Naichya bhava

Naichya bhava is very important among devotees, said Akkarakkani Srinidhi in a discourse. Naichya is to think about our flaws and to speak of them. It is to humble ourselves and to not be status-conscious. Naichya bhava also means that we should never blame others for our mistakes. We do not have the right to speak ill of others. If something goes wrong, we must not look for someone to blame. We have no one to blame but ourselves. We must learn to attribute a failure to our karma, and not find fault with others. We should think of ourselves as inferior to others, and never assume an air of superiority. He who thinks of himself as the lowest among Lord Narayana’s multitude of devotees, will be celebrated as one of His best devotees.

The Lord looks upon humble people with kindness. An arrogant man can never earn the Lord’s grace. Pride in our looks, our education, our wealth, our status in society — none of this will help us cross the ocean of samsara. On the contrary, they will be obstacles in our journey towards liberation. A verse of Kabir’s will help us understand this better. A small ant is busy carrying bits of sugar, and in course of time has a significant quantity of sugar. But look at what a proud elephant does. It scoops mud with its trunk and showers itself with the mud. Parasara Bhattar’s naichya bhava is evident in his works. In one verse in Sri Rangaraja Stava, he says Lord Ranganatha has been praised by the Vedas, but He chooses to tarnish His image by listening to Bhattar’s verses, like an elephant which puts mud on its head. Parasara Bhattar was a great scholar. He wrote a commentary on the Vishnu Purana, known as Bhagavad Guna Darpana. And yet, he spoke humbly of his achievements. Works of Azhwars and Acharyas reflect their naichya bhava.