Kamadeva often feels that he is the most powerful and he tried to radiate this power on to Bhagavan Shiva, but he was overpowered by Bhagavan Shiva. So next, he tried to overpower Bhagavan Krshna. The Raasa Leela is also known as the Kaama Vijaya Leela. This was a test or a game between Kaamadeva and Bhagavan Krshna and obviously Bhagavan Krshna won. He overpowered Kamadeva. Relating this to ourselves, there are times, there are experiences when we feel that we have overpowered Kamadeva, but they keep coming back, which is why we have to engage in Nitaram Dhyayhi which becomes Nidhidhysana. Nitaram means perpetual and Dhyayhi means to keep in mind. To keep who in mind? To perpetually keep Bhagavan Krshna in our minds, to keep Bhagavan Shiva in our minds, and they will fight Kamadeva for us. If there is no kama (desire), there will not be any krodha (anger), nor lobha (greed). The Gopis succeeded in this endeavor. Their minds were stolen or captivated by Manohara or Bhagavan Krshna. What the Gopis would do when they were in their homes during the day or even at night — their manava sharira was at home, but their divya sharira (celestial or astral body) was in the Raasa Leela. Just like some of us, we may be present, but our minds could be elsewhere. This is training for our bodies to be engaged in our professional engagements or seva or exercising, but our minds to always be in Bhagavatam.

Bhagavan Krshna had sent Sri Uddhava to the Gopis and in His message, He said the map (Veda) to Him or Bhagavan, is Samadhana. Samadhana means the senses and mind are absorbed in that which is Highest. It is very practical for us, as the map to our divinity is Samadhana — be more balanced, be more focused, be more reflective. In the language of Bhagavad Gita, more important than how to act is Why to act. The Gopis engaged in everything we do, but their Why was quite different than ours is.

Coming back to Mathura, Bhagavan Krshna went to Sairandri’s home and Akrura’s home, and both of them wanted that which is very different from Bhagavan. Sairandri wanted Bhukti (the lower 3 Ps — pleasure, possession and position), while Akrura wanted the higher P which is Mukti.The framework that Vivekji shared with us to grow out of Bhukti into Mukthi is less annotating, less blaming and less complaining. Annotating is like a sattvik desire, justifying why we do or do not do something. Blaming is like a rajasik expression, that something went wrong, but since we are such extroverts, we are blaming it on others. And complaining is like a Tamasik expression, that something negative has happened and it’s not our fault nor yours. So we are just venting with no purpose which is quite tamasik. Reducing these A’s, B’s and C’s will help us come to understand and appreciate that when we can have Bhukti or Mukti, why would we choose Bhukti?

Skanda 10:50:50 — Rishi Shuka is speaking to Raja Parikshita describing what Sri Akrura was doing in Hastinapura. He was sent there to find out what was happening between the Pandavas and Kauravas. Sri Krshna is thinking about how to protect His people and His place. So He creates a fortress in the middle of the ocean. This fortress is the new home of all His people and His place and is called Dwaraka.

Leading to this — When Sri Akrura is in Hastinapura, trying to find out about the Pandavas, Bhagavan Krshna knows that the Pandavas were not being treated properly by the Kauravas. Sri Akrura stays there for many months and spoke to all sorts of people. His sample size was not small, and his overall observation was that the Kauravas were jealous of the Pandavas. Jealousy is often known as a match. It first burns you and then burns others. Let us think about how we interact with people who we are jealous of. Jealousy is like poison. It poisons us first and then others. If we think of the Kauravas, they did both of these things to the Pandavas — they tried to burn them, they tried to poison them. So this is indicative of what is in the heart of the one who is jealous.

One of the personalities that Sri Akrura interacts with is Devi Kunti. Rishi Shuka tells Raja Parikshita that she is his Great Grandmother! How he describes how sad she is, is too much. And the only way to comfort her, is to tell her that her children are divine. And they are! Prince Arjuna is divine.

Then Akrura goes to see Raja Dhritarashtra and gives him amazing advice. Here are some of the highlights and these are intense thoughts for all of us. He shares –

• Even while one is living, the beings around them come and go, leave alone when you die, your body will leave you. While we are alive, people come in and out of our lives, and we cannot hold on to them. In fact, we cannot even hold on to our body.
• He further shares that one who is attached, they abandon their responsibilities for those who they are attached to, and eventually those they are attached to abandon them. So we are giving away our dharma by holding on to our attachments, but whoever we are attached to keep coming and going and that leaves one confused, purposeless and he compares that to living in hell. When we don’t have any purpose for a day, or a job or school, that is like being in hell.

And what Raja Dhritarashtra shares back with Sri Akrura is that he is attached to his children and family and this agitates his mind, so he cannot ever follow advice. Attachment leads to agitation which leads to a rejection of advice. So who is Dhritarashtra? This is class 104 and the message has not changed. The message is that Bhagavan is number One and we are number two, but why we don’t follow advice is because our minds are agitated. This is why we listen to Bhajans before class. And then Sri Akrura comes home.

There is a change in the scene now. After Kamsa’s death, his two wives, Asti and Prapti go back to their father, King Jarasandha. When these two daughters go back sad as their husband was killed, King Jarasandha is angry at Bhagavan Krshna and begins his campaign of attacking Mathura.

King Jarasandha is very organized and attacks Mathura seventeen times and everytime he has 23 akshauhinis with him, that is approximately 94 million people. In comparison, in the Bhagavad Gita, only 18 akshauhinis were gathered in total at Kurukshetra. Everytime King Jarasandha attacks, Bhagavan Krshna is like a firebrand (fire torch) that moves so fast that he looks like a discus. And each time, Bhagavan Krshna and Sri Balarama burn through these 94 million beings. Bhagavan Krshna has gone from being a dancer to a warrior. Everytime King Jarasandha attacks, he is never captured, but is always allowed to go. Why? Because Bhagavan Krshna knows that Jarasandha would get more wicked people and come back. One of Bhagavan Krshna’s purposes is to correct the wicked. See the efficiency! What a warrior He is!

At one point, there is another wicked leader called Kalayavana who is an enemy to Hastinapura, and he comes to attack Mathura with 35 million soldiers. And Bhagavan Krshna knows that right after Kalayavana attacks, Jarasandha would come back. So at this point, Bhagavan Krshna closes His eyes and creates Dwaraka in the middle of the ocean. This Dwarka that Bhagavan Krshna created is not the one in Gujarat. It is in this Dwaraka that Bhagavan Krshna creates the assembly hall known as Sudharma. Anyone who comes to Sudharma never feels hungry or thirsty.

In Dwaraka, Ka symbolises Brahman and Dwara is the entry or doorway. So Dwaraka is the doorway to Infinity. After the creation of Dwaraka, Bhagavan Krshna transports all of the people from Mathura to Dwaraka and keeps Balarama in charge of the administration of Dwaraka. Then Bhagavan comes back to Mathura by Himself. Vivekji suggested that we should read Swami Tejomayananda’s commentary on Jarasandha and Dwaraka.

Skanda 10:51:54: Raja Muchukunda is speaking to Bhagavan Krshna and shares that for the one who wants freedom from samsara, they get associated with Satsanga. The trajectory or ends of Satsanga is Bhagavan Krshna and all of this is indicative of one’s end in samsara, of one’s communion with Bhagavan Krshna.

So who is Raja Muchukunda? When Bhagavan Krshna returns to Mathura, who is waiting for Him? Kalayavana. So Bhagavan Krshna runs out of Mathura, which is why one of His names is Ranachora, as He ran away from battle. When Bhagavan runs away, Kalayavana chases Bhagavan, who enters the cave where Raja Muchukunda is sleeping. Bhagavan then takes His upper cloth and puts it on Raja Muchukunda. Kalayavana thinks it is Bhagavan Krshna and pulls the cloth off. And when Raja Muchukunda wakes up and as soon as he opens his eyes, whoever is in front of him burns to ashes. So Kalayavana is destroyed.

So why is Raja Muchukunda sleeping? Raja Muchukunda is a great Raja who is supporting the Devas in the fight against the Asuras. And he stays up all day and night fighting till Guha arrives. Guha’s more popular name is Lord Subramanyam. When Lord Subramanyam arrives, Raja Muchukunda is relieved. The devas then go to Raja Muchukunda feeling grateful for his fight supporting them and ask him to ask for any boon other than Moksha. Raja Muchukunda shares — Time is moving all of us around like a Gopa moves cows. So I don’t want anything from you, as today you may be in power, but not tomorrow. All I want to do right now is sleep. He is like the satvik Kumbhakarana. So that is why he is sleeping in this cave. And since his sleep is not yet up, when he wakes up, he is so infuriated that whoever is in front of him, gets burnt.

After Kalayavana is burnt, Raja Muchukunda notices Bhagavan Krshna sitting in the corner, watching him and Raja Muchukunda knows who He is. So he comes to Bhagavan and says to Him — Worldliness makes one a rat and that time is the snake. That is indeed very powerful imagery. The more worldly we are, the more rat-like we become and time will just kill us. Bhagavan Krshna then asks him to ask for anything, with no buts. The devas only gave him sleep. So Raja Muchukunda says, “O all pervading One, I do not look for any other boon, but only the service of Thy feet.” This again only reinstates the fifth Purushartha or purpose of life and that is Bhakti. He just wants to live for Bhagavan. Bhagavan later says that the boons that were offered to him were not to test him, but only to glorify His Bhakta. For a Bhakta, there is no Moha. They love! There is no jealousy like the Kauravas, there is no confusion like Prince Arjuna. There is no swaying. Raja Muchukunda knew that the Devas could give nothing so he just asked to sleep.

The final insight for us — Bhagavan shares that pranayama will not free one from fear, nor desire, only Bhakti will. Pranayama will only postpone our fear and desire and it is only devotion that will free one from fear and desire. Bhagavan Krshna is sharing this with one who has everything. He says that Bhakti is what will bring us happiness immediately. Lots of practical insights for us.