Vivekji started by re-reading the verse from Skanda 10:5:4 about purity:
- Objects gain purity by the passage of time or kala
- Bodies gain purity by snana or bathing
- Places become pure by shoucha or cleaning
- Actions become pure through samskaras or intention
- Senses become pure through tapa or discipline
- Rituals or karma become pure through sejaya or sacrifice
- Wealth becomes pure by dana or charity
- Mind becomes pure by santushta or contentment / Peace
- Ego becomes pure by atma-vidya, by knowing that we are not the ego and that we are The Spirit.
This is very much in the direction of our course — the purer one’s ego is, the closer we feel to our Creator or the divine. In the Bhagavata, it is said, “The most conspicuous sign that we are getting closer to the divine is complete self-dedication to Him and the feeling of intense anguish whenever the mind slips away from Him.”
If we are flowing through Vedanta in Bhagavata, we too feel that anguish when we are not thinking about Bhagavan. To understand this physically, when we are short of breath from swimming or in a tight space, the way we feel frustration and longing for air, can we relate to that same Bhava or feeling for Bhagavan?
In the science of devotion, there are two forms of Bhakti. One framework of Bhakti is Vaidhi bhakti — when we engage in practices because we are supposed to. So many of us grew up like this. Our relationship with God has always been externalised. The second form of Bhakti is Prema bhakti, and here we are engaged in practices first because we want to. Those who are new to this course, we are engaged in this Prema bhakti because we want to, and those are not new to this course, we don’t just want to be engaged, but feel the need to be in the course, more so for the love for the divine. Another way to know if we’re practicing Vaidhi or Prema Bhakti is when we count — how much money we are giving or how much time we are engaged in japa or if we feel we have done enough puja. Whereas if we feel Prema bhakti, we don’t feel the need to keep track by counting as it is never enough.
Now going back to Devi Devaki and Vasudeva, they wanted a child like Bhagavan. Since no one is like Bhagavan, Bhagavan Himself came as their child. They are icons of yajna, dedication. Devi Devaki was prepared to have her infants murdered in the hope that her eighth infant would survive and bring freedom for her and for all. Such a sacrifice none of us can conceive of. Those of us who have lost a child, been through a mis-carriage or those who have been unable to have a child can marginally relate to this, but nothing compared to what Devaki and Vasudeva had to go through.
Bhagavan is always encouraging us to be focused on Him. Sometimes He does this in a hard way and sometimes in an easy way. The birth of Bhagavan is encouraging us to engage in tapa which means to burn down our comfort zones, particularly that we think we are this body, this mind, this intellect. The one who is focused on Bhagavan, beyond the body, mind, intellect, is able to expand themselves. They are not just living for themselves, their families or their communities. We know we are engaged in tapa when we practice more titeeksha, which means absorption or endurance. Bhagavan’s parents had to go through so many hardships, but they were engaged in tapa, and because of their titeeksha shakti, they were able to endure so much.
As we go through Bhagavan Krishna’s life, we will meet more Asuras and we will see that Bhagavan Krishna never gives up, those around him do not give up, and we will not give up either.
Skanda 10:6:34 — Rishi Shuka is telling Raja Parikshita that what was incredible was that when Putana was being burned, she smelled like sandalwood or chandan. She was so big that to burn her, they had to cut her body limb by limb and carry her out of the village. Putana’s burning body was emitting this fragrance.
The lead up to this verse is — When Nanda woke up and saw his most precious son, he was in a festive mood and so was all of Gokula. There was so much closeness in the community that a child born in the community was like everyone’s child, and a death in the community was like everyone’s sorrow.
Nanda wanted to share with Vasudeva a part of this celebration. He wanted to share that he had a new child in his family. Imagine how sad Vasudeva would have been knowing that this was his child, but that he could not enjoy him, but was happy that he survived. Now while Nanda was visiting Vasudeva, Kamsa had a meeting with his Ministers who were all shapeshifters, to go kill all infants.
One of these shapeshifters was Putana and as a shapeshifter, she made herself super attractive. She was so beautiful that when she came to the home of Bhagavan Krishna, Yashoda and Rohini were hypnotised by her. She picked up Bhagavan Krishna to nurse Him. She had applied poison to her nipples and thought the infant wouldn’t enjoy it, but Bhagavan Krishna loved it! He sucked and sucked so much that she started saying “muncha, muncha” or release me, release me, for us symbolically meaning “release me from this bondage’. Finally when Bhagavan Krishna sucked all of the putana from her, she became Puta. When He sucked all the negativity from her and her shapeshifting ability went away, her true form of an Asuri was revealed which was horrendous. She was at one point described as Rudira Anashna or one who drinks blood. That is when her body was taken away limb by limb to be cremated, and the smell was fragrant.
Vedanta: As we go through all these Asuras, each one of them symbolises a different vice. Puta means Pure — Na means Not. So Bhagavan Krishna sucked the Na, the vices from her and she is left with only Puta, the purity. That’s just like us. We are Puta, but feel the Na in us, as if we are Putana. What causes this is Avidya. So Putana symbolizes Avidya which means incompleteness on account of forgetfulness.
One of Guruji’s quotes is — If we hear someone talking ill of another, we should put a stop to it right away. If gossip is repeated ten times, we start to believe it’s true. Now if we think, how many times we have been told that we are this body? How many thoughts have we had that we are unhappy? This shows that we have strong forgetfulness. Wherever there is Avidya or unhappiness, all other vices come from that source. So after Putana, many more asuras came. For one who is happy, are they angry? Are they disorganised? Do they complain? NO! How can we be like Bhagavan Krishna, to take away the Na and leave the Puta? Like Bhagavan Krishna held on to Putana tightly — she said muncha and He said no way.
We too should hold on to divine katha or teachings, all the time, and we will naturally let go of what is not divine. When we reduce the reality of the relative, it naturally increases the reality of the absolute.
Skanda 10:7:11 — There was a loud crash and when they came to where the crash was, they saw Bhagavan Krishna, this infant, just giggling and kicking His legs, while there was so much destruction around Him. Seeing this, Devi Yashoda thought her child was possessed so that’s why He had these supernatural abilities. First, He killed Putana and now all this destruction around Him. So she called these Brahmanas to chant.
Leading up to this — When Bhagavan Krishna was three months old, they celebrated the sixth samskara called Nishkramana. This is when the infant comes out of the home for the first time and is usually taken to a mandir or an ashram. Here, they were celebrating Bhagavan Krishna’s birthday and lots of people came to give Him gifts. They put all of these gifts in a shakata or a cart. Actually, Shakata was a shapeshifting form of another Asura. This Asura was weakening the cart so that all the stuff on the cart would come down on Bhagavan Krishna, but Bhagavan just kicked the cart and destroyed the Asura and all the stuff as well. So that is why everyone came running.
Vedanta: This Shakata Asura is symbolic for Materialism. When we have materials, but do not need them for completion, then those are just materials. When we have or don’t have materials, but need those materials for completion, that is called materialism. So it’s not about having or not having, but it’s about needing for completion. Vedanta is not anti-materials, but is anti-materialism.
To visualize, all of these materials were on top of Bhagavan Krishna, and that is materialism. But it should be the other way around, where Bhagavan should be on top of the materials. Such a relationship is healthy. There is a tradition in Sanatana Dharma to first install Bhagavan when we move to a new home, so that we know this is Bhagavan’s home first and that we are a guest in that home.
How do we know if we are materialistic? — The gauge is when we are fearful and frustrated. Our personality type is when we are always fearful and angry. Wherever there is Raga or attachment or dependence, there is Bhaya or fear — fear that what we’re attached to, will go away. However, any thinking person knows that everything that has come into our lives will leave our lives, so that fear is not justified. When it does leave, fear devolves into Krodha, frustration or anger at that which caused it to happen.
Suppose we have a valuable mug, dish or snowglobe and someone accidentally breaks it. Then there is anger at the person since they are the cause for that dependency to break. The object was going to break anyway, so we should thank that person.
Two practices for us — First practice — whatever is yours/urs, USE. Everything we have right now, use it till the end. Second Practice — whatever you get, GIVE because you don’t need it.
Bhagavan on top and materials underneath — this keeps materials in check.
Discussion: Why do we feel separate from Bhagavan?
Vivekji’s thoughts: Why we feel separate from Bhagavan is the mind. We have to learn how to use our mind in the right way, and then we will not feel separate from Him. We believe more in our mind than in what runs our mind. When we allow the mind to be pushed around by the intellect, then we won’t feel separate from Bhagavan.
Question 1 — What does Kaustuba mean? Kaustuba is the fifth entity that came out of the churning of the Milky Ocean. It went directly to Bhagavan Narayana and it symbolises awareness. The source of Awareness or light is the Divine. That is why it didn’t go to the Suras or Asuras. Bhagavan is the source of light.
Question 2 — How do we journal our thoughts, as it’s more complicated than it seems? We should engage in journaling every day, in a store-bought journal, about fundamental and not functional things in our life. In the morning, start your morning with likhita japa on one side. At the end of the day, on the opposite side, looking at the likhita japa, we should write our questions and reflections about life, and we will find that we will find our own answers. The more transparent we are, the more confident we will be.