ViBha Class Notes – May 14, 2023

sac-cid-ānanda-rūpāya viśvotpaty-ādi-hetave

tāpa-traya-vināśāya śrī-kṛṣṇāya vayaḿ namaḥ

Bhagavan, You are the only one who can dissolve any sort of problem or pain that we have, internally and externally.

Bhagavan, we are taking a sankalpa that our intellect will always revolve around You. 

Bhagavan, it is only by listening to You that You manifest in our personality. 

Vivekji shared that his first exposure to Shrimad Bhagavata was in November 2005 when he had just moved to the Ashram, and shortly after, Pujya Swami Tejomayananda facilitated a Bhagavata Saptaha. Vivekji shared that he still had a bookmark from that time. What Guruji shared, Vivekji did not know as his job was to carry water from the Annakshetra to the Yajnashala. Vivekji never ever imagined that he would study Shrimad Bhagavata, especially the way Vivekji is studying and sharing with us now. Vivekji hopes and prays that we now know Shrimad Bhagavata, not just casually, but seriously – section by section, Gita by Gita. We will know that this exposure is working on us as we will come to feel:  ta – means, va – the best, ga – to go, Bha – Bhagavan, meaning “The Best Means to Go To Bhagavan” is Bhagavata. Are we feeling this? 

Skanda 11 has 31 chapters and of these, 23 chapters revolve around Uddhava Gita. This is a large Gita within Bhagavata where Bhagavan Krshna teaches Rshi Uddhava. The 3 main thoughts from Uddhava Gita which is the main teaching in this eleventh section, are:

1. For us to Become Bhagavan, we have to be a Bhakta. So how do we become a Bhakta? When our thoughts, words and actions are directed towards Bhagavan, then we are a Bhakta, and this is described as Bhagavata Dharma. 
2. For us to detach to attach – We have to detach from what we are holding on to right now, to be able to attach to the Higher, to Bhagavan. Those who cannot detach are like a turtle, one whose house is on their back. In terms of Bhagavad Gita, it is Tapa (to conserve) and Yajna (to direct).
3. To grow out of svartha or selfishness, where we only do for ourselves as our only artha is sva, and to grow into Preethtyartham – what I do, I do to please Bhagavan – from svartha to preethyartham. The more we know how much Bhagavan loves you, me, us, the more natural this is. 

In Section 11, Bhagavan is leaving us, but He does not leave us high and dry. He leaves  a lot of content for us to know so that we love Him fully. 

The 30th Chapter is where Bhagavan Krshna’s Avatara comes to a completion. Vivekji read the entire Chapter to us and some of the main thoughts in the 30th Chapter are: 

1. When one is intoxicated, they become petty. If we think of our own personality, if we are someone who is petty (this word was said, this wasn’t said), we may not have put an intoxicant into our body, but we are still intoxicated. Bhagavan Krshna’s family, while they were intoxicated, the smallest annoyance led to violence. Sounds like the present day, doesn’t it?
2. A Raja’s responsibility is to alleviate Paraspara Bhaya – to make sure people do not have fear amongst themselves. 70% of humans may look like a human, but their nature is like that of a mrga or animal. Animals only understand punishment. This chapter showcases that even Bhagavan’s family, whose name may have been associated with Bhagavan, but their nature was not – for us to be careful about pettiness, being careful about evolving our nature
3. Bhagavan Krshna’s elder sibling, Sankarshana, was known as Rama, not even Balarama. When he saw that everyone was being destroyed, that was the sign for him to shift from dvaita to Advaita. He went to the ocean, closed his eyes, contemplated and he resumed being the supporter of Bhagavan – from external to internal. So whenever we are at the ocean, let us remember our Balarama, to make that connection. 
4. Bhagavan Krshna had His left leg on His right leg, and His toe was sticking out, looking like a mouth, reddish in color. Bhagavan’s toe was shot, and Bhagavan Krshna’s body died. 

Throughout Ramayana and Bhagavata, we came across – Those who were slain by Bhagavan, went to Savrga, like the Rakshasas in Ramayana and the Asuras in Bhagavata. Here Jara was the one who slew Bhagavan and he too went to Svarga. How awesome is our Bhagavan?. If He kills us, we win. If we kill Him, we win. That shows us that Bhagavan just came to Bless. We just have to be with Him, in any which way.

In all of this fighting, even the divine weapons of the family of Bhagavan Krshna, of Balarama and of  Bhagavan, were all destroyed. Bhagavan’s weapons like the Sudarshana chakra, and others, they all returned to Bhagavan, from external to internal. Summarizing this entire chapter in one teaching – It is to be independent and then loving. Bhagavan Krshna was, is, will be independent. In Meaningful Mornings, Vivekji described Him as a Rshi and loving. If we love ourselves, we can then love others. Bhagavan was not someone who lived by likes and dislikes even with His own family. If His family was wrong, they were wrong. That kind of love only comes from being independent. And now the final chapter of this Skanda that still involves Bhagavan Krshna –

Skanda 11:31:6 – Rshi Shuka is sharing with Raja Parikshita –

lokabhiramam sva-tanum

dharana-dhyana-mangalam

yoga-dhranayagneyya-

dagdhva dhamavisat svakam

Without employing the mystic agneyi meditation to burn up His transcendental body, which is the all-attractive resting place of all the worlds and the object of all contemplation and meditation, Lord Krsna entered into His own abode.

Shri Balarama went to the ocean, contemplated on Bhagavan Krshna, and he left that externality or that body. Now what did Bhagavan Krshna do? He has an arrow in His toe. He is as if bleeding, and He has told Jara to go to svarga, and a chariot came and took him to heaven. What Bhagavan did was He too contemplated on His own Being, that is why in the very first verse of Shrimad Bhagavata, the last portion is Satyam Param Dhimahi – That we contemplate on the Highest Truth. Shri Balarama did it, Bhagavan Krshna did it. They are showing us what we should be doing. As Bhagavan is doing this, we must duly note that many times in our shastras when an enlightened being leaves their body, they burn their own body through their own power. It is called a Yogic Agni. But Bhagavan did not invoke that fire to burn His body because people loved Bhagavan’s Rupa, and He did not want anyone’s notion of Bhagavan’s form to change, so He kept his body as is – 

In the heavens, kettle drums sounded and from the sky rains of flowers came, but with the Lord’s departure also departed from the Earth – truth, dharma, forbearance, glory and prosperity. Brahma and other divinities expecting Krshna in their respective realms, failed to see anything beyond a wonder evoking glimpse of Him whose course none can trace. Just as humans beholding a flash of lightning speeding beyond the expanse of clouds cannot trace its course, so the divinities failed to trace whether Krshna disappeared. Brahma, Rudra and other Divinities were astonished to witness the Spiritual Ascent of Shri Hari and went to their abodes praising what they had witnessed. 

O’King, know that the Lord’s coming into being and disappearing as they incarnate amongst humans, is something assumed by His power of Maya, just as an actor playing a role. It is the same in His Cosmic manifestation too. After creating the world, He enters into it, as its in-dweller, sports for a time in that world of His own creation, and then dissolves it in Himself. But nonetheless, He remains, by virtue of His prowess and that Supreme Glory of His own Majesty, as the Supreme Spirit, ever unchanging and unaffected by all the cosmic processes. He brought the son of His Guru, bodily from Yama’s realm. He, the protector of all refugees, saved you from death caused by the all consuming might of Ashvatthama’s Brahma missile. And He was victorious even over Shiva, the destroyer of death. Is such a Being incapable of saving Himself? He has the power unaided by anyone else to create, preserve and dissolve this world, but yet He did not want to allow His own human body to survive the destruction of His clan because he wanted to demonstrate that this mortal body is of no ultimate value, and that the way of those established in the Atma is to let it fall without any regret. Whoever glorifies Krshna by reciting with concentration and devotion this account of His ascent to His pristine state, will himself attain to that state. 

Bhagavan Krshna didn’t burn His body, He contemplated on His nature, and His body became unmanifest. He did this to teach us that more than the body, we are the Spirit. 

That is all that is shared about Bhagavan Krshna. When Bhagavan Krshna became unmanifest, that is when our yugas shifted from Dvapara to Kali – from the age of Silver to the age of steel. Sounds very much like the industrial revolution, correct? Vivekji was reading a commentary on Bhagavata and it was shared that apparently Kali began 3012 years before year zero or BC. So we can think that Bhagavan Krshna’s body became unmanifest 5035 years ago. That is when selfishness, svartha became more apparent or pervasive. The final verse in this chapter that Vivekji is sharing is Verse 21. 

Skanda 11:31:21 – arjunah preyasah sakhyuh

krsnasya virahaturah

atmanam santvayam asa

krsna-gitaih sad-uktibhih

Arjuna felt great distress over separation from Lord Krshna, his dearmost friend. But he consoled himself by remembering the transcendental words that the Lord had sung to him. 

Bhagavan Krshna had shared with Daruka before He became unmanifest, to go to Dwaraka and tell everyone that Dwaraka was going to be consumed by the ocean and that they should leave Dwaraka. And so when Daruka went back to Dwaraka and told everyone that their entire family had now been destroyed, including Shri Balarama and Bhagavan Krshna, they sadly went to Prabhasa, where this war or fight had taken place. When they saw all of those bodies lying there, when they could not see the bodies of Shri Balarama or Bhagavan Krshna, many others thinking about Bhagavan, also died. Bhagavan Krshna’s parents, many of His spouses, His children were thinking about Him and their bodies died. That really shows that they joined Bhagavan. So in Kaliyuga, what is the message of Bhagavan? Get enlightened and get out. Many of His family members did that instantly. This shows that evolution is not based on time, but on sincerity.

Eventually Dwaraka did get consumed by this water, other than Bhagavan Krshna’s palace. Bhagavan Krshna’s palace survived. Here is what Rshi Shuka shares about Bhagavan Krshna’s palace in Dwaraka – The Lord Krshna is ever present in that place. It is the most auspicious of the auspicious places, the very remembrance of which will rid humans of their sins. So the point is – Go to Dwaraka. Be in Dwaraka. Feel that Bhagavan Krshna lived here.

With so much death and so much sadness, Bhagavan had told Daruka to encourage everyone to go to Indraprastha, and that is where Prince Arjuna would look after them. Prince Arjuna, when he found out that Bhagavan’s body had become unmanifest, he became dejected, but then he remembered the Bhagavad Gita and came out of that dejection, like the verse above. How lovely is that Prince Arjuna internalized the Bhagavad Gita, and in that moment of high tension this was still with him! When all of these sad people came to Indraprastha, Prince Arjuna became sad, but then happy. Raja Yudhishtira became sad, but he never had Bhagavad Gita. So he renounced being the ruler, and he made Raja Parikshita, the ruler. Raja Yudhishtira then went on a yatra. This is a famous part of the Mahabharata where he and many others go on a yatra. 

Bhagavan became unmanifest. He is teaching us that we are not the manifest, but we are the unmanifest. If we want to be with Bhagavan, find it inside of ourselves. Daruka went to Dwaraka, told all the family members about His death. They all went to Prabhasa, they were very sad and many died there. Those who survived went to Indraprastha. Prince Arjuna and Raja Yudhishtira looked after them, and then Raja Parikshita became the ruler. 

If any of us feel like we are not good people, if we have not done what is right in the past, here is a way to change that –

Whosoever studies and recites these accounts of Maha Vishnu’s incarnation and works with faith and devotion, will have all of their sinful tendencies destroyed. A human who recites and studies with devotion the account of the glorious prowess displayed by the Lord in His incarnation, and especially the descriptions of the most charming activities of His childhood as given here in this text or anywhere else, will attain to the highest form of love for Him, which is the goal of the Paramahamsas. 

This is the end of the Skanda, and where did Rshi Shuka take us? He took us back to the katha part, particularly about Bhagavan Krshna in His childhood. He did not leave us in the sad aspect. What an amazing teacher! He knows what we need. So let us remember Bhagavan, not that He is not manifest, but remember when He was manifest. 

Iti ekadasha skandah samaptah. Harih Om Tat Sat.

Shri Krshna Sharanam Mama

Shri Krshna Sharanam Mama

Shri Krshna Sharanam Mama

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