Srimadh Bagawatham - Krishna and Jarasandha Part 2

 Continued From: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2014/04/srimadh-bagawatham-krishna-and.html

Why did it take eighteen tries? The number eighteen is very significant. There are 18 chapters in bagawad Geetha, 18 Parvas in Mahabharata and 18 Puranas. Above all there are 18 steps leading a jeevatma up towards Perumal. These eighteen steps have ben shown as eighteen tries by Jarasandhan. They are as follows.

1.       We should lose interest in samsara and exist like water droplets on lotus leaves. The lotus leaves do not become wet even when water if present on them as the water rolls away. Our attitude should be similar in samsara. We should take life as it comes without feeling sad when we are disappointed or happy when we are succeed in something.

2.       We should destroy our false ego. Ahamkaram , the thought that “I am the doer” and Mamakaram the thought that “this is mine” even when the object doesn’t belong to us should be destroyed.

3.       We should stop associating ourselves with our body. We are the atma not the body. This is called dehatma abhimanam.

4.       We should obtain atmagnanam and know that we are Perumal’s slaves and we exist to do Bagawath/Bagawatha kaimkaryams.

5.       We should lose our desire for sensual pleasures which are temporary.

6.       We should desire to know Bagawath Vishayam. That is know more about Perumal, His bagawathas, visit Divya Desams etc. Therefore we should develop thirst to know more about Him.

7.       We should lose our desire in other things which do not form a part of Bagawath Vishayam.

8.       Know that we are paratantras. Accepting that we are seshabhutam is to know that we are His slave but this alone is not enough as we continue to do things our way. Becoming a paratantra menas performing any task the Lord wills us to do and allowing Him to act in any way towards us. Sri Lakshmanar showed the quality of Seshabhutam when He went to serve Lord Rama in the forest even when the Lord wished for Lakshmanar to remain in Ayodhya. Bharatazhwan on the other hand followed the Lord’s wish and remained at Nandi Gramam even though he too wished to follow the Lord in order to perform kaimkaryam. Thus the quality of Bharatzhwar is superior to that of Lakshmanar. Perumal has also showed us how to be paratantras. When Sage vishwamitrar asked King Dasarathan to send Rama with him, the King said take him as if Lord Rama was an object without asking Lord rama’s opinion. Lord Rama followed the sage without arguing with his father accepting his father’s right to give him away. This is paratantriyam.

9.       We should destroy artha, kama and dwesham. Artha is seeking fruits from Perumal like wealth, kaivalyam etc. Kama is our desire to obtain something which gives rise to krodha (anger) when we fail to obtain the object of our desire. Dwesham is hating others. These feelings should not be present in a person seeking Moksham.

10.    A person who has climbed up the first nine steps becomes a Sri Vaishnava and only then is eligible to proceed further.

11.    The person must be accepted by people with satvik tendencies.

12.    The person must be accepted by Bagawathas. Bagawathas are given a higher standing than regular people with satvik tendencies.

13.    Should obtain the grace of Perumal.

14.    Seek no other fruit except the fruit of serving Perumal, Piratti and their devotees.

15.    Know that we are only His slave and we do not have any other master than Perumal.

16.    Realize that we are incapable of saving ourselves and that we completely depend on Him.

17.    Become eligible to be accepted by an Acharyan as disciple.

18.     After climbing up all the seventeen steps, a person becomes eligible to attain Perumal’s thiruvadi.

Continued On: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2014/04/srimadh-bagawatham-rukmini-kalyanam.html