Bhagavatam-daily 218 – 11.11.23 – Devotion channelizes our active nature towards Krishna

Thank you.
Bhagavatam 11 23 Shraddhalur Matkatha Shunman, Subhadra Lokapavani, Gayan Anusmaran, Karma, Janmachabhinayan Muhum So, Shraddhalur, Krishna is continuing now the description of Bhakti by which one can gradually transcend the modes. Shraddhalur Shraddhalur is one who is faithful. Matkatha, Shunman One who hears my pastimes.
Subhadra Lokapavani These pastimes are Subhadra. Subhadra is the name of Krishna’s sister. But Subhadra is also known as Subhadra.
That name also refers to certain attribute and that attribute is auspicious. Very auspicious. And what is the auspiciousness that comes? Lokapavani.
It brings about purification of the heart. Gayan, Anusmaran, Karma So, singing and speaking about my activities. Janmachabhinayan, Muhum And by my karma and janma, my activities and my appearance Chabhinayan Abhinayan here refers to we have Abhinetra, Abhineta that is an actor.
So, through dramatic performances Muhum, again and again. There are many significant points in this verse which can act as guidelines for our practice of Bhakti. The key thing is that the life of Bhakti is centered on devotion to Krishna.
Of course, life of Bhakti means devotion to Krishna. It is centered on Krishna’s pastimes. And Krishna uses the word janma and karma here as he has used earlier in the Gita when he talked about in 4.9 janma karma chame divyam evam yogat tatvatah tyaktva deham punar janma naitimam etiso arjunam This is he has said over there that one who knows his birth and activities they will attain him and they will not come back to this material world again.
Similarly, now Krishna is making the point here that things are not easy in this world for us to either live or to leave. Even if you want to live in this world there is so much struggle for existence there is competition from other people there is trouble from our own mind and senses there is trouble from nature. So, in such a situation living in this world is not easy and leaving the world is also not easy.
Why? Because even if you understand that this world is a place of entanglement and I need to come out of it but there are shackles which bind us and the shackles are not at all easy to give up. The shackles keep us entangled viciously in material existence and coming out of those shackles is not at all easy. So, we need to, in fact even for leaving this world the spiritual imagery is often used the warrior’s imagery is used Krishna talking about Asanga Shastra in the Bhagavad Gita in 15.4 he says that use the weapon of detachment, the axe of detachment or for that matter in the Bhagavatam it is said that Anudhya Asi Nayuktaha equipped with the sword of remembrance of Krishna.
So, the point is that even to fight off our attachments we have to we have to do battle. It’s not easy and now of course just because it is not easy doesn’t mean it cannot be done. No, the point is that as long as we expect things to be easy we set up ourselves up for frustration.
So, often on the spiritual path frustration is caused not so much by the difficulty which we face on the spiritual path but by our expectation that there should be no difficulties. So, suppose we were going to say climb Mount Everest now we would know in advance that it is not going to be easy. I will be mentally prepared for a tough ride or for a tough path ahead.
Even before we set off on the ascent probably we would need a lot of training, physical shaping shaping up not just in terms of looks but in terms of inner toughness and resilience in the body and when we expect that there will be challenges and we are prepared for challenges and when eventually challenges come that doesn’t frustrate us because you know this is what is to be expected. I am trying to achieve something glorious so there are no pains, no gains. If I want to achieve something glorious I have to be ready to pay the price.
And the price is that I have to fight. I have to stretch my body and mind to the limits. I have to take up external challenges and keep marching ahead.
Now in this case the important point to recognize is again that we are all struggling in material existence and the only way out of the struggle is by the practice of determination and determination essentially means this determination means that we have no high expectations. There are two different things when we talk about determination. Determination comes from a resolute intention that I am going to succeed what comes me but determination also assumes the very fact that we need determination for doing something means that we assume that there are going to be difficulties and we will be prepared for the difficulties.
So when we understand this fundamental point that in this world the frustration of expectation is the primary cause of suffering. So now this does not mean that we don’t expect bhakti to purify us. It’s not that we don’t expect Krishna to help us.
It’s not that we don’t expect Krishna’s pastimes to be relishable. This particular passage is talking about how a devotee should delight in hearing and remembering Krishna’s singing and remembering Krishna’s pastimes. So it’s a very proactive engagement in bhakti.
Krishna is not just talking about hearing but if we restrict ourselves only to hearing soon we will get bored by it because there is hearing is meant to help us develop a connection. To the extent we develop a connection with the subject that we are discussing to that extent we will be able to move onwards in our life. To that extent we will be able to fight off the temptations of this world when they allure us.
So that’s why here three more things are talked about. Gayan and Anusmaran. Gayan is something similar to Kirtan and Anusmaran is of course remembrance.
The heart of bhakti is remembrance of Krishna. And then one more thing which is very significantly talked about here is Chabinayan. So it’s enacting the pastimes.
So we can watch the romantic enactments or we can ourselves participate in the romantic enactments. The point of this is to recognize that actually speaking there is just no way a soul in material existence can stay passive. Krishna also talks about Nahi kashchit chhanoti aagati shraddha karma Kari te evi shraddha karma Sarva prakruti jay goya.
Nobody can stay inactive for even one moment. So even in the process of bhakti we need to channelize our active nature. And channelizing our active nature means doing devotional activities proactively.
So here it means that especially if we start to perform romantic renditions of Krishna’s pastimes then the level of connection and absorption that we get it hikes up manifold because the point is that to enact something we have to connect with it much more and because we have to connect so much more with it, we can actually move onwards into a deeper level of absorption in Krishna and thus we can move onwards rapidly in our bhakti.