Shrimad Bhagavata Mahapurana

Synopsis of the Nineteenth Session

Bhagavata Tritiya Skanda (Book Three)

Chapter 25 to 29 (Let’s Delve Deeper)

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Krishna Photocopies Himself:

This is a beautiful story, where Brahamaji, feels that Krishna could not be the Divine Self, and as he is the creator he would have known. To test Krishna he steals aways all his calves and friends and hides them.

Krishna realises what had happened and so he photocopies himself. 20 become the cowherd boys and 20 the calves and one remains as Krishna. 

They all return home, and it feels that there is magic in the air. There is more love, joy and contentment in every house, then there ever was. Even the cows are giving more milk then usual. There is bliss in the aura of every being.

A lot of time went by, and Brahmaji realises his folly, and returns the cowherd boys and the calves to Krishna. 

The Essence:

The deepest message here is when we start seeing the Divine Lord in each and every being, immense love for all will be the outcome. 

The problem arise when we seclude the Lord to the furtherest of heavens or most sacred of temples. We distance him and yes, worship him. But, we forget the fact that he is present in each and every being, as their body is his temple. 

Just by the inclusion of this one thought, the world becomes a better place and that me becomes a better me. This is what Kapila Muni’s teaching is all about in a nutshell.

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Swami Sarvpriyanandaji said;

‘Our question show the caliber of our own mind.’

There is one university in which the examination is not to answer the questions, but to formulate the toughest possible question paper. The tougher the paper the higher the marks. The students agreed that it is more difficult to formulate the questions then to answer the questions.

The entire Bhagwatam is the answer to 2 very profound questions which was asked by Raja Parkshit when he had only 7 days to live. He asked Sukhdevji, two questions. 

- How should I die?

- If I want to die like that, how should I live?

Below are the question of Master Mahashey and Mother Devhuti, which when answered, formulated the teaching of Kapila Muni.

Master Mahashey asked;

- How can fix my mind on God or How do I think of God all the time or How do I have intense longing for God?

Note here: 

The answer to another question be it liberation or anything else is turn towards God. But, the problem is how do I turn towards God when I am being pulled by Samsara all the time.

When Vivekananda was asked, by a person who was in a hurry, how do I get God. Vivekananda, gave him a nice long dip, till all he could think of was breath and said, when you crave for lord the way you craved for breath, as you were almost drowning, and nothing else comes to your mind. With that intensity when you seek you will get God.

Over here Master Mahashey has asked - How do I get that intensity of longing for God?

Ramana Maharishi answered; 

- Sing the glories of God (Bhakti)

- Meditate in your mind, meditate in the corner of your house, meditate in the forest, meditate wherever you are (Raj Yoga)

- Always do Viveka - Spiritual discrimination between the eternal and the non-eternal. Turn towards the eternal and leave the non-eternal. (Gyana) 

Ma Devhuti also had these questions. She said I understand what you are saying Bhagwana Kapila. But, How do I implement it?

Kapila Muni addressed these major questions of Ma Devhuti;

- What am I? 

- How do I stop identifying with Prakrti?

- How do I fix my mind to the Lord? How do I develop the intense love for the Lord? 

What follows is his discourse to his mother. Below is an explanation of each.

- Prakrti and Purusha

- Devotion 

- Process of eight fold yoga

- Vivek 

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Prakrti and Purusha 

What is Prakrti and what is Purusha (Chart 1 and Chart 2 enclosed)

In simple words, everything that we see is Prakrti and the hidden energy behind Prakrti is Purusha.

When we look at the charts we see that Purusha is no other than the spirit, who is beginningless, devoid of attributes, existing beyond prakrti(matter), revealed in the heart of all beings and self-effulgent.

Pradhana the primordial matter is Prakrti. It consists of three gunas (sativa, Rajas and Tamas) and is the source of distinct categories. The aggregate of the 24 categories is known to be the evolute of the prakrti. 

Pradana

• Ahankar

• Mahat

• Maan

Five gross elements

• Ether

• Air

• Fire

• Water

• Earth

Five sense objects

• Sound

• Touch

• Sight

• Taste

• Smell

Five knowledge-acquiring senses

• Ear

• Skin

• Eye

• Tongue

• Nose

Five working senses

• Voice

• Legs

• Arms

• Reproductive organs

• Evacuating organs

How to attain liberation through the differentiation of matter(Prakrti) and spirit(Purusha)

Just as the sun thought reflected in water remains unaffected by the attributes of the water(such as coolness, unsteadiness and so on, so the spirit thought abiding in the material body, remains unaffected by its measurable and painful experiences. It is devoid of attributes and doership and therefore it is free from change. 

The Purusha however, when it get attached to the Gunas of Prakrti, he begins to look upon himself as the doer, and is completed deuded by egotism. Due to this sense of doership he loses his peace of mind. Just a dreaming man experiences sorrow - even thought there is no real cause for it.

Hence, just as when one awakens from a dream, one realises that it is unreal. In the same way one has to free oneself from this identification with the Prakrti and realise the self (Purusha) as distinct from Prakrti. 

One has to stop identifying oneself with ones body and stop regarding those connected with it as his own. 

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Devotion 

We discussed in the previous session that, bhakti is of four types - Tamasic, Rajasic, Satvik and the most divine is Gunateet Bhakti.

In Gunateet Bhakti is uninterrupted flow of the mind stream towards God, who is dwelling in the heart of all. It is pure motiveless love for the God. The devotee does not want anything in exchange for his love for God. He refutes like a blade grass;

- Salokya - Residence in the divine realm

- Sarsti - Enjoying my power

- Sarupya - Possessing a form similar to mine

- Sayujya - Absorption in my being 

He also refuses the 8 super human powers that come to him (such as the facility to reduce one’s body to the size of an atom and so on which are produced by maya).

Such is a devotee who is assailed day and night by intense devotion to me - developed by hearing my stories for a long time which a heart purified by doing ones duties in a disinterested spirit. 

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Yoga - The process of Eightfold Yoga

1. To do ones allotted duty to the best of ones ability and to shirk from prohibited acts.

2. To remain contented with whatever is got as a dispensation of providence.

3. To adore the feet of one who has realised the self and to cease from duties connected with the pursuit of;

  1. Religious merit 

  2. Worldly possessions

  3. Sensuous enjoyment

  4. To take delight in duties tending to final beatitude

4. To take pure food in a measured quantity

5. To dwell permanently in a place which is not only secluded but also free from molestation 

6. To practice non-violence

7. To speak the truth, to abstain from thieving, to limit ones possession to the extend of ones barest needs, to observe purity of body and mind.

8. To study veda and other sacred texts, to worship the deity, to observe silence, to observe steadiness by firmness in the very best posture, to control ones breath by slow degree, to with draw ones senses from the objects and to direct them to the heart with the help of ones mind. Below are the eight steps in the process. 

1. Yama – Prohibitions and Restraints 

  1. Ahimsa (Non-violence)

  2. Satya (Truthfulness) 

  3. Asteya (Non-stealing) 

  4. Brahmachariya (Celibacy and Control of Desires)

  5. Aparigraha (Non-hoarding)

2. Niyama – Developing Virtues 

  1. Sochya (Purity)

  2. Santosh (Contentment)

  3. Tapas (Austarities)

  4. Swadhyaya (Self Study of Scriptures)

  5. Isvara Pranidhana (Surrender)

3. Asana – Physical Postures

It is essential to note that, to still the mind the body also has to be stilled. The mind is like a bowl with water in it, if we shake the bowl even a little the water will come out of it. Our body is always trembling and shaking, we are not even aware of how much our body is trembling and moving. 

Example: 

Target shooting - To reach the target one has to totally still the body and hold the breath and shoot. 

If to reach the target so much of stillness is needed, to reach the divine, how much stillness would be needed. 

4. Pranayama – Breathing Control 

We have many a times heard when some one passes away that, he had only those many breath written. We have also noticed how when we are agitated or angry pace of our breath increases and when we are calm we take slow deep breaths. 

Knowing that our breath is precious should we be so reckless with it. It is indeed more precious that anything we have. 

Moreover, focusing on the breath can have a magical implication. The Story about The great mystic Nagarjuna attached explains the same.

A strivers should eradicate the disorders of the three humours of the body (Wind, bile and phlegm).

By these and other such methods one should diligently control one’s breath and then gradually curb ones wicked mind, addicted to evil ways, with the help of ones reason and apply it to contemplation on God. 

5. Pratyahara – Sense Withdrawal

6. Dharana – Concentration

7. Dhyana – Meditation

8. Samadhi – Absorption of the mind on the Divine

Now, in this process we focus our attention on the Lord and his beauty, slowly we focus on one part of his body at a time, for instance when looking at his smile, only that should be visible. When this is again attained, we take him to our heart. 

From there we visualise him in everyone’s heart and everything. 

Having established the self in the glory of Brahman which transcends joy and sorrow, and when the ignorance removed. He discovered that pleasure and pain and their experience, which he till now attributed to the self, are attributed to the ego, which is the product of ignorance.

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Vivek 

By intelligently, constantly and consciously discriminating between - 

1. Cause and effect

2. Source and borrower

Example 1:

We have various electrical appliances at home. The refrigerator, the dishwasher, the washing machine, the lamp and so on. They al have different function. 

But, just imagine if the electrify when off, would any of these function. 

Example 2: 

We all live in a world and especially in Dubai when we look around all the people look very rich. Dressed up in high end brand and driving their high end cars. It is difficult to differentiate the truly rich, from the seemingly rich. 

Some are shopping using their own money, others are borrowers living off the credit card. 

Example 3:

We all cook, now when we boil a potato it becomes very hot. But, is the nature of the potato heat? No it was cold before, hence it has borrowed the heat form something. 

Was it the water, no was it the utensil in which the water and potato were being boiled. No, as the utensil was cold before this. 

It was kept on the fire. Yes, they all borrowed their heat from the fire. 

Fire’s intrinsic quality is to be hot. Fire can not be cold, it is always hot. So, fire is the source and the rest are the borrowers. 

3. Permanent (Eternal) and the Temporary (Non Eternal)

Example: 

In our life when we look around, there is hardly anything that can be said to be permanent, neither emotions, not things nor people. We can say, yes, some things or people are less temporary then the others. But, can we call anything permanent. Everything is nothing but a passing cloud.

so the what is permanent that always remains, when we sit and analyse, we realise that the one permeant is God. 

Should we not organise, prioritise and focus on the things that are less temporary, rather than directing our energy towards the most temporary? 

Moreover, should we not turn towards Permanent? 

4. Actual and mind created

Example: 

Draw three circle indicating the level of pain. 

The smaller circle is the actual physical pain felt, the next circle is the expectation of pain, the mental uneasiness and expected suffering. The biggest circle is the discomfort and the inability to do activities due to the pain. 

70 to 80 % of our suffering are the contribution of our own mind. On the 20 to 30 % is the actual physical pain and the medicine only can reduce the actual physical pain, many times they don’t even work there. 

We have also heard about the placebo effect, and the power mind has on healing. 

5. Utility and not the value(cost and brand) of Material things

6. Value(character of the person) and not the utility(possession and self benefit) of Relationships

Example:

Does the time change depending on which brand of watch you wear? Is the time different for the one who wears a Omega and the one who wears a titan? The time remains the same. 

Does the road change depending on which are you are driving? Is the road different for the one Driving a Ferrari and the one driving a Honda? The road remains the same.

So, why don’t we just focus on the utility of the material things. The material things have a purpose, it does not matter what the cost of a watch or purse is, the watch will show you the time and a purse will carry your things.

However,

Why is it that we mourn the death of a young person, but we are not so agonised when a person of age passes away. Many a times people are heard saying, that man had depends and the old had done their duty. 

So, we are mourning the utility of the person and not only the person himself.

Many relationships today are utility based, dictated by self benefit and the possessions and position of the other person. On the contrary, the character and value system of an individual is considered immaterial. 

We need to activate our Vivek..

We need to become more Aware…

We need to Awaken…

We need to stop existing…

We need to Start Living...

Jaano, 

aur nahin jaan pa rahe ho tou,

iss Saach ko Maano.

Jai Shri Krishna🙏

Jai Hanuman🙏