FOCUS ON HIS FEET

A man who is determined to avoid sinning must resort to nine observances. He must control his indriyas and speak the TRUTH always. He must give to others GENEROUSLY. He should keep his mind and body PURE. He should be KIND to all living beings. He must do JAPA and TAPAS. He must observe BRAHMACHARYA. He must control his MIND. Through these NINE observances, a man’s sins are burnt up. This is saamaanya dharma. Other than this, he should be Calm, Cheerful and Confident at all times. He should have endurance power (titiksha), control his anger, and remain peaceful even under provoking circumstances. By following the above mentioned, he will attain excellence in Life and Living.

A better way is to reach the feet of Lord Narayana through Saranagati (surrender). If a man does this, then just as dewdrops are dried up by the Sun, so will his sins dry up? Through service to Him and to His devotees, the sins of a man who surrenders are destroyed. In addition, this grants a man total freedom from sins. The nine observances do not give this complete freedom from sins.

The practice of serving the Lord and His devotees is an ancient practice, resorted to by great men. Suka says that Pareekshit must know about this path that leads to freedom from sin. In his Gita Bhasya, Ramanuja says that one must do what one’s elders did, and also do it the way they did. Just as great people served Him and His bhaktas, we too should serve God and devotees. If a pot that once contained arrack is washed in the Ganges, does it get purified? It cannot become pure, because it once had contained arrack. Similarly, if you have no Bhakti towards the Lord, you may atone for your sins, but you will never attain absolute release. You will remain in the same state as a pot that once contained arrack.

Bees go from flower to flower. Likewise, the human mind wavers thinking of many things without focus. That mind must be trained to focus only on His feet.

Be blissful.

S.Sekar

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