Hari Om! This is a list of all RAWs for the 2020-21 Vedanta in Bhagavata Class.
- RAW for Week of September 13th, 2020
If you had an opportunity to meet with a Rishi this week, what six (6) questions would you ask of them?
- RAW for Week of September 20th, 2020
Do you deserve Ashreya (refuge)? Ask yourself if you have earned such refuge. Everyday rate yourself rate yourself from 1 (least deserving) to 10 (most deserving) for 7 days. At the end of the 7 days, total up your daily ratings and share your total out of 70 in the response section below.
- RAW for Week of September 27th, 2020
Identify your ishta icon of Bhagavan Krishna. In next week’s class that ishta icon should be beside you. It can be a picture or a murti etc.
- RAW for Week of October 4th, 2020
Identify what has shocked you about you, specifically relating to the asuric tendencies you have.
- RAW for Week of October 11th, 2020
As you track the asura’s discussed, everyday score yourself on how much of an asura you are (i.e. ignorance, materialistic…)
Use one (1) as the low score and 10 as the high score. Total up your score for seven (7) days.
- RAW for Week of October 18th, 2020
Practice all 9 practices given in class (use, simplify, organise, care, direct, equalise, contentment, remembrance).
- RAW for Week of October 25th, 2020
Track Bhagavan Rama leaving Lanka and heading to Ayodhya. More specifically track Bhagavan Rama’s journey home.
- RAW for Week of November 1st, 2020
Practice one (1) hour of silence (maunam) everyday.
- RAW for Week of November 8th, 2020
Whenever you cleaning (or tidying up), openly sing.
- RAW for Week of November 15th, 2020
This whole week, work hard and smart to increase expectations of yourself and decrease expectations of others.
- RAW for Week of November 22nd, 2020
Every night before you sleep, write down the answer to “Who am I?”
- RAW for Week of November 29th, 2020
Research on Kaliya. You will resonate more with the teaching.
- RAW for Week of December 6th, 2020
Everyday set out an article of clothing that a gopi/gopa would wear. For next week’s class everyone is required to dress up a gopi/gopa.
- RAM for Week of December 13th, 2020
Be less worldly and more absorbed.
- RAW for Week of January 10th, 2021
Identify five (5) ways you are arrogant about your position (e.g. caste, social stature, education etc.)
- RAW for Week of January 17th, 2021
Everyone has to wear a tilak and train yourself in rasa. The next 5 chapters we are studying is on Rasa Leela.
- RAW for Week of January 24th, 2021
Identify the human (manava) that you love the most. Feel absorbed that this is Bhagavan Krshna.
- RAW for Week of January 31st, 2021
Deepen your studies by focusing on antakarana sadhana (listening, reflecting, contemplating)
- RAW for Week of February 7th, 2021
Take one verse of the 19 Gopi Gita verses and contemplate on it everyday.
- RAW for Week of February 14th, 2021
Formulate three changes in your life for you to become a full time seeker.
- RAW for Week of February 21st, 2021
Review your own ViBha notes.
- RAW for Week of February 28th, 2021
Every time you feel rajasic, drink water (something satvic).
- Multi-week RAW for Week of March 7/14/21, 2021
Find within the text of Sri Tulsidas Ramayana, where it is said that bhakti is the 5th purusha.
- RAW for Week of March 28, 2021
Count the number of chapters we have gone through in the 10th section.
- RAW for Week of April 4, 2021
Reflect upon what Vibha means to you.
- RAW for Week of April 11, 2021
Learn from insects (bees, worms, ants etc.)
- RAW for Week of April 18, 2021
As we about to begin our teachings of Bhagavad Gita, be a disciple for this week.
- RAW for Week of April 25, 2021
Count all of the offerings (qualitatively and quantitatively) of what your last 9 months would have been without these teachings.
- RAW for Week of May 2, 2021
Love your mother more. Love her like bhakti.
- RAM for Week of May 16, 2021
Every month be 5% more prasanna (cheerful).
Share your reflections in the comments below.
04/25/2021- Count all of the offerings available since Sept 2020 (Qualitatively & Quantitatively). How 9 months would have been without these classes for me.
So in total, this has been all positive and a win win situation for me. i can only attribute all the success to the grace of my original parent Narayana thru my Sadgurus.
RAW for 4/25:
Without Vivekji’s teachings, I would be a more heavy-hearted person today. Over the past months, I have learned to rise above my problems instead of letting them bring me down. I have learned to love Bhagavan more; to remember that all Bhagavan does is for the best. I have learned to love myself more—to focus on my strengths and be less critical of myself. Through all of this, I have become happier on a daily basis. Of all the immensely valuable gifts that I have gained from Vivekji’s classes in these past months, I am particularly grateful for this lightheartedness.
Be a disciple just for a week. Like Prince Arjuna and Hanuman ji.
For me, being a disciple is i’m second to my Narayana. He is my first goto SharanAgati!
i’ve realized that just letting go and letting myself be guided by Him is so much easier. Anything that seemed like a hurdle is now a possibility or acceptance, less of likes and dislikes. i feel like a person in the passenger seat – just relaxing, having placed the burden of the journey in the hands of Narayana.
April 11, 2021 – Learn from the Insects.
Observed 2 insects this week:
So, in the end, both of them made reminded me of my Lord Narayana, shining thru’ them and reminding me of His splendor and also that i have to be like them not focused on the outside but my own inside.
What does Vedanta in Bhagavatam mean to you?
VIBHA is bringing me closer to Bhagavan Krishna. I am learning about what dedication/surrender means from Gopis and how they are fulfilling their responsibilities while being dedicated to Sri Krishna. Vivek ji is immensely helping to bring Bhagavatam into my life, Bhagavan Krishna into my life what else can I ask for. I am so far from achieving what he is teaching but I am so grateful and thankful to Vivekji for me to help me start this journey.
Guruji would be very proud of Vivekji to see how Vivekji is guiding so many people with so many insights that I could practically use them. Here are some insights from VIBHA that Vivekji has guided me through and many more than these..
· Learn dedication from Gopis to walk towards bhakti
· Understand the purpose of our life
· Be able to realize that we are not doers, we are just tool with a name
· Several frameworks to incorporate into my daily life
· Taught me how all the rakshasas symbolize my qualities
Hari Aum Vivekji,
So much gratitude to Acharya Vivekji for so much clarification during all the classes, The Meaningful Mornings, Easy Evenings, Bhagvatum in Gita. This has also added to how we should be living this life. It has cleared the doubts and solidify that Happiness is in Me, in Us. That I am happiness, we are happiness. Everything happens for a reason (Prarhabda) that I/we have to accept it and live with it always Invoking Toughness and Evoking Hope – Shradha. That Bhagawan is always there and protecting us. All these sessions have become a priority now as we learn and try to absorb from the teachings via the Messenger – Acharya Vivekji. So grateful and Gratitude to you.
When this course was about to start, i got interested and since i was in India at that time was able to get the Text books suggested by Acharya Vivekji. Was by God’s grace able to get Guruji’s and Tapasyanadaji’s versions.
Was so interested after hearing how Bhagavatam started off and hadn’t heard of Dundubhi’s story, that i finished reading the whole book in a month. But this was Superficial and then started off with the first Volume of Tapasyanandaji’s version which is verse by verse.
There was so much to absorb that i was reading amidst sleep and Acharya Vivekji’s guidance has really helped me understand it better. I am so in awe of Acharya Vivekji’s relections and practical solutions. Trying to keep up with the RAWs but i find i still have to cleanse the Malam in my mind more for more dedication and focus. Will strive hard to keep moving forward on this path and praying for blessings from Our Guru Parampara to ever help me in this journey.
I am certain that Guruji will be ever proud of Acharya Vivekji who is taking Guruji’s teachings and aspirations and simplifying them and guiding us further. i am so grateful i belong to this huge family of strong seekers.
Q: What does ViBha mean to me?
A: It is a reminder that He is real. He manifested so that He becomes relatable and personable. It is the greatest joy and blessing to understand the inner workings of our mind and the outer workings of our surroundings/relationships/Divinity through His Leela. It is my prarabdha karma to have the access to this knowledge and the faculties to understand and implement it. It is my utmost responsibility to do so, to see & serve Divinity, as His instrument.