ViBha Class Notes: October 30, 2022

Vivekji shared that the game changer in one’s evolution is when one deserves a Master,  when we have worked hard enough and smart enough to have a Master in our life. Pujya Swami Tejomayananda has shared – Life is a Gift, Living is an Art. And what makes a gift? 

1. A gift is gifted by another. If we think of our biological lives, it is gifted to us by our parents, and who gifted them their lives? It’s our grandparents, and so on. Finally, there is an Original giver, who started this seed. 
2. A gift is given with love. If something is given, but not given with love, then it is not a gift. Technically, it is since we didn’t buy it. When we give without expectation, without it being a transaction, then the gift is given with love. 

We need to know that our life is a Gift. We didn’t give ourselves this life. Our Creator did give us this life with Love, because the Creator’s nature is Love. Making this more relatable – How many of us struggle, our week is harder because of insecurity? If one is insecure, and is in a relationship with another insecure person, that person is in a relationship with the other for themselves. If a secure person is in a relationship with an insecure person, they are in that relationship for the insecure person. We should all think about the relationships we have with others – our parents, our siblings, our kids, our friends. Are people our friends? Are people in relationships for us? 

This is why we are studying Bhagavata. Bhagavata means relating to Bhagavan. Why does God have a relationship with us? For us, not for Him. That is a beautiful relationship, a pure relationship, a Divine relationship. And we need training in this as many of our relationships are based on insecurity, and there has to be a shift to relationships that are secure. 

Some weeks ago, Vivekji shared about the original Bhagavata, which is only four teachings. How do we go about practicing them? It is like a map model, an If / then model. If this, then this. Regarding how we live Bhagavata- 

1. If there is change, then there is an illusion – Practically, investing in a stock, thinking we are going to make money, that is an illusion. Applying this to our own bodies, if there is change in our body, we cannot depend on our body for completion. That is an illusion.
2. If there is an illusion, that is relative – The stock is relative. Our bodies are relative. So don’t give that which is relative more importance; it deserves relative importance, nothing higher nothing lower. 
3. If there is the relative, then there should be filtering – vichara or viveka – As we go about our lives, our relationships are relative, our jobs are relative, our age is relative. Then think more. Filter that which is relative because if there is a relative, there has to be an Absolute. Find that Absolute. 

We have to THINK BIG!. We tend to deflect, and are thinking big about fundraising, or voting day. Think Big means to personalize our self-development. Do not deflect as that is thinking small. Instead, we should find ways to apply this to us. 

We are currently in an amazing portion of Bhagavata that zooms into this, a portion being facilitated by Rshi Dattatreya. We may have forgotten why Rshi Dattatreya is being highlighted here. The eleventh section is where Bhagavan Krshna is going to leave us. He has openly shared that He is going to dissolve this particular name and form, which means we have to be responsible for our own lives. Until now, we may have depended on Him, but now we have to be responsible ourselves. So Bhagavan Krshna is initiating this succession plan through Rshi Uddhava. He is trying to teach Rshi Uddhava that everything he is experiencing, he cannot depend on that, as one can only depend on oneself. And Rshi Uddhava gets it, but we don’t! So Rshi Uddhava asks Bhagavan Krshna to share the same in a simpler way so that the people can practice this. So what does Bhagavan Krshna do? 

Bhagavan Krshna is sharing that Rshi Dattatreya had made his mind so quiet that he was able to learn from his intellect. For those who have loud minds, even though our intellect is saying – wake up early every morning, come to class on time, don’t be materialistic, don’t complain – we don’t hear our intellect very well. Our minds, being too loud, we are hearing the opposite – be materialistic, don’t wake up early in the morning, and so on. Rshi Dattatreya had made his mind quiet, and he started to learn from everything he was experiencing. And Bhagavan is sharing the same with us through Rshi Dattatreya, on how to make the mind quiet – The way to make the mind quiet is to become more virtuous. 

If we were asked why we come to Chinmaya Mission and attend Vedanta in Bhagavata week after week, we should share through our own clarity that we are learning how to convert values into virtues. We all know what values are. Discipline is a value, compassion is a value, but do we live by that? Because if we don’t, then it is a value in a book, but it isn’t ours. A virtue means we own that, we live by that. That’s what we are learning here. 

The virtues we learned in our last class were from the Moon and the Sun. In terms of the Moon, the waxing and waning of the Moon is only a perspective. Vivekji’s personal learning from the Moon – There are always two sides to every story. Many people come to Vivekji and complain about other people, their relatives, their friends, their colleagues. A significant amount of Vivekji’s time and effort goes into relationship management, just managing people, their own relationship with themselves and with others. Whenever someone shares with Vivekji, he never agrees with them 100% in the first sitting because he knows that there are always two sides, two perspectives  to every story. So from the Moon, we learn the same, that the waxing and waning is only a perspective. 

The more self-development or religious teaching here is – The Moon actually doesn’t wax or wane. It only appears to, but this body actually waxes and wanes. The term for body is Atman, that is a relative Atman, but the Absolute Atman or the Spirit, that is holding this body, doesn’t wax or wane. The next time we see the Moon and notice that it is growing and shrinking, we should realize that our body is going through the same, but WE are not! Our practice, to convert values to virtues, is to observe.

Vivekji is in his 14th year of teaching full-time, and if someone were to ask him what he has learned this year, he would share that he has learned how many middle-aged people are going through a crisis, people between the age of 40-50. Technically, in our shastra, middle-aged means one is 48, when one enters Vanaprastha. And that crisis is not professional as they are already doing very well. It is not health related as they are healthy. That crisis is one of purpose. What they did for 48 years was a relative purpose, family, home, etc, and now that that relative purpose is checked off, they don’t know what to do, and it is leading to poor mental health. It is harder to sleep at night, it is much harder to be generous. “The more that I keep, the more complete I will be” – that’s just a lie! So if we relate to this, then we must observe our life more. We must think about ourselves more. We trying to escape from this will only make matters worse. We will only get physically older, and change less then. 

From the Sun, what Shrimad Bhagavata teaches us is that the Sun does not depend on anything that it intakes, or technically evaporates. The lakes and rivers are going down in certain parts of the world. Does the Sun get affected by that? No. The Sun is not depending on that which it takes. Another relative message is – The less dependent we are, the less partial we are. Guruji, Swami Tejomayananda, has shared – Be careful not to express favoritism. As soon as we express favoritism, immediately our sense and teaching of Oneness is dismantled then. Then anything we say, we teach will be weaker. That is why we should not have a best friend, as even the notion of the best implies that there is a second best, or less best then. That is a very childish, immature way to live. 

In Bhagavata, it is shared that even though it is one, the Sun appears in many contexts, but it only appears to be many. It teaches us that dvaita or diversity is there, that we see it with our eyes all around, but the truth is that there is only Advaita that we feel inside. The practical element of that is – Try not to be affected by diversity. The Sun or the Moon that is reflected in many pots of water, if the pots were to break, would anything happen to the Moon or the Sun? No. Our specific practice is to share. The Sun takes in a lot of water, but then doesn’t keep it for itself, and shares it with creation. Guruji shared that we should be like the Sun, that anyone who is interacting with us, should feel more energetic, more enthusiastic. We should be that source of energy and enthusiasm for others. 

The eighth teacher is Kapota, which means Dove or pigeon. Here is what Rshi Dattatreya learned from a Dove – There was a male Dove and a female Dove, and they were both very much attached to each other. Whatever he did, she did, and whatever she did, he did. Eventually they had baby Doves in their lives. One day, the parents went to collect food for their babies, and during this time the babies were making a lot of noise, chirping away, tweeting away. At that time a hunter came that way, noticed them, and threw a net at them, and all the baby Doves were trapped in their nest. When the parents came back, and saw the plight of their babies, the mother was so overwhelmed that she went to that nest and was also trapped in it. When the father saw what the mother did, he went to the nest, and was trapped in it as well. And how did the hunter feel? Great, efficient, as Doves were just coming into his nest, and all of those Doves were captured. 

Implication for us: When we are attached to any being, we become careless. The more attached we are, the more careless we become. What should the parent Doves have done? Tried to release their young ones from the nest by cutting through it, by lifting it. If they really cared for their children, they would have been objective, and done something about the net, rather than just go into the net themselves. The more attached we are, the more we make matters personal. The less attached we are, the more we make matters objective. 

Another learning: A beautiful sentiment that is shared in the Bhagavata in the Dove story is – The presence of these eggs and the hatching of these eggs is all due to the Grace of Hari. This is an awesome thought as we tend to think that we are the ones who create, we are the ones who control, but here it is very specifically shared that being born, and all that we care for is created and controlled by Bhagavan Hari. We may think all day that we are the doer, we are the deserver, the decider. But here, what is shared is – Bhagavan Hari is the Creator, the Controller, and the Consumer. 

More specifically, the practice for us is to serve. Attachment is when we love some. Detachment is when we love all. If we love some, we make matters very personal. If we love all, that’s when we become objective, and become detached. How does one grow out of loving some to loving all? Serve. Many of us, who are in this class for a long time, are already serving the community. So how do we grow? Serve society. Those who are new to this course, they are already serving their families. How do they learn from Shrimad Bhagavata? By starting to serve their community. 

Vivekji’s last thought: The three Ss – how to grow our Chinmaya Mission Center – 

1. Serenity – that everyone should engage in more sadhana, more self-development. Waking up earlier, reading more, engaging in more japa – that’s what makes us serene. 
2. Synergy – those who are serving, do so many tasks. We should work together more. To work as a team, in collaboration.
3. Schooling – for us to have our own school, not just be content with our own homes. Then we would be no different from the Dove. If we don’t expand our purpose, then a crisis will set in. 

Discussion: How do we cultivate the courage to prioritize self-development? 

Vivekji’s thoughts – To insert self-development into our lifestyle. When we insert it explicitly into our lifestyles, then self-development becomes part of that recipe. Otherwise, it will not happen. 

Discussion from last week: What did we learn the most from Shrimad Bhagavata?

Vivekji’s thoughts – Shrimad Bhagavata is a shastra, a science. It is highly systematic. If a person is considered systematic or methodical, it is considered a positive quality as we can depend on such a  person more. Similarly, Shrimad Bhagavata is very methodical, systematic which is why Vivekji depends on it more. 

RAW: The eight teachings thus far are – forgive, purify, absorb, refresh, accept, observe, share, and serve. Our perpetual RAW is to practice these teachings, this week’s focus being – to serve.