Recalling the episode when Dharma (the bull) is being beaten by Kali, Raja Parikshita asks the bull if he is sad, and the bull says it is laughable that anyone can make you sad or happy!

This course is about matching vayovriddha with jnanavriddha. We will all age without doubt, but jnanavriddha is not making excuses for the sadness in our lives, not finding faults in others. It will open our eyes to reality. When someone insults us, we get lost in our own mind and lose track of time and reality. Study of Advaita Vedanta is to de-hypnotize oneself and see the oneness is all, as said by Swami Vivekananda.

When we invest in stocks, we analyze many figures, but the final figure is the most important. Similarly, in our life, our last breath is most important as it will direct our next breath. This is what Rishi Shuka is telling Raja Parikshita, that Bhagavan or infinity should be contemplated upon all the time, especially during one’s last breath.

Rishi Shuka tells Raja Parikshita that the highest contemplation is to contemplate on Svarupa or Infinity inside of you. If you can’t do that, contemplate on Vishvarupa, or Infinity outside of you like the mountains, people, clouds and such. And if you can’t do that, contemplate on your Ishtarupa or Infinity in a specific form like Bhagavan Krishna, or Mother Saraswati.

In the third chapter of the first Skanda, twenty-four avataras of Bhagavan are listed which are the spine of Shrimad Bhagavata. Avatara zero is Bhagavan Narayana, avatara one is Bhagavan Brahma, avatara two are the SanatKumaras, and avatara three is Bhagavan Varaha.

Bhagavan Varaha and Hiranyaksha have a very different relationship with Mother Earth. Hiranyaksha wants more wealth, more profit, and all he is interested in is using Mother Earth, while Bhagavan Varaha wants peace and is interested in only serving Mother Earth. If we apply this to ourselves, has the earth been created for us, or have we been created for the earth? Thinking about this in a different perspective, has your mother been created for you or have you been created for your mother?

After Bhagavan Varaha saves Mother Earth, He disappears. So Rishi Vidura asks Rishi Maitreya who Hiranyaksha was, and how come all this happened. Rishi Maitreya then answers that one of Bhagavan Brahma’s sons was Daksha Prajapati. His job was to create. And one of his daughters was Devi Sati who then became Mother Parvathi. Daksha Prajapati had another daughter named Diti who was married to Rishi Kashyapa, a very satvik person.

In Sanatana Dharma during sandhya time or at dusk, one engages in more discipline. Rishi Kashyapa was engaged in dhyana one evening at dusk, and Diti, feeling very lusty, asked him to fulfill her desire. He calmly explained that he would oblige her after he finished his disciplines, but forgetting all shame, she pulled his upper cloth. So Rishi Kashyapa submitted to Diti’s lust after which he went back to his disciplines.

Then Diti, overcome with guilt and shame, went to talk to Rishi Kashyapa. Rishi Kashyapa said that there were consequences for all actions and that she would give birth to two of the most terrible beings, Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu. However, since she was repentant, she would also be the grandmother of one of the greatest devotees of Bhagavan of all times. His name would be Prahlada.

Vedanta: Why does Bhagavan Varaha disappear? Bhagavan Varaha is described as the Father looking after Mother Earth and He disappears because He is trying to teach the people, His children, to be independent. Most of us in this course are parents. Are we teaching our kids to be independent? Are we living in an independent way? The phrase used is Svadrik — one who sees oneself or one who depends on oneself. If one is svadrik, one never complains or criticizes, and in a practical sense, one changes worrying into learning. We are only partly responsible and we should be aware that Bhagavan, our Creator, is more responsible and is always watching over us..

In this learning, we get more cheerful, as we become aware that God is not only looking at us from the outside as well as the inside, but that He is actually looking after us. So there is no reason to worry at all.

Our scriptures are like a Constitution and very detail oriented. Going back to the incident between Diti and Rishi Kashyapa, we learn that sexuality in a marriage is not for enjoyment, but for creation. When one engages in sexual activities, there is therefore, a mind-set, a time-set and a people-set. One’s mind should be quiet, should be creation oriented. There are specific periods of the day when the environment is conducive to this act of sexuality, and both parties should be in the same sentiment. When sexuality is practiced in such a disciplined way, the whole experience and the creation that comes from that experience, is satvik.

When Rishi Kashyapa tells Diti that her sons would be killed by Bhagavan Himself, she is very happy as that is their good fortune, as that would be their mukti.

In Diti’s womb, there is a lot of darkness as Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashyapu are going to be born and that darkness is spreading everywhere. This darkness signifies the stress in our lives. If someone is stressed, their stress tends to affect the people around, who then start feeling stressed too. Diti means to break and her children are called daityas or asuras, those who spread darkness. Diti’s sister, Aditi’s children are called Aditya or suras, ones who create light. The suras see the darkness coming from Diti’s womb and go to see Bhagavan Brahma to ask for his help. Bhagavan Brahma says that their older brothers, the Sanatkumaras, would help them.

Bhagavan Narayana is in Vaikunta and there is total peace there. In Vaikunta, everyone even looks like Bhagavan Narayana. The Sanatkumaras, though ancient, still look like 5 year old boys and they go to see Bhagavan Narayana. Jaya and Vijaya, the gatekeepers, are guarding the gate and putting down their maces, they start verbally abusing the Sanatkumaras.

The Sanatkumaras, now angry, curse Jaya and Vijaya that since they are acting as asuras, may they become asuras. And as soon as they curse, the Sanatkumaras realise their mistake and so do Jaya and Vijaya. With all the commotion, Bhagavan Narayana comes quickly and with him comes Mother Lakshmi.

Vedanta: In Vaikunta, there is no maya, no ego, no separation. What makes Jaya and Vijaya eligible to be Bhagavan’s gatekeepers? Jaya is someone who has mastered the body. Vijaya is one who has mastered the mind. That is why they are close to Bhagavan Narayana as they feel His presence inside. The Sanatkumaras are enlightened and are able to move freely as there is no conditioning, no unlearning. We on the other hand, are ignorant, thus feel the necessity to unlearn. The more free we feel with people, there is a greater presence of knowledge in our lives.

Jaya and Vijaya had stopped Mother Lakshmi before as well. Since they weren’t rebuked by Bhagavan Narayana, they got more arrogant and that’s why they were once again disrespectful to the Sanatkumaras. When the Sanatkumaras apologize to Bhagavan, He tells them that He should be the one to apologize as whatever the servant does is actually indicative of the Master.

Isn’t this attitude really hard to adopt for ourselves, in our worklife?

Jaya and Vijaya plead with Bhagavan not to leave them, so He tells them that they would be born as asuras three times — Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu, Ravana and Kumbhakarna, Shishupala and Dantavakra and Bhagavan would be born four times to make sure they come back to Him. Bhagavan thus manifests as Lord Varaha, Lord Narasimha, Lord Rama and finally as Lord Krishna.

Imagine how powerful Jaya and Vijaya would be as asuras, considering they were the gatekeepers for Bhagavan. So Bhagavan Himself had to manifest to contain them. The oldest brother of the Sanatkumaras felt very bad about the curse and tells Jaya and Vijaya that he would also come to help them to not forget Bhagavan. So he comes as Prahlada for Hiranyakashipu, and Vibhishana for Ravana and Kumbakarna.

The main thought is that all that is happening to us is happening for the best. And the more we reflect on this, the more freely we will live. Everyone makes mistakes, but Bhagavan Narayana takes care of us.

Discussion question: How to develop the strength to endure mistakes?

Vivekji’s thoughts: Appreciate that the purpose of living is to know that you are a child of Bhagavan. Then everything we feel is a mistake, is Bhagavan simply calling us, sometimes in a soft way, sometimes in a hard way.

1. Listen — As a community, we have invested five years in listening to that which is most important, that is Brahma Vidya — insights into the Infinite. We have travelled lots through this listening. The word Bhagavata is based on –Ta — a boat, Va — the best, Ga — to go, Bha — Light, Awareness, Joy — We are riding the best boat to the Divine. Here is a shloka from Garuda Purana that Vivekji references a lot — Ayodhya Mathura Maya Kashi Kanchiyavantika Puri Dwaravati Chaiva Saptaite Mokshadayakah

Ayodhya, Mathura, Haridwara, Kashi, Kanchi, Avantika, Puri and Dwaraka — we have travelled to all these cities, starting from Ayodhya and now we are in Dwaraka. These are Moksha Dayakah. This travelling inwards is the route to Moksha.

2. Let go — We have been listening a lot to the Ramayana and the Bhagavata and the letting go part is the Vedanta. After five years of being part of the devotional classes, we have to ask ourselves — Are we letting go? How have we changed over this course of time?

When Bhagavan Krshna is sitting with the messenger sent by Devi Rukmini, He shares how we should live — If a Brahmana lives contented with whatever comes to him, attracted by his holiness and without any effort on his part, and sticks unswervingly to his svadharma, that conduct of his will bring welfare to the whole world. — Are we feeling like a Brahmana? Are we studying Brahman? Are we sharing the Infinite?

When Bhagavan Krshna hears what the messenger has to share on behalf of Devi Rukmini, one of the lines He shares with the messenger is — I am going to take Devi Rukmini like fire is taken from a stick. To take fire from a stick requires a lot of effort. He says, “I am going to go where Devi Rukmini is and in a surgical, military way, I am going to take that seeker, the one who is a mumukshu.”

Some more context — Bhagavan Krshna’s older brother Shri Balarama gets married first, to Devi Revathi. Bhagavan Krshna is feeling jealous that His brother got married and wants to get married too. As for Devi Rukmini, she has come to know Shri Krshna just by listening about Him and she comes to the conclusion that He is Bhuvanasundara, the One who is most beautiful in creation, the One who beautifies creation. And that is Bhagavan Krshna. She, just like other princesses, is facilitating a Svayamvara — svayam — one’s own effort or choice, varana — we choose the one who is best. She has chosen Bhagavan Krshna as she knows He is the best. In her message, she shares — Come and free me. Your shulka (dowry) will be You (as in if You will marry me, that is the dowry). What could be better than that!

Skanda 10:53:26 — Rishi Shuka is continuing to explain to Raja Parikshita the build up leading to Bhagavan Krshna’s and Devi Rukmini’s marriage. He is describing how Devi Rukmini is feeling — This dear girl is worried because the messenger has not come back. She is worrying about Govinda who is in her heart and in her head. With her eyes closed, she is not realizing that time is passing, and she is sobbing. Her eyes are wet, her cheeks are wet and her clothing is becoming wet too. She is dearly missing Bhagavan Krshna.

Leading up to this — Devi Rukmini is in a place called Kundina waiting for Bhagavan Krshna to come. Her brother, Rukmi wants her to get married to his friend, Shishupala. So Shishupala and other rulers, his friends, begin their Barat (bridegroom’s procession to the wedding) to Kundina. Shishupala’s friends are Salva, Jarasandha, Dantavakra, Vidurata, Paundraka and these are wicked people. In the meanwhile, Shri Balarama, who is in Dwaraka, finds out that these rulers are on their way to Kundina and he is also aware that Bhagavan Krshna is on His way there. So as the older brother who wants to protect the younger brother, he leaves Dwaraka to go to Kundina.

Devi Rukmini climbs up the highest tower in the kingdom and is looking out the window for the messenger, and all of a sudden the left side of her body — her thigh, her shoulder, her eye — starts to throb. She then sees the messenger, and the messenger has a huge smile on his face. So she does not have to exchange words with the messenger as she knows that the exchange has been successful. She doesn’t know what to offer to this messenger. Typically in Ramayana or Mahabharata, the messengers are given necklaces or a 1000 cows, etc. She knows that this is Rishi Valmiki so she just prostrates to him as she knows he does not need anything. If we do not have the Vedanta of Bhagavata, these details are missed. She knows that this is the same Rishi Valmiki who wanted Devi Sita to be reunited with Bhagavan Rama. So she prostrates to him. Then Bhagavan Krshna arrives!

We learned last week that Bhagavan Krshna made a 25 hour journey overnight and He was stationed outside the kingdom and all of the people came to see Him. They gathered to see Him in the outskirts. Those people who were holy or sattvik were all attracted to Him. Bhagavan Krshna was the most holy and sattvik, so they all gathered. Now the puja for the Swayamvara that was to happen the next day, is beginning. The puja and procession starts and Devi Rukmini is going to the Mandir. Her eyes are restless looking around for Bhagavan, similar to a child looking for candy.

Rishi Vyasa, in a beautiful way, describes her as walking and offering her beauty to Bhagavan Hari. This idea of going to the mandir and the procession is all fake. She is just offering her beauty to the One that it belongs to. And while this is happening, all of the rulers that had gathered, start fainting because she is so beautiful. The lovely meaning behind this — Her real beauty is for Bhagavan Hari, and her fake beauty known as Maya, makes the others faint. And then all of a sudden, she sees Bhagavan Achyuta! Achyuta is the One who never falls or faints. Everyone faints, not Bhagavan! Then Bhagavan grabs her (remember that They are one unit almost like me holding my own arm) and takes off. Shishupala and others, when they come out of their unconscious state, look like sculptures as they are in shock of what had just happened. Bhagavan had moved like lightning, like taking the fire out of the firestick. Now They are together!

Skanda 10:54:5 — This is Bhagavan Krshna speaking to Bhagavati Rukmini. He smiles at last and tells her — Do not have any fear in your eyes. All of the people who are coming to fight with Me, I will fight them off. So this is what happens. When these rulers who were frozen come out of their freeze, they start chasing Bhagavan Krshna, and He tells Devi Rukmini not to worry as He will fight them back. This is part of the leela as she thinks Bhagavan is there by Himself and doesn’t have that power. And He does fight them, and Balarama is there with the armies and they destroy Jarasandha’s army. Previously Jarasandha kept on defeating Bhagavan Krshna, and now Bhagavan Krshna is finally able to defeat him. Shishupala is very sad that Devi Rukmini is taken away, but the one who is most infuriated is Rukmi, the eldest brother of Devi Rukmini, who wanted her to marry Shishupala.

As Bhagavan Krshna was going there, Devi Rukmini had told Bhagavan not to kill Rukmi. So Bhagavan ties Rukmi up and then shaves half of his head and half of his face. The implication for someone who has a lot of pride, this kshatriya bhava, this is very insulting and is like death. Now when Rukmi is tied up and his head and face are half-shaved, Devi Rukmini is not happy. She is expressing to Bhagavan Krshna, her attachment to her brother. Shri Balarama, who is observing all of this, says, “It is a perversion of intelligence if you, like an utterly senseless person, think that one who is noted for his universal ill-will, should always meet with benevolence and kindness, just because that person happens to be your relative. It will finally recoil on the person you try to protect”. This is a deep teaching. Devi Rukmini is expressing her attachment to her brother, and Shri Balarama is saying — Our relative is not one who is associated to us by blood, but rather by Dharma. If we keep on protecting those who are adharmik, it is worse for them. It is a powerful message about how we should be with our relatives. It is interesting that this is inserted into the portion that is leading upto their marriage. This is a reminder of Shri Lakshmana’s rekha in Ramayana. When he as if gives advice to Devi Sita, Sri Lakshmana never looks past her ankles. This is one portion of Ramayana when he is speaking more than he is listening. And here too, who is Shri Balarama to speak to Devi Rukmini? But this is shown here for our own protection. As this upadesha continues, there is heavy Vedanta that comes next. Here is a summary:

1. There is no yoga or viyoga, that is no union or dis-union because there is No Other. We can only unite with the One who is not us. All is Bhagavan Krshna, so have faith in Him. This idea of attachment and detachment is an illusion.
2. Our nature is like the moon. The moon is always full, but with our limited perception, we see the waxing and waning. So our waning is when we feel we are the body, mind and intellect. My nature is as if weaker. When we follow Bhagavatam or Bhagavan Krshna, it is as if we are waxing. More of our nature is revealed.
3. Just like in a dream everything is the dreamer, the trees, the ground, the fruit, in the same way, all of creation is the Creator. When we are asleep due to ignorance, we feel the separation.

Reviewing how we got here — Devi Rukmini sends a messenger to Bhagavan Krshna. Bhagavan Krshna shares with the messenger that He is coming to Kundina. Shishupala and his friends are leaving on their Barat to go to Kundina. Shri Balarama is leaving with his army from Dwarka to Kundina. Devi Rukmini sees the messenger and is happy. Now everyone is going to the Mandir to pray to Bhagavati Parvati. Devi is looking after Devis. Devi Rukmini is most beautiful, so everyone there who has lust towards her, faints. And by doing so, she is able to see Bhagavan Achyuta clearly and He takes her, and rides away. Then Shishupala and his friends chase Bhagavan Krshna. Bhagavan Krshna and Shri Balarama defend and they capture Rukmi as he doesn’t give up. So they shave his head and face. Devi Rukmini is telling Bhagavan Krshna that what He is doing is wrong, so Shri Balarama gives this Upadesa and she feels more comforted. This Upadesa shows that even in the most divine family, there is politics.

Following the injunctions and guidelines of the Veda, Bhagavan Krshna and Bhagavati Rukmini get married! Shri Krshna Chandra Bhagavan ki Jai! Bhagavati Rukmini ki Jai!

Vedanta: Throughout the message that Devi Rukmini sent, she says that it is okay if we eloped. This is called a Rakshasa vivaha. The word vivaha means special upliftment. Vaha means to lift and vivaha means vishesha vahati or special upliftment which is what marriage is supposed to be. But what did Bhagavan Krshna do? Vaha as He only lifted her. It was not a vivaha. So that is the difference between a Vedic marriage and a Rakshasa marriage. Then He does change this from vaha to vivaha. So Bhagavan Krshna and Bhagavati Rukmini get married. What is most special about this is that Bhagavan Krshna became a Rakshasa for Bhagavati Rukmini. And He is also ready to do that for us if we are like Bhagavati Rukmini. She is a mumukshu, a seeker who is ready to go through tapa lifetime after lifetime to be with Bhagavan. Bhagavan became a Rakshasa for her, He will do the same for us. Whatever challenges we are going through with our own bodies, our families, our communities, Bhagavan will lift us and free us from it.

Rishi Shuka is sharing with Raja Parikshita that those who lived in Dwarka, were in wonder and they felt great joy seeing the marriage between Devi Rukmini and Bhagavan Krshna. They were delighted as this was the marriage between Bhagavan Narayana and Bhagavati Lakshmi.

We are now going to offer a wedding prayer to Bhagavan Krshna and Bhagavati Rukmini. This prayer is offered to friends, to people we can relate to. What Bhagavan Krshna wants from us — The seventh form of devotion is Dasya Bhava, or the feeling that we are the servant of Bhagavan. The eighth form of devotion is Sakhya Bhava or the feeling that we are the friend of Bhagavan. And finally is Bhagavan Bhava or the feeling that we are One with Bhagavan. So though these words are being offered to a friend or someone we can relate to, Bhagavan wants us to feel Bhagavan Bhava or feel One with Him.

Wedding prayer composed by Pujya Swami Tejomayananda:

viväha dinam idam bhavatu harshadam mangalam tathä väm ca ksemadam ||

prati dinam navam prema vardhatam shata gunam kulam sadä hi modatam ||

loka sevayä deva-püjanam gråhastha jivanam bhavatu mokshadam ||

May this wedding day bring to both of you happiness, auspiciousness, and well-being. Day by day, may you discover new love for each other. May it grow a hundred-fold and may your family ever rejoice. Through service to people as worship of God, may your household life lead you to liberation.

Who is this wedding for? This wedding is for us. Jayantis and Kalyanams are for seekers. Bhagavan Krshna and Bhagavati Rukmini were never NOT married. There is no union, there is no dis-union.

1. Ayodhya — It is significant because Bhagavan Rama was born here. When Bhagavan Rama left this world, all the people who lived in Ayodhya also left with Him to be with Him.
2. Mathura — It is significant as it is the birthplace of Bhagavan Krshna. When He left Mathura, all the people went with Him.
3. Haridwara — It is significant as it is a place where Maya cannot come. If we imagine Bhagavan Narayana and Bhagavati Lakshmi living in Haridwara, and Bhagavan Narayana leaving home to go to work, who does He work with? Devi Maya. But when He returns home to Haridwara in the night, Devi Maya cannot come into the house with Him, and has to stay outside as He has to be with Bhagavati Lakshmi. So Maya cannot enter Haridwara.
4. Varanasi or Kashi — It is significant because Bhagavan Shiva speaks and teaches the glory of Bhagavan Narayana in this nagari. If one dies here, it is Bhagavan Shiva who whispers into our ears so that our last thought is of Bhagavan Narayana.
5. Kancheepuram — This nagari is associated with the Sundara Kanda of the Ramayana. What is beautiful about Kancheepuram is that there is a focus on both Bhagavan Shiva and Bhagavan Narayana. In Sundara Kanda itself, the first half focuses on Bhagavan Shiva, that is Hanumanji and the second half focuses on Bhagavan Vishnu, that is Vibheeshana who is a devotee of Bhagavan Vishnu.
6. Avantika — It is significant because this is where Bhagavan Krshna learned about life, where Rishi Sandeepany taught Bhagavan Krshna. For us particularly, there is such an emphasis on the Guru Shishya parampara because the greatest contribution of Swami Chinmayananda in Chinmaya Mission is the Sandeepany Sadhanalaya. With reference to Ramayana, the Vibheeshana Gita is one of the focal points in this kanda where Bhagavan Rama teaches Vibheeshana like Rishi Sandeepany as if taught Bhagavan Krshna.
7. Dwaraka — What is unique about this Moksha Dwara nagari or the seventh kanda of Ramayana is that this is when Bhagavan Rama got to be the raja, this is when Bhagavan Krshna gets to be the raja. So there is Ram rajya, there is Krshna rajya.

These Moksha Dwara nagaris are not physical places for us to check off on our list of places to visit. These nagaris are metaphysical spaces inside of us. Through our Vedanta in Bhagavata class, we are going to all of these nagaris. As we go through our course, week after week, month after month, we hopefully feel more free. We are not just going to these nagaris, we are in these nagaris. Aren’t we always talking about Bhagavan Narayan and Bhagavan Shiva? We should indeed be grateful for having this opportunity to travel all over Bharat and get to know the intricacies of these nagaris.

In the Purva portion of Bhagavan Krshna’s life, when He was a child, He never used a weapon on any of the rakshas He encountered. He just used His own body to correct these Asuras as the focus of the Purva part of His life is madhura or sweetness, almost like a controlled environment. In the Uttara or later part of Bhagavan Krshna’s life that we are studying right now, Bhagavan Krshna had to use a weapon as soon as He came into Mathura. What this symbolizes is for us to adapt in an uncontrolled environment, that is to use weapons metaphysically, like using a planner, getting up earlier, thinking before we speak. These are weapons that we need in an uncontrolled environment and if we live like that, then there will still be sweetness.

In our last class, we focused on Raja Muchukunda. The Devas offered him whatever he wanted, but stipulated that they couldn’t grant him moksha. There is a deep insight into this — Just like the Devas are subject to time, everything other than moksha, is also subject to time. Time is one of our greatest fears and in the Bhagavad Gita is symbolized as death. When we know that whatever we are doing with our life, whatever we have in our lives is subject to time, that is when we shift our worship from the semi-Gods, that is the Devas, to the Absolute God, that is Bhagavan Krshna. This is perfectly shown when Raja Muchukunda said he wanted the possession that Bhaktas depended on when Bhagavan Krshna asked him what he wanted. Bhaktas depend only on Bhakti, and nothing else, and this is what Raja Muchukunda wanted as he knew that Bhakti is the ends, the fulfilment. In the Chapter that follows, Raja Muchukunda leaves Bhagavan Krshna and he lives his life depending on Bhagavan Krshna. He never feels separate from Bhagavan Krshna. Our katha continues…

Skanda 10:52:31 — Bhagavan Krshna is sharing with this Brahmana who is acting as a messenger — One should be content with whatever comes into our lives. This is powerful as this is how we should live, especially as this course is completing. Let us not externalize who a Brahmana is. Brahmana is one who loves Brahman. Whatever comes, whatever goes, a Brahmana is content. Where is that contentment coming from? Themselves. How is this possible? They never make excuses when it comes to their own Dharma. Vivekji had earlier shared a practice of no annotating, no blaming, no complaining. With such a vision or lifestyle, they get everything they need or want. It’s as if Kamadhuk lives with them. Many of us who live like this, we find we get everything we want and need in our life. If we choose peace, prosperity comes with it.

In the last class, Kalayavana was burned up by Raja Muchukunda. Bhagavan Krshna then went back to Mathura and defeated the rest of the Yavanas. Kalayavana was their leader. Next, Jarasandha came again for the 18th time, hoping this time he would be able to defeat Bhagavan Krshna.

When Bhagavan Krshna had defeated the Yavanas, He had taken all the wealth that they had stolen from Mathura, but upon seeing Jarasandha, He left all that wealth and ran away. So Jarasandha coming there for the 18th time, seemed to have worked. Bhagavan Krshna ran to this mountain area, and Jarasandha was so vicious that he lit a fire at the bottom of the mountain hoping Bhagavan would be burned up. Bhagavan Krshna jumped off the top of the mountain and returned to Dwarka and Jarasanda returned to Magadha.

Next, Raja Parikshita, who is no ordinary seeker himself, is asking Rishi Shuka about the marriage between Bhagavan Krshna and Rukmini, the handsome daughter of Bheeshmaka, following the rakshasa form of marriage. These two are like poets reveling in the life and teachings of Bhagavan Krshna –“Oh thou knower of Brahman, where is the connoisseur who feels satisfied with and get tired of hearing the accounts of Krshna, which are sanctifying, delightful and destructive of man’s ignorance and possessed of the quality of ever renewing novelty”. Rishi Shuka then starts describing how Balarama got married to Revati and Bhagavan Krshna is going to get married to Devi Rukmini.

In the land of Vidharba, near Nagpur, there is a leader called Bheeshmaka, and his oldest child is Rukmi and his youngest child is Rukmini. Devi Rukmini has heard lots about Bhagavan Krshna, how He ties His dhoti, how He is self-trained in music, and she takes the sankalpa or resolve to marry Bhagavan Krshna and be with Him for the rest of her life. Bhagavan Krshna as well, has heard a lot about Devi Rukmini, how she ties her sari, how she is trained in Bharatanatyam, and how she is the most virtuous. So He also resolves to marry her. However, Devi Rukmini’s oldest sibling, Rukmi is a close friend of Shishupala, and Rukmi had made arrangements for Devi Rukmini to marry Shishupala in two days. One of the reasons that Bhagavan has incarnated is to correct or defeat Shishupala.

So Devi Rukmini calls a trusted messenger and she writes one of the first love letters in history and sends this through the messenger who is a Brahmana. To reach Dwarka he has to swim across the ocean. Now as Bhagavan Krshna and the messenger are sitting together, Bhagavan asks the messenger why he would swim through the ocean for fun like that, and the Brahmana gives Bhagavan Devi Rukmini’s love letter or message. This is called Rukmini uvacha — Chapter 52, verses 37–43. It has lovely descriptions which show how Devi Rukmini knows in detail who Bhagavan Krshna is.

At the end of the message, Devi Rukmini writes that her Svayamvara is happening soon, where she gets to choose who she will be marrying. She asks Bhagavan to come incognito. Being thoughtful, she says since Bhagavan would not want to hurt or kill anyone, He should come a day ahead when they will be going to their family mandir to worship Devi Parvati. She asks Him to come at that time and take her away. So that is why Raja Parikshita referred to their marriage as getting married like Rakshasas.

And finally Devi Rukmini signs off this letter, saying she would engage in tapa life after life after life, until Bhagavan is her pati. Imagine her mumukshutvam, her Ananya Bhakti. So who is Devi Rukmini? She is Devi Sita, she is Devi Lakshmi. She is born and is living as a princess because Bhagavati Lakshmi told Bhagavan Narayana that she got too tired in the previous incarnation, being first in Janakapuri, then to Ayodhya, to Lanka, then back to Ayodhya, and finally back to the forest and was tired. So she says that in this incarnation, she will just stay in her kingdom and that Bhagavan should come and get her.

This Brahmana is Rishi Valmiki who was quite in tune with how much Bhagavan Rama loved Devi Sita, because Devi Sita was living with him. So he wanted to reunite them, but she had left her body before that could happen. So he reincarnates to reunite them now.

Skanda 10:53:46: This is Devi Rukmini praying to Bhagavati Parvati. She is at the mandir and says to Bhagavati, “I revere you Devi Ambika again and again, and also to your children and to your husband, Lord Shiva, and ask that you be gracious that Bhagavan be my husband. His name is Krshna. May this please you and please me.”

Hearing the message of the Princess of Vidharba, Krishna holds the Brahmana’s hand and says smilingly, “I too am always thinking of her, just as she does of Me, so I do not get to sleep at night”. Valmikiji is the original author or kavi, so Bhagavan verbalises this to him. “I know that because of the opposition of Rukmi, My marriage with her has been blocked. Defeating those degenerate kings in battle, I shall take away that handsome girl, so absorbingly in love with Me, just as fire is extracted out of the firestick in a sacrifice”. Ascertaining the day fixed for Rukmini’s marriage, Krshna ordered His charioteer Daruka to get His chariot ready immediately. Soon Daruka brought the chariot to which were harnessed the four horses, Shybya, Sugreeva, Megapushpa and Valahaka and they stood together before Krshna saluting Him. Together with the Brahmana messenger, Krshna ascended the chariot, and thanks to the fleet-footed horses, covered the distance to Vidarbha in one night. For our reference, to go from Dwarka in Gujarat to Nagpur is 24 hours by car!.

Bheeshmaka, Devi Rukmini’s father, had sneha or attachment for his son Rukmi. Sneha is different from Prema which is love, exactly like Raja Dhritarashtra, who had sneha for Duryodhana when he should have had Prema. When one is attached, one is weakened and acts out of fear. So Bheeshmaka let Rukmi decide who Devi Rukmini would marry and Rukmi had decided that it would be Shishupala. So Rukmi and Shishupala’s father started preparing for their vivaha. And now the scene is Devi Rukmini is at the mandir of Bhagavati Parvati lying down and praying for who her husband should be. To be continued…

Bhagavan Krshna had sent Sri Uddhava to the Gopis and in His message, He said the map (Veda) to Him or Bhagavan, is Samadhana. Samadhana means the senses and mind are absorbed in that which is Highest. It is very practical for us, as the map to our divinity is Samadhana — be more balanced, be more focused, be more reflective. In the language of Bhagavad Gita, more important than how to act is Why to act. The Gopis engaged in everything we do, but their Why was quite different than ours is.

Coming back to Mathura, Bhagavan Krshna went to Sairandri’s home and Akrura’s home, and both of them wanted that which is very different from Bhagavan. Sairandri wanted Bhukti (the lower 3 Ps — pleasure, possession and position), while Akrura wanted the higher P which is Mukti.The framework that Vivekji shared with us to grow out of Bhukti into Mukthi is less annotating, less blaming and less complaining. Annotating is like a sattvik desire, justifying why we do or do not do something. Blaming is like a rajasik expression, that something went wrong, but since we are such extroverts, we are blaming it on others. And complaining is like a Tamasik expression, that something negative has happened and it’s not our fault nor yours. So we are just venting with no purpose which is quite tamasik. Reducing these A’s, B’s and C’s will help us come to understand and appreciate that when we can have Bhukti or Mukti, why would we choose Bhukti?

Skanda 10:50:50 — Rishi Shuka is speaking to Raja Parikshita describing what Sri Akrura was doing in Hastinapura. He was sent there to find out what was happening between the Pandavas and Kauravas. Sri Krshna is thinking about how to protect His people and His place. So He creates a fortress in the middle of the ocean. This fortress is the new home of all His people and His place and is called Dwaraka.

Leading to this — When Sri Akrura is in Hastinapura, trying to find out about the Pandavas, Bhagavan Krshna knows that the Pandavas were not being treated properly by the Kauravas. Sri Akrura stays there for many months and spoke to all sorts of people. His sample size was not small, and his overall observation was that the Kauravas were jealous of the Pandavas. Jealousy is often known as a match. It first burns you and then burns others. Let us think about how we interact with people who we are jealous of. Jealousy is like poison. It poisons us first and then others. If we think of the Kauravas, they did both of these things to the Pandavas — they tried to burn them, they tried to poison them. So this is indicative of what is in the heart of the one who is jealous.

One of the personalities that Sri Akrura interacts with is Devi Kunti. Rishi Shuka tells Raja Parikshita that she is his Great Grandmother! How he describes how sad she is, is too much. And the only way to comfort her, is to tell her that her children are divine. And they are! Prince Arjuna is divine.

Then Akrura goes to see Raja Dhritarashtra and gives him amazing advice. Here are some of the highlights and these are intense thoughts for all of us. He shares –

• Even while one is living, the beings around them come and go, leave alone when you die, your body will leave you. While we are alive, people come in and out of our lives, and we cannot hold on to them. In fact, we cannot even hold on to our body.
• He further shares that one who is attached, they abandon their responsibilities for those who they are attached to, and eventually those they are attached to abandon them. So we are giving away our dharma by holding on to our attachments, but whoever we are attached to keep coming and going and that leaves one confused, purposeless and he compares that to living in hell. When we don’t have any purpose for a day, or a job or school, that is like being in hell.

And what Raja Dhritarashtra shares back with Sri Akrura is that he is attached to his children and family and this agitates his mind, so he cannot ever follow advice. Attachment leads to agitation which leads to a rejection of advice. So who is Dhritarashtra? This is class 104 and the message has not changed. The message is that Bhagavan is number One and we are number two, but why we don’t follow advice is because our minds are agitated. This is why we listen to Bhajans before class. And then Sri Akrura comes home.

There is a change in the scene now. After Kamsa’s death, his two wives, Asti and Prapti go back to their father, King Jarasandha. When these two daughters go back sad as their husband was killed, King Jarasandha is angry at Bhagavan Krshna and begins his campaign of attacking Mathura.

King Jarasandha is very organized and attacks Mathura seventeen times and everytime he has 23 akshauhinis with him, that is approximately 94 million people. In comparison, in the Bhagavad Gita, only 18 akshauhinis were gathered in total at Kurukshetra. Everytime King Jarasandha attacks, Bhagavan Krshna is like a firebrand (fire torch) that moves so fast that he looks like a discus. And each time, Bhagavan Krshna and Sri Balarama burn through these 94 million beings. Bhagavan Krshna has gone from being a dancer to a warrior. Everytime King Jarasandha attacks, he is never captured, but is always allowed to go. Why? Because Bhagavan Krshna knows that Jarasandha would get more wicked people and come back. One of Bhagavan Krshna’s purposes is to correct the wicked. See the efficiency! What a warrior He is!

At one point, there is another wicked leader called Kalayavana who is an enemy to Hastinapura, and he comes to attack Mathura with 35 million soldiers. And Bhagavan Krshna knows that right after Kalayavana attacks, Jarasandha would come back. So at this point, Bhagavan Krshna closes His eyes and creates Dwaraka in the middle of the ocean. This Dwarka that Bhagavan Krshna created is not the one in Gujarat. It is in this Dwaraka that Bhagavan Krshna creates the assembly hall known as Sudharma. Anyone who comes to Sudharma never feels hungry or thirsty.

In Dwaraka, Ka symbolises Brahman and Dwara is the entry or doorway. So Dwaraka is the doorway to Infinity. After the creation of Dwaraka, Bhagavan Krshna transports all of the people from Mathura to Dwaraka and keeps Balarama in charge of the administration of Dwaraka. Then Bhagavan comes back to Mathura by Himself. Vivekji suggested that we should read Swami Tejomayananda’s commentary on Jarasandha and Dwaraka.

Skanda 10:51:54: Raja Muchukunda is speaking to Bhagavan Krshna and shares that for the one who wants freedom from samsara, they get associated with Satsanga. The trajectory or ends of Satsanga is Bhagavan Krshna and all of this is indicative of one’s end in samsara, of one’s communion with Bhagavan Krshna.

So who is Raja Muchukunda? When Bhagavan Krshna returns to Mathura, who is waiting for Him? Kalayavana. So Bhagavan Krshna runs out of Mathura, which is why one of His names is Ranachora, as He ran away from battle. When Bhagavan runs away, Kalayavana chases Bhagavan, who enters the cave where Raja Muchukunda is sleeping. Bhagavan then takes His upper cloth and puts it on Raja Muchukunda. Kalayavana thinks it is Bhagavan Krshna and pulls the cloth off. And when Raja Muchukunda wakes up and as soon as he opens his eyes, whoever is in front of him burns to ashes. So Kalayavana is destroyed.

So why is Raja Muchukunda sleeping? Raja Muchukunda is a great Raja who is supporting the Devas in the fight against the Asuras. And he stays up all day and night fighting till Guha arrives. Guha’s more popular name is Lord Subramanyam. When Lord Subramanyam arrives, Raja Muchukunda is relieved. The devas then go to Raja Muchukunda feeling grateful for his fight supporting them and ask him to ask for any boon other than Moksha. Raja Muchukunda shares — Time is moving all of us around like a Gopa moves cows. So I don’t want anything from you, as today you may be in power, but not tomorrow. All I want to do right now is sleep. He is like the satvik Kumbhakarana. So that is why he is sleeping in this cave. And since his sleep is not yet up, when he wakes up, he is so infuriated that whoever is in front of him, gets burnt.

After Kalayavana is burnt, Raja Muchukunda notices Bhagavan Krshna sitting in the corner, watching him and Raja Muchukunda knows who He is. So he comes to Bhagavan and says to Him — Worldliness makes one a rat and that time is the snake. That is indeed very powerful imagery. The more worldly we are, the more rat-like we become and time will just kill us. Bhagavan Krshna then asks him to ask for anything, with no buts. The devas only gave him sleep. So Raja Muchukunda says, “O all pervading One, I do not look for any other boon, but only the service of Thy feet.” This again only reinstates the fifth Purushartha or purpose of life and that is Bhakti. He just wants to live for Bhagavan. Bhagavan later says that the boons that were offered to him were not to test him, but only to glorify His Bhakta. For a Bhakta, there is no Moha. They love! There is no jealousy like the Kauravas, there is no confusion like Prince Arjuna. There is no swaying. Raja Muchukunda knew that the Devas could give nothing so he just asked to sleep.

The final insight for us — Bhagavan shares that pranayama will not free one from fear, nor desire, only Bhakti will. Pranayama will only postpone our fear and desire and it is only devotion that will free one from fear and desire. Bhagavan Krshna is sharing this with one who has everything. He says that Bhakti is what will bring us happiness immediately. Lots of practical insights for us.

In Sanatana Dharma, our foundational map is known as the Veda. Veda means knowledge, knowledge about life, knowledge about us. This is over one hundred thousand mantras. Srimad Bhagavata is only eighteen thousand shlokas. Knowing the immensity of the Veda and the difficulty of navigating through one hundred thousand mantras, this has been volumized into four Vedas, around twenty-five thousand mantras each. This too is immense when compared to Bhagavad Gita which comprises only seven hundred shlokas. So within each Veda, a Vakya, which means statement, has been given importance as a Mahavakya, a great statement. Statements that are shared about the jeeva or the ego are not known as Mahavakyas, and whatever teachings are given about Brahman or the Infinite are also not known as Mahavakyas. It is only those messages that share that jeeva IS Brahman, the ego IS Infinite, are known as Mahavakyas, great statements that reveal one’s identity. This background is being shared because Srimad Bhagavata, particularly, our course, Vedanta in Bhagavata, is a Mahavakya. We begin this course, each class as a jeeva, but what this course is teaching us is that we ARE Bhagavan. We are immersing ourselves in a Mahavakya.

Last week we saw that Sri Uddhava has a trace of ego and the source of that ego is jnana. His sense of esteem comes from the knowledge he has. It is with this trace of ego that he questions the Gopis, and even questions Bhagavan Krshna. Bhagavan Krshna, who is the Master of all Masters, sends Sri Uddhava to Vrindavana, to Nandagrama for his own welfare. He sends him as His Ambassador for the Gopas and Gopis. The Gopis love to sing and some of their Gitas that we have gone through are — Venu Gita, Pranaya Gita, The Gita which is Gopi Gita, Yugala Gita, Viraha Gita and we last completed the Bhramara Gita. Sri Uddhava gets to listen to Bhramara Gita and the last line of this Gita shares — How we miss and long for Bhagavan Krshna’s hand on our heads! What Sri Uddhava came to understand and appreciate is that these Gopis are engaged in Samadhi. Samadhi as a verb is Contemplation. These Gopis have already completed Contemplation. As a noun, Samadhi also means when the ego is well and fully placed in the Spirit, which is Nirvana. The technical definition of Nirvana is to blow out, to blow out the ego into Infinity. So Samadhi means Contemplation and Liberation. The Gopis are liberated, so they are immersed in contemplation, more as an expression than a means. When we think of Sri Ramana with his eyes closed, do we think that he is contemplating as a means to be enlightened? No, his contemplation is an expression of enlightenment, rather than a means. For us, it is definitely a means. The Gopis are the greatest and all these Gitas are proof that they are revelling. The word RAMA means the One who revels in Joy, and a synonym for Rama is Gopi, the one who is revelling in Joy.

10:47:34 — Bhagavan Krshna’s message to the Gopis is being shared by Sri Uddhava as His messenger. “I know I’m your dear One, and I’m far away from you now to bring your minds closer to you, or shared differently, to bring your minds closer to Me as I live inside of you. This is the reason I’m far from you, not for you to engage in Dhyana, but Anudhyana, which means the closest contemplation on Me, meaning Liberation.

Leading up to this — Sri Uddhava had come to Nandagrama with a trace of ego, but after he heard the Bhramara Gita, he told the Gopis, “The whole world should adore you” because he sensed how much they loved Bhagavan Krshna. “You have no traditions, you are illiterate, you don’t know rituals, yet you have achieved what all traditions and all rituals are to achieve, this Love for Bhagavan.” Now he is sharing Bhagavan Krshna’s message with the Gopis.

Bhagavan Krshna also shares with the Gopis that the purpose of the Veda is to guide one’s senses and mind to the Spirit. There is a lot of elaboration on sense control, which also means mind control. He compares this to the fulfillment of a river to merge with the ocean. He shares this with the Gopis as they have already completed that. All of their senses are only on Bhagavan Krshna. He shares that the viyoga or separation between Him and the Gopis, is to test them in order to encourage their Yoga. Yoga means to unite. So this viyoga serves the purpose of Yoga, just as absence makes the heart grow fonder. Compared to us, many of us live by ‘out of sight, out of mind’. So what this viyoga does to us is create more viyoga, rather than Yoga. So Bhagavan Krshna is not really testing them, but us! The Gopis are the greatest and cannot become any greater.

Another example is shared from before the Raasa Leela began. Bhagavan Krshna was playing His flute and many Gopis came to Him, but some could not come because they were stopped in their homes. However, those Gopis who were stopped, just closed their eyes and contemplated on what was in their hearts and through that, they all became enlightened. They were all with Bhagavan Krshna. So He shares with these Gopis that their friends, through this viyoga, have become yukta or enlightened, thus encouraging them to be the same way. So this is Bhagavan Krshna’s message to the Gopis through Sri Uddhava.

When the Gopis hear this, they become reflective of the nature around them. They think, “this is the mountain that our Bhagavan lifted up on His left hand little finger. That is Kalindi where Bhagavan dived in and danced on Kaliya”. So they begin to feel Bhagavan Krshna more and more in their hearts. And they become reflective on what Shri Uddhava and Bhagavan Krshna shared with them, that Bhagavan is Brahman. Bhagavan is Infinite, so is He separate from the Gopis? He never was and never will be. It is such reflections that make the Gopis less sad and miss Bhagavan Krshna less. Vivekji shared that in a practical sense, when someone you love or care for is no longer with you, the final way to go on cheerfully, is such insights, that everyone’s Spirit is the same, that everyone’s mind is on the trajectory for evolution.

Sri Uddhava is so taken aback by the Gopis that he stays back in Nandagrama for many months. He is supposed to be there only as a messenger, but he starts learning so much about Bhakti that he decides to stay back. This really softens the Gopis in their sadness, as through Sri Uddhava, they keep remembering Bhagavan Krshna. In these many months, when Bhaktas are with Bhaktas, what do they do? They talk about Bhagavan. Sri Uddhava shares some more insights about the Gopis. He describes them as having Rudhabhava or Mahabhava or Oneness. In the Gopis, Sri Uddhava comes to understand and appreciate what Oneness or Advaita is. He says that many people in life have better positions than you (as in the Gopis). Some are Brahmanas, some are Ranis, etc, but that position doesn’t help them as they do not have the intensity that you have. This is a lovely statement for us, as it doesn’t matter where we are from, how we are, what matters is Intensity. He continues to share that others have a lot of learning. They know this Upanishad or this mantra in Sanskritam, but that doesn’t help them with Surrender. Sri Uddhava was himself like that. Finally, all learning should lead to Surrender. He shares that you have engaged in Parityaga — renounce all. It means renouncing otherness or dvaita. This is what the Gopis have done, so there is nothing else for them to renounce.

Sri Uddhava worships the dust of the feet of these Gopis. Some of these Gopis are little girls. Then he goes back to Bhagavan Krshna in Mathura, and Bhagavan asks him what happened and what he learned. Sri Uddhava then shares all of this information with Him.

In the Vaishnava sampradaya (those who love Bhagavan Narayana only), they are taught and they feel that there is only one purusha in the entire multiverse that is Bhagavan Narayana, and everyone else is a Devi or Sthri. The sentiment is that everyone is married to Bhagavan Krshna. Once, Devi Meera interacted with a scholar about Bhagavan Krshna, who told her he didn’t interact with women. So she responded saying that she thought there was only one purusha in this world, but now she knew there were two, Bhagavan Krshna and the scholar. And when the scholar heard that, he was completely levelled.

10:48:34 — Bhagavan Krshna is speaking to Akrura. Akrura had wanted Bhagavan to come to his home. As Bhagavan never forgets anything, He does go to Akrura’s home. Bhagavan is telling Akrura that Ambika’s son, Dhritarashtra, is not treating his brother’s sons (sons of Pandu) the way he treats his own family. Specifically, this is happening because of his children especially Duryodhana. They have controlled him and he is not only blind physically, but emotionally as well, meaning he is attached. So Bhagavan is telling Akrura to go find out what is happening in Hastinapura.

Bhagavan is sharing this in Akrura’s home and before he gets there, he visits Trivakra. She is also known as Sairandri. Sairandri means the handmaid of the queen, and at one point, Devi Draupadi was also known as Sairandri. So Bhagavan Krshna and Sri Uddhava go to Trivakra’s house to, as if repay her as she had given him Chandan. She offers an amazing seat for Bhagavan to sit on and offers a seat to Sri Uddhava as well, who just touches that seat and sits on the floor. He is such a good disciple as he feels he can never sit at the same level as Bhagavan Krshna.

Then Bhagavan Krshna asks Sairandri what she wants, and she asks for pleasure. She asks Bhagavan for pleasure when Bhagavan can grant Mukti, but her mind is on bhukti. If our thoughts are limited or rajasik, all we will ask for is that which is limited. In comparison, when Bhagavan Krshna goes to Akrura’s home, Akrura calls him Sarva Deva, Sarva Pitra — You are the God of all and the Original Parent. He shares, “It is not that holy waters are not purifying. It is not also not that divine images made of stone or mud, are not sacred. The purification they affect is attainable only in the course of a very long time on holy personages, affected at sight”. Shared differently, one can go to teertha yatras or have darshan of Bhagavan at mandirs, but the most effective way for one to become purified is to see Satsangas because if we see it, we will be drawn to that Satsanga and we will change. Akrura calls Bhagavan Kritajnya, or One who is ever grateful. Akrura did very little for Him, but see how grateful Bhagavan is! And what Akrura asks for is Mukti, unlike Sairandri, who wants bhukti.

The more that we know of our Bhagavan, Shastras or our Sadguru, the less we will expect of them and the more we will expect of ourselves. We should all reflect on this statement. And conversely, the less you know of your Sadguru, the more we will expect of them and have less expectation of ourselves, like Sairandri. This is a fine gauge to track our own evolution, and we will know we are expecting more of ourselves, when we are engaged in less annotating or coming up with excuses, less blaming and less complaining. If annotating, blaming and complaining are less in our lives, that shows we know more about our Sadguru, our Shastras, and our Bhagavan.

After this exchange, Bhagavan Krshna asks Akrura to go to Hastinapura, which is near Delhi. He shares that when Pandu died, his family lived with Dhritarashtra, and that Dhritarashtra is not treating the Pandavas rightly. So Bhagavan asks Akrura to go and find out how the Pandavas are!

Discussion: How can you become a disciple or Shishya or a better one?

Vivekji shared his observation which was to sacrifice more. Us sacrificing more is us being more dedicated. It is often hard to gauge dedication, but it is always easier to measure what we are sacrificing. If that is too abstract, it is to listen more. It is not just to listen with our ears, but to listen with our entire life. Our lifestyle should be one that follows one’s Sadguru or Master.

Q&A: What is the practice or Sadhana to always feel the Joy, Happiness and Bliss of Bhagavan? — We have a tactile experience of pleasure. We should focus on the cost of desire, of sleeping in, of over eating, of being mean. And one way to avoid this is to think of them as just thoughts and ignore them. When we become more aware and sensitive to the Glory of Sattva, of being a Shishya and weighing more on the benefits, that is when we will feel that our Original Parent is calling us and that our idea of separation from Bhagavan is such a lie. We overestimate pleasure and underestimate peace.

Review of past classes — When Bhagavan Krshna left Nandagrama and went to Mathura, He missed Devi Yashoda, Sri Nanda, the Gopas and the Gopis, but never grieved for them. This shows that He is living exactly what He teaches in the Bhagavad Gita. THE teaching is Na Anushochanti Panditah — Panditah are those who are wise, those who live vedanta. Na Anushochanti — they do not grieve. Of course we miss the people who come and go from our lives, but when we grieve for them, we fail to follow and further our Dharma. That is what Bhagavan is showing when He moves from one place to another throughout His life, that Dharma is greater than, more important than any manava. In the Bhagavad Gita, Prince Arjuna has forgotten that and that is why he is collapsing, and Bhagavatam is helping us remember that.

Once Bhagavan Krshna asks Sri Nanda to return to Nandagram, His “as if” biological parents, Sri Vasudeva and Devi Devaki, facilitate His Upanayana, the eleventh Samskara, where the focus is developing the head and heart and not pleasure. Bhagavan learns sixty-four sciences in sixty-four days and then offers dakshina, which is the twelfth Samskara known as Samaavartana. It is “as if” Bhagavan is transformed, so He expresses His gratitude for this to His Guru. And what does He do? He makes the impossible possible by bringing back to life a jeeva that has died. This is only possible by Bhagavan’s kripa. Rishi Sandeepani’s and the Gurupatni’s son is brought back to life as dakshina. How do we internalize this part of Bhagavatam? We commit to that which is noble…blindly, recklessly commit. Then we will observe that in this commitment, Bhagavan is the One who will fulfill our commitment, so that we realize that we are the instrument, not the doer. In our commitment, our name will be there, but if we are reflective, we will know that He is the One who is fulfilling that commitment.

Vivekji shared that Sri Lakshmana is his favorite character in Ramayana as Sri Lakshmana was most clear that he was number two and Bhagavan Rama was number one. With this clarity, he lived with conviction and confidence. We never came across Sri Lakshmana with a lack of conviction or confidence.

10:46:21 — Here Rishi Shuka is describing to Raja Parikshita what Sri Nanda, Bhagavan Krshna’s foster father, is saying to Sri Uddhava (someone who loves Bhagavan) — Uddhava, you are like Sri Krshna. Seeing you, we remember how Bhagavan, our son, used to look at us, how He used to laugh, how He used to talk. As we remember Him, all our work has slowed down and has become less important.

After Bhagavan Krshna and Sri Balarama complete their time at Rishi Sandeepani’s ashram, they come back to Mathura, and the people in Mathura are missing them. Bhagavan is missing the people in Vrindavana and He knows that they are missing Him too, but He has work to do in Mathura. Imagine how much destruction would have happened in Mathura due to a corrupt leader like Kamsa! So He calls Sri Uddhava, who is Bhagavan Krshna’s family member and also His Minister. He is also Rishi Brihaspati’s disciple, knowledgeable and an advanced seeker. Bhagavan Krshna tells Uddhava — I feel that You are like me. So I would like you to go to Vrindavana and share my message with my parents, with the Gopas and the Gopis. Some commentators call Sri Uddhava as Bhagavan’s Utsava murti. One will usually see the Utsava murtis in front of the Achala murtis in the temple, the main idols that do not move. The Utsava murtis or the Chala murtis are the ones that we pour water on to and the ones that are taken to people’s homes if they want to perform puja. So as Bhagavan Krshna has to stay in Mathura, Sri Uddhava becomes His Chala murti.

Sri Uddhava, after listening to Bhagavan’s instructions, questions Bhagavan — Why do You miss these village women so much? Do the Gopis know who You are? They milk cows and do all these ordinary chores. Maybe they are just attracted to You! — Bhagavan understands these questions and this is the reason that Bhagavan sends Sri Uddhava to Mathura, for his own swasti, for him to learn what the Gopis are, who the Gopis are.

Sri Uddhava leaves Mathura and gets to Nandagrama just as the sun is setting. All the cows have come back home and there are so many cows that the dust floating around makes the air hazy. When he reaches Sri Nanda’s home, Sri Nanda welcomes and cares for him by feeding him and encouraging him to rest.

Then Sri Nanda asks Sri Uddhava how everyone in Mathura was, how their Bhagavan Krshna was. And as he is listening about Bhagavan Krshna, Sri Nanda becomes silent. He just can’t say anything, and Devi Yashoda is just sobbing hearing about Bhagavan Krshna and Sri Balarama. Sensing how much they are missing Bhagavan Krshna, Sri Uddhava starts to teach them Brahmavidya and shares these insights –

• Bhagavan Krshna is the Purusha and Sri Balarama is the Prakriti. It is Purusha that pervades Prakriti and Prakriti pervades all — implying that Bhagavan Krshna and Sri Balarama are still with Sri Nanda and Devi Yashoda. It is true, but do we all feel like that? We say that Brahman is all pervading, but do we feel that?
• Bhagavan has no karma, so He is engaged in krida (commonly known as leela). Bhagavan is playing and in His play, He is sometimes here and sometimes there. Do we feel like that with all the people coming in and out of our lives? Some come and some go.
• One who is struggling with bhrama or delusion, they feel they are causing the world to spin. People have that same sense of doership with their own experiences — implying that Sri Nanda and Devi Yashoda feel they are the doer and that they deserve Bhagavan Krshna.

Sri Uddhava shares a lot of jnana, but is void of Bhakti. Sri Uddhava is a Jnani and is focusing on Moksha. That is the reason he questions Bhagavan as he lacks that Bhakti, and this is why Bhagavan sends him to Vrindavana to learn about Bhakti.

This dialogue goes late into the night. When the morning arrives, the Gopis wake up to greet the Sun and then start to sing while working — The sound of churning mingled with the loud voices of the Gopis singing about the deeds and excellences of Krshna spread throughout the air, reaching up to the heavens, thus warding off all that is inauspiciousness from the four quarters — And what they sing is famously known as Bhramara Gita.

10:47:11 — One of the Gopis sees a madhukaram, a bee, and she starts to contemplate on Bhagavan Krshna. She feels that Bhagavan Krshna has sent this bee to her as His messenger and thus she starts to sing. This is why this section is called Bhramara Gita as Bhramara is the one who wanders, referring to a bee.

Reviewing the different Gitas rendered by the Gopis so far:

• Venu Gita in Chapter 21 is the first Gita with reference to the Gopis. Here the Gopis feel jealous of Bhagavan Krshna’s venu (flute) in a satvik way.
• Pranaya Gita in Chapter 29 is the next Gita where Bhagavan Krshna tells the Gopis to go back home. They supplicate Him and say to Him that He is their only relationship and that He is their home.
• Gopi Gita in Chapter 31 is next where the Gopis start to feel that they are Bhagavan Krshna as the supplication does not work, like they start holding each other’s arms and acting out Bhagavan Krshna on Kaliya, with one Gopi on top of another’s head.
• Yugala Gita in Chapter 35 is the next Gita. Yugala means pairs and here the Gopis are going back and forth sharing about their relationship with Bhagavan Krshna.
• Viraha Gita in Chapter 39 (verses 19–31) comes next. Viraha means to be separate from. This is when the Gopis sense that Bhagavan Krshna is going to be leaving them. This is when they all show up just as the cart is leaving with Bhagavan Krshna, Sri Balarama and their uncle, Sri Akrura.
• Bhramara Gita in Chapter 47 is verses 12–21.

Why did this Gopi feel this way? Building upto to this — In the morning, when the Gopis see that someone who is not part of this community is there, they think that Akrura has come back to perform their funerals. They think that since he already took Bhagavan Krshna, he has now come back to kill them. When they get closer, they see that this person is not older, but looks quite young and similar to Bhagavan Krshna. So they are curious about why he is there and infer that Bhagavan Krshna has sent this person as His messenger to comfort them.

These Gopis are not comforted and it almost appears that they become “passive- aggressive” in a satvik or loving way. Some of the highlights of what they share –

• They tell Sri Uddhava that Bhagavan Krshna is like a bee. What does a bee do? It sucks the life out of one flower, then goes to another flower and then does the same thing again. Bhagavan Krshna sucked the life out of them, and now He is in Mathura sucking the lives out of everyone there. They are describing Bhagavan Krshna as a “bee vampire”!
• They say He even seduced Indira (Devi Lakshmi, His wife) through His charming words and ways, and that is how She married Him.
• Next they say that Bhagavan Krshna first came there as Vrajapati, the Lord of Vraja, and said that He would be there forever. But now He is Yadupati, and has no loyalty to them. He has now become the Lord of the Yadavas living in Mathura. Uddhava, don’t be tricked by His lack of loyalty, they warned Sri Uddhava.
• Next they share that He killed Vaali from behind a tree. These Gopis know that the same Bhagavan Krshna was also Bhagavan Rama who killed Vaali.
• Then the Gopis add that He is the same one who, out of jealousy for Devi Sita, hurt Shoorpanakha, that He was so attached to Devi Sita that He hurt another woman.
• And they also say that He tied up Raja Bali and made him His servant even though Raja Bali offered everything he had to Him.

These are all some of the “passive-aggressive” statements about how Bhagavan Krshna left them and that they are not comforted. Another comment the Gopis make is that Bhagavan Krshna is like a crow, as a crow will peck at the bread and at the hand holding that bread. They finish off by saying that He is not only black outside, but also inside, that His skin is black and more so is His Heart. It is as if all of this negativity is coming out, but they finish with a lovely statement, asking Sri Uddhava when they would be able to smell Bhagavan Krshna’s hands again, His hands that always smells like chandan. They ask when He would put them on their heads again, the way He would rub their backs and hold their hands. So that is how Bhramara Gita ends.

After listening to the Bhramara Gita, Sri Uddhava, who questioned Bhagavan Krshna and the Gopis, learns Bhakti. In Chapter 13 of the Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavan Krshna describes the micro (us) saying we have an ahankara, a buddhi and ten indriyas. In- between, He uses the word Eka, which means one. What is missing is the mind. What Bhramara Gita shows is that all of these Gopis are in Samadhi, both as a noun and a verb. As a noun, the Gopis are already enlightened. They are Bhagavan Krshna. However, here the Gopis are showing Samadhi as a verb, that as they are engaged in their responsibilities, they are always singing about Bhagavan Krshna. Sri Uddhava used to think that these Gopis were just village women, but what Sri Uddhava has now come to understand is that they are the Greatest of the Great. So before he comes back to Mathura, he takes the dust of their feet and puts it on his head.

The trace of ego in Sri Uddhava, that he was knowledgeable, was erased by these illiterate Gopis, who are mere cow maids. The only Purushartha in this life is or should be Moksha or Bhakti. When Sri Nanda shares that they have become slower at everything they do, it is because what they are doing is not as important, only Bhagavan is. If we become slower in making money, slower in being popular, slower in efficiency because of becoming more efficient and effective in living for enlightenment, that is THE way of following Dharma, and Bhagavan is only on the side of Dharma. So if we want to be with Bhagavan, we have to live like these Gopis, like Sri Nanda did. Sri Uddhava never understood that before because he is living in a controlled environment and all these village people are living in an uncontrolled environment and still more devoted to Bhagavan.

Previous week’s RAW : What does Vedanta in Bhagavatam mean to you?

• Bhakti is the purpose of our inner life. Bhagavan manifests to become relatable and real. It gives us a form to love and contemplate on. Bhagavan manifests to bless us.

Shreya Tat asti — When one follows Dharma, this is for their integration, this is for integration through all facets of creation. What these citizens in Mathura realized, we also realize, that one should be a servant, an ambassador of Dharma for the One who gave us these responsibilities, for Bhagavan. Thus Dharma is the means to Bhagavan — Shreya Tat Asti.

In Chapters 41 & 42, Bhagavan Krshna begins to move through Mathura. In Chapter 43, there is a lovely sharing of poetry by Rishi Vyasa, by Rishi Shuka about who Bhagavan Krshna is to all. Rishi Bharata has written the Natya Shastra. This is why the culture, the art is called Bharatanatyam. Part of this scripture shares that there are eight rasas or emotions that are to be depicted through dance. A ninth was added afterwards, the idea being that the fulfilment of the eight rasas is the ninth rasa. Let us see what these nine rasas are and we will see that divinity is in the details –

• Shringara — Romance
• Hasya — Humor
• Raudra — Anger
• Karuna — Compassion
• Bibhatsa — Disgust
• Bhayanaka — Terror
• Veera — Courage
• Adbhuta — Wonder

And the ninth rasa is — Shanta — Peace. When Bhagavan Krshna is moving through Mathura, depending on one’s personality they related to Bhagavan in this way. To the wrestlers, He is like lightning which is Bhayanaka. They are terrified of Bhagavan Krshna. The deeper meaning is that Bhagavan Krshna is Everything to Everyone. It also shows that on the surface, there may be these emotions, but deep down there is this feeling of Oneness.

In Chapter 44, Bhagavan Krshna, breaks the bow, breaks the elephant, breaks the wrestlers, and then He breaks Kamsa, the personality that Skanda ten begins with. Kamsa and Bhagavan Krshna fight in the air like falcons would, jumping from one end to the other end in the air, until Bhagavan Krshna holds Kamsa and grounds him. That is the destruction of Kamsa.

Earlier, Vivekji had shared with us that Kamsa symbolizes violence in our personalities. The deeper symbolism of Kamsa is that he is the icon of ego. A primary expression of ego is doership. What we fail to appreciate about a doer is that they are also a prompter. They are always prompting or provoking others, just like Kamsa did with all the asuras like Putana, Bakasura, etc. He provoked them to go and harm infants. Another expression of doership is deservership and that is where violence comes in. We feel that we deserve this and we deserve that and when it doesn’t happen, we feel that we are violated and as a result, we start to be violent with others. Kamsa at the deeper level is ego and at the surface level is violence. So what are we supposed to do?

The antidote for mada or arrogance is to acknowledge. We struggle with arrogance because we feel that we are the only doer. By remembering or acknowledging that we are not the only doer, that our parents contributed, that our guides contributed, Nature contributed, it is that knowledge that enables us to be humble. In terms of violence, the antidote to violence is the insight that everything that is going to come to us or not come to us on the outside and inside is temporary. All the assets that come into our lives also go away, like cars, computers, cell phones. Do we have to hold on to them so tightly that we fight others for them? The same applies to our inner world with positive and negative thoughts coming all the time and there is no need to fight them. Simply observe! The temporary nature makes us less of a himsaka and we practice more ahimsa. With the death of Kamsa, there is a transition in this Skanda in Srimad Bhagavata.

10:45:23 — Rishi Shuka is speaking to Raja Parikshita sharing what Shri Krishna is saying to His foster father, Sri Nanda — Return to Vraja. Take care of those who are with you right now (family members and friends). You must return as those who love you and those who love Me must be feeling sad, but remember that I am going to come back to see all of you.

The last scene we studied together was Bhagavan Krshna and Sri Balarama meeting their biological parents after a period of twelve years. Imagine Devi Devaki has not held Bhagavan Krshna for twelve years! She was barely conscious when He had manifested for her. Bhagavan Krshna places His head at His parents’ feet, looks up and says to them — Those whose parents are older, one whose spouse is noble, whose child is young, whose Guru or teacher have less outwardly, those who do not help them, ie support older parents, noble spouse, younger child, or the Guru, that person is breathing, yet dead. They are only biologically alive, but nothing more. That’s how Sri Krshna feels about how He has treated His parents, that He has not helped them or supported them for twelve years. As He is saying this to them, He is appearing as Bhagavan, and Sri Vasudeva and Devi Devaki do not know how to respond to Him. Bhagavan understands their plight, so He removes His divinity and appears as their suta or son, and they just put these boys on their laps and cry, and laugh and hug them. What a lovely scene!

After they are reunited, everyone is in awe of Bhagavan Krshna, so He starts giving orders in Mathura as Kamsa is now destroyed. He unites all the family members especially Ugrasena. Bhagavan Krshna’s mother’s name is Devi Devaki and her father is Ugrasena. So He makes Ugrasena the King of Mathura and brings back all of the people who had left or escaped Mathura due to Kamsa’s provoking and violence. When they all return to Mathura, they all appear old, but as they start to live in Mathura, they become young again.

Then Bhagavan Krshna goes to Sri Nanda, with whom He has been for twelve years and to all His family members and tells them that He has to stay in Mathura to bring harmony here. He tells them that they have to go back to Vrindavana to bring harmony there. We have to infer that Bhagavan Krshna does not go back. Everyone is crying a lot and He embraces them with eyes full of tears.

This is the age timeline of Bhagavan Krshna’s life according to Vivekji, based on his extended study. There are very few references to Bhagavan Krshna’s age in Srimad Bhagavata.

• He was raised in Gokula from ages 0–3, His toddler life. Gokula is like a village of farmers.
• Then He shifted to Vrindavana from ages 4–6, when He was a child. So from a village, He moved to a bigger area in the jungle — Vana means jungle and Vrinda means bigger. As a child, Bhgavan Krshna tended to the calves.
• From ages 6–12, as a kid, Bhagavan Krshna lived in Nandagrama, a bigger town, and as a kid, He tended to the cows. So Bhagavan Krshna moved from a village to a portion of the jungle to a town-like area.

As Bhagavan grew up, so did His responsibilities. Bhagavan Krshna never missed any of the people that came into His life and left, as He was always tuned into the oneness that He was always with them. He may have said He missed them, but He never became dysfunctional, missing them because He was always deeply engaged in His responsibilities. That is a very practical message for us. The more we miss someone shows that we have a limited relationship with them. In a divine way, we do not miss anyone as we always feel the oneness. We should always be present in our dharma.

Now Sri Nanda has left and Bhagavan Krshna is in Mathura with His parents. We have so far studied the Purva or early part of Bhagavan Krshna’s life. Now the Uttara part of his life begins, essentially the Shishu leela. The childlikeness is complete. Now Bhagavan Krshna’s life, though still joyous, is much more serious.

Shishu leela begins with Bhagavan Krshna engaged in the samskara called Upanayana. This is the eleventh purification practice. Upa means near, Nayana means led. Bhagavan Krshna’s parents are “leading Him towards Bhagavan”. His parents are leading Him towards Him here, and Bhagavan Krshna just went with the flow. During this samskara, a kid is given a sacred thread, a yajna upaveeta, which is worn from the left shoulder to the right hip. What this does is cuts our body in half. When one is given this sacred responsibility, sexuality and pleasure through one’s stomach are no longer to be a focus. Instead, the development of one’s head and heart are to be focused upon. That’s the significance of cutting the body in half. Also Yajna means dedication, Upa means near and Vee means to shine. So this external symbol is to teach us that only when we are dedicated, will we shine. If we are shining, as in we are applying ourselves, then we will be dedicated.

When one goes through this samskara, it is their responsibility to chant the Gayatri mantra many times a day. The simplest way to understand what this mantra teaches — to have a brilliant intellect. Just like the brilliant sun that makes all clear externally, when we have a shiny intellect, there is clarity, conviction and confidence, and one begins to be called a Dvija. Dvi means two, and ja means born — one is born twice. Our teeth are called Dvija. Birds are called dvija, as they are born out of their eggs and then they learn to fly. We are also Dvija, for example, the pre Vedanta in Ramayana Vivekji was focused on Moksha and the post Vedanta in Ramayana Vivekji is focused on Bhakti. As we complete this portion, part of the Upanayana samskara is being led to Bhagavan and one of the mediums is to be led through one’s Guru.

10:45:45: Bhagavan Krshna is speaking to Deva Yama, the icon of death. He tells him, “My Guru’s son has been brought here, rightfully so on the count of his karmas. Maharaja, let him go, because my grace is superior to your law!”.

Bhagavan Krshna’s Guru is Rishi Sandeepani. Bhagavan Krshna is in Mathura and Rishi Sandeepani is from an area called Avanti. The capital of Avanti is Maahishmati, presently Madhya Pradesh and the capital is Ujjain. Rishi Sandeepani is from Kashi, but he finds himself in Ujjain.The word Sandeepani means the one who is well lit, which means they are lit and they can light up someone else. So Rishi Sandeepani is the well lit here who has the responsibility to light up Bhagavan Krshna. The Veda is the breath of Bhagavan Krshna, but He goes to the gurukula, like anyone else and learns sixty-four sciences in sixty-four days! Some of these sciences that Rishi Sandeepani taught them were the science of arms, and the related mantras with all the divine codes. In brief, he taught them about every facet of life.

When Bhagavan Krshna and Shri Balarama complete their time at the Gurukula, they ask Rishi Sandeepani what dakshina he wants, and Rishi Sandeepani responds that he didn’t want anything. A Guru typically has no wants, but functionally there are needs, so the Rishi asks his wife, as in the Gurukula, both the Guru and the Gurupatni are teachers. Rishi Sandeepani’s wife then in a sad way requests Bhagavan Krshna to bring back their son, their son who had died. So this is what happened.

Rishi Sandeepani’s son was in Prabhasa, on the coastline of Gujarat. He was near the ocean and there was a rakshasa named Panchajana who was in the shape of a conch. This rakshasa essentially drowned Rishi Sandeepani’s son. So Bhagavan Krshna and Sri Balarama go to Prabhasa and they summon Deva Samudra, the icon of the ocean, and ask him to bring back their Guru’s son. Deva Samudra tells them that it wasn’t him, but Panchajana Asura who took Rishi Sandeepani’s son. So Bhagavan Krshna and Sri Balarama go into the water and destroy this Asura, but never find their Guru’s son. So they infer that he may be at Samyamini where Deva Yama lives. When Bhagavan Krshna goes to Deva Yama, He blows the conch, and from the Bhagavad Gita we know that Bhagavan Krshna’s conch’s name is also Panchajanya. Hearing the conch, Deva Yama comes and returns their Guru’s son back and Bhagavan Krshna escorts His Guru’s son back to his parents. Rishi Sandeepani and the Gurupatni are elated with the return of their son. The thirteenth samskara is Vivaha and Bhagavan Krshna will be married soon, and many times.

Here is a lifestyle insight — the 12th samskara is called Samaavartana — sam means well, avartana means to return. When one has lived in the Gurukula, then they return back home in the best way because they become the best. Why? They are clear about Brahman, the Infinite, and dharma, the way to be Infinite. What a Sadguru does for us is infuses Infinity into our personality, literally forces Infinity into us. For some of us, it is intellectual, but for those who reflect, it percolates into their hearts as well, and for those who contemplate, it percolates to their hands as well. So their whole personality expresses infinity — from the head, to the heart, to the hands. When this percolates more, one is ever humble as there is no individuality in Infinity. They are not only humble, they are also grateful. A sign of one tuned into Infinity is one who no longer seeks gains. They have already gained the highest, so what else is there to gain? Instead they give and give and give. Samaavartana is whatever comes into our life, we always remember that what we learned and received is from the Guru and Gurukula. So everything that comes into our lives, we give back part of that to the Guru and Gurukula. This insight is needed for all of us for many reasons –

• One systematically asks their Guru, what they need, just as Bhagavan Krshna asked Rishi Sandeepani what he wanted as dakshina. That is more humble, than projecting or inferring.
• This is not a one time offering. One gives their whole life as their whole life has been made by the Guru and Gurukula.
• This is not a donation as there is a lack of intimacy in a donation. Dakshina is offered with the feeling that this is our family. We are supporting our father, our mother, and the one who does not support their parents, is breathing, but nothing more.

Such powerful insights about Upanayana, Samaavartana! We should strive to correct our lifestyle by learning how Bhagavan Krshna lived.

9. What did Bhagavan Krshna do in Chaturmasya?

• Bhagavan Krshna observed nature during the Chaturmasya, similar to what Bhagavan Rama did during the Chaturmasya along with Shri Lakshmana. It is Shri Krshna’s reverie in nature.

10. What does Govardhana mean?

• Go means senses and vardhana means to lift or discipline the senses. Bhagavan Krshna taught His father and the others to worship the unseen, that is Brahman, through the seen, that is creation (the cows, the needy). One shouldn’t engage in any facet of Sanatana Dharma out of fear.

11. What is the hridaya, prana, and udana of Srimad Bhagavata?

• Hridaya — Skanda 10
• Prana — Chapters 29–33 — Raasapanchadhyaya
• Udana — Chapter 31 — Gopi Gita

12. What do Chapters 31–33 symbolize for us?

• Chapter 31 — Mumukshutvam — the intensity for enlightenment
• Chapter 32 — Moksha — When Bhagavan Krshna comes back
• Chapter 33 — Bhakti — Where the Gopis got to enjoy that Moksha

— — — — — — — — — –

Sakshat Manmatha Manmathah — Bhagavan Krshna is described as a live stealer of the one who steals minds. For the typical person, it is kama that steals their minds, and Bhagavan Krshna steals kama’s mind. For the past one hundred classes, we have been immersed in the details of Bhagavata, of Bhagavan. There is divinity in the details. This is clearly expressed or felt as — In our Upanishad, a description of Bhagavan Vishnu is — Yajnyo Vai Vishnuh. Bhagavan Vishnu is yajna, which means dedication. We have been dedicated these past hundred classes and when one is completely dedicated, they forget about the sacrifice they are making. We can all relate to this — What sacrifice when we are reveling in Vedanta in Bhagavata!

In Skanda ten, Chapter 39 — The Gopis express their sadness to Bhagavan Krshna that they do miss Him. Chapter 40 — Akrura praises Bhagavan Krshna in Akrura Stuti

Chapter 41 — Bhagavan Krshna is moving through Mathura and as He is moving through Mathura, the Devis rush to see Bhagavan and they share among each other — How intense must have been the austerities of the Gopis of Vrindavana that they got to see Bhagavan daily! The Gopis had said the same thing about the seekers of Mathura when Bhagavan was leaving Vrindavana. Seekers shouldn’t be jealous of each other, but be inspired by each other.

Bhagavan continues and then frees the washerman who is actually mean to Him. The next person to receive mukti from Bhagavan Krshna is the weaver. Then He meets a garland maker who gives Bhagavan a garland and — seeks only devotion, a devotion that will never change, to the One within all, that is You, Sri Krshna.

So the seekers are freed, the washerman is freed, the weaver is freed, the garland maker is freed. What we should take away from this is that if we give a little, Bhagavan will give all. So if we choose Peace, we will get Peace and Prosperity.

10:42:17: Rishi Shuka is describing to Raja Parikshita what Bhagavan Krshna did when he got closer to Mathura. As Bhagavan Krshna gets close to the area where the archery and wrestling is going to take place, he happens to enter a tent where they are keeping this great bow. As if playing, Bhagavan Krshna picks up the bow with His left hand and as He tries to string the bow, the bow breaks. This is an intense bow that no one can lift, and with a twinkle in His eye, He did this in front of everyone. This is compared to an elephant that takes a bamboo stick in its trunk and crushes it. Why is Bhagavan doing this? To send a message to Kamsa.

Now Bhagavan comes across a person, Trivakra, who is carrying chandan. Bhagavan asks her for some chandan and follows up by saying “Shreya tat asti”, meaning — If you give me this chandan, it will be shreya for you or that you will get the maximum. And He purified her externally and internally as well. Trivakra was Manthara in her previous birth

What Kamsa is doing is challenging Bhagavan, while the earlier people in this community, like Trivakra, the weaver, the garland maker, were serving Him. And it is for this reason that all the people with Bhagavan Krshna, they sleep well that night even though they were invited to this challenge to be killed. As for Kamsa, he is sleepless. This is what is going on with Kamsa as he is trying to sleep –

In waking and in dream, he saw many portents that came to him like messengers of death. Even though his head was on his neck, he could not find it in a reflection in the mirror. He saw the sun and the moon and other luminaries as doubles even though there is only one of each actually present. Seeing holes in his own reflection, not hearing the humming sound of the working of the prana when the orifices of the ears were closed. All of the trees were yellow. Finding no foot marks on sand or mud — these were some of the bad omens he saw in the waking state.

Does this sound sensible? Those who are adharmik, are confused. Those who follow dharma, are courageous. This is how this chapter ends, comparing these children to the ruler. The children are following dharma, but the ruler is not. If we don’t follow dharma we can’t even sleep, which is such a functional activity.

10:43:17 — Rishi Shuka continues to share with Raja Parikshita. Vivekji suggested we analyze this shloka more for ourselves — Bhagavan Krshna was like lightning to the wrestlers. Here are the nine different types of relationships that Bhagavan Krshna shares with everyone –

1. To those who were ordinary, He was the best.
2. To the Devis and Gopis, He was like Kamadeva or the most lovely.
3. To the Gopas, He was like family.
4. To those rulers who were wicked, He was their Controller.
5. To the parents, He was like a child.
6. To the Kings like Kamsa, He was death.
7. To the wise, He was Virata or the entire multiverse.
8. To the Yogis or contemplators, He was The Truth or Existence.
9. To those part of the Vrshni family, He was their role model.

What Rishi Shuka is describing is that Bhagavan Krshna became everyone to everyone. He related to all. This is how different personalities knew Bhagavan Krshna. Bhagavan Krshna was feeding all, like the nine different types of tastes. He was meeting different types of people and He was relating to every one of them.

Now Bhagavan Krshna enters the arena. As He is about to enter the arena, right outside there is an elephant named Kuvalayapeeda, which means the one who causes pain. Bhagavan Krshna asks the elephant keeper to move aside the elephant, but the keeper instead provokes the elephant to charge at Bhagavan Krshna. So Bhagavan ties his dhoti and hair and speaks in a thunderous way, asking them to make way so He can enter the arena and the elephant starts charging towards Him. Bhagavan Krshna then starts playing with this elephant like a child plays with a toy. He starts pulling its tail and spinning it around, and the elephant gets more and more enraged, until Bhagavan Krshna finally steps on the elephant and pulls out its tusks. He keeps one and gives the other tusk to His older brother, as if sharing His toy.

When Bhagavan Krshna and Sri Balarama enter into the arena, everyone starts talking amongst themselves saying that these two are like reputed actors. Others are just looking and looking at Bhagavan Krshna and they just can’t stop looking. They are not satiated. Others are describing Him as the master of all, of all people and subjects, of everything He touches. When they enter the arena, the wrestlers on Kamsa’s side challenge them.

10:44:50 — Rishi Shuka continues to share with Raja Parikshita that Bhagavan Krshna and Sri Balarama go to meet their parents who are in jail and Bhagavan Krshna frees them. After speaking to them both, Bhagavan Krshna and Sri Balarama both bend down and put their heads on their feet.

Many who are gathered in the arena are sharing that what is happening is adharma. Here are these grownup wrestlers challenging these kids? And we who are watching this will also be charged with adharma. This relates so much to how Prince Arjuna thinks as well regarding adharma, but if Bhagavan Krshna is there, can there be any adharma? There can’t be! Chanuda, Mushtika, Koota, Shala, Toshala were some of the strongest wrestlers who challenged Bhagavan Krshna and Sri Balarama. Every time they would hit Bhagavan Krshna, it was like a wreath thrown at an elephant, like they were being caressed. And then Sri Krshna and Sri Balarama hit them all once, and it is described as an effigy that has been crushed. Imagine what would happen to a mannequin thrown from high up! After they had destroyed the bow, the elephant, the wrestlers, all their friends ran into the arena and started playing music and dancing. They couldn’t help themselves from rejoicing. Then Kamsa starts making senseless orders to kill Sri Vasudeva, Bhagavan Krshna’s father, to kill Sri Ugrasena, Kamsa’s own father. When Bhagavan Krshna hears this order, He is enraged and jumps up to where Kamsa is seated and finally grabs Kamsa and puts all His weight on Him dropping him down to the ground, and falling on him simultaneously. And Kamsa is finally destroyed.

Sri Krshna Chandra Bhagavan ki Jai!

Skanda nine began with what Kamsa was doing, and finally Kamsa is destroyed. Kamsa symbolizes violence. All of these Asuras represent a part of our personality. Those who are violent invoke fear and evoke fear. This is thoughtfully shared that whatever Kamsa was drinking, speaking, walking, eating, sleeping, breathing, he only had this thought that he was afraid of Bhagavan Krshna. And as you think, so you develop. So when Kamsa is crushed, what happens to him? He becomes free, mukti for Kamsa as well.

Upon Kamsa’s death, Bhagavan Krshna orders all of the rulers and Ministers to perform the samskaras for those who had died. Then He goes to His parents and releases them. And what He says to them is how sad He is that they had to endure Kamsa while he was alive. Then Bhagavan Krshna shares with his parents, Sri Vasudeva and Devi Devaki that there is too much sadness as all their infants were murdered. So all they could do is just put their heads on their feet.

Now Bhagavan Krshna will continue to live in Mathura and we will get to some very special parts, like His Upanayana and when He lived in the Gurukula.

5. Why is renunciation not possible?

• All emerges, exists and ends in Bhagavan, which implies that all belongs to Bhagavan. One can only renounce what belongs to them. If it doesn’t belong to us, we cannot renounce it. This is why we study Bhagavata, for us to realize that we belong to Bhagavan so there is nothing to renounce.

6. What is the significance of Damodara?

There are two levels to this answer –

• Dama Udara — Dama means a calm or a disciplined body and udara means our stomach, so to not try and find happiness through our stomach or body
• We have to let go of dvaita. Devi Yashoda kept on tying Bhagavan Krshna with this rope, dama, but she was always falling short, until she finally laughed, meaning dvaita is not going to work, so surrender. Dvaita cannot tie up advaita.

7. What is the substitute to Kaliya?

• Kaliya symbolizes cruelty. One who lives for their senses, has a passion for themselves, which means they will be cruel to others. The opposite of cruelty is compassion which means you have a passion for others. So we don’t need to keep on satisfying our senses. Bhagavan showed great compassion by not killing Kaliya. Similarly, we cannot kill our senses. We can only encourage them to be quiet, just like Kaliya became.

8. Why did Bhagavan Krshna take the kapra of the Gopis?

• Kapra is synonymous with Kosha / sheaths. Bhagavan Krshna was testing them and each one of them passed fully. When this particular episode happened, the Gopis were at the river praying to Devi Katyayani for Bhagavan Krshna to be their Kantha. Kantha literally means husband, but here it shouldn’t be taken literally, but instead as the love of a close family member, to have the sense of oneness. For us to love our Spirit, we have
• to stop loving, depending on our sixth sheath which is possessions, and then body, breath, mind, intellect and ego.

— — — — — — — — — –

The cows turned to the grass, but were vigilant enough to turn back to Bhagavan. The Gopas turned to the cows, and yet were vigilant enough to turn back to Bhagavan. The Gopis turned to themselves, and yet were vigilant enough to turn back to Bhagavan. We are all engaged in Svadhyaya — adhyaya means a chapter or study, sva means ourselves. How are we engaged in this? We keep turning towards pleasures, possession and position, but we are vigilant enough to turn back to Bhagavan who is within us, who IS us, and we have been doing this for 99 classes.

In our last class, we met Akrura who knows who Bhagavan is and therefore he has no fear. He has no fear bringing Bhagavan to Mathura and knows that whatever schemes are going to happen, Bhagavan will be able to correct those schemes. When we know Abhayankara, the One who causes fearlessness, then we have no bhaya, no fear. So this is a gauge for us. If we have fear today, or tomorrow, it is because we don’t know Abhayankara. However, if there is less fear today, tomorrow, if we are becoming fearless, it shows that we know Bhagavan. The name Akrura is special because it is also one of the names of Bhagavan Narayana in Vishnu Sahasranama — Akrurah Peshalo Daksho.

In the last scene that we saw, the Gopis are looking on at Bhagavan as He is looking back at them, until the flag of the chariot drifts into the horizon and the Gopis cannot see Bhagavan anymore. The symbolism of this is that dvaita or separation is most saddening, is most breaking. Devi Yashoda doesn’t speak anymore. Bhagavan leaves sharing with the Gopis in their hearts that He will come back!

10:41:51 — This is Rishi Shuka speaking to Raja Parikshita about what Akrura says to Bhagavan Krshna. Akrura is telling Him what his prayer is — I want a bhakti that is unmoving. I want to know You who is within all. I want to be a friend to all and I want to have the highest compassion.

When Bhagavan Krshna and Shri Balarama leave Vrindavana in Akrura’s chariot, they stop at Kalindi, which is the River Yamuna. Akrura senses that Bhagavan Krshna and Shri Balarama are going to miss her. So he asks them to go and enjoy and lets them enjoy by themselves. Imagine these two young boys who are around ten years old just playing in the River Yamuna one final time! When they are finished, they come back to the cart, and then Akrura goes to freshen up in the water. When he holds his breath and goes under water, what does he see? Bhagavan Krshna and Shri Balarama in the

water! So he quickly comes back to the surface and looks towards the ox cart, and he sees both of them playing in that cart! So he again goes underwater and this time he sees the entire vishwa, the whole multiverse, all revolving and contained within Bhagavan Krshna. This entire Chapter is focused on what Akrura sees in Bhagavan Krshna. Some of the highlights of what Akrura shares –

• You are the Pure Subject — which means there are no objects. There is only Advaita.
• You are Bhagavan Kalki, the One who will come and correct barbaric rulers.
• It is only through Your kripa that one can be in satsanga and become a bhakta.

So all of Chapter 40 is this Stuti to Bhagavan Krshna, all happening under water. This shows that Stuti can happen anywhere. After he completes this Stuti, Akrura comes back to the chariot, and Bhagavan Krshna has this huge smile on His face and He asks His uncle — What did you see in the water? It seems like you saw that which is Adbhuta or amazing! This shows the playfulness of Bhagavan Krshna! And then, they finally arrive at Mathura. Akrura wants to take Bhagavan Krshna and Shri Balarama to his home, but Bhagavan asks Him to leave them there and go home. He tells Akrura that He would visit him another time. When Akrura asks why, Bhagavan Krshna says that He along with Shri Balarama, and the other Gopas want to go look around the city.

Bhagavan Krshna was born in Mathura, but was raised in Gokula. Then He continued to Vrindavana and now He is back in Mathura.

When Bhagavan Krshna, Shri Balarama and the Gopas start walking through the city, news comes to the Devis that Bhagavan Krshna is in Mathura, and they rush from inside their homes to the outside of their homes, to their porches, to their balconies, to the rooftops to just get a glimpse of Bhagavan Krshna. There are a lot of details shared, about how disheveled they are, like putting their toe rings on their noses and only half their hair is braided. It just shows that they love Bhagavan so much that there is no waiting. And then they get to see Him as until then they had only engaged in shravana of Bhagavan. So they now finally get to experience Him with their eyes and they just keep looking and looking and looking at Him, like the phala of their sadhana was now complete. What is the phala of sadhana? It is Sadhya, the ends, enlightenment. So they just throw flowers at Bhagavan as Bhagavan keeps walking with a huge smile, as if He doesn’t know this place or these people.They just keep throwing flowers at Him as what else can they do? What else is there for them to do? And all the Rishis run to Bhagavan Krshna with Purnakumbas. So perpetual chanting and loving is experienced here.

As they are going through the city, Bhagavan observes a washerman carrying lovely clothes which smell fragrant. So Bhagavan asks the washerman if they could have some of these clothes. Bhagavan tells him that they are village people and have come to the city for this tournament, but the washerman is mean to Bhagavan, telling Him that they are uncultured and don’t deserve the clothes. So Bhagavan takes a towel from the washerman and hits him so hard that the washerman dies. It may sound terrible, but the washerman gets moksha. This washerman is the same washerman who gossiped about Bhagavan Rama’s devi. At that time, Bhagavan was the Raja and had to support his people, but now He shows what He is feeling and since Bhagavan is so strong, the washerman is just annihilated.

Later on, Bhagavan Krshna meets a weaver who says, “You can take the clothes from the washerman, but I can make clothes that fit you. See these clothes are Kamsa’s and he is like an ogre.” So this weaver knits these finely knit clothes for Bhagavan. And how does Bhagavan pay him back? He says “Sarukya” or “Go to Vaikunta”, and the weaver is enlightened too.

Then, there is a garland maker, Sudama, who loves Bhagavan and wants to give Bhagavan a garland. He does and has the same prayer as Akrura. When Bhagavan asks him what boon he wants, this is what the garland maker shares — He chose as boons firm and unflinching devotion to that all inclusive Being, friendship towards all of the lord’s devotees and kindness to all creatures”. What this shows for us is that if we choose peace, then what will come with it is prosperity, strength, longevity, fame and handsomeness. Next time we pray, let us not pray for Shridevi, but pray for Bhagavan Krshna because if Bhagavan Krshna is coming, who else is coming? Shridevi.

As they continue, they meet a devi called Trivakra. She is a beautiful devi, but she has three curves in her body. Ashtavakra is the one with eight curves. So Trivakra is a hunchback and she too loves Bhagavan. So Bhagavan steps on her feet, takes two of her fingers, lifts up her chin and straightens her out. Who is Trivakra? She is Manthara from the Ramayana. We always think of Manthara in the negative, but because of Manthara, so much of Bhagavan’s work was facilitated. He got to go to the jungle, He got to defeat Ravana. So He wanted to bless Manthara, but couldn’t do so as Bhagavan Rama, so He is blessing her as Bhagavan Krshna. So what this shows for us is that if we are like the washerman or like Manthara, then we are going to be born again, as there is no escaping our wrong thinking and wrong acting. Therefore we should live rightly now so that we are not born again and again.

1. What is the main teaching of Ramayana and the main teaching of Bhagavata?

• Humility is the main teaching of Ramayana
• Surrender is the main teaching of Bhagavata. Surrender is the completion of humility.

2. What is an indicator of Sadhutva, that is being a Sadhu in reference to Avataras?

• A sadhu is one who engages in satya or non-compromising, but they can only correct minimal amounts of compromising. However, when circumstances are filled with maximum compromising, then Bhagavan has to take Avatara — to protect the sadhus and to correct those who are living by asatya or a life of compromise.

3. What does Putana symbolize?

• Putana symbolizes avidya or forgetfulness. Puta means pure and na means not, so Putana is the one who is not pure which is technically called ignorance in vedanta. Avidya is forgetting your nature is pure, and when you remember, that is vidya, then you feel your nature and become fragrant.

4. Why did Rishi Garga name Bhagavan the way he did?

• The first name was Krshnata, the one who is darker. Bhagavan Krshna was darker and Shri Balarama was lighter. Why is Bhagavan darker? The closest way we can see the Infinite is in blueness, as in the sky and in water. They are clear, but they are so big that the clarity seems like blue. Hence, Bhagavan Krshna’s skin color is also blue.
• Bhagavan Krshna is the son of Vasudeva, so He will be known as Vaasudeva.
• Bhagavan was also named Karshanath, the One who attracts, and what is most attractive? It is Joy! Everyone is attracted to joyous people.

— — — — — — — — — –

When the cows of Gokula were hungry, they turned away from Bhagavan Krshna to eat the grass, and whenever they did that, they got into trouble. When the Gopas who were always with Bhagavan Krshna, turned towards those cows who turned towards the grass, they also got into trouble. The Gopis, who were always thinking Bhagavan Krshna, whenever they thought about themselves and turned away from Him, they also got themselves into trouble. One who never did this was Devi Radha. The word Radha comes from the base, Radh which means no other. Devi Radha had no other thought, no other word, no other action other than Bhagavan Krshna, Independent Joy. In another Purana, Devi Radha is Rishi Shuka’s teacher. That is why in Bhagavata, he never uses her name. He has that much reverence for Devi Radha that he can’t even use her name.

Let us put ourselves in this framework. Are we becoming more like Devi Radha? Is all we think about, talk about and act upon is Bhagavan? If we are becoming more like that, then Vedanta in Bhagavata is happening to you, and if we are not becoming more like that, then this class is just like any other University class like Economics, History, etc, and we are using this for worldly utility. In Gopi Gita, we had seen that the result of being a Gopi is that we are not involved in any worldliness. How to experience this practically? Enjoy being an instrument. Doership is our burden as we become controlling, worrying, so let us be, but an instrument. Bhagavan’s hand is on our heads and we are supposed to just work for Him. What is the need to be recognized, appreciated and included? He’s there and He’s looking at us. What else do we need? That is why in Skanda ten there is so much symbolism about Bhagavan Krshna’s flute which is literally an instrument.

In our last class, we met the Asuras Arishta, the ox, Keshi, the horse, and Vyoma, the cowherd, and they all symbolize pretentiousness — one who looks one way, but are directing us another way. That often happens with spiritual teachers, a Sadguru. The more authentic and deep we are, the more we will attract that authenticity and depth.

We finished our last class with Kamsa asking Akrura to bring Bhagavan Krshna to Mathura. He has realized that dealing with Bhagavan Krshna with fear has not worked. Sending Putana and all the other Asuras did not work. So now he is trying to deal with Bhagavan Krshna with love, and Bhagavan Krshna does go to Mathura. So we learn that instead of communicating through fear first, we must communicate with love.

10:38:5 — Rishi Shuka is telling Raja Parikshta what Akrura is thinking to himself. Akrura is thinking — Even one who is impure and vicious like me is going to have the darshana of Achyuta. People are being controlled by the river of time, but some, by some power are able to free themselves from this control of time.

Akrura is thinking to himself that he doesn’t deserve to be with Bhagavan Krshna, but it is through His grace that Akrura is about to get this opportunity.

Kamsa symbolizes violence or harm. Another word for Kamsa is Krura, which means cruelty. Kamsa now appreciates that krura doesn’t work so he should use akrura which means non-violence, non-harming. Akrura is Shri Krshna’s Uncle. He loves Bhagavan Krshna and Bhagavan Krshna also loves Akrura. So when Kamsa told Akrura that he needed to bring Bhagavan Krshna to Mathura so that they could kill Him, he certainly didn’t agree to this intention, but he also knew Krshna is Bhagavan and that nobody could kill Him. He is the Protector and the Corrector, so Akrura had no fear of what he was doing. He was simply the instrument in Bhagavan’s leela. He knew Bhagavan Krshna was invincible. This was his chance to be with Bhagavan Krshna.

There are many such lovely thoughts that Akrura shared and there are so many personalities in Bhagavata that are like Devi Radha. Their whole life is dedicated to enlightenment or bhakti. Akrura shares, “The deer that are walking around me in circles are a good omen. I’m an old man, yet the fulfillment of my eyes and my life are about to happen in seeing my Bhagavan”. The reference to age is important as enlightenment is not time related. Akrura shares, “Any words verbal or written that are not directed towards Bhagavan are the words of a corpse.” So every time that we speak or write about money, position, pleasure, what we are really writing about is death. All of that is going to change. He also shares, “The Infinite has manifested as Bhagavan Krshna, just so we can love Him more.”

How can we love the Infinite? Can we hug or kiss the Infinite? Can we write poetry about the Infinite? How much the Infinite loves us to manifest just so that we can love the Infinite! It’s like training or practice. He shares, “Yogis get to prostrate at Bhagavan’s feet only in their minds and that I am going to get to do this in reality.” It is such a moving thought when we think of someone great and then actually are able to be with them which is a totally different experience. He shares, “I see Bhagavan Krshna’s footprints by the markings. There is lotus there and there is conch there,” and when he finally sees a footprint, he is so happy knowing he is approaching Bhagavan that he jumps out of his chariot and starts rolling around in the dust. Imagine how much Akrura loved Bhagavan! Would we ever do that? He is so ecstatic and finally when sees a dark handsome figure and a light handsome figure, he runs to them and prostrates to them. These boys are eight, nine, ten years old. And these boys pick him up and hug him. Then Bhagavan Krshna and Shri Balarama walk on either side of their uncle, holding his hands and walking him to their home, like best friends. There is no pretentiousness, no ego, just love. Bhagavan is Love.

Vedanta: What Bhagavata is sharing with us is the Katha Amrita. Katha means story and Amrita means deathlessness or independence. This Katha Amrita is greater or superior to the Amrita that we came across earlier in our Bhagavatam, from the Kshira Sagara Manthana. Why is this greater? Because that Amrita we have to drink, but we just have to listen to this Amrita. This is more pervasive. The Amrita from the Kshira Sagara lengthens the span of our life, but this Katha Amrita reduces the sorrow in our life. Imagine if we lived a long life, but are sad, then the long life would be a curse and not a blessing. But if this Katha Amrita reduced our sorrow, that would be a real blessing. Making this more tactile, based on how Akrura is thinking, we should stop fearing change. Mrita or death in a lighter way is change. So Amrita is not fearing change. The less we fear change, the more in tune we are with the changeless. The less we fear change, the more organised we will get.

So how are we going to get this Amrita? By listening and thinking.

10:39:35 — Rishi Shuka is describing to Raja Parikshita how the Gopis are interacting with each other as Bhagavan Krshna leaves. The Gopis are all standing together in Vrindavana and Bhagavan Krshna, Shri Balarama and Akrura are in a chariot and they are leaving. Bhagavan Krshna looks back and sees how much they are suffering. So He slightly gets up and to appease them, He says to the Gopis with love. He is actually quite far away from them, so this is an internal dialogue with them and He says to them — ‘I will come back’.

So when Bhagavan Krshna and Shri Balarama bring their old uncle, Akrura into their home, they feed him Madhuparka made of Ghee, Honey and Curd. And then Bhagavan Krshna begins to massage Akrura’s feet. They give him fresh clothes, sandalwood, etc.. If we connect the dots, they are actually offering puja to their uncle. Vivekji has shared with us many times that we should make puja personal, where we are inviting Bhagavan into our home and seat Him, feed Him, freshen Him, etc. The trajectory of puja is to treat everyone like that, the message being “Atithi devo bhava”. Tithi means appointment and atithi is someone who comes without an appointment. And how do we typically react towards such people? Deeply annoyed, deeply frustrated and deeply angry! The more we relate to Bhagavan, the more we engage in puja of everyone.

As they seat Akrura, they ask how their family is in Mathura. Bhagavan asks — How is My mother, Devaki? How is My father, Vasudeva? And they say this with such sadness because if Kamsa or violence is there, how would they be living in Mathura? And Akrura tells them that Kamsa tried to kill Devaki and Vasudeva again, and that they are back in jail.

Now as we think about Bhagavan Krshna leaving, He had to leave. Akrura tells them about the happenings in Mathura and the invitation from Kamsa. Bhagavan Krshna and Shri Balarama say that they would go to Mathura with him. Shri Nanda then tells the Gopas to announce that Shri Krshna and Shri Balarama are leaving, and it was this announcement that reaches the Gopis.

When they hear this announcement, the Gopis all get together. Some versions of Bhagavata share that there were 16,000 Gopis living in this Vrindavana area, and they all got together out of fear, holding each other, standing close. They start crying together, and start describing what would happen the next day — Bhagavan Krshna is going to leave them and go to Mathura, He will see and meet others and is going to forget them. And they cry all night, out of fear. This is when the scene with Shri Krshna on the bullock cart takes place and they are walking behind the cart, behind Him. As Bhagavan Krshna senses them following Him, He stops the cart and that’s when He gets up, looks at them and says ‘I will come back’, and then the cart continues.

This is how the Gopis felt when He left them again — “They remained where they were, motionless, like pictures drawn on canvas, viewing the departing Krshna, and mentally absorbed and pursuing His chariot until the flag of the chariot disappeared from sight and the dust raised by it was no longer visible.” There is indeed power in sadness.

Q&A: Vivekji shared additional insights on how to make the right decision. Only when we directly interact with one who loves Bhagavan do we also start to love Bhagavan. When we live and see someone who loves Bhagavan so much, it transforms us as well. So we should always reference — what would the wise do. Another form of wisdom is the shastra. What would Bhagavad Gita or Ramayana encourage us to do? The more long term the decision is, the more right a decision is. Long term means more selfless and short term means more selfish. If the decision makes us quieter, then it was the right decision. If it makes us more agitated, then it was the wrong decision. So we should reference our own experiences so that we have this framework.