| Discourses On Gita By Acharya Vinoba Bhave |
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| Discourses On Gita |
| PRAPATTI OR SURRENDER TO GOD |
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when our singers go abroad, they too would perhaps be 'esteemed' in
this fashion. Some find joy in music, others don't. Which means that
this is not true joy, but illusory. Until we experience true joy, we
shall toss up and down on these deceptive pleasures. Till Asvatthama
tasted genuine milk, he was satisfied with flour mixed in water.
Once we have seen the true nature of the universe, and tasted its
joy, we shall find these other pleasures insipid.
8. The best way to discover this joy is bhakti. As we go alone this path, we shall discover the skill of the Lord. When we reach this divine image, all other images disappear of themselves. Then you will not be attracted by anything trivial. Then you will see that the whole world is filled with pure joy. Though there are hundreds of sweetmeat shops, they are filled with the same sweets. Until the real thing comes to our hands, we are like restless birds pecking at this and that. I was reading the Tulasi-Ramayan in the morning. There was a cloud of moths surrounding the lamp. Just then, a lizard appeared. What interest had it in the Ramayana? But the sight of the moths was sheer joy. As it was about to pounce on the insects, I moved my hand, and it ran away. Even then its attention was concentrated on the moths. I asked myself, "Would you eat these insects? Does your mouth water at the sight of them? No, my mouth did not water. What could the poor lizard know of the joy that I was experiencing? It could not taste the sweetness of the Ramayan. Our condition is not very different from that of the lizard. We are intoxicated by a multitude of enjoyments. But when we find true joy, how sweet it would taste! The Lord has shown us the way of bhakti; through this we can reach and taste the true joy. |
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