ViBha Class Notes: January 30, 2022

There are three facets of ourselves that we can give — give to another, give to the world. They are — resources, time and effort. In our culture, we typically give resources for someone’s birthday or anniversary, for example $108/- dollars. What our community has done is, we have given 108 hours of reflection on Bhagavan. As of the last class, we have completed 108 classes of Shrimad Bhagavata. For many of us, we had never heard of Bhagavata before. Now we have given so much of ourselves to this ancient, yet applicable scripture or map.

In Syamantapanchaka, beings and family members from all around are gathered. They are eating, drinking and catching up. Devi Draupadi ia asking Bhagavan Krshna’s Devis how they met. Devi Rukmini, Devi Jambavati, Devi Satyabhama, Devi Kalindi, Devi Mitravinda, Devi Naagnajiti, Devi Bhadra and Devi Lakshmana — these 8 Devis were already free and they married Bhagavan Krshna, and another 16,000 Devis whom Bhagavan Krshna freed and then they married Bhagavan Krshna. They all share that all of their karma is for Bhagavan Krshna. They live for Him only. When one’s karma is sincere, what will come from that? The Phala. When we live for God, naturally God will live for us. This dialogue shows the perpetual preparation that Bhagavan Krshna’s Devis were engaged in.

In this dialogue, the importance of not being attached and of being independent was shared. How to practice this is to live in such a way that we are not seeking or soliciting gain. We should not have this agenda or insistence. Why? Because we feel we are a Dasi. If I’m a servant, all that comes from my service, who does that go to? My master. If one is living in such a way that they are soliciting “what do I get?”, then that Dasi bhava or sense of service is not established. For these Devis, this was established.

Further on, Bhagavan Krshna is interacting with the Rshis. Shri Vasudeva is also interacting with the Rshis. And Bhagavan Krshna shares with the Rshis that more powerful than teertha (holy water we drink) or a murti (holy icon we worship) is a Sadhu. A Sadhu is one who is noble and inclusive. What is the logic of this? With teertha and murthi, the purity is facilitated by the power of oneself. If we have little faith in the Ganga and we drink it, the whole time we will be thinking there must be bacteria in here that will make me sick. A murthi will be the same way, “Mom/Dad why do you offer food to a stone? Go outside and do that.” It depends on our power. But with a Sadhu, it depends on their power. Their power expresses as purity and that radiates towards us. There is a shift in power, which is why Bhagavan Krshna is sharing how important these Rshis are.

Shri Vasudeva senses this also and so asks these Rshis. “I always felt that Krshna was my putra (son), but now I am observing all of you that He is not my son, but He is the Father. How can I feel this also? How can I know what you know?” And their response to Shri Vasudeva is Yajna. How to know Shri Krshna as Bhagavan is through Yajna. Generally, how this is practiced is — All that we do, we have a sense of Arpana buddhi. Arpana means offering, dedication. Arpana or this vision that all is being offered to Bhagavan, leads to Shuddha (purity), and Shuddha leads to Moksha. We all finally want and need Moksha, so here is our path — Moksha preceded by Shuddha preceded by Arpana. More specifically, what is to be purified is our eshanas, our fundamental desires.

We are all born with three eshanas –

1. Putreshana — desire for pleasure. So what do the Rshis share on how we can slow or stop this desire? Grha — Be immersed in a family as you will be tested, and in this testing you will lose the desire for pleasure. We typically define grha as being married, having children. Why such a limitation to loving Bhagavan? Grha is to live and work with people, where the relationship is not based on an exchange. For those who are in professions, if we are not paid, would we still be committed to that profession?. Let us think lots about what Grha is.
2. Vitteshana — desire for possession. How do we slow or stop this desire? The Rshis share by Dana. Be a giver and not a depender. One who depends on possessions, only fuels that desire, but by giving we slow and stop that desire.
3. Lokeshana — desire for position. The most subtle and most justified desire. How do we slow or stop this desire? The Rshis share Kala which means time. The idea being, if we reflect on position, who is the king of the castle? The king of the castle keeps on changing literally every moment. All for the position that we are fighting for, how long will it last?

Our fundamental desires are pleasure, possession and position and our fundamental practices are Grha, Dana and Kala respectively.

Being even more specific with these practices towards Yajna, the Rshis teach Shri Vasudeva that everyone is born with three rnas or debts. These are –

1. Deva rna — How do we pay off the debt towards nature’s forces which are always giving to us? The Rshis share by Yajna — to make offerings towards murtis in a ritualistic sense and in a spiritual sense, to live in harmony(not being harmful) with nature’s forces.
2. Pitr rna — This is the debt we owe to our families, our lineage. How do we pay off this debt? Rshis share with Shri Vasudeva is Putra — literally means to have a child, but what it means is to care for another generation. Pay it forward. The environment should be seen as generational wealth. Who does it belong to? Every generation. How do we behave? Like it only belongs to our generation.
3. Rshi rna — This is the debt we owe to our rshis. Their specific answer is Adhyayana — to study or immerse yourself in the Veda.

Shri Vasudeva listens to what the Rshis share with him and then they add, “O Vasudeva, you have surely worshiped the lord of all the world’s, Shri Hari, with great devotion, for He has been born as your son. You are already living by yajna and the phala of this is that He is your son. You have access to Him.” Personalizing this ourselves, do we not have access to Bhagavan? Yes, we do. We are also living by this yajna, so now we have to refine how we are living towards these desires and debts.

After everyone had caught up with each other, most left, but Shri Vasudeva was feeling so large hearted and joyous that he invited Shri Nanda and all of the Gopis and Gopas to stay another day and another day and three months passed. And in these three months everyone expressed how much they loved each other, Shri Vasudeva for Shri Nanda and vice versa.

Leaving the festival of Syamatapanchaka and coming back to Dvaraka –

Skanda 10:85:23 — Here Bhagavan Krshna is speaking to His father, Shri Vasudeva. He shares “I, you and my brother and all who live in Dvaraka, one should see all beings including the ones we cannot see right now, those who cannot move. We should also try to feel what is within them — the same Presence.” Every human, animal, plant and stone has the same Presence within them, and we should see and feel this. He is furthering what the Rshis had shared. He says that Shri Vasudeva should feel that He is not just his son, that He is this Presence and that this Presence was in him also. Sharing additional details –

Vedanta: Shri Vasudeva shares with Bhagavan Krshna that he has heard from the Rshis that He is the Presence and that now he is seeing Him as the Presence. “You are the Archyogi, the original yogi. From You, all other yogis have come, all other yoga has come.” He now comes to understand and appreciate who Bhagavn Krshna is. He now feels this advaita and feels ananda. He stops speaking to Bhagavan Krshna and in this silence, there are just tears of joy that are flowing from his eyes.

Now Devi Devaki sees how joyous her husband is, but is not feeling it so she comes to Bhagavan Krshna and shares, “We have heard that you were able to bring back the dead son of your Guru, Rishi Sandipini. You know that Your elder brothers were murdered by Your uncle. Can You bring my children back?” And Bhagavan Krshna smiled and off He and Shri Balarama went. So they go to Sutala.

Who is the greatest being in Sutala? It is Mahabali. He is shocked and excited that Bhagavan Krshna is there and he shares that he knows where these six children are. But Mahabali has this question about who they are. So Bhagavan Krshna explains that these six were originally the children of Rshi Marichi. They had once insulted Bhagavan Brahma,the Creator, and to correct them, he cursed them to become asuras (those with darkness inside). So they became the children of Hiranyakashipu, but their lineage was still that of Rshi Marichi. So instantly, as these fetuses were born, they were transported to Devi Devaki. These six children are Kirthiman, Udgita, Parishvanga, Patanga, Shudragrith and Greeni. These were the first six children of Devi Devaki who were murdered. What is the name of the seventh child? Shri Balarama and he was transported to Devi Rohini’s womb. Devi Rohini is also the wife of Shri Vasudeva. Devi Devaki was presumed to have miscarried. Bhagavan Krshna was the eighth child, and He was carried to Devi Yashoda. And who facilitated all this? Devi Yogamaya. Everyone fell asleep, including Devi Yashoda and she didn’t know the gender of her baby. And Devi Yogamaya came back to be the child of Devi Devaki. So how many children did Devi Devaki have? Nine, eight sons and one daughter. When Devi Yogamaya, the ninth child, was offered to Kamsa, he tried to kill her, and she flew out of his arms and she became Bhagavan Krshna’s sister, Subhadra.

So Bhagavan Krshna brings back these six children who were murdered and Devi Devaki holds each of them and kisses the top of their heads even though they are adults now. They prostrate to her and their father and Bhagavan Krshna frees them.

Continuing with the katha, Prince Arjuna is once on a yatra and comes to Dvaraka. And while in Dvaraka, he hears about Devi Subhadra and how amazing she is. He also hears that she is to be promised to marry Duryodhana, but knowing how amazing she is, he wants to marry her. So he disguises himself as a Sanyasi and walks around with a tridandi. During the rainy season, he stays in Dvaraka, and while he is there, he gets permission from Bhagavan Krshna’s parents and Bhagavan Krshna to marry Devi Subhadra. Shri Balarama doesn’t want this to happen as he wants her to marry Duryodhana. So one day, as she is at a mandir, Shri Arjuna comes and holds her hand and puts her on his chariot and they leave. Shri Balarama is infuriated, but reconciles after Shri Krshna and his parents speak to him. So Devi Subhadra marries Prince Arjuna. Their son is Abhimanyu who marries Devi Uttara, and their child is Raja Parikshita.

Final reflection for us: Devi Subhadra is symbolic of Bhagavan’s Maya. Typically Bhagavan marries His own Maya, but in this case, Bhagavan’s Maya came as His sister, so marriage was not possible. So why, Prince Arjuna? Relating to Bhagavad Gita, “Pandavanam Dhananjaya”. Bhagavan Krshna says that amongst the Pandavas, He is Prince Arjuna. In other words, Prince Arjuna is an Avatara of Bhagavan Krshna. Thus, Maya and Avatara do get married!

Reconciling Discussions:

Jan16th — How can we and society become more sacrificing, like Gandhiji?

Vivekji shared that Manana is not time based, it has to go on and on. To be more sacrificing, we need to be less judgemental. We tend to be more judgemental, more often in the negative and then we don’t sacrifice for that person. And for society, we need to be less comparing. Those who compare have no energy or enthusiasm to even sacrifice. They feel everyone should be dedicated to them as they feel superior. We should catch ourselves to ensure we are more sacrificing. The past two classes have been about Bhagavan Krshna’s parents, both sets of parents and how much they sacrificed. In Bhagavata, it is stated that Devi Devaki is the Devi of all Devis for the extent of her sacrifice for Bhagavan Krshna to be born.

Jan 23rd — How can we be more detached?

First, we should reflect on how we know we are attached. Vivekji shared that we should use Time as a filter. If we do, we wouldn’t be attached to anything because time is going to take it away. More specifically, be committed to our dharma. Those who are engaged in dharma, their right is to action, not to results, but that has to evolve to engage in more seva. If we engage only in our responsibilities, that can tend to become more worldly. So actively get more involved with service. Then it’s like we are refining this sense of dharma, as the one who serves has less of a sense of entitlement.