Sneha

20 August 1978, Students Hostel, Prasanthi Nilayam

Professor Kasturi's English.

1

is the eighth of nine stages of (devotion) described in the and other texts. It is usually translated as 'friendship,' a term that has been understandably vulgarized by application to certain transitory relationships between living beings. Friends come together as a result of a variety of reasons and circumstances which are mostly of worldly and temporary interest. People who have ample resources gain friends quickly, as do also those who have a great deal of patronage in their hands or can distribute favours. Those in authority also gather friends, who, of course, stay on during fair weather but disappear when the authority fades. Most friendships are based on selfish considerations and last only as long as selfish interests are promoted thereby. As the proverb goes, When the lake is full there are also frogs in plenty, but when it runs dry not a single croak is heard." Friendship ought to be a spiritual bond, a heart to heart kinship based on full understanding of and pure dedication of one to another. Students should be vigilant against false and fleeting friendships and not be simply led away by hellos and handshakes. Do not cultivate close friendship with anybody unless you know that the motives on the other side are pure, unselfish and spiritual.

2

Unique friendship between & Genuine friendship can only be possible between one and another, that is to say, between two persons who have each realized that is the core of their being. Nowhere on the mundane plane can you get the genuine which is declared as the penultimate stage to or (total surrender and dedication to God), among the trivial, transitory friendships of worldlings. and had this genuine between them. saw as his (friend), and therefore had the temerity to use words of jesting irreverence during 'play, or while in repose, or when seated by him, or at meals' (). The two often ate meals from the same plate, and were ready to help each other under all circumstances. Do not be under the impression that was insidiously overpowered by . He was mature in character, well-versed in the Vedhic lore and a redoubtable warrior and bowman full of courage and heroism. was the (Supreme Being), the (best human). It was a friendship between the Embodiment of the Highest and the embodiment of the best. was the Avatharic (incarnated) Person; was the anandhic (blissful) person; it was a coming together of the and the . was often addressed by as . This name has a deep significance. means 'act, activity, .' means 'happy, delighted.' , therefore, means he who is delighted while engaged in activity. Throughout the eighteen chapters of the , is alert and active, participating vigilantly in every turn of argument.

3

's assurance to all who offer their self was fascinated by the that was exemplified by the - relationship. He learned from the and the how the (spiritual aspirant) can go through all the nine stages of (devotion). He was also determined to emulate the (cowherd girls) and earn for himself the (passionate) type of , (sweet devotion), that the had. When he read the , he decided to emulate and practise his (devotion of servitude). Of all the (verses) in the , was especially impressed by the one that emphasised the attitude of or .

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. ("Become one with Me; be devoted to Me; sacrifice unto Me; bow down to Me. Thus having made thy heart steadfast in Me, taking Me as the Supreme Goal, thou shalt surely come to Me.") One day, while was going to , night overtook him and he was caught in heavy rain right in the centre of a burial ground. Of course he was in such an ecstatic mood that the time, place or weather mattered little to him. When he awoke, called upon God by various names - , , , , . Then he suddenly realised that the names all referred to the One, and he repeated within himself the verse from the that reminded him of (absolute surrender) to the One.

5

Surrender absolutely to God to get peace Many interesting incidents took place at . When was once asked to go to the temple office to receive his monthly salary, he was very much upset, for he never wanted any wages for being given the chance of worshipping His Mother. At another time, thieves broke into the temple. When and came by there and discovered that 's idol was absolutely bare and that every jewel had been stolen, fell into a rage and began blaming Himself. "You are adored as the Guardian of the 'fourteen worlds,' but you cannot guard even the jewels on your own body," he said. reprimanded him soundly for this sacrilege, saying, " has as His Consort, and for Him your gold and gems are as cheap as dust. As a matter of fact, what is gold but dust in another form?" He made repent for his silly outburst, making him aware of the true nature of God-head. If only you surrender your wish and will, your fancies and fantasies to God, He will lead you aright and give you peace and joy. You must not run after diverse ends and flitting pleasures. Leave everything to God; accept whatever happens, as His Will. was a King who stuck to all the Vedhic injunctions and observed all the rites and rituals laid down in these texts. He was noble, sincere and very devoted to , the Form that embodies the fostering and sustaining aspect of God.

6

True devotion of King Fasting on day and breaking the fast as-soon as came in, was one of the important rites that observed meticulously every fortnight. is the eleventh day of the Moon and , the twelfth day. The fast has to be broken with prayers to and the partaking of the offering made to Him as soon as, according to the lunar calendar, the twelfth lunar day has started. On one occasion, a few hours before the approach of , the great sage , reputed for his frequent fits of fury and burst of uncontrollable temper, arrived at the palace of . He was heartily welcomed by the King. pleaded with him to proceed to the Ganges, finish his ablutions and return in time for the breaking of the fast. But the sage took his own time and was nowhere evident when the crucial moment arrived. was in a fix. He consulted his preceptor who advised him to sip a few drops of sanctified water, since that could be considered breaking of the fast. On day, even water is taboo during the period of fasting. He said that had no reason to get angry, since the drops of water were taken by him only as a token to keep the vow. But when the sage came and learnt about it all, he became so wild that he cursed for having broken the fast in his absence and started the meal. As the curse took form, the (discus) of appeared on the scene and confronted .

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A devotee takes the curse as a gift from God took the curse as a gift from God; he submitted himself to it in the spirit of a , for he had no will of his own. Thus God came to his rescue. did not call upon and pray that he may be saved from. the anger of . He accepted that too as the Will of . The pursued the terrified sage over all the three worlds, and when fell at the feet of , He directed him to approach himself to pardon. The attitude of surrender or (offering the self to God) makes a person dedicate his entire personality at the Feet of the Lord. In the , too, we have an episode that illustrates this. and were combing the forests to discover where was. They were tired and thirsty. Suddenly, they came upon a clear pool and, while placing their bows on the ground, dropped their arrows which partially sank into the wet bank. After slaking their thirst they put the bows on their shoulders and pulled the arrows out from the bank. noticed a stain of blood at the tip of his arrow and was curious to find out how it came there. discovered a little frog that had been hit by 's arrow when he dropped it on the ground. told the wounded frog, "Poor thing! Why did you not cry out when you were hit?" The frog replied, "Whenever in trouble, I cry out to you . But, when Himself inflicts pain, whom am I to cry out to? I accepted it as His Grace." adored even when He was rushing towards him with His to take his life. His sense of (total surrender to Divinity) did not desert him at the point of death at the hands of the very Person whom he revered as God: "Kill me or save me, I shall not falter in my loyalty," he said.

8

See God in every being, will blossom had the same sense of total dedication. He was in great pain as the result of a cancer, and his disciples asked him to pray to the Mother for alleviation of the pain. was desperate when his master refused to ask this little favour from the Mother with whom he was literally on speaking terms. But replied that if it was the Mother's Will that he must suffer, he was not going to pray for palliatives. But his disciples were adamant. They bothered so much that one day he prayed to the Mother that he may be helped to take a little food in spite of the cancer in his throat. told his disciples that at that time he heard the Mother admonishing him for his ignorance: “Are you not eating through all these billion throats? Why regret that one throat is incapable of taking down food?" (). This truth was brought home to the disciples by this revelation.

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The (friendship) stage of is the stage when all distinctions between the devotee and God disappear and the two friends are One. When this stage of utter trust, unshakeable faith, and complete absence of doubt, fear and anxiety is reached, the next stage of is natural and easy to cover. This is real friendship to which the youth must aspire. See God in every being and then true will blossom, This type of true can come only when you follow the advice of .

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. ("He who has no trace of hatred towards any creature, who is friendly and compassionate towards all, who is free from the bondage of 'I' and 'mine,' who takes pain and pleasure as equally welcome and who is forbearing in spite of provocation...") Develop these qualities in you, for they are the signs of true , for it is only when you are proceeding on the Godward journey along the nine stages of (devotion) that you can attain this Divine ideal of true friendship.