Slokam 8

The sage rushes to the Paramathma in Vaikunta for help.  In one of the most profound statements in the Bhagavatham,  the Paramathma lets the sage know that He Himself is only at the service of His Bhaktas, and that He is not their master.

The implication of the statement is that if a wrong is done to His Bhaktas,  the Paramathma will come to their protection immediately. That means that all of the Paramathma’s Bhaktas will never face any danger in this life. However it must be kept in mind that to be considered the Paramathma’s Bhakta,  all of His teachings regarding the conduct of our lives must be adhered to very strictly.  It is not possible to be considered the Paramathma’s Bhakta by being wayward.

The principles of discharging one’s assigned duties without attachment or the seeking of rewards must be strictly adhered to. Our sincerity will be fully tested by the events of life. 

The Paramthma goes on to advise the sage  that the knowledge that the sage possesses and the austerity that he practices will be respected only if it is blended with modesty. 

The Paramathma is not talking about superficial modesty or humility.  In fact,  the Paramathma’s teachings of the principles of life has a fundamental requirement that the attainment must be genuine.  There can be no pretensions. The tests of life are not only intense,  and are also prolonged over an entire life time, or most likely, over many life times.

Once we attain the state of complete detachment, the state of mukti, or liberation from births and deaths is assured. 

Paramathma requests Durvasa to approach Ambarisha and fall at his feet to seek forgivance.

The Paramathma’s humility in placing Himself at the service of His Bhaktas is exemplary.  He is the ultimate source of power in the universe and all of us are created and moulded by Him.  When we recognize the Paramathma’s supremacy and abide by His requirement of intent and conduct,  as enunciated in the Bhagavath Gita and Bhagavatham,  only then are we on the path to true liberation. 

The primary requirement of this journey with the Paramathma is Bhakthi.  No matter what our perceived condition in this life is – whether rich or poor, healthy or unhealthy,  extraordinary or ordinary,  high status or low status,  etc., our devotion to the Paramathma should not be compromised. Given the distractions of this world, this state is not easy to attain,  unless our consciousness is oriented towards Him every moment.  The effort can be a blend of holding His image,  in hour visual minds,  contemplating His teachings by recalling the events portrayed in the Puranas and Ithihasas,  acknowledging the innumerable interventions that He has made in our lives to rescue us from dire straits,  listening to the sages extolling His greatness (which is now available to all of us on the internet),  and most importantly,  discharging our duties without seeking any rewards.

Once we are able to hold the Paramathma unflinchingly in our consciousness,  everything else will fall into place.   We will be able to face life with neither fear nor insecurity. 

One very important requirement for this to happen, is that what is in the (unpleasant) past should be discarded.  It should never be allowed to send the mind into moroseness and regret.

May we ever remain conscious of the Paramathma with our every breath.