A Journal of Nama Kirtan Satsangs

Oct 29: Uddhava Gita – 10

29 Oct 2010 Leave a Comment

by namadwaar in Telecon Satsangs Tags: 11th canto, bhagavatam

‘Parithavittha parikshittum kettadhu harikathayai
aridhinum aridhAna hari charaNaththai adainthAn…’

goes the kirtan of Sri Muralidhara Swamiji.  Parikshit who was suffering from the three kinds of ills and Srimad Bhagavatam was an elixir to him, which he listened to and that was his means to attain the feet of Lord Hari, which is the rarest of the rarest.

Further, it says that it contains the stories of Bhagavatas like Gajendra, and the story of the Lord’s incarnation as Lord Hari, who came down to protect these great Bhaktas.

Let us look at a situation.  A poor man needs some money for his daily bread.  So he approaches a home and calls for help and is refused.  Then he starts extolling the householder as the most generous person on earth.  Immediately the householder is happy and gives him some money.  On another instance this person wanted a bigger amount to treat an illness and he knows that the earlier householder would not donate such an amount, no matter how much he praised him.  So he would go to a wealthier person with the same encomium.  In general, one would assess the capability of a person before seeking his help.  You wouldn’t approach an old / fragile person for help with a physical activity.  Thus, for things that seem trivial, we go to people around you for help.  If the situation is out of control and the solution seems to be beyond the ken of our intellect, then we surrender to the Lord.  Bhagavatam shows us how one should approach the Lord for anything and everything.  One who can give a million dollars can also give you $100!  When one surrenders to the Lord, he saves us from all the trivial miseries of the world, as well as saves us from the huge ocean of transmigration.  This fact is beautifully expounded in Gajendra Moksham.

When the alligator caught the feet of Gajendra, his instinctive prayer was to get himself rid of clasp of the alligator.  But if that were his eventual motive, he could have called out to any and every deity that has the Siddhi to relieve him from the alligator.  But Gajendra realized that this is not the end-all.   Getting freed from an alligator doesn’t guarantee that he would be free from more dangerous entities, the most dangerous one being death!

Then Gajendra realized, ‘bhItam prapannam paripAti yatbhayAn mruthyuh pradAvatyaraNnam tamImahI’ – so he calls the one, who can allay that very fear of death!  The one who can bestow him the state of deathlessness – or Moksha, and indeed Lord Hari came down.

In the Kirtan, our Guru Maharaj says,

‘hariyai nambi kettavar purANaththilum illai’ – there cannot be a more trustworthy entity than Lord Sri Hari.

And how does Bhagavatam transform one? ‘paripakkuvam Akki hari bhaktiyaitharum’ – it transforms one to be fit to do Bhakti.  It transforms even a ruffian’s heart into a soft one and makes the flower of Hari Bhakti blossom in his heart.   Such is the glory of Bhagavatam which is nonpareil!

From such a nectar called Bhagavatam, let us continue with the 11^th canto lectures from where we left last…

The 11^th Canto starts with Navayogi Upakhyana.  Then Uddhava Gita starts.   In any transaction, the ‘adhikaritva’ (capability) of the giver and the receiver matters.  The giver is none other than the supreme being – Lord Krishna and in Bhagavat Gita, the receiver (listener) is Arjuna, who had been all along withKrishna since the time of Arjuna’s marriage and here the Adhikari is Uddhava.  Although Uddhava’s father andKrishna’s father Vasudeva were cousins,           they were not collocated and yet Uddhava thought about Lord Krishna all the time.

The word ‘Uddhava’ itself means ‘being happy / celebrating all the time ’ as Sri Swamiji’s kirtan goes – ‘Utsaaha uddhavam aham namAmi…’ .  Now, how could can separation fromKrishnabring happiness to Uddhava?  Uddhava would celebrate at the very thought ofKrishnaand His leelas.  Bhagavatam says, that when Uddhava was 5 years old, his mother would call him to take breakfast.  Uddhava would say, ‘Mom! I don’t want breakfast. I am busy herding cows.  Wouldn’tKrishnatoo be herding cows back in Brindavanam now? Wouldn’tKrishnabe playing with the Gopas in Gokulam now? I too want to play with Gopas…’.  Such was his ‘smarana’ Bhakti.

How could the Lord stand a devotee who thinks about Him always being separated from Him?  So when the time was ripe, He takes over such a Bhakta unto Him.  He summoned Uddhava whenKrishnacreated Dwaraka and made him the minister.

The listener of Uddhava Gita is such!

When Uddhava and Krishna meet at Prabhasa Kshetra, Uddhava pleads to Krishna with his questions whenKrishnadecides to leave this Universe.  Krishna convinces Uddhava that he cannot accompanyKrishnaand that he had to lead the life of an ascetic being on this earth.  To prepare him for such a life,Krishnaspeaks about the greatness of the Guru and narrates the Avadhoota Gita (the 24 Gurus).  Uddhava recognizes Lord Krishna as His Guru.  It is said in the Gita,

‘tadviddhi praNipAtena pariprashnena sevayA’

One may be ridden with numerous questions.  But when he goes to the sanctum of a Sadguru, all his questions will vanish.

Paul Brunton a European, was fascinated by the mysticism ofIndiaand came down to the South.  By God’s grace he chanced to meet his Guru – Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi at Tiruvannamalai.  He had a notebook full of questions to ask Ramana.  When he came to the precincts of the Ashram, the Sage recognized Paul Brunton and had him sit in His presence.  He didn’t even bother to beckon Paul Brunton to shoot his questions, although He knew that there were many.   Half a day passed that way and then, the Sage asked Paul to have his lunch, even warning that it could be a little too spicy for him!   When Paul was back from lunch, Bhagavan Ramana said, ‘Go ahead with your questions’.  At that moment, Paul Brunton closed his notebook and exclaimed, ‘No more questions’!

All his questions had vanished in the presence of the Mahatma, as Bhagavatam says:

‘Bhidyate hrudayagrantih chidyante sarva samshayA
kshIyante chAsya karmAni drushtayevAtmanIshvare’

‘all knots of the hearts are untied and all doubts cease…’.

But, still, if one has questions, then they are results of a true quest.

Someone, came and asked our Guru Maharaj ‘What is the purpose of my life?’.  Many great men have given various different answers – ‘to realize God’, ‘to attain His Holy Feet’ and so on.  But our Guru Maharaj’s answers are always unique.

He answered, ‘The purpose of your life hitherto was to ask this question.  Today you have come to a point where you have this genuine question in your heart and you sincerely seek an answer to this question.  That has been the purpose of your life!’  – The moment you attain a Sadguru, all your doubts will be cleared. But if there is still a question to ask, save the question and getting it answered – is verily the purpose of one’s life!  Indeed an esoteric message made simple!

All the questions that Uddhava poses to Lord Krishna in Uddhava Gita are such questions!
EarlierKrishna concluded, ‘Uddhava, you have now listened to Avadhoota Gita. Let me tell you how one should lead his life – one should lead a life quitting vices like pride, laziness, jealousy, envy and ego and should have staunch faith in Me, not being distracted by anything in the world and speak as less as possible.’

Then Uddhava askedKrishnato explain him as to who is bounded to the samsara (‘baddha’) and who is liberated (‘mukhta’).  He went further, requestingKrishnato expound on the characteristics of a liberated soul, how he walks, how he eats, how he sits etc.

With a smile,Krishnasaid, ‘Uddhava, your question is primarily flawed!’

He continued, ‘Who is bound? And who is liberated? There is no binding, and hence no relieving!’

‘baddho mukta itivyAkyA guNato me na vastutah
guNasya mAyA mUlatvAt na me moksho na bandanam’

One’s natural state is the state of being free – then where is the question of being bound and being liberated? It is only a figure of speech when we say one is bound in ‘samsAra’ and one has to be liberated.  To clarify this fact, Lord Krishna goes on to narrate a story, one that has been spoken about in detail in the Upanishads.

In a forest is a Peepul tree with numerous branches and on one of the branches, there are two beautiful golden-winged birds, that look exactly alike. They were very close friends. One of the birds feeds on the fruit from the tree and as it eats more and more into the fruit, becomes pale and emaciated.  The other bird keeps watching the feeding bird but not lets out a word, patiently waiting for the friend to turn unto it.  The feeding bird is so busy into eating that it has completely forgotten the existence of a friend nearby, and does not even realize that the fruit is making it lose its complexion and health.  This goes on for years and years together, and eventually there comes a point when the emaciated bird, gets bored of the fruit and stops feeding on it.  At this instant, it turns to the friend, who is still there, patiently waiting, and the moment it sees its friend, it realizes the true nature and there are no more two birds – just one, it takes flight from the tree.

The Jeevatma and the Paramatma are the two birds, that look alike – sitting on a tree called Samsara – the human body.  The Jeevatma is submerged in the ‘fruit’ of its activity (karma) and the Paramatma, although is the owner of everything, still looks on, as if it is disconnected from everything.  The Paramatma or the ‘tattva’ of the Guru, patiently waits on the Jeevatma to turn unto ‘it’.  Eventually, after births together, the Jeevatma, through ‘dukha doshanudarshanam’ – learning from experience the bane of the misery of the samsara and being frustrated by the sorrows through Guru’s grace, turns to the Guru / Lord.  The rest is history!

After narrating this beautiful story, Lord Krishna goes on… answering Uddhava’s other questions, expounding the qualities of the ‘baddha’ (bound person) and the liberated.

A liberated one would never identify himself with his body, just like one who is asleep might, in his sleep, dream of himself being a pauper.  The moment the dreamer wakes up, he knows that he is not the one who was personified in his dream.  He is indeed a wealthy person.  Likewise, one bound in samsara, identifies himself with his body and complains all the time that he is lowly, he is mean, he is entangled in the problems of the world and that he is a wreck.  A liberated one doesn’t identify himself to be a body and hence is sans complaints.

The sense organs (‘indriya’) are the sensors of the mind and the mind reacts to the stimulus given to these sensors.  Although a liberated one may physically possess all the senses (‘indriya’), he would not own them, or their responses.  Though the sense organs work, he doesn’t believe that they work for him, while the bound one, believes, relies on and owns completely his senses.

To the questions on how he would sleep, eat, walk etc., Lord Krishna told Uddhava that there was absolutely no difference between the acts of a liberated soul and an ignorant one.  By mere looks, one cannot identify a liberated one.  He never claims himself to be a Jnani either!  However, if you watch his activities closely, you may identify by his nature!

When someone badmouths him, he doesn’t care, and at the same time, when someone sings praises of him, he doesn’t care too, just like the child (in the 24 Gurus).  Jadabharata was an example! Some wanted to perform Puja to him and some wanted to slay him! In either instance he sat like a rock, unmoved.  Praises and abuses are alike to an insentient thing, can it?

Above all,Krishnasays, that by mere reading of the Vedas and the Upanishads, one doesn’t become liberated.  Anyone that gives a discourse on Vedanta doesn’t become a liberated being.  A liberated one brings into experience what is said in the scriptures.

Having narrated about all the qualities of a liberated soul, Lord Krishna makes us realize how lucky all of us are!  We have been bestowed with a Sadguru, a beautiful Satsangam, and Bhagavatam!

There was a household that had bought a calf considering it to be auspicious and started feeding her.  They waited for the calf to grow older so that she would give sufficient milk and so they could make a living out of it, as they suffered in penury.  The cow grew older and all their material wealth was depleted in feeding the cow, but alas, the cow wouldn’t give a drop of milk!  It was a non-milking cow!  At this point, the household would be helpless, as they wouldn’t get rid of the cow, just because it is considered auspicious, and the cow wouldn’t milk after all!  What a waste!

Then there was a couple who were married for a while.  The wife was the spendthrift of the highest order.  She would be involved in all kinds of social activity, spend all her time in meeting her friends, shopping, dressing up, attending parties and dinners.  But when her husband would ask her for a small favor, she would tell him all sorts of reasons and turn him down. Not limiting to this, the wife would even speak ill of her husband in utter disrespect to her friends and neighbors.  On the other hand, he would brag about the greatness of her wife to his friends!  How terrible the family life becomes!  What a waste!

God has blessed us with a beautiful human body so that we can perform Bhakti, Nama Sankirtan and Bhagavata Parayana.  But instead, we end up selling our body for mundane joys of the world.  What are the mundane joys?  We spend all our energy, resources and time with work and work alone – off-hours, extra-time, so much so that we boldly complain that we don’t ‘find’ time to chant the Mahamantra! The boss wouldn’t sanction vacation if we planned to go to Madhurapuri to witness the Brahmotsav of Thakurji.  Work, work and work all the time!  All, with money in mind!  Friends, haven’t we completely missed the point by making accessories as essentials, and essentials as optional? Haven’t we lost the wonderful opportunity given to us?  What a waste!

The parents in a household leave no stones unturned to educate their son.  They dedicate the prime of their lives in bringing up their son, sending him abroad for higher studies and seeing him well-settled.  After his retirement, the parents wish to settle in Madhurapuri Ashram to enjoy the bliss of our Madhuri Sakhi – Premika Varadan day in and day out, at least in their old age.  But they get a call from their son that they should fly to theUSto babysit his children.  They fly to the US and the elderly mother is busy taking care of the newborn, and as the father opens up a notebook to write ‘Rama’ Nama or starts reading Bhagavatam or dials into a telecon satsang, the son would quip, ‘Dad, why do you while away time like this?! I shall look for a good part-time job for you in a grocery store nearby – that way it will serve as a good income for our family now!’ How unfortunate!  Should not the son, as a duty, take care of his parents during their old age, or at the least, refrain from troubling them?  Should he not try to repay all that the parents had done for him?  What is the use of bringing up such kids! What a waste!

These four examples are cited by Lord Krishna to say, how one should not waste this human life of his.

Over and above these four examples,Krishnagoes on…

Every one has a mouth, everyone has a tongue.  If that tongue cannot chant the Mahamantra or speak / read Bhagavatam but would speak of all the worldly matters, it is the waste of the highest order!   Tulsidas Maharaj goes to say, the mouth that doesn’t chant the Rama Nama is like an anthill and the tongue is like a snake, spewing the venom of worldliness.  They would spend hundreds on all worldly matters, but would think a hundred times before buying a bouquet of flowers for the Lord or buying fruits for offering!

What is the difference between a music concert and a bhajan, when both are about music and singing?  A concert is about the claps of the people, while a Bhajan is about the claps ofKrishna.  A bhajan gives an opportunity for all to sing along… ‘raaga jnaanamum thevaiyum illai….’ Says our Guru Maharaj in a kirtan.  – No need of any knowledge of music, just requires devotion in the hearts.  However, one may say that the Bhajans are too complex, are in a foreign language etc. and cannot be sung!  That is why, we have the Namavalis, where the Divine Names are strung together in music and sung.  A few can not even follow and sing the Namavalis.  For those people, we have the Pundareekam ‘Gopika Jeevanasmaranam , Govinda! Govinda!’  Simply chant ‘Govinda’, ‘Govinda’.  No pre-requisites here, and yet a few feel shy to open their mouths and would bend their heads down!  A few would do it only in a large gathering (‘kootathoda govinda!’ in Tamizh) and a few keep mum!

Lord Krishna Himself feels sorry for such souls! ‘dukha dukhi’ He says!  ‘who can help such unfortunate souls’,Krishnasays to Uddhava.  ‘Truly fortunate are those who have gotten a beautiful satsang, who chant My Divine Names, who recount My divine glories all the time! They are indeed my true devotees’,Krishnaconcludes.

As we see,Krishnastarted off with the greatness of a Jnani and ends with a greatness of a true devotee – placing the true devotee at a higher pedestal than a Jnani!   Uddhava acknowledges Krishna, ‘Krishna! I now understand the qualities of a Jnani, his disposition and qualities. But please throw more light on a Bhakta!  What is the nature of a true Bhakta?  Who else can speak about a true Bhakta other than You,Krishna!’

The satsang ended with Prayers with Nama Sankirtan.

Sept 03: Amrutha Mathanam – 2

03 Sep 2010 Leave a Comment

by namadwaar in Telecon Satsangs Tags: 8th canto, bhagavatam

Kunti in her Divine hymns sings praises of the Lord. When the boat of Bhoomi Devi (Mother Earth) was rocked around in the ocean of Samsara owing to the demonic elements, Lord Krishna incarnated to restore balance, Kunti says.  Over and above this, she says that the Lord incarnated on this Earth for a special purpose – to take the worldly ashore – how?  By His compassion – by bestowing them with Satsangs.  He incarnated to ‘create’ His Divine Names and Stories  (Lilas) so that they could perform satsang with Nama Sankirtanam and Katha Shravanam!  That is the secret of His incarnation! Kunti, in her stuti then highlights the benefits of listening to the divine glories of the Lord.

‘shrunvanti gAyanthi grunanthyabikshnasah smaranti nandanti tavehitam janah
ta eva pashyantyachireNa tAvakam bhavatpravAho paramam padAmbujam’ [SB 1.8.37]

Constantly chanting the Divine Names and listening and rejoicing His divine exploits are the only ways to get liberated from the cycle of transmigration, says Kunti.  When one develops such a Bhakti, he is instantly liberated and eternally enjoys this satsang  and the time is immaterial.  He will only yearn to do more Bhakti! Lord Thyagaraja was bestowed with the divine darshan of Lord Rama after he chanted ninety-six crores of Rama Nama. He was not satiated and wanted to chant more! 

After the introductions, Sri Prakashji from Boston continued the ‘Amruta Mathanam’ lecture.

As per the Lord’s sankalpa, the ocean of milk had to be churned by the Devas and Asuras.   He had advised the Devas, ‘Sign a truce with the Asuras and secure their help in churning the ocean for nectar and offer them a share of the nectar in return.’   He had said, ‘don’t fall for the riches that you may be provided as you churn the ocean; instead offer them in charity’ and ‘concede to mundane requests from the Asuras’.  The Mandara mountain was to be brought.  As the mountain was heavy to be lifted, they took the Lord’s help to station it as the churning rod in the ocean.

Vasuki, the king of serpents was summoned with a  promise of a share of the nectar.  The churning started with zeal, but not too long after, they observed that the mountain slipped into the ocean.  Once again, they went to the Lord for Help and the Lord incarnated as a tortoise [koorma] and went under the sea. He lifted the Mandara mountain on his back and brought it back to the surface of the sea. Bhagavatam says that the Lord in the form of the tortoise fell asleep as the churn of the mountain on its back served as a soft scratching of its back, soothing the itch, and his snores are, till day, seen as the waves on the ocean.

The churning resumed with the Devas at the mouth of the serpant Vasuki.  The Asuras felt that holding the tail was disrespectful and hence they had the Devas swap positions with them.  Now the Devas were at the tail and the Asuras at the head end of the serpent.  As they went on, Vasuki spat flames of fire and so intense heat was generated, affecting the Asuras.  At the Devas’ end, owing to the grace of the Lord, it was cool and pleasantly drizzling, giving them comfort!  Soon, a dreadful poison – ‘Haalahalam’ emanated which poisoned the entire environ.  All of them cried for help and went to Brahma, who led them to Lord Shiva.  When they requested Shiva to partake of the deadly poison, He, being humility personified Himself, conceded and turned to His consort, Parvati.

‘pumsah krupayato bhadre sarvAtma priyate harih
prIte harau bhagavati kriyai priyeham sacharAcharah || ‘ [SB 8:7:40]

‘Oh, beloved Devi!’, He said, ‘Lord Hari is the Antaryami to all, and so everyone loves Him, and He loves everything.  I shall do this act to earn His pleasure!’,  Getting the nod from Parvati, as if showing equality in gender, Lord Siva, consumed the poison, and soon, his neck swelled turning it blue, which gave him the epithet ‘Neelakanta’ [Neela – blue, Kanta – throat] .  Drops of poison that fell from His hands were consumed by creatures, and hence we have poisonous creatures like snakes and scorpions today, Bhagavatam says!

With a sigh of relief, the Devas and Asuras continued, and a divine cow, Kamadenu emerged.  The Rishis took the cow for it would give them sufficient milk required for their fire oblations.  Then, a celestial horse, Ucchaishravah emerged, which was taken by Bali, the King of the Asuras.  Then came, Airavata, the divine elephant, which excelled Mount Kailasha in greatness and Indra took possession of it.  Then emerged a rare gem called the Kausthuba, a special gem from the Padmaraga species, and the Lord adorned the gem on His chest.

‘kausthubhAkhyam abhUtratnam padmarAgo mahAdhadhe
yasminharih yortaih sashvad bhuvi yatA bhavAn [SB 8.8.5]’

The wish-fulfilling tree, Parijatha issued forth, which Devas took.  Then the Apsaras followed by enchanted maidens who were adept in satiating sensual pleasures arose from the sea. The Asuras clan desired to have the Apsaras.

“thataschAvirabhoot sAkshat  sri ramA bhagavatparA
ranjayanti dishah kAntyA vidyuth soudAmani yathA “|| [Srimad Bhagavatham 8.8.8]

Then came Goddess Mahalakshmi. Her brilliance was akin to lightning and she illuminated all the quarters of the ocean.  Everyone present there was attracted by her beauty and lost their hearts to her. She was holding a garland made of lotuses and was trying to find her suitable match – someone who would be perfect in all respects.  However, every individual that had a virtue, had a vice that balanced it out!

‘dharmah kvachit tatra na bhUtasouhridam thyAgah kvachit tatra na mukti kAraNam
vIryam na pusotyajaveganishkrutam nahi dvitIyo gunasangavisarjitah’ [SB 8.8.21]

Vavrevaram sarvaguNairapekshitam ramAmukundam nirapeksham Ipsitam [8.8.23]

One may tread staunchly on the path of Dharma, but lacked kindness to his fellowmen. One had longevity but wouldn’t be capable of controlling his senses.  Those who have prowess are subjected to the destructive speed of time.

As she was searching for her suitor, she found only One perfect Being and He stood not expecting anything.  He was the center of unabating virtues and he was devoid of any bad qualities. She thus garlanded him. She prayed to His holy feet to accept Her. It is said that Lakshmi resides in the Lord’s chest. This is verily because the divine mother is a personification of compassion and graces everyone who comes to the Lord. Any devotee who came to get the darshan of the Lord first has the darshan of the Divine Mother who then recommends that devotee to the Lord. Even though the Lord resides in Kshiraabdi, which is his in-law’s place, the Divine Mother decided to reside in the heart of the Lord, since she did not want to separate from the Lord for a split second as well and also grace everyone who came for His darshan.  It is said that the moon arose from the ocean and since Sri Lakshmi also came from the ocean, Sri Lakshmi and Sri Hari are considered as the Universal Parents, the moon is our uncle – Chanda Mama!

The churning continued and the next one to appear was Varuni who was the presiding deity of liquor. The Asuras took possession of her. Then arose a divine form from the sea with a unique and astounding form. He was verily an incarnation of Vishnu – Dhanvantri, carrying a pot of Amruta – the drink of Immortality.  The Asuras snatched the pot from Dhanvantri and the Devas and Asuras started to bicker on the Amrutha.

“aham purvamaham purvam na thvam na thvamithi prabho”  [SB 8.9.30]

Seeing the forlorn condition of the Devas and the Lord who was the grantor of the prayer of his devotees assumed the form of a woman as Mohini who was so wonderful that she defied description. The main intention of this incarnation was to deceive the Asuras and distract them from drinking the nectar of immortality. The Asuras were very much attracted to Mohini and enthralled by her beauty. In order to hoodwink the Asuras, the Lord enchanted them and they were totally infatuated by Mohini’s beauty. Mohini requested for the Amritha from them and their lustful attachment on her made them give up the Amritha to her. She in turn distributed the Amrutha to the Devas. But one Asura named Swarbhanu went into the midst of the Devas, disguised as one of them and drank a share of the Amrutha, But his identity was soon revealed and the Lord soon cut his head. Since the Anrutha had only gone upto his neck and not come into contact with the torso, the lower portion of his body fell dead. The head which gained eternal life was converted to a planet called Rahu. Rahu is known to be very antagonistic to the moon and sun deities.

It is seen from the whole leela that the Devas had full benediction of the Lord since they surrendered unto the Lord. It is also a fact that since they took refugee to Lord Brahma who is the Guru and he finally took them to the Lord.

After listening to the wonderful discourse of Amrutha Mathanam by Prakashji, the satsang concluded with prayers and Namasankirtan.

Aug 27: Amrutha Mathanam – 1

27 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment

by namadwaar in Telecon Satsangs Tags: 8th canto, bhagavatam

The main reason for the divine mother to always reside with the Lord is because she can always show compassion to everyone. The Lord, akin to a father, is always stringent with his rules. He is always bound by the rules. He is a lover of truth and dharma and strictly adheres to follow them. Since the normal mortals like us fail to abide by dharma at times he ends up punishing us. But the divine mother always looks at everyone with her compassionate eyes. Our Guru Maharaj says – “aparAdham ariyAdha adisaya kangalo”. Her eyes are so strange and it is very surprising that she does not look at one’s mistakes. She cannot see any blemish is anyone. – “AparAdham ninaikAdha vichitra manamo”.

“Satyashisho hi bhagawamsthava paadapadmaashisthathanubhajathaha purusharthamoorthae”|
“apyaevamarya bhagawan paripathi dhinan vashaeva vathsakamanugrahakaatharosman”|| [Srimad Bhagavatham 4.9.17]

When one goes and prostrates unto the holy feet of the Lord, the divine mother requests the Lord to not look at their sins. She graces everyone out of sheer compassion and it is verily because of the divine grace of the mother that we enjoy the satsangs. It is said in Ramayana that when the Lord was away from the Mother, there was a problem. In Vibishana Sharanagathi, when Vibishana surrendered to the Lord, Lord Rama was in a dilemma whether to accept Vibhisana or not. This state of quandary could have been avoided if Mother Sita Devi had been with Lord Rama. Let’s take another incident from Ramayana. There was a place called Janasthana enroute to the forest. In the forest, the Rishis requested Lord Rama and Sita to protect them from the demons since they slew the Sages and their tapas and sacrificial fires in Janasthana. They go to Janasthana and see a big hill full of bones of Rishis. Lord Rama became very agitated seeing this gory sight. He was getting ready to kill the demons. At this juncture, Mother Sita Devi asked Lord Rama, “Oh Lord Rama, it is not a big thing to slain the demons.   It is their very nature to create trouble and so why should you go and harm them.” Such is the compassionate nature of the mother. She was put through a lot of torture by Ravana in Ashokavana. In Sundarkhand, we see that when Ravana came to meet Sita Devi, she smiled at him and said, “Oh Ravana! This is your last chance. Please surrender unto Lord Rama. You can always change.” Such is her compassion to even the one who had immoral love towards her.

Following a short round of introductions, Prakashji from Boston lectured on Koorma Avatar from Srimad Bhagavatham. Our Guru Maharaj in one of his kirtan, beautifully sings –

“srimad bhAgavatham swayam harireva”
“jnAna vairAgya bhakti dAyakam”
“prastAna chaturtham brahma vidhyA poshakam”

Srimad Bhagvatham is the fourth ‘Prasthana’, the Upanishads, Brahma Sutra and Bhagavat Gita being the first three. The ‘Samanya Dharma’ (standard rules / path)  that is taught in Srimad Ramayana is how one should lead a life. In Mahabharatha, we see how one should adhere to the path of Dharma and how a king should rule a kingdom. But in a very subtle way, Sage Valmiki extols the greatness of chanting the Divine Names of Lord Rama in Ramayana. When something is very hard to decipher, it is only by the grace of the guru, we unravel the secrets. Akin to Ramayana, in Mahabharatha, we see that the greatness of bhakti is extolled in many places. If we take the case of Srimad Bhagavatham, it appears to be a predominantly spiritually and bhakti oriented Text. It also preaches the path of Bhagavatha Dharma and teaches the precepts of Bhagavatha Dharma. Only when we understand Srimad Bhagavatham, can we then apply its precepts in our day to day lives.

The eighth canto in Srimad Bhagavatham starts off with the Manvantaras. Gajendra Moksham is the first charithra in the eighth canto where the elephant king Gajendra gets liberation. Gajendra’s foot was caught in the clutches of a crocodile and he performs penance for thousands of years and finally the Lord liberated Gajendra and bestowed him with Moksha. This signifies how much effort is needed to get the grace of the Lord. As the canto progresses, the Lord’s grace is extolled in the episode of Amrutha Mathana, the churning of ocean of milk. The next charithra in the eight canto is about the avatar of Vamana. Then came the Matsyaavatara which conveys the precept of taking refugee unto the Lord who is no different from the Guru and the greatness of guru’s grace.

Let us take a look at Koorma Avathara in detail. The Lord took the guise of a tortoise [koorma] to help the Asuras to imbibe the nectar of immortality. He used the golden Mandara Mountain as the rod and Vasuki, the king of serpents as the rope. He had the Devas and Asuras churn the ocean of milk during which the nectar was being produced. During the process of ocean churning, lots of treasures came out. This is the outline of Koorma Avatar.

Our Guru Maharaj expounds the upakhyana of ‘Amrutha Mathanam’ (churning the ocean of nectar) in three different levels – one, as a simple story, that can be retold to kids; the second, in the dimension of the Raja Yoga Marga, and third, as a excellent education in management and administration, providing insights and precepts in day to day management of one’s activities at home or work!

Why does He descend?  It is because He loves to sport! And the descent of the divine tortoise was a play too, and for this play, a stage had to be set, a theme had to be drawn.  And He plans these with extreme precision and élan!  More often than not, the foundation for the stage is a misdeed by a demonic entity or the incurrence of the displeasure of the devotee.  To put it in simple terms, when one exercises his discretion of discourteousness to a Bhagavata, the equilibrium is upset, and He comes down to set right the balance and drive home the point – bow to the Bhagvata!   A strong theme indeed!

Take the story of Jaya-Vijaya – the siblings that blocked the Sanatkumaras from entering the Vaikunta;  child-like in their looks and short in stature, the Sanatkumaras were mistaken for banal visitors by Jaya-Vijaya and cast a curse on the brothers. The Sanatkumaras were doomed to be born on the Earth 3 times and undergo trials and tribulations before they could be taken back by the Lord.  Accordingly, Krita Yuga saw Hiranyaksha-Hiranyakashipu, Treta Yuga saw them as Ravana-Kumbakarna and in their last birth, were born as Dantavaktra and Sishupala, and had the Lord come down as Varaha, Narasimha, Rama and Krishna to take them back!

Another example is that of King Parikshit, who, having lost control of his sanity for a split second garlanded Sage Sameeka with a snake.  The sage’s son Shringi came to know about the disrespect to his father and cast a curse on King Parikshit that a poisonous snake, Thakshaka would sting him on the 7^th days.  With that disrespect was born the beautiful avatar of the Lord, as Bhagavata Purana!

Now for the plot!   Once Indra, the king of the devas was taking a stroll in the garden where Sage Dhurvasa was doing his prayers. On seeing Indra, Dhurvasa garlanded Indra.  Drunk in his material opulence, Indra took off Durvasa’s garland from his neck and put it on an elephant.  An enraged Durvasa cast a curse on Indra – that he will lose all his material wealth as a reward for his act of disrespect.  Disrespect to the Bhagavata is bad, disrespect to Bhagavata Prasad is worse!  And Indra realized it instantly.  His entire clan felt weak and demoralized, giving way to the demonic forces, the Asuras to take control.   The equilibrium was disturbed enough for the Lord to descend and fix!

Very succinctly, in just two Slokas, Sage Shuka narrated this to Parikshit, giving him a sneak preview the taste of the story to unfold.   Parikshit couldn’t wait longer; he implored Sage Shuka to elaborate on the Lord’s descent.

Yatha Bhagavathaa Brahman mathihi  kshirasaagaraha |
yadartham va yathschardim dhadharambucharathmana|| 

“Yatha mrutham suraihi praptam kinchanyadabhavath thathaha”|
“Yaethadah bhagavathaha karma vadasva paramathbhutham”|| [Srimad Bhagavatham 8.5.11-12]

Sage Shuka continued exuberantly….

The battle between the Devas and Asuras continued, and the Devas pondered on a way for breakthrough, and surely enough, they resorted to their helpline – Lord Brahma who was residing in Meru Mountain.  Having evaluated their plight, and sensing that the righteousness had touched the abyss, Brahma meditated on the Lord.

The wheel of Samsara – the continuous cycle of transmigration, has fifteen spokes – the 5 Karmendriyas, 5 Jnanendriyas and the five elements of the body.  The five elements of nature, ego, mind and intellect – totaling 8, are the entities that are on the rim of the wheel.   Sattva, Rajas and Tamas determine the rotation.    The Lord, who resides in the center of the wheel  can be attained only when one who rotates incessantly on this wheel directs his mind on the center with Bhakti.

Meditating thus on the Lord who is the epicenter of the wheel, Brahma beseeched the Lord to fructify the prayers of the Devas.  As an answer to the prayers, the Lord appeared and gave a few valuable pieces of advice to the Devas.

‘Sign a truce with the Asuras and secure their help in churning the ocean for nectar’, He instructed the Devas, and offer them a share of the nectar that can bestow immortality.  That very nectar was bound to bestow vitality and strength to the Devas.   ‘Don’t fall for the riches that you may be provided as you churn the ocean; instead offer them in charity’, the Lord said, asking them to concede to mundane requests from the Asuras.  This piece of advice gave them new strength and energy to fight on,  and they decided to follow the Lord’s advice verbatim.  The churning rod was the Mandara mountain and it had to be placed in position.  As it was too heavy for the Devas and Asuras, they beseeched the Lord for help.  The Lord came down on Garuda and helped them lift the mountain and station it in the ocean.

The satsang concluded with prayers and Namasankirtan.

Aug 20: Uddhava Gita 6 – Avadhoota Gita – 4

20 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment

by namadwaar in Telecon Satsangs Tags: 11th canto, bhagavatam

The 20^th of August was auspicious indeed. It was Ekadasi, an auspicious day for our Thakurji and Varalakshmi Viratham, a holy day for our divine mother Mahalaskhmi. It is on this day that married women [Suhasinis] perform pooja to Goddess Mahalakshmi for the welfare of the family and everyone. The devotees of the satsang were indeed blessed to have this satsang on this very propitious day. It is said in Tulasi Ramayan that “binu satsang vivek na hoi.. Ramukripa binu sulabh na soi”, it is said that Viveka which is an attribute of discrimination is only found in humans and not in other living beings. Tulasidas Maharaj very lucidly says that this Viveka cannot be found in a person who does not engage in a satsang. His discrimination might not be based on logical reason and this type of discrimination can be termed as emotion. It is verily a satsang that can mould a person and will help him develop Viveka that will be very helpful for him in his day to day lives. Sant Tulasidas also goes to say that this satsang is the basis of humankind and is not possible without the grace of Lord Rama. The highest grace that the lord can shower on the mortals is to lead them to a satsang.

It is said that Ravana was bestowed with lot of riches. He was also one of the most knowledgeable people on all Vedas and scriptures. He had all the Parakrama and strength in the world but the Lord did not bestow him with a satsang. We see that Sita Devi pointed this out to Ravana in Sundarkand. The divine Mother who is filled with compassion, tells him that his mind is completely devoid of discrimination verily because he doesn’t have even half a second of satsang. On the other hand Sugreeva who did not have anything in this world, as he was deprived of his home, nation and his family, had the true grace of the Lord and hence he was bestowed with the satsang with our great Hanumanji. This divine association got him back all his wealth, family and nation and the Lord himself verily as a friend [Lord Rama]. The relationship between Lord Rama and Sugreeva started to grow and was strengthened by the divine association with Hanaumanji.

“Sugrivo hanuman rikshah gajo gridhro vanik patah” – Lord Krishna sings the following verse in Srimad Bhagavatam where all these great souls were delivered from samsara and attained great heights only because of satsang.

The basic prayer that one should have is to bestow us with more and more satsang.

After this wonderful introduction, Ramya fromSan Josecontinued on the Avadoota Gita lecture.

Kuraram [Osprey] – Once a small sparrow spotted a small piece of flesh and started to carry the meat in its mouth to fly back to its nest. On its way, the osprey spotted a lot of crows and eagles that also started to follow the osprey. An astute osprey having realized that the crows and eagles are following her for some reason, decided to drop the piece of meat that was in her mouth. As soon as she dropped the piece of meat, they went to eat the meat. The sparrow went and sat in her nest in peace. Akin to the osprey, when one has many materialistic possessions, there will be many people who want to par take the wealth.

“Saamisham kuraram jagnuhu balino yae niramishaha”|
“thadaamisham parithyajya sa sukam samavindata”|| [Srimad Bhagavatham 11.9.2]

One who is really happy and contented in life is one who is totally devoid of any desires for any materialistic wealth.

Arbhaka [Infant] –

“Na mae Manavamano stho na chintha gaehaputrinaam”|

“Athmakridaha Aathmarathihi vicharamiha balavathu”|| [Srimad Bhagavatham 11.9.3]

It is a known fact that the Mahans and Sadhus do not have any grudge or prejudice against anyone. There are two kinds of people who are free from any anxieties. The first of the kind is an infant who knows no honor or dishonor and the second of the kind are the Mahans. They are forever immersed in the supreme bliss since they have transcended the three gunas – Rajas, Satvik and Tamas and have realized the self.

Pingala [Coutersan] – There once lived a courtesan in the city ofMithila.  It is said that she gained Viveka by merely living in the city ofMithila. She was known as Pingala.

“Pingalaa naama veshayaasith videhanagarae pura”|
“thasya mae shikshitham kinchin na bodha nrupanandana”|| [Srimad Bhagavatham 11.8.22]

Courtesans typically live with one person every day and everyday she would decorate herself and would sell herself to a wealthy person. One day as she was waiting, she let go the men who approached her hoping that she would find somebody else who was even wealthier than these men. Unfortunately nobody else came and she was frustrated as she kept waiting until it was mid-night. Her mouth was parched and she was dejected that she was unable to earn any money that night. However that sense of frustration in her led her to eternal happiness.

Pingala thought –

“Aho mae mohavithathim pashyathavijithatmanaha”|
“Yaa kaanthadashathaha kaamam kamayae yaena baalisha”|| [Srimad Bhagavatham 11.8.30]

She started to hate herself. She was pondering on her fate and thought that if she was married then she would have someone to take care of her. She spent the whole night contemplating on this fact and at one moment she developed dispassion and began to hate herself and the developed total dislike to the life that she was leading. That very moment a realization dawned in her that her eternal husband is none other than the real Lord residing in her heart. This clearly shows that even for a courtesan the rescuer is in only Lord Sri Krishna.  She then decided not to lead such a life and realized the fact that she was not alone and that the Lord is forever residing in her heart. She decided to seek that eternal Lord who always bestows eternal happiness instead of seeking an insignificant man who can only give her infatuation and grief instead.

“Santham samipae ramanam rathipradam vithapradam nithyamimam vihaya”|| [Srimad Bhagavatham 11.8.31]

“Aasha hi paramam dhukkam nairashyam paramam sukam”|
“Yatha samchidya kanthaashaam sukam sushtaapa pingala” || [Srimad Bhagavatham 11.8.44]

Having cut asunder her desire to go and seek wealthy men to earn money on a daily basis and getting rid of the hope to get a paramour, Pingala enjoyed a peaceful sleep. Materialistic desire is undoubtedly the cause of greatest unhappiness and freedom from such desire is the reason for greatest happiness.

Thirumoolar says –
Aasai paada paada thumbam daanae Aaasai vidaa vidaa inbam thanae”
Aasai arumin Aasai aumin isanodaahinum aasai aarumin”

Thirumoolar in the above verse conveys a beautiful precept. He requests all to destroy the desires. It seems one should not even have any desire to even see the Lord. One should develop unconditional love for the Lord only for the sake of love. One should think of being of some use and should never expect anything in return even from the Lord.

Pingala thus became one with the Lord.  Even the Gopis reminisce her and that goes to show the greatness of Pingala.

Kumari [Maiden] – There once lived a maiden and she was at a marriageable age. Her parents were seeking alliances and she was not from a wealthy family. One day one of the prospective bride-groom came to see this maiden. Even though she was the bride, she had to help her mother to attend to the comforts of this prospective alliance. She wasn’t comfortable doing this but she did not have a choice. When she was pounding the patty to prepare food, the bangles that she was wearing started to make a loud jingling noise. It is generally uncommon that the bride does all the house-hold chores when the prospective bide-groom came to seek an alliance.  She felt embarrassed of doing this humiliating task, broke the bangles one by one and only retained two each on her wrists. As she continued pounding the patty, the two bangles produced sound and she then broke one each from each wrist and then finally the remaining bangles did not make any sound. So when we dwell together, quarrel ensues even when two people live together in the same room. If one lives alone akin to the single bangle that makes no sound, there is no quarrel and Avadootar having realized this fact, was living alone in peace.

“Vasae bhahunaam kalaho bhaveth vartha dvayorapi”|
“Aeka Aeva charaeth thasmath kumaryo iva kankanaha|| [Srimad Bhagavatham 11.9.10]

Sharakruth [Forger of Arrows] – There once lived a hunter with a bow of arrows.

“Mana aekathra samyujaajithashvaaso jithaasanaha”|
“Vairagyaabhyasayogena dhriyamaanamathandhriyaha”|| [Srimad Bhagavatham 11.9.11]

One should steady the mind on one thing by controlling the mind and the breath. This is verily possible with a stable pose and always being vigilant and being dispassionate and having full concentration in contemplating the self.

“Yasmin mano labdapadam yadaethachanaihi shanairmunjathi karmarenun”|
“sathvena vruthaena rajasthamascha vidhoya nirvaanamupaithyanindhanam”|| [Srimad Bhagavatham 11.9.12]

The mind is steadied by controlling by slowly renouncing the desires of senses and by developing Sattva guna which will gain control over Rajasika and Tamasika impulses and will usher one into rapt concentration to contemplate on the lord.

“Thadaivamathman yavarudhachitho na veda kinchith bahirantharam vaa”|
“yathaepushkaro nrupathim vrajanthamisho gathatmaa na dhadharsha parshvae”|| [Srimad Bhgavatham 11.9.13]

The maker of arrows [a hunter] was totally engrossed in knocking down a bird and his total focus was to kill the bird. He was so focused in his work that he did not see the king pass by. After knocking the bird and when he was about to leave the place he spotted battalion just passing by. He enquired with the onlookers and learned from them that the king had just passed by. He did not notice the king as he was so absorbed in his bird hunt. Avadootar says that one should possess immense focus and concentration when one contemplates on the Self and when doing penance.

Sarpa [Snake] – A mahan or sadhu should wander alone and should possess no place [abode] for himself and he should completely focus on contemplating the lord.

“Aeka charya nikaethaha syadha pramatho guhashayaha”|

“Alakshyamana aacharaihi muniraeko alpabhashanaha”||  [Srimad Bhagavatham 11.9.14]

Why is snake considered a Guru by Avadootar?

“Sarpaha parakrutham veshma pravishya sukamaedathae”| [Srimad Bhagavatham 11.9.15]

The snake happily inhabits in holes borrowed by others and also the serpent does not know to build a house of its own. Akin to a serpent, a Mahan who wanders everywhere and fraught with Lord visits someone’s house without any prior notice. They feed the Mahan and the Sadhu takes leave from that householder without uttering a word. It is known that the house-holder’s sins are absolved once he feeds a Mahan. This whole universe is their abode. The crux is that in the path of Sanyasa dharma, the sages should not own any home and not to mislead the readers that Sadhus will dwell in other’s homes.

Oornanabi [Spider] –

“Yathornanabi hrudayadhoornam santhasya vaktrathaha”|
“thaya vihruthya booyastham grasathyaevam maheshvaraha”|| [Srimad Bhagavatham 11.9.21]

A spider builds a web and dwells in that web. It does not build the web from any outside material. It spits the thread from its mouth and sports with the web. When it is bored with its web, it swallows the whole web. It lives in that small web to entice small insects and to catch them. Akin to the spider is the Lord who created the universe from his mouth. Similar to how the spider catches small insects, the Lord attracts people with a noble heart unto Him. When he is bored of his creation, he simply destroys it. The spider’s appearance is never changed when it created the web and at the time it swallowed the web. It never became thin or fat. Akin to this, the Lord also does not undergo any change when he created and destroyed the universe.

Supaeshakruth [A wasp] –

What did Avadootar learn from a wasp?

“Kithaha paeshaskrutham dhyayan kudyaam thaena pravaeshithaha”|  [Srimad Bhagavatham 11.9.23]

A wasp catches a tiny insect [kitah] and it brings it to its nest. Then the wasp goes out to get hold of another insect. In the meanwhile, the insect in the nest is contemplating on the wasp. The insect is very scared of the wasp and is of the opinion that it is going to be killed by the wasp and this thought is haunting the insect. Since the insect is constantly thinking about the wasp, it got wings and finally flew away. This is verily to show the power of meditation.  The Bramaram [wasp, wandu in tamil], always depicts a guru-shisya bhaava. It is said that –

“Guror moorthi sadha dhyayeth”
“Guror naama sadha japeth”

If one always contemplates on his guru, then he finally becomes one with his guru. This union is termed as Sayujya. Then the disciple is no different from his guru. He speaks what his guru speaks and all his actions are akin to his guru. He attains the Sannidhya of his guru similar to Uddhava.

Avadootar after talking about his twenty-four gurus to King Yadu, also mentioned about the twenty-fifth guru.

“Daeho guruhu mama virakthivivekahaetuhu”

So what is the characteristic of someone who you don’t like? We normally tend to say that they create some disturbance or the other. Isn’t it? Can there be any big nuisance other than our own body? It creates so much trouble to us on a daily basis. We have to bear the pain our body creates and we just can’t shed our body. We tend to bicker with people surrounding us but can we ever wrangle with our body. If we tend to renounce our body and oblige to the needs of our body, Avadootar says one will develop discrimination [viveka].

“Avadoota vacha shutva purvaeshaam naha sa poorvajaha”|
“Sarvasanga vinirmuktaha samachitho baboova”|| [Srimad Bhagavatham 11.9.33]

Lord Krishna said to Uddava that King Yadu, after listening to Avadootar’s discourse renounced all his material attachments.

Lord Krishna after elaborating the sanyasa dharma to Uddava, revealed a secret to Uddava

Na rodayati maam yogo na saankhyam dharma eva cha
na svaadyaayastapas tyaago neshtapoortham na dakshinaa
vrataani yagnaschandaamsi thirthaani niyamaayama:
yatavarunde satsanga: sarvasangaapaho hi maam ||

‘Oh Uddhava! It is only satsang that entices me. Yoga, Svadhyaya, penance, meditation, renunciation, sacrifices, charity, recitation for the Vedas and undertaking pilgrimages, observing strict austerities – none of these allure me as does satsang’

The satsang concluded with prayers and Namasankirtan.

Aug 6: Uddhava Gita 4 – Avadhoota Gita – 2

06 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment

by namadwaar in Telecon Satsangs Tags: 11th canto, bhagavatam

As we all sail through the sea called life, Our Guru Maharaj gives beautiful precepts that one can follow to cross this sea. He always urges his devotees to view life with a positive attitude and envision life as a beautiful lyric and do not look into life in the perspective of issues and problems and to not get involved in the mundane world. In order to substantiate this wonderful precept, let us take the leaf of a lotus flower. The leaf has the capability to float in water and also to hold the lotus flower on it and yet it does not have any affinity to neither the water nor the lotus flower. Even if it has water droplets on it, it does not associate itself with these water droplets. One should lead a life akin to the leaf of the lotus. But due to our sins that we have accrued from our previous life, tends to make our lives miserable. We eventually try to fight against our karmas in an effort to transform ourselves. King Parikshit also asked Sage Suka if it is indeed right to fight against our inherent tendencies. Sage Suka acknowledged his question and agreed that it was indeed right to fight against these tendencies since the intention to transform to a better human being is genuine.  King Parikshit in his next question to Sage Suka asked if one can attain a state which is devoid of all the karmas. Sage Suka urged King Parikshit to wash away the dirt [malam] that is present inside every human being. Sage Suka gave a beautiful list enlisting the paths that one could adopt to clean the dirt. Mahans always talk with reference to shastras and scriptures. Whatever they propound would have already been told in the shastras and the scriptures. Their way of life aligns to what is said in scriptures.

“tapasa brahmacharaeyna shanena cha dhamenacha
thyagena sathya chouchabhyam yamena niyamena va ||
Deha vaag bhuddhijam dhIrA dharmajnaah shraddayan vitaah
kshipantyagham mahadapi venu gulmam ivaanalah” ||  [SB 6:1:13-14]

The above sloka describes the various paths that Sage Suka mentioned to King Parishit.

Tapas – By adhering to the path of meditation will slowly absolve the sins. Practicing celibacy  will lead one to control the sensual desires will reduce one’s sins. The other paths that Sage Suka explicated include charity, by adhering to the path of truthfulness, by being pure in body, mind and heart, by following simple rules of life and by following austerities one can reduce the sins. Having said all this, it is said that a true Master will only give the best of the best to his devotee. Sage Suka tells   Having said this, he then started to expound on the path of bhakti. If one does bhakti [devotion] to Vasudeva, by merely catching hold of the path called bhakti, and not needing to do any other sadhanas,  one’s sins will fly off akin to how dew drops dry off when the sun rises in the east and lastly their intention to sin will also be lost. By following the path of bhakti, one will transform all their emotions as love for Lord Vasudeva. One will experience this only after practicing bhakti for some time and it is not an instantaneous process he added. Perseverance and patience that one develops while when doing bhakti is only by Guru’s grace.  The easiest way for acquiring Guru’s grace is verily through the chanting of the Divine Names of the Lord.

After a brief round of introductions, Ms. Ramyaji from San Jose started to discourse on the 24 Gurus. The satsang after reminiscing the first five gurus, went on to expound on the next four gurus.

Chandrama [Moon] – We all know that the moon appears for 15 days in a month and disappears for the next 15 days. The waxing and waning of the moon occurs only to the digits of the moon.  During the waxing period, the moon slowly starts to be visible and on the full-moon day, it is fully visible. After the auspicious day of Pournami, it slowly starts to disappear and on the new moon day, the moon is totally invisible. It seems like the moon is born and dead every month. This assumption is however not true. It is verily due to the earth’s movement that one can perceive the appearance and disappearance of the moon. The moon is always known to be fat, glowing and complete and is called as Poornachandran. Akin to the moon is the Atma. It is always complete and the different states of growth starting from birth, boyhood, the youth hood, maternity, old-age and ending in death only implies to the body [sharira] and does not relate to the Atma. The atma is never born or dead and it is similar to the Poornachandran. This is what Avadoorata says he learned from the moon.

“Visargaathyaha smashanantha bhava dhaeasya nathmanah
kalanamiva chandrasya kalaenavyaktavarthmana”|| [Srimad Bhagavatham 11.7.45]

Ravi [Sun]

It is a well known fact that the earth is one. But due to circumstances, it is demarcated as different continents, countries and cities. If we delve into this further, we would realize that the earth is only one but due to demarcation it looks different. Akin to earth is water. People try to quantify water, which is infinite by calling it with different names.  Even Fire [Agni] and Sky [Aakasha] are all only one. If we see from the window of our house we see only a portion of the sky and if we view the sky from our neighbor’s window, we see another part of the sky. But we eventually see only one sky when we come out of our homes. Akin to the sky is sun. As we all know there is only one sun. Even as the sun reflected in the reflecting substance is perceived to be a different sun, similarly Atma which is clothed in a body is perceived to be a physical body all though it is one by itself. In other words, the atma which is present in all of us is the same and it enters every being and hence we tend to personalize each being with a name. If we keep the name aside, then we can see that the atma that entered all the beings is one and the same.

Bhudhyathae swaena bhaedena vyakithisya iva thadgathaha|
Lakshyathae stoolamathibihi athma chavasthitorkavatha||

Kapotha [Pigeon] –

Nathisneha prasango vaa karthavyah kvaapi kenachit
Kurvan vindeta sandapam kapota iva dheenadhih”||

There was once a bird couple and they were leading a happy life. In a few days, the lady bird gave birth to their off-springs. They were deriving happiness by seeing their fledglings grow up. Every day the male bird went out to get food for his family and the mother bird was taking care of her younger ones in the nest. One day the chicks were playing and a hunter caught sight of this. He immediately trapped them in his net. Seeing this horrible sight, the mother bird rushed down to save her younger-ones. She was also eventually caught in the net. The male bird after collecting the food for his family returned home. As he approached his home, he was devastated to see his dear ones trapped in a net. The male bird tried his best to save his family but was in vain. Alas, he was also caught in the same net by the hunter. The female dove due to overwhelming affection on her younger-ones got caught in the net. The male dove due to his unstinting love for his wife and his fledglings also got caught by the hunter. Akin to the bird, we also get entangled in our family due to sheer love for our family members. Having blessed with a human birth, we need to use this birth in a wise way to attain the holy Feet of the Lord and attain the final beatitude.

Yapprapya maanusham lokam muktidwaaramapavrutham
gruheshu kagaath sakthasthamarudachyutham vidhuhu

The crux from the bird’s story is that one should never keep excessive fondness or attachment on any person or object. The mind of a man becomes so unhappy and comes to grieve akin to this dove upon losing its dear ones.

Ajagara [Python]

graasam sumrishtam virasam mahantham sthokamaeva va
yadhruthchayaevapathitam grasaedhajagarokriyahaha

Avadoota started to expound on his next guru. Ajagara is python. He says one should learn to eat food like a python be it sweet or bitter. Python is also known as ‘malai paambu’ in tamil. The snakes normally wander from one place to another in search of food. In the process, they get spotted by people and are eventually killed. The pythons are an exception. They never wander for food and they do not possess enough strength to roam around for food. They just remain in one place. Unless and until food comes somehow comes to python they won’t eat anything. It might just eat a frog one night and the next night it might have a sumptuous dinner which could be a rabbit or a deer. The following day they might not get anything to eat and hence they will starve. Sadhus are akin to pythons in this regard. They won’t go in search for food. There are two types of dharmas that are specified for sadhus. The two dharmas are Ajakara vrithi and the Madhukara vrithi. In the case of Madhukara vrithi, the sadhus go from one house to another like the bee for biksha. In the path of Ajakara vrrthi, the sadhus do not go from one place to another for biksha. They will have biksha only when it comes to them and they are extremely pleased with whatever they get. So Avadootar says that one should develop dispassion [nirapeksham] and should not have passion or affinity [apeksham] to anything in particular and should be contented with whatever they get.

The satsang ended with prayers and Namasankirtan.