We continued with our pareeksha, based on the content shared in November and December of 2020. Here are the next set of Questions and the corresponding responses –

5. Why is renunciation not possible?

• All emerges, exists and ends in Bhagavan, which implies that all belongs to Bhagavan. One can only renounce what belongs to them. If it doesn’t belong to us, we cannot renounce it. This is why we study Bhagavata, for us to realize that we belong to Bhagavan so there is nothing to renounce.

6. What is the significance of Damodara?

There are two levels to this answer –

• Dama Udara — Dama means a calm or a disciplined body and udara means our stomach, so to not try and find happiness through our stomach or body
• We have to let go of dvaita. Devi Yashoda kept on tying Bhagavan Krshna with this rope, dama, but she was always falling short, until she finally laughed, meaning dvaita is not going to work, so surrender. Dvaita cannot tie up advaita.

7. What is the substitute to Kaliya?

• Kaliya symbolizes cruelty. One who lives for their senses, has a passion for themselves, which means they will be cruel to others. The opposite of cruelty is compassion which means you have a passion for others. So we don’t need to keep on satisfying our senses. Bhagavan showed great compassion by not killing Kaliya. Similarly, we cannot kill our senses. We can only encourage them to be quiet, just like Kaliya became.

8. Why did Bhagavan Krshna take the kapra of the Gopis?

• Kapra is synonymous with Kosha / sheaths. Bhagavan Krshna was testing them and each one of them passed fully. When this particular episode happened, the Gopis were at the river praying to Devi Katyayani for Bhagavan Krshna to be their Kantha. Kantha literally means husband, but here it shouldn’t be taken literally, but instead as the love of a close family member, to have the sense of oneness. For us to love our Spirit, we have
• to stop loving, depending on our sixth sheath which is possessions, and then body, breath, mind, intellect and ego.

— — — — — — — — — –

The cows turned to the grass, but were vigilant enough to turn back to Bhagavan. The Gopas turned to the cows, and yet were vigilant enough to turn back to Bhagavan. The Gopis turned to themselves, and yet were vigilant enough to turn back to Bhagavan. We are all engaged in Svadhyaya — adhyaya means a chapter or study, sva means ourselves. How are we engaged in this? We keep turning towards pleasures, possession and position, but we are vigilant enough to turn back to Bhagavan who is within us, who IS us, and we have been doing this for 99 classes.

In our last class, we met Akrura who knows who Bhagavan is and therefore he has no fear. He has no fear bringing Bhagavan to Mathura and knows that whatever schemes are going to happen, Bhagavan will be able to correct those schemes. When we know Abhayankara, the One who causes fearlessness, then we have no bhaya, no fear. So this is a gauge for us. If we have fear today, or tomorrow, it is because we don’t know Abhayankara. However, if there is less fear today, tomorrow, if we are becoming fearless, it shows that we know Bhagavan. The name Akrura is special because it is also one of the names of Bhagavan Narayana in Vishnu Sahasranama — Akrurah Peshalo Daksho.

In the last scene that we saw, the Gopis are looking on at Bhagavan as He is looking back at them, until the flag of the chariot drifts into the horizon and the Gopis cannot see Bhagavan anymore. The symbolism of this is that dvaita or separation is most saddening, is most breaking. Devi Yashoda doesn’t speak anymore. Bhagavan leaves sharing with the Gopis in their hearts that He will come back!

10:41:51 — This is Rishi Shuka speaking to Raja Parikshita about what Akrura says to Bhagavan Krshna. Akrura is telling Him what his prayer is — I want a bhakti that is unmoving. I want to know You who is within all. I want to be a friend to all and I want to have the highest compassion.

When Bhagavan Krshna and Shri Balarama leave Vrindavana in Akrura’s chariot, they stop at Kalindi, which is the River Yamuna. Akrura senses that Bhagavan Krshna and Shri Balarama are going to miss her. So he asks them to go and enjoy and lets them enjoy by themselves. Imagine these two young boys who are around ten years old just playing in the River Yamuna one final time! When they are finished, they come back to the cart, and then Akrura goes to freshen up in the water. When he holds his breath and goes under water, what does he see? Bhagavan Krshna and Shri Balarama in the

water! So he quickly comes back to the surface and looks towards the ox cart, and he sees both of them playing in that cart! So he again goes underwater and this time he sees the entire vishwa, the whole multiverse, all revolving and contained within Bhagavan Krshna. This entire Chapter is focused on what Akrura sees in Bhagavan Krshna. Some of the highlights of what Akrura shares –

• You are the Pure Subject — which means there are no objects. There is only Advaita.
• You are Bhagavan Kalki, the One who will come and correct barbaric rulers.
• It is only through Your kripa that one can be in satsanga and become a bhakta.

So all of Chapter 40 is this Stuti to Bhagavan Krshna, all happening under water. This shows that Stuti can happen anywhere. After he completes this Stuti, Akrura comes back to the chariot, and Bhagavan Krshna has this huge smile on His face and He asks His uncle — What did you see in the water? It seems like you saw that which is Adbhuta or amazing! This shows the playfulness of Bhagavan Krshna! And then, they finally arrive at Mathura. Akrura wants to take Bhagavan Krshna and Shri Balarama to his home, but Bhagavan asks Him to leave them there and go home. He tells Akrura that He would visit him another time. When Akrura asks why, Bhagavan Krshna says that He along with Shri Balarama, and the other Gopas want to go look around the city.

Bhagavan Krshna was born in Mathura, but was raised in Gokula. Then He continued to Vrindavana and now He is back in Mathura.

When Bhagavan Krshna, Shri Balarama and the Gopas start walking through the city, news comes to the Devis that Bhagavan Krshna is in Mathura, and they rush from inside their homes to the outside of their homes, to their porches, to their balconies, to the rooftops to just get a glimpse of Bhagavan Krshna. There are a lot of details shared, about how disheveled they are, like putting their toe rings on their noses and only half their hair is braided. It just shows that they love Bhagavan so much that there is no waiting. And then they get to see Him as until then they had only engaged in shravana of Bhagavan. So they now finally get to experience Him with their eyes and they just keep looking and looking and looking at Him, like the phala of their sadhana was now complete. What is the phala of sadhana? It is Sadhya, the ends, enlightenment. So they just throw flowers at Bhagavan as Bhagavan keeps walking with a huge smile, as if He doesn’t know this place or these people.They just keep throwing flowers at Him as what else can they do? What else is there for them to do? And all the Rishis run to Bhagavan Krshna with Purnakumbas. So perpetual chanting and loving is experienced here.

As they are going through the city, Bhagavan observes a washerman carrying lovely clothes which smell fragrant. So Bhagavan asks the washerman if they could have some of these clothes. Bhagavan tells him that they are village people and have come to the city for this tournament, but the washerman is mean to Bhagavan, telling Him that they are uncultured and don’t deserve the clothes. So Bhagavan takes a towel from the washerman and hits him so hard that the washerman dies. It may sound terrible, but the washerman gets moksha. This washerman is the same washerman who gossiped about Bhagavan Rama’s devi. At that time, Bhagavan was the Raja and had to support his people, but now He shows what He is feeling and since Bhagavan is so strong, the washerman is just annihilated.

Later on, Bhagavan Krshna meets a weaver who says, “You can take the clothes from the washerman, but I can make clothes that fit you. See these clothes are Kamsa’s and he is like an ogre.” So this weaver knits these finely knit clothes for Bhagavan. And how does Bhagavan pay him back? He says “Sarukya” or “Go to Vaikunta”, and the weaver is enlightened too.

Then, there is a garland maker, Sudama, who loves Bhagavan and wants to give Bhagavan a garland. He does and has the same prayer as Akrura. When Bhagavan asks him what boon he wants, this is what the garland maker shares — He chose as boons firm and unflinching devotion to that all inclusive Being, friendship towards all of the lord’s devotees and kindness to all creatures”. What this shows for us is that if we choose peace, then what will come with it is prosperity, strength, longevity, fame and handsomeness. Next time we pray, let us not pray for Shridevi, but pray for Bhagavan Krshna because if Bhagavan Krshna is coming, who else is coming? Shridevi.

As they continue, they meet a devi called Trivakra. She is a beautiful devi, but she has three curves in her body. Ashtavakra is the one with eight curves. So Trivakra is a hunchback and she too loves Bhagavan. So Bhagavan steps on her feet, takes two of her fingers, lifts up her chin and straightens her out. Who is Trivakra? She is Manthara from the Ramayana. We always think of Manthara in the negative, but because of Manthara, so much of Bhagavan’s work was facilitated. He got to go to the jungle, He got to defeat Ravana. So He wanted to bless Manthara, but couldn’t do so as Bhagavan Rama, so He is blessing her as Bhagavan Krshna. So what this shows for us is that if we are like the washerman or like Manthara, then we are going to be born again, as there is no escaping our wrong thinking and wrong acting. Therefore we should live rightly now so that we are not born again and again.