April 26, 2026

Vivek ji was recollecting long travels back in the day where Airline staff give boarding passes and tag the luggage etc. Now travel is so different with boarding passes on the phone from one generation to another. Recently Vivek ji was discussing about teaching with a public-school teacher where teaching is much more different than generation ago. Traveling and teaching have changed so much but Bhakti hasn’t changed in the past generations or will not change for future generations. This is what makes Bhakti lovely and practical. The sentiment that Vivek ji wants to take away from the whole course is You can DO IT. One who doesn’t understand Bhakti, it’s often about qualification i.e. looks, dressing, gender, language etc. By understanding and layering that into Bhakti all of us can do it.

Class 26 theme was service of Bhaktas. Main teaching is the design of service is for there to be decrease in deserver-ship, more mature feeling is less doer-ship. Vivek ji loved how one of the seeker’s awesome understandings of Anonymous Seva. We can decrease deserver-ship and doer-ship is to give our seat to our guide. Vivek ji referenced this in the Mahabharata when Rishi Narada came to Yudhistira, he got up and offered his seat to Rishi Narada. No one else sat down till Rishi Narada sat down. When we are trying to let go of desert worship we’re offering that deserver-ship and doer-ship to our guide. Our guide is offering the same to God who is the actual deserver, the actual doer. All of this was referenced on to Shri Bharatha.  For the casual student, the Ramayana is about Shri Rama but for the serious student, there are many, many, many facets to the Ramayana like there’s many, many, many facets to the Mahabharata.

In class 27, we continued to reflect on service of Bhaktas but not so much about theory but more about the application. Vivek ji guided everyone through their Dharma health. The Dharma health is “Are you feeling your responsibilities are a manifestation of service?” If you feel it’s a manifestation of service your health will be high, you will be doing your best. But if you don’t feel this is a service your health will be low. The discussion we had to accentuate this more was asking how can we do what we’re doing more meaningfully. The main point is meaning doesn’t come from the outside meaning comes from the inside. So, we are responsible for being responsible.

In class 28 we shifted from service of Bhaktas to sharing of Bhaktas. A guide in our community shared how she has practiced Bhaktas and continues to do so. No theory all experience.

Now we are in class 29.

Theme: The theme, teaching is security of Bhaktas. In our Ss this is the last wave of Bhakti time. We have gone through Signs of Bhaktas, System of Bhaktas, Service of Bhaktas, Sharing of Bhaktas.

Science: In class 1, September 7th of 2025 the title of this was why Bhakti. We were all thinking about this why Bhakti? But the main feeling from this was our longing for security. Despite of having families, home, professions every one of us still long for more security. It is almost like in the Mahabharata that Vivek ji has been sharing Dharma has to be tested through Artha and Kama for there to be Moksha. Similarly, this peace is not going to come through professions and relations it can only come through knowing oneself, longing for security. If one has flowed through the what Bhakti, how Bhakti, who Bhakti you will feel absolutely secure, completely secure. In the Yoga Sutra the word Yoga is used again and again and again. But what’s the point of Yoga? Yuktha, to be one with oneself. Today Vivek ji had a very interesting experience. Vivek ji woke up early (Vivek ji is in Los Angles), after Meaningful mornings because Vivek ji was very tired Vivek ji might have slept for 15 minutes on the floor. When Vivek ji woke up Vivek ji was facing the mirror. Vivek ji was so scared, it was Vivek ji but still there’s so much fear in just even a trace of separation, it wasn’t even another person it was Vivek ji that was one foot away. This is why the only way to lead to that final security is oneness. If this example is too casual Vivek ji’s awareness, our awareness, the one awareness we can’t be afraid of that because that’s the locust. Our body and face are a reference. It’s still a way for my awareness.  Because Vivek ji has been trying to build up on you can do it, Bhakti is not about quantity it is about quality. At the end of the Hanuman Chalisa, it is shared if you chant Hanuman Chalisa a hundred times you will be saved from this, and this and this. Bhagavan Shiva is making that statement. Wasn’t it the same Bhagavan Shiva who told Bhagavati Parvati you don’t have to chant the Vishnu Sahasra Nama you just have to chant Rama. We take this literally that we have to chant it a hundred times and that’s not bad. But chanting this once in a quality way is more effective than chanting this a hundred times in quantity way. But how do we know that we actually agree with this? We become more independent. For the immature seeker, Bhakti has a lot of conditions you have to look in a certain way, you have to act in a certain way. But for the mature seeker they have become independent of all of these, like Sri Ramana. He hardly moved his body, but what a bhakta. Sri Ramana saw the mountain as the divine, he saw every being as divine. Those who are independent are Dharmic. They follow their responsibilities with the Bhava of NO, not optional.

Scripture: Vivek ji is referring to Bhagavad Gita Chapter 9 verse 27.

yat karoṣhi yadaśhnāsi yaj juhoṣhi dadāsi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya tat kuruṣhva mat-arpaṇam

Five specific verbs are shared and then one general not verb but rather vision. Verb number one Karoshi means what you’re doing. So, doing is almost like the transition stuff like picking up pen, putting on shoes. It’s a lot of doing but that’s not the main part of the day. Aśhnāsi means to eat. Number three verb is juhoṣhi whichmeans to offer. This offering is in reference to the Karma Kanda. In reference to a controlled environment because the next word is dadāsi which means not to offer but rather to give. This is not the Karma Kanda but the Jnana Kanda it’s not the controlled environment but the feeling of oneness. karoṣhi, aśhnāsi, juhoṣhi, dadāsi. Number five is tapasyasi that is the effort one’s engaged into be a better person. A reflection Vivek ji had as Vivek ji is studying Mahabharata there’s a term that’s used a whole lot of times is ascetic power. the Sanskrit word is Tapa those who engage in a lot of Tapa they create Punya. What punya feels like is, it’s where life becomes easier. Outwardly it may not become easier. Vivek ji’s outward life is not becoming easier more responsibilities, more challenges, more people, more aging. But Vivek ji is trying to engage in more Tapa for more punya, for Vivek ji to feel life is becoming easier Tapasiasi. Kaunteya, here who is it? Us. Specially studying the Mahabharata where we know our huge family tree. Tat means these five. Kuruṣhva means all of your doing. Karoshi is casual doing, lifting up pen, tying shoes. Kuruṣhva is the Bhava or the attitude in which I’m doing. That’s the vision Vivek ji shared behind all verbs. Mat arpanam mat means to me, that is divinity Arpana that all that we’re doing these five verbs and beyond this is being attached to me I.E. Bhagavan. I am the observer; I am the doer. In our community we’ve gone through the Bhagavad-Gita several ways. In secular way, one who incorporates a business can expense everything. This verse really is sharing to incorporate God; that everything is tied to, connected to, Yukta to Bhagavan.  

Story: Story is about to Sharada devi. Sanskrit is a beautiful language because you can put a word anywhere and it will still make sense. We refer to Devi Sharada as Bhagavati Sarswati.  Sharada Devi, we know mostly as the spouse of Sri Ramakrishna. Vivek ji is sharing a really lovely idea that came through interacting with a chaplain. She was sharing that when someone comes to a mandir she would like to be there to show people around the mandir why it’s designed like this, why is there incense burning, why is this stone black and she doesn’t trust a lot of people who do a good job to say the right things especially for newcomers. Vivek ji asked her anything Vivek ji can do for her.  In fall Vivek ji will be facilitating Hinduism 101 for 32 weeks. Vivek ji is thinking Vivek ji will take out 12 of these weeks and just teach about mandir culture the design of mandirs the flow of mandirs and select popular icons and explain their symbolism and ideally we can create some sort of brochure from this and make this publicly available so mandirs can have this and people can show seekers around with this or they can print them off and give them.  Vivek ji shared with her that they should do this together.

First aspect of Devi Sharada, spouse of Sri Ramakrishna that Vivek ji wants to highlight is like Bhagavati Parvati she was an ideal student. The one who asked Bhagavan Shiva the most questions was, Bhagavati Parvathi. The one who perhaps learned the most, who was the most open to Sri Ramakrishna’s greatness was Devi Sharada. She did not take him for granted that about them being married. Because she knew she was more she knew he was more. Though Sri Ramakrishna was a pujari his primary emphasis was on Advaita Vedanta. Vivek ji is reading one version of this quote “Tie the non-dual knowledge in the hem of your cloth and then do whatever you like”. There’s lots to reflect on this. Essentially if we think about this culturally if one wearing a dhoti one ties their dhoti and get to work. The idea is that this is becoming part of you that work and you are inseparable so Sri Rama Kishna’s teachings to Devi Sharada is make Advaita Vedanta or the science of happiness a part of you. Then if you are a machine all of the actions of this machine will also be of the same nature. So, the first greatness of her is her sheer openness; second greatness of her is that she tuned into the vision then the verbs really become irrelevant. Vivek ji feels somehow, we’ve been taught the opposite when it comes to bhakti it’s about the verbs and not the vision. Perhaps a reason why we don’t know Devi Sharada is because she didn’t engage in any verb that was outward facing that was popular. Sri Rama Kishna was a pujari which is outward facing. She cooked, cleaned, she healed, she consoled like the things that a mother (like a mother for six or ten years old) would do. But she did this for all beings the rich, the poor, the knowledgeable, the ignorant. She quietly worked almost like Sri Hanumana.  Sri Rama Krishna would become the Sri Rama and Devi Sharada would become the Hanuman ji. This is how she carried herself and if you read the feelings of any of the Sri Rama Kishna’s disciples admit rightfully so that so much of their evolution is because of her. She stayed on longer again Sri Rama lift Hanuman ji stayed. She stayed on longer and made sure that these children were young followed Artha and Kama to Moksha. Everyone at one point in their life should read the Gospel of Sri Rama Krishna. In finality you can do it whether you’re unmarried or married or divorced or too many kids or whatever condition you are in the implication is you can do you can do it.

Discussion Subject: What holds you back from offering to Bhagavan? Why? Why? If Devi Sharada can do it?

Vivek ji: We essentially give up because of lack of Satsang but particularly lack of Sanga with Sat. The majority of the people that were around don’t push us hard enough to offer all to Bhagavan. They push us lightly that you did this and that’s good enough. But when you’re around one who’s great they know what greatness feels like and only wish the same for me, for you for us. Vivek ji wants to emphasize again not a lack of access to Satsang but a lack of being open to being push harder. We might feel what Vivek ji is saying is aggressive push harder but the point is that one has to go past their Koshas which really means past limits that comes through pushing through tapa. All of Bhagavad Gita’s chapter 10 teaches that. Prince Arjuna, you think you’re great but really this is the greatest but beyond the greatest is God

RAW: Incorporate God in everything of your life.