Shatrau mitre putre bandhau
maa kuru yatnam vigraha sandhau
bhava samacittaha sarvatra tvam
vaanchasyaciraadyadi vishnutvam
It is very difficult to avoid the force of attachment towards your son and his activities. The disease of attachment towards the kin blinds you, just like Gandhari and Dhrtarashtra were rendered mentally blind by their son Duryodhana, even though they aware of his wrong doings.
Vali and Sugreeva were the children of the same mother. But they ended up as enemies. Attempts made towards patching up their differences failed. Vali had to be killed at last.
The strong bondage of the creed of Kuru Vamsha could not hold both Pandavas and Kauravas together for long. Enimity broke even that bondage. Lord Krishna himself tried to bring amity between them by going as an ambassador. But ultimately he had to resort to supporting the war among those brethren. Imagine what may happen if we humans get into such collaborative or divisive activities.
Hiranyakashipyu, the demon king, loved his son Prahlada very deeply. But the demon king resorted to hating him, overcoming his filial bondage with Prahlada. Even Prahlada who tried his best to make his father understand the omnipresence and omnipotence of Lord Naryana, could not succeed.
Ravana did not heed to the invaluable advise of his own brother Vibheeshana, when it came to waging a war with Sri Rama. Instead, Ravana started hating Vibheeshana, even though both were sons of the same mother Kaikasa. Hence, never involve yourself as a mediator nor play a divisive role between people.
The only real relative is the Paramatman. The other relatives mean those Bhagavatas, who always worship Lord Narayana in their hearts.
Sri Guru, who comes only to cut the knots of our attachments is the real close relative. Relationships which are not akin to the above are, in reality bondages.
To be always content and full of joy, you should see god everywhere and in everything.
Sri Krishna called this person as one with unflinching balanced mind. He describes the various qualities of this balanced person in different words as follows :
One who destroys all the attachments and hankerings of the mind and who is completely content within oneself; one who is totally satisfied by the experience of Atman.
One whose mind does not get disturbed by sorrows and does not get elated by happiness; who is devoid of attachment, fear and anger.
One who is kind to everybody, in every place; who does not hate or love when bad or good things come to him.
Just like a tortoise withdraws all its limbs into its shell, the one who withdraws all his Indriyas, both jnanendriya and karmendriyas, from all the objects of perception.
One who controls and merges all his Indriyas in Paramatman.
The one who keeps himself awake when it is night to all others and the one who perceives night, when all others are awake.
Perceive yourself, for sure, that whatever happens is solely as per the wishes of the Lord. Don’t make use of your so called intelligence covered by your ego.
Achieve balance of mind. You should be calm like an ocean without its waves. Don’t bring again waves in your mind. Don’t move from the stillness. Sri Krishna has assured that one with an absolutely calm mind, fearless and motionless like an unflinching flame will definitely attain Parabrahman.
Becoming one with the Bhagavan and the sighting of the divine light should happen as quickly as possible. It should happen within this very life time. - said the Geethacharya affirming that with a balanced mind, within this life time itself one can achieve the divinity.
The great saint Nammalwar exclaimed thus “I saw, I saw, I saw the one who is pleasing to these eyes” - meaning that he saw the divine Lord in this very life itself.
The Srimad Bhagavatha confirms that within a short period of one week King Parikshit was successful in attaining divinity. It also describes about the great king Khatwanga, who was a great help to gods in vanquishing the Asuras. The gods offered him a boon. King Khatwanga wanted to know his remaining life span on earth.
When he was told that he would live only for one Muhurtham (about 40 minutes), king Khatwanga did sankalpa and took up Yoga Dharana, relinquished his body and merged in the Parabrahman.
These are the people whom we should try to emulate.
The article has been taken from the book A Torchlight in the Path of Salvation, Bhaja Govindam- Pray to Govinda by K V Varadaraja Iyengar