Self and Consciousness: The Bhagavata: Vyasa and Narada

The Dissatisfaction of Vyāsa

When the sages of Naimisharanya heard the Mahābharata they were left with questions.  And when queried on their dissatisfaction with Mahābhārata as the ultimate commentary on the Vedas, Suta, also known as Ugrashrava or Sauti, the narrator of the Mahābhārata reflected for a moment. After a time, he began to explain that the author of Mahābhārata, Vyāsa himself had felt the same.

Suta was a great student of Vyāsa. He had been empowered by Vyāsa to explain the Mahābhārata. But he had confided in his student that he himself had felt a sense of incompleteness after finishing that great work.

He had heard the following story from Shukadeva, the son of Vyāsa, whose version of the Bhāgavata he would later reveal to the multitude.

Suta said, “I can understand how some of you may be unsatisfied even after hearing the narration of Mahābhārata. In fact, even the author of Mahābhārata felt this way. After finalizing the composition of Mahābharata, in this very forest of Naimisharanya,” Suta explained, “Vyāsa was despondent.”

Suta said, “Vyāsa had performed a great service to humanity. Knowing that the lives of men are often short, brutish, and violent, that great author had done his best to mitigate their suffering by expanding the meaning of the original Veda into four: the Rig, Yajuh, Sama, and Atharva.

“He had put forth the Upanishads as an esoteric literature with the inner meaning of the Vedas. He entrusted these writings to great scholars and learned rishis like Paila, Jaimini, Angira, and his own student Vaishampayana who published them among their own disciples.

“And finally to preserve their meaning and popularize the truths found in the Vedas, he explained them in the form of the histories found in Mahābharata, the Puranas and Ithihasas. Since the general public may not have access to the esoteric meaning of these scriptures, he used stories and explained everything very simply in Mahābhārata which may be read and understood even by children.”

“In that great work he not only explained the meaning of karma, but demonstrated how the law of action and reaction unfolded itself through countless lives in different families such as the Kauravas and the Pandavas. Dharma, or the proper way to live through duty, had also been described in great detail, exposing the reactions of improper duty and demonstrating the glories of proper duty and right living through the example of heroes and villains of the Kurukshetra war.”

Suta continued, That great author, Veda Vyāsa thought to himself, ‘I have gathered the important truths of the Vedas and included them in Mahābhārata along with all great religious principles, and the histories of the ancients. There one kind find a full description of the creation of the universe and the laws of man. I have respected the Vedas, the great teachers, and the sacred fire. All the important ideas governing health, wealth, and happiness are contained in that great work. Still, there is something lacking.’

“And so it was,” said Suta, “That Vyāsa came to this very forest and sat down at the bank of the river Sarswati in meditation. His heart was heavy. He felt that although he had undertaken such a great project, he had failed.

“It dawned on him that his failure was precisely in giving so much emphasis to “social dharma” over a transcendental understanding of the nature of the Personal Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. While he had placed great emphasis on a proper moral life, on right living, he had not encouraged his readers in the search for Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Even despite explaining the instructions of Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-Gīta and having ennumerated the Thousand Names of Viṣṇu, he had not sufficiently given directions about Divine Love.”

“Vyāsa lamented, ‘While I have explained everything about consciousness and both subjective and objective universes, even though I have been complete in explaining Bhagavat dharma, dedication and devotion to the Personal Godhead, Bhagavan Śrī Kṛṣṇa.’”

“And so it was that Kṛṣṇa Dwaipayana Vyāsa, author of this Mahābhārata which I have just narrated to you, sat despondent on the banks of the Saraswati, absorbed in prayer and meditation.”

Suta continued, “At that time the saint among the gods, Nārada himself arrived at the ashrama of Veda Vyāsa and found him meditating on the banks of the Saraswati River.

“Now Nārada was a great rishi who could see past, present and future. He knew the heart and mind of Veda Vyāsa. He found a sitting place close to Vyāsa and sat himself down with his transcendental lute called a vina.”

“Vyāsa broke his meditation and looked up at the sage, his visage clouded with doubt. With this, Nārada smiled. Nārada could sense Vyāsa’s discontent. He said, ‘O wise one, you seem despondent. Are you upset by having written so many mundane things? By recommending the pursuit of mortal happiness, you have identified the body with the soul so often that your readers confuse materialism with their own self-interest. How could a great seer of truth such as yourself be satisfied by identifying the body with the soul? Are you satisfied by promoting material happiness as the goal of life? How can you be happy with recommending social duties, wealth, and the satisfaction of material desires as the way to salvation?”

“Nārada smiled, ‘O great one, you are well-versed in the truth, you have asked and answered so many questions, and yet your Mahābhārata fails to satisfy the soul completely for you have avoided the subject of surrender to Godhead and the search for Śrī Kṛṣṇa. All that is known and knowable is included in your brilliant book. And yet, you are unhappy. How could this be possible if you have clearly explained the highest truths?’

“And Vyāsa replied, ‘You are right. I cannot lift this cloud that shadows me. My heart is heavy. I have written so many things. I tried to get to the truth. But still, I feel unsatisfied. What have I left out? You were born from Brahmā himself. Your knowledge is unlimited. You are known as the saint among gods and are a true rishi who can see past, present and future. I did my best to write something valuable for the human society. Why do I feel so unsatisfied? How can I overcome this darkness in my soul? What is it that I have left out of my work?’

“And Nārada explained,

श्री-नारद उवाच

भवतानुदित-प्रायं यशो भगवतो ऽमलम् येनैवासौ न तुष्येत मन्ये तद् दर्शनं खिलम्

śrī-nārada uvāca

bhavatānudita-prāyaṁ

yaśo bhagavato 'malam yenaivāsau na tuṣyeta

manye tad darśanaṁ khilam

‘You have spoken of consciousness in a vague way, of the Absolute and the Supreme. But you have not actually broadcast the sublime and spotless glories of the Personality of Godhead. That philosophy which does not satisfy the transcendental senses of the Lord is considered worthless. Although, great sage, you have very broadly described the four principles beginning with religious performances, you have not described the glories of the Supreme Personality, Vāsudeva.”

SB 1.5.8,9

As Śrīla Prabhupāda points out,

“The prompt diagnosis of Śrī Nārada is at once declared. The root cause of the despondency of Vyāsadeva was his deliberate avoidance of glorifying the Lord in his various editions of the Purāṇas. He has certainly, as a matter of course, given descriptions of the glories of the Lord (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) but not as many as given to religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and salvation.”

“These four items are by far inferior to engagement in the devotional service of the Lord. Śrī Vyāsadeva, as the authorized scholar, knew very well this difference. And still instead of giving more importance to the better type of engagement, namely, devotional service to the Lord, he had more or less improperly used his valuable time, and thus he was despondent. From this it is clearly indicated that no one can be pleased substantially without being engaged in the devotional service of the Lord.”

The most philosophical portion of Mahābhārata is Bhāgavad-Gīta. Bhāgavad-Gita explains the nature of consciousness, absolute consciousness, and the material cosmos or time-space continuum, and the three modes of material nature. How the living entities are trapped by the illusion of the material world and how they rise and fall on the wheel of repeated birth and death within the seven planes of consciousness known as bhur, bhuvah, svah, mahar, jana, tapas and satya lokas. How the three worlds or physical, mental, and intellectual planes of consciousness recur through constant creation and destruction throughout the nights of Brahmā and how one might attain to higher planes of consciousness is all explained in Bhagavad-Gita. And yet, the external meaning of the Vedas as propounded by Vyāsa laid great stress on communion with heavenly realities through the performance of sacrifice. The temporary rewards gained through sacrifice, however, also partake of the rise and fall of the wheel of fortune, or repeated birth and death. The Bhagavad-Gita points out that when one’s karmic merits are exhausted, even those who have properly performed their Vedic dharma are once again subject to the laws of karma in the temporal plane of misconception. Birth and rebirth is inevitable in the repeated cycle of reincarnation.

Dharma, Artha, and Kāma are the most popular aspects of Vedic literature. But dharma, or proper living, while contributing to good karma, only perpetuates one’s existence in the world of birth and death. And artha, or material gain, is desirable in the temporary plane, but all wealth must be returned to the earth at the time of death. So, while the Vedas and Mahābharata promote wealth and prosperity through sacrifice, these gains are ultimately temporary. The same can be said for kāma which refers to desire, especially sexual and romantic satisfaction. All such material rewards disappear at the time of death, except where they leave a karmic reaction.

This leaves us with mukti, or salvation. Many of the followers of the Upanishads proposed that real liberation lay with transcending the wheel of karma. Salvation for them involves going beyond the triple plane of consciousness: sense, mind, and intellect--and merging with the infinite. Such an individual never returns to the plane of birth and death. And yet this concept of salvation is also superficial, according to Nārada’s examination of Vyāsa’s despondency.

While impersonal salvation frees one from the chains of repeated birth and death it is a form of spiritual suicide, since through “merging into oneness” one loses all individuality. The living entity becomes undifferentiated cosmical consciousness. But since the conditioned jivas fall out of the cosmic undifferentiated oneness to experience the world of misconception, there is always the chance of returning to the world of birth and death, even from this cosmic plane.

The Gita mentions a higher reality, beyond the cosmic undifferentiated plane. In the 8th Chapter Text 21 it is said, अव्यक्तो ’क्षर इत्य् उक्तस् तम् आहुः परमां गतिम् यमं प्राप्य न निवर्तन्ते तद् धाम परमं मम

avyakto ’kṣara ity uktas tam āhuḥ paramāṁ gatim

yaṁ prāpya na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama

That supreme abode is called unmanifested and infallible, and it is the supreme destination. When one goes there, he never comes back. That is My supreme abode.

Śrīla Prabhupāda comments,

“The supreme abode of the Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is described in the Brahma-saṁhitā as cintāmaṇi-dhāma, a place where all desires are fulfilled. The supreme abode of Lord Kṛṣṇa known as Goloka Vṛndāvana is full of palaces made of touchstone.

“There are also trees which are called "desire trees" that supply any type of eatable upon demand, and there are cows known as surabhi cows which supply a limitless supply of milk. In this abode, the Lord is served by hundreds of thousands of goddesses of fortune (Lakṣmīs), and He is called Govinda, the primal Lord and the cause of all causes.

“The Lord is accustomed to blow His flute (venum kvanantam). “His transcendental form is the most attractive in all the worlds-His eyes are like the lotus petals and the color of His body like clouds. He is so attractive that His beauty excels that of thousands of cupids. He wears saffron cloth, a garland around His neck and a peacock feather in His hair.

“In the Gītā Lord Krṣṇa gives only a small hint of His personal abode (Goloka Vṛndāvana) which is the supermost planet in the spiritual kingdom. A vivid description is given in the Brahma-saṁhitā.”

“Vedic literature states that there is nothing superior to the abode of the Supreme Godhead, and that that abode is the ultimate destination. When one attains to it, he never returns to the material world. Kṛṣṇa's supreme abode and Kṛṣṇa Himself are nondifferent, being of the same quality.

“On this earth, Vṛndāvana, ninety miles southeast of Delhi, is a replica of that supreme Goloka Vṛndāvana located in the spiritual sky. When Kṛṣṇa descended on this earth, He sported on that particular tract of land known as Vṛndāvana in the district of Mathurā, India.”

Nārada’s objection to Bhagavad-Gita is clearly expressed in Prabhupāda’s commentary, “In the Gītā Lord Krṣṇa gives only a small hint of His personal abode.” While the Bhagavad-Gita hints at the nature of bhakti-yoga it is not as explicit as it is esoteric. The highest plane is only incidentally mentioned, leaving commentators to draw different conclusions.

Bhagavad-gita’s teachings promote Nishkāma Karma, or “unselfish performance of duties” (sva-dharma) as the first step towards reaching higher consciousness, since “unselfish work” leads to sacrifice and sacrifice brings us into communion with God. Still, the discussion in the Gita tends to be a bit dry in terms of the highest goal, divine love.

Without distinctly outlining the nature of the higher plane, bhakti-yoga theoretical. Without a clear description of the glories and pastimes of the Personal Godhead, the mundane attractions of the physical world will capture and bind the living entities in different circles of hell. The Bhagavad-Gita is silent on the divine abode, transcendental beauty and sublime pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Only a description of the grandeur and beauty of the higher plane as well as a careful delineation of the pastimes of Bhagavan will mitigate the attractions of the physical world.

Such descriptions are sublime. Otherwise, without such descriptions, traditional religion is dry and unattractive. So Nārada tells Vyāsa,

न यद् वचश् चित्र-पदं हरेर् यशो जगत्-पवित्रं प्रगृणीत कर्हिचित् तद् वायसं तीर्थम् उशन्ति मानसा न यत्र हंसा निरमन्त्य् उशिक्क्षयाः

na yad vacaś citra-padaṁ harer yaśo jagat-pavitraṁ pragṛṇīta karhicit tad vāyasaṁ tīrtham uśanti mānasā na yatra haṁsā niramanty uśikkṣayāḥ

“Those words which do not describe the glories of the Lord, who alone can sanctify the atmosphere of the whole universe, are considered by saintly persons to be like unto a place of pilgrimage for crows. Since the all-perfect persons are inhabitants of the transcendental abode, they do not derive any pleasure there.”

तद्-वाग्-विसर्गो जनताघ-विप्लवो यस्मिन् प्रति-श्लोकम् अबद्धवत्य् अपि नामान्य् अनन्तस्य यशो ऽङ्कितानि यत् शृण्वन्ति गायन्ति गृणन्ति साधवः

tad-vāg-visargo janatāgha-viplavo yasmin prati-ślokam abaddhavaty api nāmāny anantasya yaśo 'ṅkitāni yat śṛṇvanti gāyanti gṛṇanti sādhavaḥ

“On the other hand, that literature which is full of descriptions of the transcendental glories of the name, fame, forms, pastimes, etc., of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a different creation, full of transcendental words directed toward bringing about a revolution in the impious lives of this world's misdirected civilization. Such transcendental literatures, even though imperfectly composed, are heard, sung and accepted by purified men who are thoroughly honest.”

Self and Consciousness XIV: Evidence, the Bhagavat

Conversations and the Bhagavata

As we have seen, conversations on the soul have illumined mankind since time immemorial. And yet the quality of a conversation is often determined by the level of its participants.

The Bible grew out of the teachings of prophets who wandered the desert in search of truth. Plato’s Greek Academy was based on the idea of holding conversations with the elite young people of Athens, while Jesus held conversations with carpenters and fishermen.

Christ teaching

Mohammed may have conversed with the angel Gabriel, but the teachings of the Koran were pointed at the nomadic Arabic tribes of the 9th century.

The contrast is striking. And while every religion aims at universality, many doctrines revolve around moral and ethical law. These doctrines guide secular society in establishing the principles by which a society is governed. But while religious law gives us a framework by which to judge sin and piety, good and bad, right and wrong, these rules to live by come up short when contemplating the ultimate reality.

Social dharma, or “society consciousness” is an essential component of a healthy civilization, according to Rousseau and others. The Mahābhārata is filled with rules and advice on how we should live. Just as the Bible has Leviticus, which is filled with dietary laws and sexual proscriptions, the Bhishma Parva of Mahābhārata has lengthy passages on rules for living, proper etiquette, and even royal behavior.

The sages of Naimisharanya understood these rules; they knew their place. They knew the value of such laws as “Thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal; honor thy father and thy mother, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife. Do not commit adultery. Do not bear false witness,” and so on.

But these men had no interest in violence. They were not thieves. They didn’t need to be told that honesty was a virtue: they were honest by nature. These great yogis and sages were free from lust; they had spent long years in meditation. They were not enchanted by the objects of the senses: they were already self-satisfied and enlightened. They were interested in a higher teaching, something that transcended laws governing lying, cheating, and stealing.

To take interest in a higher, transcendental truth doesn’t mean that these thinkers were against the laws. As Bhaktivinoda Thakura put it, The great reformers will always assert that they have come out not to destroy the old law, but to fulfill it. Vālmiki, Vyaāsa, Plato, Jesus, Mohammed, Confucius and Caitanya Mahaāprabhu assert the fact either expressly or by their conduct.

As Christ himself said in Matthew 5.17, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” But Christ came not to proclaim law, but to declare as he does in Luke 10.27: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

But what is “Love of God?” How can it be achieved? While Christ proclaims love of God as the highest truth, he doesn’t elaborate on its meaning; rather he speaks in parables.

After all, he is conversing with simple people. His simple message of Love is mixed with an admonishment to follow the law. He had to consider his audience. Even then, for the simple proclamation of love as the new faith, it was considered by the Romans who enforced the law that Jesus was a law-breaker. While Jesus himself claimed not to destroy the law, the Romans found otherwise. Indeed, they tried him and condemned him to death for treason on the basis of his teachings and ministry.

Christ crucified, Diego Velazquez

What would have happened if Christ had lived and taught into his old age? What if he had surrounded himself with souls dedicated to the principles he taught?

What kinds of conversations would he have held?

We’ll never know.

Still, we are left wanting.

But the depth of a spiritual conversation depends on the quality of those who contribute to the dialogue.

The “Dialogues”  are interesting to us not only because Socrates himself leads the discussion, but also because of the participants in the dialogue: leaders of ancient Athens, Socrates' students, Plato himself, Xenophon, and Alcibiades

What if we had access to a dialogue between realized and illuminated saints? What if enlightened beings, free from lust, anger, greed, and the tendency for exploitation conversed on the nature of God, Being and the soul?

Narada, saint among the gods

What would happen if thousands of the greatest yogis and sages that have ever walked the earth gathered together? What kind of conversations would they have? What if there were a meeting of truly “Christ-like” souls who had gathered to consider questions like “What is the absolute good?” and “What is the essence of scriptural knowledge?” What if they had no sectarian agenda and were open to listening, even to a sixteen year old boy?

These conversations are extensively reported in the Bhāgavata Pūrana. The Bhāgavata announces in its first verse that its only purpose is a deep discussion of truth.

The book discards “social dharma” as useful but limited and therefore not a subject worthy of discussion. The Bhāgavata is not a rule-book filled with dietary do’s and don’t. It is a treatise on the very nature of spiritual truth.

What sort of a book is the Bhagavata?

निगम-कल्प-तरोर् गलितं फलं

 शुक-मुखाद् अमृत-द्रव-संयुतम्

पिबत भागवतं रसम् आलयम्

 मुहुर् अहो रसिका भुवि भावुकाः

nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalaṁ

 śuka-mukhād amṛta-drava-saṁyutam

pibata bhāgavataṁ rasam ālayam

 muhur aho rasikā bhuvi bhāvukāḥ..

“It is the fruit of the tree of thought (Vedas) mixed with the nectar of the speech of ̧Śukadeva. It is the temple of spiritual love! O! Men of Piety! Drink deep this nectar of Bhaāgavata repeatedly till you are taken from this mortal frame.”

The Garuḍa-purāṇa, another ancient text says:

अर्थो ऽयं ब्रह्म-सूत्राणां

भारतार्थ-विनिर्णयः

गायत्री-भाष्य-रूपो ऽसौ

वेदार्थ-परिबृंहितः

पुराणानां साम-रूपः

साक्षाद्-भगवतोदितः

द्वादश-स्कन्ध-युक्तो ऽयं

शत-विच्छेद-संयुतः

ग्रन्थो ऽष्टादश-साहस्रः

श्रीमद्-भागवताभिधः

artho 'yaṁ brahma-sūtrāṇāṁ

bhāratārtha-vinirṇayaḥ

gāyatrī-bhāṣya-rūpo 'sau

vedārtha-paribṛṁhitaḥ

purāṇānāṁ sāma-rūpaḥ

sākṣād-bhagavatoditaḥ

dvādaśa-skandha-yukto 'yaṁ

śata-viccheda-saṁyutaḥ

grantho 'ṣṭādaśa-sāhasraḥ

śrīmad-bhāgavatābhidhaḥ

'The meaning of the Vedānta-sūtra is present in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The full purport of the Mahābhārata is also there. The commentary of the Brahma-gāyatrī is also there and fully expanded with all Vedic knowledge. Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is the supreme Purāṇa, and it was compiled by the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His incarnation as Vyāsadeva. There are twelve cantos, 335 chapters and eighteen thousand verses. The Bhågavata is composed of 18,000 ślokas. It contains the best parts of the Vedas and the Vedānta. Whoever has tasted its sweet nectar, will never like to read any other religious book. (Garuda Purana)

Śrī Kṛṣṇa, artists conception, by B.G. Sharma

Bhaktivinoda Ṭhakura says, “The Bhāgavata is preeminently The Book in India. Once enter into it, and you are transplanted, as it were, into the spiritual world where gross matter has no existence. The true follower of the Bhāgavata is a spiritual man who has already cut his temporary connection with phenomenal nature, and has made himself the inhabitant of that region where God eternally exists and loves. This mighty work is founded upon inspiration and its superstructure is upon reflection. 

Bhaktivinoda Thakura

To the common reader it has no charms and is full of difficulty. We are, therefore, obliged to study it deeply through the assistance of such great commentators as Śrīdhara Swāmi and the divine Caitanya and His contemporary followers.”

Śrī Caitanya and his followers

No one can tell how many centuries ago the Bhāgavata was written. Over the centuries, such historical records have been lost. But while no one knows the exact dates of composition of the Bhagavata, the knowledge and wisdom recorded there is eternal.

According to the evidence of the Bhāgavata this greatest series of conversations and dialogues between yogis and sages took place in the ancient place of pilgrimage called Naimisharanya.

Suta, narrating Mahābhārata before the sages of Naimisharanya

There in the sacred forest these advanced seers of the truth had gathered with the purpose of sacrifice. As their spokesman, they had elected Śaunaka, who was the oldest and wisest, to represent them.

Having heard the entire narration of Mahābharata, they had some specific questions for Suta.

While the Mahābhārata dealt with the rules and regulations of a proper human society, it had not penetrated profoundly into the nature of transcendental reality.

These saints were anxious to hear the true secrets of the soul, especially with regard to divine love, the highest state of consciousness. They were desirous to know about the Supreme Godhead, the Person known as Krishna.

What were the reasons for the avataras? Why does God appear and what is the highest teaching?

Happy Janmastami

pujala ragapath..

I had a message from a devotee the other day, asking me why we read Caitanya Caritamrita on Krishna’s appearance day.

What came to mind was Śrīdhara Mahārāja’s insistence on the aphorism of Bhaktisiddhānta Saraswati Ṭhākura: pujala-ragapath-gaurava-bhange, matala-harijana kirtana range, where we always put more emphasis on the kirtan of Mahaprabhu in Nabadwip than we do the pastimes of Krishna in the 10th Canto.

By remembering Śrī Caitanya, we avoid trivialising the Lord’s pastimes in the style of the imitationists. We hold the pastimes of Krishna on our heads. 

As Śrīdhar Mahārāja said, "The whole life of my Guru Maharaja is expressed in this verse in a nutshell. His own expression, the whole tenor of his preaching expedition, the very nature of the sampradaya is this: pujala ragapata gaurava bhange matala harijana visaya range. 

“The ragapat is above us, on our head. That is the goal; we are to go there. But we will not be able to go if we are attracted to other things. So we must learn to use what otherwise charms us in the service of that great domain of love."  http://harmonist.us/2015/01/sanga-pujala-ragapata-gaurava-bhange/

I found an interesting exchange on the subject of Janmastami that was posted by Golden Volcano: janmastami reflection

His Divine Grace Bhakti Rakṣaka Śrīdhara Dev Goswāmī was describing his own experience of Janmastami in the early days of the Gaudiya Math.

Śrīdhar Mahārāja: Krsna is born in the heart of the devotee...

Devotee: Mahārāja, a devotee who is trying to remember the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, then does that come into the category of imagination?

Srila Srīdhara Mahārāja: That will depend upon the category of realisation of the devotee. When I was first trying to join the Gauḍīya Maṭha, the day of Janmastami I attended, so many lectures of the sannyāsīs. I was told, at least I heard, repeatedly, what is Janma? The birth of the aja, the unborn, and they told that today at midnight, Kṛṣṇa will be born, in the heart of the suddha-sattva devotees.

Then, the daytime lecture over, there was some gap in the middle, then again at 12 O'Clock, there will be a kirtana and Bhagavata lecture.

All went away, I took my seat, just near the door of Prabhupāda.

There was only one room on the second story, and there Prabhupāda used to live. In darkness, I was sitting just near the door of Prabhupāda. Kṛṣṇa will be born here in his heart, as I am told. In the heart of the devotee, Kṛṣṇa will take His birth.This midnight. Then I took my seat there, that I may have some influence of that, and I began to think that Kṛṣṇa is being born. Kṛṣṇa is coming. With this attitude I passed the time.

Then one gentleman came and said, "O who is here?" "Why are you here?" I was not a member of the Maṭha at that time, but I had come from outside.

I told that “I am so and so, I have come from outside.”

And he asked, "Why are you here, what are you doing in this place?""I am sitting and thinking of the birth of Kṛṣṇa." He said that "No-one is here at present, you may come again when the Bhagavata is explained, at that time, there will be a class, you may come at that time.

Then perhaps, I had to go downstairs and wait and return again later...

So, what was your question?

...To think, that depends on the realization of the devotee, heart to heart.

Although Kṛṣṇa is nitya, and not only His birth, but all His pastimes are eternal. Just as sunrise is eternal. In the general sense. Sometimes here sometimes there, twenty four hours, the sun is always somewhere. The sunrise is always taking place. So although Kṛṣṇa is eternal, His pastimes are also eternal, and every moment, they are taking place.

So in the heart of the devotee, when they are attracted to a particular lila, then that is going on, that is reality. Every lila is reality. And when a devotee is attracted by a particular lila, it is real.

And what is imagination? In the case of imagination that is the question of adhikara.

For one who has not come in the śuddha-sattva, it is imagination in his case: That may be in sattva guna or raja guna.

Consciousness and Self XIII

Books on Consciousness and Spiritual Life: 

Bible, Koran, Bhagavat...

Different books take different approaches to spiritual understanding. They may provide different accounts of an experience of the divine. Many self-help books, for example have been published that describe a recovery from sexual abuse, trauma, addiction, illness, or even near-death experiences. Many books pretend to heal our soul.

And yet may of these books lack a foundation for a true understanding of consciousness. This is understandable, since the original texts upon which the Judaeo-Christian culture are based are primarily interested in moral and ethical precepts, not truly spiritual ones. 

The Old Testament of the Bible is mostly a collection of texts written by various Prophets who are concerned with following the “law of God.” These laws are iterated again and again throughout the Old Testament, especially in Leviticus.

A “prophet” may be defined as, “a person regarded as an inspired teacher or proclaimer of the will of God. My Miriam-Webster dictionary gives, “a member of some religions (such as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) who delivers messages that are believed to have come from God.”

Most of the prophets from the Old Testament were desert dwellers. 

They lived the among remote nomadic tribes of Arabia some two or three thousand years ago. 

Called by God and filled with God's Spirit, the biblical prophets spoke what they considered “God's word” to people who had in one way or another distanced themselves from God. A prophet was a preacher, even a zealot when he felt an entire tribe or nation had turned away from God, as defined by a denial of God’s law. 

Ancient Babylon

Ancient Babylon defied the will of God by constructing a tower to the heavens. Later the Prophet Moses rescued the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt, and led them to the promised land. 

But after all, the “promised land,” was never considered to be a divine place in a transcendental world, but a real political landscape in the ancient world.

The God of the Old Testament was interested in restoring land to “His” people.

Moses was God's representative: he not only helped restore the land to the “chosen ones,” he also delivered the Ten Commmandments, the basis of Judaeo-Christian ethics.  But the Ten Commandments fall short of a deep meditation on spiritual truth.  Many such prophets people the Old Testament history books (Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah), where prophets like Deborah, Samuel, Nathan, Elijah, Elisha, Huldah and others come forward to speak God's word or to establish his laws. The books they wrote reflect these ideas.

But in the end, it seems many of these prophets and teachers are pre-occupied with ethical and moral precepts, as for example, “Thou Shalt Not Kill.”

Where it is necessary to teach “Thou Shalt Not Kill,” the citizens must be a barbaric people indeed.

The traditional religion of the Jews was honored the priests, who were involved in slaughtering, butchering and roasting the sacrificial animals brought by worshipers. Of course, "Thou Shalt Not Kill" did not extend to animal life in ancient Judea. Sacrifice was seen as an important aspect of worship, but the idea of sacrifice began to mean the sacrifice of animals. This animal sacrifice had to be paid for, and the priests also collected money from different pilgrims and often had to change the money from different currencies into the local coin.

Christ and the money-changers by Giotto

A priest's tasks went beyond the heavy physical work of dealing with thousands of animal sacrifices. A priest might also be needed to give moral and ethical guidance to the common folk. 

“Thou Shalt Not Kill,” “Thou Shalt Not Steal,” and “Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery” would seem to be the cornerstones of God’s law, as it was taught by the ancient Biblical prophets. And the priests were responsible for teaching God's law to the people (Leviticus 10:11, Deuteronomy 17:8-10, 33:10; Ezra 7:10).

And yet these precepts seem especially weak as any kind of serious understanding of the divine nature of the self.

Since these laws of God, “Don’t Kill, Don’t Steal, Don’t commit adultery,” were especially difficult for the common people to follow, the priests themselves often became corrupt and turned away from God, breaking his laws. 

Further Prophets came forth to preach the law, especially when the priests failed to teach God's law to the people. So, over the course of history, the Hebrew God called and spoke through generations of prophets as teachers and preachers as the society decayed. And as newer and newer laws were given and recorded, they became more difficult to follow. Here’s a collection of laws from Leviticus http://leviticusbans.tumblr.com/post/23730370413/76-things-banned-in-leviticus

In the New Testament, the greatest of all Biblical teachers is celebrated as the Son of God, Jesus, the Christ.

Jesus Christ reveals his prophecy at the beginning of the New Millenium, saying that where the prophets preached “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” he had come to preach the new law. When Christ was asked,  “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” “Love the Lord thy God as thy heart and soul, and love thy neighbor as thyself.” 

His new doctrine of love had come to replace the old law of the prophets. And yet, many questions remain unanswered by his teachings. For example: If the power and presence of God are real and effective, what do they mean for human experience? What does God offer to men and women, and what does he ask in return? How do we recognize Him? How do we know Him? What is the self? And what relationship does the self have with God? If God exists, why is there suffering in the world? What is the soul and where does it come from? And how is Love to be practiced?

How is love to be practiced?

None of these questions are really touched on or answered in the Bible. It was left to Saint Augustine and Thomas Aquinas writing much later to formulate the Catholic theology that might begin to address questions like this.

But many of these questions are left answered only in parables. After all, Christ conversed with fishermen, with carpenters, and with prostitutes. While we value his sermons, especially those in the Gospels, would it be possible to go deeper?

The Koran claims to have been given in conversations between the final prophet, Muhammed, and the Archangel Gabriel. And yet these conversations are also deeply unsatisfying. The Koran’s insistence on law leads believers into an ethical-moral system with a great emphasis on a kind of Islamic social dharma called Sharia. And practicing Sharia law has little to do with a contemplation of the self. For a mystic tradition within Islam one may investigate Sufism. But while the Koran mentions the sufferings of hell and recommends salvation through obedience to the laws of God, no significant attention is given to the nature of consciousness and the soul in that ancient text.

Yogic texts like the Upanishads, on the other hand offer us answers to these questions that were never addressed by the prophets of the Bible and Koran. If it is true that " the whole yoga system is based on the premise of concentrating one’s mind on the Supreme Self and leaving aside the fascination for the objects of the senses," We might prefer a text that delves deeper into the nature of reality over one that simple reads like a recipe book of laws to obey.

The Imitation of Christ is one of the most popular Christian writings of all time, treasured by believers throughout six centuries and across the denominations. It has been printed in more than 2,000 editions. In his work on the Imitation of Christ, Thomas a Kempis stressed a kind of Christ-yoga by fronting the idea that one might become Christ-like by following His example. 

What if there were a group of Christ-like men? What if such a group met with similar truth-seekers? What if the greatest prophets, yogis, thinkers, and Christ-like men got together and had a conversation? 

What kind of conversation would they have? What kind of book would they write? What if we could read that book?

Picture yourself in the ideal forest for meditation.

 It’s green and filled with fruit trees. One can never get hungry here for the forest is rich with mangos trees. There are groves of coconuts. This is not a harsh wilderness with beasts of prey. Cow graze peacefully and are happy to give milk to the saintly persons who live quietly here in grass huts by the river. 

The saints and sages have come here on pilgrimage and pursue their meditations quietly. Brahmanas keep the sacred fire and welcome anyone who needs comfort, advice, or the warmth of the hearth. 

The nearby river is sacred and provides pure, clean water. The water is not too cold; just perfect for bathing. Pilgrims pass through and offer nuts, berries, fruits, rice, and cakes to the holy men who dwell here in search of truth. 

You have arrived in Naimisharanya. Set your time machine back a few thousand years. The quality of the silence is pristine. You can hear a leaf dropping from a tree in the mango groves. This forest is ancient. You are close to the banks of the Gomti River of somewhere between the Panchala Kingdom once ruled by Drupada and the Kosala Kingdom ruled by Raghava Rāma, so long ago.

The Mahābhārata war was a great and bloody conflict, resolved not so long ago by the Sons of Pandu. Pariksit ruled peacefully, but succumbed to the snakebite of Takshaka, having been cursed by a brahman. 

And now, the greatest of all saints have gathered together to discuss the meaning of life. A conclave of sages headed by the sage Saunaka, have arrived for a sacrifice to the cause of world peace. Great yogis, expert and learned brahmanas, and Rishis, seers of the truth are there. They sit in a circle on mats of kusha straw and listen to the speaker.

The great and learned disciple of Vyāsa himself, Ugrasrava Sauti has narrated the entire Mahabharata, the story of the great kings of Bharata dynasty before the sages, headed by Saunaka. They have heard the elaborate history of the Kurus and Pandavas and their battle at Kurukshetra known as the Kurukshetra War.

Sauti, or Suta Goswāmi as he is known by this great company of yogis and saints, has unfolded the tale in 100,000 verses of Sanskrit poetry.

His teaching of the Mahābhārata has comprised not only the history of India, but the history of the universe and the workings of karma. Within the Mahābhārata are the teachings of Krishna in the Bhagavad-Gita, and the sages heard of God, the cosmos, time, the soul, and karma, as well as many other deep truths. 

And yet even while Pariksit, the grandson of Arjuna had ruled in peace, the story of the great battle between the Kurus and Pandavas has left the sages unsettled. They know that a new age is dawning: the age of Kali, the iron age of war.

And so they have begun their great sacrifice for peace, one that will last for years. Their elders had approached Brahmā the creator as they were worried about the dawn of the age of iron. Knowing that human civilization was about to enter a time of conflict and doubts, of war and spiritual darkness, they had asked the four-headed creator, Lord Brahma to show them a holy place untouched by the effects of Kali. 

At that time Brahmā created a disk from his own heart and rolled it upon the earth saying, “Wherever this chakra stops will be an auspicious place for your sacrifice. The sages followed the chakra. After rolling through the four directions it reached the forest (aranya) in a place called Naimisha, an ancient place of pilgrimage and of Sanskrit learning which has attracted sages, scholars and laymen alike since time immemorial. 

So, when the chakra stopped in the groves of the Naimisharanya forest, the sages settled there as the place of their sacrifice for peace and self-realization.

Now the sacrifice had been going on for some time. The sages had heard the histories of the Mahābhārata, but still they were not entirely satisfied. Great souls had gathered there: Kashyapa, Atri, Vashista, Vishvamitra, Gautama Maharishi, Jamadagni and Bharadvaja, the seven great Rishis. They all listened carefully to the talks held by Suta. Nārada himself is said to have visited there during his lectures. Still, something about the Mahābhārata was inconclusive. The discussions of Suta Goswāmī had left them wanting something more, something deeper.

Of course, Nārada knew that Vyāsa had composed a more meaningful literature, one that left no room for external “religious” ideas. He knew that Vyāsa himself had been unsatisfied by his own work. After all, Vyāsa had come to him for spiritual advice after composing the Mahābhārata and Nārada, the guru of the gods, had instructed him to give the deeper truths of the Bhāgavat Pūrāna. But he had come to hear Suta’s version, to see how he would represent the ideas of his teacher, Vyāsa. 

For their part, the yogis and sages gathered there had elected Śaunaka, who was the oldest and wisest, to represent them. They had some specific questions for Suta.

They were especially curious to know, “What is the absolute good?” and “What is the essence of scriptural knowledge?” Some sages wanted to understand about how and why God appears, in what form and for what purpose. They were particularly interested in understanding more about Krishna, and how the Personal Godhead manifests, not only in different incarnations and avatāras, but “Why does Krishna appear Himself?” and “What are the pastimes of Krishna?” and “What are the purposes of his incarnations?” Also they wanted to know the true meaning of dharma especially in the iron age.