December 7, 2025

If we reorient our eyes image of candelabra looks like two people facing each other. When Vivek ji was growing up Bhakti was associated with loudness.  This thought process of being more loud means having more Bhakti is not true. Vivek ji’s reflection of prayer in terms of grading it

• Number three is when you pray for a purpose. Suppose someone is not well in the hospital you pray for their well-being. In the realm of Bhakti this would be associated with Dasya Bhakti. It is where I am the servant, Bhagavan is the master and I pray please give this to me. 
• Number two is not to pray for purpose, rather to pray out of gratitude not to be purposeful but to be grateful. In the practice of Bhakti that’s called Sakhya Bhakti. When I think of a friend I don’t ask anything we are together. We enjoy each other’s company.
• Highest form of Prayer is silence. The highest form of prayer is not to be purposeful, even grateful but just silenceful. This is me not concerned what comes from the divine bur rather THE divine. Our relationship with people is whether they want something from us or us. It is worth reflecting about others wanting us. In Bhakti it is called Atma Nivedana where I have now surrendered the wanter, the haver and I am just with the divine, with Bhagavan. This is being silent. Bhakti is not loud it is silent.

We started exploring nine expressions or nine degrees of Bhakti.

First degree of Bhakti is active listening. The subtlest sense we have is hearing. The next subtlest sense is touching. When it comes to scriptures best sense is hearing next is seeing. Listen carefully.

The next degree of Bhakti is active speaking from Sravana to Keerthana. Practical insight about active speaking is our relationships become closer through speaking. This was more science. Scripture, part is from Rama Raksha Stotra Śrī Rāma Rāma Rāmeti Rame Rāme manorame sahasranāma tat tulyaṃ Rāmanāma varānane. Vivek ji shared that Bhagavan Shiva really wanted to eat with Bhagavati Parvati. Bhagavati Parvati told him that she has not chanted Vishnu Sahasra Nama yet so Bhagavan Shiva told her to just chant Ram. If you chant Ram that is equivalent of Vishnu Sahasra Nama. Chanting has to be done with Bhava, feeling. One more scriptural reference. Sri Rama watching that all the rocks and boulders were floating in water when the bridge to Lanka was built. When Sri Rama threw a small pebble into the water while no one was watching it was sunk. Sri Hanumana was watching him and told him “Anything you let go of will just fall. Anything with your nama on it will just rise”. Everyone else was writing Ram on to the rock and throwing into the water. Again, it’s the efficacy of Keerthana. Story was about Chaitanya Maha Prabhu who started Hari Nama Sankeerthana, a Bhakti movement where people are so immersed in Japa. Vivek ji finds that Japa one of the best ways not to be affected by others mood as Vivek ji is caring for aging parents and young kids. What happens is while chanting Om Namo Narayanaya Vivek ji starts to feel Vivek ji’s parents or kids are Bhagavan Narayana. Now all of a sudden, the relationship with wife, kids, parents’ changes. So, now it’s not coming from family but from Bhagavan Narayana. When Bhagavan Narayana says something Vivek ji accepts. When you feel the divine is bothering you then you feel that divine is actually teasing you which is quite different.

Theme: Smarana. Vivek ji is going with active reflecting; Sanskrit word is Manana. Vivek ji cautions us not to be Sravana addicts and not to be Sravana Junkies.

Science: In Stepping Stones Vivek ji shared one of the frameworks when Vivek ji was teaching how to be less affected by bullies, how to be less affected by negativity. Everyone has Nama/name, deeper than it is Rupa/form. Active listening and speaking relates to the Nama. Active reflecting relates to the Rupa. Vichara is another beautiful word for Manana/Smarana. Vichara means to filter or to deepen. That’s why Vivek ji is calling this, degrees of devotion, degrees of dedication. When someone engages in Vichara, we go from this being his/her story to my story. When studying Bhagavad Gita Vivek ji told us to replace Arjuna’s name with our name with pencil, from this being history to this being future.  Shifting from someone’s name to really what makes them, Rupa

Scripture: Mantra from Ramayana by Rishi Valmiki ji.

Buddhirbalaṃ yaśodhairya nirbhayatvamarogatā

Ajāḍhyaṃ vākpaṭuḥtvaṃca Hanumat smaraṇādbhavet

Bhavet means one will start to invoke this with smaranāt.  Smaraṇāt means to reflect, to personalize. Here reflect/personalize about Sri Hanumana. Sri Hanumana’s qualities listed here are buddhi andbala. These are the sets of qualities where 1^st quality brings the 2^nd quality. Buddhirbalaṃ when one has buddhi, good mental health chances are they have good bala, physical health. yaśodhairya yaśa where it means reverence. When I have right reverence for the right person it makes me dhairya, I become more determined; more, deep. Inner health brings outer health. EQ helps your IQ. The one who I revere will help me become better person. Nirbhayatvamarogatā, arogatā meansthe one who is not diseased with ignorance/forgetting. The benefit is one becomes Nirbhayatva, courageous. Ajāḍhyaṃ one who is vigilant becomes vākpaṭuḥtvaṃ great speaker. As you think so you develop. If I am thinking of Sri Hanumana I start to develop pairs of these qualities. Buddhi brings bala, yaśa brings dhairya, nirbhayatvam brings arogatā. Ajāḍhya one who is careful becomes a better speaker. All this came from Smarana. It’s not Hanuman’s story about going to Lanka these are what formed Hanuman ji. They can become my Rupa. Hanumat smaraṇādbhavet if I keep thinking of Sri Hanumana, I will develop these qualities.

Story: Its story about Deva Vrata known as Bhishma from Maha Bharata. He was born Deva Vrata. This is gift from the divine but he lived that his Vrata, his purpose in life was Devas. All of us are Deva Vrata we are an expression of divine but it’s only the rare person who reciprocates. Because it is so rare people called him Bhishma. Bhishma in this context means intense where they are able to live their promise which is to the multiverse not to a person. During Maha Bharata war Sri Krishna told Pandavas and Kauravas they can only have the army or him but not both. Pandavas chose Sri Krishna which means he would not pick up or use any weapon. At one point Acharya Bhishma was being relentless against Pandavas. Sri Krishna as if lost his cool, he picks up the broken wheel while being so fast with his feet it looked trial of dust. Acharya Bhishma wanted Sri Krishna to use weapon on him so instead of being so intense, Acharya Bhishma laid down his both arms. Sri Krishna broke his own promise to fulfil the promise of his Bhakta. That’s why one of Sri Krishna’s names is Ratānga Pāni, one who holds part of the Chariot in his hand. Sri Krishna guides Prince Arjuna to shoot at Acharya Bhishma while he is being vulnerable. Prince Arjuna loves Acharya Bheeshma, he couldn’t do it. Bhagavan Krishna shares that this is the only chance, in the Leela this is the opening. At that point Prince Arjuna was so much aligned with Sri Krishna he shot the arrows being so dexterous. Prince Arjuna was crying so much that his eyes shut. Acharya Bhishma ended up lying on this bed of arrows with smile not fearful not uneasy. Yudhistira asked him “What is the greatest good for the greatest people?” What is the greatest quality for the greatest quantity. Acharya Bhishma described what he was feeling in the form of Vishnu Sahasra Nama not giving advice. Acharya Bhisma was describing enlightenment. One of the amazing names is DuSwapna Nashanaya, one who destroys nightmares.  Deva Vrata was in such an unconducive circumstance just by himself but he engaged in Smarana, manana, active reflecting. Acharya Bhishma is unsung hero of Maha Bharata.

We are in the phase of Bhakti time where we are learning from the greatest Bhakta Rishi Prahlada. If Hiranya Kashyapu is given this advice which means he can practice it, we definitely can.

Discussion Subject: How can you prioritize active reflecting over active listening. How can you become Manana addict over Sravana addict?

Vivek ji: Everyone’s collective point is to take time. We are often taught that Kali means selfishness but Kali also means fast. Back in the day it was phone calls then emails but now texting. In this quadrant of urgent and important now everything is urgent, everything is important. Take time, build slowness into your schedule, into your day. Writing the reflections will personalize a whole lot.

RAW: Prepare 2026 resolution. Resolution has to come from Mantra that Vivek ji had chanted today. Four sets of Hanuman ji’s qualities were shared today Buddhi and balaṃ; yaśa and dhairya; nirbhayatva and arogatā; Ajāḍhya and vākpaṭuḥtva. The first pulls the second. You have to choose one of these four pairs.