What Is Trivikram Bhaktibhav Chaitanya
With the Mantragajar of Trivikram upon one's lips, an ever-growing love for Sadguru Trivikram in one's heart, and an unceasing longing for His lotus feet that is, a constant yearning to serve Him—this is what is known as Trivikram Bhaktibhav Chaitanya (Trivikram Devotion Sentience).
Bapu further writes:
No amount of intellectual contemplation or extensive study can truly enable one to know Trivikram. He can be known only through love—by loving Him and His lotus feet. And to continue nurturing an ever-growing love for Him is itself the Devotion Sentience (Bhaktibhav Chaitanya). He resides in the heart only of the one who possesses this Devotion Sentience.
One may attain everything else in life, but if one has not attained the Devotion Sentience, one is unable to truly experience the joy of what one has received. On the other hand, if one possesses the Devotion Sentience, even those things that one has not received become a source of contentment and joy.
Dasyatva and Sakhyatva — The Master Key
Swayambhagwan Trivikram is the eternal, manifest embodiment of the Devotion Sentience (Bhaktibhav Chaitanya).
When a devotee lives with the heartfelt conviction, “Trivikram is my Supreme Lord, and I am a Dasa at His lotus feet,” then everything that the devotee thinks, speaks, and does becomes an expression of the Devotion Sentience (Bhaktibhav Chaitanya).
In other words, any one, two, three, four, or all of the nine forms of devotion (Navavidha Bhakti), offered to Swayambhagwan Trivikram with the unwavering conviction, “He is my beloved deity (Ishtadev), my Supreme Lord, and the Hero of my life (Janmanayak),” is the Devotion Sentience.
Indeed, the Devotion Sentience towards Swayambhagwan Trivikram alone is the one eternal truth, for it alone possesses the power to carry the entire burden of our lives.
The Essence of Devotion Sentience
Just as Kashi, Prayag, and Haridwar are among the holiest pilgrimage centres along the sacred River Ganga, Ramnaam, the Panchakshari Shiva Mantra (“Om Namah Shivaya”), and complete surrender at the holy feet of the Sadguru are the three sacred pilgrimage centres along the Ganga of the Devotion Sentience (Bhaktibhav Chaitanya).
In the Devotion Sentience, all that we are required to do is to continue chanting the Mantragajar as much as possible and lovingly accept His love.
In the Devotion Sentience, we remain Dasa of Swayambhagwan, while at the very same time, that very Swayambhagwan, who possesses boundless power and moves with Aniruddha Gati (whose course is unceasing and unstoppable) becomes our Dasa and our beloved friend.
The Path of Upliftment
The Devotion Sentience makes worldly life joyful, removes countless obstacles, and draws numerous opportunities and successes towards us. It is the highest form of Tapa (तप - austerity), and through it, Swayambhagwan willingly allows Himself to be won over by the love of His Shraddhavans.
Swayambhagwan Trivikram immerses Himself only in the Devotion Sentience (Bhaktibhav Chaitanya). He remains untouched by both the 'sinfulness' of sin (Paap) and the 'meritoriousness' of merit (Punya). For one who abides in the Devotion Sentience, the path to upliftment is opened. After a period of patient waiting, Swayambhagwan Himself frees such a devotee from sin, thereby diminishing and ultimately nullifying the effect of the inevitable law of Karma.
Dnyana, Yoga and Karma
The Devotion Sentience (Bhaktibhav Chaitanya) is the supreme philosophy that fills not merely this birth but all future births with joy. It is the noblest and purest way of life. It is the sacred disposition that simplifies the three most arduous paths—the Path of Yoga, the Path of Knowledge (Jnana), and the Path of Action (Karma) and establishes the Almighty's abiding presence in the life of every Shraddhavan. It is the Sachchidananda Dharma, the Way of Life rooted in Sat-chid-anand. (Truth, Consciousness, and Perfect Happiness).
The Devotion Sentience (Bhaktibhav Chaitanya) is the highest, simplest, and most effortless way of making the truth, “I am a part of the Almighty and am never separate from Him,” a living reality in one's life.
Therefore, for all humanity, the divine leelas of Swayambhagwan are true Knowledge (Dnyana); connecting oneself with Him through the Mantragajar of the Devotion Sentience (Bhaktibhav Chaitanya) is true Yoga (योग); and offering all one's good and bad actions at His lotus feet while continuing to love Him is true Karma. Enriched by these three principles, the Devotion Sentience (Bhaktibhav Chaitanya) is indeed a unique path that unfailingly brings happiness into the lives of people of every disposition and temperament.
The one elixir (life-restoring nectar) that develops every good capability and competency within a human being is the Devotion Sentience (Bhaktibhav Chaitanya).
Swayambhagwan Trivikram, The True Master
To cherish the awareness, “Swayambhagwan, in the form of the all-pervading sky (Akash), is everywhere. He is within me and He is outside me,” is itself the Devotion Sentience (Bhaktibhav Chaitanya).
To realise that the love Swayambhagwan Trivikram has for me is far greater than even one-tenth of the combined love I have received from all my loved ones across countless births, and therefore to continue loving Him wholeheartedly, this is the Devotion Sentience (Bhaktibhav Chaitanya).
To firmly establish in one's heart the conviction, “I am merely the farmer tending the field of my life, while Swayambhagwan alone is its true Master,” and to continue chanting the Mantragajar—this is the Devotion Sentience (Bhaktibhav Chaitanya).
This Trivikram Devotion Sentience (Trivikram Bhaktibhav Chaitanya) is an inexhaustible treasure that every Shraddhavan should joyfully claim in abundance. Moreover, Trivikram Himself has already granted everyone complete freedom and permission to partake of this limitless treasure.
‘The Mantragajar of the Swayambhagwan Trivikram’ is His very footstep entering the life of a Shraddhavan.
Whichever form of Swayambhagwan our heart adores the most is the truest form for us.
We should enshrine within our hearts the form, the Name, and the divine leelas of Swayambhagwan Trivikram that are dearest to us, and love Him with boundless devotion. But to do so, we must continue to walk behind Him, following the very path He has shown.
From Seeker to Shraddhavan
Since the Swayambhagwan's bhakti towards Adimata and Dattaguru is the original bhakti, the bhakti that every devotee offers to any Deity ultimately merges into the Devotion Sentience (Bhaktibhav Chaitanya).
Whenever the sentiments of Dasya, Sakhya, and Sharanagati (surrenderance) begin to arise in a devotee's heart, even if only occasionally, Swayambhagwan Himself swiftly leads that seeker further along the path of Bhakti. He graciously accepts even the smallest act of seva by multiplying its value ten times over. Then, with the gentlest of hands, He transforms the seeker into a Shraddhavan, makes him His own friend, and gently brings him into the Devotion Sentience (Bhaktibhav Chaitanya).
To become a Shraddhavan, one needs to realise just one truth that genuine, absolute, 108% love can be received only from Swayambhagwan, and that He is forever eager to shower such love upon every devotee.
Once this truth is realised, the devotee becomes a Shraddhavan and begins to dwell in the Devotion Sentience (Bhaktibhav Chaitanya), the very Lake of Bliss.
The Devotion Sentience (Bhaktibhav Chaitanya) is none other than Swayambhagwan Himself and to immerse and dwell in the Devotion Sentience is to dwell within the infinite expanse of that very Almighty. In truth, this is already the natural state of every being, for Swayambhagwan has already entered and pervades the entire universe, including every atom and every particle. It is for this very reason that He is called 'Mahavishnu'. (The Sanskrit root vish means 'to enter' or 'to pervade'.)
The entire Bhagavad Gita and the entire Ramayana are, in essence, the scriptural embodiment of the Devotion Sentience (Bhaktibhav Chaitanya), that is, of Swayambhagwan Himself.
The Power of Vibrations
The fundamental nature of every body and every substance in this universe is Shakti, manifesting as vibration (Spanda). Consequently, every interaction and every action in this universe is also vibrational in nature.
Whether a person performs virtuous deeds (Punya) or sinful deeds (Papa), both are essentially forms of vibration (Spanda). Likewise, the fruits or consequences of those deeds are also, at their very core, vibrational in nature.
The vibrations arising from the results of one's actions enter and operate within that individual's Trividh bodies, primarily through the mind, or they manifest through the circumstances surrounding that person. The vibrations of sinful actions (Papa-Spanda) produce destructive and harmful effects, whereas the vibrations of virtuous actions (Punya-Spanda) give rise to constructive, beneficial, and productive effects.
Therefore, even the destruction of sinful actions and their consequences requires specific vibrations. The vibrations generated by virtuous deeds alone cannot accomplish this.
However, to generate these vibrations, one must remain in the Devotion Sentience (Bhaktibhav Chaitanya). The greater the burden of sins accumulated in previous births and in this present life, the more difficult it becomes for a person to remain in Devotion Sentience.
And it is precisely here that Swayambhagwan intervenes but for whom? Only for the one who sets aside all arguments and counterarguments and lovingly surrenders to Swayambhagwan, or to any of His divine forms.
Therefore, this Swayambhagwan, who is Love incarnate, continuously releases an abundance of pure vibrations into His Devotion Sentience (Bhaktibhav Chaitanya), so that every Shraddhavan who abides in it may always have an inexhaustible abundance of these pure vibration available to them.
The Origin of Devotion Sentience
The question then arises: How does this Devotion Sentience (Bhaktibhav Chaitanya) of Swayambhagwan come into being?
When does a human being grieve? Only when one is forced to face suffering in a state of helplessness. And this helplessness itself arises from the sins accumulated in previous births.
Then when does grief come to an end? It ends when a person becomes capable of facing difficulties and sorrows with strength and steadfastness. Such strength can be attained only through the pure and sacred vibrations that arise from being in the Devotion Sentience (Bhaktibhav Chaitanya).
All Paths Merge in Trivikram
Bapu further writes:
Whether one chooses to worship Rama, Krishna, Vishnu, Shiva, or any other divine form, it makes no difference. For every act of devotion—be it Bhajan, Poojan, Naman, Vandan, Tapasya, contemplation, meditation, or Yadnya offered to any form of the Supreme Being (Paramatma) or the Supreme Lord (Parameshti), ultimately reaches the Tri-Nathas: Dattaguru, Adipita Sahajashiva Narayana, and Adimata Jagadamba Narayani.
But how does this happen?
The ever-deepening bond between each devotee and his beloved deity (Ishtadevata), together with all the devotee's efforts mentioned above, ultimately merge into Swayambhagwan Shree Trivikram, who alone is the final bridge. It is then Trivikram Himself who offers all those efforts at the feet of the Tri-Nathas.