Talk:Shānta Bhāva: Peaceful and Quiet Devotion with Faith in Him
In this scenario, the bhakta does not establish any personal relationship with the Lord. He merely develops a one pointed devotion towards Bhagavān with the knowledge of His Superior nature. Numerous Vedic hymns reflect this Bhāva like the Hiraṇyagarbha Sūkta (Rigveda 10.121.1-10).
Hiraṇyagarbha Sukta - Rigveda 10.121.1-10 In the beginning, there existed God, the Source of all light. He was the One Lord of created beings. He upholds this earth and the heavens. He, it is to Whom we offer our prayers. 1
He, who is the Giver of spiritual knowledge and the Giver of strength; Whom the world worships; Whose command all learned men obey; Whose shelter is immortality; Whose shadow is death. He, it is to Whom we offer our prayers. 2
He, Who by His greatness is the One Sole King of the animate and inanimate world; Who is the Creator and Lord of all men and beasts. He, it is to Whom we offer our prayers. 3
Whose greatness these snowy mountains and the ocean with its waters proclaim; Whose arms are these vast regions. He, it is to Whom we offer our prayers. 4
By Whom the heavenly bodies are uplifted and the earth is made stable; by Whom the firmament and heaven are established; Who pervades the entire space by His spiritual essence. He, it is to whom we offer our prayers. 5
To Whom the earth and the heavens look up, being upheld by his protection and moved by His will; in Whom the sun rises and shines forth. He, it is to Whom we shall offer our prayers. 6
When this vast matter producing an igneous condition, and holding in its womb this universe, manifested itself, then. He was the One Life of all shining beings. He, it is to Whom we offer our prayers. 7
He, Who in His greatness looked upon that diffused matter possessed of heat and energy, and producing this cosmos; Who is the One Supreme Lord of bright things and learned men. He, it is to Whom we offer our prayers. 8
May the Lord of Truth and Righteousness, Creator of the earth, Who has also created the heavens, and Who manifested the vast and shining matter; May He not inflict pain upon us. He, it is to Whom we offer our prayers. 9
O Lord of all creatures! None other than Thee can control and govern all these created things. May the things, desiring which we pray to Thee, by ours by Thy grace. May we be lords of all good things in this world. 10
In the Upanishads too, several passages glorify the exalted nature of the Lord as the Creator, Nourisher, Dissolver of the Universe, as the revealer of the Vedas and so on. For example-
I fly for refuge, desiring my Moksha, to that Deva, who had at the beginning created Brahmā and gave the Vedas to him and Who reveals the knowledge of Himself. Yajurveda, Shvetāshvatara Upanishad 6.8
A Bhakta who practices this Bhāva surrenders himself completely in the hands of Bhagavān. He has complete trust that whatever is happening to him is Divine Will, and that Bhagavān, who desires his good and welfare, has a plan for him. He knows that eventually, Bhagavān will deliver him from all sorrows and pain. He dedicates his body, his mind and his ātmā completely to Him. He has no craving for the fruit of his good or bad actions because he believes that whatever situation he faces in life is the will of Bhagavān who is just and his benefactor. This type of devotion makes the Bhakta a very patient, peaceful, tranquil and a forbearing person who always exudes an inner joy and contentment. He shows great fortitude while facing life’s challenges or trying situations. In Yogic scriptures, such an attitude of complete faith and surrender to the Divine Will is termed as ‘Īshvara Prāṇidhāna’ or surrendering one’s life, and consequences of all the actions to the Lord.
Krishna said: Arjuna, the Lord dwells within the region of the heart of all beings, causing them all beings to revolve by Māyā, as if mounted on a machine. Gita 18.61 Bhārata, seek refuge in Him alone with your whole being. By His grace, you shall obtain supreme peace and eternal abode. Gita 18.62
A modern scholar explains-
“Krishna responds to each devotee according to his attitude. The attitude of shānta bhakta does not involve any kind of personal relationship with Krishna. His attitude is entirely dominated by the aishvarya (godly power and opulence) of Krishna. Therefore, Krishna appears to him as his partial manifestation, Narayana in Vaikuntha. He has no place in Vraja, where the devotees have some kind of personal relationship with Krishna. The shānta bhakta thinks that he belongs to Narayana, not that Narayana belongs to him. The dominance of aishvarya in his orientation makes it impossible for him to think in such terms. But the devotees of Vraja not only think that they belong to Krishna, but also that Krishna belongs to them as their master, friend, child or beloved. Therefore, Krishna appears to them as such. The devotees in Vraja serve Krishna in the manner natural to their type of feeling. But the shānta bhakta does not serve Narayana. He enjoys visions of him and contiguity with him, but not intimacy with him.”
Examples of Bhaktas who demonstrated this Bhāva include Rishis Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatkumāra, Sanātana, Sanatsujāta. Another good example of a devotee who practiced Shānta Bhāva was Bheeshma in the Mahābhārata. Due to a vow he had undertaken, he did not marry. His step brothers died, and he had to raise the children of his step brothers, and thereafter, even their grandchildren. With great fortitude, he carried out his loyalty to the throne of Hastinapur, even leading their army at a very old age. When he was at his death bed, he continued to offer his reverence to Shri Krishna, and bore his painful state for more than two months, using that time to deliver beautiful sermons on the duty of rulers, duties when one is in a dire situation and also the teachings related to Moksha before bowing to the Lord and giving up his life.
The religious works of Nirguṇa Bhakti Sants as well as the Guru Granth Sahib of the Sikhs are good exemplars of Shānta Bhāva of Bhakti.
Story: The Leather Worker – a Shānta Devotee of the Lord
A beautiful story is narrated in Hindu scriptures about such Shānta Bhakta, contrasting him with another devotee who progressed considerably towards Moksha but fell from his journey because of a lack of faith and acceptance of Divine Will.
Once, Sage Nārada was on his way to Vaikuntha, the abode of Bhagavān Vishnu when he encountered two Yogis meditating on Vishnu. One of them was a leather-worker (cobbler) who meditated under a tree. The other was a learned Brahmana who also meditated close by and performed all the ceremonies daily. They both asked Nārada to check with Vishnu as to how many more lives they would have to live through and meditate before they could see Vishnu.
Sage Nārada did, as requested. On his way back from Vaikuntha, he told the first Yogi (who was the cobbler), “Bhagavān Vishnu said that you will be reborn as many times as there are leaves on the tree under which you are meditating. Therefore, continue meditating for that number of lives, and then your Atman will merge with that of Vishnu.” The Yogi replied, “Blessed I am that Bhagavān Vishnu has put a limit to the number of my rebirths. I will now continue to meditate with even greater enthusiasm, because I see light at the end of the tunnel. I am just happy with the fact that Vishnu is pleased with me.”
The moment he had said this, Bhagavān Vishnu appeared and said, “My child! I will grant you Moksha (i.e. see Bhagavān) here and now because you meditated not for any selfish motive, but for My pleasure. You have all the qualities of a good Bhakta, and therefore, you do not have to be reborn even once anymore.” deserved better. I do not have the patience to meditate for more time, forget about five more lives.” He rolled his meditation mat and gave up his faith in Vishnu. As a result, he became distracted from the path of Moksha. In fact, he never had selfless faith in Vishnu because he was meditating only with the fruit of Moksha in mind.
Story: Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa bears his throat cancer as Divine Will
Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (1836-1886 CE), in his relatively short life, inspired numerous Hindus to become saints and leaders. As he approached the age of fifty, he became severely ill and experience a lot of pain in his throat while swallowing food. When his devotees asked doctors to diagnose his ailment, it was found that he had throat cancer, that would eventually take his life. 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. 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 will 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.