Narada Bhakti Sutra, Part 2
BY: SUN STAFF
Narada Muni
Tiruchirapalli, c. 1830
British Museum Collection
Aug 31, 2013 CANADA (SUN) Serial presentation of Chapter Three of Sri Narada Bhakti Sutra.
34
tasyah sadhanani gayanty acaryah
SYNONYMS
tasyah -- of it; sadhanani -- the means of development; gayanti -- sing; acaryah -- the great teachers.
TRANSLATION
Standard authorities have described the methods for achieving devotional service.
PURPORT
Having described the essence of para bhakti, the highest stage of devotional service, Narada now turns to the practices one must perform to reach that stage. The practice stage of bhakti is called sadhana-bhakti. Narada previously stated that bhakti was its own means, that it does not depend on anything else -- specifically jnana, or knowledge. And as Srila Prabhupada points out, bhakti doesn't even depend on the devotee's practice:
Krsna consciousness cannot be aroused simply by practice. Actually there is no such practice. When we wish to develop our innate capacity for devotional service, there are certain processes which, by our accepting and executing them, will cause that dormant capacity to be invoked. Such practice is called sadhana-bhakti. [The Nectar of Devotion, p. 20]
The rules and regulations of bhakti are meant to cure a conditioned soul of the madness that causes his bondage and suffering. Srila Prabhupada writes (The Nectar of Devotion, p. 21), "As a man's mental disease is cured by the directions of a psychiatrist, so this sadhana-bhakti cures the conditioned soul of his madness under the spell of maya, material illusion."
Narada says that the methods he will teach have been given by the acaryas, those who teach by both word and deed. Bhakti can be taught only by Vaisnava acaryas and their representatives, not by teachers of comparative religion or impersonalists in the guise of bhaktas. Narada himself is one of the greatest acaryas, and so his own sayings are sufficient. Still, following the parampara tradition, he quotes previous acaryas and also gives his own insights. Thus his teachings are acceptable to all, regardless of sampradaya or particular founder-acarya. Here Narada uses the word gayanti, "they sing," because the acaryas joyfully teach the principles of bhakti.
Bhaktivedanta Book Trust