February 8, 2026

Bhakti evolves one from living for Bukti to living for Bhagavan. Bukti means trying to find joy dependently, Bhakti makes one sensitive enough where one starts to depend on Bhagavan, to be joyous indecently. Bhakti is personal where a whole lot of understanding of oneself is needed to be able to practice Bhakti. We lot about Bhakti but not ourselves. I have to know myself to practice this transformation. Uttar Chardham Yatra that Vivek ji has planned is more difficult than Kailash Yatra so in the recent meeting it was shared with Yatris to know their own body to see whether they can hike this far and this high. You have to know yourself to before you can be on a Yatra.  

Navada Bhakti is degrees of dedication. In here there are three sets of three.

• First set is Sravana, Keerthana and Smarana.  In English it is active listening, active speaking, active reflecting. Active here means personal, I am doing this for myself not others.
• Second set is Sevana, Archana and Vandana. Sevana is active serving; Archana is active invoking and Vandana is active incorporating.

In terms of Science Vandana or active incorporating is when you start to live like the divine, you start to feel that you are living with divine. If you live like, you start to live with. For Scripture Vivek ji referenced Isha Vasya Upanishad. The message is if you can recognize the person you are interacting with has the same spirit/Atma as you then you won’t be annoyed by them or angry with them.  Sometimes an Atheist comes to Vivek ji and says “I am a good person why should I listen to you? Why you should I follow you?” Vivek ji’s rational response “You are right you are a good person but you can never be the best person. Because you will always feel that the people around you are different than you. For a theist, one learning Sanatana Dharma there is only one. You and I look different fundamentally we are the same. I become loving to you the way I love myself.” That is the difference between Atheist and Theist in terms of level of potential because of that understand themselves, accepting themselves. Essentially master offers us tough love. When living was the toughest you have thought about the life the most. It’s the tough love that makes us the most reflective. Swami Tejomayanda’s tough love has been catalyst for Vivek ji to be dedicated to Sanatana Dharma the way Swami Tejomayananda was dedicated. This is why another definition of Vandana is to bow. You bow; there is an understanding of that experience.

Now we continue into the third set of Navada Bhakti. 1) active listening, speaking, reflecting 2) deeper making this more personal active serving, invoking, incorporating 3) Dasya. In Ramayana we think of Hanuman ji as Dasya.

Science: Science behind Dasya is active respecting. It is implied that Dasya should communicate with respect to their master.  Be respectful of Bhagavan to go from Bukti to Bhagavan. Bhagavan means all virtues always. When I respect one who has all virtues always, I start developing these virtues. Dasya is not just sitting at the feet of Bhagavan and crying but respecting the virtues, Bhavan. The more you respect, the more you receive.

Scripture & Story: Vivek ji is combining scripture and story into Chaupai of Hanuman Chalisa. Chaupai 14

sanakādika brahmādi munīsā |
nārada sārada sahita ahīsā ||

Bhagavan Bramha’s (Creations manager) family is listed here cannot understand Sri Hanumana.  Implication, creation’s manager is relative, and relative cannot know the absolute. The relative can never know the absolute. We may feel Hanuman ji is good looking or strong but Hanuman ji’s nature is Bhagavan Shiva, he is infinite. We may not look or strong like Hanumana but his nature or our nature is the same. Verb for this Chaupai is Belief. When we start being around big minded people, we may have faith or trust but the least we can to relate is start to believe in them.

jama kubera digapāla jahāṁ te |
kabi kobida kahi sake kahāṁ te ||

Chaupai 15, we are referring to Devas, Semi-Gods expression of Bhagavan Narayana. Bhagavan Bramha does not know Hanuman ji definitely Semi-Gods do not know Hanuman ji. In Swarga they are jealous and afraid.  Implication is as long as we keep building our outer world we may live in heaven. Depending on external joy will bring incompleteness, jealousy etc. Sentiment is to go deeper than that. One more practicality. There is reference to the Kavis/poets and Kovids/Rishis.  To understand and be close to divine faith not logic will work. As soon we accept that our journey will speed up. Our practice for this Chaupai is Accept. Acceptance helps one to become more faithful.

tuma upakāra sugrīvahim kīnhā |
rāma milāya rāja pada dīnhā ||

In life Sugriva was running out of fear. When Sri Rama and Sri Laxmana came to jungle Sugriva was suspicion that they will harm him. Sri Hanumana told Sugriva not to run, they need to find who they are. Sri Hanumana goes and meets Sri Rama and Sri Laxmana, the beneficiary was Sugriva. Vivek ji loves this Katha. Sugriva and Sri Rama made a pact that Sugriva will help Sri Rama with his family; Sri Rama will help Sugriva with his family. First Sri Rama helped Sugriva. Then it was rainy season. Sugriva enjoyed being the king, and forgot with his pact to help Sri Rama. Sri Rama sends Sri Laxmana to Sugriva to remind that. Sugriva again ran to his palace, to his room underneath bed. Sugriva brought his hands out to reach feet of Sri Laxmana told “I was waiting at your feet master.” To personalize this 16^th Chaupai or to learn we need to follow.  Follow through with your promises, commitments, and follow through with these teachings.

tumharo mantra vibhīṣana mānā |
laṅkesvara bhae saba jaga jānā ||

Hanuman ji’s advice to Vibhishana is lovely depiction of tough love, the love that changes people, the love that course corrects. When Sri Hanumana came to Lanka, he asks Vibhishana “Have you seen Sita?”. Vibhishana says yes. Sri Hanumana then asks “What have you done to help her?” He didn’t do anything to help her. In other words, he sympathized with her but didn’t empathize with her. She needed empathy not sympathy. Sri Hanumana empathized with her, he travelled all the way to Lanka. He challenged Vibhishana, but Vibhishana didn’t reject it. He accepted that and then he went and helped Bhagavati Sita. When Vibhishana came to visit Sri Rama first time he described Vibhishana Lankeshwara, the master of Lanka. Ravana was master of Lanka at that time. Sri Rama knows the future. Then Sri Rama is in the future, then why do we have anxiety about the future?  He knows the future which means he is there too. If I know God is in the future, then what am I anxious about. Vivek ji is pointing out intellectually knowing and knowing in our hearts. If you know in your heart that God is seeing all, then there can’t be regrets of the past or anxiety of the future. Pujya Swami Tejomayananda has taught “Don’t tell God how big your problems are, tell your problems how big your God is.” Our practice for Chaupai 17 is Support. Seek the support of those who don’t need support.

In Navada Bhakti we are in the 7^th of nine practices, in the third set of three. Dasya means active respecting. Key is active. Poojari in front of Murty is Proxy Bhakti. Pujya Swami Tejomayananda shared “You will only value that you value.” For example, if you don’t value punctuality, you will never value it. If you value the values you invest in them, hence active respecting.

It is only through self-reflection you can engage in self-development. In Sanskrit Swadhyaya pulls Sadhana.  Those who don’t get to know themselves don’t know how to grow.

Pooja Process: Soumya ji shared we discussed what is Pooja, why do we do Pooja and different categories of Pooja. Today we talk about symbolism behind Pooja. Pooja is actually Vedanta in practice. Laya Prakriya is where we talk about dissolving our senses, our speech in the mind, the individual mind in the total mind, the total in the ego so, it’s all given back to Bhagavan.  Pooja is representation of that Laya Prakriya. Today we talk about the Panchopachara Pooja which symbolizes Laya Prakriya. For Panchopachara Pooja we need five plus one plus one.  As we talked last week, we need Jala/water, Gandha/Chandanam, Pushpa/flowers, Dhoopa/incense sticks, Deepa/a light and some Naivedyam to offer to Bhagavan and then Karpoora Arthi.  Symbolism behind this is entire creation is made up of these five elements space, air, water, fire, earth.

• When we offer Jala, we offer Jala element back to Bhagavan.
• When we offer Chandan to Bhagavan, we offer earth element to Bhagavan as Chandan represents that earth.
• When we offer flower, we offer space element to Bhagavan. Space can’t be represented. However, when a bud blossoms to flower it has space in it now.
• When we show him, incense sticks the air element is offered back to Bhagavan.
• When we show Deepa fire element is offered back to Bhagavan.

All the Pancha Bhutas, our subtle body, our gross body, the mind, are offered. Aham is left. Then we offer him Naivedya. Naivedya has two parts one is Naivedya, other is Prasada. Whatever we offer alone become Prasada. That is where Bhagavan takes our ego, purifies it, removes this ignorance filled ego and gives us back the joy filled ego. Difference between our ego is unoffered ego and Mahatma’s ego is our ego is the Prasada that Bhagavan has given back. After ego is dissolved all that is left is Ananda light. That is where we show the Karpoora Arthi. Technically we offer Karpoora Arthi there is no bell, no sound just the light. In that light we experience the bliss. Karpoora burns and the fragrance of truth alone is left behind.

Next is stages in Pooja. Pooja is mainly composed of three sections. One is preparation or Poorvanga Pooja: Next is Mukhya Pooja, and lastly it is Uttara Pooja.

The preparation step is very important. Technically in Pooja Paddati, the preparation starts where one sits down in an Asan where one calms the mind, perform Achamana, Atma Pooja, and then Theertha Nirmithi where one prepares the Theertha that is offered to Bhagavan. One purifies all the materials that are going to be used in Pooja. Soumya ji says that preparation starts way before than that. When one wakes up thinking about how to worship Bhagavan, one’s mind is already on him thinking about how to prepare for him, how to dress him up. These thoughts that connect with Bhagavan are preparation. One prepares themselves and joyfully looking forward to be with him.

Mukhya Pooja: It starts by meditating on Bhagavan and inviting him to come to this Pooja. Swami ji says when we deeply connect with Bhagavan invite him in the Murty/picture, 1/16^th part takes as an Avatara in to Murthy/picture. It’s called Archyavatara.  Just for our worship Bhagavan physically manifests there in that form that we have invoked him. We feel so good in Pooja because if the invocation is sincere Bhagavan actually manifests there. We feel his presence. We treat Bhagavan royally as he came here upon our invocation though he is the emperor of the universe. We offer him seat, give him nice bath, dress him up in nice clothes, give him Upaveetha/sacred thread, decorate him with jewelry though all jewels belong to him. Then we offer Gandha, Kumkuma and then Pushpa Archana. Then we worship him, glorify him with Ashtothara or Vishnu Sahasra Nama, or Sthuthi. Then we offer Dhoopa, Deepa to Bhagavan. Then we offer our ego on to him. We offer Naivedyam with Bhava “Oh Bhagavan will you be pleased with our humble offering and bless us.” After Bhagavan finished eating, he is pleased. He is feeling worshipped comes the last stage.

Uttara Pooja:  In daily Pooja this is not elaborate. When we perform an elaborate Pooja in community pooja or on a celebration day Uttara Pooja steps will take place. First, we do Prasanna pooja where we ask Bhagavan for our desires here is where Bhagavan is Prasanna/pleasant. He blesses us what we want. Then we offer Tambulam, Dakshina to Bhagavan. We play instruments. We offer Chatra, Chamara. At that time Bhagavan is celebrated, glorified, worshipped. After all this comes Deeparadhana where we feel the bliss, the presence. Here bell is rung during the singing of Arathi, Deeparadhana is shown. After that in complete silence just the Karpoora Arthi is shown to Bhagavan. We experience that presence, that bliss. We physically feel his presence. After that Pradakshina and Sashtanga Namaskara full on surrender to be with us, bless us, to guide us. Then we seek forgiveness for any mistakes that we have committed. Then Samarpanam we offer even this worship and Phala to Bhagavan. Everything we do we offer on to Bhagavan. Now our mind is in Sattva. We sit back and do contemplation, reflection, Japa, Stuti as our mind is tuned with its best form. Then is Uddvasanam as we brought him here with our invocation, we send him back. Now we perform closing prayers for everyone’s welfare.

To start with we can do Panchopachara Pooja by offering those five elements, offer Naivedyam, Arthi, Japa, Kshamapanam, Udvasanam and we conclude. As we feel more connected, want to enjoy more time with Bhagavan we can increase the steps. Swami ji shared that the simplest is Panchopachara of all the Upachara stages with ten or sixteen which is common. There are also 64 Upacharas where you spend so much time with Bhagavan.

RAW: Reflect on who are you servant to. How do you know that you are servant to such a person or such a purpose.