March 1, 2026
What are bhajans about? And sometimes we take this for granted, correct? Bhajans are the verbal description of qualities. And why that’s important, if I keep hearing the word hate and dumb and loser, if I keep hearing it, I’m going to start thinking it and saying it too, correct? And in contrast, if I keep hearing and saying the verbal description of qualities like discipline and compassion and love and freedom, I’m going to start thinking it and I’m going to start acting like that too. This is an offering in self-development to verbally describe qualities, okay? So, it’s important, to think of nothing but what you’re listening to. Then we really tune into those qualities.
A seeker recently asked a question in the form of, what is love? Pujya Swami Chinmayananda has very powerfully answered this as, love is that which keeps growing. If love is not growing, then it’s not love. And that’s very important to hear and to reflect on, because a whole lot of us, feel like we love our family. But if that love doesn’t grow through our family, to families, to community, etc., then it’s not love. And we don’t want to hear that, or reflect on that. But really the subtle teaching is, when I love my family only, that’s not love. That’s attachment. Fear comes from attachment. Fear makes us feel heavy. That’s why it’s important to ask the question, to reflect on the answer. It is that which keeps growing. Now, every one of us, we know how to love. We love our parents. We love our country. We love hobbies. But in this course, it is to strengthen this love. Strengthen means for the love that keeps on growing to understand it, to know the troubleshooting, to know the best practices. And since November 16th, we have been engaged in this in a super systematic way.
On November 16th, we began our exploration of what traditionally is known as the Navada Bhakti. These are the nine Degrees. Please remember to change that terminology. It is not expressions. They’re degrees. That means each has to be deeper and deeper and deeper or stronger and stronger and stronger. The nine degrees of dedication. What is a great sign that one is dedicated? That they forget what they are sacrificing. If I keep remembering what I’m sacrificing, it’s holding me back from being dedicated. If I’m immersed in dedication, I don’t remember what I’ve sacrificed. In this exploration, the teachings are to go from passive dedication to active dedication. These nine degrees are active listening, active speaking, and active reflecting. These are like elementary school. Next are active serving, active invoking, and active incorporating more like middle school. Next ones are more like PhD, because rare is the seeker who gets to this stage. They are active respecting, active loving, and active revering.
These are the nine degrees on becoming more and more and more dedicated. That is a love that keeps growing. In this exploration, we had a special phase related to Archana, that means active invoking. Another word for Archana is Puja.
When Vivek ji was in studying Vedanta course in Sandeepany in Mumbai Bramhachari Samvid ji taught them everything. Soumya ji also learned under Samvid ji who later became Swami Shardananda ji. In this course of a connection of how we’ve learned about Archana or Puja. Arcana or invoking relates to a nama. In our culture and our practices, using positive words is one of the primary ways to engage in self-development. Archana is a verbal description of qualities, compassion, discipline, and so on. Now, some of the metaphysical reasoning for this. We don’t know what Advil is made out of, but it works for our aches and pains. Nama too, we may not know the effectiveness of this positive word, but nama works. Ajamila, seeker who was dying said Narayana, his son. But Bhagavan Narayana came though he wasn’t calling divine. Divinity expressed that, “he may not know my name, but I know my name.” That is why Japa, Nama, qualities are very important. Another strong component of Archana is going from Nama to Guna. First, verbally describe these qualities, but then understand these qualities and really imbibe them. In one Chaupai of Hanuman Chalisa Shri Hanumana went to be with the Sun, but the Sun and Indra, they didn’t want to share of themselves. They didn’t want to share. So, they rejected Shri Hanumana. When we engage in Puja, it is to learn which qualities to follow and also which qualities not to follow to not be like Indra, who is un-sharing. As we go deeper into our relationship with the divine, we go from names and forms to qualities. The previous session was about active loving, Sakhya-bhava. Vivek ji is reviewing this.
The science behind active loving or Sakhya-Bhava, Pujya Swami Tejomayi Nanda shared “Tell me who you love and I’ll tell you who you are.” Who you love is really indicative of who you are, added component is Whoever you love, you start to become like them. The beauty of this is a further closeness that’s developed. The scriptural reference to this was the famous shloka, Tvam Eva Mata Tvam Eva Vidya so many different expressions of the divine. If one really contemplates on this verse, Tvam eva means divinity alone. Eva means Alone. If divinity is alone Aham Naiva, individuality starts to become loosened. If I’m superior to you, I feel I’m distant than you. If I feel inferior to you, I still feel I am distant to you, from you. That’s why this teaching is lovely. Divinity alone, which means individuality, not. The story was about lovely caregiver serving her spouse with special needs. Another seeker came and commanded her respect. And she said, “you’re only powerful in a controlled environment. I’m powerful in an uncontrolled environment. So really, I’m more powerful.” Amazing about it is she was more powerful, but didn’t use it
Science: The final is Atma Nivedana. Nivedana means to offer. Atma here means ego. We think our center/spirit is the ego. One who’s become so deep, know there is more than the ego. So, they are surrendering that ego, that separation. There is Dasya Bhava, feeling is that I’m a servant of the divine. Closer is Sakhya Bhava, feeling lover of the divine. Finally, Atma Bhava that’s even closer where I feel I am divine. From serving the divine to loving the divine to being the divine.
Scripture: We will go over Chapter 18, verse 66 of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita.
sarva-dharmān parityajya māṁ ekaṁ śharaṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣhayiṣhyāmi mā śhuchaḥ.
Sarva means all. Dharma means what is holding you. What’s holding me is my ego that I am Vivek, I’m an individual. Parityajya means to let go of this completely. And you can’t just let go.
When you rock climb, you can only let go of a grip, a lower holding, if you’ve held on to a higher grip, another holding. It’s only when you’re holding on to the higher that you can let go of the lower. First quarter is sharing, let go. The second quarter is, what do I have to hold on to? Māṁ means Shri Krishna, divinity. Ekaṁ, there is only divinity. Like the previous verse was, tvam eva. śharaṇaṁ, feel at ease. Vraja, to engage in this actively. I’ve let go; I’ve held on. Third quarter, what is the utility of this? Ahaṁ, as in divinity. tvā, to you sarva, all pāpebhyah literal meaning is sin but the original sin is Ego. The original sin is me feeling I’m different than you, then I feel distant than you. If I let go and hold on, divinity will absorb all of these distances, differences. There will be oneness. That’s called mokṣhayiṣhyāmi, you will be free. Last quarter mā means no. śhuchaḥ, worry. Do NOT WORRY. Pujya Swami Chinmayananda had gone through immigration once, then that custom officer said, have a good day. And he turned around and said, how? We just take it for granted.
Story: This story that accentuates this scripture, that accentuates the science of active revering. I don’t just want to serve the divine or love the divine. I want to BE the divine. That’s the design of Bhagavad Gita too, Tat tvam asi. 10th section of Shrimad Bhagavatam Sri Krishna is living his life. He remembering promise he made to Gopis that “I will come back.” He had so many responsibilities so he was reflecting on “Who is like me?” Though answer is No, Rishi Uddhava is most like Sri Krishna. He shares Rishi Uddhava “Please go to Gopis and all villagers and be with them.” Rishi Uddhava was thinking “You are here, I am here they are all simpletons. You have these thousand other responsibilities. You are thinking about them?” It’s almost like he is judging Sri Krishna like Sri Krishna had an attachment towards them. Sri Krishna didn’t explain. Rishi Uddhava leaves the city and goes to the Gopis and sees them. They thought that Sri Krishna had come, but it is Rishi Uddhava. They expressing how much they miss him with their tears, with their mouth. They asked Rishi Uddhava “Help us, help us not to miss him.” Rishi Uddhava shares “Why don’t you contemplate on him and his absolute nature.” Gopis like warrior Princesses they looked at him and said “We don’t have mind; we don’t have intellect. What we will contemplate Divinity with?” That absolutely leveled Rishi Uddhava; that ego, that sense of pride “Look I follow the knowledge path, you follow dedication path.” Rishi Uddhava came to understand that he is theorizing infinity but for Gopis it is tactile. They feel Sri Krishna in trees, in bees, in rivers, in cows, in their parents/children. For them its not just a verse tvam eva mata pita tvam eva they were feeling all of this. Rishi Uddava being royalty took dust from Gopis, the simpletons’ feet and put it on his head. When he came back Sri Krishna was smiling. That is Atma Nivedana, being divinity.