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Bhaktachintamani Prakaran 12

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Hasmukh Patadia

Gujarati narration
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Then Bhakti asked: listen, my elderly father-in-law, tell me in full detail the ways of a woman's devotion to her husband.

Hearing this, Balashrama said: listen, beautiful one, this has been declared in the scriptures of dharma, taught with mercy by the great sages.

In the Sati Gita, the chaste Sati herself explained the duties of devotion to one's husband; remain in such a way as Shiva's wife herself described.

If ever the two of you, husband and wife, fall into difficulty, remember the son of the wind (Hanuman); he is our family deity and shall help you in times of trouble.

Keep the Ekadashi vow always, and hold celebrations as you are able; and keep company with the truly righteous, holding such joy in your heart.

Gambling, theft, liquor, and meat -- never engage in these, even by mistake; there is much corruption spread across this earth -- beware lest its snare catch you.

Balashrama said to his son: go now to the city of Ayodhya. Hearing these instructive words, the wise couple touched his feet.

When the man and woman bowed their heads, the elder gave his blessing: be happy, husband and wife, your fame shall become boundless.

So saying, Balashrama departed and reached his own town; there he lived a few more days, and then soon after left his body.

Now listen, O people of good understanding, how this couple lived thereafter; whatever words their elder had spoken, they remained joyfully within them.

They kept the Ekadashi vow unbroken, sang the praises of Krishna with joy; Dharma never abandoned righteousness even in times of adversity, and people said, truly this Dharma is merciful.

Then twelve celestial women came there, serving them with faith and growing love; only Dharma and Bhakti could see them, no one else could see them at all.

They performed their daily worship and rites of evening prayer, with great devotion to the true scriptures; such was steadfast Dharmadev, performing beautiful devotion to the Lord.

As they lived thus, the couple had a son, Shri Ramapratap, equal in virtue to Sankarshana, generous, brave, and truly devoted.

Now the other sages, who were sinless and had accepted the curse together with Dharma, also took birth, seen within pure Brahmin families.

Wherever these sages resided, they performed devotion to the Lord with love, and every day, more and more, told the story of Shri Krishna.

Then the unfortunate, faithless men found this hard to bear; and the demons, from wherever they were, took up their enmity at once.

They resolved to obstruct the people devoted to righteousness and devotion; and Bhakti, Dharma, and the sages, they understood to be their true enemies.

However much Dharma suffered, so much did the wrongdoers act in their sin; however much Bhakti suffered, so much hardship did the wicked-minded create.

However much the sages suffered, such was the intent of all the demons; they turned virtue into fault in their perception, so steeped in sin was their thinking.

In towns, villages, and countries, the demons tormented Bhakti and Dharma constantly; suffering from this, Bhakti and Dharma soon came to Ayodhya.

Even so, the wicked did not relent, causing suffering at every moment; then, to escape this suffering, Dharmaraj went to Kashi (Varanasi).

Knowing it to be Shiva's beautiful city, he had a great linga of Rudra installed there; he made this effort to remove the affliction, but the affliction did not lessen at all.

Even there, a host of demons, disguised as humans, worked their treachery; all three suffered greatly there, and so they moved on secretly.

They made efforts to end their suffering, but the suffering did not end at all; then they came from there to Prayag, their bodies grown very thin from renunciation.

They performed their evening rites and offerings, bathed in the Ganga, observed fasts at the holy place; they stayed a long time in that place, and there they met the great Vaishnav teacher --

named Ramanand, of great wisdom, himself the very form of a true guru, a great ascetic, embodiment of renunciation, steady, profound, and truly great of mind.

He gave teaching to seekers of liberation, keeping the guise of a celibate student; he wore the vertical tilak with sandal and kumkum, delighting the mind with the crescent moon mark at its center,

two garlands of tulsi at his throat, delighting the minds of all who saw him; in such guise Swami Ramanand wandered, seeking out those fit for the truth.

He wandered accompanied by many disciples, giving spiritual teaching to all; he explained Shabda-Brahman and Para-Brahman rightly, as each seeker truly wished.

Meeting such a Swami Ramanand, they attained great joy; with deep affection, Dharmadev served him daily, knowing him to be great.

One day, as he was pressing his feet, sleep overcame him and he lay down upon the ground; sleeping peacefully there, he had a dream, in which he beheld a mass of radiant light.

Within it, he beheld the dark form of Shri Krishna, the all-fulfilled Lord; he received this vision within, and knew it to be the grace of the Swami.

He recognized this Swami as his true guru, and both husband and wife took refuge, bowing their heads; then the couple offered praise, and thereby received formal spiritual initiation (Bhagavati diksha).

The Swami gave them both tulsi garlands, which Dharma tied on with devotion; then he was taught the eight-syllable mantra of Shri Krishna.

He taught it to them with love, and took Dharma under his own refuge; he gave the refuge-mantra in the same way, and also the great mantra of special import.

Both these mantras bring happiness; hearing them, Dharma accepted them and held them firmly in mind. Then, with love, he asked about the rules to be observed by men and women.

Listen now, all of you, to what their guru taught them; the entire way of the tradition, told here in its most pure and holy form.

Thus ends the twelfth chapter, named 'Bhakti and Dharma Meet Ramanand Swami,' in the Bhaktachintamani composed by the disciple Nishkulanand Muni of Shri Sahajanand Swami, propagator of the path of Ekantik Dharma.

Shree Swaminarayan Temple, Bhuj-Kutch / Vadtal Gadi, AI-translated, unverified · Source details