19. Navadastu tadarpitakhilacharita tadvismarane paramvyakulteti.
Now, Narad gives his interpretation to surrender everything one possesses to Him and to feel extreme anguish if He is forgotten even for a moment is Bhakti. It should be noted that Sage Narad is not giving his opinion by any sense of ego. He is merely stating the view a ‘Narad’ as he has done in the case of other sages. He does not say, “it is my opinion or in my view.” Narad does not use the language of a scholar or see. He used the language of a devotee that or a lover. He says that surrender of all one’s works, even one self to Him is Bhakti. Now the entire burden is his. Not only our good works but also the bad works should be surrendered to him. Then we shall not have the sense of doer ship. Whatever is done, it is his wish. There does not remain any difference between “Me’ and ‘You’. This is Bhakti. Like a true love, even if the beloved is out of sight even for a moment, one experiences the extreme anguish. That is the state of Bhakti.
20. Asthayamayam.
Narad says, “It is just like that whatever is said in these definitions Narad says, Bhakti is just like that. Though the experience of that Infinite cannot be certained with in mere words. Yet these definitions give hints about Him. They show the way to go the path to be trodden. These are merely hints, not the real taste of Bhakti.
21. Yatha brajagoprikanam
Like the Bhakti of the Gopis of Braja. Innumerable Gopis are the symbol of the countless souls, atmans, They are very eager to become one with Krishna. Krishna is the symbol of the supreme God. In such love, it is not at all necessary for Krishna to be physically present. It is sufficient to have his devotion in one’s heart. Like the love of Radha for Krishna, who always was in his company the love of Mira is exactly on the same footing, even though Krishna was not present with her. Whenever the fire of Bhakti is kindled in the soul, the realization of God (Krishna) is inevitable. Gopis are not able to forget Krishna even for a moment. They become very anguished when Krishna is not with them. The love of Gopis for Krishna is not the ordinary love of the mortals, it is the purest form of the love of God, which is Bhakti. They see Krishna as the Supreme Lord not as an ordinary man. Whenever, one reaches that highest peak of love, where one’s beloved is transformed into God, the love becomes Bhakti.
22. Tatrapi na mahatmagyanavismritapavadah.
Even in that case (i.e. in the case of Gopis) to say that they were not aware of the divine glory of the lord, is not correct. As stated in the previous Sutra, the Gopis love Krishna as the Supreme God not as a man, this awareness of divine state of Krishna exalted the love of Gopis to the level of Bhakti. Gopis were loving Krishna all alike. There was no jealousy or heart burning among them as is common in the worldly love affairs. All of them loved Krishna alike, no one wanted to have any exclusive right over the lord. In case of ordinary love of men, lovers want to have exclusive control over their beloveds. Even more doubt of some one else’s presence causes jealousy and heartburn. Such is the difference between the love of ordinary mortals and that of Gopis.
23. Tadviheenam jaranamiva
If they had not known the presence of the lord and had they (Gopis) not known his glory, their love too would have been of the nature of an adulator’s passion. The presence of the divinity exalts the love of Gopis to the state of absolute purity and glory. The absence of the divinity would have reduced the love of Gopis for Krishna, to the level of the adulator love affairs of the ordinary men and women.
24. Vastyena tasmin tatsukhsukhitvam.
In that (in the adulators love affair one’s own happiness cannot become the happiness of others. In the worldly love, driven by passion, each lover wants to derive pleasure for himself. Pleasure of one cannot become the pleasure of all. But in divine love, the pleasures and pains are shared alike. The Gopis shared their pleasured and their pains equally.
25. Sa tu karmagyanayogabhyapyadhikatara
The divine love (Bhakti) described above, is far superior to work (Karma), knowledge (Gyana) and yoga. Following the path of work, knowledge or yoga, it is with great difficulty that the practitioners may reach the divine. But the lord himself comes to his Bhakta. Karma-yoga or the yoga of work is the way of reaching the divine by doing the work without any desire for its rewards. The way of knowledge (Gyana) is similarly lies in obtaining knowledge free from delusions and impurities. Yoga requires constant practice and renunciation to reach the state of the perfection.
Bhakti has no pre-conditions, no pre-qualifications. There is no prescribed method or formula is Bhakti. On the contrary a devotee believes that he cannot obtain anything through his own efforts. When only leaves aside all the supports and become free of ego, the divine descends into him. This is his grace. Therefore, Narad pronounces that the way of Bhakti is far superior to the ways of Karma, Gyana or yoga. Being a realized soul his pronouncement has authority and authenticity. Everyone is free to try it and experience it.
26. Phalaruotuat
Narad says that the Bhakti is of the nature of the fruit or the reward. This is a unique declaration. The depth of this Sutra should be understood clearly. It is the belief of the followers of the ways of Karma, Gyana or yoga that the seeds of these should be watered by the constant effort and practice. Then it will grow into a plant in season it will bear flowers and fruits. But in Bhakti, there is no correlation between the work and its reward or its fruit. The Supreme Being is completely free from our efforts, he is not controlled by our efforts, and He is far above these things. There is the worldly rule that one should sow the seed, water it gives it fertilizers, then it will grow in to a plant. The flowers and fruit will come and this cycle of cause and effect will continue forever. This is not the rule of the Supreme God. The Bhakti is not of the nature of a seed, it is of the nature of the fruit itself. There is no need to Strive or to make efforts, fruit is obtained directly.
