Chapter XI

The Eras, classified according to the principles and practices of spiritual progress as laid down in the Hindu Dharma, are three:

1. The Vedic Era, during which great importance was laid on Karma or Rituals;
2. The Upanishadic Era, when Jnana was emphasised more than all else; and
3. The Puranic Era when Bhakthi was declared and described as all important.

Vedic literature consists of Samhithas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, and Upanishads; of these, the first three deal with Karma and are known as Karmakanda and the last, the Upanishads, are concerned with Jnana and so are called Jnanakanda.

The groups of Manthras in the Veda Samhithas are full of Stotras, glorifying Gods like Indra, Agni, Varuna, Surya and Rudra. The Aryans in ancient times earned peace and contentment and the fulfillment of their desires by sacrifices and rituals, addressed to these Gods through these Manthras. They realised that the Absolute Principle, the Paramatma, is One and one only; and they also knew that it manifests nevertheless as varied and manifold, under different Names and Forms.

In many Rig Vedic Manthras this is clearly announced:

Ekam Sath viprraa bahudaa vadanthi
Agnim yamam maathariswaanamaahuh

"There is only just One: those who have seen the Truth praise it in many ways: Agni Yama Maathariswaan". This Brahmam, the One without a Second, is designated in the Rig Veda as Hiranyagarbha, Prajapathi, Visvakarma Purusha. The Hiranyagarbha Suktha and the Purusha Suktha are classical examples of this vision.

The way of living of the ancient Aryans is designated "Dharma". It can also be called, "Yajna". Their daily disciplines were marked by rituals, puja and praise, surrender and dedication. So, their life was full of Bhakthi or Devotion. The word Bhakthi might not be used, as such, in the Samhithas, but is not the word "Sraddha" found?

Sraddhayaagnih Samidhyathe Sraddhaahooyathe havih
Sraddhaam bhagasya moordhanivachassaa Vedayaamasi

"It is only through Sraddha that the Flame of the Sacrificial Fire is lit and fed. It is through Sraddha alone that the offerings reach the Gods who are called. Let us praise Sraddha, which is the highest form of worship". See, how mighty is the power of Sraddha!

The simple spontaneous disciplines of the Vedic Age gradually became complex and confused by the overgrowth of rituals and formal rules; with the passing of time, it was declared that Dharma consists of Yajna and Homa, that Heaven can be gained only by the performance of such rites! Though the Yajna was really a method of worship of the Gods, value was shifted from the Gods, to the Yajna itself. "The Gods were only the means; those who desired Heaven must do Yajna". Such was the turn the declaration took.

Meanwhile, the Upanishad Age dawned. The Upanishads rejected material objectives as devoid of permanent value; they condemned them as inferior. In fact, the Karmakanda of the Vedas was transformed and revalued in the Upanishads, as vehicles for the liberation of man from the bondage of birth and death and as vessels for crossing the ocean of Samsara. The vision of the Upanishadic Sadhaka breaks through this "external sensory objective world" and centers itself on "the inner world". The Upanishadic Rishis collectively confirm the nature of the Highest Principle thus: "In the basic depth of this Namarupa Jagath (this Name-Form World of Change) there is the One Eternal Permanent Sath. That is the Absolute, the Para-brahmam. The Highest can be grasped by means of Jnanayoga". Therefore, "Thad Vijijnaasaswa; thad Brahma"; "Inquire into that; That is Brahma." This is the Brahmavidya that the Upanishads (the Vedantha) teach.

Besides, the Upanishads also declare: "The Vedas, though mainly concerned with the human objective of attaining Heaven, also provide the basic training for achieving Liberation, or Moksha. The attainment of the Absolute does not depend entirely or solely on mastery of this Brahmavidya. It is beyond the reach of study, scholarship, or intellectual conquest. It is only by Upasana that it can be realised". If the scholar, with all the weight of learning, also gets immersed in Upasana, his life is indeed sanctified!

Before such aspirants, the Lord will be manifest in His Real Glory. This is the meaning of the following declaration in the Brahadaaranyakopanishad about the bond between the Jivi and the Paramatma, the individual and the Universal:

Eshosya parama gathi
Eshosya paramam sampad;
Eshosya paramo loka
Eshosya paramaanandam

The Universal is the individual's highest goal, highest wealth, highest elevation, deepest joy. In the Taittiriya Upanishad it has been proclaimed thus: "The Paramatma is the source of contentment, for He is the Embodiment of Rasa, of the Purest Emotion. Attaining Him, the Jivi can be immersed in joy. If the Paramatma is not shining in the firmament of the Heart, who is to taste, who is to live? He feeds all, with Ananda."

The seeds of Bhakthi which are found scattered in the Vedasamhithas, sprout in the Upanishads, and begin to grow with many a blossom-full branch in the Puranas.

Well, many are yet confused when it comes to deciding what exactly is Bhakthi, what is the nature of the attitude called Bhakthi! It is impossible for any one to demarcate what exactly is Bhakthi and what is not. Bhakthi has infinite facets. Only pure, tender, tolerant, calm and loving souls, the very cream of Sadhus, the Hamsas sporting ever in the company of kindred Bhakthas, can understand its purity and depth. Others will find it as difficult to discover Bhakthi in a person, as discovering softness in rock or coldness in fire or sweetness in neem. The Bhaktha holds the Lord dearer to him than life; and the Lord too is attached to him in equal measure. Some great men even declare that the Bhaktha is superior to Bhagavan; the ryot loves the clouds more than the ocean though the clouds only bring the ocean waters to their fields. The ocean does not come directly over their crops. This is how Tulsi Das describes the relationship between the Bhaktha and Bhagavan. The clouds bring the mercy, the love, the grandeur of the ocean and the fragrance of the atmosphere and shower them over the entire land; so too, the Bhakthas carry these great traits wherever they go. Just as gold is dug out of mines, these virtues also are part of the Divinity in man.

The sage Durvasa arrived one day in the court of Ambarisha, to test the efficacy of Bhakthi. For this purpose, he created out of his anger, Krithya, for his destruction. But the Lord's Chakra, which demolishes the fear in the hearts of devotees, destroyed Krithya and started pursuing Durvasa to the ends of the earth. He fled over hill and dale, lake and stream, and leaped across the seven seas; he tried to take asylum in the heavens; but, the foe of a Bhaktha could get asylum nowhere. At last, he fell at the feet of Narayana in Vaikhunta, an exhausted penitent; the Lord, however, declared that He was always on the side of His Bhaktha, and that He will never give up the devotee who relies on Him as his only refuge. "I follow the Bhaktha as the calf follows the cow, for he gives up, for Me, all that is considered desirable by the worldly-minded."

Once, Krishna told Uddhava thus: "Tapas, Jnana, Vairagya, Yoga, Dharma, Vratha, Pilgrimage, the merit acquired by these is acquired by My Bhakthas with even greater ease". Reflect how great is true devotion! By its means, a Chandala can excel even a Brahmin! A Bhakthiless Brahmin is inferior to a Chandala endowed with Bhakthi. This is elaborated in the Puranas. That which is described in the Vedas as simply, "Nethi Nethi, Not this, Not this," that which is declared as "Beyond the reach of words, far out of the grasp of the Mind," that which is un-reachable by the senses, the mind or the intellect, such an Entity is capable of being felt and experienced by those immersed in Dhyana. Bhakthi brings it into the Consciousness easily, it fills the devotee with bliss.