ViBha Class Notes – November 12, 2023

If we had to think of one of the most powerful personalities in society today, Vivekji shared that one of them would be Taylor Swift. She is a naturally powerful person in society, and it is not based on politics or money. It is really just an art that she has become so powerful with. In one of her songs, she sings – I will stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror. There is a lot of depth to this, similar to a Michael Jackson song “The Man in the mirror” – I will change the world, but it will start with the man in the mirror.  Taylor Swift and Michael Jackson are verbalizing in song form how intellectual our society is. We are ready to study the sun, but not ourselves. They have verbalized how theoretical our society is. Wanting to go to the gym is just theory, and actually going to the gym is application. In reference to practice and application and in reference to ourselves, those who are living for theory or intellectualism, this is an exercise in deflecting, which means we are not reflecting. 

Vivekji shared that he has been observing for over sixteen years that those who are very intellectual or theoretical, this doesn’t work towards helping them to be happier. It doesn’t work to help them to be Happiness. So the catalyst to going from being intellectual to being personal, from deflecting to reflecting, is Bhakti. It is Bhakti or Dedication which is a way to balance theory and application, to balance deflection and reflection. This is why in September of 2016, we commenced our exploration of Vedanta in Ramayana, and for two and a half years we turned the Story of Ramayana to our Story, how we can follow the Path to Rama or Joy. After we “completed” the ViR course, (we can actually never complete the Ramayana until we feel Rama), in January of 2019, we commenced our exploration of Vedanta in Bhagavata – our ViBha course. This is a long period of exploring Bhagavata, and now as we are completing the final section in final chapters, we are going to do a long review. The 12th Chapter of the 12th Section is actually a review of itself. Shrimad Bhagavata is reviewing Shrimad Bhagavata, and we are going to do the same, but in a more detailed way. In the coming weeks, Vivekji will be sharing fifty pointers or lakshyas into Bhagavata. These will be simple, “remembrable”, and practicable. 

Now coming back to Taylor Swift who is ready to stare at the Sun even though it is not good for her eyes, but she will not stare at the mirror, we tend to deflect, so now we are going to reflect. Just like the Ramayana went from a story to our story, Bhagavata will go from being a book to being our Being. Vivekji will share four points for each section.

We start in Section 0 which is the Mahatmya – the Glory of Bhagavata. This is to prepare us for what we will experience. 

1. The first verse of this section that we have been regularly chanting: Sachidananda rupaya vishvotpatyadi hetave 

tapatraya vinashaya Shri Krsnaya vayam numah 

This verse is sharing that Shrimad Bhagavata is the external form of Infinity – Existence-Awareness-Joy. This is external, but if we reflect and internalize this, we will feel the same.

2. Bhagavata is a Purana or ancient scripture. The etymology is pura api nava – pura means ancient and nava means new or fresh or applicable. So it is ancient, yet applicable, just like we are fond of the phrase Satyameva Jayate. The Truth alone wins, and that is not dated. This statement was shared such a long time ago that it is eternal. This Purana that we are experiencing is called Bhagavata, which means Bhagavata idam – that which belongs to Bhagavan. The idea here is that we should feel that we belong to Bhagavan. If we are very busy trying to belong to our parents, our spouse, our siblings, our children, our cousins and so on, then we have no availability to belong to Bhagavan. That is why Vivekji has shared that we should learn to compartmentalize. If there is any negativity in our life, we should learn to compartmentalize that, so we can keep following making ourselves available for Bhagavan. If we do not compartmentalize, then like a disease, it will spread into all of our effort and time. 

3. In the Mahatmya, Section 0, there is a story about Bhakti. Bhakti is this vibrant woman who has two sons, Viveka and Vairagya or Jnana or Vairagya, and they are very old. Rshi Narada sees this very unique expression as typically parents are older and kids are younger. So he asks her how there is this age discrepancy. Essentially, the takeaway is that people follow Bhakti, but in an external and ritualistic way. They do not tune into the Vedanta which focuses on prioritization and independence. So Rshi Narada is concerned for her and asks his teachers, his four elder brothers, the Sanata Kumaras. They share with Rshi Narada that the way to cure Bhakti so that her children become vibrant like her, is to experience a Bhagavata Saptaha – to experience Bhagavata over a week. There is a cumulative effect then. The Bhagavata Saptaha is shared by the Sanatana Kumaras and the sons come to life. Over the past five years, we have learned more about Viveka, which is prioritization and Vairagya, which is independence.

4. There is another story relating to Dundukari, who is a selfish person, only thinking about himself and his family, and because of this, he really gets stuck in life. At one point, he is trapped in this bamboo stick. Fortunately he gets exposed to this Bhagavata Saptaha. What happens to Dundukari? He is an active listener. He has felt so stuck in his life that he has become more attentive with listening and learning. He has been stuck in this bambook stick and this bamboo stick explodes and he becomes free. For us also, just by being an active listener, or one who is reflecting, we make Bhagavata personal and we come to feel more free.

So that is Section 0, the Mahatmya which is on the Glory of Bhagavata.

Now we come to Section 1.

1. It is on Adhikari which means disciple – what makes one ready to personalize Bhagavata. Now we are in Skanda 12, Chapter 12, which itself is a review on Bhagavata. 

Skanda 12:12:2 –   etad vaḥ kathitaṁ viprā

viṣṇoś caritam adbhutam

bhavadbhir yad ahaṁ pṛṣṭo

narāṇāṁ puruṣocitam

O Great Sages, I have narrated to you the wonderful pastimes of Lord Vishnu as you enquired about them from me. Hearing such narrations is the suitable engagement for a person who is actually a human being.

So listening to Bhagavata helps one be humane. 

2. In the first section, the first verse we have chanted every week as well, ends with Satyam Param Dhimahi. Shrimad Bhagavata teaches us to contemplate on Satya – nobility, truth or Existence. If we do this, then in the second verse which we have also chanted every week – Tapatraya unmulanam – tapa is that which burns us, and traya means in three directions. We have physical burns like getting older, we have mental burns like our relationships and we have intellectual burns when we are confused about purpose or about how to be happy. But the one who is contemplating on belonging to Bhagavan, then unmulanam happens – these 3 facets that are trying to burn us, open up, as in, we stop being burned by them. This is all shared in the first section. 

3. The dialogues of Shrimad Bhagavata begin in Naimisharanya (near Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh). What is happening is a very comprehensive ritual and during these rituals, people tend to get distracted. So, there are some people who want more, where they want to focus less on the ritual and more on the knowledge. So within this, a Satsanga develops. The seeker in this Satsanga is Raja Shaunaka. He is great and has so much in life, but knows that there is more to life, and is dialoguing with Rshi Ugrashava, one who has learned all the Puranas from his great father who was a disciple of Rshi Vyasa. In this dialogue, Raja Shaunaka asks six questions and Srimad Bhagavata answers these six questions over thousands of verses. 

Q1. What is the greatest good for all humans?

Q2. What is the purpose of Avatara?

Q3. What is the performance of Avatara?

Q4. What are the passings of Avatara?

Q5. What is the play of The Avatara? Bhagavan Krshna – Section 10

Q6. Where does Dharma live? (When Shri Krshna is no longer present.)

4. Raja Parikshita is observing violence that is happening and the source of this violence is Kali, the spirit of living in a busy way or the spirit of selfishness. Raja Parikshita exiles Kali and shares that it can only live in four places – 

• where there is dyuta or gambling or deceit 
• where there is pana or intoxicants 
• where there is strya or lust 
• where there is suna or cruelty – relating to animals and plants. 

So gambling, intoxicants, lust and cruelty, but Kali wants more places to live. So Raja Parikshita throws in one more place, the point being that this actually lives in the other four places as well, and that is Kanchana or materialism. Where there is materialism, there will also be these other four. Personalizing this, if these are places where we live, then we are naturally going to live in a busy selfish way. 

A last thought – When Raja Parikshita takes off his crown, he realizes the mistake he has made and how he treated this Rshi, and he prays to be punished. Then immediately, it is vocalized that he is going to be punished, and he starts to cry that God is Real! He prayed to God to be punished to be corrected, and that came right away and he felt the reality of Bhagavan. A powerful thought for all of us to reflect on – If we all have just one week to live, our greatness will be shown by who comes to us in our final week. If we have done nothing for anyone, then in our final week, no one will come for us. But who came for Raja Parikshita? Rshi Shuka and lots of Rshis. He did make a mistake, but look how rightly he lived! His greatness was shown by who came to him when he needed them. Living equals leaving – what you leave behind is indicative of how we are living. 

Now we come to Section 2. 

1. In the second Skanda the focus is on Sadhana or Discipline, but this discipline is helping us to develop ourselves. There is an intention to that discipline.

Skanda 12:12:7 –         yoga-dhāraṇayotkrāntiḥ

saṁvādo nāradājayoḥ

avatārānugītaṁ ca

sargaḥ prādhāniko ’grataḥ

The Bhagavatam explains how one can attain liberation at the time of death by practicing fixed meditation in yoga. It also contains a discussion between Narada and Brahma, an enumeration of the incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and a description of how the universe was created in progressive sequence, beginning from the unmanifest stage of material nature.

2. The discipline is Contemplation and that is why it is called the highest vocation. The highest vocation or Contemplation is on Svarupa – on feeling Infinity in ourselves. If that is too hard, the next highest contemplation is Contemplating on Vishwarupa – on feeling Infinity in this multiverse. And if that is too difficult, then the third expression of Contemplation is on Ishtarupa – in a particular murti, which means there is a form with a name in a controlled environment. So Svarupa, Vishwarupa and Ishtarupa. To be able to contemplate, we need to be in Naimisharanya. What this word means is Nemihi Shiryate – where our thoughts stop. When our thoughts stop, that is when we will be able to contemplate on Infinity.

In this section, a syllabus for Shrimad Bhagavata is shared, similar to Chapter 2 of the Bhagavad Gita. So the entire Bhagavata is shared as a preface in this section. These are all the things that are going to happen, in a very short form. A lovely implication of this is that Bhagavan will be there in the future. Bhagavata is happening and they are sharing that all of these Avataras are going to come, and so do this and that. So it means Bhagavan will be there in the future, so what are we worried about? We worry about the future, but if we know Bhagavan will be there, then what is there to worry about. 

3. In this section, the original Bhagavata is also shared. The original teacher of Shrimad Bhagavata is Bhagavan Narayana and the original student is Bhagavan Brahma. There are only four verses and the remaining 17,996 verses are an elaboration of these four verses. The content of the 4th verse is – Extraction is Release. When we start to reflect, we will be released from being stuck, from being selfish.

4. In this section, there is a list of all of the Avataras. These are the main Avataras on which Shrimad Bhagavata flows.The four questions of Raja Shaunaka all relate to the Avataras. 

We start with Infinity, which we refer to as Brahma or Bigness.

Incarnation 0: Bhagavan Narayana – when Brahman expresses, Brahman expresses as Bhagavan

Incarnation 1/2: Bhagavan Brahma, as he is attached to Bhagavan Narayana, similar to an infant whose umbilical cord is still attached to its mother. It is sort of alive and not so alive in a technical sense, as it is still not feeding itself. The next 22 Avataras are more formal.

Incarnation 1: The Sanat Kumaras

Incarnation 2: Bhagavan Varaha

Incarnation 3: Rshi Narada

Incarnation 4: Rshi Nara Narayana (two but counted as one)

Incarnation 5: Rshi Kapila

Incarnation 6: Rshi Dattatreya

Incarnation 7: Rshi Yajna

Incarnation 8: Bhagavan Rshaba (Jains also celebrate Deepavali and Rshabadeva is an incarnation of Bhagavan Narayana).

Incarnation 9: Raja Prithu (then Prithvi)

Incarnation 10: Bhagavan Matsya

Incarnation 11: Bhagavan Kamata or Kurma

Incarnation 12: Bhagavan Dhanvantari

Incarnation 13: Bhagavati Mohini

Incarnation 14: Bhagavan Narasimha

Incarnation 15: Bhagavan Vamana

Incarnation 16: Bhagavan Parushurama

Incarnation 17: Rshi Vyasa

Incarnation 18: Bhagavan Rama (Kondandarama)

Incarnation 19: Shri Balarama

Incarnation 20: Bhagavan Krshna

Incarnation 21: Bhagavan Buddha

Incarnation 22: Bhagavan Kalki

We will continue our review next week. 

—————————————–

Discussion: From January 2019 until whenever we joined Vedanta in Bhagavata, what has been the most significant utility that we have gained from Vedanta in Bhagavata? What have we gained the most?

Some thoughts shared by seekers, elaborated by Vivekji – 

• Preparing for death – It is true that Bhagavata teaches us the art of dying, and only when we know that can we get to the art of living which is the Bhagavad Gita.  
• Living equals leaving – What we are leaving behind helps us to live, and Raja Parikshita is an amazing role model in this regard. 
• Immersing in Katha helped one increase their faith in Bhagavan Krshna. In the Narada Bhakti Sutra class, we have learned that Katha helps one to have less samshaya or doubts. The more katha we are immersed in, the less self doubt we have. 
• How incredible, comprehensible and in depth our teachings are, covering all facets of our lives. All kinds of subjects have been touched upon in Bhagavata – climate change, economic policy, relationships – and we got to go through all these frameworks, and that’s so cool!

Last week’s RAW:  What 3 policies would we enact as the leader of Sanatana Dharma or Spirituality? 

Vivekji’s thoughts – In every institution, whether an office or school, there would be a mandatory one hour investment in Vitamin R3, specifically Svadhyay or Getting to Know ourselves, particularly through Reading, Writing and Reflecting. The more we understand ourselves, the more we understand others, as the hardest part of living is people.

RAW: Explain what Shrimad Bhagavata is to seven people who are not in this class.