persian language `pa'inja'' means five. And what did they do when the figure was ten? They would show both hands. To denote fifteen, two hands and a foot were shown. And twenty means both hands and both feet, that is, the whole body. In the Austric language, the word `kud' means the whole of a human being; thus, `kuri' means the entire body of a person also. The Bengali word `vish' is derived from the Samskrta word `Vim'sah'. The word `kuri' is from a non-Aryan dialect - a pure Bengali wording. Even now among some lesser-developed groups of people traders will count `one kuri, two kuri' when buying and selling. Similarly, in the old age people used to take the meaning of 'sahasra' as countless or innumerable. So, what does `Sahasra shris'a'h purus'a' mean? It means that Parama Purus'a has innumerable brains, not one or two or a few. He has innumerable brains. On the other hand, humans have only one small brain in a small cranium. Yet people boast, `I am this. I am that, I am such a vastly learned fellow - a pandit.' The clever ones never boast; they think themselves so only in their minds. But those who are a bit foolish, they boast out loud; they declare that they are pandits. `Saharsa shrs'a'h purus'ah.' That means, `Pure shete'yah sah purus'ah' or, Purashi shete yah purus'ah'. That is, Parama Purus'a is lying in front of you. Here `lying down' means He is doing something. What is He doing? He is watching what you are engaged in. What your are doing He is only witnessing - He Himself is not engaged in anything. When the time comes He will say His piece. So this is `Sahasra shrs'a'h purus'ah.' He possesses innumerable brains. What can you achieve with your one brain? The time is running out; you should say to Him, `You have so many brains. O Lord; so please think of me. What can I do with my single brain?' It is as if one is reminding Him by shedding tears. `Saharsa shrsa' purus'ah sahasra'ks'a sahasrapa'd'. Parama Purus'a has countless eyes. What can a person see with one pair of eyes? Such a person cannot see far enough. But Parama Purus'a has innumerable eyes: He is sahasra'kas'. He is witnessing everything. There is no scope to conceal anything from Him. Why? Because He is watching everything. This jagata has been emerging from His thought-wave.Therefore all the created beings - all the created objects - are floating in His thought or moving out from Him in his thought-flow. His orbit is surrounded by so many waves of so many lengths, so many vibrations and vibrational expressions. So there remains nothing to conceal. Concealing is not at all possible. If Parama Purus'a desires not to witness or hear anything, He will be unable to do it. If people do not want to see anything through their crude eyes they can simply shut their eyes. But the images in the mental eyes will remain in the mind and flutter. So to try not to see anything will do no good in this case for the mental eyes have no eyelids that you can shut as you wish. `Saharsapa'da'. Countless legs. Suppose I have to go to Patna. I have to think and plan the trip - how shall I go? When shall I start from home? When shall I reach there? And so on. And there is so much paraphernalia. From Dhaka comes the news that no, nothing can be arranged; so, other arrangements for passport, visa, train or plane fare, etc., may have to be made. All this because you have legs at Calcutta only. If you want to reach Tejgaon (in Bangladesh) you shall have to cover a certain distance in between - a considerable distance between two points. But for those who have one of their legs at Dumdum and the other at Tejgaon there is no separate need for them to go to Dhaka from Calcutta; the inhabitants of Dhaka will declare that they are in Dhaka because they have one leg in Dhaka, while the people in Calcutta will say they are in Calcutta. `Sahasrapa'da' means countless legs. Hence, for Him there is no question of traveling from one place to another. `Apa'nipa'do yavano grahita' pashyatyacaks'uh sa shrnotyakarn'ah, Sa' vetti vedyam' na ca tasya'sti vetta' tama'huragryam' purus'a maha'ntam.' `Pa'ni' means that front side of the hand called the palm in English. The pronunciation for `bine' of `bina'pa'ni' is guttural. In Bengali it is being wrongly pronounced. Apa'nipa'da means no hands - no palms. If one offers something to you in reverence you accept by stretching your hand. But that Entity who does not possess any hand or palm or leg, yet is always roaming everywhere, stretches out no hand - yet He accepts. He is the receiver of everything. `Pashatyacaks'uh' means what is known as laukika caks'u - loukik eyes, the crude eyes. He does not possess that kind of eyes. Yet He is watching everything. He witnesses everything through His mental eyes. His inner eyes. He can do so because all dwell in His mind. He does not have any need for loukik eyes. Similarly, He hears through His inner ears all that people have been thinking and contemplating in their minds. What is the mental thought-wave? When people think, what is that `thinking'? `Cinata' or thinking is nothing but conversing mentally. Just think and see, you will observe that you are mentally talking to yourself. `I will go to the house of my maternal uncle'; `I will tell something to my cousin'. When you are thinking such things you will observe that you are talking mentally to yourself. And the One who is sitting in the inner core of your mind has heard all these mental conversations of yours. `Sa shrnotya karn'ah'. With the help of one's crude ears one cannot hear anything; at best only nearby sounds can be heard. `Sa vetti vedyam' na ca tasya'sti vetta'.' He knows everything but there is no second entity to know Him because He is not in your mind - you are in His mind. So how will you know Him? He is called Agra Purus'a or Parama Purus'a. `Sahasrapa'da; means He is everywhere. Everything is sheltered in His mind. Suppose you are thinking about Tarakeshvara. You will find that the temple of Tarakeshvara and the Tarakeshvara railway station are both in your mind. Neither is outside. Similarly nothing is outside of His mind. Hence, He is everywhere. `Sa bhu'mirvishvato vrttva' atya'tis't'ha dasha'ungulam'. He is everywhere; He is present in every object. But is that enough? Does it close the chapter? Is He not more? Yes, He is more than that. For this crude, this created world, is also sheltered in Him because He is the causal entity of this created world. This created world was not manifested in a day. It has a cause behind it; it has its causal form. And He knows that causal form. Suppose you want to make an earthen toy - a doll. Before molding you will arrange for clay, you will obtain dyes and colours. You will have to secure all that is necessary in order to make a doll. So that idea, that conception of the earthen doll first blossomed in you. The doll was also there in the form of clay - in those materials from which the doll took its shape and form. In other words, there is a causal factor for everything, and that causal factor is the effect factor of the previous causal form. Everything we observe in the practical world, in this crude world, is a 'cause/effect' factor. The `actional' factor is the effect and the causal entity is the form which acts behind the effect. That is due to that cause, an action is being performed - like the seed, the tree and its fruit. Therefore, if we trace back by the cause and effect formula we will find the causal factor at every end. And if we go further back we discover that causal factor again. If we try to find the causal factor behind `A', we find its parent, `B'. Behind `B' we will find `C' as `B's parent. That is, if we proceed toward the cause, we discover that the cause is an `action' too, having a `cause' behind it. So what is the causal factor of this created universe? If we trace back, we find a causal factor behind every action. The causal factor of luci (puffed, paper-thin bread) is flour. And the causal factor of flour is wheat. Wheat has its plant as its causal factor and the causal factor of the plant is the soil. Similarly, if we retrace our steps we will find that whatever is there, Parama Purus'a is the causal factor. That is, under no circumstances can you escape from His presence. Wherever you go you find you are caught. That day I told you that the poet Rabindranath in one of his songs said: `Vishvajora' pha'nd petecha, Kemane dei pha'nki. A'dhek dhara' padechi go, a'dhek a'che ba'ki'. (`You have set a world-wide trap, how can I evade Half of mine is already trapped, leaving the other half as free) I would say, no, you have not been half-caught. You have been trapped fully and squarely. `Sa bhu'mirvishvato vrttva' atyatis't'ha dasha'ungulam.' Beyond the reach of the causal factor, there is also a world of ideas - a causal world - all of which is also sheltered in Him. That is why He has been described, `Atyatis't'ha dasha'ungulam.' The a'jina' cakra or pituitary gland controls the mind - the conscious and sub-conscious mind directly and the unconscious mind indirectly; it is the seat of the mind, the place where the mind dwells. But above that factor there is a causal factor. From where has the mind emerged? It emerged from a'tma tattva. Here also He is present and that form of Parama Purus'a is called `atyatis't'ha dasha'ungulam'. In other words, He is present just ten fingers above the psychic world. That means He is present in the a'tmika jagata too. What is the sahasra'ra cakra? Sahasra'ra cakra is the place or point where A'tma and Parama'tma both reside. It is situated ten fingers above the pineal gland. That is why it has been called `atyatis't'ha dasha'ungulam'. In other words, ten fingers above the pineal gland He is present - He has His abode. That is, in both paramatattva and a'tmika jagata, He is present. Nobody remains outside of Him. From the hoary past, humans have been moving forward step by step to attain Him, and in so doing they have reached this advanced age of today. For most of that time people pursued the path of jina'na and the path of karma. Finally, when the advancement of intellect and wisdom reached their supreme height, humans saw that jina'na is nothing but a product of the brain and karma originates from the hands and feet. How much shakti can a person have to pursue such a path? If people exert their brain with too much thinking they become bewildered. At the time of examinations many students' heads spin. So this is the capacity of humans. And if by chance one comes out successful in the examination, he or she wants and earns a rest - and relaxes or goes to a cinema show. And to, what has been learned, is forgotten within a day or two. What students have laboured for three months to master is altogether forgotten within two days after the examination is over. Such things are natural. So how far can jina'na and karma take one? But what does the bhakta say? He or she declares, `No, I have no worry. For I am moving towards You. You pull me up and I shall run.' `Chote ye jana ba'nsiir ta'ne Se ki ta'kay pather pa'ne?' That is, those who run after the flute, do they care for the path? They run after the sweet music of the flute. They do not suffer from any individual ego. They have their devotion as the best course to follow. They pursue the path of bhakti. The greatest man of wisdom and jina'na who ever took birth in India that great Shankara'ca'rya who was acclaimed and worshiped as Bhagava'na - also admitted in clear cut language about 1300 years ago: `Moks'aka'ran'a samagrya'm bhaktireva gariyasaii.' Of all the avenues there are to attain salvation, the path of bhakti is the best. And people reaching the highest peaks of intellect and wisdom have discovered this ultimate truth. Prior to that they failed to do so. That is why I said in a general darshan in Bombay that the jina'na ma'rgiis of this world are class three people in their intelligence and wisdom. And the karma ma'rgiis are the second class people. And those who are bhakti ma'rgiis - they are the superior type of people with respect to intelligence and wisdom, because they are the very people who are utilizing their short lifespan fully and properly. 17 December 1978, Calcutta KNOWING AND NOT KNOWING official source: A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 6 cross-references: none this version: is the printed A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 6, 1st edition, version (spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition. `Knowing' is a particular psychic projection. `Not-knowing' is also a psychic projection, though of another form. One is positive and the other is negative. But both are psychic projections of the same type. That is why it has been said in the Vedas: `Na'ham manye suvedeti no na vedeti veda ca, Yo nastatveda tatveda no na dedeti.' The Vaedika Rs'i has said: "I do not think that I know nor do I think that I don't know." "Because whether I know or I do not know, both of them are my mental projections only." That which we know as Paramatattva is beyond the periphery of ma'nasatattva. Therefore it is not possible to transform Paramatattva or give it a particular shape or form by thinking or exercising mental power. The Vaedika Rs'i has justly said, "I do not know whether I know or I do not know," for whatever comes under the purview of knowledge or jina'na will have to be given a positive or negative form. Yet what remains beyond the reach of the mental sphere - what remains above the feeling of the psychic world - can be given neither a positive nor a negative mental shape. For example, what is non-existence? It can be given a shape only by mental debilitation or by psychic impairment. In ma'nasa tattva, positive and negative valuation are nothing but mental actions. And the one who stays beyond ma'nasa satta cannot be brought under the jurisdiction of such mental actions. That is why it has been said: `Yasya'matam' tasyamatam' matam' yasya no veda sah Avijina'natam' vija'natam' vijina'tam vija'natam.' Suppose some one says, `I know this thing very well. I shall show you it is so, if such and such a book is available.' But what does he show? He takes a book of geography published in 1912 which lists Calcutta as the capital of India. No doubt the book is correct, for in 1912 the capital of India was transferred from Calcutta to Delhi. Hence all the previous books state truly that Calcutta is the capital of India. Now this person is putting forth based on that book published in 1912 and shows that book in support. But the book itself is now incorrect, for indeed all books published after 1912 will list Delhi as the capital. Of course, Delhi is not the capital now. New Delhi is now India's capital. So those who deem themselves greatly learned and proudly state that they know, do not really know. On the other hand, those persons who think that they do not know anything, may be the ones who actually know. So if we want to know who is knowledgeable and who is ignorant, it will be very difficult to arrive at a correct judgment. Off hand we cannot make any comment. Out of the blue (phat), we cannot say anything. Before deciding we shall have to ponder very deeply. I shall conclude the subject with a few remarks on a particular word I just used - phat, which means instantly. In the Tantrika system of old there were three vijas - phat, bashat and bausat. Before performing different sorts of kriya, a particular one of these vijas would be used as a pledge. In the kriya, the viija has quickly transformed into action. That is to say, the though process was made to act very quickly. All of a sudden if one wanted to go to Cuttack and he or she set out then and there - he or she gave his or her wish an immediate actional form. So in the system of Tantra, if one wanted to transform his or her kriya or thought into quick action, then the phat mantra or incantation was uttered before performing the action. We can say that such and such person is doing `phat phat' - that he or she has a lot of `phat phat'. Thus that particular viija is called phat in the sense of performing an action very quickly - instantly. As I have told you, one cannot tell `phatly' or instantly whether a particular person is a learned person or a fool. One has to think a great deal before commenting on such a thing. Here it is better not to apply the Ta'ntrika viija 'phat' mantra. 20 December 1978, Calcutta BHAKTI IS THE BEST AVENUE FOR SALVATION official source: A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 6 cross-references: none this version: is the printed A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 6, 1st edition, version (spelling mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition. 1300 years ago, India gave birth to a great Jina'na-ma'rgii by the name of Shankara'ca'rya. He said that amongst all the avenues for salvation, devotion or bhakti is the best course. Now what is bhakti? `Bhaktirbhagavatoseva' bhaktih premasvaru'pinii, Bhaktira'nandaru'pa' ca bhaktih bhaktasya jiivanam'. It has been said that `Bhaktirbhagavatoseva''. The root verb `bhaj' plus the suffix-ktin make up the word bhakti. That means not giving any importance to worldly or physical things; all the thought-processes of one's mind should be directed towards Parama Purus'a. Withdrawing the mind from the material world, those withdrawn mental propensities should be goaded towards Parama Purus'a. This is what is known as bhakti. Now what is `bhagavatoseva''? How should people serve Parama Purus'a? Mahars'i Na'rada has said, `Bhaktibhagavatoseva'. Now how can one serve Parama Purus'a? Parama Purus'a does not want any seva' or service. But Parama Purus'a has many children in this universe, and you should serve them all. That service to His children is service or seva' to Him. It does not matter that He does not want any service. It is of no use to try to serve Parama Purus'a directly, for what can you offer to please him, to satisfy Him? There is nothing that you can offer to Him, for He has everything - He has no want. This world is full of precious stones and jewels. He owns them all. So what can you offer Him? What have you got with you to offer? Moreover, Parama Prakrti is His spouse. If even Parama Purus'a should ask for anything, Parama' Prakrti would provide it instantly. You do not have that capacity. What can Parama Purus'a ask from human beings? Suppose Parama Purus'a wanted a cup of coffee. It would take you a minute and a half to prepare it, whereas Parama' Prakrti would produce it in the twinkle of an eye. You could never match that performance. So what should you offer to Him. `Deyam kimapi bhavate Purus'ottamaya'. "O Parama Purus'a, O my Lord Purus'ottama, what can I offer to you? I can offer you nothing because I have nothing to offer. And whatever I would offer, such as flowers, garlands, sandal paste, whatever I want to offer you - all of those things have been created by you. That is why I am able to offer them to you. So the actual ownership is yours. The only difference is that they are being offered through my hands". "But I am accustomed to people telling me, O Parama Purus'a, that I am a third class devotee. I have also heard that those who are first class devotees, prominent bhaktas, famous bhaktas, have satisfied and pleased you so greatly with their action that they have managed to snatch away your mind from you. You have surrendered your mind,for the top bhaktas of yours have taken it away form you. So, if they have taken your mind, then you must have some vacuum - some want in you. But O Parama Purus'a, you don't have to worry. I offer my mind to you - please accept it." One can please Parama Purus'a in this way. 21 December 1978, Calcutta