BHAKTI - A MEANS AND AN END IN ITSELF 

"Om trisu satyesu Bhaktireva gariyasi Bhaktireva gariyasi" (Naradiya Bhakti-Sutra)-declares Narada after a careful inquiry into the respective merits of knowledge, Rituality's and Devotion: 'Of the three truths (Jnan, Karma, Bhakti), Bhakti is decidedly the most glorious, aye, Bhakti is decidedly the most glorious!' It is in itself an admission of the other two paths of Jnan and Karma, and of their leading to the goal; but prefer ability of the path of bhakti is claimed on the ground that it is the path and the goal in one. The Gita speaks of the respective merits of each; but it is the Bhagawat that shows bhakti as the golden path among the three. As earlier said God and life (jiwa) are one in species with the only difference that God is beyond and jiwa is below maya: "Maya-mugdhah bhavet jiwah: Maya-muktah Sadasiwah." God has infinite power while man's power is limited. God is therefore able to afford shelter and man is apt to seek it. Bhakti is this seeking of shelter.

Bhakti bifurcates itself into viddha (selfish) and suddha (selfless), and the former again subdivides itself into karmaviddha (ritualistic) and jnana-viddha (intellectualistic). Ritualistics are called bubhuksu (hungry) for they make sacrifices, gifts etc.in order that they may feed themselves better; and Intellectualistic are called mumuksu (salvation-seekers) who take recourse to meditation etc. Suddha Bhakti (selfless devotion) is characterised by being ahaituki (love for love's sake), apratihata (un-interrupted), krcchrahina (non-tyrannising), abyabhichari (unadulterated). Sankardew preached Suddha Bhakti. Even in his earliest work, Uddhawa Sambad, he advocates bhakti:

"Nachade karmik soke-dukhe prati dine:
Jnanato nahike gati Bhakatit bine.
Ane najanay ito Vedar bicar:
Eteke Bhakati-path sammat amar." 36.

'Ritualists are under tribulations of grief and sorrow from day to day. There can be no deliverance from them even by acquisition of knowledge without the aid of Bhakti. Laymen are ignorant of the true verdict of the Vedas. So the path of Bhakti is the one that I approve.' Still later he is more eloquent:

"Jagatar dharma karma karok sakale:
Moke atma buli yadi jane yoga bale.
Tathapi pavitra tar nohe tanu citta:
Neday mrtyu bhay jnani karmi kadacita. 49.
Napaway mok yag-yog yajna-dane:
Maha mantra japi koti sata tirtha-snane.
Napawe amak ekadasi upabase:
Nakaray basya mok param sanyase. 59.
An karma karia michate mare loka:
Bhaktar sangese samyaka jane moka. 60.
Dewato tirthato kari bhakatese bar:
Bhakatak bhajile gucay karma-jar. 65.
Thakoho sarvada mai bhakatar pas:

(Krsna says) 'Let any body do all virtues and rituals that there be in the world; let him know Me as the soul by dint of yoga: Yet his body and heart cannot become pure. For the intellectualist and ritualist can never escape the fear of death. None can attain Me by sacrifices, meditations and gifts, not by murmuring great incantations, not by bathing in a hundred cores of pilgrimages. None can attain Me by observing fasts on ekadasi, nor can great renunciation of the world overwhelm Me. Men mortify themselves in vain by making rituals. It is really the congregation of Bhaktas that can know Me. Superior to the gods and better than pilgrimage are the Bhaktas. All vices accompanying performance of rituals are removed when one is devoted to Bhaktas. I am always in the company of Bhaktas and I do their bidding as though I have been their own slave.'

Yei bole sei karo yena nija das. 71.

The vast and varied Mahapurusiya literature is too eloquent with the praise of bhakti to need further illustrations. The question is sometimes raised by erudition or sophistry as to Sankardew's attitude towards salvation, though it is stupid in itself in view of the glare of the Mahapurusiya literature on the point. As has already been seen, Sankardew preached only Suddha Bhakti (Love for love's sake) and seeking of salvation belongs to the opposite campaign of viddha bhakti(selfish love). Again as has already been quoted, the five muktis dog the selfless devotee crying 'O father, pick me up.' They come unasked and as a matter of course. Even refusing, he cannot avoid it. True it is, Sankardew sometimes says:

"Bhai mukhe bola Ram, hrdaye dhara rup:
Tevese mukuti paiba kahilo svarup."

'Oh brother, utter the name of God with the mouth, and think of His form in heart: then alone you will secure salvation, I tell you the right thing." It is a mere inducement for the dullard. The Bhakta who is to be adored is he "who is averse even to salvation" as has already been quoted from the first verse of Nam-Ghosa. Has not Sankardew himself declared in his Bhakti-Ratnakar?

"Tomar Bhaktar mukhe tayu kathamrta:
Srawan karita napay yito mukutita. 222.
Kadacit sito mukutit banca nai".223.

'I never care for salvation in which one is deprived of drinking the nectar of Thy glories from the mouth of Thy Bhakta.' Also in his Kirttan Sankardew declares:

"Nalage lina mukutika tatha:
Nahi Hari-pada-pankaja yatha." 114.

'I refuse the salvation in which, being merged in Thee, I miss Thy lotus feet."

'Think of His form in thy heart', said Sankardew, to be sure. The question is again raised, does Sankardew say that God has the average (human) form? The reply is strongly negative, for has it not been distinctly said in the Nam-Ghosa:

"Yatek prakrt / akar barjit / bhailanta yihetu Hari:
Sehi hetutese / Nirakar nam /achanta Isware dhari." 162.

'God is called form-less as he is devoid of average form". Similarly he is called nirguna, for He is above the average qualities of sattva, rajas and tamas. But it is certainly beyond average conception to feel anything like that. So the Nam Ghosa gives a clarification on this point too:

"Param durbodha atma-tattva / tar jnan arthe Hari yata:
Lila awatar dharatumi Krpamay:
Tahan caritra sudha-sindhu / tat krida kari Dina-bandhu
Cari purusartha trnar sama karay." 640.

'The philosophy of Self is highly unintelligible. In order to appraise of it all-merciful God assumes sham incarnations. Characters of such incarnations are nectrine seas. By plunging in them the Friend of the poor makes the four efforts(Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksa) as simple as the grass.' Thus while the philosophy of Brahma taught by the Upanisads is not totally denied, and while Mahapurus is conceived by Sankardew even as beyond Brahma, he admits sham incarnation as necessary gradual steps for realisation of the philosophy of Self. It may be for the intellectuals to meditate Nirguna Brahma as so'ham (He is Me), but Sankardew totally discards this path of jnana as too difficult for the average people, if not sheer unpractical. Sankardew also discards the path of Karma (ritualities) as slippery and unsuitable, but wholly advocates the path of Bhakti (Love) which is not only highly suitable and universally practicable , but is also quite easy and practical. Not only so, but as the Nam-Ghosa declares: "Nirgun Krsna / gunak prakash / karila Sri Sankare."357. [It is Sri Sankar (-dew) who has revealed the guna (virtues) of God who is Himself nirguna (above virtues)].

Gunas(virtues) are earthly which God is certainly not. Sankardew has interpreted Nirguna, that is incomprehensible, in terms of his gunas or glories which are quite comprehensible and yet not earthly. In Nam-Ghosa:

"Tayu gun-Nam hari / kewal nirgun matra
Awar samasta gunamay:
Eteka jania Hari / tomar Namak matra,
Karilo sar / Krpamay." 74.

'O God, Thy gunas of Nam(or glories) alone are nirguna(non-earthly or eternal), all else are gunamay(earthly or ephemeral). Knowing this O the merciful One, I have considered Thy Nam (glories) as the soul (of reality).' So in Mahapurusism the saguna or nirguna forms worship meet and are blended into one, and we come once more to Nam-Dharma, which Sankardew extols in a hundred ways. "Yataye parama, Dharama Karama, savakahu raja nam;" "Dewaka upari, raja Madhawa, dharma upari Nam"(Kaliya Daman). In the Bhakti Ratnakar, he says about his conception of Godhead:

"Paramatma Hari / Bijnan-murati / nirakar, niramay:
Nitya Niranjan / Ananda svarup / deh-indri nahikay. 764.
Tathapi sunay / bacan bolay / bastuk sawa dharay. 765.
Gatiko karay / basia thakay / kahako karanta hat:
Jagatar karta / palay sawako / samhare sawa jagat.
Srajia jagat / sada thake tat / ati udasin bhawe:
Nahike akul / samsarar dose / tahak eko napawe. 766.

'God is the Soul supreme. He is science personified. He is without form and devoid of defects. He is ever spotless. He is joy incarnate. He is without body and devoid of organs of sense. Yet He hears, utter words, catches hold of things. He moves, sits, and kills whom-so-ever it needs. He is the master of the world. He preserves all and annihilates the world. He makes the world, and keeps there very indifferently. He has no anxiety. Vices of the world do not reach him." So Sankardew's God is not a do-nothing king. He reigns and also rules. ###