The center of life is love, yet we seem to be so far away from our own centers. What can connect us to our centers, what can bring us back to ourselves? This quest is ongoing. You need a little thread to be connected, you need something to hold on that raises hope in life, that brings light into your eyes, that makes your heart feel lighter, adds wings to your heart. What is that something that is missing in our life, that can transform our lives from misery to celebration, that can turn the tears of sadness to tears of joy and gratitude? That thread we need, that lifesaving thread, such threads, such ropes, such strings are called sutras - that which has the essence, and, in short, gives you something to hold on, uplifts you. A tiny thread can make a kite soar high in the sky, a tiny thread makes the kite go up in the sky. So this mind needs such a sutra, a thread.
One such sutra is the Bhakti Sutras - the aphorisms of love. There was a sage, a rishi in ancient days whose name was Narada. Narada means one who connects you to the source, one who is at the centre as well as in the circumference. Most of us reel in our circumference, we remain in our circumference, we are just trying to find our centre but we never reach there. We move in circles remaining at the exterior. And there are those who live in their centers, who live in a world of their own, not connected to the practical reality of life.
Often, you find this happening in the world. Some people are just into their own ideology, but they are not so practical, and others are so practical that they drop all ideals or goals, so there is no progress in life. You need a balance, a path, a connectedness with your ideology and practicality. Wisdom is that which makes high ideals possible to live in daily life, in the mundane existence. Rishi Narada is also called Devarshi; he is a playful rishi known for creating mischief. He plays a double role in two different places. There is a colloquial expression in India which warns us not to be like Narada! Because he creates trouble and problems everywhere he goes. But, all those problems turn out to be something good for everybody.
See, life is no fun without some mischief, life is not a struggle, life is not boredom, life is not a weight on your head, it is celebration, it is a play. Your life is a play and display of consciousness. Narada was one such rishi, a one-of-a-kind, he would create mischief, and he would connect people who normally don’t connect. He would connect you to the centre, to your own existence.
When life is stagnant, you need to go to Narada, he will keep you moving. And how does he do that? With small aphorisms, the tiny sutras, the tiny words of wisdom, the Bhakti Sutras. ‘Bhakti’, the divine love. Love in its ultimate form, love at its pinnacle!
