Sutra 03

The Narada Bhakti Sutra 03

अमृतस्वरुपा च॥ ३॥

"Bhakti is of the Nature of Immortality."

Man is constantly seeking his share of peace and happiness and, since he does not know the Real Source of these, he seeks them in the midst of sense objects. But when he in his Supreme Devotion, comes to turn his entire attention completely towards the Self, he experiences the immortal, the Infinite, as intimately as he experienced before the world and its changes. Bhagavān Himself says in Bhāgavata: ‘The mind that constantly contemplates upon the sense objects irresistably comes to revel in their finite joys, and the mind that learns to Constantly Remember Me, comes to dissolve into Me and revel in Me.’

Through the divinely passionate love for the Lord, when the devotee turns his entire attention towards the Supreme, he comes to live no more in the realm of the finite changes, but comes to experience the immortal nature of the infinite Bliss, the Lord. Hence this sūtra. This reminds us of the declaration of Upaniṣad that ‘the Knower of the Brahman becomes Brahman alone.’ Here the ‘knowing’ is the state of fully awakening the Divine Nature of Pure Consciousness, the Ᾱtman.

The Narada Bhakti Sutra speaks to the heart of devotional spirituality in Hinduism, emphasizing the transformative power of Bhakti, or devotional love, as a path to the divine. Sutra 03, in particular, encapsulates the essence of Bhakti as being amrita, or immortal. This suggests that Bhakti is not just a transient feeling or practice but is an eternal truth that transcends the physical realm. It implies that through Bhakti, one can experience the eternal, unchanging reality that is beyond the cycle of birth and death.

In the context of Hindu philosophy, immortality is not about living forever in the physical sense but refers to Realizing the True Nature of the Self, which is beyond time and space. Bhakti, therefore, is a means to achieve Self-Realization and experience the divine within oneself. It is a state of being where the devotee becomes one with the object of devotion, often personified as a deity. This sutra highlights that Bhakti is not merely an emotional state but a profound spiritual truth that leads to Realization. 

Comparing this with other Vedic texts, we find similar themes:

1. Chandogya Upanishad

सत्यं ज्ञानमनन्तं ब्रह्म॥

"Truth, Knowledge, Infinity is Brahman."

This verse from the Chandogya Upanishad echoes the idea of the eternal nature of the divine. It suggests that the Ultimate Reality (Brahman) is characterized by truth, consciousness, and limitless existence, resonating with the concept of immortality in Bhakti.

2. Bhagavad Gita

यं यं वापि स्मरन्भावं त्यजत्यन्ते कलेवरम्।

तं तमेवैति कौन्तेय सदा तद्भावभावितः॥

"Whatever state of Being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail."

The Bhagavad Gita speaks of the power of Remembrance at the time of death, which aligns with the concept of Bhakti leading to immortality. The devotion one cultivates throughout life culminates in the final moment, determining one's spiritual destiny.

3. Shvetashvatara Upanishad

यदा चर्मवदाकाशं वेष्टयिष्यन्ति मानवाः।

तदा देवमविज्ञाय दु:खस्यान्तो भविष्यति॥

"When humans will roll up space as if it were a piece of leather, then there will be an end to suffering without knowing the Divine."

This verse from the Shvetashvatara Upanishad suggests that the end of suffering is not possible without the Realization of the Divine, which is akin to the immortality of Bhakti described in the Narada Bhakti Sutra.

These verses collectively emphasize the Timeless and Eternal nature of the Divine and the path of devotion as a means to Realize it. They reflect a shared understanding across various texts that the essence of spiritual pursuit is to transcend the temporal and merge with the Infinite.