19. SATSANGAM
(Read, Understand, Appreciate, Internalise and Assimilate to reach the Ultimate)

Bhakti and Jnana

By means of our love for God,
He will give us more knowledge of Him,
and by means of our knowledge of Him,
He will give us more love for Him.
Therefore, of these two paths, bhakti and jnana,
follow that one for which your first gain a liking,
because that one path will lead you to follow the other one into the heart.

... Sadhu Om: A Light on the Teaching

The Sun and the Bud

When the sun rises,
some buds alone blossom, not all.
Do you blame the sun for that?
Nor can the bud blossom of itself:
it requires the sunlight to do it.

... Ramana Maharshi's Gospel

Kali and Brahman
SRI SRI RAMAKRISHNA KATHAMRITA Vol. I., pp.376-7

"Kali is none other but Brahman. The One who is Brahman is Kali. Kali is the Primeval Power. When It is inactive, I call it Brahman.

When It creates, preserves and destroys, I call It Shakti. I call It Kali.

To whom you call Brahman, I call Kali.

Brahman and Kali are on and the same. They are like the fire and its burning power. If one thinks of fire, its burning power immediately comes to mind.

When one accepts Kali, one has to accept Brahman. Similarly, by accepting Brahman one has to accept Kali.

Brahman and Shakti are one and the same. I call Him Shakti and the same Being I call Kali."

Explanation: The ULTIMATE REALITY is "Brahman" or "Atman" - beyond all form and substance. This ULTIMATE has many names . . . Kali, Shiva, Krisna being but a few. The "differences" between these come from seeing less than ALL of the ULTIMATE. To one who has reached enlightenment, these differences diappear. One can document this point from the Upanishads. But the clearest aphormism is from Ramakrishna:

"Sri Ramakrishna once explained to his disciples that the same God is called by various names by different people; similarly some people call water as 'pani' and others call the same as 'jal', 'aqua', or 'vari' etc. Until they see the water, they are ready to fight amongst themselves shouting: 'No, no, you are wrong; pani is not water!' But as soon as water is brought in front of them, these 'fighting fanatics' all start dancing: 'Look, this is my aqua; oh, this is my pani,' and realize that the controversy and high temper was unnecessary. Sri Ramakrishna could cite such a parable only because he had experienced the oneness of God, Atman, Hari, Allah, 'Father in the Heaven', etc."

Bhagavad Gita
(Taken from Viswayudha:)

Lord Krishna in Bhagavad Gita lays down the disciplines to be gone through, viz., Karma Yoga (Physical), Upaasana Yoga (Mental), Jnaana Yoga (Intellectual) and Dhyaana Yoga (Meditative) and refers to them all in one term "Bhakti Yoga". These are graded disciplines. They are not mutually exclusive and independent.

Lord Krishna points out that among his devotees, those with the following traits are dear to HIM.

1. Absence of ego and pride.
2. Absence of longing for specific places/abodes.
3. Alike to friend and foe.
4. Alike to heat and cold.
5. Alike to honour and dishonour.
6. Alike to praise and abuse.
7. Alike to sorrow and happiness.
8. Compassionate.
9. Contemplative by nature.
10. Contented with whatever comes unasked.
11. Detached from physical, mental and other identifications.
12. Dis-identified with worldly beings and objects.
13. Emotionally well balanced.
14. Ever contented.
15. Ever-forgiving.
16. Equanimity in joy and sorrow.
17. Firm in conviction based on scriptural knowledge.
18. Freedom from elation, envy, fear and impulsiveness.

19. Freedom from expectations.
20. Friendly to all.
21. Fruit of action renounced to Lord even before action.
22. Hared to none.
23. Intellectually stable.
24. Mentally equipoised.
25. Neutral to controversies.
26. Not agitated by world.
27. Not the cause of worldly agitations.
28. Pure in body, mind and intellect.
29. Renunciation of doership and enjoyership of action and fruits thereof.
30. Repulsion to none.
31. Self-disciplined in body, mind and intellect.
32. Self-integrated in thought, word and deed.
33. Skillful in action.
34. Well-controlled desires.
35. With body and mind complex surrendered to the lord.
36. With right attitude to worldly afflictions.

Bhakti yoga is purely academic, if there is no transformation of inner nature or outer personality based on the above qualities. In fact, a true Bhaktha who is dear to Lord is one with the above outstanding features which set the pace to spiritual progress. All glory to Lord Krishna. All glory to Bhagavad Gita.