Subodha Vedanta Class Notes – January 28, 2024

If we think about what causes our minds to be less stable, it would be partly because of feeling unsafe. Whenever our mind feels unsafe, our mind becomes agitated. The prayer Om Sahana Vavatu that we just chanted, many of us know it, but are not confident what it actually means. Vivekji said he will be sharing one component of this prayer every week for us, not to ever forget it. This is a universal prayer. It is written in Sanskrtam and it is in the Veda. The first part of the prayer, Sahana Vavatu, means – May we be safe. Next week, when we chant this prayer and say Om Sahana Vavatu, what should come to our mind is – May we be safe. It is important for us to pray, to pray for ourselves and for others. This is a succinct way of praying – May we be safe! 

The future is unknown, so whatever we plan to do, we should do it now.  We should act for Joy now, and not a few years from now. After having completed Vedanta in Bhagavata which is a map where there is only one week to live, to ensure that we did not externalize this, we are flowing through Subodha Vedanta – knowing who we are, which is equivalent to Knowing Joy. 

On the front of the book Subodha Vedanta, it says Vedanta made easy. When something is easy, we have a tendency to say “I know this”, but we know Vedanta, ONLY if we feel Joy. If we do not feel we are Joy, then we do not know Vedanta. No one likes to be told that. We are only taking Subodha Vedanta so that our jnana is maturing into vijnana, the theory is maturing into application. Vivekji would like us to be clear as our clarity will transform into confidence – to be clear about the jnana, so that one is confident about the vijnana. 

We commenced this course with the chapter on Invocation. The summary of this chapter is to Love Divinity more. Whatever we Love, we will come to know more. The second week of our course was very special and we went from Invocation to Bhagavan – Shri Ram Lalla. The word Rama can play out in our lives as two Rs. How can Bhagavan Rama be born into our lives? 

Step 1 – to make our purpose to Raise others – every person we interact with should feel better about themselves; every circumstance we are in should be of a higher quality. If we are living with the purpose to Raise that leads us to 

Step 2 – that Bhagavan Rama is a Presence that Revels. He is a Presence that revels in every being’s heart. When we make our lifestyle “to Raise”, we will feel Divinity in every being. 

So the summary of week 2 – Raise to Revel. If we make this our purpose, we will feel this Presence. 

Chapter 2 –  Qualification of the student – This chapter is very much about us. 

Shishya Lakshana. How does one become a student?

Verse1:

Poorvaarjitena punyena sarveshaanugrahena cha

jaayate tattva-jijnaasaa preetiryasya paraatmani

1st quarter:

Poorva – from before

Arjita – earned (from before)

Punya – merit = good deeds, good fruits 

What makes us a student, but perhaps not our cousin? How is it that we have this love for Bhagavata? How is it that we want to experience Vijnana? The first answer to this is Punya. Punya in English can be translated to Effort. It is our effort that has made us a student. 

Reflecting on this more – Let us think of a family member who we care for, who is close to us, but they do not have a relationship with self development. What is the difference between them and us, difference in personality? Vivekji shared that the difference is succumbing versus accepting. Externally, in a shallow way, they are the same. But there is a big difference between – we succumb to the weather or we accept the weather. For someone who succumbs to – this is how life is, this is how I am – they stagnate. They do not change or grow. Comparatively, we have accepted this is how life is and this is how we are, but we are not stagnating, but adapting. If we are an angry person, we are trying to be more accepting. If we are disorganized, we are trying to be more organized. That is our effort that creates or generates Punya. The more accurate or robust answer is in the next quarter. 

2nd quarter: 

Sarvesha – Divinity; the One who knows all or is all

Anugraha – Blessing; Krpa or Grace  

Why are we a student of self development? Why are we adapting? It is because of Grace. If we reflect on how we have lived this life, more specifically on how we lived 25 years ago, we will feel grateful for this Krpa. When we really feel that we don’t deserve the journey we are on, instead of being dejected, we should feel grateful for this Krpa. Pujya Guruji, Swami Tejomayananda says (page 8) – 

In our spiritual journey, Grace is understood to be the more important factor. When we see the deeds of our present life, or even think about our past lives, we do not see much merit. We do not seem to deserve all the support, protection, and knowledge that we get. We, therefore, understand that it is Grace alone that starts us on this journey, keeps us going and supports us till we reach the Goal. 

Now more specifically, please try to relate to this –  

Swami Krishnananda of the Divine life society says that the very fact that you remember God, means that He is thinking of you. God is checking in on us. So whenever we remember God, we should know that it is because He is remembering us. When we feel this Grace, we become so grateful. Without Grace, we cannot even remember Him. So the first step in our spiritual journey is from His side. It is not from our side. 

It is through our effort, but more so His Grace. Then what happens?

3rd quarter:

Jaayate – the feeling that arises in us

Tattva jijnaasaa – that we need to know who we are, to know what life is.

The key here is that we do not want to know who we are or what life is, but we Need it. There is such a difference there. In the Bhagavad Gita, Shri Krshna shares that out of a thousand, only one is a seeker, only one will evolve from wanting to Needing the Truth.

4th quarter:

Preetih yasya paraatmani – equivalent to knowing the Truth is the Bhakti or the Divine

The equivalent to needing to know the Truth is loving the Divine. They are the same, but sometimes we get lost in the language of knowledge. 

How do we know if we are a successful spreader of spirituality to a younger generation? What is the gauge? Swami Tejomayananda shared that if we can help the younger generation to love God more, then we are successful. For a lot of children, the notion of loving God is for their grandparents, but if we can encourage them to love self-development, that is the same, just different terms being used.

Verse 2:

Krpaa-paatrah sa evaayam gurum seveta bhaktitah

bhavet-tenaiva yogyashcha saadhanaabhyaasa-tatparah

1st quarter: 

Paatra – vessel 

Krpaa patra – what makes one this vessel or place for Grace 

The implication here is that we cannot deserve Gace. A better phrase is tuned into Grace. Deserving is more calculating. When we are tuned into the power of Divinity or the presence of Divinity, we feel it more. That makes Grace flow into our lives. This tuning to need to know the Truth, to love the Divine will lead to –

2nd quarter:

Gurum seveta bhaktitah – we are guided to a Guide

The Divine guides us to a Guide so that we can really move on our journey. 

As a reference, from the Bhagavad Gita Chapter 4 – Verse 34 (the commentary for this is all of Vivekachudamani), it is shared how we are to be with our Guide. We should – actively listen to our Guide – Pranipaatena, actively learn – Pariprashnena and actively live – Sevaya. 

3rd quarter:

Bhavet-tenaiva yogyah – it is a Guide that makes one Yogya or strong enough for evolution.

Vivekji shares a framework of 5 Ss here –

1. Those who are filled with tamas or laziness are suckers. They trick themselves into thinking that they are living for Joy, but they are only becoming less joyful.
2. Those that are filled with Rajas or aggressiveness are searchers. A sucker evolves to being a searcher when they want to be joyous, but they are trying to find it outside of themselves.
3. Those who are filled with sattva or quietness, they evolve from being a searcher to being a seeker. They are seeking Joy, not outside, but inside.
4. Those who are filled with shuddha sattva, their quietness is more intense. They evolve from being a seeker to being a student or shishya who is ready for discipline. 
5. Those who are filled with vishuddha sattva – not pure quietness, but very pure quietness, they evolve from being a shishya to being a Sadguru. They evolve to being at the top of this parampara to help those who are below. 

This chapter is about being a student. We become a student through our effort, but more through Grace. What has this Grace done for us? It has guided us to a system of teachers. We have gone from being a sucker, to a searcher, to a seeker. Now are we a Shishya? Are we ready for discipline?

Discussion: What are the two most effective insights to live acceptance? And what are the two most accurate indicators that we are living acceptance?

Vivekji shared that the most effective insight is to know, to feel that the Creator is in creation. Then how much more careful and cheerful one would be! 

An effective indicator would be that we engage others more rather than instruct them, to engage another being to be their best. Would we ever tell Bhagavan what to do? 

RAW: Whatever insight we came up with to living acceptance, we should follow through with that this week.