Subodha Vedanta Class Notes – January 14, 2024

A Joyous New Year and a Joyous New Sankranti! A new year is only new if we are new. If we changed from 2023 to 2024, then this measurement of days is new to us. Sankranti reminds us of the same. It is to transition, to mature. However evolved we are now, we have to transition or mature into being more evolved. So Vivekji shared Best Wishes with the New You, New Year and New Sankranti.

Everyone of us loves ourselves, in a fundamental and functional way. And we love others – our family, our friends, our community, our society and humanity. We wouldn’t be in this space or community if we didn’t. But can we Love more? Can we love others more? We can only share what we have. Now think, what is it that others want? What is it that others need? It is JOY! We can love others more. This will be expressed by helping others be joyous, but we first have to have that Joy, be that Joy and we ARE JOY. This is our Nature. Our Nature is Joy. Yet, we are not experiencing this consistently as we do not know this. We sort of know this, and sort of don’t know this. When matters are flowing smoothly in our lives, we feel that our nature is Joy, but when matters are rough, our nature is stress. 

Some hours ago, when we were asleep, we didn’t know the temperature outside our home. We didn’t know the Zoom code for Subodha Vedanta, but we felt some Joy. Nothing else was there, but we were there. We are Joy. When we woke up, suppose we exercised this morning, or we were part of the highest vocation, so we are experiencing this discipline. We do feel that the mind is quiet and that maybe we are Joy, but it is not clear, it does not last. So this is the need for Advaita Vedanta, the power of Advaita Vedanta. 

Explain the meaning of Advaita Vedanta; Anta means inside, inside us; Veda means to know. What is inside of us? What is our nature? And the answer is Advaita – Oneness. A synonym to Advaita is Ananda, Joy. Pujya Swami Tejomayananda has shared – People who are filled with laziness, they waste time; people filled with aggressiveness, they spend time – we spend time with friends; those filled with quietness, they invest time. Waste, spend and invest. 

We have invested time into Advaita Vedanta for the past 7 and 1/2 years. Our Sunday morning classes started with Vedanta in Ramayana. We called this our ViRa course. The word Ramayana, explaining it backwards – Ayana is defined as means and Rama is Joy. Ramayana is the means to Joy. We took on the Ramayana in reference to Vedanta – How can we know what is inside of us? The means to know what is inside of us IS Ramayana. If Vivekji had to distill all the teachings of Ramayana into one word – it is Humility – to have the humility to know that we are more than what we feel we are, more than how we have been living. We devoted 2 and 1/2 years to Vedanta in Ramayana. 

Then we started to explore Vedanta in Bhagavata. We called this our ViBha course. Explaining this backwards – Bhagavata – ta is defined as means (just like ayana), va is defined as best – the best means; ga is to mature or evolve. What is the best means to evolve, evolve to what? Bha means Divinity or Joy. So Ramayana and Bhagavata philosophically mean the same. If Vivekji had to distil the teachings of Bhagavata into one word – It is Surrender. To know that there is more to us than we are feeling is humility, but then to surrender what we are not, that is how humility evolves. If we can combine humility and surrender, this is us loving and knowing ourselves more – that we ARE JOY. 

Now for the next half year we are going to take up Subodha Vedanta, vedanta in the context of subodha this time. Subodha means easily known. It means Vedanta made easy. Why we are taking up this book is because we all know a lot, but to clarify what we know, just like when we wear glasses and every so often, we need to clean them so that we can see more and do more work. We are going to explore the clarity of the journey we are on. The more clear we are, the more conviction we will have. The more conviction we have, the more confidence we will have that we are the source of Joy. 

The author of Subodha Vedanta is Swami Tejomayananda. In the Upanishad, there are two primary qualifications of a Guide. The more external one is that they are strong in explaining. The word in Sanskrtam is Shrotrya. They are able to explain Maps, explain who one is. But the more inner qualification, which cannot be measured, is that they are experienced. In Sanskrtam, it is Nishta. They are experiencing their nature so they can explain that. Pujya Swami Tejomayananda is the best of both. He is Shrotrya and this is coming from his Nishta. We will flow through this map over 18 weeks without breaks. There are 13 chapters and we will try to take up a chapter a week and some chapters over 2 weeks. 

Chapter 1 – Invocation

Verse 1: 

Vaktum subodhavedaantam pravrtto hyabudho ‘pyaham

Krpayaa yasya tam vande shreeganesham punah punah 

1st quarter:

Vaktum – I’m about to speak or explain

Subodha – with the intention of making this easy

Vedantam – the science of Oneness

In the word invocation is the word vocation. When someone defines the word profession, they are usually referring to their job – a workplace, a check, matters like that. A vocation is really not our profession, but our purpose. 

From this first quarter, it is for us to make Vedanta our purpose. When we make this our purpose, there will be more clarity, conviction, confidence. We should try to be Vedanta Anusari, which means tied to Vedanta. Traditionally, when we buy or build our home, the center of our home is where our puja or sadhana space should be. The reason being that everything else in our home should revolve around that space. In a lot of homes, the puja space is a cupboard in the kitchen. If we want to practise this, we should re-orient our home or clean out the cupboards where our altar is.

2nd quarter:

Pravrttah – I’m starting, he indeed 

Abudhah api aham – I’m starting on this, despite being ignorant

The implication for us – Maybe being ignorant is hard for us to reflect on, but the point we should reflect on is that we are not the doer. Whatever we are doing, whether it is speaking or walking, or creating – whatever verb we are engaged in, to feel that we are not the doer. Abudhah – I’m not the one who is doing, and the way to practise this is to feel that we are an instrument. We should not make this just words, but really feel this. In this new year, in this new Sankranti, we should try to reflect on the good fortune we have had in our life. Did we deserve all of this fortune? We are instruments. Vivekji shared that he has felt that the more we feel that we are an instrument, everything that comes from us is better. We are more effective and efficient. 

3rd quarter:

Krpayaa yasya tam vande – I am about to share Subodha Vedanta. Even though my name is on the book, really I’m not the doer, I am the instrument. This is only possible because of Krpa, meaning Grace. 

What does Grace look like? It is when we have the thought to change ourselves, to be a better version of ourselves. We must remember that is what Grace is. When it comes to change or our relationships, we have this default that others should change – that person should accept me, that person should develop these values. That is not Grace. When we have the thought that we should be more accepting and that the other person is the way they are and we should revolve around them, that is what Krpa is. Another word for Krpa is Sankalpa. Sam means well and Kalpa means to change. So this is why before we begin a puja or a sadhana, we take a sankalpa that we will be an instrument and not the doer. 

4th quarter:

Shree Ganesham punah punah – I am respecting; I’m loving; I’m revering again and again Bhagavan Ganesha. 

Why Bhagavan Ganesha? Bhagavan Ganesha has a grand belly. He is not fat – that is a poor word to describe Bhagavan Ganesha. This symbolises that He is Full, that He is complete. Whenever we need help, we should ask someone who doesn’t need help. Only the one who doesn’t need help can help us. If we ask someone who is insecure to validate us, we become even more insecure. They tend to just push us down. 

We are flowing through Subodha Vedanta so that we are clear about our journey to Joy. In our culture whenever we begin, we remember how this journey is happening. It is on account of Divinity, specifically on account of Divinity’s Grace. This continues in Verse 2.

Verse 2:

Vande sarasvateem deveem sadgurum me mahaa-matim

seetaa-sameta-shreeraamam yacchantu shubhadaam matim

1st quarter:

Vande sarasvateem deveem – After I offer my respect, my love, my reverence to Shri Ganesha, now to Devi Sarasvati. 

When we began today’s class, the sequence of prayers was first to Bhagavan Ganesha and then to Bhagavati Saraswati. They are known as the icons of knowledge, Gods of knowledge. And the fact that Pujya Swami Tejomayananda is remembering these two Gods as Subodha Vedanta is beginning, shows that Vedanta is about knowledge, about knowing. This knowledge is not in reference to IQ, which is knowing more about what’s outside of ourselves, but about knowing ourselves. If someone asks us what the Bhagavad Gita is about and we say Karma yoga, that is inaccurate, as the Bhagavad Gita is about knowing, knowing Oneness.

2nd quarter: 

Sadgurum me mahaa-matim – Now I’m offering my respect, my love, my reverence  to my Sadguru. 

We have all come across the word Guru before – the one who removes darkness. But darkness in what direction? A flashlight removes darkness, so does our cell phone. That is why the word Sadguru is used – the one who removes the ignorance about the Truth or Oneness. All of this sharing is focusing on Grace. It is the Grace of Bhagavan Ganesha, Bhagavati Saraswati and one’s Sadguru. Here, Swami Tejomayananda is referring to Pujya Swami Chinmayananda as Guru. 

Vivekji would like us to reflect on if we have a personal Guide. If the answer is no, then why? If the answer is yes, why? Grace cannot be calculated. It is not measurable, so the implication is that Grace is not deserved. That which is calculated can be earned. If we do not have a personal Guide in our life, Vivekji’s personal experience is that it is because we want Joy, but we do not need it. Those who do have a personal Guide in their lives, we have evolved or matured from wanting Joy to needing Joy. This is our purpose – we are practising loving more and being able to love others more. 

Vivekji is sharing this at a personal level as he has known Pujya Swami Tejomayananda for more than 25 years and he only became Vivekji’s personal Guide 19 years ago. Vivekji shared that he changed. He changed to “needing Joy”. 

3rd quarter: 

Seetaa-sameta-shreeraamam – We are continuing with our invocation, remembering our fortune. Now Pujya Swami Tejomayananda brings in his Ishta Deva and that is Bhagavan Rama with Bhagavati Sita. 

What is lovely about these first 2 verses – It is like Bhagavan Ganesha is remembered in the beginning, then Bhagavati Sarasvati is in the middle and now even at the end, Guruji is bringing in more remembrance towards his Sadguru, his Ishta Deva. The application for us as well – to not just remember in the beginning or just at the end, but to also remember in the middle. All of the fortune in our life is because of Grace. Another way to analyse this sequence – typically in people’s homes or puja spaces, they do have Bhagavan Ganesha and Bhagavati Sarawati. It is almost like Bhagavan Ganesha and Bhagavati Saraswati are the impersonal expressions of Divinity, but then we have to bring in the personal expressions which are the Sadguru, in this case Bhagavan Rama and Bhagavati Sita. We may have grown up chanting Om Namah Shivaya, or that Bhagavan Krshna is The Bhagavan, but have we personalised this, for us to have our Ishta Deva or Ishta mantra? 

4th quarter – 

Yacchantu shubhadaam matim – May this altar bless me, my mind with auspicious thoughts, with positive thinking. 

Did we pray for that today? This should be our prayer for positive thinking and noble thoughts. Krpa is often described as that which makes the impossible possible. Grace makes the impossible possible. It makes the person who is dependently joyous, independently joyous. What else makes the impossible possible? Maya makes the impossible possible. It makes the independently joyous person, that is us, dependently joyous. If Maya is the enemy, then the Hero is Krpa. If we feel we are just losing to Maya, then we should pray for Krpa. This is what Shri Tulasidasa does in Hanuman Chalisa. As he was dying, he wanted to be with Bhagavan Rama and how intelligently he remembered Bhagavan Rama’s personal assistant, Bhagavan Hanumana. That is why in the 20th verse – Durgam kaj jagat ke jete – the most difficult work in this multiverse – Sugam anugrah tumhare tete – on account of Your Grace becomes the easiest. 

Divinity is looking at us. Do we see Divinity looking at us? The more we see Divinity looking at us, the more we will see Divinity looking at us. The more we see the blessings in our life, the more blessings we will see in our life.

Discussion: Express our gratitude about anything and everything. What are we grateful for? 

Vivekji’s thoughts: Vivekji shared that he was watching a show and in that it was shared that “God does not give us talents that we are not supposed to use.” We are all special and for us to use what we are special in, then we will truly feel like an instrument. 

RAW: Pray for others 3 times a day. At the beginning of the day, pray for someone specifically, then in the middle of the day, pray for someone else, and at the end of the day, pray for someone else. Praying for others is a great practice in humility. Humility encourages surrender, which encourages Joy.