Bhagavatam-daily 89 – 11.08.05 – Absorption in the unlimited keeps us unagitated

Thank you. Anantaparo Yakshobhya Stimito Divarna Vaha Brahmana is continuing instruction to Maharaja Yadu and he is saying, he is describing the characteristics of a saintly person, of a renunciate, of a sage primarily.
Muni, such a person, a saintly sage, Prasanna Gambhiro, prasanna is cheerful. So externally the saintly person is cheerful but internally is Gambhiro, grave. In general, when we are cheerful externally, often it results in frivolity internally.
We not only laugh and joke but we also start taking things very casually internally. So for a saintly person, happiness is not at the cost of gravity. Rather happiness is the result of gravity.
How is that? Because one understands that the gravity, Gambhiro, gravity enables one to perceive spiritual reality, to perceive one’s own identity as soul, to perceive Krishna’s identity as a man in presence in this world, to perceive how one is serving Krishna and it is this consciousness of Krishna that is a source of happiness. So that is how joy is not at the cost of gravity. It is the result of gravity.
Now that is why the remaining attributes if you see that I described, Durvigayo duratthaya, unfathomable, unsurpassable, unlimited, anantaparo, akshobhya, undisturbed, unflappable, what we would say in today’s language. And then, sthimitod ivarnavaha, sthima, sthimita, sthimita means calm, phlegmatic is the one that is used nowadays, arnavaha, arnavaha means ocean, like udaha, udaha is water, so just like the water in the ocean is not disturbed, just the ocean stays calm, similarly the person stays calm. So the ocean metaphor is very appropriate because the ocean just by its vastness remains undisturbed.
Now, can the finite soul ever become like an ocean? Yes, the finite soul can by connection with the infinite soul. In the Bhagavad Gita also the consciousness of a saintly person is referred to as Oceaniac. So it is stated that just as water comes into the ocean but doesn’t disturb the ocean, similarly desires come into the saintly person’s consciousness but don’t disturb that consciousness.
This indicates that the saintly person’s consciousness has become like that of an ocean. Now, how has the consciousness become Oceaniac? Because it is absorbed in the person who is Oceaniac. Krishna is unlimited and by absorption in Krishna our consciousness also becomes unlimited.
Bhagavad Gita uses the word Mahatma to refer to Krishna and also uses the word Mahatma to refer to the devotees of Krishna. So Arjuna is also referred to as Mahatma. So why? Because one who, although the Atma is Anu, is microscopically small.
An indication of the smallness of the soul is given by saying how it is one ten thousandth the tip of a hair. And yet that soul which is so microscopic, that soul is called Mahatma because it is connected with the great soul, the greatest soul. So our greatness comes by our connection with the supreme great, not by our some independent status.
Similarly, because the consciousness of the great soul here, of the Muni, is absorbed in the absolute truth, that’s why it becomes Durvigaya, it becomes unfathomable. What are the depths of the thoughts that are going on in the consciousness of such a person? We can’t fathom it only. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was sometimes withdrawn to such a deep internal consciousness that people would not understand what is he doing.
He is not just people in general, even his devotees couldn’t understand. They could understand that he has gone very deep inside, but what is he comprehending? What is he contemplating? They had no idea of it. So it’s unfathomable, Durvigaya, and Duratyaya, unsurpassable.
So unsurpassable means that the consciousness becomes so deep that one cannot go beyond it also. You cannot go into it, one cannot go beyond it. The ocean is so deep down that one cannot go into it.
It’s just so deep, we cannot find out what is at the bottom. And the ocean is so vast that one cannot vary just by swimming cross over it also. So Anantapara, so what is pointed to in Durvigaya and Duratyaya, that is specifically stated Anantapara, it’s unlimited.
Duratyaya is also, there is a word used by Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita to refer to the divine energy. Maya Duratyaya, in 7.14b he uses it. So here Krishna is using the attribute of Duratyaya, unsurpassable, and that is being used for the saintly person.
That means that the saintly person has surpassed Maya and Maya cannot surpass the saintly person. Nantaparaya Akshobhya. Akshobhya means unflappable.
So they, just as some small puddles or some small streams or even rivers coming into the ocean, not disturb the ocean because the ocean is so great. Similarly, material temptations or material tribulations either disturb the great soul, disturb the Muni. So Akshobhya.
Now in this world people try to avoid, the way to people try to avoid getting disturbed by trying to prevent disturbances in the outer world. Make plan and get control over the world and ensure that things happen according to one’s control and according to one’s plan. And that way, if things work according to my plan, then I will be peaceful, then I will not be disturbed.
So by trying to increase external control, the attempt to stay undisturbed is good because we can never have so much control as to be able to control all the possible factors. We may have a lot of control, we make a lot of plan but suddenly something will go wrong, many things will go wrong and we will become disturbed. So if you want to be free from disturbance, it is not by acquiring more outer control but it is by renouncing control to the inner controller.
So when we surrender to Krishna and absorb ourselves in Krishna, desiring to do his will, then that surrender to Krishna enables us to absorb ourselves in him. Because yes, Krishna, I have to deal with this world, outer world, but I am going to deal it by serving you. And that focus on Krishna makes us also Akshobhya.
Because we understand that Krishna is a supremely undisturbed reality, he is a supremely transcendental reality, he will always remain supreme no matter what happens in this world. And if I take shelter of him, I will stay protected. He will guide me as to how to deal with the inevitable ups and downs of this world.
And by such absorption in the absolute, one transcends material complications, material problems. Just like an ocean, one becomes calm. So this is a very lofty state which is difficult for us to even conceive or to speak of practice.
Some people just may make a show of calmness, but that show continues only in the face of small provocations. When really big provocations come up, then that facade collapses. But if we can absorb ourselves in Krishna, then we can become less disturbed by externals.
And the more we absorb ourselves, the lesser will become the disturbance. And we can take the description of the unflappability of the saintly person, given in this verse, as an impetus for striving to increase our absorption in Krishna.