Ananyaas chinta – Further Reading-ta
Ananyaas chinta – Further Reading
In this verse, Lord declares, “I assure protection for those who always think of Me – with single minded devotion, who offer worship to me are always united with me in thought, I will fulfil their needs and look after their welfare”.
Lord declares, “I bring full security and personally attend to their needs who love no one else but Me, who constantly think of Me, who worship Me in disinterested spirit and who are always limited in thought with Me”. Such devotees have no attachment for any worldly enjoyments. Separation from the Lord even for a second is unbearable for a true devotee. Gopis were such true devotees. Gopis even complained to Brahma why He created the eyelids, because of the eyelids closing and opening they were not able to see their Lord. Once Narada asked Hanuman how he was spending His time. Hanuman replied that time was not enough for Him to do Rama Japa. Child devotee Prahalada was tortured in many ways but at all times he was saved by the Lord. For a true devotee, God is his friend, guide and philosopher. God looks after the devotee in every way.
If everyone treads the holy path of Sathya, Dharma, Shanti and Prema and while on this path, if one takes up the discipline of the name of the Lord, the Lord himself will bestow on each that is needed, all that is deserved and all that will give peace of mind. The conditions for the fulfillment of the assurance are Ananyaschintaa and Upaasanaa – Meditation on the Lord, unhampered by any other thought and steady worship. The words “Yoga”– acquisition of something desirable and “Kshema” means the preservation of what that is acquired. The discipline by which you can preserve it : Ananya Chintana – exclusive meditation on the Lord.
This verse is considered the Lord’s grand declaration.
It is the sublime statement revealing the law of life at the spiritual level. Krishna promises here that those who worship Him alone, meditate upon Him with single pointed mind and see Him as the only reality behind the world of change, to them He brings ‘yoga’ and ‘Kshema’. In our worldly sense this means that if one is constantly engaged in contemplation of God and is completely attuned to the Divine, then the Divine provides for him the necessities of life – food, clothing and shelter. This is done by the Lord for the very earnest sincere seeker of God who has gone a long way on the path to God realization. His yearning and longing for the Lord are so intense that his mind is always soaring and hardly comes dawn to the mundane level. Then the Lord provides for such a one so that he does not have to toil for food and is encouraged to go to higher and higher into God-intoxication. The grace of the Lord operates in miraculous way as we have seen in life of Saints. Swami Ramadaasa left home and lived on the Bounty of the Lord. Rama gave him to eat or Rama led him to shelter, as Rama willed.
The second meaning which is very significant for all seekers is that not only does God encourage the seeker by providing the bare necessities of life but also provides more and more opportunities for spiritual growth and saadhana (yoga). The Lord then takes the seeker o the final experience of Beatitude or Supreme Knowledge and Bliss (Kshema).
Thus ‘yoga’ in this context means the “provision of the means required for the devotees” bodily maintenance and ‘Kshema’ means the protection of what he has been provided with. Thus, no harm can come to such a devotee, because the Lord will see to it, that he does not suffer. The devotee is not interested in anything but the Lord of his heart who is the sole goal of his life. Many instances are seen in the lives of Saints like Narasee Mehta, Naamadev, Sakhubai, Janaabai, Guru Naanak where the Lord Himself come to the aid of his Bhakta.
The one with Ananya Bhakti is recognized by these things. He talks only of the Lord, he sings of the Lord, he sees only the Lord, he works and spends his leisure with the Lord. – Geeta Vahini
Story-For illustrating the above shloka – an incident in the life of Swami Vivekananda.
It was one of those scorching summer noon in the United Provinces (Uttar Pradesh), when Swami alighted from the train at Tari Ghat. A cloak dyed in the usual Sannyaasin and a third class ticket for a station some distance away which someone had given him were about his only belongings. He did nit possess even his Kamandalu (water vessel). He was not allowed by the porter to stay within the station shed. So he sat down on the ground, leaning against a post of the waiting shed for the third-class passengers. Of the motley crowd assembled there, a middle-aged man of North India, trading -caste, a Bania, who sat on a dari (cotton mat) a little way off under the shelter of the shed almost opposite to Swami. Recognizing the Swami’s starving condition he had made merry at his expense as they journeyed in the same compartment the previous night, and when they stopped at different stations, and the Swami, who was suffering intensely from thirst, was unable to obtain water from the water-bearers because he had no money to pay for it, the Bania bought water to satisfy his own thirst and, as he drank it, taunted the Swami, saying, “See here, my good man, what nice water this is! You being a sanyaasin and having renounced money, cannot buy it and so you have the pleasure of going without it. Why don’t you earn money as I do and have a good time of it?”. He did not approve of sanyaasa, nor did he believe in giving up the worldly pursuits. In his opinion, it was only right that the sannyaasin should starve, and so when they both alighted at Tari Ghat, he took considerable pains to make it clear to the Swami by means of arguments, illustrations and pleasantries that he got just what he deserved.
“Look here,” he began with derisive smile curling his lips, “what nice purees and laddoos I am eating! You do not care to earn money, so you have to rest content with parched throat and empty and bare ground to sit upon!”.
Swami looked on calmly, not a muscle on his face moved.
Presently there appeared one of the local inhabitants carrying a bundle and a glass in his right hand, a dari under his left arm and an earthen jug of water in his left hand. He hurriedly spread the dari in a clear spot, put on it the things he was carrying and called the Swami.
“Do come, Babaji, take the food which I have brought for you!” Swami was surprised beyond words. What did this mean? Who was this newcomer? The jeering Bania’s look was changed to one of blank amazement.
The new-comer kept on insisting, “Come on, Babaji, you must come and eat the food!”
“I am afraid you are making a mistake, my friend,” said Swami Vivekananda. “Perhaps you are taking me for somebody else. I do not even remember having ever met you”. But the other cried out,
“No, no, you are the very Babaji I have seen!”
“What do you mean?” asked the Swami, his curiosity fully aroused, while his jocose friend stood gaping at the scene.
“Where have you seen me?”
The man replied, “I am a sweetmeat vendor and was having my usual nap after my noon meal. I had a dream that Sri Raamaji was pointing you out to me and telling me that He was pained to see you without food from the day before and that I should get up instantly, prepare some purees and curry, and bring them to you at the railway station with some sweetmeats, nice cold water and a dari for you to sit upon. I woke up but thinking it was only a dream, I turned on my side and slept again. But Sri Raamaji in his graciousness came to me again and actually pushed me to make me get up and do as he said. I quickly prepared some purees and curry and, taking some sweets which I had prepared this morning, some cold water and a dari from my shop, I ran here direct and recognized you at once from a distance. Now, do come and have your meal while it is fresh. You must be very hungry.” One can imagine Swami’s feelings at this time. With all his heart, the Swami thanked his simple host, while tears of love flowed from his eyes. But the kind man protested saying, “No, No Babaji! Do not thank me. It is all the will of Sri Raamji!”. the jeering Bania was quite taken back at this incident and, begging the Swamiji’s pardon for all the ill words he had used against him, he took the dust of his feet.