BHAKTI IS JNANA MATA
Bhagavan approved of two methods to attain Self-relation. Ask ‘who am I?’ and realize that there never is a separate ’I’, and that the Self alone exists. Or surrender the ‘I’ and ‘me’ to the higher power with the conviction ‘Not me, only God exists’. In both methods, annihilation of the individual ‘I’ is the final attainment. These two paths are like the two sides of the same coin.
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Generally, the path of surrender or devotion is taken as the easier of two. In fact, there is no definite line separating these two paths, the path of wisdom or jnana and the path of devotion or bhakti. They complement each other. In the life of a seeker, utter devotion and surrender predominate at one time. At other times, subtle ecstasy is invoked through a profound statement of pure wisdom.
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“Bhakti is jnana mata”, said Bhagavan. This means, devotion is the mother of wisdom. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa’s teaching is acclaimed as pure bhakti marga, and that of Bhagavan Ramana as jnana marga.
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The mahatma, Krishna Premi Maharaj once aptly put it, “Ramakrishna Pramahamsa was a fully realized, pure jnani within, but preached the bhakti marga. Whereas, Bhagavan was a fully ripened, pure bhakta within. But his teaching is the highest jnana marga. In the experience of inner felicity, both jnana and bhakti are the same.”
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On September, 1, 1896, the very first day of his arrival in Arunachala, Bhagavan, then a youth of sixteen years, surrendered himself fully and completely to Arunachala, saying, “Father! I have come at Thy biding. Thy will be done!” The rest of his life of fifty four years at Arunachala was a steady stream of complete surrender.
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“There is a higher power which is looking after every one, leave it to Him. He will take care of you as well.” This was Bhagavan’s reply when a devotee cried over his life’s travails.
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In Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, it is recorded, “The aarti plate offered to Sri Arunachaleswara, was brought to Bhagavan by the ashram devotees. Bhagavan took a little vibhuti, sacred ash, and applied it to his forehead, saying in an undertone, ‘Appavukku pillai adakkam,’ meaning ‘the son is beholden to the Father’. His voice seemed choked with emotion as he spoke. The expression on his face proved the ancient saying. ‘Bhakti poornathaya jnanam’, which means, the culmination of devotion is wisdom”.
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For Bhagavan, Arunachala was the father! For all of us true seekers, Bhagavan is the father! As seekers, we are all beholden to him, in past, present and future!
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