Bhagavad Gita teaches us the art of living and Srimad Bhagavta teaches us the art of dying. Let us feel this art within ourselves and let us radiate this art to all those who need such guidance, such support — With our eyes closed, we focused on this thought for a few moments.
In Sanatana Dharma, our foundational map is known as the Veda. Veda means knowledge, knowledge about life, knowledge about us. This is over one hundred thousand mantras. Srimad Bhagavata is only eighteen thousand shlokas. Knowing the immensity of the Veda and the difficulty of navigating through one hundred thousand mantras, this has been volumized into four Vedas, around twenty-five thousand mantras each. This too is immense when compared to Bhagavad Gita which comprises only seven hundred shlokas. So within each Veda, a Vakya, which means statement, has been given importance as a Mahavakya, a great statement. Statements that are shared about the jeeva or the ego are not known as Mahavakyas, and whatever teachings are given about Brahman or the Infinite are also not known as Mahavakyas. It is only those messages that share that jeeva IS Brahman, the ego IS Infinite, are known as Mahavakyas, great statements that reveal one’s identity. This background is being shared because Srimad Bhagavata, particularly, our course, Vedanta in Bhagavata, is a Mahavakya. We begin this course, each class as a jeeva, but what this course is teaching us is that we ARE Bhagavan. We are immersing ourselves in a Mahavakya.
Last week we saw that Sri Uddhava has a trace of ego and the source of that ego is jnana. His sense of esteem comes from the knowledge he has. It is with this trace of ego that he questions the Gopis, and even questions Bhagavan Krshna. Bhagavan Krshna, who is the Master of all Masters, sends Sri Uddhava to Vrindavana, to Nandagrama for his own welfare. He sends him as His Ambassador for the Gopas and Gopis. The Gopis love to sing and some of their Gitas that we have gone through are — Venu Gita, Pranaya Gita, The Gita which is Gopi Gita, Yugala Gita, Viraha Gita and we last completed the Bhramara Gita. Sri Uddhava gets to listen to Bhramara Gita and the last line of this Gita shares — How we miss and long for Bhagavan Krshna’s hand on our heads! What Sri Uddhava came to understand and appreciate is that these Gopis are engaged in Samadhi. Samadhi as a verb is Contemplation. These Gopis have already completed Contemplation. As a noun, Samadhi also means when the ego is well and fully placed in the Spirit, which is Nirvana. The technical definition of Nirvana is to blow out, to blow out the ego into Infinity. So Samadhi means Contemplation and Liberation. The Gopis are liberated, so they are immersed in contemplation, more as an expression than a means. When we think of Sri Ramana with his eyes closed, do we think that he is contemplating as a means to be enlightened? No, his contemplation is an expression of enlightenment, rather than a means. For us, it is definitely a means. The Gopis are the greatest and all these Gitas are proof that they are revelling. The word RAMA means the One who revels in Joy, and a synonym for Rama is Gopi, the one who is revelling in Joy.
10:47:34 — Bhagavan Krshna’s message to the Gopis is being shared by Sri Uddhava as His messenger. “I know I’m your dear One, and I’m far away from you now to bring your minds closer to you, or shared differently, to bring your minds closer to Me as I live inside of you. This is the reason I’m far from you, not for you to engage in Dhyana, but Anudhyana, which means the closest contemplation on Me, meaning Liberation.
Leading up to this — Sri Uddhava had come to Nandagrama with a trace of ego, but after he heard the Bhramara Gita, he told the Gopis, “The whole world should adore you” because he sensed how much they loved Bhagavan Krshna. “You have no traditions, you are illiterate, you don’t know rituals, yet you have achieved what all traditions and all rituals are to achieve, this Love for Bhagavan.” Now he is sharing Bhagavan Krshna’s message with the Gopis.
Bhagavan Krshna also shares with the Gopis that the purpose of the Veda is to guide one’s senses and mind to the Spirit. There is a lot of elaboration on sense control, which also means mind control. He compares this to the fulfillment of a river to merge with the ocean. He shares this with the Gopis as they have already completed that. All of their senses are only on Bhagavan Krshna. He shares that the viyoga or separation between Him and the Gopis, is to test them in order to encourage their Yoga. Yoga means to unite. So this viyoga serves the purpose of Yoga, just as absence makes the heart grow fonder. Compared to us, many of us live by ‘out of sight, out of mind’. So what this viyoga does to us is create more viyoga, rather than Yoga. So Bhagavan Krshna is not really testing them, but us! The Gopis are the greatest and cannot become any greater.
Another example is shared from before the Raasa Leela began. Bhagavan Krshna was playing His flute and many Gopis came to Him, but some could not come because they were stopped in their homes. However, those Gopis who were stopped, just closed their eyes and contemplated on what was in their hearts and through that, they all became enlightened. They were all with Bhagavan Krshna. So He shares with these Gopis that their friends, through this viyoga, have become yukta or enlightened, thus encouraging them to be the same way. So this is Bhagavan Krshna’s message to the Gopis through Sri Uddhava.
When the Gopis hear this, they become reflective of the nature around them. They think, “this is the mountain that our Bhagavan lifted up on His left hand little finger. That is Kalindi where Bhagavan dived in and danced on Kaliya”. So they begin to feel Bhagavan Krshna more and more in their hearts. And they become reflective on what Shri Uddhava and Bhagavan Krshna shared with them, that Bhagavan is Brahman. Bhagavan is Infinite, so is He separate from the Gopis? He never was and never will be. It is such reflections that make the Gopis less sad and miss Bhagavan Krshna less. Vivekji shared that in a practical sense, when someone you love or care for is no longer with you, the final way to go on cheerfully, is such insights, that everyone’s Spirit is the same, that everyone’s mind is on the trajectory for evolution.
Sri Uddhava is so taken aback by the Gopis that he stays back in Nandagrama for many months. He is supposed to be there only as a messenger, but he starts learning so much about Bhakti that he decides to stay back. This really softens the Gopis in their sadness, as through Sri Uddhava, they keep remembering Bhagavan Krshna. In these many months, when Bhaktas are with Bhaktas, what do they do? They talk about Bhagavan. Sri Uddhava shares some more insights about the Gopis. He describes them as having Rudhabhava or Mahabhava or Oneness. In the Gopis, Sri Uddhava comes to understand and appreciate what Oneness or Advaita is. He says that many people in life have better positions than you (as in the Gopis). Some are Brahmanas, some are Ranis, etc, but that position doesn’t help them as they do not have the intensity that you have. This is a lovely statement for us, as it doesn’t matter where we are from, how we are, what matters is Intensity. He continues to share that others have a lot of learning. They know this Upanishad or this mantra in Sanskritam, but that doesn’t help them with Surrender. Sri Uddhava was himself like that. Finally, all learning should lead to Surrender. He shares that you have engaged in Parityaga — renounce all. It means renouncing otherness or dvaita. This is what the Gopis have done, so there is nothing else for them to renounce.
Sri Uddhava worships the dust of the feet of these Gopis. Some of these Gopis are little girls. Then he goes back to Bhagavan Krshna in Mathura, and Bhagavan asks him what happened and what he learned. Sri Uddhava then shares all of this information with Him.
In the Vaishnava sampradaya (those who love Bhagavan Narayana only), they are taught and they feel that there is only one purusha in the entire multiverse that is Bhagavan Narayana, and everyone else is a Devi or Sthri. The sentiment is that everyone is married to Bhagavan Krshna. Once, Devi Meera interacted with a scholar about Bhagavan Krshna, who told her he didn’t interact with women. So she responded saying that she thought there was only one purusha in this world, but now she knew there were two, Bhagavan Krshna and the scholar. And when the scholar heard that, he was completely levelled.
10:48:34 — Bhagavan Krshna is speaking to Akrura. Akrura had wanted Bhagavan to come to his home. As Bhagavan never forgets anything, He does go to Akrura’s home. Bhagavan is telling Akrura that Ambika’s son, Dhritarashtra, is not treating his brother’s sons (sons of Pandu) the way he treats his own family. Specifically, this is happening because of his children especially Duryodhana. They have controlled him and he is not only blind physically, but emotionally as well, meaning he is attached. So Bhagavan is telling Akrura to go find out what is happening in Hastinapura.
Bhagavan is sharing this in Akrura’s home and before he gets there, he visits Trivakra. She is also known as Sairandri. Sairandri means the handmaid of the queen, and at one point, Devi Draupadi was also known as Sairandri. So Bhagavan Krshna and Sri Uddhava go to Trivakra’s house to, as if repay her as she had given him Chandan. She offers an amazing seat for Bhagavan to sit on and offers a seat to Sri Uddhava as well, who just touches that seat and sits on the floor. He is such a good disciple as he feels he can never sit at the same level as Bhagavan Krshna.
Then Bhagavan Krshna asks Sairandri what she wants, and she asks for pleasure. She asks Bhagavan for pleasure when Bhagavan can grant Mukti, but her mind is on bhukti. If our thoughts are limited or rajasik, all we will ask for is that which is limited. In comparison, when Bhagavan Krshna goes to Akrura’s home, Akrura calls him Sarva Deva, Sarva Pitra — You are the God of all and the Original Parent. He shares, “It is not that holy waters are not purifying. It is not also not that divine images made of stone or mud, are not sacred. The purification they affect is attainable only in the course of a very long time on holy personages, affected at sight”. Shared differently, one can go to teertha yatras or have darshan of Bhagavan at mandirs, but the most effective way for one to become purified is to see Satsangas because if we see it, we will be drawn to that Satsanga and we will change. Akrura calls Bhagavan Kritajnya, or One who is ever grateful. Akrura did very little for Him, but see how grateful Bhagavan is! And what Akrura asks for is Mukti, unlike Sairandri, who wants bhukti.
The more that we know of our Bhagavan, Shastras or our Sadguru, the less we will expect of them and the more we will expect of ourselves. We should all reflect on this statement. And conversely, the less you know of your Sadguru, the more we will expect of them and have less expectation of ourselves, like Sairandri. This is a fine gauge to track our own evolution, and we will know we are expecting more of ourselves, when we are engaged in less annotating or coming up with excuses, less blaming and less complaining. If annotating, blaming and complaining are less in our lives, that shows we know more about our Sadguru, our Shastras, and our Bhagavan.
After this exchange, Bhagavan Krshna asks Akrura to go to Hastinapura, which is near Delhi. He shares that when Pandu died, his family lived with Dhritarashtra, and that Dhritarashtra is not treating the Pandavas rightly. So Bhagavan asks Akrura to go and find out how the Pandavas are!
Discussion: How can you become a disciple or Shishya or a better one?
Vivekji shared his observation which was to sacrifice more. Us sacrificing more is us being more dedicated. It is often hard to gauge dedication, but it is always easier to measure what we are sacrificing. If that is too abstract, it is to listen more. It is not just to listen with our ears, but to listen with our entire life. Our lifestyle should be one that follows one’s Sadguru or Master.
Q&A: What is the practice or Sadhana to always feel the Joy, Happiness and Bliss of Bhagavan? — We have a tactile experience of pleasure. We should focus on the cost of desire, of sleeping in, of over eating, of being mean. And one way to avoid this is to think of them as just thoughts and ignore them. When we become more aware and sensitive to the Glory of Sattva, of being a Shishya and weighing more on the benefits, that is when we will feel that our Original Parent is calling us and that our idea of separation from Bhagavan is such a lie. We overestimate pleasure and underestimate peace.