VANARA GITA 18: TREAT GOD AS YOUR FATHER, MOTHER, RELATIVE, AND GURU

Akin to Dhruva, everyone should treat the Supreme Lord as his father, mother, Guru and God. Through this approach, the Lord’s grace quickly falls upon the person due to the feelings of oneness that he develops with the Lord.

There is a very famous verse, wherein the poet has beautifully declared-

Mātā mē Pārvati devi, pita devō Maheśwara

            Bāndhavāḥ śiva bhaktās ca svadēsho bhuvanatrayam.

Meaning- Parvati is my mother; Lord Shiva himself is my father; all the devotees of Shiva are my kith and kin; my nation is to me the three planes of existence.

Angada expresses the similar way of thinking towards Hanuman and Suvarchala Devi. He says that Suvarchala is my mother; Hanuman is my father; all devotees of Hanuman are my my kith and kin and to me my nation is the three planes of existence.

We had discussed yesterday that even Dhruva expressed the same sentiments towards the Lord. He who treats the Lord as his kith and kin, he who enjoys such closeness with divinity, reaps the fruits quickly.

One should have the deep faith that the water with which Guru’s feet have been bathed is itself the sacred Ganga. There are some devotees who regret that they had never seen the River Ganga or bathed in it. Why should such thoughts be entertained? ‘Oh, I am so busy with Guru Seva that I could not bathe in Ganga’- they think. This is akin to sitting in Vaikunṭha (abode of Lord Vishnu) and complaining, ‘Oh, I am so bored I wish I could go to earth.’

Sitting comfortable on the sofa surrounded by all comforts people fail to meditate upon the Lord. They are eternally engrossed in finding faults with others and criticizing them. Everybody wants to be busy, but sadly they want to be busy by engaging in wasteful, sinful deeds. No one wants to be busy for good deeds. They don’t seek to utilize the comfortable life provided by God for singing diving names, cultivating good habits and for cleansing oneself of his bad habits.

Likewise they don’t have the satisfaction that they could get Sadguru Seva, which in itself is everything. ‘O I am fortunate to live in Vaikunṭha’- they don’t think in this manner.

Angada considered Suvarchala Devi as his mother. This can be interpreted in two ways. The first is to treat Suvarchala Devi as his own mother. The second is to see Suvarchala Devi in his own mother. Both are correct.

Om Namo Hanumate Namah