Prioritising Bhakti

Class Notes | March 24, 2019

Most of us are performing some kind of service. Which service is more sustaining? Service that you get paid to do and are appreciated for, or one that you like or love doing? Obviously money cannot sustain us for too long, appreciation cannot sustain us that deeply. Only love for what we do can sustain us. Swami Tejomayanandaji has stated that the love for wealth has taken away from us our focus on our wealth for love.

The more disorder there is in any circumstance, the more authoritative the help has to be. For example if there is a small fire we can put it out on our own using a fire extinguisher, but if it’s a bigger one, we need to call 911 or the fire department. Right now in society there is a lot of disintegration which requires more authoritative help. This is where Shrimad Bhagavata and Vedanta become more important. The programs we have in our healthcare and education systems are reactive systems, but what we are doing is a course in systematic love, where we are becoming more and more loving; our focus is Bhakti.

Thinking about last week, post the Mahabharata war, we learned about how Raja Dhritharashtra, his brother Viduraji, Rani Gandhari, Raja Yudhishtira and his brothers, Mother Kunti, all change their priorities from running the kingdom, being family members to focus on freedom and they all attain freedom. They learned their lesson post-war, in a reactive way and we want to learn it in proactive way. Why go through a war to make freedom the purpose of our life?

Once Raja Parikshita is made the King, he travels his kingdom in search of Kali to destroy it. He doesn’t want any selfishness in his kingdom. As he travels his kingdom, one day he finds a man beating a cow (represents Mother Earth) and bull (represents Dharma). Kali has broken 3 legs of the bull and is about to break the 4th leg.

The four legs of the bull represent:

1st leg is tapa; dedication or investing in oneself and it’s broken by being intoxicated or being an extrovert.

2nd leg is shaucha; purity or cleanliness and it’s broken by lust or striya, lack of organising our thoughts.

3rd leg is daya; empathy, sharing, caring and it is broken by cruelty or soona, slaughterhouses, our choice of diet

4th leg is satya; truth is broken by gambling or dyuta, cheating and it seems there are more and more casinos nowadays.

When Raja Parikshita banishes Kali to these 4 abodes, Kali begs for 1 more place and is given a 5th abode — Gold, wealth or materialism. Materialism brings with it all 4 of these negativities and more very easily. If we think about this more deeply, the houses we live in, the food we eat, the clothes and goods we buy, all have an impact on our environment and Mother Earth. When Kali goes to these 5 abodes, it is like a wolf ready to pounce upon anyone weak or careless and it stays clear of anyone strong. If we are strong, there is no Kaliyuga, we are in Satyayuga.

Moving ahead to where Raja Parikshita is out hunting and he finds himself tired and lost deep in the jungle. He sees an ashram where a Rishi is meditating. He asks for food, but since the Rishi is in samadhi, he does not respond. Raja Parikshita is upset and picks up a dead snake with the end of his bow, and places it around the Rishi’s neck who is in samadhi.

What is Raja Parikshita engaged in? In soona or cruelty as he is out hunting. He is Dharmasheela, one who leads dharma, but in one instant of carelessness he falls prey to Kali. Hunger and thirst are experienced by the body, they are a vyadhi and it slowly becomes adhi if not checked; a misery in the mind. Pain is mandatory, suffering is optional. He let his mind wander and questioned Rishi Shamika who is in Samadhi and didn’t respond to him.

When Rishi Shamika wakes up from Samadhi, his crying son, Shringi, informs him of the King’s actions and the curse he put on him consequently. The Rishi is deeply saddened by his son’s action as he has cursed such a great and righteous King. The Rishi is not offended by Raja Parikshita’s action, but tells his son that instead he is grateful to Raja Parikshita as he is able to go into Samadhi and perform yajnas peacefully only because of the King who is able to protect all the brahmanas like him.

We too should learn from the Rishi to not be offended by others’ actions as that shows we are dependant on their reactions. If we have any bitterness in our heart, it only shows our dependency on that same person.

When the son of the Rishi finds out that Raja Parikshita put a dead snake around his father’s neck, he curses him that he would die in 7 days by the bite of the snake Takshaka. When Raja Parikshita returns back to the palace, he removes his crown (a symbol of materialism — Kali’ 5th abode) and suddenly recalls what a grave mistake he made and prays to God for a punishment as soon as possible. He is thinking clearly as soon as he puts the crown down, Kali goes away. And right after his prayer, he finds out that the Rishi’s young son is in his court to inform him of the curse. When Raja Parakshita finds out about the curse, he does not retaliate. Instead he accepts the results of his actions.

Now why would such a noble king suddenly have this lapse in behaviour? It is because it wasn’t his independent vritthi! It came from Ishwara. It was all Bhagavan’s leela. If we go back to Ramayana, do you think Mother Sita would be distracted by the golden deer when she had the Infinite Lord in front of her? That also was Bhagavan’s leela. It is Ishwara working through the total mind.

Knowing he is going to die in 7 days, Raja Parikshita gives up his responsibilities to his family and his son and is now on the banks of the Mother Ganga. He starts praying and stops eating, awaiting his death.There are 2 implications of this. First — Where does Mother Ganga come from? Lord Shiva’s hair and before that from Lord Vishnu’s toe which Lord Brahma is washing. So Mother Ganga is the offspring of Bhagavan Vishnu and Raja Parikshita goes to be with her. Second — Since the body is going to die, why bother eating? In a practical way, if we are engaged in an important sadhana, we don’t care to eat either.

As he sits by Mother Ganga remembering Bhagavan Vishnu, the greatest of the great come to pay their respects including Shukadeva-ji. All the great rishis from Ramayana including Rishi Vishwamitra, Rishi Parushurama, Rishi Vasishtha, all come and say that they won’t leave there until his death as they are all grateful. Raja Parikshita then asks Shukadeva-ji — What should one be doing as one awaits death?

Rishi Shuka is 16 years old and doesn’t wear any outer sign. He has no clothing, he has no dependency on anyone or anything, and is totally free. He is so pure. He doesn’t seek anything and is therefore most adorable. He is purely acting out of happiness. He has lots of devis and children following him.

Then Raja Parikshita asks Shukadeva-ji — Someone who’s dying — what should they hear, speak, do, remember and who should they worship? This is very similar to Prince Arjuna’s question to Bhagavan Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita, but the difference is that the focus of the Bhagavad Gita is the Art of Living and the focus of Bhagavata is the Art of Dying. This brings us to the end of Skanda 1.

The focal point of Canto One is Adhikari, and the focal point of Canto 2 will be Sadhana — from the disciple to the discipline. Who is an eligible listener and who is an eligible speaker? When a person is ready for discipline, Bhagavan brings the Adhikari speaker and the Adhikari listener together.

Discussion: How to cultivate the strength to accept Karma, action and reaction?

CM Fairfield: Develop Prasada buddhi, accept all karma and its results as Bhagavan’s leela.

Vivekji’s response: Our creator is impartial and we all face the same laws.

RAW: List the reasons why you are an Adhikari.