Class Summary – Dec 10 2022
Vivekji starts the class by talking about the 24 preceptors from Shrimad Bhagavatam. One of the last teachers of Rishi Dattatreya is a snake. Rishi Dattatreya learns from snakes that they don’t make their own homes. They find another animal’s home and live there.
Further learning from that is one should not be materialistic. Materialism is where you depend on the materials for your own contentment.
Bringing this from Shrimad Bhagavatam to Ramayana, those ears that don’t listen to Rama Katha, they are holes for those snakes. Snakes live there.
Vivekji then references dialog between Rishi Kakabusundhi (teacher) and Shri Garuda (student). Shri Garuda asks what is the greatest paapa(sin). Gossip is the greatest sin, shares Rishi Kakabusundhi. Combining both the above teachings, we listen to Rama Katha, so that we don’t let snakes live in us, so that we don’t gossip with our mouths.
The glory of the Ramayana is that it takes us from great to the Greatest!
This helps us not to think about ourselves, and think about Bhagavan Shri Rama, who is the Greatest.
Vivekji takes us to Lanka when Shri Hanuman meets Shri Vibheeshana where he asks Shri Vibheeshana how he lives there! Shri Hanuman was so disgusted when he saw everyone in Lanka engaged in pleasure, possession and position. Shri Vibheeshana shares that living there is worse than naraka (hell); khalamandali. A trap of selfishness/viciousness. When we are in such a company, we hardly know that we are in that viciousness. One should know that they are stuck in it, so one can seek help. Shri Vibheeshana mentions that he is like a tongue among the teeth. However, Shri Hanuman says that the teeth will eventually fall and the tongue will be there at the end.
For us, if we are living in this khalamandali, we should call for Bhagavan Rama to pull us out of the viciousness and selfishness. All that we need in our life is contained in the Ramayana. From a philosophical perspective to a practical perspective. One forgets themselves, purging their individuality – their ego.
The jiva is infused with limits – with body, mind and intellect. However, when we forget this body, we are not limited by this body. Let us try to keep Bhagavan Shri Rama in our thoughts all the time – by his Nama, disassociating from all negativities!
Jai Shri Ram!