Talk:Jijnāsu Worshipper – The Seeker

By Vishal Agarwal

Linda Johnsen describes Jijnāsu Worshipper type of worshipper-

Now there is the type who just wants to understand. Who is God? How does Karm operate? What are worlds in other dimensions like? The quest for knowledge is their burning motivation. They're so boggled by the beauty and complexity of the universe that they spontaneously turn to their living source in worship and wonder.

Jijnāsu Bhakti is largely the Sättvic type. The Hindu tradition encourages us to ask questions and to see the truth through an intelligent, diligent, and informed inquiry. Eating the fruit of the tree of wisdom does not banish one from heaven (as in the Bible). Rather, it opens the doors to Liberation. This attitude of inquiry in our tradition becomes evident when reading the Vedas and the Upanishads.

The seeker starts from a state of ignorance and wants to know the truth. Krishna charts his journey of search for the truth in the following words-

"Unenlightened men consider me, the Unmanifest, as is manifest, not knowing My Supreme nature that is immutable/imperishable and unsurpassed. Gita 7.24"

"Veiled by Yogamäyä (Mäyä formed by the union of Gunas), I am not visible to all. The deluded world does not recognize Me, the Unborn, and the Imperishable. Gita 7.25" "I know all the beings of the past, present, and future, but no one knows Me. Gita 7.26"

"In the cycle of creation (i.e., at the birth of this universe), all creatures pass into a state of delusion, being deluded by the pairs of opposites (such as heat-cold, pain-happiness) arising from desire and hate. Gita 7.27"

"But those men of virtuous actions whose fruit of evil actions has come to an end, and who are liberated from the delusion caused by pairs of opposites, worship Me, steadfast in their vows. Gita 7.28"

"Those who strive for liberation from old age and death, taking refuge in Me, they come to realize completely that Brahman, the Adhyatma, and Karm in entirety. Gita 7.29"

"Those who know Me with Adhibhūta, Adhidaiva, and Adhiyajna; and they, with their minds established in Yog, know Me even at the time of leaving their bodies (i.e., at the time of death), Gita 7.30"

The seeker, therefore, eventually becomes the knowledgeable worshipper. Everyday examples of seekers in Hindu tradition are:

• Sadhus roam the Himalayas and meditate to know the Divine.
• People read scriptures and worship to understand Dharm and Moksh.

In the Bhagavata Purāņa, Uddhava was the Jijnāsu type of Bhakta as he asked Krishna several questions and got replies in the form of a scripture that is known as the Uddhava Gita, and forms a part of the 11th book of the sacred text.

Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Swami Vivekananda: Ideal Devotees of Ma Kali

Swami Ramakrishna Paramahansa was one of the greatest devotees of Mother Kali. He treated Kali as her real mother. He went to Her temples and sang in front of Her mürti, and spoke to Her, cried in front of Her, just like a child behaves towards his mother. One of his main disciples was Naren, who later became famous as Swami Vivekananda.

Naren was the only son of his widowed mother. They were very poor. One day his mother said to Naren, "Why do you spend all your time worshipping Bhagavän? What has He given you? He cannot even make sure that we have some money to live comfortably." This troubled Vivekananda a lot. Therefore, he approached Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa one day and asked him, "You say that Kali is your mother. I and my mother are very poor. Do you think Kali will fulfill my wishes and give me money if I pray to her?"

Ramakrishna replied, "Of course, my child. She is very loving. Why don't you ask her for whatever you need? Go, and ask her for some money so that you are no longer poor." Naren then went to the Kali Mandir. But when he entered the Mandir, he became full of devotion and respect for Kali. Instead of asking for money, he said to Kali, "Mother, please give me spiritual knowledge and devotion. May I never forget You, and may I always love You as my Mother."

When Ramakrishna learned that Naren had not asked for money, he asked him to go to the Mandir again. But this time, Naren just sat there and meditated. Ramakrishna sent him back to the Mandir a couple of more times. But each time, Naren would meditate and worship Kali and would not ask for money. He felt that money was too unimportant to ask from Kali, the Mother of the Universe.

So, Ramakrishna himself went to the Mandir and asked his Mother to make sure that Naren's family no longer went hungry. Since that day, Naren and his mother started making enough money for their food. They were never poor after that, but they never became rich either. In the next few years, Naren became a saint himself, and his new name now was Swami Vivekananda

Several years later, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa himself fell very sick. The doctors said that he has throat cancer and that he will not live very long. The disciples and other admirers of Ramakrishna were shocked. They could not believe that a saint like him could die of cancer. Therefore, they approached the saint and pleaded, "You say that Kali is like your mother. Why don't you ask her to cure your cancer? She will surely listen to the request of a saint like you, who is also her dear son." Ramakrishna said that he did not want to ask his Mother Kali for anything. He had earlier asked Kali to give money to Naren's family, but he did not want anything for himself.

But Ramakrishna's disciples continued to pressure him. Therefore, the saint finally agreed and prayed to Mother Kali. The next day, the disciples approached Ramakrishna eagerly and asked him, 'Swamiji, did you ask Ma Kali to cure you?" The saint replied and said, "Yes, I asked her to cure my cancer. But she replied "Why do you ask me for such a trivial thing? Your body will die one day anyway. Ask for something more valuable." So, I felt ashamed and asked her that I should always live at her feet. I asked her to make sure that I always remain her devotee."

When the disciples heard Ramakrishna say these words, they wept. They knew that their Guru would soon die. But they felt happy and blessed that they were looking at a great saint, who valued bhakti for Ma Kali more than his own life. Ramakrishna's example falls in the category of the highest Bhakti- the Jnăni Bhakta which we discuss in the next section.