Talk:Apatya Bhāva: Bhagavān as a Parent
By Vishal Agarwal
It involves treating God as one’s parent. Bhakta as a child of his divine Parent throws tantrums and asks Him to fulfill wants. The Bhakta also has an awareness that as a Parent, Bhagavan will never fail him. For example, Dhruva and Prahlāda approached Bhagavān Vishnu as their father. Sant Tukārāma considered Vitthala as his parent.
Ramprasad Sen treated Kali as his Mother. So did Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. This mode of Rāgānugā Bhakti is seen in many Vedic verses-
Mighty Indra, with the sweetest songs, I catch your garment’s hem as a child the father’s. Rigveda 3.53.2 Enlighten this sincere child of yours. Rigveda 3.19.3
All saintly men proclaim your loftiness. Their prosperity and their spiritual progress speak of your grace; for, they owe that to you. Oh great one, you are our friend, our father and mother, our very protector. All of us should know this well. Rigveda 6.1.5
The worshippers of Bhagavān as the Devi particularly follow the Apatya Bhāva and regard the Devi as their Mother.
At every step, men commit mistakes. And yet, in this universe, who else but one’s mother forgives and forbears our repeated mistakes? Therefore, without delay, one should worship and seek refuge with the Divine Mother with singular devotion. She alone can make all our efforts bear fruit. Devī Bhāgavata Purāṇa 7.31.18-19
Rāmprasād Sen: The Child of Kali
Sant Ramprasad (1723 – 1803 CE) was born to a father who was an Āyurvedic physician in the district in southern West Bengal, a state in India. In his childhood, Ramprasad studied grammar and other arts but showed no interest in professional subjects. As a result, his father was worried that he would not be able to get a well-paying job as an adult. Ramprasad preferred to spend most of his time worshipping Devi and composing reverent songs in her praise.
When Ramprasad’s father died, the financial responsibility of the entire family fell on his shoulders. Reluctantly, he took up the job of a clerk at the home of a rich man in Kolkata. Soon his boss heard complaints that Ramprasad was mismanaging the accounts. When the boss asked Ramprasad to show his account books, he was moved to read beautiful religious poetry that Ramdas had written in honor of the Devi. The rich man said to Ramprasad, “It was my good fortune that you worked at my home. However, I would not want you to waste time on these worldly matters. Please return to your home and spend your entire time composing religious poetry to the Mother, and I will send you your salary every month.”
Ramprasad’s financial worries were now over, and he returned to his native village. There, he would spend hours singing beautiful bhajans in Bengali to the Devi, while standing in the waters of the Ganga. Many people started crowding the banks of the rivers to hear the beautiful chanting of his bhajans. One day, the Raja of Krishnanagar was traveling on his boat when he heard Ramprasad singing his bhajans. The Raja was mesmerized and requested Ramprasad to become a friend. Despite Ramprasad’s protests, he donated a large plot of land to the saint’s family. Ramprasad was also asked to be at the Raja’s bedside and sing bhajans when the Raja passed away.
In his later years, Ramprasad became even more intense in his worship of the Divine Mother. She once came in the guise of his daughter to help him complete some repairs at his home. At another time, she left a message on the wall of a local temple and asked him to travel to Varanasi and sing for Her there. After several such visions of the Devi, Ramprasad began glowing with an aura, that was noticeable by many. Ramprasad died at the age of 80 while celebrating the Kālī Puja in the waters of Ganga.