| 23.
Some may object, "What do we gain by making these false
suppositions?" But I would say, "Don't start with such
talk of truth and falsehood. Practice it first, and gain experience
of it; then you will know what is true and what is false." If
at the marriage ceremony you do not merely say in words, but feel at
heart, that the bridegroom is the Lord Himself, you will realize
what a great difference this makes. As a result of this holy bhavana
(mental attitude), the object will change so much that its latter
form will differ from its earlier as heaven from earth. The
undeserving becomes deserving, and the evil, good. Was it not in
this way that Balya (Valmiki) the hunter was converted?
There in the forest, the sage
Narada's fingers dance on the strings of the vina, he sings the name
of Narayana; the robber Balya runs towards him to kill him. Even
then, he is calm and undisturbed the sage looks on him with eyes
full of love. Never till then had Balya seen such a thing. He had
seen only two kinds of animals - one which fled from his bow and
arrow and another which turned round on him and attacked him. But
Narada neither fled nor flared up at sight of him, but stood there
at peace. Balya's bow and arrow stood still. Narada would neither
raise his brow nor shut his eyes. The music went on sweetly as
before. He asked the robber, "Why does your arrow stop?"
Balya answered, "At the sight of your peace." Narada had
transformed Balya. Was the change true or false? |
