Sri Rama
-2 O Bhagavan, O knower of all dharmas, I am delighted by your sacred words like herbs which become happy with the touch of moon beams. I have received your earfilling and soft words like flowers.
If nothing accrues without personal effort, how is it that Prahlada could not be awakened without the blessing of Madhava?
Sri Vasista
O Raghava, Whatever was obtained by the great Prahlada was achieved only by personal effort and by nothing else.
Self and Narayana are like sesame seed and oil, like fragrance and flower. They are the same.
What is Vishnu, that is Self. What is Self, that is Janardana. These two words are synanymous. They are like 'vitapi' and 'padapa', -the two words referring to a tree.
What is called Prahlada is primarily Self alone. This Self with its great force has commissional him to be a devotic a vishnu.
Prahalda had earned the grace and gift by himself. By inquiring himself with his mind he gained knowledge himself.
Once in a while one gets awakened by his own force and strength. Once in a while one becomes elightened by devotion to Vishnu.
Madhava cannot give knowledge to one, even to his own most liked one, even if he worships him with perfect devotion, if he is not inquiring into truth himself.
To find one's soul, the most important is one's personal effort. All the rest, like boons etc, are secondary. So follow the best way.
At first bring all the five senses under your control. Then practice in all possible ways and make your inquiry practice in all possible ways and make yourself inquiry-oriented. (interested in inquiry)
Whatever is gained by a person at any time or place, is obtained through personal effort only, not by any other way.
Jump over the hill of senses depending on your personal effort. Thus cross over the ocean of this mutable world. Then reach the perfect state.
If one can see Janardana with out any personal effort, then beasts and birds would have seen the perfect one.
If a Guru can lift a loved one out of ignorance to the hight state without personal effort by that person, then even a camel or buffalo can be lifted to the heights.
Neither Hari, nor guru, nor any rishis can bring the supreme state. With a mind that is under control by personal effort, one can attain the Self.
There is nothing that cannot be obtained in the three worlds, if one develops detachment and brings the serpents of senses under control through practice.
Adore the Self with Self. Worship the Self ceremonially by self. See the Self yourself. Abide then in the Self.
Devotion to Vishnu has been designed (and introduced) for those stupid people who are unable to engage in inquring into scriptures.
Foremost and important are practice and personal effort. When these are absent (or not possible) worship-routine of rituals is presented as next lower way.
If one's senses are under strict seige, what is to be obtained through 'puja' (worship)? If senses are not in one's control what can worship give?
Without inquiry and calmness, Hari cannot be gained. Even Hari can not help one who is devoid of the two.
Adore the Self with a mind that is equipped with inquiry and peace. Become a 'siddha', the accomplished one. Otherwise you are like a wild ass.
Pray for the grace of Madhava yourself, if you want it, with your own mind.
Vishnu abides in all people in their hearts. Leaving him aside, those who seek him outside are lowly beings.
The fundamental consciousness principle and essence that resides in the cave of one's heart is the real eternal body (of Vishnu) The conch-disc-mace decorated Vishnu form is the lower form.
One who ignores and rejects the most important real form and puruses the the unimportant, lower form is like one who discards sweet ambrosia in perference to growing something by some means (and eating it)
-30 . O son of the Raghu dynasty, one who is enchanted and enamoured of his own mind cannot attain the state of perfect knowledge without achieving discrimination. He will remain in the grip of his ignorant mind. He should worship in the ritualistic way the secondary (human-like) form of Vishnu.
O Raghava, Such ritualistic worship is laborious. In course of time his mind becomes pure and leads to dispassion.
By constant practice of such worship, discrimination arises in the mind, At the proper time, mango grows out of the mango flowers slowly and showly.
-34 . Even in this case Hari worship is personal effort. The fruit of gift from Hari is also the fruit of the tree of personal effort.
-36 . Restriant and control of mind is the source of all riches like soil which is the source of all crops. There is no other way.
So long as the tubulent ocean of mind quietens, human beings revolve about in the cycle of hundreds of births and deaths.
Even the Trinity of Hari, Rudra and Brahma, can not get one out of the catastrophe of mental sickness, inspite of their love and being worshipped intensely.
Discard the attraction for the outer brilliances of forms. Concentrate and contemplate on that transcendent one and decimate the birth sequence.
Be free from all outer visible things. Drink on the infinite form, the transcendent truth. Experience and enjoy the pure Existence, the essence of every thing and thus gain the Supreme State, crossing the river of births.
