Sep 21st 2025
When Vivek ji was growing up when Vivek ji watched Hindi movies, he observed the actor Anil Kapoor was putting Jaya-mala, he got married so many times, how does his family feel about this. Vivek ji thought Jaya-mala means that one is married. Then Vivek ji learned a little bit more that Jaya-mala actually means engagement. Naturally Vivek ji understood that he is actor and the woman is actress.
A young person from our community shared a lovely thought with Vivek ji which made Vivek ji think through “The clothes don’t make a person. The person makes the clothes”. Clothes don’t’ make a person. Just because someone puts Jaya-mala on there is any sort of relationship there. It’s the person that makes the clothes. Vivek ji may not have exchanged Jaya-mala here but there is lot of care and love. Now connecting this to Bhakti. Vivek ji feels that it is for Vivek ji and may be for us Bhakti has become about context. Bhakti happens in the Mandir not in English with lots of materials, flowers, smoke, fruits etc. so, it is very context based. That’s problematic because as soon as you leave that context then Bhakti is dissolved. The purpose of this course is to take Bhakti from controlled environment to the uncontrolled environment; from context to the content which happens through understanding. Like Vivek ji didn’t had understanding of Jaya-mala when Vivek ji was younger but Vivek ji now understands what being married is or what not being married is. That understanding is really what makes the difference.
Bhagavan Krishna shared this so openly in Bhagavad Gita’s chapter 9. When Bhagavan Krishna starts to describe what Bhakti is. Bhagavan Krishna uses the word Bhaktya which means whatever you are doing that is less important what’s more important is the feeling behind doing. Then whether it is parenting or teaching or marketing all of our verbs that’s where real Bhakti lived when it is not specific context. This is the design of our Bhakti time.
In our first week our investment was in why Bhakti in reference to understanding?
The science aspect of Bhakti we will only feel secure when we feel oneness with the creator. We might have perfect teeth, perfect job, perfect parenting skills but still feel insecure because we feel separate from creator, creation. It is only through oneness that we will feel secure. So, it’s almost like we were built in with Bhakti. Now we have to understand that more and more.
The scriptural backing of the science came from Bhagavad Gita’s Chapter 9 verse 22 where Bhagavan Krishna shares, I am ever looking at you, the word Bhagavan Krishna uses is Yoga so, I am ever looking after you and the word is Kshema. If you can feel this one teaching in this entire course it will really transform your level of security or feeling of security. The divine is ever looking at us and so the divine is ever looking after us. That has changed Vivek ji’s life knowing this truth so Vivek ji is encouraging us to do the same.
The story is from Bhagavatam. The very first week we heard the story of Gajendra. Gajendra thought he could find the security through pleasure, possession and position. But then through understanding he realized he can only find security through peace. Making this more personal, who ever went through midlife crisis Vivek ji applauds them, Vivek ji shares that they are lucky because now they are going to find more meaning in life. Vivek ji had his midlife crisis when Vivek ji was 23. Vivek ji shares that thank God Vivek ji had this because next phases of life are more meaningful and more directed. Gajendra also went through midlife crisis. The feeling of midlife crisis is I have lot of possession, position and position but I don’t have peace in my life. So, I need to change to focus on peace.
In week 2 of Bhakti time, we went from why Bhakti to Utility of Bhakti. The Science of utility of Bhakti is every being, specifically humans’ evolution is different. Everyone’s evolution is different and because everyone’s evolution is different, everyone’s strategy to evolve is different also. It’s like the little kids should train to dribble to play soccer but an adult doesn’t have to train in dribbling so, not just strategy but intensity as well. Suppose you and your friend’s are of the same evolution and same strategy as well but each one’s intensity is different. You may work harder; they may not work as harder. The utility of this is, if you really accept this you become accepting of others. You may think how come my sibling is not attending Bhakti time right now. Because that’s not their strategy. That’s not their intensity. Accept that.
Coming back to the Bhagavad Gita in Chapter Seven Bhagavan describes four types of Bhaktas different evolution, different strategy, different intensity. Vivek ji gave us reference of Devi Droupadi. Her relationship with divine was out of emotion, emotional Bhakti. Then it was Sugreeva his Bhakti was about practicality from emotional to practical. Then Vivek ji gave reference of Raja Janaka. His was intellectual. On the top, the Maha Bhagavata greatest Bhakta was Prahlada. His was a natural Bhakti effortless, like breathing is effortless for healthy people, sitting on the ground is effortless for those who are flexible. Vivek ji loves this in Bhagavatam his father who was an assassin asks where is your Narayana. Hiranya Kashyapu doesn’t understand God is right there only. Prahlada essential shares where is he not because he felt the existence, God. Our Bhagavan is existence. Our story focused on Devi Droupadi. Few more points to solidify the story which backs the scripture, which backs the science. A sign of ego is doership. If you think of your own body, are you digesting yourself right now? Even your digestion is because of a special power. Suppose are in charge of digestion, you went to a party and you didn’t had time so you couldn’t sleep, and now you feel awful. Thank God there is special power to digest. That’s why when kids are together Vivek ji asks them to feel their lungs are working, their hearts beat. We attribute it to science, an element of science. Can the scientists cut the human beings and make them super human? Its not possible. That’s why in our scriptures even a blade of grass cannot move without divine’s authority. For us to think about Devi Droupadi could protect herself. She thought people could protect her. Finally, she realized she needs divine’s hand to protect her, make her secure. Final thought about this a beginner seeker prays Bhagavan about for what they want. More evolved seekers you pray for what you need not what you want. You have grown out of wants and grown into needs. Bhagavan, help me to understand what I need. Highest level of prayer is not want or need based. I am not praying from Bhagavan, I am praying for Bhagavan. Suppose you have relationship with neighbor because neighbor wants something from you. Suppose that relationship is because neighbor needs something from you. Do you feel good about these two relationships? Suppose that relationship is not from you but for you which is entirely different kind of relationship which takes us into class three.
Class three is on universality on Bhakti.
Science: We all feel that there is more to life than what we are doing. What is that more? You know that you being Sattvic it is not possession, position, peace. What is that more? That more is connection to God. We may not even to verbalize it, we may not even follow it. But that feeling is our connection to God. How many of you had a question that was bothering you and that was addressed in that Satsang? All of us felt this, that’s our connection, our connection is there. We don’t know how our question got answered. Everyone one of us feel love. We love our family, our selves or our sports team. That love involved lot of sacrifice. You can’t quantify that sacrifice. So, you feel love. What Bhakti is teaching us is to redirect that to original source. I feel more so I want to have more friends. But really Bhakti is feel that more with God. I feel love towards my sports team, my family, myself Bhakti is guiding us to redirect it to God. Vanik Buddhi, Vanik means sales person, Buddhi means they have that narrative. Someone in sales or trade they always thinking about what they can get from you. I can be friend you, I can groom you so that I can buy this from you or you can buy from me. Pujya Swami Tejomayananda has shared the way that the way Vanik thinks if we think about Bhagavan the same way we all would be enlightened. If you are lusty about someone all you can think about is that person. If you could replace that person with Bhagavan, you will be enlightened. So, we do have that feeling it needs to be redirected.
Scripture: Vivek ji is referencing Bhaja Govindam originally known as Moha Mudgara. Moha means delusion which means you mix the ends with means. There is sequence of making oat meal to heat the water and then mix the oats. One doesn’t know the sequence of how to be happy. Mudgara means a hammer, a hammer to delusion. Verse 7 of Moha Mudgara Acharya Shankara shares when one is a youth, one loves and focused on Taruni which means opposite gender. Next is Bala. A child loves and focused on toys, word is Kreeda just want to play. Then the youth is about lust. After that comes Vruddha which means old. What do people who are older not involved with self-development what do they have Sakta means love or attached. Chinta which means worries. So, one went from toys to humans to worries. But next Acharya Shankara almost his hands up says Kopi, who is there who has his love, attachment to Bramhan to be infinite, to peace. The point is who is there. Sakta means attachment. When I am attached to toys or humans or worries it just makes me more attached. You can’t get rid of attachment with more attachment. In one of the episodes of Simpsons this substitute teacher who is an old gentleman gets his beard caught in pencil sharpener. Another older person Homers dad comes to help and he turns it in more which makes the beard stuck more. Last part teaches when we are attached to divine Sakta turns into Asakta. By being attached one who is detached we too become detached. We studied that in Bhagavatam. Gopis didn’t had lust towards Bhagavan. Gopis loved the one who is most detached and they became same.
Story: Story is about Tulasidasa. Tulasidasa had lot of attachment towards his wife. That attachment devolved he had lot of lust towards his wife. Once Tulasidasa who was brahmana that means he only studies and shares, he doesn’t have focus on funs and foods. He has just come back from teaching so just come back from Bhiksha sat down to eat. His wife wanted to go to her parents. So she goes to her parents. As evening comes, he started to feel more, lonely. He tried to sleep, he was tossing and turning so much he can’t sleep instead he strategized I am going to see my wife. So, he leaves his home goes towards his in laws home. It was raining a lot during that night. He was going through all of this rain trying to locate his in laws house. He climbs up to get to her room to find her going through the window, pleasures himself and sleeps there. His wife is so disgusted at him and says that the way you long for this body if you long for Rama you would be free, you would be independently joyous. This just blew his mind and he quietly went down those vines to the ground and went home and that’s where he really started to feel Bhagavan Rama, Bhagavan Hanumana and we are the beneficiaries. We got the Ramayana, we got Hanuman Chalisa really because of his wife, the challenge that she put out there. Pujya Swami Tejomayananda has stated that while he was up those vines one of them was a snake. Just this that he was so lost that he could have ended his life. Wasn’t that didn’t have feeling of more, that feeling of love he was just in that wrong direction. His wife grabbed and told him go that way. Through the redirection we have earned Sri Tulasidasa.
Discussion Subject: Why do all Yogas converge into Bhakti?
Vivek ji: We always have qualities needed to be in Bhakta we just don’t have the direction. When Vivek ji interacts with those who completed their education and they are about to start their career their IQ is high, they are very intelligent. What value is Vivek ji into their life? Vivek ji has direction that they don’t have. So, Vivek ji doesn’t increase their intelligence. Vivek ji tries to redirect their intelligence from IQ to EQ and then to SQ. We have to follow these so that we have direction.
RAW: Try to be intentional before acting by saying out loud Aum Namo Narayanaya or Aum Namah Shivaya Whom is not important it is the intention that is important.
How to keep Bhagavan in your radar is to chose your friends wisely. If you are around people like Gajendra that’s what you are going to think about and talk about. If you are around the people like Tulasidas’s wife that’s what you are going to talk about. That’s what you are going to think about. We tell our kids to chose their friends wisely. How is it different for us? if they are influenceable, we are also influenceable.
Offering wishes in advance of the commencement of Navaratri, Vivek ji shared on YouTube channel how to specifically practice Navaratri. In a very simplified way the first part of Navaratri is to dedicate Navaratri is to dedicate to Bhagavati Parvati the way to invoke her is to become more energetic. Vivek ji shared to eat more fruits, vegetables and water. If you are lazy, lethargic person you don’t have to chant Lalita Sahasra Nama. Go outside more, go to Jim more. Second part of Navaratri is to become more enthusiastic. Energy is for the body; enthusiasm is for the mind. A sign of someone who is enthusiastic is you have good sleep hygiene. This is an opportunity to invoke good hygiene look forward to waking up. Third part of Navaratri this is from gross, subtle to causal is to become more empathetic. Empathy is the virtue that precedes Advaita. What is Advaita mean? Oneness. A really good way to do this is to be active listener. Do that regularly with your coworkers, your neighbors. So Vivek ji shares best wishes to make Navaratri real so on Vijaya Dasami is not just about eating or dancing you become closer to our divine mother. Bhagavan Rama defeated Ravana.