Heaven – dwellers
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| Vagbhatanda Guru (1885 - 1939) |
In this piece, Vagbhatananda takes on Swargaloka , i.e, the abode of all Devas, the celestial beings. Those
elites get everything with a mere wish to that effect. They have amrut at their disposal. Further, Kamadhenu and Kalpavriksh, the celestial cow and tree respectively are in
attendance to grant anything that the heaven – dwellers ask for.
Now, the Guru quotes from
Bhagavad Gita
Devanu bhavayathanena
te deva bhavayanthu va
Parasparam bhavayantha
sreya paramavapsyadha
Meaning: You try to make the Devas
happy through yajnas so that, in
return, they make you happy with their benediction. The process of making each
other happy will go on till you get all sreyas.
According to Guru, this verse gives us a feeling that celestial kings are
for real and the most important work of lesser-beings is to make them happy. In
fact, this is just a folly held aloft in the name of Truth. As a result, people
were running after an external celestial ecstasy and they thought it could be
won through rituals. The sad plight of ‘seekers’ desperately making yagasalas and inviting purohits to do all kinds of rites is
narrated even in Bhagavatam. If there
were an external heaven and higher beings named Devas inhabited the place, why should others make an all-out effort
to appease them? They are happily settled in Heaven and do not need any of our
props.
Do these celestial dwellers, always praised by the so-called vaidiks possess any divinity that
commands our respect? Is there any quality in them worth-emulating?
Think of Indra, the king of Devalokam. He has killed any number of
people with treachery, assumes the centre-stage with a bunch of prostitutes
like Urvashi, setting out with his side-kicks to make love to Damayanti. He got humiliated for good reason and finally the same Indra endowed with thousand lingas by way of curse for breaking Ahalya’s
chastity. Is it possible to imitate him?
The belief that somebody reigns in heaven results in all kinds of religious
rigidities like yajnas and idol worship.
Both have to be kept at bay. Say good-bye to all superstitions happily. Even the
Gods that we have enshrined in our reveries and elsewhere are a product of
superstition, admit it. The history of our Gods are not unblemished.
The real devas are the soul,
the mind and the senses which are to be aligned in tune with the well-being of
man. They would be pleased only if you live a dharmik life. Anybody can lead such a life and it is equally
rewarding for both the agnostic and atheist.
God is like a gentle breeze. The leaves, flowers, plants, trees and the
forest itself move in tandem and you can feel the cause behind it. Likewise the
infinite and unimaginable Universe follows certain intrinsic laws and one can
feel the presence of the Ancient One.
The radiance of that Jnanandamurti
touches all. It expresses itself through everything around us.
All we have to do is to free our souls from darkness. Mind has to be
pure. The sensory organs should be under control. Unless we go through this
spiritual transformation, we would still be crest-fallen and there won’t be any
progress made.
Tat Karma Yanna Bandhaya
Source: Collected Works of Vagbhatananda Guru
Published by Mathrubhumi Books,
Pages (402-411)
Originally
published in 1930
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