Let’s say you have an important task to accomplish. It can be an exam that you are preparing for, a business venture that you are planning to launch, or learning to meditate upon God and realise Him. If you step into it with a doubt of whether you can do it or not, that itself becomes an obstacle in the path. Always step forward with complete conviction in its success.
Goda Devi clears all the doubts in the minds of gopikas before beginning the vrat (a set of pious observances aiming at a devoted offering to God). The first five pasurams (poems/songs) in Thiruppavai form the preamble of the vratam. This preamble clears all questions/doubts they have on the effectiveness of the vratam. The goal of the vratam is divine togetherness with God, which automatically frees from any kind of limitations.
Are you thinking, “we are free now, we don’t have any limitations!”
Think about it. Do you want a disease-free body? Do you want to attain control over hunger? Do you want to travel in time? Do you want to realise anything that you wish? Do you want to be in hundred bodies at the same time doing hundreds of kinds of activities? Do you want to fly up into the sky with your own power? If you desire for any of these or other such wishes, the current body is not capable. You need a body that is highly capable and powerful. Is that possible? Upanishads state that this is possible. Sri Krishna says in Bhagavad Githa…
idam jna:nam upa:srithya
mama sa:dharmyam a:gatha:ha |
sarge::pi no:paja:yanthe:
pralaye: na vyatthanthi cha ||
(You will attain the abilities and qualities like ME. You will not be succumbed into the cycle of temporary pains and pleasures…)
Guna thraya vibha:ga yo:gaha (14, 2)
Bhagavad Githa
Are you ready for it? Of course! Who would not want such an experience?
But, what is blocking us? Is there a way to unblock our obstacles?
Can you take a guess on what is blocking us? It is karma! We have a huge stock of karma. A small part of the karma is in the form of our current body. The intention of this body is to consume/experience the results of that karma through this body. But, what we end up doing is accumulating more karma. If the past karma is of the size of Mount. Everest, then the current body is only carrying a small grain of sand. We have huge backlog remaining. On top of that, we are also acquiring more karma for future births!
Past karma is termed sanchitha
Current karma is termed prarabdha (being experienced as body)
Future karma is termed aagami
If we are constantly busy in experiencing the results of karma, then there is no way to feel free and experience the state of eternal bliss. Gopikas were doubtful about how effective this vratam is and whether or not the vratam is capable of unblocking us from getting together with Krishna (eternal bliss). Goda Devi explains the efficacy of the vratam clearing their questions… Let’s take a brief look into what is karma.
Pose these two questions to yourself
Question one: do you feel like you are the reason for what is happening and what is not happening in your life? (this is ahamtha – ahamkaram). We forget to link our activities to the root cause of our existence, God. Thus, we feel like we are the reason for everything!
Question two: do you feel like you are the owner of the body, the associations that this body accrues, the relations, the possessions, the wealth etc? (this is mamatha – mamakaram). We forget that we are in a body with conditioned freedom, and that the true owner is God.
This ahamkaram and mamakaram cause pains and pleasures blocking us from experiencing the state of eternal bliss together with God. The activities themselves are not the pollutants, but the thoughts that you put into the activities pollute them. If your heart is free from these and it then becomes a pure flower (hrudaya kamalam) in service of God, no matter what activity you do.
It’s all good news when you realise this!! All karma acquired can be burnt just by chanting the name of God. Every name of God reflects knowledge of Him, who He is, what He does etc. The impact of this knowledge is so powerful that the entire karma is burnt off like a huge pile of cotton in a spark of fire!
Join your hands, bow down sincerely, offer your heart with devotion, and chant…
Narayana! (one who supports everyone from within and around)
Maayi! (one who is the possessor of all nature, with miraculous abilities – ex: ability to grow a seed into a tree, a cell into a body, and many more around…)
Damodara! (one who is supreme and yet accessible through mantra for the devoted, Krishna being tied with a rope by Yasoda!)
– From the discourse of Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji
– December 21 st , 2019
Thirrupavai, Houston, Texas
Watch Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji elaborate on these 30 pasurams live from Houston, USA!
Jaisrimannarayana jaisrimannarayana jaisrimannarayana⚘💐⚘well swamiji happy danurmasapuja we all getting positive vibrations from guruchinnajeeyarswamy thank you swamy
this knowedge of bhagavan srikrishna makes us to hear it again and again to gain further interest {kutuhalam},which leads to purna bhakti . ultimate goal is saayujyam .