ViBha Class Notes – May 7, 2023
Bhagavan Krshna shares with Rshi Uddhava as he is completing Uddhava Gita –
“Even a person who reflects on the questions put by you, and to which I have given answers, will attain to that imperishable Brahman whose truth is revealed by the Veda. To that pious person who fully expounds this teaching on Brahman, among my devotees, to him I Gift My Own Self out of love for him.”
Everyone of us as a listener, as a sharer is most Bhagya. Who is authorizing this? It is Bhagavan Krshna, that we will feel Bhagavan Krshna. Bhagavan Krshna is giving Himself to us.
In our Upanishad, there is a wonderful teaching – Yaavat Jeevam Trayovandyah – As long as we are alive, we are to revere these three – Vedanto, Gurur, Ishwara. We are to revere –
- Vedanta – in this case Bhagavata, the authority that guides us to feeling Bhagavan Krshna, Divinity
- Guru – the one who makes this real, the one we can relate to
- Ishwara – who connects all the dots
We are born as humans, we find our Guru, and we have this desire to become more pure. What Pujya Swami Tejomayananda shared is that we should revere these three before we are enlightened, and after we are enlightened, we should revere these three even more as we very much feel how critical these three are.
In our final chapters in Bhagavan Krshna’s life, and our final classes on Vedanta in Bhagavata, let us feel how fortunate we are to be in the trust triangle. Vivekji has this picture of himself being an airplane stuck in turbulence and all he wants is to land, rest and then this military jet comes and escorts him to his landing base, to his home.
The Skanda 11 of Shrimad Bhagavata has the theme of Mukti or Freedom. One of the best teachings on what Mukti is came in the second section – 2:10:6. Whenever we practice contemplation, we should try to include this in our contemplation – Mukti is to let go of other identifications. To drop what we are not is the first facet of being free, to feel our natural presence and be established in that. This section of Shrimad Bhagavata, like our Upanishad course, is teaching us that this is what we are not, so that we know what we are.
Uddhava Gita is the main teaching in this 11th section. It began in the 7th chapter and is completed in the 29th chapter. Here is a review –
Bhagavan Krshna began Uddhava Gita sharing that us being born as a human is surreal. If we think of all of the beings in this multiverse, to be born as a human is surreal, and then to be born to be a seeker, that is even more surreal, to pursue that there is more to life than meets the eye. What is more surreal than this is for a seeker to then follow Bhagavata Dharma which is to dedicate our thoughts, words and actions to Bhagavan. These are our instruments, our Trikarana. And anyone who does that is no longer a seeker, but becomes a Bhakta. More evolved than a seeker is to be a Bhakta. So the trajectory is human – seeker – Bhakta.
This is very clear in an earlier chapter on Kriya Yoga where we were taught how to facilitate puja. A puja is not to be practiced only in a controlled environment, but in an uncontrolled environment as well. A visualization of Puja is – It is to use our feet to reach His Feet – that is Bhagavata dharma. By thinking about Him, talking about Him, acting like Him. The fulfillment of Bhagavata Dharma, which makes one a Bhakta, is to become Bhagavan. What is the purpose of our life? It is to become Bhagavan. Uddhava Gita teaches Advaita or Oneness, that there is no Bhakta and Bhagavan. There is Bhagavan Alone. In Chapter 29, Bhagavan teaches that the one who reaches this ends is a Manisha – Buddhiman, the one who uses their mind. Not someone who has a high IQ, but someone who is using their intellect to become Bhagavan.
Rshi Uddhava keeps asking Bhagavan Krshna questions from Chapters 7-29. Rshi Uddhava has engaged in Upasana of Bhagavan his whole life. He knows the answers to all of these questions, but then why does he ask all these questions? He just wants to be with Bhagavan. He senses that Bhagavan is leaving, and so the more he asks, the more Bhagavan will stay. At one point Bhagavan Krshna asks Rshi Uddhava – O, Uddhava, my dear friend, have you fully grasped the Supreme Truth I have explained to you? Is your mind free from grief and delusion? And Rshi Uddhava through his tears, they are mostly tears of joy because Bhagavan Krshna IS established in his heart now, but some sadness as he has no more questions to ask, which means Bhagavan will leave.
Pujya Swami Tejomayananda has shared that Bhakti makes Jnana sweet. For those who only engage in Jnana without Bhakti, sometimes that Jnana makes us bitter. And Jnana makes Bhakti deep. Until this community, Vivekji felt that most people’s Bhakti was ritualistic, doing without meaning. So Bhakti supports Jnana, and Jnana supports Bhakti. Bhagavan Krshna is the best of Bhakti and Jnana. How is Bhagavan Krshna the best in Bhakti? In His love. He loved and loved, and is loving. And Jnana, as through all of this love, He was independent. He never mixed interdependence with dependence. Vivekji has shared many times that those who are caregivers have to be objective, even if the person we are caring for is struggling, but we are doing this because we love them. By not being objective and sheltering them, we have lost this interdependence, and it has devolved to dependence. Jnana is gone then.
One more insight shared by Pujya Swami Tejomayanada so that we are better prepared for the upcoming chapter – Even if he does not teach others or recite to others, yet keeps studying this knowledge, he does not even need to light a lamp for worship, much less do any other spiritual practice. The study of this scripture known as Bhagavata, which is the lamp of knowledge, is itself My worship.
For 155 hours now, we have been offering Bhagavan Krshna a lamp, not a physical lamp, but a meta-physical lamp. And Bhagavan has shared – I see you, so you are coming with Me.
Now, let us listen to the final chapter of Bhagavan Krshna’s life as Vivekji reads the chapter for us. Let us relax our body, enjoy our breath and quieten our minds.
Skanda 11:30 – The Raja said, “After Uddhava had left Dwaraka, what did the worshipful Lord, the cause of all causes, do at Dwaraka? When His clan of the Yadus was condemned to destruction by the curse of the holy men, how did He abandon that glorious earthly form of His, which used to enthrall the senses of all men by its superb excellences? Seeing that unique form, women found it impossible to withdraw their eyes therefrom. Devotees, into whose heart it entered through the portals of their ear, found it unerasably impressed on their minds. Poets found its beauty stimulating, a new glow of inspiration to their words, bringing them world wide reputation. And seeing that form seated in the chariot of Arjuna, as it coursed through the battlefield of Kurukshetra, countless warriors dying in battle attained identity with it.”
Rshi Shuka answered, “Taking note of the numerous inauspicious portents that were observed on land, in the sky and the intermediary regions, Krshna said as following to the unsuspecting Yadus, gathered in the assembly hall known as Sudharma.
Bhagavan said, “O leaders of the Yadavas, terrible portents indicative of death are seen in Dwaraka. It is not proper for us to stay here even a moment longer. Let women, children and the elders go to the place known as Shankodhara. We, menfolk, will go to Prabhasa where the River Saraswati flows to the west. Taking purifying baths there and observing fasts, we shall with concentrated minds adore the Devatas with ceremonial baths, unguents, and other ingredients of worship. We shall seek the blessings of many holy men, making presentation to them of cloth, money, land, cows, elephants, horses, chariots and houses. By observing this commandment, dangers are averted and all-round welfare secured. The worship of the Divinities, holy people and cows brings good to living beings.”
All the elders of the Yadavas agreed to this proposal of Krshna, the destroyer of Madhu. They crossed the ocean in boats, and traveled to Prabhasa in their chariots. There the Yadavas performed with great devotion all the holy rites mentioned by the Lord and many more. Afterwards, deprived of discrimination by a stroke of destiny as it were, they took heavy doses of a heavy sweet wine called Maireya. A fierce quarrel soon arose amongst those proud and haughty Yadava heroes under the influence of the powerful drink, augmented by the deluding effect of Krshna’s resolve. Excited by anger and intent on killing one another, they fought with weapons like bows and arrows, swords and maces, spears and javelins. With the banners of chariots, cavalry and infantry fluttering, and seated on various kinds of mounts like camels, donkeys, bulls, buffaloes and horses. they confronted one another and caused mutual destruction as elephants do in the forests with their tusks.
In that bitter conflict, they clashed with one another in duels – Pradyumna with Saamba, Akrura with Bhoja, Aniruddha with Saatyaki, Subhadra with Sangraamajitt, the fierce Gada with his namesake Gada,and Sumitra with Suratha. Under the delusion caused by the Lord, other intoxicated heroes like Nisatha, Ulmuka, Sahasrajit, Satajit and Bhanu fought among themselves. The various clans of Yadus, Daashaarhas, Vrshnis, Andhakas, Bhojas, Saattvatas, Madhus, Arbudas, Maathuras, Surasenas, Visarjanas, Kukuras, Kuntis etc., all fought among themselves, forgetting their kinships. They fought – sons with fathers, brothers with brothers, uncles with nephews, grandfathers with grandsons, friends with friends, and relatives with relatives – and thus themselves killed their own near and dear ones under the delusion caused by the worshipful Lord.
When arrows and weapons were exhausted, when all bows were broken, they plucked the Eraka reeds with their fists. The reed, as they held it in their hands, became as hard as batons of adamant. They charged one another with it as determined antagonists, and when Lord Krshna tried to restrain them from the fight, they attacked Him too. Considering Balabhadra too to be one on the enemy’s side, they rushed at him with weapons to kill him. Therefore, Krshna and Rama too, pretending to be in an angry mood, moved about the place, killing many with the Eraka grass, wielding them like iron bars. Cursed by the holy men and deluded by the Lord’s Maya, the flame of anger ignited amongst the Yadavas by mutual antagonism and this burnt up that entire race as a fire generated by the mutual friction of bamboos consumes a bamboo forest.
When His own clan was thus destroyed, the Lord felt satisfied that the residual burden of the earth had also been lightened. Rama now entered into meditation on the Supreme Being sitting on the seashore, and gave up the human body in that state, uniting his Self with the Supreme Self. Seeing Rama’s exit from the worldly scene, the worshipful Lord Shri Krshna sat silently on the ground under a Ashwattha tree. He sat there assuming His form with four arms, and illumining all the surroundings with his lustre, like a fire without heat or smoke. Sporting the Srivatsa mark, blue like a rain cloud, shining like molten gold on account of His wearing a yellow cloth, highly auspicious to see, having a lotus-like face beautified by a charming smile and lovely eyes, embellished with shining fish-marked ear pendants, girdle, holy thread, diadem, bracelets, armlets, pearl necklaces, anklets, Kaustubha jewel, and the encircling floral wreath, and surrounded by His weapons in forms assumed, He sat under the Ashwattha tree resting His lotus-red left leg on the right thigh.
A hunter named Jara, into whose hands the residual bit of the iron pestle had fallen, had made an arrow-head out of it. Now this hunter mistook the feet of the Lord to be the face of an animal, and shot at Him with this fateful arrowhead. Coming near, he found a noble human form with four arms. His offense made him tremble with fear, and falling down at the feet of the Lord, he said, “O, Lord! Thou destroyer of Madhu! My sinful self has done this in utter ignorance. O Thou, the eternally pure and the far-famed one for holiness! Deign to pardon this sinner. I have done a great offense to Thee, O Vishnu, whose very remembrance, great men say, will dispel the darkness of ignorance in men. Therefore, O Lord of Vaikuntha, kill me soon, me a hunter of animals, so that I may never more do such high handed acts against great men. Even Brahma, his offspring Rudra and others and the Rshis who are the masters of the Veda, failed to understand the mystery of Thy creation, the universe, veiled as their vision, is by Thy Maya. How then, can a most ignorant and humble hunter understand by himself that Thou art subject to the curse of holy men?”
Bhagavan said, “O Jara! Do not entertain any fear. Get up. What you have executed is only due to My resolve. By My will, you shall gain heaven, the realm where men who do good works go.” Commanded thus by the worshipful Lord Krshna who had assumed a body of His own will, Jara, after circumambulating Him thrice, ascended the divine vehicle that had come to fetch him to heaven.
Daaruka, the charioteer of the Lord, was now going about in search of Him. By the fragrance of the Tulsi garland of His, he traced the Lord to the place where He was seated. He saw his Lord and Master seated under the Ashwattha tree, surrounded by His luminous weapons. At the sight, Daaruka, bathed in overflowing love jumped out of the chariot in great excitement, fell down at the Lord’s feet with tears flowing from his eyes. He said, “Having lost track of thee, I have, O Lord, been like one caught in darkness with eyesight practically lost. Like one in the darkness of night after the moon has set, I have lost all sense of direction and peace of mind.” While the charioteer Daaruka was speaking thus, the divine chariot of the Lord with the emblem of Garuda, horses and flagstaff, rose in the air. The divine weapons of the Lord that had surrounded Him in embodied forms, also ascended with the chariot. To the charioteer who was standing wonderstruck on seeing all this, the Lord said, “O charioteer, go to Dwaraka. Inform all relatives there about the destruction of the Yadus by mutual conflict, and also of Balarama’s demise by Yogic process and My abandonment of the earthly scene. None of you nor our relatives should stay in Dwaraka hereafter. For after My time, the city of the Yadus will be inundated by the sea. All of you with your families and my parents should go to Indraprastha, under the protection of Arjuna. As for yourself, follow the Bhagavata Dharma, be established in knowledge and abandon all attachment. Knowing the whole universe as an expression of my Maya, remain tranquil and free from all grief.”
Instructed thus by the Lord, Daaruka circumambulated Him again and again, prostrated before Him, held His feet on his head, and returned sorrowfully to the city.
We should feel that our Bhagavan Krshna, your Bhagavan Krshna is established in our heart. The only place He has gone is from in front of our eyes to in our heart.
In our final class next week, Vivekji said he would share the Vedanta of this Chapter on Bhagavan Krshna becoming unmanifest.
Discussion: What has this course, Vedanta in Bhagavata, meant to you and why?
RAW: We started Skanda 11 in March 2022 and now it is May 2023. We have been in this skanda for 12 months. What is the deepest change you have made in your personality in the past year?