ViBha Class Notes: November 14, 2021

How many of us keep a to-do list? If we are falling behind on it, we feel more pressure towards that which is not done. Taking this to a macro perspective, the best ‘to do’ is to be enlightened or Moksha. So many of us are trying to check that off to be enlightened. However, those who are living for Moksha are like those who are in jobs for a pension.

Many choose jobs based on the pension. However, those who are thinking more authentically or more deeply, their mind is on Bhakti, instead of thinking about what they can get. They live by devotion, for devotion. They are living by Bhakti for no purpose, for no utility. The best part is that those who live by Bhakti, all utility comes to them — Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha comes to them. We have been living by Bhakti for the past one hundred classes. Why? No why. This is very much in line with — Why does the Divine adapt? There is no why. The Divine adapts simply TO BE. We feel that as a blessing.

Bhagavata means — the best boat to go to the Light. Why a boat? Since all of us are drowning in Samsara. Change… with change comes fear, death. We need the best boat (as a boat saves people in so many ways with reference to water). This boat is filled with the play of Adapters — Leela Avataras. An Adaptor is one who cares. They are adapting themselves for those who are in front of them. Think of a relationship where one adapts to you. It is because they are empathetic and compassionate.

This is an authoritative list of 23 Leela Avataras. The updated list from last week –

1. Brahman or Infinity
2. Avatara 0 is Narayana — Skanda 1, Chapter 3, Verses 1–5
3. Avatara 1/2 is Brahma
4. Avatara 1 — Sanaka Kumaras — Skanda 1, Chapter 3, Verses 6–25
5. Avatara 2 — Varaha
6. Avatara 3 — Narada
7. Avatara 4 — Nara Narayana
8. Avatara 5 — Kapila
9. Avatara 6 — Dattatreya
10. Avatara 7 — Yajna
11. Avatara 8 — Rshaba
12. Avatara 9 — Prithu
13. Avatara 10 — Matsya
14. Avatara 11 — Kamata or Kurma (tortoise)
15. Avatara 12 — Dhanvantari
16. Avatara 13 — Mohini
17. Avatara 14 — Narasimha
18. Avatara 15 — Vamana
19. Avatara 16 — Parushurama (Rama who is holding an Axe)
20. Avatara 17 — Rishi Vyasa
21. Avatara 18 — Bhagavan Rama
22. Avatara 19 — Balarama
23. Avatara 20 — Krshna
24. Avatara 21 — Bhagavan Buddha
25. Avatara 22 — Kalki

All of these Adaptors are a way for us to evolve from trusting the Divine to surrendering to the Divine. In the ninth to the eleventh Skandas, the focus is for us to evolve from faith to trust, where trust is expressed as surrender. Those who trust themselves, the expression of this is to surrender to the Divine. It is the best way to live just as Bhagavata is the best boat to go to the Light. This is relevant even for those who we feel externally do not deserve this, like Paundraka who was granted Sarupya mukti. This shows how gracious our Bhagavan is, ever adapting! Bhagavan Krshna is The role model. His nature is Avyakta or Infinite. He is Infinity, Brahman, Presence, but assumes this linga, a form and name as that is what we relate to.

Skanda 10:69:40 — This is Bhagavan Krshna speaking to Rishi Narada. “I am the one who teaches karta, follows anumodita, celebrates dharma. He is the cause, effect and He is all relating to dharma. Why, when Dharma is the means and not the ends? I do this to teach and be a role model for all of these worlds and to those in the world. Yet I am not overwhelmed and you should not be overwhelmed either by all that you are seeing”. Whenever we are overwhelmed, we are not valuing the role model Shri Krshna is.

Chapter 70 — A day in the life of Bhagavan Krshna — Dinacharya of Bhagavan Krshna. There are four main points here to be noted carefully. Guruji has shared — It is only by the transformation of our days, can there be a transformation of our lives. Everyone wants to be more independently joyous which is only possible by practicing to be independently joyous today. If we want to be joyous forever, we have to be joyous in every moment. So if we are joyous every day, then we will be joyous for life. This is how the Chapter begins –

There is a fragrant breeze that triggers the bees to start buzzing more, that triggers the birds to start waking up and to chirp, which triggers Bhagavan Krshna’s wives to curse those birds — because once they hear those birds, they know that their Bhagavan Krshna is going to keep moving. There is so much poetry and romance in all of this.

Verse 4 — Bhagavan Krshna wakes up at the Brahma Muhurta, at three am, and washes His face. Then He engages in contemplation.He contemplates…on Himself! The Avatara is contemplating on Brahman, Infinity. This should also be our day when we wake up. For us as well, before we engage in any physical or mental activity, washing our face is a great catalyst to wake up and then contemplate. What is a dying person supposed to do?. What is the purpose of living? It is Satyam Param Dhimahi. Shri Krshna didn’t just teach it, but followed it.

Verse 7 — After contemplation, He offers tarpana (water and different materials) to the rising sun which is actually an aspect of Him. So we should welcome the Sun, and not let the Sun welcome us. Bhagavan Krshna then takes a bath, and then He engages in rituals. We too should contemplate first to establish ourselves in that stillness and then engage in other activities. We tend to engage in so many rituals before we can contemplate. This shows how distracted we have become.

Verse 12 — Bhagavan Krshna gives to all of creation what they want as He finds joy in giving to others. So contemplation, rituals and then sharing. He looks at all of the materials, he touches all of them and then gives them all away. What this shows is that Bhagavan is always in-joying. Those who don’t in-joy tend to be possessive.

Verse 21 — While He is in assembly, Bhagavan Krshna and His leaders discuss how the great leaders of the past led. So after contemplating, after worshipping, after sharing, then He engages in administrating. For us, this part of the day would equate to engaging in our responsibilities like going to school or to work, or taking care of the home.

When Shri Krshna finished sharing materials with the people, then His charioteer would come every morning to pick Him up. He would first prostrate to Shri Krshna. Then Bhagavan Krshna would pick up the charioteer by his shoulders and then hold his hands in His hands. This was the extent of humility and love between Bhagavan Krshna and the charioteer. For us, our relationship with Bhagavan Krshna or anyone who is a role model to us starts with dasya. Our default should be to be a dasya, and it is they who facilitate the sakhya or friendship part of it. We tend to feel our role-models are our friends and with such a casual sentiment, we tend not to evolve. People who deserve respect are treated as friends. It is the role-model who should decide that aspect of the relationship. That is the refinement in our culture that makes one great.

Then when Bhagavan Krshna climbs the chariot, His wives and other people are just looking at Him and He feels them trying to pull Him back. So He gives them a bigger smile, and takes their minds with Him.

Then they go to the Sudharma Hall where Bhagavan Krshna administrates. In the Sudharma hall, it is shared that one never experiences the six afflictions — Shat Urmayah — hunger, thirst, aging, death, ignorance and sorrow. So what is one experiencing in this hall? It is knowledge. So what did Bhagavan Krshna do with His ministers? They engaged in WWW — What would the wise do, so that we can do the same.

Summary — The four pillars that make up Bhagavan Krshna’s routine –

1. Dhyana — contemplation for the mind
2. Dama — controlling ones body — directing our body in the form of rituals
3. Daana — generosity — after we have felt the joy in our mind and body, we should share that with others
4. Dharma — engaging in our responsibilities

If we do this everyday, we WILL experience Atman. No complaints, no blaming, no annotating. What Bhagavan Krshna does everyday, so should we. This is a Nitya karma or regular responsibility. Our Bhagavan loves us so much, that even though He is independently joyous, He is living like this because Rishi Narada is watching Him, Rishi Vyasa is writing about Him. He knows that all of us are listening to this writing and watching.