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Re: REQUEST : RISHIS
Mutt <k777@pacific.net.sg> wrote:
> the rishi's are supposed to be those who have conquered the senses and
> are not attached to petty things in life...
> ..if this is so,how is it that ever so often <eg in the puranas>.. we
> find Rishis losing their tempers over trivial matters and pronouncing
> serious curses over some folk
> the object of the Puranas is to teach and pass knowledge...but this
> aspect has always puzzled me......is there something I am missing ?
Rishis meditate and gain control of the senses. However, false ego is
hard to conquer. Only through devotional surrender (through Sharanagathi
or prapathi) one is able to overcome the false ego. The essense of
Vaishnavism lies in the Sharangathi or devotional surrender. The purnas
teach that meditation or gaining control of the senses without surrender
to the supreme personality (Sriman Narayana or Krishna) is useless. The
ultimate goal of all meditation and control of the senses etc. is to do
sharanagathi or devotional surrender. Vishvamithra, for example,
acquired significant powers through continued meditation. Eventually, he
surrendered all his powers to Lord Sri Rama. Rishis usually set out to
seek the supreme through meditation, and eventually surrender to the
supreme personality. Puranas also teach us that meditation for any other
purpose can lead to self destruction as seen through the examples of all
the asuras like Ravana, Kumbakarna, Basmasura, etc.
Rishis tried to observe the supreme truth through their own
efforts and went through significant austerities and thapasya to
partially achieve their goals. However, the puranas teach that such
austereties are not rquired. All we have to do is to perform Sharanagathi
or devotional surrender. The gopies of Vrindavan have experienced what
the renounced sages could not. The different puranas step by step lead
to this secret of Sharanagathi or devotional surrender. Complete supreme
knowledge can not be obtained by only meditation, the knowledge can be
granted only by the Supreme Being Lord Sriman Narayana (Krishna) and the
best way is through devotional surrender. The puranas also teach us that
when we receive such knowledge, we will always want to serve him in pure
love.
With regard to rishis giving curse, puranas teach us that pure
devotee never curses. Even, if they give a curse, it would be for the
benefit of the person being cursed. For example, Sri Narada Mahamuni gave a
curse to Manigriva and Nalakubera, only to teach them aboutKrishna
conciousness. A pure devotee even when cursed by others, never curses
back. An example is the story of the devotee who was cursed to be born as a
rakshasa, never cursed back, and was born as Vrithrasura. He eventually
went to Vaikunta. If a rishi is a pure devotee he gives a curse only for
loka kalyana or the benfit of the universe.
With all glories to Lord Shreeman Narayana (Krishna), I remain,
sincerely
Narender Reddy
npreddy@brain.biomed.uakron.edu
