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    Narada Bhakti Sutra A Summary of Swami Tadatmananda's Discourse September 12, 2006 Arsha Bodha Center, Somerset, NJ

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    1) Although the Narada Bhakti Sutra is attributed to Narada muni, evidence suggests it was written by another, more recent author who attributed it to Narada to give it wider acceptance. 2) There is a misconception that bhakti is only for the emotional or devotional, but bhakti is an essential practice for spiritual growth along with other paths like karma, jnana, and dhyana. 3) Studying the Narada Bhakti Sutra can help understand that bhakti and jnana are inseparable, and that at its highest level bhakti is enlightenment.

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    Narada Bhakti Sutra A Summary of Swami Tadatmananda's Discourse September 12, 2006 Arsha Bodha Center, Somerset, NJ

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    sgouris
    71 views2 pages
    1) Although the Narada Bhakti Sutra is attributed to Narada muni, evidence suggests it was written by another, more recent author who attributed it to Narada to give it wider acceptance. 2) There is a misconception that bhakti is only for the emotional or devotional, but bhakti is an essential practice for spiritual growth along with other paths like karma, jnana, and dhyana. 3) Studying the Narada Bhakti Sutra can help understand that bhakti and jnana are inseparable, and that at its highest level bhakti is enlightenment.

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    Bhakti Sutra

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    Bhakti Sutra

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    1) Although the Narada Bhakti Sutra is attributed to Narada muni, evidence suggests it was written by another, more recent author who attributed it to Narada to give it wider acceptance. 2) There is a misconception that bhakti is only for the emotional or devotional, but bhakti is an essential practice for spiritual growth along with other paths like karma, jnana, and dhyana. 3) Studying the Narada Bhakti Sutra can help understand that bhakti and jnana are inseparable, and that at its highest level bhakti is enlightenment.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    71 views2 pages

    Narada Bhakti Sutra A Summary of Swami Tadatmananda's Discourse September 12, 2006 Arsha Bodha Center, Somerset, NJ

    Uploaded by

    sgouris
    1) Although the Narada Bhakti Sutra is attributed to Narada muni, evidence suggests it was written by another, more recent author who attributed it to Narada to give it wider acceptance. 2) There is a misconception that bhakti is only for the emotional or devotional, but bhakti is an essential practice for spiritual growth along with other paths like karma, jnana, and dhyana. 3) Studying the Narada Bhakti Sutra can help understand that bhakti and jnana are inseparable, and that at its highest level bhakti is enlightenment.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Narada Bhakti Sutra

    A summary of Swami Tadatmanandas Discourse


    September 12, 2006
    Arsha Bodha Center, Somerset, NJ
    Summarized by Kishin J. Kripalani, Ph.D
    Although this text, Narada Bhakti Sutra, is attributed to Narada muni, it is quite
    clear that it is written by some other author. Narada, as such, is associated with
    many ancient stories of Mahabharata and Puranas. This text, based on its context
    and linguistic evidence, appears to be more recent than the life period of Narada.
    Nevertheless, the value of this or any other text is in its contents rather than its
    age and author. The author of this text apparently wanted it to be read widely,
    and for that reason attributed it to Narada. This text is titled as Sutra, which
    means its written very concisely and precisely.
    The title of this book might suggest that its a book that follows the path of Bhakti
    Marga. For that reason, its worth noting that there is a common misconception
    about bhakti among students of Vedanta. Vedantins think that bhakti is not an
    intellectual pursuit and conclude, Its not for me! But Vedanta is not an
    intellectual pursuit of knowledge; Vedanta is for spiritual growth. And bhakti is
    one of the essential practices (sadhana) for spiritual growth. The idea that there
    are four separate paths (marga) for spiritual growth (viz. karma; bhakti; dhyana
    and jnana), and that we can chose only one of them depending on our
    personality, is a misconception. Its a mistake to assign ourselves to narrow
    categories (bhakti for emotional types, jnana for intellectuals, etc). We need them
    all! Just as for cooking rice, we cant choose among fire, water, and a pot we
    need them all.
    One reason for studying Naradas Bhakti Sutra is just that, i.e, we need it as an
    essential sadhana. Secondly, bhakti, properly understood, is not simply intense
    tapasya as it is depicted in puranic stories and in movies. In the study of Naradas
    Bhakti Sutra, we will see inseparability of bhakti and jnanam. We will see the
    deeper and more profound meaning of bhakti; more than devotion to God or
    divine love. At its highest level, bhakti is enlightenment!
    It is important to understand that bhakti is not a gradual process that progresses
    from desire (kama, which is romantic love or sexual attraction) to emotional love
    (prema) to bhakti. Although, all three have some element of love, they are all
    completely different from one another. A good way to understand any absence
    of a continuum among the three is to consider the metaphor of a seed (kama)

    giving rise to a tree (prema) and the tree bearing a fruit (bhakti). Although the tree
    arises from the seed, and the fruit from the tree, the tree and the seed are very
    different and so are the tree and the fruit. Tree is not a bigger form of the seed
    and the fruit is not an intense form of tree. Similarly, bhakti is not an intense form
    of conventional or emotion based love and emotional love is not physical love or
    sexual attraction. Physical love is rooted in the physiology of the body like
    desire for food and water. Emotional love, as between a husband and a wife or
    between parent and child is located in the mind.
    Love has many shades; romantic love is barely love; because its based on the
    premise you make me feel loved, therefore I love you, or, you make me enjoy
    life, therefore I love you, or, I love you as long you love me. This kind of love
    is need-based. I love you really means in this case, I need you. On the other
    hand, love, such as between a mother and a child is a much stronger bond
    especially when the child is very young. However, parental love is not pure and
    unconditional, because, there are various expectations. When the 18-year old
    wants to be an auto mechanic or a waitress, the parent might disapprove and
    reject the idea and insist that the child must go to college. In such a case the
    parent is fulfilling his/her desire, and hence its not unselfish love. Essentially,
    emotional love cannot be pure or totally unconditional, unless one is an
    enlightened person! Emotional love can be less pure or more pure, but never
    perfect!
    Bhakti, in its highest form, referred to as parama prema (supreme love),
    transcends love; it is limitless and infinite love. No matter how intense the
    conventional love is, its not bhakti. Love, either physical or emotional, is based
    on a sense of incompleteness, a sense of need, however little that need may be.
    Bhakti, on the other hand, transcends the mind. It relates to ones true self, which
    is sat-cit-ananda (eternal, unlimited, consciousness). This bhakti is called para
    bhakti. In comparison, apara bhakti is the divine love for God as exemplified by
    devotion of bhakta Prahalada, or some one worshipping the Lord standing at an
    altar.
    Para bhakti is not something you can practice because in reality it is the goal or
    the point of arrival. Para bhakti is enlightenment!. This is what the Narada Bhakti
    sutra will unfold as we pursue our study.

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