NARADA
Divine Sage Narada is the mental son of the creator Lord Brahma. Narada has unparalleled devotion to Lord Vishnu and is His foremost devotee. He is believed to be the highest example of Bhakti and the greatest exponent of Bhakti Yoga.
His love of God is so pure and intense that while repeating His Holy name, remembering Him or simply singing in praise of Him, his sacred thread will break; his body keeps expanding with upsurge of his intoxicating love and ecstasy. He is remembered and highly loved and respected for his unparalleled, unfailing devotion and singing the names of Lord Vishnu. He is very popular among the proponents of Bhakti Yoga. He is the true incarnation of Bhakti Yoga.
Narada urges that Bhakti is the means to enlightenment in the search of the Absolute truth. In his Sutras he gives an insight into the doctrine of Bhakti Yoga. Devotion is supreme love of God. Devotion divine gives immortality. In divine love one cares for naught, has no sorrows, no hatred, no attraction for sense enjoyment, complete indifference for sense objects, absolute renunciation. Devotion brings an inner enjoyment in the self. Worship of the Lord with deep love and firm attachment is devotion. Yearning to listen to the stories of the Lord’s glories is Bhakti. Narada describes Bhakti as intense love for God.
HANUMAN
Hanuman is among the Hindu gods and peerless devotee of Lord Rama. None will contest the absolute worship Hanuman bore Lord Rama nor the exemplary service he offered to his Lord. Both his love and service remain legendary. Lord Rama was his very breath. Hanuman was in perpetual attendance to his Lord; His Lord should not have the least hitch anytime! Examples abound in the Ramayana and it is difficult to pick the finest. All are really so sublime. He excels as a Bhakta, the perfect example of the ‘dasya bhava’ as in service to his Lord. He had totally surrendered his life to his Lord Sri Rama. He can never be surpassed as a bhakta. If only we could rise to these heights! Yet how short we fall of the goal!
After his victory over the demon king Ravana, Lord Rama returned from Lanka and was crowned king of Ayodhya. He gifted all those present except Hanuman. Lord Rama could not find anything worthy to be offered to Hanuman. Mother Sita then offered Hanuman a priceless pearl necklace she was wearing, as a special token of her love. Hanuman busied himself, biting each pearl, searching for his beloved Lord Rama and Mother Sita in each and every pearl; otherwise the necklace would be worthless to him. The whole assembly was aghast. Some laughed at him. Others mocked him: “Show us Lord Rama in your body!” Slowly getting up, Hanuman then tore open his chest to reveal his beloved Lord and his divine mother in his heart. This is the true Bhakta, the genuine one.
PRAHLAD
Prahlad was the son of the demon king Hiranyakashipu. Through long years of austerities the king had acquired an unusual boon. Failing to obtain the boon of immortality from Lord Brahma he obtained that certain conditions had to prevail to cause his death: “No man, nor beast can kill me. Neither in the air, nor on the ground, nor in water. Neither by day, nor by night. Neither inside nor outside a building. Neither by any weapon will I be killed.” He believed himself invincible and immortal as such a situation was a near impossibility.
Hiranyakashipu proclaimed himself God of the whole universe and banned all worship of Lord Vishnu. Henceforth he was to be worshipped as the Supreme Lord. As fate would have it, unknown to him, his son Prahlad was since birth, the greatest living devotee of Lord Vishnu the world would ever know. Prahlad’s life remains unique and is the finest example of faith and devotion absolute. His exemplary love to the Lord was so natural, so spontaneous. He was imbibed with God.
In spite of all his father’s efforts to banish Lord Vishnu from everybody’s mind, Prahlad would continue to sing the praise of his beloved lord. Prahlad was sent to a demon gurukul (school) by his father for his education in demon culture and worship. The young Prahlad, instead of learning the demon system would spend his time teaching other young children how to worship the Lord. The demon gurus were aghast and dreaded the king’s wrath. They tried their best to dissuade Prahlad otherwise, in vain. They had to inform the king the bitter truth; instead of reforming himself, his son was misleading all the other students into the worship of Vishnu. The arrogant king fumed in anger. Prahlad was returned to the palace. At first his father tried in subtle ways to dissuade the young prince from worshipping Vishnu. He tried to convince his son of his unusual powers and that he was the god to be worshipped.
Prahlad did not budge in his faith: Lord Vishnu alone was the Omnipresent God, Lord of the universe, to be worshipped. The demon king was out of himself with fury. He ordered that the boy be put to death. The several attempts to kill him did not succeed. Spears did not leave the least scratch on Prahlad’s body. A mad elephant could not crush him. Thrown from a mountain top into an abyss, he soft landed safely on the ground. The king tried to poison him, locked him into a room full of venomous snakes, tried to starve him to death, yet the noble lad, ever immersed in thoughts of the Lord, came out safe of all these ordeals. He was drowned in the deep ocean, but brought back to the surface and carried safely to the shore by the invisible hand of God. Nothing could harm him. With every new trial Prahlad’s faith grew stronger and his devotion knew no bounds.
Holika, the king’s sister had earned the boon that fire would not harm her in any way. As a last resort, the king thought that if he could burn Prahlad with the help of his sister, his problem would be solved. Prahlad was made to sit on Holika’s lap, on a pyre. The fire was lit. Prahlad was sitting in the blazing fire, praying to his Lord Vishnu, in whose hand was his destiny. If he had to die, it would be at his lord’s behest. To everybody’s consternation, Holika was seen burning to death. Prahlad remained untouched by the blazing fire!
At the sight of Prahlad safe and sound, the king went wild. He was horrified that his entire stratagem to eliminate the boy had failed. The king once more tried to win over Prahlad. He again left him in the care of his two teachers, Shanda and Amarka. The king was hoping that as the boy grew up he would come to better senses and change his views. Nothing doing! Prahlad knew only one thing. He would again instil in his fellow students, devotion to Lord Vishnu. The king had to be informed. Infuriated, he would remove the boy from the school. He threatened to kill him and swore savagely at Vishnu. Prahlad maintained that Lord Vishnu is the Supreme, omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent and the only one to be worshipped.
In his fury the king unknowingly was inviting his own end. Bursting out loud he challenged Prahlad that if Vishnu is omnipresent, he should be present everywhere in the very room, in a pillar too. Prahlad replied: “Yes, my Lord Vishnu is in this pillar too!” The king raised his sword and dealt a mighty blow at the pillar. “Ask him to rescue you! I am going to kill you this very moment!” There was a loud blast and the pillar burst open to reveal the ‘Narsimha avatar’, the awesome half man, half lion form of Lord Vishnu.
The Lord assumed this form to fulfil the boon the king had received from Lord Brahma. It was dusk – neither day nor night. The Lord as Narsimha – half man and half beast, grabbed the king and dragged him to the threshold – neither inside nor outside a building, held him on his thighs – neither on the ground nor in air and tore his chest apart with his claws – using no weapon. Hiranyakashipu met the death he had unwittingly asked for. Prahlad fell on the lotus feet of his beloved Lord and sang exquisite hymns in His praise. The heavens came down to witness the glorious union of this matchless devotee to his beloved Lord. Lord Vishnu in his incarnation as Lord Krishna declared in the Bhagavata Gita: “Among the daityas (demons) I am Prahlad...”
BALI
King Bali or Mahabali as he was known, was a benevolent demon king. He was the grandson of Bhakta Prahlad. He had lost his father, Virochan, the son of Prahlad, in youth. His grandfather instilled in Bali a great sense of devotion and righteousness. He became a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. He is considered among the highest to have practiced the nine paths of devotion, Navadha Bhakti, and accomplished Atmanivedan, total surrender, total fusion, total merger in God.
Bali’s love for Lord Vishnu was so supreme that the Lord elevated him above Lord Indra, the king of gods. When Lord Vishnu incarnated as Lord Ram, he blessed Bali with his divine presence.
BHARAT
Bharat was second of the four sons of mighty and famous King Dashrath of Ayodhya. The eldest was Rama. It is difficult to think of Bharat as anything less than his elder brother. If Rama was the embodiment of virtue, Bharat was a replica. In fact they were in many ways at par. Yet Bharat never considered himself an equal of his elder brother. Rama was his lord and master and he, the servant. Always happy serving him, the god of his life.
Bharat was a prince among princes. His love for Rama was sublime. Yet, he had nothing to envy Hanuman, the other great devotee of Lord Rama. Both exalted in their devotion to their Lord Rama. For Rama to declare, both Hanuman and Bharat were as dear to him.
Lord Rama was imposed exile. Bharat voluntarily chose the life of an exile. He could not bear to see his lord suffer any hardship. He agreed to look after the kingdom for the 14 years of exile only if Rama promised to come within this time bar and take over. Else, he would immolate himself. True to his word, he would almost do so but for the timely arrival of Hanuman announcing the coming of his Lord Rama.
Bharat was never crowned king, never wore the crown nor sat on the throne that he considered the right of his elder brother Lord Rama. He was more of an exalted devotee and servant rather than a king. Everyone else looked upon him and treated him as a king and had great admiration and respect for him. Nothing mattered to him except pleasing his Lord. He loved his elder brother more than his life. Lord Rama was his life-breath.
When Rama left for his exile, Bharat, in all humility and deep longing for his presence, set out to bring his brother back as the rightful king. Having failed to persuade Lord Rama to return, he will implore his Lord to bless his sandals as a symbol, to rule the kingdom in his stead. The saintly devotee carried his Lord’s sandals on his head while he walked barefoot all the way back to Ayodhya.
In his self imposed exile, Bharat would never live in the palace. Instead he would move to Nandigram on the outskirts of Ayodhya. He built a thatched hut, matted his hair and dressed exactly as he pictured his Rama would be living in exile. He partook only of roots and fruits, like his two brothers and Sita. Neither the palace nor its comforts had any charm for his aching heart.
Living as an ascetic, he was caretaker king only to obey his brother. He was the epitome of love and worship of Lord Rama. While his Lord had to bear all the hardship how could he think of palatial comforts and sumptuous meals! Lord Rama had to respect his father’s wish to fulfil a promise to queen Kaikeyi, Bharat’s mother. For Bharat, it was self imposed against everybody’s wish. His determination, his sacrifice, his sense of duty is simply superlative.
Shabari was a tribal’s daughter. On the eve of her marriage against her wish, she stole away from her house in search of a Guru. After many days of running she reaches the foot of Rishimukh mountain. Sage Matang had his ashram there. Shabari was twelve when she met her guru. She related her dilemma to the sage who felt sympathy for her and welcomed her at the ashram.
On his deathbed Sage Matang told Shabari not to leave the place. Lord Rama will pass his ashram and she would receive his grace. Shabari waited years for the Lord’s arrival. She would adorn the place daily in readiness; arrange flowers on the paths where Rama would tread. The forest was full of flowers and fruits. Shabari would select the best for her Lord. She would taste the fruits one by one and keep the best for her Lord Rama. It never occurred to her that she was committing an offence to offer the Lord something already tasted. The years dragged on and Shabari dragged her ageing body with unswerving determination: “Tomorrow I will certainly see my beloved Lord.”
After many years, she did! She was blessed with His presence and company. Lord Rama arrived at the ashram. Shabari fell on his holy feet and washed them with tears of happiness. She offered the tasted berries to Lord Rama who relished them with all love. The devotee had tasted the fruit: “Whomsoever offers a fruit, leaf, flower or some water with love, I partake it with great joy” says the Lord. When Laxman, the younger brother of Rama expressed doubts about the tasted fruits, Rama said: “Nothing can equal these berries, offered with such devotion”. Before leaving, Rama revealed to Shabari, the nine paths of devotion.
VIBHISHANA
Vibhishana was the youngest brother of Ravana, a cruel demon king. Having committed innumerable atrocities towards worshippers of Lord Vishnu, the latter would abduct Lord Rama’s wife, Sita. Although belonging to the demon race, Vibhishana was the opposite of his brother. He was of a very noble character and God fearing.
As a child he would spend long hours in meditating on the name of Lord Vishnu. One day, Lord Brahma appeared to him. Blessing him, Lord Brahma requested Vibhishana to ask for the boon he would like most. Vibhishana asked for vision of his chosen ideal, Lord Vishnu. Lord Brahma assured him that his wish would certainly come true. Vibhishana, mad with joy, lived looking forward only for that blessed day.
The name of his Lord was constantly on his lips and his thoughts. He knew that Lord Rama was his own Lord Vishnu incarnate and was obsessed to have a glimpse of Him, to see Him and bow to His lotus feet. Knowing Rama as the Lord incarnate, Vibhishana would urge his brother, Ravana to return the goddess incarnate, Sita to her husband Lord Rama and seek forgiveness. Else, his ugly sin would drag the whole demon race to destruction. Already there had been many ominous signs. King Ravana squarely refused to return Goddess Sita. After much persuasion and having failed, the noble Vibhishana, not willing to follow in his elder brother’s wrongful step, left the demon kingdom. He sought refuge at his beloved Lord’s lotus feet. Lord Rama would welcome him with open arms. His long awaited boon had finally come true. His unwavering devotion to his Lord Rama had brought him the greatest reward, the privilege of direct personal service to his Lord.
Vibhishana played a key role in the war against his own brother Ravana. He was the priceless ally of Lord Rama. Vibhishana was a staunch devotee of Lord Rama and would serve him unconditionally, never to swerve from the path of righteousness. His devotion was above the petty considerations of kith and kin. Lord Rama personally crowned his devotee Vibhishana even before the tyrant king Ravana had been vanquished.
When Lord Rama would leave the world, he will bring his devotee Vibhishana to Ayodhya. He was among the select few to have a vision of his chosen ideal Lord Vishnu’s universal form, before He merged into the river Saryu.
Vibhishana, Bali and Prahlad, all three of the demon race, could reach to these heights of devotion where humans had failed.
ARJUNA
Arjuna was the third of five brothers known as the Pandavas of mahabharat fame. Although considered a matchless archer and an incomparable warrior he had something more in him. He was charismatic. No wonder, in spite of the great qualities of his brothers he stands out as an invincible hero, in war as in peace. His secret was his absolute devotion to his chosen ideal, Lord Krishna. He knew Krishna was the Lord incarnate. From the very day he met the Lord, they became inseparable friends.
The five brothers were inseparable. Nevertheless, the two younger ones will pair off. The two elder had their own concerns. Lord Krishna became the mate Arjuna was missing and yearning for. As a friend, the Lord was his guide and mentor. To the Lord, Arjuna was not the hero but the very best among men, the ideal man; a paragon of righteousness and a perfect disciple. Throughout, Lord Krishna would reveal his great and eternal love for Arjuna. There was none in the world dearer to him than Arjuna. He would not refuse Arjuna anything in the world.
Lord Krishna refers to him as someone with a pure heart and above sin. His mind was pure and spotless. No impurities could pollute his thoughts. Even as a child he was very particular not to commit any mistake. He was extremely truthful, god fearing but fearless. He loved the company of Krishna and always sought His help to clarify any doubts in his mind. His fair play was renowned. He would never take undue advantage of his position, whatever be the circumstances.
In the final days of the great fratricidal war, the Mahabharata, when Arjuna faced Karna, both equally great warriors, it was difficult to decide who will win. Suddenly, Karna’s chariot got stuck in the mud. He tried desperately to free his chariot. The chivalrous Arjuna would not attack Karna. The Lord, after much persuasion, convinced Arjuna he had to mete out to Karna the treatment the latter deserved. Karna had participated in many atrocities against the five brothers and their wife; the treacherous death of Arjuna’s son Abhimanyu; Karna having always sided with unrighteousness had no right now to invoke righteousness. Arjuna, the embodiment of righteousness would kill Karna to end unrighteousness, at the behest of his Lord.
As a child, Arjuna would seek the advice of elders, when in doubt, in his pursuit of righteousness. When the Lord came into his life, all his doubts would receive divine elucidation. The culmination occurs when the Lord reveals to his beloved Arjuna His Cosmic form, a unique vision to a unique devotee. Arjuna is awestruck. The Lord then revealed his Lord Vishnu form to Arjuna before assuming his Krishna form, as the eternal friend of Arjuna.
This eternal friendship between Arjuna and his beloved Lord Krishna gifted us the Bhagavad Gita.
Sudama, the son of a poor Brahmin and Lord Krishna studied at the same gurukul. In spite of the disparity in their social background, they were fast friends. Sudama grew extremely fond of Krishna and the latter loved him as dearly. On completion of their studies their ways parted. Krishna became the powerful king of Dwarka. Sudama returned to his village to earn his living as a village priest. As the years went by he became more and more impoverished and his family faced starvation. His wife would many a time urge that he seek the help of his bosom friend, Krishna, his childhood pal for whom he was always in praise. But Sudama was too embarrassed, destitute as he was.
The sight of his starving wife and children would finally send him on the road to Dwarka. What could he offer his friend? The last portion of rice left had to be sacrificed. Besides, puffed rice was his beloved friend’s favourite at the gurukul. He will take it to Him. He tied it preciously in a piece of cloth and set out on his journey. At the sight of Sudama, Lord Krishna was simply overjoyed and gave his friend a warm welcome that befits a king! Sudama was too ashamed to give Krishna the puffed rice and tried to conceal it. Krishna, understanding his embarrassment, himself enquired what had he brought for him. Seeing the puffed rice, he snatched it and enjoyed every bit of it, to Sudama’s great relief. “It is excellent!”
For three days Sudama stayed in the company of his dearest friend. Yet he could not bring himself to tell Krishna the real purpose of his unexpected visit. He had thoroughly enjoyed his friend’s company as of old. Only the setting had changed but not the friendship. He was so eager to recall his childhood days. The simplicity of the gurukul memories by far out shadowed the glamour of the palace. Sudama came and left. He did not come empty handed. He brought Krishna all his fortune. Despite all the regal treatment, Sudama remained sad at heart. He could not forget the poignant plight of those he had left behind. They were starving while he was being served sumptuous fare. He parted from his friend without being able to muster the courage to ask for any favours.
As he neared home he was overwhelmed with sorrow. How to tell he had failed! He could not appeal to the Lord for help! Suddenly he could not believe his eyes! His hut was no more! Instead, a palace greeted him! Everyone was splendid in their new apparel and eager to welcome him. He was relieved and happy; the Lord had taken over his responsibility. He had no need for such wealth and comfort. He renounced all the wordly comforts and continued life in the worship of his lord. Sudama’s pure friendship ‘sakhya bhava’ for Lord Krishna will remain forever in our hearts.
SURDAS
Poet Saint Surdas, another great devotee of Lord Krishna, was born blind to very poor parents. His parents not able to do much for him, the unfortunate boy was mostly left alone. He would sit and listen to wandering groups of religious musicians as they went by. As he grew up his yearning to be up and about became more intense. At the tender age of six, he walked out of the house to join one of these passing groups of bards.
Very soon he would excel in devotional songs dedicated to Lord Krishna. He had a melodious voice that lent itself perfectly to the lilting lyrics. All his songs are devoted to the praise of Lord Krishna. Surdas had attained perfect spiritual union with his chosen ideal. Having had direct vision of the Lord, these songs contain vivid descriptions of Lord Krishna’s childhood.
He spent his whole life composing and singing the praise of his chosen ideal. He lived in the 15th century and is believed to have composed a hundred thousand songs out of which some eight thousand are known. He was desperate to have a glimpse of the Lord. As luck would have it, once at Gaughat near the sacred river Yamuna, he would meet the teacher who would transform his life. He was then eighteen. Shri Vallabharacharya heard him singing. The teacher took Surdas in his care and taught him Hindu philosophy and meditation. His spiritual teacher brought the physically blind Surdas, inner vision. Under his guidance Surdas mastered the whole Shrimad Bhagwatam. Being expert in singing, his Guru would encourage him to put to music the Bhagavad Leela, in praise of Lord Krishna and Radha.
One day the blind Surdas fell into a ditch and called Krishna for help. The Lord appeared to save his devotee. Lord Krishna granted him sight. Surdas was not keen to see anything else except his chosen ideal, having had the highest vision his eyes could ever see. He had seen his beloved Lord and there was nothing left to be seen! He requested that the Lord make him blind again. The Lord granted his devotee’s wish. Surdas was blind to the world but the vision of his beloved Lord ever graced his inner sight.
Watching a wedding procession, little Meera innocently asked her mother whom she will marry. Surprised, and not knowing what to say, she casually told Meera, you will marry this lovely figure of Lord Krishna. Meera took it seriously and from that day, looked to the idol of Krishna as her ‘would be’. She would bathe, dress and worship the figure. She would feed him and put him to sleep with her.
Meera’s mother died when she was quite young. Meera became even more attached to her Krishna and would display more and more the ‘madhurya bhava’. Lord Krishna was everything to her. Even after her marriage to Prince Bhoj Raj of Chittor, she would never part from her divine husband. The prince had immense love for her and respected her choice and way of life. Unfortunately, he would succumb after being wounded in battle. The marriage lasted barely a few years.
From her childhood Meera would be inspired to compose and sing songs to Lord Krishna. All her devotional songs convey her intense love for her Lord. Her songs are deeply spiritual and a sincere outpour of her love, completely dedicated to her Lord. They reveal to us Lord Krishna as the indwelling master and the only object of her worship.
Meera became more and more detached from worldly duties, especially towards the royal family of Chittor. She would leave the palace and mix with lower caste devotees in local temples, singing and dancing in front of the image of Lord Krishna. This was inacceptable to the royal family. They would by all means try to get rid of her.
Her in laws tried several times to kill her, but she survived. Her brother in law, the new king of Chittor mixed poison in her offering to Lord Krishna. Meera would partake of it as ambrosia. Nails hidden in her bed to hurt her turned into rose petals. A snake was concealed in a flower basket and gifted to Meera to offer to her Lord. The basket opened revealing a beautiful garland.
Meera’s love and devotion to her Lord grew more and more intense and she danced and sang her way from one village to another, travelling the whole of Northern India. She settled at Dwarka, the abode of Krishna where she spent the last years of her life. According to legend, Meera’s intense love was rewarded. She merged into the image of Lord Krishna, never to be seen again. She became one with her beloved Lord Krishna, the love of her life.
Ravidas, son of a cobbler, rose to become a great philosopher poet and social reformer of his time. He was instrumental in propagating the Bhakti movement. It was he who brought the philosophy of spiritual self realisation through the practice of Bhakti. Instead of consolidating his position in the family business, Guru Ravidas used all his money to uplift the poor and needy. It was his way to lead them from the darkness of ignorance to the light of wisdom. He preached of the immanence of God: “God is everywhere. In you and me...”. He would urge people “to search God within; pilgrimages are secondary”. The poetess-saint Meera would often visit him to seek his advice.