ViBha Class Notes: February 27, 2022

The structure of Srimad Bhagavata:

• Skanda 1 – message is for an Adhikari, a seeker. 
• Skanda 2 – message is for the seeker to engage in sadhana, disciplines,  practices that help them to evolve.
• Skandas 3-5 –  message is that as a seeker is engaged in sadhana which helps them to evolve, they will become more belief oriented, and believe more.
• Skandas 6-8 – message is that belief then evolves to faith. 
• Skandas 9-11 – message is that the evolution of faith is trust.

Layering this devotional teaching with an orientation towards knowledge – 

• Belief is facilitated by shravana – listening
• Faith is facilitated by manana – reflecting
• Trust is facilitated by nidhidhyasana – contemplation

So the tenth skanda, the section we are in right now, is to be experienced through contemplation. Contemplation equals identification. Right now, we are contemplating wrongly or identifying wrongly with the sensations of the body and the thoughts of the mind. We are to practice contemplation for the right identification, that we are beyond the body and the mind. This is beautifully taught with the sanskrit work hrt which means heart. More commonly, we use the word hridayam which is hrt + ayam (this), which means I am this. When someone asks us who we are, we say we are this – “I am the mind, I am the body, I am this home, I am this profession”. Our hrdaya is wrong. The tenth Skanda of Bhagavata is known as the hrdaya or the heart of the Bhagavata. And if we are contemplating on this, we will find that the ayam is changing from profession, home, mind and body to Krshna – Hrt Krshna or I am Krshna or Krshna am I! 

The tenth Skanda is also flowing through Ashraya, which means to renounce or surrender. “The more I love Bhagavan Krshna, the more I unlove my profession, my home, my body, my mind.” We began the tenth Skanda on September 13, 2020 – 18 months ago and in these 18 months, there were only 3 months that we didn’t have an active class like we are right now. So what have we been doing for 15 months? Instead of Hrt ayam, Hrt Krshna – “I keep on surrendering what I am not by realizing who I am” – just like we have to surrender a passport of one country to get a passport of another and here we are talking about Bhagavan and there is so much holding back. 

When we explored the Ramayana together, Vivekji had shared that only if Devi Parvati gets married to Bhagavan Shiva, then Bhagavan Rama will be born. Devi Parvati is symbolic for Shradha – faith and Bhagavan Shiva is symbolic for Vishvas – trust. With faith and trust coming together, Bhagavan Rama is born. Faith and trust leads to us knowing that in our heart there is Krshna or in this context, Rama. That same life application has been shared in the narrations leading to Vrka also known as Bhasamasura. Bhagavan Shiva becomes the prerequisite for Bhagavan Narayana to be experienced. In a different way, Rshi Brigu was testing who is the greatest God and goes to Bhagavan Shiva, Bhagavan Brahma and Bhagavan Narayana. Those who do not understand the implication of this – simple living is the catalyst to high thinking. Bhagavan Shiva is simple living. If we think of our relationships, in a trusting relationship, life is much easier. If there is no trust, it becomes a complex relationship. The framework – how do we know if we are living simply – S H I V A – 

S – Set your nature

H – Handle for evolution

I – Invest in effort

V – Value the deep

A – Absorb the shallow

Simple living is the catalyst to high thinking. 

In the last Chapters 88 and 89, we also explored the katha where the context was – “Is there free will or God’s will?” Prince Arjuna feels he can protect these infants who are dying, but he is unable to. So Bhagavan Krshna is with Prince Arjuna and they go to Bhagavan Narayana. It is so majestic, so magical that Bhagavan Krshna is interacting with Bhagavan Narayana. In this dialogue, Bhagavan Krshna is the Creator and Bhagavan Narayana is Consciousness. This has nothing to do with them, but us – our relationship with Bhagavan Krshna, the Creator, and us being the instrument. Prince Arjuna felt that he was the doer and that he could protect that infant, but Bhagavan Krshna showed him that “I am the Creator, and you should be My instrument”. Bhagavan Narayana, who is Consciousness, and that sense of being an instrument has to evolve to – that I’m not even an instrument – I am Being. From doing, to instrumenting, to Being. 

After you accomplish what you are born to accomplish, which is to correct society, there are selfish personalities who are disguised as leaders, Hatva – when you have corrected them, Iha – which means now, Bhuyah – again, Tvaraya – quickly, Itam – come, Anti – close, Me – to Me. Bhagavan Narayana tells Bhagavan Krshna and Prince Arjuna “Having accomplished what you are born for, come back to Me quickly”. See how the Creator also has to return to Consciousness, the instrument to the Be’er. This is the same message in the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishad.

Chapter 90 – This is the last chapter of the heart of Bhagavata. For many, this is where their relationship with Bhagavata is completed, even though there are two more Skandas, just like in the Ramayana. Many do not want to study the Uttarakanda, what happens after they return to Ayodhya. But our Rshis have composed these, so who are we to say we don’t like these? 

Skanda 10:90:14  – This is Rshi Shuka interacting with Raja Parikshita and what he is describing is what the Devis are doing in Dwaraka – They are speaking about Bhagavan with complete absorption. They are speaking like they are drunk. The words that are coming out of their mouths make no sense. It is like they are in a different state of consciousness. Why? They are ever contemplating on the One with Lotus eyes. Rshi Shuka is telling Raja Parikshita to listen to his words, that these devis are sharing with each other. This section is almost like we are going back to the Raasa Leela chapters. 

Some happenings – In this Chapter, Dwaraka is described in great detail and it is the most prosperous city. There were riches and cleanliness everywhere and everyone was living in harmony with nature. So the Devis and Bhagavan Krshna played a lot, totally in love or absorbed in each other. These Devis, after being absorbed with Bhagavan Krshna, then went about their day – exactly like Karma Yoga. And as these Devis offered flowers to Bhagavan Krshna’s feet, another Devi would collect that and put it in her hair. So all of them were wearing flowers in their hair that had been offered at Bhagavan Krshna’s feet. Please note that the absorption is the focus here. This Skanda, this Chapter is a contemplative one. 

These Devis saw a swan and thought that this swan was a messenger of Bhagavan Krshna. So these Devis told the swan to go tell Bhagavan Krshna that they were always waiting on Him, so how come He didn’t come to them. They told the swan to tell Bhagavan Krshna to come to them, but to not bring Devi Lakshmi with Him. They wanted Him to come alone as Devi Lakshmi was not the only one who had surrendered her life to Him. They also had done the same. So she didn’t need to come as they were there. And then Rshi Shuka says that it is this absorption that leads them to Paramagatim – they are enlightened. They are not different from Bhagavan Krshna. He further shares how fortunate these Devis were to be able to serve Bhagavan Krshna. 

For us to internalize this, we have all of the access that these Devis had. Where are they absorbing themselves with Bhagavan Krshna? Hrt Krshna. If we externatize this, we think we live in Detroit and they live in Dwaraka. The Vedanta part helps us to appreciate that we can be a Devi. In terms of serving, they served Bhagavan Krshna by combing His hair, by massaging His feet. Isn’t Bhagavan Krshna in the heart of all? So if I comb someone else’s hair, or massage someone else’s feet, then we are doing the same. 

Further in this Chapter, it is shared that Bhgavan Krshna lived the Veda. This is called Veda Anusari. He was tied to the Veda and never strayed from the Veda, despite His responsibilities. Bhagavan Krshna had 16,008 spouses and with each spouse He had 10 children. This is contemplative in itself that even with such a large family, He lived the Veda. Some of the names of Bhagavan Krshna’s children – Pradyumna, Aniruddha, Deeptiman, Bhanu, Sambha, Madhu, Brhadbhanu, Chitrabhanu, Vrka (wolf), Aruna, Pushkara, Vedabahu, Shutadeva, Sunandana, Chitrabahu, Virupa, Kavi, Nyagrodha. The most prominent is Pradyumna. Pradyumna’s child was Aniruddha, and Aniruddha had a child called Vajra. Sadly, in the forthcoming chapters, all of them will die, other than Vajra. Vajra was the sole member of the Yadu vamsha who survived. This is a civil war. History keeps continuing like this, like what’s happening in Russia and Ukraine today. So the only solution is Surrender, surrender to the One who is beyond this. 

Further on, it is shared – there were a lot of kids and these kids needed a Gurukula and Gurus. So there were 38 million, 800 thousand acharyas in Dwarka tending to Bhagavan Krshna’s family. And what this shows us is how important education is, how important a Kulaguru is.

Skand 10:90:46 – The last verse, Verse 46 of this Skanda, is where Rshi Shuka is telling Raja Parikshita about the Devas, instead of the Devis, absorbed in Bhagavan Krshna – While sleeping, sitting, walking, talking, playing, bathing, and all other verbs that the Devas are engaged in, they do not know the present, they do not know themselves. They do not know what is happening outside or inside because their minds are perpetually contemplating on Bhagavan Krshna. That’s how the Devis lived, and that’s how the Devas also lived in all of these verbs. 

One of the reasons why Bhagavan Narayana becomes Bhagavan Krshna is to correct the Asuras, those who are selfish. When He stated His intention, He told all the Suras, the Devas and Devis living in different dimensions, to come to Dwaraka and they all became the Devas and Devis living in Dwaraka. The Yadu vamsha is all these personalities like Apsara and Indra and so on. 

It is shared later on in this Chapter that all those who were absorbed in Bhagavan Krshna, He absorbed all of them. Thus we see how this is like a summary chapter. One of the first personalities who was absorbed in Bhagavan Krshna was Kamsa. He did that through hatred, fear. And in the middle part of this section, it was the Gopis. They were absorbed in Bhagavan too, but through love, and He absorbed them. And now at the end of the Chapter, all the Devis and Devas in Dwaraka were absorbed in Him, and He absorbed all. 

Skanda 10:90:50 – This is the Phalashruti and this is to be our experience – 

By constant and continuous practice of hearing, singing about and remembering the glorious deeds of the Lord, man’s devotion to Him grows day by day, and by virtue of it, he attains to the state of the Lord, overcoming the otherwise irreversible and inevitable approach of death which engulfs all beings. It is seeking that state that kings go to the forests, abandoning their kingdoms.

Thus ends Skanda 10 of Shrimad Bhagavata! 

RAW: Continue with our RAM – Reflection Adventure of the Month: From February 6 to March 6, one has to reflect on a verse a day, a total of 28 verses (14 – 41) from Chapter 87.