ViBha Class Notes: September 25, 2022

Can we change our karma? — a young boy asked Vivekji. We can change our karma in two ways, Vivekji shared. One way is — That karma is going to be experienced, but we can make ourselves stronger so that when we experience that karma, we will be more balanced. The other way is — To change our karma by being closer to Bhagavan Krshna. He is the Karma Adhyaksha or Phaladata or the One who regulates karma. So the closer we are to Bhagavan, the less that karma can touch us. Bhagavan Krshna has no karma, so the closer we are to Him, we too will have less or no karma.

So the boy then asked how he could be closer to Bhagavan Krshna. Vivekji shared “Start with Bhagavan Krshna’s Nama. Listen to it, chant it, write it”. Since he was young, Vivekji left it there. For those of us who are biologically older, if we want to be closer to Bhagavan, how do we do this? Using the same thought process — start with His Nama (name), deepen to His Rupa (form), but the jump comes when we go from Nama and Rupa to Guna (qualities). When we get to know His name and form, but then what it means to us, how His qualities can be invoked within us. And the fulfillment of Guna is Dhama, where we feel so close to Bhagavan that we only feel Bhagavan. Then what karma? Karma only exists in the field of separation. If there is no separation, then no karma. No karma means no more doing, only Being.

Right now, we commence Navaratri. What is the vision of this Utsava? Our default may be tamasik — to be lazy when it comes to our health, our relationships. But if we want to rise, we should invoke Devi Parvati who is an icon of energy. Then our default moves from tamasik to rajasik. Then from Rajas to Sattva, and then at the completion of Navaratri, from Sattva to Vidya. Devi Saraswati is the icon for Vidya, for remembering that we don’t have karma, that we are not even limited by karma or even Sattva, and that the finality of all this is Vijaya. Vijaya is to be victorious over oneself, over our karma, over our guna. We have been celebrating Navaratri in Vedanta in Bhagavata, for 130 weeks. This is THE Navaratri!

In Section 11, Chapter 1, Bhagavan Krshna shares in a familial way that He is independent. How His family thinks, speaks, and acts, that’s how they are. That He is independent! He says that they are falling, from sattva to rajas to tamas. They will fall completely, but that He is independent. Bhagavan knows that seekers like us are going to want to be closer to Bhagavan and be like Bhagavan, so He shares in Chapters 2–5 how to prepare to be independent. The Upadesha from the yogis is really — How do we practice yoga to be yukta? How to follow the path to be a Presence, a Presence that is not subject to rising and falling? After extensively studying Skanda 11, Chapters 1–5, now with Navaratri, we are moving on to Nava content!

Skanda 11:6:21 — Bhagavan Brahma as in the Creator, is speaking to Bhagavan Krshna. He is present with Bhagavan Shiva and other Omni Gods, Semi Gods and specifically with Bhoomi or Prithvi Devi. And Bhagavan Brahma as their spokesperson (He also has the role to be Bhagavan Narayana’s son and thus closer to Him) says, “When our earth was struggling, was suffering, she came to me and we came to You Bhagavan Narayana to ask You to protect her and us, and You have done that now. You have protected those who are noble like the Gopis and corrected those who are ignoble like the Asuras. That is complete, so we do not need You to be Bhagavan Krshna anymore. Come back, come back to our dimension”… and many other details are shared. Here are some –

If we go way back to the beginning of Bhagavata, the seekers are asking the teacher six questions.

Question 1 — What is the greatest good for all? Bhagavan is the greatest good for all. Bhagavan is the one who is engaged in Nigraha — the One who controls or Controller, Creator or Discipliner. And when Bhagavan is expressing His Nigraha, what comes with that is His Anugraha — the One who graces or blesses. Bhagavan, You have acted like that, and through this, all have been blessed, the wicked and the wise. Discipline makes us a disciple, which means we are closer to the Master then. Discipline is The grace!

Special teachings from this chapter –

• When Bhagavan Brahma and all other Gods come, each of them is putting a garland on Bhagavan Krshna, and they put so many garlands on Him that they can’t see Him anymore. Then they share that Bhagavati Lakshmi is feeling jealous. She feels that she loves Him the most, but is coming to realize that many love Him the most. And it is specifically shared that He is not concerned with this jealousy. That is how much He gives precedence to the Bhakta over the Bhagavati. And we can be that Bhakta!
• They praise Bhagavan saying that from His feet there are two streams that have emerged — one is the Ganga and the other is the Veda, one physical and one metaphysical, and both purify. The Ganga, one has to touch, and the Veda, one has to just listen to. How do we become closer to Bhagavan? How do we become a Bhakta? Listen to the Veda! Bhagavata and Bhagavad Gita are the fifth Veda.
• Bhagavan Brahma reminds Bhagavan Krshna how old He is. Bhagavan Krshna is 125 years old, and He shares with all that He is in agreement with their prayer. After His family is Nigraha, disciplined, He will travel through Satya Loka and return to Vaikunta.

They all leave then, and Bhagavan returns to the dimension of Dwaraka. In Dwaraka, everyone is beginning to see omens; that which is ordinary is becoming strange. So Bhagavan Krshna shares with everyone that they cannot live in Dwaraka anymore, and that they will all shift to Prabhasa.

As they are preparing to leave for Prabhasa, Rshi Uddhava comes. The last time we were with Rshi Uddhava was when he was with the Gopis and they were schooling him on Bhakti. So Rshi Uddhava, who is feeling and overseeing all this, shares with Bhagavan Krshna, “You could have stopped the curse upon Your family, but You didn’t. So I am inferring that You are leaving our world. You brought meaning to all of our lives, and with Your leaving, our lives would become meaningless.” So Rshi Uddhava says, “Help us so there will continue to be meaning even when You are not here.”

This is the build up to the final of the six questions –

Question 6 — Where is Dharma’s home? When You are here all is balanced, but when You are not here, how do we continue to be balanced?

Skanda 11:7:7–12 — The original Uddhava Gita is only six shlokas. This is Bhagavan Krshna speaking to Rshi Uddhava.

Before Bhagavan Krshna begins to teach Rshi Uddhava, He shares that Dwaraka will drown in seven days. That even Dwaraka, where they had all been living in a secure way, will drown. That is a lovely message that whatever we feel is most stable is also unstable, other than Bhagavan. So who is not in Bhagavan when Dwaraka begins to sink? Bhagavan. A related message for all of us is the urgency to get out. Bhagavan shares that when He leaves this world that time will change into Kali — more conflict, more selfishness, for all of us, more speed. Life will move faster and faster, and we will feel busier and busier.

The essence of these six verses:

In Verse 7, the key word is Relative. Bhagavan says that all that we input, through our minds and eyes, is nashvaram, is being destroyed. It is on its way to death, so how can we feel secure by depending on that which is being destroyed, which is dying? How can we feel complete? All of this is Mayamayam and Manomayam — filled with maya and filled with the mind. For example — right now if we are insulted, and we take it personally, then our whole world is changed, and we start pondering about what we are really like, what the other person is like. So undoubtedly, our experiences are in our mind.

In Verse 8, the essence word is Separation. Bhagavan shares that when we live in this magical way, in a world of projections and illusions, it is a separate world from His world. Once that separation starts, we keep creating more divisions — me, you, mine, yours, rich, poor, democrat, republican, and so on. So how to not get lost in this world of separation?

In Verse 9, the essence word is Direction. How to not get lost in the mind or in the labels, is direction — to direct the senses to the mind or by the mind, then direct the mind to the Creator, then direct the Creator to us, and finally direct us to Him.

In other words: Bring in the senses to the mind. Bring in the mind to the Creator of this world. Understand that all of creation is in us, and know that we are in Him.

If we do this — the first 3 verses are about the effort, and the last 3 verses are about the phala.

In Verse 10, the essence word is Joyous. If you become Me, you will be Joyous. Those who are joyous, they try to be Shrotriya, which means they nurture a relationship with the shastra, with the map. The depth of this relationship is Nishtha, to first learn all of this, then they be all of this. Know this and then internalize this. Those who are joyous, they have avighna, no obstacles. Living is smooth for them. It is easy.

In Verse 11, the summary message is Free. Those who are Joyous are free, like an infant. An infant is spontaneous, no past, no present. They are free. When one is free, one becomes spontaneous.

In Verse 12, the summary message is Peaceful. Those who are peaceful, spontaneously help others. The greatest resource a nation has is happy people, not just people. If we have stress, anxiety, and dejection, how can we help anyone else? If we have Existence- Awareness-Joy, then we would naturally help others.

As Rshi Uddhava is listening to Bhagavan and internalizing this, he shares with Bhagavan –

Skanda 11:7:14 — “Oh Thou bestower of the fruits of Yoga, Oh Thou the wealth of yogins, Oh Thou who revealest Thyself through Yoga, Oh Thou the Originator of Yoga.” So what is Yoga? The practitioner, the path, the Presence. How comprehensive Yoga is!

Rshi Uddhava shares that he, like the people of the world, is attached. How can we follow what You are sharing if we are attached? Those who are giving into maya or the mind, they feel that reality is external. They live only in the external world. The more extroverted we are, the more attached we are. In Bhagavata, it is shared that samsara is the ocean of misfortune. What is misfortune? Not having meaning. Those who do not have meaning in their lives, they are just pushed around externally.

The final thought, Bhagavan is listening to Rshi Uddhava and shares that, “Those who are adept in Vichara (think, inquire), then they don’t need a Guru. They can learn from all.” What is this a build up for? The Avaduta Gita, where the 24 teachers for Rshi Dattatreya will soon be revealed.

Discussion: Why do we get attached? What are we doing to get detached?

Vivekji shared that we see everyone else get attached and that becomes the norm or default. He is practicing detachment by being courageous to saying NO — starting with articles, circumstances, so that we can channel our energy for Bhagavan and shastra, and so on.