What a dying person should do
Class Notes | March 31, 2019
If time is kaala sarpa, a snake, then the food for that snake is jagat bhakshaka- the multiverse. Just because we are scared of time passing does not mean that time is not going to do what it does. As we live our lives away from God, away from Joy, time is not wasted; we are wasted. Time will go on, but our opportunity will not. Bhagavata teaches us that living for a muhurta or a moment is better than living a long life that lacks meaning.
Raja Parikshita succumbed to pramada once. Just once, he let his guard down and there was so much ramification. What happened to him teaches us to be vigilant. We should be more careful with all that is happening around us, like remembering people’s names, where we put our car keys, etc. The fulfilment of vigilance is knowing that one’s nature is Chit or awareness. When we become more aware of what is around us, we become more aware of our nature and the siddhi or talent that is gifted to us is called naishkarmya which means /not/ feeling that we are neither the doer nor the deserver. Since we have nothing to gain, we have nothing to lose which means we have nothing to fear. After all, we all want to be courageous. What better way to get rid of our fears than by being vigilant.
The first skanda ended with Raja Parikshita asking Rishi Shuka — What should a dying person do? The second skanda begins with Rishi Shuka’s answer to this question — A dying person should contemplate.
Rishi Shuka explains to Raja Parikshita that as people are busy, they forget they are attached to all of creation without knowing the Creator behind the creation. As such, they think all this is Maya. When we see the Creator in all of creation, we will see ourselves as one with all. Where there is raaga or attachment, there will be bhaya or fear. Our fears are because of our attachments. The reason for attachment is separation that makes us see creation instead of the Creator.
Rishi Shuka says this one should prepare oneself for contemplation or meditation as follows:
Jitasana: disciplined in the way one sits, without moving, keeping the body calm
Jitashvasah: regulate breath so that one forgets where one is.
Jitasangah: disciplined in the company one keeps as being in the right company of people has a positive impact on the mind.
Jitendriyah: disciplined about our desires. Don’t be an extrovert.
Rishi Shuka elaborates:
Svaroopa: Conquering posture, breath, company and overcoming the sense organs, a dying person must begin to contemplate. Contemplation must deepen from body to breath to mind to intellect, pushing the ego into the spirit. This is meditating on the Svaroopa, when one contemplates on one’s own self or one’s own nature.
Vishvaroopa: Rishi Shuka, who is so loving, knows that while Raja Parikshita may be able to contemplate on the svaroopa, we may not be able to do so as our minds are not trained. Thus, he gives us another option: contemplate on Vishvaroopa, or Bhagavan’s form. He then describes how all of creation is actually the Creator. For example:
Earth is Bhagavan’s waist.
Death- Bhagavan’s molars.
Mountains- Bhagavan’s bones
Rivers- Bhagavan’s blood.
Clouds- Bhagavan’s hair
Large animals- Bhagavan’s nails.
When we appreciate that all of creation is our Creator, we will respect everything as Bhagavan’s Vishvaroopa. Life is a terminal condition in which everyone is dying. So we should contemplate on our own nature, Svaroopa or jeeva. But if we cannot do that, we should contemplate on Bhagavan’s Vishvaroopa or jagat.
Bhagavan’s chest is dharma and Bhagavan’s back is adharma. That is why we should never show our back to Bhagavan because it will mean we are engaged in adharma. Our bodies are made up of earth, fire, water, air, and space. So is Bhagavan’s. Hence, we should realize we are all God’s children and respect each other.
Ishtaroopa: If we cannot contemplate on Svaroopa or Vishvaroopa, then we should contemplate on Jagadeeshvara or Ishtaroopa- how each one of us connects to Bhagavan. Indeed, Bhagavan is giving us so many opportunities to be close with Him!
Sitting with our body, breath, mind and intellect, with discipline, we should contemplate on our Ishtaroopa — who is outside and inside of us. For us to contemplate well, we must first accept our strengths and weaknesses. If we are not capable contemplators, trying to contemplate on Svaroopa will lead to frustration as we will not be successful. In that case, perhaps we first need to go from Jagadeeshvara to jagat and then to jeeva.
Starting with one limb of our Ishtaroopa, going limb by limb from feet to head, we should contemplate until we can see the details of our Ishtaroopa with the eyes closed. As we move from limb to limb, the mind will become lighter. When Gurudev was a young boy, he engaged in this upasana subconsciously — thinking of how Bhagavan Shiva looked. In messages and letters, he wrote: Om Namo Narayana. Through his upasanas as a boy, he became Lord Shiva, who is the greatest bhakta of Bhagavan Vishnu. Hence, Om Namo Narayana.
We have to also give full attention to Bhagavan’s smile. Bhagavan’s smile is described as that which causes confusion in people. His smile is a smile of maya. He has the gentlest of smiles. His smile can delude us, yet enlighten us. Bhagavan’s smile deluded Prince Arjuna and Raja Parikshita and is perpetually deluding us! But when we contemplate on His smile, we will understand that the One who deludes us is also the only One who can enlighten us! This is surrender. When we understand this through internalization, we realize who we are. You can only delude and enlighten someone who is separate from you. Thus with contemplation, the jeeva, jagat and Jagadeeshvara all become one. Satyam Param Dheemahi- we contemplate on the oneness and there will be no feeling of separation.
The message of Bhagavata is for us to be in love with the Creator so that we absorb the mind, memory, intellect and ego in Bhagavan. This is called samadhi — when mind, intellect, memory and ego are fully placed in the Creator. If samsara is a marketplace, then God is the profit. In fact, the only profit is remembering Bhagavan’s name. We only truly live our life when that life is spent thinking of God. Whether it is for a few minutes or for many hours, that profit lasts forever.
Raja Parikshita did not only ask one question. He asked many more deep questions as we will see in the upcoming adhyayas. Rishi Shuka — who was known to stay no more than a few minutes in any one place — stayed and continued his narration. Thanks to him, all of mankind has been benefited.
Class discussion: How can we be more kind?
CF: Smile, be aware, respectful and sensitive.
Vivek-ji’s observation: Treat this knowledge — that there is only one, the Creator — to be real. Random acts of kindness are limited by space, time and matter, but knowledge is not; it is in every facet of our living.
