How to Identify a True Devotee of Sri Hari
एतद् विज्ञानता सर्वं जगत् स्थावरजङ्गमम्
द्रष्टव्यमात्मवद् विष्णुर्यतोऽयं विश्वरूपधृक्
When you know this, you will develop a perspective that all that is around you — movables, immovables — they are not different from you. They are the same as you. Just as you are a form of Sri Hari, so are they.
एवं ज्ञाते स भगवाननादिः परमेश्वरः
प्रसीदत्यच्युतस्तस्मिन् प्रसन्ने क्लेशसंशयः
When you realize this fact — that Anadi Achyuta, the Lord of Gods, becomes happy with you — He removes all your miseries.
बहूनां जन्मनामन्ते ज्ञानवान् मां प्रपद्यते
वासुदेवः सर्वमिति स महात्मा स दुर्लभः
This realization does not come easily — that Vasudeva is everything. It comes bahunam janmanam ante — at the end of many births. It is rare also — durlabhah. Then he takes refuge in Me — mam prapadyate, says Bhagavan in the Gita.
And who can take refuge in Him?
मत्कर्मकृन्मत्परमो मद्भक्तः सङ्गवर्जितः
निर्वैरः सर्वभूतेषु यः स मामेति पाण्डव
He does only My work. He sees only Me as the supreme. He, My devotee, is not attached to anything else or anybody else. He doesn’t have enmity towards anybody. Only such a person can take refuge in Me, says Bhagavan.
न चलति निजवर्णधर्मतो यः
समममतिरात्मसुहृद्विपक्षपक्षे
न हरति न हन्ति किंचिदिच्चैः
स्थितमनसं तमवेहि विष्णुभक्तम्
How do you recognize a true devotee of Sri Hari?
He does not deviate from his varna dharma — the dharma prescribed for the varna he is born in.
Be it spiritual, be it ruling and protection, be it generation of wealth and its distribution, be it of service to others — he doesn’t deviate from it. Because Bhagavan says — chaturvarnyam maya srishtam guna-karma-vibhagashah — Chaturvarnyam is created by Him, based on gunas and karma. We are nobody to question His will and judgement.
No matter how much you negate, misinterpret, twist, or tweak to suit your convenience or your present social point of view — these things don’t change. Whether you want to accept it or not is up to you. That is your freedom.
But Sri Hari says that His devotee — na chalati nija varna dharmatah — does not deviate from his varna dharma.
These divisions will never go. They will always be there. You may call them by different names.
In India, the caste system does not exist anymore. It is a crime to look down upon or impose yourself based on caste or name of caste. Still:
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The spiritual leaders, the spiritual heads, the spiritual guides — be it any religion — they are a class apart.
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The rulers — politicians, ministers, people with power in hand, the collector, the commissioner, the judge — they are a class apart.
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The merchants — heads of huge corporates, the business magnates — they are a class apart.
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And the servants — even today, they are servants.
You can’t change all that.
The spiritual leader’s son becomes his successor.
The politician’s son becomes a politician.
The businessman’s son inherits the wealth.
And the employee’s son becomes mostly an employee.
Races based on skin color — have they changed? Aren’t we more aware and more sensitive about these things now?
Rights of the Whites, Blacks, Chinese, Japanese, North Indian, South Indian — only difference is, instead of four, it has become four hundred or four thousand.
There may be exceptions. But then, they existed even then.
Kings have become rajarshis.
The son of a fisherwoman became one of the most revered saints — even by the highest in the class hierarchy.
The system won’t change. Only the denominations change. Because chaturvarnyam maya srishtam — it is put in place by none other than Sri Hari.
He is samamati — his attitude towards his side and the opposite side is the same. This samamati makes division into your side and the other side disappear. All sides are your sides.
Na harati — he doesn’t take what belongs to others.
Now don’t come with the kutarka that when there is no difference between me and him / I am him / his is also mine — the point here is not to disturb the balance. Not to disturb what is natural. What is naturally his and naturally yours. What nature, what divinity has given to him is his. Don’t take it.
You don’t want his pain — why do you want only his gain?
The point again is — not to hurt, not to harm. When you take what is his, he is hurt. He is harmed. Don’t do that.
Na hanti — he doesn’t harm anyone.
They should be read together — na harati, na hanti.
His mind is placed higher. His goal is higher. His thinking is higher.
He is the Vishnubhakta — the true devotee of Vishnu, Sri Hari.
English
Vishnu Sahasranama
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