Bhagavata Dharma: Limitless Pleasure - Bhagavata Dharma  

By SRI SRI ANANDA MURTIJI  

What is a human being’s dharma ? Every entity and idea has its own distinct characteristic which differentiates it from another. Water has the property of making things wet. As long as it has this property, people will call it water. Similarly, as long as fire has the property of burning things, it will be called fire. When it loses this property, it will no longer be called fire.

Human beings also have a dharma, which marks them as human. The corporeal body is not the limit of our consciousness. Dharma is reflected in your behaviour and conduct. A pundit or a learned scholar whose conduct is found wanting will not be venerated. Ekamava suhrdharma - dharma is the faithful friend of human beings even after death.

According to the Ananda Marga philosophy, dharma falls into two broad categories: Svabhavika dharma and Bhagavata dharma .

Svabhavika dharma is that dharma by the performance of which physical integrity is maintained - that is, ahara, nidra, bhaya and maethuna or eating, sleeping, survival and procreation. Bhagavata dharma is that which differentiates the human from the non-human.

The object of both, Svabhavika dharma and Bhagavata dharma is the same: To get sukham or pleasure. The intensity of pleasure provided by Svabhavika dharma is limited, while Bhagavata dharma provides us pleasure beyond measure; it is ananta. Infinite happiness is achie-ved only from something infinite. Therefore, one can achieve satisfaction through Bhagavata dharma alone.

Bhagavata dharma is four-fold: Paramatma, vistara, rasa and seva . The first aspect, the paramatma , is far beyond the scope of the microcosm. The second is vistara, which means perpetual expansion beyond the scope of all relative horizons. This jagat or world is the expanded form of vistara , that is, karya bhavana . The microcosm sees Vishnu everywhere in this universe.

This is what is known as atmavat sarvabhutesu - “One should see the atman or self, in all expressed objects”. In vistara, the scope of expansion is infinite till one reaches Vishnu , the supreme entity who pervades everything. Vistara is, therefore, without horizon and limit.

The third aspect of Bhagavata dharma is rasa or flow. Human existence is a flow. The first end of human existence is the paramatman , or paramarasa , or the macrocosmic flow at one end. The other is visayarasa , or the flux of the crude world. Human existence is svarasa .

According to Tantra there is a type of sadhana , called rasa sadhana . Its object is to merge the svarasa with the parama rasa or macrocosmic rhythm. The concept of rasa leela has been derived from the idea of Purushottama or nuclear consciousness, encircled by innumerable devotees or svarasas. Each svarasa tries to merge with the paramarasa . Here the sadhakas will accept the divine wish as their own wish.

The fourth aspect of Bhagavata dharma is seva or service. This is of two types; vahyika or external and antarika or internal seva . The aim of vahyika seva is the proper application of methodology. It also tries to ascertain the nature of service required, for creation: Shudrocita, kshattriyocita, viprocita or vaeshyocita - that is, physical service, martial service, intellectual service and economic service.

The essence of antarika seva lies in the internal service of the ishta or goal. During sadhana we often find that the mind runs away. The best way to stop the mind from running away is to think about the physical service of the ishta in dhyana - meditation in which the psyche is directed towards consciousness.

Bhagavata dharma , therefore, can be a source of immense and limitless pleasure because of the vast scope of its four-fold nature.

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See also: Bhagavata Dharma , God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul

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