Class Notes by Bhargavi

We are not afraid of sleeping because losing your limits is natural. Bhakti is a practice in losing our limits, losing the separation between Bhakta and Bhagavan. We should therefore not be afraid of practicing Bhakti which does the exact same thing of helping lose our limitations.

Bhakti is an inner feeling that is expressed as Bhajana. Bhajana in English can be expressed as five Ss:

1 and 2: sing (offering words) and seek (offering thoughts).

3 and 4: Support (action oriented by giving resources) and serve (giving time)

5: Surrender the ego

Rishi Narada is expressing Bhakti (as Sutras) to the one who gave him Shakti (power), Bhagavan Narayana.

Sutra 34: Rishi Narada is describing the reason why the acharyas share their experience, it is because they feel a limitlessness. People with no limits see themselves in others and everywhere. Such people feel good by feeding and teaching others just as if they were feeding and teaching themselves. This limitlessness is the cause for them to share. Limits don’t hold us back, we hold on to limits thereby holding ourselves back.

Sutra 35: Rishi Narada is explaining how attachments are obstructions. Attachments have to scraped away.

Sutra 36: Once we have scraped away attachments, we have to reattach /hold on ourselves (shraddha) intensely (Bheeshma=intense) to the divine.

Bhakti is an inner feeling and Bhajana is an outer feeling. If the input is strong, output is not optional. Bhakti is to be practiced in all spaces and all times.

Sutra 37:

Loke api bhagavad-guna-sravana-kirtanāt

This sutra shares how to cultivate bhakti- in the world, everyone of us, should be singing and listening and specifically living this. For the one whom Bhagavan is important, this is all that matters. They will be dedicated to Bhagavan, not conditioned by space and time. When you are dedicated, you will naturally sacrifice. Keep Bhagavan inside, in mind and you will be in line with Bhagavan. Rishi Narada is trying to explain that context means less and content means more.

Sutra 38:

Mukhyatah-tu mahat-krpayaiva bhagavat-krpālesat-vā

How does one cultivate Bhakti- started in verse 34 where the focus has shifted from surface level to subtle. He now says the primary way to cultivate Bhakti is by grace of the great souls and of the divine.

Grace does not equal logic or deserving or calculating. Grace is why we are all here in the first place. We also know that grace does flow more freely through our effort. Atma krpa makes us available for the grace around us. We all want niceness in our lives but don’t want to pay the price for it. Similarly, we want to krpa but are not willing to work hard to develop the eyes to see the krpa.

Sutra 39:

Mahat-sangah-tu durlabho gamyo moghasca

Here Rishi Narada emphasizes that the way to cultivate Bhakti is ONLY through grace of the great. It is difficult to be with the great and to understand them. It is impossible to know them yet being with them never fails to help us evolve.

In Vivekachudamani, Acharya Shankara shares that it is rare to be born as a human. To be born as a human who is following Sattva is even more rare. To be born as a human and following Sattva and guided by a teacher is extremely rare. We do not know those who are great, we need to purify our personality and the guide will come to change us from anagha to Bharata.

Lakshyas for Sutras

31: Passive- those who know but don’t try are passive

32: Active- Those who know and also know they have to try, are active

33: Surrender- If you want to experience mukti, you have to surrender your efforts to mukti

34: How-  to make a Bhakta

35: Dispassion- for one to be a Bhakta, they have to engage in Asanga (letting go) as well as Sanga (holding on)

36: Passion- one is to serve

37: input- Shravana (and kirtana is output)

38: Why- Why have I been exposed to Bhakti

39: Great- grace of the great

40: God!

Sutra 40:

Labhyate pi tat-krpayaiva

Final way to gain Bhakti is by Lord’s grace alone!

Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda says: “It is the divine power that makes the aspirant restless and drives him in search of a Guru; and again it is the same divine power that makes the saint generally m ore restless to rush forth to serve the world and help others for Liberation. When the time is ripe, the Lord in a mysterious way brings about first the communication and ultimately the communion between the teacher and the taught”.