October 5, 2025
One of clearest teachings in Advaita Vedanta is Praptasya Praptihi, which means gaining what is already gained. In English it seems very illogical. How can you gain what you have already gained. Philosophically, it means I already have it. But I am not feeling. In a micro way Vivek ji’s dhaagas on his wrist if Vivek ji feels they are broken all Vivek ji has to do is look, just look at them. This is why we are exploring Bhakti Time in our Sunday class. Whenever the word time is attached to anything it’s sort of like childish like its kid’s time or story time. Here Vivek ji wants to think more robustly. Empathy requires time. If you think you of someone you empathize with its because you gave lot of time to them and vice versa. It’s a serious virtue its empathy. Localizing this to our Divya Shakti retreat (as we are all in Divya Shakti retreat) it is Finding Your Love. All of our Devi retreats have finding built into them. Implication is you already have love, you already have spirit, you already have growth, you already have discipline. But it’s about finding this. There is so much of Praptasya Praptihi is directing us towards understanding. As Vivek ji goes about traveling and teaching, Vivek ji feels this is depreciating in the world is understanding. Someone looks at this body and treats them in this way and there is much, much, much more.
In our fourth class, the subject was relevance of Bhakti. Vivek ji associates this with purpose. Everyone us is longing for purpose. During Covid the phenomenon happened was quiet quitting. As people saw so much loss of health, life they shed all of the superficiality of what they doing and they wanted more purpose. That’s why lots of studies came out and shared that people don’t want more compensation in profession they want meaning. They were ready to quit. The relevance of Bhakti, that relevance is our longing for purpose. Vivek ji doesn’t know anything that is more relevant than this. At physiological level water is relevant, warmth is relevant. But for our inner world nothing is more relevant than Bhakti, purpose. Sharing it in a visual in case if this is too abstract. The way we make letting be liked relevant, or being comfortable relevant it’s like the ray of the Sun. Bhakti is the Sun; we don’t want rays of the Sun we want the Sun and really this depends on this.
Now offering review on what’s happening in Divya Shakti retreat. We are taking up Chapter 23 of Section 10 of Shrimad Bhagavatam. Many of us were already thoroughly immersed ourselves in this. This chapter is entitled Yagna Patni Uddharanam. Yagna means ritualists Patni means family members of these ritualists. Often, they are stopped, or slowed from being seekers. But here Uddharanam they are sped up. It is so, so relevant that we have our Divya Shakti retreat, however there is no Deva retreat because Devas are Yagnas in this description that’s them😊. This retreat is Uddharanam, there is so much laughing at this retreat, there is so much crying happening right after Golu yesterday because they were moved. The name, the theme or the teaching of this chapter is not about what you are doing but why you are doing. If Vivek ji can define ritualism in a simplistic way, it’s someone who is tuned into what and not the why. Earlier in Highest Vocation Vivek ji shared if someone who is invested in clothing instead of the person. If you had to renounce you would renounce clothing before you renounce your skin. The clothing doesn’t make the person in this example it’s the skin that makes the person, that protects that person. Vivek ji will go over another sloka before Vivek ji begins class 5. If Vivek ji asks us to define Bhakti with clarity not with synonyms it would be. Words that define stress are worry, anxiety, tiredness all synonyms. So, stress is worry then what is worry, anxiety. Then what’s anxiety? That’s symptom of stress. Vivek ji was tired last night but not stressed. Those are different. You can find the answers in Stepping Stones play list which is for middle schoolers.
Now we are going into Sloka 20 of Chapter 23 of Section 10
niṣidhyamānāḥ patibhir bhrātṛbhir bandhubhiḥ sutaiḥ
bhagavaty uttama-śloke dīrgha-śruta-dhṛtāśayāḥ
What this verse is teaching is that when Bhagavan Krisha came to the proximity these Devis they all rushed to despite their family members tried to stop them and slow them. They were clear just like the Gopis the only relationship in life is with Bhagavan, with divinity, with purpose. Some take aways from this chapter are
- We have experienced absolute love, have. Before we were born, we were with Bhagavan. That’s absolute love. When we were born most of us experienced absolute love from parents. Then that absolute became relative. For some of us that love is tactile which means it’s not love. When we buy gas from gas station that’s not love, that’s exchange, capitalism. Knowing that I am at relative level I shouldn’t normalize, I should learn to go back to absolute. That’s what these Devis did. Though they were experiencing relative love in that relativity they were able to listen, and feel the absolute. This chapter is so much like Bhagavad Gita where Prince Arjuna is saying let’s go, let’s go Bhagavan Krishna was observing while Prince Arjuna was escaping
- It is the attitude that transforms one not the action. So, if you go into great details of this chapter, these Devis mostly they have done is super domestic like cooking, cleaning. Their attitude was that they need Bhagavan Krishna. In comparison their family members were performing pooja and chanting with a relationship to Murty
Next one is Verse 32 more powerful verse. It is such an amazing verse for us who don’t live in Gurukula who are not close to our guide which is majority of us please internalize this.
na prītaye ’nurāgāya hy aṅga-saṅgo nṛṇām iha
tan mano mayi yuñjānā acirān mām avāpsyatha
na prīti na anurāgāya, aṅga-saṅgo which means for those who have a deep love filled with Priti and Anuraga their deep love is not based on aṅga and saṅgo. Aṅga means physicality. Saṅgo means proximity. For those who deeply love their guide, deeply love their God they did not conditioned by physicality, proximity. If our love is conditioned by physicality and proximity may be its not deep love. So, Bhagavan Krishna is sharing this with all of these Devis. tan mano mayi yuñjānā, your mind you unite them with me. Where does your body has to go? Back home. Where your mind has to go? No where. So, your actions could be at home but your attitude with me. What will happen then? acirān mām avāpsyatha, that’s shared so much in Bhagavad Gita in no time, you will be with me. With me means not by physical not by distance. Offering some reflections for this. Try to be open that actions are less important attitudes are more important. Try to be open. So many times, when Vivek ji interacts with Devi and Devas there is this generalization that Devis are attached and Devas are detached. Vivek ji disagrees. This chapter is validating that. The sign of detachment is open. The sign of attachment is closedness. So, in this chapter who is closed, who is open? Its Devis that are open, Devas were closed. That’s important to know because sometimes Devis say “I am Devi so I am attached. This is just how I am supposed to be”. But here Rishi Vyasa is not saying that. Bhagavan Krishna is not saying that. What right do you have to say that and live by that. This chapter ends with how Devas sharing so much of brutal honesty about how they are living in a shallow way that they are living in an external way rather than deep and internal way. But what’s so much remarkable about this is despite such a brutal honesty they don’t change. They go back to their ritualism instead of being reflective like their Devis.
Science: The scientific way of the definition of Bhati is that Bhakti is feel. But here we may associate it being psychological. Then Vivek ji is going to nuance a little bit. Bhakti is collectedness. Vivek ji knows that we all feel this feeling, we all feel this connectedness but here with connectedness maybe we get familial then. It’s like Shuka is not well right now and Vivek ji is connected with Shuka not being well as an example. Vivek ji is going to nuance it more as Bhakti is Yoke or Yoked. Sanskrit word for Yoke is Yoga. We are tied to Bhagavan. That’s why Vivek ji is using word Yoke or Yoked to Bhagavan. We are. That can never be separated. Not possible. Vivek ji started Bhakti time with the notion of we all will be in-secured until we are one with Bhagavan. Similarly, we will always be looking for purpose until we are one with Bhagavan. So, Bhakti is this feeling connectedness union with that which is closest to us. It is not psychological; it is not familial all this is described as it is divine. Another word in Sanskrit would be Anirvachaneeya. Anirvachaneeya means indescribable, incomparable. When we studied Ramayana, Raja Dasaratha, Raji Kausalya wanted a childlike God. God came as son. That’s what Bhakti is. We have had this emphasized when we studied chapter 7 of Bhagavad Gita where Bhagavan openly says all are Bhaktas. Some feel this union very closely, some feel this very distractedly. Sharing this in a more poetic when we engage in Pooja we speak to Bhagavan. When we engage in contemplation we listen to Bhagavan or Bhagavan speaks to us. See that Telephone cord is there. So, first I speak God I need all of these things. Then I engage in contemplation, Bhagavan speaks to me.
Scripture: Vivek ji is taking up Sutra 2 from Nārada Bhakti Sutra. In Nārada Bhakti Sutra 1st Sutra is almost like table of contents. 2nd Sutra is where the teachings start. Rishi Nārada says Bhakti is Prema. He just doesn’t stop there he follows up with Parama, Prema Parama. Nārada chants Narayana every moment because Rishi Nārada feels it he can’t help it say it. Etymology of Nārada is Nāram Dadāti iti Nārada. Nāram actually means one. Dadāti means one who gives water. Connect this back to relevance of Bhakti. Vivek ji shared with us that Bhakti is relevant because we always long for purpose till we reach THE purpose. Nothing is going to quench this longing life, other than Nāram means knowledge, in this case Nāram means Bhakti. Many of you thoroughly agree with this statement that nothing is going to quench you other than knowledge and devotion. Now pre-RAW for you does your lifestyle match with this statement? Do you live like this? Does your time flow like this? Zooming into this particular Sutra more. Prema an associated word is Bhakti, an associated word is love. Now if love were to come into lifestyle, Vivek ji is bringing back to tactile. It’s easy to say one is, how does one know they are following oneness. Vivek ji is asking for the word we define Bhakti in our community. Dedication. Dedication is not theory; dedication is in application. Going deeper into Sutra, opening it up. What does dedication pull? Sacrifice. Prema is love. Parama Prema or Prema Parama is love filled with, soaked in, drowned in sacrifice. Associated word for sacrifice is letting go, forgiving, renouncing. Adding one more detail. When we cut nails, we don’t even remember what we let go of, what we renounced, what we disidentified from. That’s the purest gauge of sacrifice you don’t know that you are sacrificing. If you know you are sacrificing that’s not dedication. That’s Prema but not Parama Prema. Vivek ji is not question whether we have Prema, we do. But our training is to get to Prema Parama, which is sacrifice and sacrifice and sacrifice without even remembering that I have sacrificed. This is perfectly aligned with Ramayana. In Ramayana Bhakti is called dependance. If I am super dependent on Bhagavan Rama, I forget all my dependencies I am not dependent on you or that because I am super dependent on Bhagavan. Vivek ji shared Bhakti time is about understanding. The relevance of Bhakti it is purpose; it is the final purpose. It is not based on action but it is based on attitude. This is why Bhakti is universal as well not everyone can engage in all actions.
Yesterday we have done soccer Kshetra Pravesha, some Devis have symbolically played soccer😊. They were there but not there. Because they learned that it is only about attitude not about action😊 Now we are zooming into definition of Bhakti. In terms of Bhakti the key word to reflect on is Yoga or union. You are united with Bhagavan but its almost like we pulled that rope so far. In the show Silo on Apple TV, she goes deep into the water when she gets to the bottom, she pulls on that rope to come back. We are backing up with the scripture, Nārada Bhakti Sutra. Nārada means one who can feel this union so he can help us feel that union. He has pulled that rope back, now he is together so, only he can do that for us. We particularly went into Sutra 2. Definition of Bhakti is another synonym, which is Prema. This is not tactile Prema or relative Prema. It is absolute Prema. That means it is not just vision, but it is my lifestyle. What is the indication of this Prema in my lifestyle? Dedication. What’s the real sign of dedication? Sacrifice, of all kinds in always.
Story Time: This story is about Prahlāda. In Shrimad Bhagavatam he is known as Mahā Bhāgavata Prahlāda. Order of Dominance in Shrimad Bhagavatam it is Bhagavan Krishna in most obvious way) it is Rishi Shuka, it is Rishi Shuka in a most obvious way then it is Mahā Bhāgavata Prahlāda. In this Bhakti Shastra he is even above Hanuman ji which is a surreal thought that he is known to be more of a Bhakta than Hanuman ji. That’s unheard of for us. When we teach kids about this, we call him Bhakta Prahlada, Vivek ji’s preference is to call him Rishi Prahlada. He is one who could see without his eyes. We know so much about him, now Vivek ji will highlight the feeling part of this. Rishi Prahalada’s aunts name is Holika. Holika thought that she was powerful but actually she is cursed. Her hour to not burned by fire it was not blessing but it was curse. And she felt so cursed by this. Curse people spread that curse. She couldn’t handle there is someone free sacredly confident like Rishi Prahlada that too her own family member, that too of next generation. She just couldn’t handle it. It’s like people who are insecure bullying others. So, she took Rishi Prahlada and held him the way that Vivek ji holds Shuka out of affection. She held him out of insecurity, out of despising. She grabbed and she went into the fire that she was so used to. This burning didn’t happen outside, this burning in her inside. It’s like she was protected outside. When she went into the fire with Rishi Prahlada that armor which was cursing her came off. She finally got burnt of that armor of that curse of that impurity. Rishi Prahlada was beyond dedication. Dedication is what you and I can do, he was beyond dedication. So, anything he touched would be sacrificed. Holika’s brother is Hiranya Kashyapu. Kashyapu means one who sleeps. Hiranya means gold but in this case, it is comfort; the one who is only living for comfort which means no sacrifice, which means no dedication, which means no purpose. Hiranya Kashyapu was more insecure than Holika who is insecure herself. He couldn’t handle even the word God that’s not related to him. He like his sister burned inside out of insecurity, out of lack of understanding. Holika just tried to burn Rishi Prahlada. Hiranya Kashyapu did everything brought in elephants, brought in poisonous snakes, brought in cliffs, brought in glass, brought in sphere, brought in everything. What did Rishi Prahlada do the entire time? Smiling. Those snakes were Bhagavan Narayana coming to him like that. There is sharp glass, there is smooth glass. All Bhagavan Narayana. This so much reminds Vivek ji of Acharya Bhishma. When Acharya Bhishma’s body is about to die, he was enlightened. So, Vishnu Sahasra Nama comes out of his mouth night mares are Bhagavan Krishna, Day dreams are Bhagavan Krishna, Clouds are Bhagavan Krishna. There is only that oneness. We know that Hiranya Kashyapu tries to assassinate Rishi Prahlada instead Rishi Prahlada is protected by Bhagavan Narasimha. Bhagavan Narasimha was not limited by matter. Bhagavan Narasimha was one with all of the elements. Bhagavan Narasimha was like someone who puffs up their chest so big and small the whole elements were moving with him. Imagine the fabric creation was seething with him. Bhagavan Narasimha needed to calm down, so everyone invoked Bhagavati Laxmi “You are his spouse, you are his beloved, please go and calm him down.” She said “I can’t we have conditional love so he is beyond calming down right now. We have conditional relationship; we have almost like equal relationship.” Bhagavan came to protect who? Then they asked Bhakta Prahlad, Rishi Prahlad, Maha Bhagavata Prahlad to go to Bhagavan Narasimha. Bhakta Prahlad calmly climbed up and sat in Bhagavan Narasimha’s lap. Words are not exchanged because there is just oneness. Words imply too, even if we say I love you, still me loving you. But here there is just oneness. Then Bhagavan Narasimha calmed down, creation came into balance. It was impossible for him to calm down, for creation to calm down. Without this definition of Bhakti Rishi Prahlada was dedicated and beyond to Bhagavan. This union which was beyond union it wasn’t Yoga, it was Yukta.
Discussion Subject: What is blocking you from Parama Prema? What is blocking you from Prema Parama?
Our very first discussion was, why do we seek security?
In class 2 our discussion was what do you want from Bhagavan?
In class 3, why do all Yogas converge in Bhakti? For those who are just joining this was wonderful subject.
In class 4, today discussion subject is What is blocking you from Parama Prema? What is blocking you from Prema Parama?
Praveen: In our discussion group it is that because total dependance hasn’t come yet, we still hold on to us and other things the total dependence comes because that doership is very strong even though we feel during Satsanga that doership is not there we quickly get back to that doership. So that the feeling of Bhagavan even though understanding is there, feeling is not there fully yet.
Vivek ji: I completely concur. Accentuating or providing more details around this. What is one of the more popular words in Advaita Vedanta? Viveka which means to unconfuse. The point Vivek ji trying to make is, we are confused the functional making us feel fundamental. That’s why the dependency independence is not there. But if can unconfuse the functional can only provide functional. The fundamental can only provide fundamental. That would change the dynamics of our dependance. Bhagavan Rama and his family members got it. Bhagavati Seeta came with him. Sri Laxmana depended on him. Rani Kaikeyi didn’t get it. Raja Dasaratha didn’t get it. This is to show you different understandings in a family. Praveen and Sowmya who trained in the course helped Vivek ji a lot with this course, navigating Bhakti time.
RAW: From last class it was chant Aum Namo Narayanaya before you do anything. So, before you rinse your mouth Aum Namo Narayanaya, before you flush the toilet Aum Namo Narayanaya. Why not? It not the Bhagavan Naraya is there only when your hair is combed? Is he not there when the hair is disheveled? When you chant and then you do it, there is fulfilment. We all just want to be independently happy. This is the methodology to do so.
RAW for this week is Vivek ji wants us to count out and how much is sacrificed for us? How much has been sacrificed for you? Please write it out in detail.
Announcements: October 19th at 8:30 PM we are going to celebrate Deepavali zoom code and password is same as Meaningful Mornings code.
Another announcement is a book driven by Sheel ji, it was supported by Ragini and Vivek ji many, many others. It is called Traditions; it is Simple Celebrations for Mindful Living. Yesterday we celebrated Golu and Vivek ji thought the reflections were best that Vivek ji has come across and very powerful.