The literal word bhakti appears in the Shvetashvatara Upanishad of the Black Yajur Veda, which is translated devotion to God and to Guru - but actually now I see it meaning in proper "belonging" (to) or (membership) or (in the association)... e.g. "association with devotees", "I was once alone, but now I BELONG".
And in the Muktika Upanishad of the White Yajur Veda, as a form of Yoga, mentioned by Hanuman. Then Rama mentions the City of Light - Kashi (Varanasi) - and mentions the Brahmanala of Kashi... Brahmanala came to mean a large slab of stone, in a river or patially in water, where a person still alive was laid to die, then later once dead cremated on wood nearby but not on the stone itself. It was like a death bed. The Brahma Nala was in ancient times the name of a small stream that ran from Manikarnika Ghat in Kashi (where cremations take place) into the City.
The word Brahma Nala means something. The story of Nala appears in the Mahabharata history, but is clearly from a period much older than those events of the Mahabharata times. It is not part of the main plot or theme at all of where it appears, it is much, much older by hundreds or perhaps thousands of years. It appears as a story told to Yudhishthira of a great Maharaja called Nala who, like Yudhishthira, lost his Kingdom in a dice game. In central India was a daughter of another Raja, she was called Damayanti. A swan who had powers revealed to Nala this Princess, and promised to migrate all the way to this beauty and tell her of Nala. Then many suitors including Nala travelled to central India to seek her hand in marriage, but she was already biased in favor of Nala thanks to this magical swan. When some angelic types of deities realize this, they try to fool the Princess by taking the form described as Nala.
But these deities or powers do not cast a shadow when the sun is above them. This was their nature. The Princess was taught as a child to beware of the beings who cast no shadow, and she noticed this. But when the actual Nala came, he had a shadow and she recognized him and they are married.
But there was a Power called Darkling. This Power had designs on the Princess to give birth to a Child of Darkness. The Darkling took possession of Nala's body.
Nala became hypnotically possessed to play the rolling dice, eventually losing everything and the Kingdom to his brother.
Nala and the Princess then leave as homeless into the Forest. There in a possessed state he abandones Princess Damayanti after wandering away from her one morning still possessed by the Darkling. She tries to find him, but she eventually takes refuge of a King of some other race (Tamil or Dravidian) whose residents loved Lord Shiva.
But one day, Nala saves a Naga or snake from a burning bush. The Darkling would not let go of him to seek the Princess, no doubt the designs of the Darkling was to kill him. This was no ordinary bush. Nor an ordinary snake. Voices came from the burning bush. And the snake was from the underworld. Only a man whose mind was so disturbed could ever commune with such a snake that came up from the underworld but into this burning bush. This was a Divine Snake in a fire of strange words. Yet Nala pulled the snake somehow from the fire, for the possession while ill omened also gave him powers.
The Naga turned him into a dwarf with a magic robe. This drove out the possesion as the Darkling didn't recognize Nala, and feared the dwarf, and the cloak protects him from being snatched again. He eventually finds his wife and assumes his form. He takes her to his once Kingdom, and this time gambles and wins his Kingdom back in dice. Later, he tells of the great devotees of Shiva who took care of his wife. He believes the Naga was one of Shiva's.
He became a great devotee of Shiva.
"I belong (bhakta) with the devotees of Shiva" he said in old age. His beloved had died. He felt he had to belong to her by Shiva (bhakti).
Now he was going to die.
So he went to the City Never Forsaken by Shiva, Kashi, The City of Light, and laid down to die.
He laid down it is said, on a slab of stone on a stream that leads from the Manikarnika Ghat where cremations take place into the inner part of the city.
There he died, but just before he died Lord Shiva came and whispered the Taraka Mantra into his ear.
Some say this mantra is "Rama". Some say it is unknown. But for a long time this same stone was used, where many laid down to die. Waiting for the Taraka mantra. Then to be taken upon death to be cremated at Manikarnika. Either at the ghat where there are doms who burn you. Or at the pond "Where the earring fell" (Manikarnika). This is a pond where Lord Vishnu's earring fell after seeing Shiva. Vishnu shook with love, and the earring fell. The pond was Vishnu's tears of happiness that also touched the stream where there was this same stone. Shiva said "Vishnu belongs (bhakt) here where All The Gods Have Come To Be One".
This stone was here for a long time. But one day the stream went away.
The stream had become the Sister of a Devi known as Kashi Devi Kumari. She was a young girl dressed in tattered clothes but was a Goddess who would "haunt" the Pond that had Vishnu's earring and tears. But the stream said one day, "Nala wants his beloved to also be with Shiva where she belongs (bhakti). But she died in a far place. I will go find her by going to the Ganges and bring her to Nala where she belongs (bhakt)."
So the stream disappeared long ago.
One day the stone also disappeared.
But some say it was turned into a Lingam called Omkara. It will never leave Kashi, where it belongs (bhakti).
Brahma Nala was the stream - The Creator of Nala. Nala was created when he died in Kashi.
And in the Muktika Upanishad of the White Yajur Veda, as a form of Yoga, mentioned by Hanuman. Then Rama mentions the City of Light - Kashi (Varanasi) - and mentions the Brahmanala of Kashi... Brahmanala came to mean a large slab of stone, in a river or patially in water, where a person still alive was laid to die, then later once dead cremated on wood nearby but not on the stone itself. It was like a death bed. The Brahma Nala was in ancient times the name of a small stream that ran from Manikarnika Ghat in Kashi (where cremations take place) into the City.
The word Brahma Nala means something. The story of Nala appears in the Mahabharata history, but is clearly from a period much older than those events of the Mahabharata times. It is not part of the main plot or theme at all of where it appears, it is much, much older by hundreds or perhaps thousands of years. It appears as a story told to Yudhishthira of a great Maharaja called Nala who, like Yudhishthira, lost his Kingdom in a dice game. In central India was a daughter of another Raja, she was called Damayanti. A swan who had powers revealed to Nala this Princess, and promised to migrate all the way to this beauty and tell her of Nala. Then many suitors including Nala travelled to central India to seek her hand in marriage, but she was already biased in favor of Nala thanks to this magical swan. When some angelic types of deities realize this, they try to fool the Princess by taking the form described as Nala.
But these deities or powers do not cast a shadow when the sun is above them. This was their nature. The Princess was taught as a child to beware of the beings who cast no shadow, and she noticed this. But when the actual Nala came, he had a shadow and she recognized him and they are married.
But there was a Power called Darkling. This Power had designs on the Princess to give birth to a Child of Darkness. The Darkling took possession of Nala's body.
Nala became hypnotically possessed to play the rolling dice, eventually losing everything and the Kingdom to his brother.
Nala and the Princess then leave as homeless into the Forest. There in a possessed state he abandones Princess Damayanti after wandering away from her one morning still possessed by the Darkling. She tries to find him, but she eventually takes refuge of a King of some other race (Tamil or Dravidian) whose residents loved Lord Shiva.
But one day, Nala saves a Naga or snake from a burning bush. The Darkling would not let go of him to seek the Princess, no doubt the designs of the Darkling was to kill him. This was no ordinary bush. Nor an ordinary snake. Voices came from the burning bush. And the snake was from the underworld. Only a man whose mind was so disturbed could ever commune with such a snake that came up from the underworld but into this burning bush. This was a Divine Snake in a fire of strange words. Yet Nala pulled the snake somehow from the fire, for the possession while ill omened also gave him powers.
The Naga turned him into a dwarf with a magic robe. This drove out the possesion as the Darkling didn't recognize Nala, and feared the dwarf, and the cloak protects him from being snatched again. He eventually finds his wife and assumes his form. He takes her to his once Kingdom, and this time gambles and wins his Kingdom back in dice. Later, he tells of the great devotees of Shiva who took care of his wife. He believes the Naga was one of Shiva's.
He became a great devotee of Shiva.
"I belong (bhakta) with the devotees of Shiva" he said in old age. His beloved had died. He felt he had to belong to her by Shiva (bhakti).
Now he was going to die.
So he went to the City Never Forsaken by Shiva, Kashi, The City of Light, and laid down to die.
He laid down it is said, on a slab of stone on a stream that leads from the Manikarnika Ghat where cremations take place into the inner part of the city.
There he died, but just before he died Lord Shiva came and whispered the Taraka Mantra into his ear.
Some say this mantra is "Rama". Some say it is unknown. But for a long time this same stone was used, where many laid down to die. Waiting for the Taraka mantra. Then to be taken upon death to be cremated at Manikarnika. Either at the ghat where there are doms who burn you. Or at the pond "Where the earring fell" (Manikarnika). This is a pond where Lord Vishnu's earring fell after seeing Shiva. Vishnu shook with love, and the earring fell. The pond was Vishnu's tears of happiness that also touched the stream where there was this same stone. Shiva said "Vishnu belongs (bhakt) here where All The Gods Have Come To Be One".
This stone was here for a long time. But one day the stream went away.
The stream had become the Sister of a Devi known as Kashi Devi Kumari. She was a young girl dressed in tattered clothes but was a Goddess who would "haunt" the Pond that had Vishnu's earring and tears. But the stream said one day, "Nala wants his beloved to also be with Shiva where she belongs (bhakti). But she died in a far place. I will go find her by going to the Ganges and bring her to Nala where she belongs (bhakt)."
So the stream disappeared long ago.
One day the stone also disappeared.
But some say it was turned into a Lingam called Omkara. It will never leave Kashi, where it belongs (bhakti).
Brahma Nala was the stream - The Creator of Nala. Nala was created when he died in Kashi.
