The difference between vayovriddha and jnanavriddha is — vayovriddha is unconscious, when the body gets older and jnanavriddha is conscious, when the mind matures and becomes wiser. So how does one become wiser or jnanavriddha? By forgetting what is not important makes one wiser, like forgetting others’ faults. That is vidya. Avidya is remembering faults. Avidya is knowing why one is suffering and making excuses.
Recalling the episode when Dharma (the bull) is being beaten by Kali, Raja Parikshita asks the bull if he is sad, and the bull says it is laughable that anyone can make you sad or happy!
This course is about matching vayovriddha with jnanavriddha. We will all age without doubt, but jnanavriddha is not making excuses for the sadness in our lives, not finding faults in others. It will open our eyes to reality. When someone insults us, we get lost in our own mind and lose track of time and reality. Study of Advaita Vedanta is to de-hypnotize oneself and see the oneness is all, as said by Swami Vivekananda.
When we invest in stocks, we analyze many figures, but the final figure is the most important. Similarly, in our life, our last breath is most important as it will direct our next breath. This is what Rishi Shuka is telling Raja Parikshita, that Bhagavan or infinity should be contemplated upon all the time, especially during one’s last breath.
Rishi Shuka tells Raja Parikshita that the highest contemplation is to contemplate on Svarupa or Infinity inside of you. If you can’t do that, contemplate on Vishvarupa, or Infinity outside of you like the mountains, people, clouds and such. And if you can’t do that, contemplate on your Ishtarupa or Infinity in a specific form like Bhagavan Krishna, or Mother Saraswati.
In the third chapter of the first Skanda, twenty-four avataras of Bhagavan are listed which are the spine of Shrimad Bhagavata. Avatara zero is Bhagavan Narayana, avatara one is Bhagavan Brahma, avatara two are the SanatKumaras, and avatara three is Bhagavan Varaha.
Bhagavan Varaha and Hiranyaksha have a very different relationship with Mother Earth. Hiranyaksha wants more wealth, more profit, and all he is interested in is using Mother Earth, while Bhagavan Varaha wants peace and is interested in only serving Mother Earth. If we apply this to ourselves, has the earth been created for us, or have we been created for the earth? Thinking about this in a different perspective, has your mother been created for you or have you been created for your mother?
After Bhagavan Varaha saves Mother Earth, He disappears. So Rishi Vidura asks Rishi Maitreya who Hiranyaksha was, and how come all this happened. Rishi Maitreya then answers that one of Bhagavan Brahma’s sons was Daksha Prajapati. His job was to create. And one of his daughters was Devi Sati who then became Mother Parvathi. Daksha Prajapati had another daughter named Diti who was married to Rishi Kashyapa, a very satvik person.
In Sanatana Dharma during sandhya time or at dusk, one engages in more discipline. Rishi Kashyapa was engaged in dhyana one evening at dusk, and Diti, feeling very lusty, asked him to fulfill her desire. He calmly explained that he would oblige her after he finished his disciplines, but forgetting all shame, she pulled his upper cloth. So Rishi Kashyapa submitted to Diti’s lust after which he went back to his disciplines.
Then Diti, overcome with guilt and shame, went to talk to Rishi Kashyapa. Rishi Kashyapa said that there were consequences for all actions and that she would give birth to two of the most terrible beings, Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu. However, since she was repentant, she would also be the grandmother of one of the greatest devotees of Bhagavan of all times. His name would be Prahlada.
Vedanta: Why does Bhagavan Varaha disappear? Bhagavan Varaha is described as the Father looking after Mother Earth and He disappears because He is trying to teach the people, His children, to be independent. Most of us in this course are parents. Are we teaching our kids to be independent? Are we living in an independent way? The phrase used is Svadrik — one who sees oneself or one who depends on oneself. If one is svadrik, one never complains or criticizes, and in a practical sense, one changes worrying into learning. We are only partly responsible and we should be aware that Bhagavan, our Creator, is more responsible and is always watching over us..
In this learning, we get more cheerful, as we become aware that God is not only looking at us from the outside as well as the inside, but that He is actually looking after us. So there is no reason to worry at all.
Our scriptures are like a Constitution and very detail oriented. Going back to the incident between Diti and Rishi Kashyapa, we learn that sexuality in a marriage is not for enjoyment, but for creation. When one engages in sexual activities, there is therefore, a mind-set, a time-set and a people-set. One’s mind should be quiet, should be creation oriented. There are specific periods of the day when the environment is conducive to this act of sexuality, and both parties should be in the same sentiment. When sexuality is practiced in such a disciplined way, the whole experience and the creation that comes from that experience, is satvik.
When Rishi Kashyapa tells Diti that her sons would be killed by Bhagavan Himself, she is very happy as that is their good fortune, as that would be their mukti.
In Diti’s womb, there is a lot of darkness as Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashyapu are going to be born and that darkness is spreading everywhere. This darkness signifies the stress in our lives. If someone is stressed, their stress tends to affect the people around, who then start feeling stressed too. Diti means to break and her children are called daityas or asuras, those who spread darkness. Diti’s sister, Aditi’s children are called Aditya or suras, ones who create light. The suras see the darkness coming from Diti’s womb and go to see Bhagavan Brahma to ask for his help. Bhagavan Brahma says that their older brothers, the Sanatkumaras, would help them.
Bhagavan Narayana is in Vaikunta and there is total peace there. In Vaikunta, everyone even looks like Bhagavan Narayana. The Sanatkumaras, though ancient, still look like 5 year old boys and they go to see Bhagavan Narayana. Jaya and Vijaya, the gatekeepers, are guarding the gate and putting down their maces, they start verbally abusing the Sanatkumaras.
The Sanatkumaras, now angry, curse Jaya and Vijaya that since they are acting as asuras, may they become asuras. And as soon as they curse, the Sanatkumaras realise their mistake and so do Jaya and Vijaya. With all the commotion, Bhagavan Narayana comes quickly and with him comes Mother Lakshmi.
Vedanta: In Vaikunta, there is no maya, no ego, no separation. What makes Jaya and Vijaya eligible to be Bhagavan’s gatekeepers? Jaya is someone who has mastered the body. Vijaya is one who has mastered the mind. That is why they are close to Bhagavan Narayana as they feel His presence inside. The Sanatkumaras are enlightened and are able to move freely as there is no conditioning, no unlearning. We on the other hand, are ignorant, thus feel the necessity to unlearn. The more free we feel with people, there is a greater presence of knowledge in our lives.
Jaya and Vijaya had stopped Mother Lakshmi before as well. Since they weren’t rebuked by Bhagavan Narayana, they got more arrogant and that’s why they were once again disrespectful to the Sanatkumaras. When the Sanatkumaras apologize to Bhagavan, He tells them that He should be the one to apologize as whatever the servant does is actually indicative of the Master.
Isn’t this attitude really hard to adopt for ourselves, in our worklife?
Jaya and Vijaya plead with Bhagavan not to leave them, so He tells them that they would be born as asuras three times — Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu, Ravana and Kumbhakarna, Shishupala and Dantavakra and Bhagavan would be born four times to make sure they come back to Him. Bhagavan thus manifests as Lord Varaha, Lord Narasimha, Lord Rama and finally as Lord Krishna.
Imagine how powerful Jaya and Vijaya would be as asuras, considering they were the gatekeepers for Bhagavan. So Bhagavan Himself had to manifest to contain them. The oldest brother of the Sanatkumaras felt very bad about the curse and tells Jaya and Vijaya that he would also come to help them to not forget Bhagavan. So he comes as Prahlada for Hiranyakashipu, and Vibhishana for Ravana and Kumbakarna.
The main thought is that all that is happening to us is happening for the best. And the more we reflect on this, the more freely we will live. Everyone makes mistakes, but Bhagavan Narayana takes care of us.
Discussion question: How to develop the strength to endure mistakes?
Vivekji’s thoughts: Appreciate that the purpose of living is to know that you are a child of Bhagavan. Then everything we feel is a mistake, is Bhagavan simply calling us, sometimes in a soft way, sometimes in a hard way.