Slokam 5

In this Slokam, Sri Bhattadri, is mildly accusative and threatening of the Paramathama.  He basically says that his understanding is that complete devoption to the Paramathma is the only way out of all worldly miseries and requests the Paramathma that he be endowed with total perfection in his devotion. 

This is a key statement on what our role is in the process of life and where our mental efforts should be directed at.  We do not control this world. We do not control our bodies.  The only sphere of influence that we have been allowed to have is on our inner self.  The inner self is the mind and conscience. The forces that drive the mind are the opposites.  We seek to perpetuate our physical existence by relating to and participating in the activities of the world as part of the human race of which we are a member. 

The way we control the mind and focus of its attention, is to keep it fixed on the Paramathma at all times.  This devotion requires acceptance, with grace, of all that is given, not being attached to worldly objects, not seeking rewards. These are not easy to develop.  The process of developing these qualities is the test of life. 

For a moment, think about the events in your life. The ones that are pleasant and the ones that are devastating in nature. The pleasant ones are considered by the mind as a victory. The unpleasant ones are considered to be a personal disaster where we ruminate on the alternate paths that we could have taken to avoid the disaster. In fact as the Paramathma says in the Bhagavath Gita, it is He that is the Cause, He that is the effect and the experiencer. Then, in that case, as Adi Sankara asks, who are we? Who am I? And most importantly, what is my role? What am I trying to do? What can I do?

There is no doubt that life puts us into situations and forces us to act. Exactly as in the Mahabharatham. Inaction is not an option. How do we act? Arjuna in the Mahabharatham is blessed by the physical presence of the Paramathma who provides guidance on action. Arjuna is reluctant to accept the advice to fight and destroy the evil forces of the Kauravas. Arjuna ultimately makes the choice to take up the dharmic avenue of fighting the evil forces, only after the Paramathma tells him clearly that the Atma within us is indestructible and it is only the physical body that is the subject of creation and destruction. He also explains that Arjuna is only a tool in the process and the actual creation and destruction are going to be accomplished by Himself.

After the battle of Kurukshetra is over, Yudhishtira wants to know who excelled on the battlefield and who made the difference.  The Paramathma asks Him to consult His Vahana, Garuda, who would have a “birds eye view” of the battlefield. Garuda, tells Yudhishtira that all that He could see from above was that the Paramathma’s chakra was flying around and destroying the Kauravas.  So the only factor behind the Pandava Victory over the Kauravas, was the Paramathma Himself. 

Very symbolically, at the beginning, of the conflict, Duryodhana is given a choice. Does He want the Paramathma on his side or does he want the Paramathma’s forces?  He opts for the military forces of the Paramathma as opposed to the unlimited support that the Paramathma Himself can bring. 

When Arjuna asks the Paramathma if He can show Him His true form, the Paramathma, expands to a huge dimension and Arjuna sees the destructive aspect of the Paramathma in a display of arms and the Kauravas being sucked into Himself and being decimated. The Paramathma tells Arjuna that the Kauravas have already been destroyed by Him, and Arjuna is only going through the motions of battle.  It is then that Arjuna (which is really ourselves), that picks up the arms and gets battle ready. The battle of life is to be won or lost. The Paramathma’s “services” have to be invoked. He is always ready to help. But we have to invoke Him and surrender completely.  Most of us go thru the battle of life without resorting to this option. Like Duryodhana, we trust our limited skills more than the Paramathma’s unlimited capability.  This is the dominance of the forces of Karma, attachment, Ego, greed, desires that we have to overcome. Unless we transcend these forces, with which we are born, we will not attain the Paramathma.

The Paramathma, has clearly stated in the Gita, that without His guidance, we will be lost.

An element of doubt is planted in this Slokam when Sri Bhattadri says that if Devotion does not work, then all the sayings of Sri Veda Vyasa will not carry any value.  This last part is probably not warranted, and is not meant to be misunderstood as a threat.  It is more of a desparate appeal of someone for whom all other roads of recovery are blocked.  Given the physical condition of Sri Bhattadri, this should be viewed in the correct perspective.

The reason why there should be no doubt about devotion working, even if you are not spiritually oriented.  The effort involved in disciplining the mind to focus and invoke the Paramathma, requires a lot of discipline and dedication. Giving up unwanted qualities like desires, greed, as well as the inclination to be dominant (Rajasic),  requires dedicated effort that in itself will be the transformation.

So there should be no doubt whatsoever that this is the path to take. There should be absolutely no question that the prescribed path is the only path that will work.