ViBha Class Notes: October 9, 2022

At the beginning of studying an Upanishad, traditionally we chant a Shanti mantra. This is because the study will be ineffective if we don’t have Shanti. Now, we have changed this tradition where the Shanti mantra is chanted at the end. So better than calling it a Shanti mantra, is calling it an Abhyasa mantra, that what was just theorized, we should now practice.

One of these mantras, that we are all familiar with is:

Om Purnamadah — That is Infinite

Purnamidam — This is Infinite

Purnaat Purnamudachyate — From that Infinity has come this Infinity

Purnasya Purnamadaya — If this Infinity is taken from that Infinity

Poornameva Vashishyate — What remains is Infinity

However, is there this or that in Infinity? No, there is no that, there is no this. The implication of this mantra is Infinity — Infinity — period. All of us have only experienced Infinity, just like all of us have only experienced the present. If we ask everyone to think back to Friday, which is the past, we may do that, but how are we accessing that? In the present. If asked to think about lunch, which is technically the future, how are we accessing that? In the present.

We have never not lived in the present. That is why it is so nonsensical when someone says — Live in the present, as it is impossible otherwise. Now deeper than the present, is the Presence, as even the present is a measurement of time and that measurement of time is built on the Presence, which is referred to as Purna in this mantra. Infinity. — That is what Shrimad Bhagavata or Advaita Vedanta is guiding us to.

The majority of humanity does not feel they are Infinite. This is why in our culture, to help us feel Infinite, we have maps. Some of these maps are historical, such as the Ramayana. The word Ramayana means the Ayana to Rama — the path to the Presence. Puranas are another type of maps, and Shrimad Bhagavata is a Purana. They are not historical, but educational texts.

This Purana particularly guides us: Ta means boat or means. Va means best, the best means. Ga means to go. Yatra means to go outside, but what it actually means is to go inside. So Ga means to move inside. If we are on the best boat to move, we will find Bha, which means light or Divya. Bhagavata is an educational map for us to feel light. These maps require us to actively apply ourselves. These are not passive maps. If we reflect, then we will know how we should practice. We cannot just know about this, but we have to apply this. Application in the field of self-development comes naturally by reflection. The more we reflect, the more we will find the way we are supposed to apply, and to reflect, one needs to have Shraddha or Faith.

In the Ramayana, there is a beautiful portion where Shri Lakshmana asks Bhagavan Rama some questions and this is called Shri Rama Gita. Before Bhagavan Rama answers, He asks Shri Lakshmana to look around. And where are they? In Panchavati. Panchavati is this jungle where there are five types of strong trees and Bhagavan says that to understand His answers, we have to have five types of strong faith or five directions of strong faith. These are:

1. Faith in Sat — Infinity
2. Faith in Shastra — the map that guides us to Infinity
3. Faith in our Sadguru — the one who takes that map and personalizes it for us
4. Faith in Sva — or in oneself, as a seeker who can follow the guidance of the map to Infinity
5. Faith in Sadhana — that this means will lead to the ends

Then Bhagavan Rama answers Shri Lakshmana, and he understands as he has faith in Bhagavan.

In the Bhagavad Gita, amongst a million searchers, there is one seeker. A searcher is one who wants to be happy, and a seeker is one who needs to be happy. There is an intensity. And amongst a million seekers, there is one savior or one who has been saved, and can save others. Most of us have become seekers reactively as we have tried different means that didn’t work out. Shared in a more harsh way, most of us became seekers not out of inspiration, but out of desperation. Comparatively, Bhagavan Brahma became a seeker proactively, and not reactively.

Now Bhagavan Brahma has been taught the original Bhagavata, and just like he faltered, we also falter. In the beginning of Skanda 10, Bhagavan Brahma forgets that Bhagavan Narayana is the Doer and he hides all of those calves and boys. And what does Bhagavan Krshna become? All of those calves and all of those kids. So that whole narration is where Bhagavan Brahma faltered into arrogance, and Bhagavan Krshna who is Bhagavan Narayana, taught him about humility, and he did become humble.

At the start of this Retreat, Vivekji shared a prayer where Bhagavan Brahma prays that in his next lifetime, he can be a tree in Vrindavan. That requires a lot of humility for the Creator to say he would like to be a tree in his next lifetime. We all have faith, but we falter. So there has to be a balance of self-criticism and self-forgiveness.

Visualizing this — Imagine that our life or our opportunities are a spinning wheel and on it, there is raw clay. That raw clay is our ego. Now if we need to thin the clay out, we need to lift it up. So we start with our left hand on one side of the clay, which is like self-forgiveness, and the right hand on the other side as the shaping hand, is self-criticism. If we push the clay down too hard with either hand, it will collapse. Similarly, we do have faith, but we do have to be critical of our faith to make it wise.

As we are completing this Devi Retreat on finding our faith based on the Original Bhagavata, we know we have more faith when we have less stress, less anxiety and less dejection. Another gauge Viveji shared was that faith is immeasurable, incomparable, which means there is no competition. All that we do is so competitive otherwise.

Coming back to Narayani Namostute — Narayani Namah Astu Te

Narayani, we know You live inside of us. Namah — You are holding my hand and I’m holding Your hand. Astu te — we are implementing this.

There is nothing to fear as She is holding our hand and we are holding Her hand.

Here is a summary of the teachings of Chatuhshloki Bhagavata — Skanda 2:9:32–35 that we studied thus far –

• Infinity is Real — Shloka 32 — How can we feel this more? — Infinity expressed as Divinity is looking at us and so, is looking after us. Since Infinity is looking after us, everything that has come into our life is supposed to come into our life, and we should like it. If it’s a health condition, like it since we are supposed to have the health condition, and not liking it will not work. If we like what we do, we will start liking who we are. We will find Narayana.
• Illusion is Unreal — Shloka 33 — How we can feel this more is instead of depending on that which is undependable, depend on those who are dependable or those who are not seeking validation or are more secure. Only they can share security as they have security. In a very tactile sense — One illusory way we live is that we mix up the means and the ends. The ends of our life is to be Joyous, and the means to this Joy are the disciplines that lead to this Joy, a lifestyle that leads to this Joy. But if we don’t know that this illusion is unreal, the ends goes away, and then the means becomes the ends. That is when we instead of being a seeker, become a husband, or a mother, or a teacher. If we are clear what the ends are, the means will become clear too.

Skanda 2:9:34 — There are elements which are originally imperceivable, and these elements have combined to form that which is higher and that which is lower. The elements then become perceivable, and with perception come differences, higher, lower etc. These elements seem to have entered into combinations, yet they haven’t. Water in the ocean appears to be waves, but it is just water. Bhagavan finally says He is the same way. It appears that He has entered creation, but that actually He has not entered creation. There is only Bhagavan — period. And who is included in that? We are. Do we feel that? This is Bhagavan Narayana teaching Bhagavan Brahma before any creation, this is the Truth.

Some reflections — Perception is not absolute, just like we can see a rainbow, but we cannot touch it. Pashu is an animal and an animal is one who believes what it sees, perceives. Jnana is when our senses become quiet or when we stop using our senses.

Summary of the 3rd verse — Creation is Relative — All that we perceive is relative. Please know that if there is a relative, then there has to be an Absolute. Let us reflect deeply on — That which is relative cannot harm us, and it also cannot help us.

Skanda 2:9:35 — Anvaya Vyatireka — let us burn this key message into ourselves.

What Bhagavan Narayana has just taught us is all that we need to know, and nothing else. Only those who are seekers will seek that which is fundamental, and THIS is fundamental. Anvaya means presence and Vyatireka means absence. Live our life in such a way that we are perpetually engaged in the self-reflection about what will become absent and what cannot become absent, that is will always be present. Bhagavan Narayana shares that only Existence is in all spaces, in all times.

Implication: Infinity is real is the simplest teaching, simpler than all other secular subjects. It is difficult only because we are complicated. We should feel that this teaching is worthwhile. This journey is hard, this journey is simple, but it is finally worthwhile.

What is the greatest gift we can give our parents is that they don’t have to worry about us. If we think about our Divine Mother, the only way she will not be worried about us is if we are Happy. To seekers, this is fundamental. We are a seeker if we feel that there is more to life than what we are doing, and that deepens to us feeling that we are more than what we think we are. So when we feel that we can do more, be more, then we become a seeker. We may at times think that context wise our life cannot be better, yet there is this feeling of incompleteness. There is more and that more will never be filled by context. It requires us to seek Narayana.

Anvaya Vyatirekabhyam — What Bhagavan Narayana is teaching Bhagavan Brahma is to engage in Vich — means to filter. When the Vich is directed outside, it is called enquiry, and when that Vich is special, vishesha, then it becomes Viveka, and is called inquiry. So Bhagavan Narayana is encouraging Bhagavan Brahma to engage in inquiry before engaging in externalities.

Summary of the 4th verse: Extraction is Release.

A simple framework for us to inquire:

1. Infinity does not change
2. If there is change, then there is an illusion.
3. If there is an illusion, then that is an appearance
4. If there is an appearance, then we must filter. For example if we see a ghost and we intellectually know that there is no ghost, then we should know more than that ghost, which is the post.

Finally Bhagavan shares — What is forever present is Existence-Awareness-Joy. If we think of this logically, even non-existence has to exist. If we are experiencing our non-awareness, that means we are aware. We can never live in such a way where we are not wanting or needing Joy. So what Bhagavan Krshna is sharing is very factual, that there is no non-existence, non-awareness or non-joy.

After Bhagavan Brahma listens to these teachings, Bhagavan Narayana shares the Phalashruti (the next verse) — “Now go and create, kalpa after kalpa. Take on the most responsibilities. No confusion ever. If you follow what I taught, you will never be afraid.” Bhagavan Brahma, he was confused, and instead of escaping, he reflected. When he reflected, he felt Bhagavan Narayana’s hand holding him. He did not make this about physicality. This holding was in the form of guidance — four teachings. If we hold back Bhagavan Narayana’s hand, then we will never be afraid.

Final thought: In the Veda, there is a lovely section called Shiva Sankalpa Sukta. The final message in this Sukta is, “May my sankalpa become like Shiva’s. May my individual mind be like that of the Total Mind.” The Total Mind is functioning through us whether we like it or not, or we know it or not. If we have Faith that the individual mind is just an instrument of that Total Mind, how incredible living would be then! Living would just be a leela!