For the weary, there is rest in Narayana

Class Notes | April 7, 2019

In the 4th shloka of his composition, Shiva Manasa Pooja, Acharya Shankara shares: Tvam, Bhagavan Shiva, you are my Atma; Girija, Mother Parvati, you are my matih, mind; sahacharaha- your ganas, attendants are my physiological functions; graham- your home is my body; your pooja is my bhoga; your samadhi is my nidra; your pradakshina is my sancharah (my roaming about); your stotrani (praises) is my speech. All that I do is worship offered to You.

Shrimad Bhagavata has a similar teaching — it is teaching us to be divine. Some people think Shrimad Bhagavata is just about loving the divine — about loving Bhagavan Shiva living in Kailasha. Both Shrimad Bhagavata and Shiva Manasa Pooja teach us that whatever we love outside, we have to feel that inside. This loving should evolve to being. If we love Bhagavan Shiva, we should be Bhagavan Shiva. If we love Bhagavan Vishnu, we should be Sat-Chit- Ananda, like Bhagavan Vishnu is. Anyone who hears Shrimad Bhagavata can benefit from it. All of the damage that has been done by their ears listening to worldly matters can be erased.

In last week’s class, we studied about Raja Parikshita asking Rishi Shuka — what should a dying person do? What is really being asked is: what is the most important thing to do? Rishi Shuka’s answer — is: the most important thing is to be disciplined. Our body, breath, mind and intellect should always be disciplined and directed inside. To find that independent joy, we should contemplate on our own nature or svaroopa. If unable to feel the divine as a jeeva, we open the eyes and respect everything as Bhagavan’s Vishvaroopa- the clouds, mountains and people around us. If that is too subtle, we contemplate on the Jagadeeshvara — my istaropa- my God. If we have darshana of my God, then we can see my God in ourselves and in the people around us. Bhagavat Darshana means there will be no more bhava roga, no more the idea of becoming because you are being. You will not be born again. This seeing ends all seeing. There is only being.

To contemplate on one’s Istadevata, you have to know about your God well enough, just as Mother Yashoda and Mother Kunti knew Bhagavan Krishna. If not, that contemplation will be incomplete.

Raja Parikshita asks Rishi Shuka — What is creation? How is creation? Rishi Shuka says Rishi Narada had once asked Bhagavan Brahma the same question and Bhagavan Brahma had begun by saying the source of the vedas is Narayana, the source of the devas is Narayana, the source of the lokas is Narayana, the source of all religious practices is Narayana. The destination of all yogas, tapa and jnana is Narayana. In other words, the beginning, middle and end of all of us is Narayana.

The single answer to Rishi Narada’s question is Narayana.

The word Nara means water. Narayana is the one who is resting or living in water, sleeping on / in the milky ocean. Narayana is where we will find rest. If we are tired of being alive in a limited way, the only place to find rest is Narayana.

A good question makes one go deep to find the answer. Rishi Shuka’s answer to Rishi Narada’s question is not direct. It is often the case in the teachings of Bhagavata, of Sanatana Dharma, that direct answers are not given. One reason is that through discourses, the answer is already given. It is the student’s responsibility to reflect in order for that answer to become their own. Another reason is because there is no room for arrogance. A good question may make a student feel proud; a good answer may make a teacher feed proud. But we should realize the questions have been asked and answered by someone prior to us so there is no need to feel proud.

Raja Parikshita’s question to Rishi Shuka is: how creation, why creation? Rishi Narada’s question to Bhagavan Brahma is: How did you create? How do you do what you do? Why do you do what you do?

Bhagavan Brahma’s answer is that His words, mind, senses are never separate from Narayana. He creates because of Bhagavan Narayana. The dynamic people around us are engaged in sattvic or long term offerings for God. They are fulfilled and want others to be happy too.

Bhagavan Brahma answers Rishi Narada’s question in great detail. Some highlights:

• Bhagavan Narayana is the one who created all the materials for creation and Bhagavan Brahma simply manages it.
• Bhagavan Brahma could only take the materials that Bhagavan Narayana had already created. He cannot create anything without these materials.
• Bhagavan Narayana is like light, while Bhagavan Brahma is like eyes. Without light, the eyes cannot do anything.

Bhagavan Brahma says the lineage of creation begins with the mahat-tattva- the feeling to create that comes from Bhagavan Narayana. From the mahat-tattva, comes the ahankara, and from the ahankara comes the manah. Then come the sookshma tattvas — 5 subtle elements — space, air, fire, water, and earth — that mix around and become the sthoola tattvas — 5 gross elements. This is the technicality with regard to how creation happened.

One more framework: Bhagavan Narayana can be equated to Brahman. That sense to create is like the causal body or kaarana sharira in which Brahman becomes Ishwara. This Ishwara manifests as mahat-tattva, ahankara, manah and when there is further creation in a subtle way, Ishwara becomes the sookshma shareera or Hiranyagarbha. When sookshma shareera becomes the sthoola shareera, Hiranyagarbha becomes the Viraat purusha.

In Chapter 11 of the Bhagavad Gita, we get to see the Viraat purusha, to keep on going back to Brahman. Our contemplation has to be the same way: Ishtaroopa, Vishvaroopa, and Brahman. It is in Brahman that we feel the Svaroopa.

Rishi Shuka, who answers Raja Parikshita’s first question, says the Spirit is absolute. It does not manifest or unmanifest. If there is any feeling that the spirit has become this body, it is just a dream. Our scriptures first list out what they are going to teach and then they elaborate. The value in that is it helps us personalize. There is repetition in Shrimad Bhagavata because repetition helps us concentrate. The more we concentrate on our experiences, we will see that everything around us is not creation, but the Creator.

Some highlights about the various avataras:

Nara, Narayana are two incarnations of Bhagavan Narayana. Bhagavan Shiva burned anger outside of Him, but not inside of Him. For Nara, Narayana, there is no need to burn anger outside because they burned the anger inside. This is not to be understood as Bhagavan Shiva is less than Nara, Narayana. Bhagavan Vishnu is Bhagavan Shiva’s greatest bhakta.

In the Kurma avatar, another incarnation of Bhagavan Vishnu, the tortoise was on a gigantic mountain, Mandara, that was as though scratching its back.

Dhanvantari the original physician, was able to retrieve the amrita and spread it. This became ayurveda; its purpose was to know you are not the body.

In Vamana avatara, one sees the only way to get something from someone powerful and responsible is to beg.

Regarding Bhagavan Krishna, what is shared is: Sita Krishna Kesha — Bhagavan Krishna is the one with black and white hair. Maybe we are focusing on the Istaroopa and that is why we never see His white hair. It is also shared that the Pandavas are parts of Bhagavan Krishna.

Bhagavan Buddha will be born with a form that will charm and attract the minds of those with asuric temperament and those who are atheists, those not following the vedas. People were using the vedas just for rituals, for more pleasure, possession, and position. So Bhagavan Buddha let go of that veda entirely and it was as if he started a new religion, but he was simply teaching the Jnana kanda in a simple way so that people who were more pleasure, position and possession-oriented, would understand.

When Bhagavan Brahma finishes teaching Rishi Narada about why creation, how creation, he tells him to use his imaginative power to spread this message. When one does not know their nature is divine, they start to feel they are the body only.

In all, Raja Parikshita asked 21 questions. His first question was: How does the Atman, which is non-material, come to have a body that is material? Rishi Shuka’s answer is: It does not. They are mutually exclusive. The Atman is all that we think the Atman has become- combinations of mahat-tattva, ahankara, manah, gross elements, and subtle elements. These ARE Bhagavan, these ARE you. We must contemplate on this.

Class discussion: What challenges and triumphs have you experienced with sharing Vedanta?

CF: Triumph: people are receptive and ready to share; challenge: when people are not receptive, it makes us reflect and introspect.

For Vivekji, his parents going to study at a residential Vedanta course is a triumph.