Naath sakal saadhan main heena
Kinhi kripa jaani jan dina
So kachhu dev na mohi nihora
Nij pan raakheo jan man chora
Let me remind you once again of what I said on the first day.
When one feels the pangs of separation from the Lord and cries, then that condition Ramanuj calls ‘Taap’. Chaitanya Mahaprabhuji calls it ‘Vyaakulta’, Sri Guru Shankaracharya calls it ‘Mumuksha’ and the Gopis of Vraj call it ‘Lalsa’. They may all call it by different names, but the feeling remains the same…….Stare longingly at the path through which the Lord comes and cry……cry in pain! Also remember the following lines all your life:
Naath sakal saadhan main heena
Disha and Dasha (Direction and Condition)
I have no means to achieve you O Lord! Whatever I am capable of doing, it is You who makes me perform! I am only an instrument!
Listen carefully to what I am about to say, and let these words sink deep within you, until it becomes part of your attitudes and reactions towards life. Only then will your life take a turn towards the sublime.
In order to mould your Spiritual life, you will have to make ‘Nisaadhanta’ your ‘saadhan’ (means). Today is the birthday of Mahaprabhuji and so it is an auspicious day. It is a great blessing for us to be here in the land of Vallabhji. Whatever means you may employ, you have to take to one direction. When you do a “jajna’ i.e.. perform a sacrifice, you will be made to face a certain direction. So also in the case of different ritualistic prayers. If you have accepted the path of Knowledge (Gyan) then your direction will be towards Liberation or Nirvana.
One who has accepted the path of ‘Nisaadhanta’ has 10 directions. Nisaadhanta is a condition, a state, a direction. Pray to Vallabhji to grant you the state of being ,that he granted to his disciples. Whatever means that you may employ requires a direction. Certain rituals bind you not only to a direction but to a certain time. Some are performed during the morning, some during the afternoon or night.
So as I was saying all your ‘saadhan’ (means) require certain ‘dishas’ (directions). But for ‘dasha’ i.e.. ‘a state of being’ you are not in control! Who knows when you state of being will change direction! Meera’s state of being, changed, and she suddenly tied bells onto her feet! No one was able to stop the process and the princess took to the streets singing in ecstasy, the praises of her Lord!
Log kahe Meera bhayi baanvari
Which means that people claimed that Meera had lost her mind. But do you think that Meera cared about what the world had to say?. No, she did not! She sang:
Main to mere Narayan ki
Khud hi ho gayi daasi re
Which means that I care only for my Lord who I belong to and who only I will serve! This is what is called ‘Nisaadhanta’
Hari vyaapak sarvatra samaana
Which means that the Lord is present in the same capacity and quantity everywhere. In such a case, since He is present everywhere, where are you going to call Him from? How are you going to assign any direction to Him?
Chitvat panth raheo din raati
Which means ‘Keep looking at the path through which the lord will arrive’. But if the Lord is present everywhere, then how to look at the path through which the Lord will come? During the ‘Hari-Leela’ (the drama that the Lord enacts during His Incarnation) God does assume directions. Thus Sri Ram does go to the forest and Sharbhang also believes and hopes that Sri Ram will come to his hermitage.
The residents of Vraj also stared at the road from which Krishna had left with Akroor. But what about Draupadi? Which direction do you want her to call from, at her hour of need? Wherever she moved, she faced a rakshasa (a demon) ready to dishonor her. Even though there were great personalities like Bhishma in the court, they did not do much to help her. So where to look for aid?……Instantly her state changed to ‘Nisaadhanta’. Totally surrendered to ‘her only refuge left’, she cried out helplessly:” He Govind– He Gopal!”
On the last day if I have time, I shall tell you, more in detail what Bharatji had to say on the above topic.
Saadhan Sidhi
Ram pag nehu
Which means that my only means, and my most prized possession and power is Sri Ram’s charan (feet).
One of the ‘saadhan ‘of the ‘Nisaadhan:‘– Dasha
One of the means for the ‘Helpless:’—-A state of being
When I was returning from Kurukshetra, the plane was delayed, and I still had to travel the next day. A brother who was traveling with me got very annoyed and said: “Bapu you are undergoing so much trouble!” I said, “Real trouble is not for ordinary people like us”. Two hours delay in your traveling plans is not considered ‘trouble’. And listen to one more thing , the Lord is extremely merciful He does not want to burden people in this ‘Iron age’ because He knows that our shoulders are weak. Real trouble was experienced by Draupadi, by Gajendra, Narasingh and by Meera, who was sent poison, by her brother-in-law. You miss a plane or it is late by a few hours and you call it trouble!
Disi aru vidisi panth nahin soojha
You have trouble when all your means fail you, and you have no one to turn to, you cry and yet your direction is not clear. The above happened to Draupadi. Which way to move? What to do? Who to call? At that point she turned towards the Lord who protected her!
Lajja mori raakho Sham Hari
Kinhi kathin Dushaasan mose, gahi kesh pakdi
Bhari sabha mein dushta Duryodhan, chaahat nagna kari
Paancho Paandav sab bal haare, tin so kachhu na sari
Which means: Protect me, my Lord!
Dushaasan has humiliated me by pulling me, by the hair
And Duryodhan is bent upon disrobing me in court
My five husbands have lost their power
And are unable to protect me
O Lord you come to my aid
In which direction to look for help? For Draupadi all her means had failed! Then appeared the Lord’s Incarnation in the form of ‘Endless Apparel’ (As Duryodhan tried to disrobe Draupadi, her sari proved endless much to the embarrassment of Duryodhan and Dushaasan). What I am trying to say is that all other rituals and prayers have a direction. ‘Nisaadhanta’ has a ‘state of being’.
When Ramji returned from the forest to Ayodhya, and saw the un-groomed look of Sri Bharat, He remarked at his appearance and at ‘dasha’. This proves that for ‘Nisaadhanta’, a ‘dasha’, ‘a state of being’ is important.
There are 10 ‘Dashas’ for the ‘Nisaadhan’. Listen carefully, my brothers and sisters, if you identify with any of these ‘dashas’, you will achieve victory in the Spiritual world.
Abhilaasha–Manorath
Desire–Hope
The first ‘dasha’ is ‘desire’
You have to feel: The fulfillment or not, of my desire, is in God’s hands, I can only hope! If your desire is fulfilled, feel that God has showered His Grace upon you, and if it is not fulfilled, then believe that it was not the Lord’s wish. Your efforts are important, but without the Lord’s Grace, your endeavor will prove futile.
Vishwamitra performed so many penances, and yet he continued to be disturbed by Mareech and Subaahu, and so he moved towards Sri Ram and Ayodhya, along with his desire. You also do the same. whenever you have a desire, make your efforts. When they prove unsuccessful, then take to God’s path and move towards the Lord along with your desire. The inhabitants of Ayodhya had a strong desire that Sri Ram should be crowned king but that was not to be.
For the pilgrims of the Nisaadhan path ‘desire’ is the first state required. You may call the desire ‘abhilaasha’ or ‘laalsa’ it does not make any difference. You must have the desire to look upon the Lord’s countenance with your eyes. You should be ever-thirsty for His ‘darshan’ (to see Him) and the truth of the matter is that on this path, this kind of hunger and thirst itself is the goal. When your thirst for the Lord increases, it is a sign that you are arriving at your destination.
Give birth to a desire like Vishwamitra had and like the inhabitants of Ayodhya had. I could give you many examples, but in order to understand these instances suffice. Remember ‘hope’, ‘desire’ is the first requisite for the Nisaadhan pilgrim.
Chinta
Worry
Worry–Oh how I love that word! There are 2 aspects to the word ‘worry’.
One is: “I put in so many efforts, and yet I am perturbed by negative tendencies!”
Gaadhitanay man chinta vyaapi
Hari bin marahi na nisichar paapi
Which means that without God’s help, demons and/of worry cannot be destroyed. Vishwamitra tried so hard to stop the Rakshasas (demons) from disturbing him. When all his efforts turned to naught, he took to the penance of ‘Nisaadhanta’, which means that he dropped all means, and took his problem and worry to the Lord. Vishwamitra’s worry did not drop until Sri Ram’s Grace befell upon him. The above is one aspect of worry.
The second aspect of worry is: The aspirant may not succeed in his efforts–and he stops worrying about it—but he does not stop worrying about his Beloved, about the Lord!
When the inhabitants of Ayodhya failed to have Sri Ram crowned king, when they wanted, they wished that they should die only after they witness the coronation of Sri Ram and Seeta. The pilgrim of the Nisaadhan path worries about his ‘ Thaakur’ (Lord,God). Shrimad Vallabh makes tremendous arrangements for the comfort of His Lord. During winter dry sticks are burnt to keep Him warm, and during summer fans are arranged!
You must have heard of the katha of Surdasji and Tulsidasji. Both were great personalities! Once they were sitting together when a wild elephant passed from there. Someone shouted ‘Run, or you will be trampled by the elephant!’ Surdasji who was blind, ran, while Tulsidasji remained seated. The elephant circled peacefully around the saint, and went on his way. People were astonished. Five minutes later people brought Surdasji back. Tulsidasji asked him “Do not feel bad about it, but do clear my doubts. I saw that the elephant was wild yet I did not move, How come you ran?”
Surdasji replied, “For you it was not necessary to run as your ‘Ishta’ (personal deity) is Sri Ram who always carries a bow and arrow and so is bound to protect you. But my ‘Ishta’ is Baby Krishna. Since He is a baby I have to worry and protect Him!”
Shrimad Vallabh says: ” Worry about your ‘Ishta”. The gopis worried about Sri Krishna. They told Udhav, “We do not desire Krishna, we are simple folk, try and understand us. We just want him to be happy and healthy wherever He may be”.
Pita sakal bhupaal
Sasur bhaanukul bhaanu
Bharatji worried that Sri Seetaji’s father and father-in -law were both such powerful personalities, yet She had to undergo such difficulties! Bharatji never worried for himself. His concern was for Sri Ram who was wandering in the forest, bare-footed. What if a thorn were to pierce His feet and cause Him pain?
Chinta (worry) is the second state of the Nisaadhan pilgrim, where his heart worries and throbs in pain for his beloved, his ‘Ishta’ his Lord!
Smaran
Remembrance
The third stage for the pilgrim of the ‘Nisaadhan’ path is ‘Smaran’ (remembrance). This is not in fact a stage but a state.
To make an effort to try to remember the Lord’s name is a means, because for that, the pilgrim would have to sit in a certain posture, pick up the ‘mala’ (rosary) and count the amount of times he completes the round. The fact is that to truly remember the Lord you do not require the above props. When your son goes to a foreign country, do you pick up the rosary to remember him? His mother will suddenly recall him while bathing, or cooking, or watering plants, and she may suddenly burst into tears! So remembering is a ‘state of being’ which sometimes manifests itself in the form of tears or words!
Simran kiya nahin jaata, ho jaata hai
Which means that one does not have to make an effort to remember, remembrance just happens! But this type of remembrance becomes possible only when the aspirant feels tremendous love for the Lord, and when that happens then the stream flows both ways, then the Lord also remembers you with the same intensity!
Udhav mohi Braj bisrat naahi
Which means that Krishna says to His friend Udhav, “I just cannot forget Vraj”
Jaasu naam sumirat ek baara
Utarahi nar Bhav-sindhu apaara
Sumir Pavan-sut paavan naamu
Apne bas kari rakhei Raamu
Which means that who-so-ever thinks of the Lord, even for an instant, is ferried across the Ocean of Samsara (conflicts and delusions) and whoever thinks of Hanumanji, will be protected by Sri Ram Himself.
Ram Ram Raghunaath japat
Shravat nayan jal jaat
The above was the state of Sri Bharatji when Hanumaanji returned to Ayodhya with news of victory. Bharatji’s eyes burnt, (was in constant pain) as he yearned for Sri Ram. So as I was saying, the third state is ‘smaran’ or remembrance. Even ‘smaran’ has a small branch. The 10 states of ‘Nisaadhanta’ are evident in the lives of Bharatji and Sutikshana. I shall explain to you in more details about the above when I take up the subject again, since now I am pressed for time.
See, my brothers and sisters, merely chanting the Lord’s name may be a dry business, but remembering Him cannot be. If you plant a seed and you do not water it, it will not flower. Similarly when your eyes do not fill up with tears when thinking of the Lord, then your ‘chanting’ will not flower into ‘remembrance’.
Asuvan jal seench seench
Prem bel boi
Meera says that she achieved the flower of love, by watering the seed constantly with her tears.
The Lord’s field becomes ready when it is watered with a devotee’s tears. But sometimes it so happens that the pilgrim gets tired and he feels: Mo sam koun kutil khal kaami. Which means: “Who can be worse than me, I, who am sinful and full of short-comings?” It is good to think of your faults, but do not feel defeated. You should rather bring your focus on the qualities of the Lord, on the fact that He is merciful.
The gopis never felt the need to pick up a rosary in their hands. Maybe those were different times when life was purer. You should do your chanting with the help of the mala (rosary), but you pray that your ‘jap’ (chanting) should convert to constant ‘smaran’ (remembrance) of Him. Tears should flow!
So the first state of a Nisaadhan pilgrim was ‘Abhilaasha’ (desire), the second state was ‘Chinta’ (worry), and the third was ‘Smaran’ (remembrance).
Guna kathan
Speaking the praises of the Lord
Ramahi sumiriya
Gaayee-ai Rama
Santat suneeya Ram guna gaana
Which means ‘Think of the Lord, sing of the Lord, hear of the Lord, speak of the Lord.’
When you think of the various incidents in the Lord’s Incarnation, then you will think of Him in everything that you do. Without Him, nothing should please you. That is how this fourth state of ‘Guna kathan’ should be like.
Think : My Lord is All Powerful and He can do everything, He looks after everyone, so would He not look after me? The Lord is achieved by people with knowledge, people who have renounced, so would He not take care of me, who like a child, knows and does nothing?’
‘Guna kathan’ is not only speaking of the Lord…you may sing, you may intellectualize, like a child you may speak in child language, if you know Sanskrit and are a scholar, that is fine, and if you are a simple villager, it does not matter, if you are the silent type, then pray in silence. The Lord listens and understands every state and prayer.
Pralaap
Crying out loud
Pralaap means ‘crying out loud’ in longing, in pain! Like the gopis of Vraj did.
Tulsidasji writes that when Sri Ramji left Ayodhya, to proceed towards the forest, tears of pain flowed from the eyes of the inhabitants of Ayodhya. When they looked at fishes dying in the river, the inhabitants believed that the fishes were more spiritually advanced, as they were dying due to their being separated from Sri Ram. while they, the inhabitants continued to live! What did the inhabitants of Ayodhya do then?
Ram daras hit
nem-vrat karan lage nar-nari
Which means that they started to perform certain penances to achieve the Lord again. The Lord says: “I want to clasp your hand but how do I do that if your hands are full, with all the deeds that you perform in order to achieve me?”
If you are a pilgrim of ‘Nisaadhanta’ then do only ‘pralaap’ ie cry! But do not think that on this path , only the pilgrim cries! Even the Lord cries for you! When Laxmanji fainted in the battlefield, Sri Ram cried out loud! He sobbed, “Oh Laxman! How am I going to face Sumitraji, your mother if you do not waken? You wife did not complain even once when you came with me to the forest, even though Seetaji accompanied me. When 14 years are over and I return to Ayodhya, and am crowned king, and all my brothers along with their wives come to me for blessings…….what kind of blessing will I give your wife Urmila if you do not return with me?”. The way Sri Ram sobbed then, He had not ever cried before and did not cry since. Even Krishna cried so much to Udhav remembering His beloved gopis of Vraj. Some people cry within themselves, they do not show, but one who feels helpless cannot help crying out loud when he cannot bear it any longer!
The above is the fifth stage of ‘Nisaadhanta’.
Udveg
Restlessness
Udveg is a little different from ‘Chinta’ ie. worry. Udveg is a kind of restlessness that is the result of worry. ‘Udveg’ for worldly things is undesirable, but for Spiritual affairs it is another matter. One can immediately perceive when another person is worried. However in the case of ‘udveg’ the mannerisms of the person gives away the state of his mind. He would in all probability be pacing up and down, or he would be repeatedly asking: “Has any telephone come in yet?” He would sit for a short while and then resume his pacing again. When mind and body are both in turmoil, then that state is called ‘udveg’. Some people break out in fever or start feeling physically weak. In ‘Spiritual udveg’ the devotee would feel ‘Where is my Lord, when will I meet Him? He has appeared in so many devotee’s life, why not in mine? I just cannot see my life slipping away. I may have to undertake a re-incarnation to achieve Him!”. The above kind of state is the 6th one and is called ‘udveg’
Unmaad
Intoxication
The 7th state of the ‘Nisaadhan’ pilgrim is ‘Unmaad’ This state just descends upon the pilgrim.
It is said that when Bharatji was approaching Chitrakoot (the abode of Sri Ram in the forest), the coterie which came with Bharatji behaved in quite an intoxicated manner. Sometimes one person’s head would fall on another’s shoulder. Bharatji would himself lose control and fall on the ground or on some other co-traveler. This state is called ‘Unmaad’ and it is like an intoxication. It is like the pilgrim has drunk from a certain fountain.
Naam khumaari Nanika chadhi rahe din raat
Which means that Guru Nanak says that other intoxicants will only have effect for a limited amount of time, but the state of intoxication that is achieved by taking the Lord’s name stays with one constantly, day and night.
Sometimes when you go for a Spiritual pilgrimage, or you sit at the feet of an enlightened Master, you may experience the above state. In this state you do not care if people criticize, or what they think of you. But to arrive at this state you will first have to drink from the Spiritual fountain. From now on, promise that you will not touch alcoholic beverages. People who govern our country eat and drink the wrong things. If their character is out of place, how will our country progress? He is able to bring about a change in society whose own character is stable and solid. Chaitanya Mahaprabhuji went through this state of intoxication.
How to explain this state? In the village when people go out of control, others try to bind him, but he cannot be contained. This state is like a kind of madness. When clouds of rain burst, they just pour unconcerned. They do not care where the water falls or what it affects. When the pilgrim reaches this state, the Lord just observes. This is what He did with Sutikshana. The Lord appeared to him after a long time. In the meantime He looked at him from behind a tree and observed his state. This state Tulsidasji calls “Unmaad’.
Byaadhi
An illness
The next state is ‘Byaadhi’. This is a disease that springs in the pilgrim due to the pain of separation. There is no medicine for it except to look upon the Lord (darshan). Bharatji was beside himself in grief, when Sri Ram left for the forest. Mother Kaushalya told Bharat that the guru had prescribed a medicine for his condition.- that of accepting the kingdom. Bharatji said “This medicine is not right for me, what will cure me, is the darshan of Sri Ram”. There are various types of illnesses. Some illnesses give you an obsession for material things, whereas on the other side we have ‘Bhakti’ and this state of illness comes to the nisaadhan bhakta, who wants no comfort, but the pain of the above illness.
Jarta ka sanchaar
Non-conscious state
This state is recognized by the fact that a generally conscious person becomes non- conscious- like. A classic example is when Bharatji spoke so rudely to his own mother Kaikeyi for having sent Sri Ram to the forest. At this point Bharatji was not conscious of what he was saying.
Moh magan gati nahin bideha ki
Mahima Siya Raghuvar saneh ki
The state of Maharaj Janak and the relationship of Sri Ram and Seetaji is that of love and not that of attachment. Another important example of this state is that of Ahilyaji:- She was not going to turn conscious unless and until she was touched by the very feet of Sri Ram. In this state one loses touch with what is right and what is wrong.
Asahaaya prem
Unbearable love
This is the final state of the Nisaadhan pilgrim, when you feel that your love is unbearable.
When Sri Ram saw this state of love of Bharatji, then even Sri Ram was beside Himself.
Tan man vachan umag anuraaga
Dheer dhurandhar dheeraj tyaaga
In this state your heart breaks with the pain that this type of unbearable love brings.
Torat gyaan viraag karaare
In this state even your Gyan (knowledge) and Vairaagya (renunciation) take leave of you. In this state the Lord cries out, “Stop your love or I shall not be able to function, I have to make the sun and moon appear on time, and with your type of love I cannot concentrate”. Have you ever heard of anyone breaking open a pillar and coming out of it? Well it happened in the case of Prahlaad. The Lord took the form of half-man and half-beast to protect His devotee. The Lord broke his own law to come to the rescue of his devotee whose heart throbbed with limitless faith and unbearable love.
See, my brothers and sisters, I am tackling this topic very carefully, so do not misunderstand. Do not let go of the disciplines that you follow, but definitely do drop the ego that arises out of you believing how great you are, since you are undergoing this or that penance because of your love for the Lord.
If any point that I have discussed finds a way to your heart, then become like a stick in the Lord’s temple! Say to Him, “Oh Lord, do what you will with me! Leave me where I am, pick me up, throw me, hold me, do what You want. I am here!” Now that you have come to the door-step of Sri Vallabh, tell him:
Aapke darbaar mein ham aa gaye
Phool shradha ke chadhaane aa gaye
Lok ninda ki koyee parva nahin
Aapke didaar ko ham aa gaye
Which means:
I have come to Your door-step
Brought flowers of faith to surrender at your feet
I do not worry about the world and its opinion
I only seek to have a glimpse of You
So these are the 10 states of Nisaadhanta which I have humbly placed before you according to my own understanding and experience. Ask the Lord, “Grant me at least one state, so that I turn impatient to achieve, to reach!”
I congratulate each one of you on the birthday of Shrimad Vallabh Mahaprabhuji. Before we rise let us sing with love:
Sri Vallabh Vithal Giridhaari
Yamunaji ki Balihaari………Jai jai Sri Raadhe…….
Nisaadhanta – Preface
Nisaadhanta – First Discourse
Nisaadhanta – Second Discourse
Nisaadhanta – Third Discourse
Nisaadhanta – Fourth Discourse
Nisaadhanta – Fifth Discourse
Nisaadhanta – Sixth Discourse
Nisaadhanta – Seventh Discourse
Nisaadhanta – Eighth Discourse
Nisaadhanta – Ninth Discourse
Shakun Kimatrai 