ViBha Class Notes – January 29, 2023

When Shri Bharata had come back to Ayodhya, Bhagavan Rama had left for the aranya, and Raja Dasharatha was unwell, he had shared with his mother, Rani Kaikeyi, “Anyone who doesn’t have a relationship with Rama, I do no have a relationship with them.” His point was that his mother did not have a relationship with Rama, so she wasn’t his mother. Let us personalize this. Bhagavati Sita and Bhagavan Rama are not beautiful. They are Beauty. That which is beautiful is an adjective that has to describe another entity, like the weather, someone’s hair, or a painting. They are Beauty, which is a noun that is independent. Personalizing this more, being happy can often change to being unhappy. But Bhagavan Rama is Happiness, which doesn’t change. So Vedanta in Bhagavata is a course training us to love that which is real. Shri Bharata loved that which is real – Bhagavan Rama! This course is training us to love that which is real – Happiness, because it is independent. The fulfillment of such training is that we experience real love. Our love is conditional right now, always traced with “what do I get”. With one’s Nature, with the Nature of Bhagavan, there is no doing, there is no getting. One is only Being!

Rshi Uddhava asks Bhagavan Krshna – Who is free? Bhagavan Krshna responds saying – The one who has followed purity to authority. We invested a lot of time and effort in self development or virtue development, all that Rshi Dattatreya has shared – forgive more, unitask more, and so on. Then that leads one to authority, when teachings that we are Happiness feel more authoritative. Bhagavan Krshna shares that this is facilitated by an Acharya, one who is the bottom cup, arani, in this reflecting. Now we may wonder – Why is the Acharya at the bottom and not on the top? Typically, when we study, the Acharya sits higher than the student. So why at the bottom in this visualization? Vivekji shared that it is because an Acharya stabilizes that disciple. That which is on the bottom, tends to be more stable. When this reflecting happens, what the student feels is that their Nature is Awareness, that they are Chinmaya, filled with Awareness. And since that’s who they are, all their other identities, particularly with this body, they are dreamlike. When we wake up from a dream, we seamlessly, naturally let go of that dream body, and do not depend on that. When one knows they are Awareness, they have the same relationship with this body. 

When these teachings become personal and real, what does authority feel like? 

Skanda 11:11:11-12 – But the human of dispassion is not bound or affected like the ignorant man, even while lying, sitting, walking, bathing, seeing, touching, smelling, eating and hearing. Though his senses are functioning, he remains as a mere witness. Though he is seen in a body, which is the product of Prakrti, he is unaffected by bodily contacts, like the sky, the sun, and the air. The sky, though all pervading, is not affected by the objects it pervades. (We cannot harm the sky.) The sun, though reflecting in water, is not affected by the attributes of the water. (If the puddles in our driveway become muddy, does the Sun become muddy?) The wind, though moving everywhere, remains unaffected. (Rshi Dattatreya had explained how the wind treats all equally, both the petals and the thorns of a rose flower.) 

In summary, what Bhagavan Krshna has shared so far is to be more of an observer, rather than a depender. We must observe the body, rather than depending on the body. We must observe relationships, rather than depending on them. Some of us are able to easily relate to this as we love the knowledge, but there are some others who find it too subtle to comprehend. So Bhagavan Krshna shares that for those for whom this authority is too far right now, what should they do? In Bhagavata, the teachings are never about giving up. The teachings are always adapted for each personality. Bhagavan says – Live to please Me! Whatever you do, you do it for Me! 

Once we start to practice that, the evolution of that is that we will start to depend on Him! Our problem is that we depend on our family and friends for completion, and like a dream, they come and they go. But if we start to depend on Bhagavan, we will become independent of our family and friends. So please Him, depend on Him! Vivekji had shared some specifics last time – We should offer our best to Bhagavan without the thought of that being returned to us. Quite often we give because we know logically that we are going to get it back. One should just give their best, and if that comes back, we should treat that like a bonus, like if we happen to get recognized when we are serving the community, the society, we should treat that like a bonus. 

One more insight into what it means to please and depend on Bhagavan – Where is one supposed to do this? Not just in the Ashram, not just in the Puja room. In Chapter 11, in Verse 42, Bhagavan shares that there are 11 Centers or Atma or Directions, where one can please and depend on Him. Here they are –

• The Sun, Fire, Teacher, Cow, Devotee, Sky, Air, Water, Earth, One’s own Atma or Spirit, and All Beings

These are eleven Directions where we have to practice, and what is special is that all of the elements are listed here. At the end, Bhagavan says All living beings, which means that we have to practice pleasing and depending on Bhagavan even with those who are different from us, not just physically, but their purpose in life is different from ours, the decisions they make are different. 

Summarizing Chapter 11 – As we associate, so we think. As we think, so we develop. Association leads to thinking, thinking leads to development. Being more specific – Associating with Sadhus, those who are noble, leads to thinking, which is Bhakti here. Thinking leads to development, which is Surrender here. Sadhusanga leads to Bhakti, Bhakti leads to Surrender! In Chapter 12, the next chapter, Bhagavan Krshna describes proof of this – 

Just as name and form are lost by sages experiencing Samadhi, and rivers merging in the ocean, the intensely loving selves of the Gopikas lost in Me, their separate existence, lost awareness of their kith and kin with whom one looks upon as one’s own. They lost even the consciousness of the very body with which they identified. 

What is development? Surrender! What does Surrender feel like? One loses oneself, particularly the sense of individuality. Bhagavan completes this chapter by re-emphasizing that all that He taught in Chapters 10-12 is only possible through Guru Upadesha and Guru Krpa. Guru Upadesha is the Guru’s advice and Guru Krpa is the support that a Guru offers. Only then can one experience diversity, feeling the unity. 

We consciously care for our family, especially our blood relatives like parents, siblings, , children, and this love and caring comes naturally. However, in terms of our spouse, we have chosen to care for them and love them, and we identify with them now. So we know how it feels to identify with a once complete stranger. Why don’t we identify with more beings then? Why stop with one being when we know how to do it? Why not all beings? That’s feeling the unity in diversity! 

We now come to a very special portion of Shrimad Bhagavata in Chapter 13, but first, here is some context.

Sanatana Dharma is a Vision Statement which means Infinite Nature. A Vision Statement becomes real for people like us through a Mission Statement which here is Self Development. If we engage in self development, we will have the vision of Infinite Nature. Another word for self development is Yoga. Now to feel the Mission Statement, there has to be an Action Statement which here is Study and Discipline. So study and discipline lead to self development which leads to Sanatana Dharma – SD-SD-SD! Noone is born a Hindu. We have to know what Sanatana Dharma is to be able to follow it, and those who study and follow it, even if they are not born a Hindu, they are a Hindu then. 

Now in the chapters we just studied, in terms of study and discipline, what Bhagavan Krshna was sharing is that we should associate with Sadhus, and by associating with Sadhus, we study and discipline and rise to the Mission Statement and the Vision Statement. Now what Bhagavan Krshna is going to share is, maybe we cannot be with Sadhus all the time (something external), so what to do then. We must associate with Sattva (not external), and Sattva can be practiced irrespective of context. 

Skanda 11:13:5-6 – What is Sattva? – Whatever wise humans commend as spiritually beneficial, should be understood as sattvica in nature. Whatever they condemn, are to be taken as tamasica, and whatever they ignore as rajasica. For the development of sattva, humans should associate with the ten sattvic developing entities and substances. From that will devotion and knowledge develop. Only then will the memory of one’s spiritual Nature rise and the bondage of matter get effaced. 

Summarizing, when one studies and then follows, they lose their sense of individuality because they are assuming the sense of Infinity. In the earlier chapter, this is done with association with Sadhus. Now, Bhagavan Krshna is sharing that it is also done with the association with Sattva. We are to practice or pursue Sattva in ten directions, and here is what they are, extremely practical –

Skanda 11:13:4 – Bhagavan Krshan shares – Gunas pervade these ten directions. You should nurture sattva. In what? 

1. Agama – what we read. Sattvic reading is reading that makes us more selfless, and rajasic reading is that which relates to selfishness. So looking at an Instagram feed, does it relate to making us more selfless? Reading the right material, like Bhagavata, we begin to feel less like an individual, and more like Infinity. So we need to be careful about what we read. 
2. Aapa – what we drink. Sattvic drinking is drinking water, which is most natural. The majority of this Earth is water. So we nurture sattva by drinking more water. Rajasic drinking is drinking that which is unnatural, that which is flavored. 
3. Praja – the company we keep. Sattvic praja is inclusive. The more we are around inclusive people, the more sattvic we will be. Rajasic praja is exclusive, it is more about “othering”. For example, we should speak in a language that is most inclusive of all the people present.  
4. Desha – the place you go, you stay – Sattvic desha is nature. To become more sattvic, we should be in nature more, more trees, more grass, and so on. Rajasic desha is crowded highways. Where there is a lot of development, where we see less trees, and more concrete, that nurtures rajas. 
5. Kaala – how to use time. How to nurture sattva is during morning time, when we are most enthusiastic and energetic. Rajasic kaala is evening time. 
6. Karma – the actions we engage in. To nurture sattva, we must engage in our regular responsibilities, Nityakarma. To nurture rajas, we engage in small responsibilities, that which is limited to some. It’s like providing minimum happiness to minimum people, Kamyakarma.
7. Janma – how we feel.  Everyday we are reborn – sometimes cranky, sometimes cheerful, sometimes tired, sometimes energetic. So to nurture sattva, one’s janma or feeling should be inspired. We want to be better, but that force is not coming from the outside. It is coming from the inside as it is us who want to be better. Whereas, nurturing rajas would be the feeling of being motivated as motivation comes from the outside. One is always dependent then. That is the difference between a motivational speaker and an inspirational teacher. 
8. Dhyana – what we think about (relating to the mind). Our perspective to nurture sattva is to feel that all that happens to us is filled with Grace. One should feel the hand of Bhagavan in all our experiences, whether we miss a flight or win the lottery. Rajasic dhyana is when one’s narrative is one of deficiency, like when we interact with people, we look at their weaknesses, we keep questioning why something happened to us, how something is not good enough, and so on.
9. Mantra – what we talk about (relating to the body). To nurture sattva, we should talk about peace, happiness, and virtues. Rajasic mantra is when we talk about prosperity, like politics, career, economy. 
10. Samskara – what our purpose is (relating to the intellect). To nurture sattva, our purpose is purification. We do all we do to become more pure. Rajas is nurtured when our purpose becomes beautification, when we put in so much effort to make our body beautiful because this is who we think we are. We engage in beautification because we seek external validation, like to be commended on how our car looks or what we did yesterday. It is always about the other person validating us. 

For one to change who they are, from an individual to Infinity, one must associate with Sadhus, and now Bhagavan Krshna is sharing – Associate with Sattva! And with these ten directions that we are almost always engaged in, we should be more careful or vigilant to nurture sattva. 

This is the beginning of Chapter 13. Here is how Chapter 13 continues. After sharing this, Bhagavan Krshna is asked another question by Rshi Uddhava, and his questions are really our questions. He shares – Those who live for pleasure are always led to “sad”, which means stress, anxiety, dejection. Why do people then live for pleasure? If this is all they get, why do they pursue it? 

Bhagavan Krshna answers, in brief first. He says – The way to not do this is Yoga. Yoga is redirecting one’s mind from pleasure to Peace. Then Bhagavan Krshna shares that He actually taught this a long time ago. He sets a precedent. He shares – 

Once the Sanatakumaras asked their father, Bhagavan Brahma, the same question. They had asked him – How do we make our mind more sattvic? Bhagavan Brahma said he didn’t know. He said that because Bhagavan Brahma is always doing, and for us, doing is becoming. We are always trying to become something which means that we are always missing out on being who we are. But what’s lovely about Bhagavan Brahma is that when he doesn’t know, he asks the wise. He asked Bhagavan Narayana for the answer. That’s how Bhagavata began, when Bhagavan Brahma was lost and didn’t know what to do. He contemplated on Bhagavan Narayana who then taught him Bhagavata. 

Bhagavan Narayana then manifested as a Hamsa. He took the Avatara of a swan. Bhagavan Hamsa ki Jai! The word Hamsa is lovely. The sanskritam word for ego is ahankara, which means aham karomi, i am doing. Hamsa means Aham Saha. Who am I? I am not doing, I am He, as in the Divine. So Hamsa means I am Divine. Bhagavan Narayana appeared as a Hamsa and started to teach Bhagavan Brahma and his children. What an awesome satsanga! And this is known as Hamsa Gita, a very precious part of Shrimad Bhagavata. 

Last thought – Why a Hamsa? Bhagavan teaches that our minds are made up of the Gunas, and our minds are engaged in articles, beings, and circumstances, which are also made up of the Gunas. So how do we separate the mind from what it is made up of? That is essentially the question. A Hamsa is a theological bird that has the ability to separate milk and water. It is impossible for us to do so, but a Hamsa is able to separate milk and water. That type of being is required for us to learn how to separate the mind from articles, beings and circumstances. 

Discussion: Bhagavan expresses as Maya, which expresses as Gunas, which express as the Mind, which expresses as articles, beings, and circumstances. Let’s call that matter. So Bhagavan-Maya-Gunas-Mind-Matter. And we see that this is a flow of extroversion, the more one moves towards matter, the more extrovert one becomes. So what are practices we can all engage in to return, to go from matter to return to Bhagavan? 

• Bhagavan says the way to bring the mind back from matter to Bhagavan is to feel that all matter is only Maya, and next is that there is only Atma. So the implication of that is – Matter is Maya, but there is no Maya. There is only Atma! 

This is extremely causal, and that’s what Hamsa Gita teaches, this and many perspectives on this. Vivekji is encouraging all of us to study Hamsa Gita in advance (Chapter 13, Verses 16-40), one of the most reflective portions of Bhagavata. And the answer that Bhagavan begins with is in Verse 22 where Bhagavan shares – You are asking Me who I am, but there is only Me! Who I am implies that you are different, but there is only Me! – really reflective thoughts! 

RAW from last week: To implement a change in our relationships.

Vivekji’s observations: The more organized we are, the more we can tend to this relationship and that relationship, and have enough capacity to reflect. And the more reflective we are, the less affected we are by negative relationships, or worldly relationships. So be more organized, reflect more and we will find our relationships to be more of a sadhana then.