Bhagavatam study 18 – 1.5.1-10 – Offer spiritual instruction with empathy and respect

Kanto 1 chapter 5 entitled Narada’s instructions on Srimad Bhagavatam for Vyasadeva At that time being situated comfortably and then near him sat The greatly learned and the greatly respected sage among the gods Brahavipra Rishi and the Rishi among the Brahmanas Vinapani, one who was carrier of Vina so the Dev Rishi spoke to the Vipra Rishi Dev Rishi is Narada, the Vipra Rishi is Vyasa Vinapani, so here this verse is actually fully focussing on describing the setting, both of them are seated and Krishna is smiling as if smiling as if is talked about in the Bhagavad Gita also Krishna smiles on seeing how Arjuna has surrendered to him so now the smile is not because of any sadistic pleasure but it is that how complex the world is that even a great person can become bewildered and even a great person can rise through that bewilderment rise to a greater level of realisation so it is a smile not of derision but of appreciation appreciation of how the divine plan is acting and is elevating people so the spiritual master is always concerned about the elevation of the disciple and here Vyasa Dev is going to be elevated to a higher level of understanding and it is that higher level of understanding that is being talked about here so it is towards that higher level of understanding that Vyasa Dev is being taken and Narada Muni on seeing this is feeling happy so second text Narada Vach Parasharya Mahabhaga Bhavata Kachidatmana Paritushyati Sharira Atma Manase Evabha so he says Parasharya Mahabhaga O Parasharya Muni Parasharya you are son of Parashara so we will see that although there is a slight reproach which Narada Muni is going to deliver to Vyasa but he has done that also in a very respectful way he talks about respectful antecedents Parasharya you are Parasharya son of a great person Parasharya Mahabhaga you are yourself very fortunate Bhavata Kachidatmana you are satisfied Atmana the self Paritushyati Sharira Atma Manase Evabha Kachidatmana O are you satisfied by identifying the soul with the body or the mind Paritushyati so the precise diagnosis is immediately done and what is the precise diagnosis that is you have misidentified the body with the soul with the body and the mind you are mistaken that satisfying the soul will be possible by satisfying the body and the mind and this we could say that this is the misdiagnosis that all of us do as long as we admit an existence Krishna says Manah Shashthan Indriyani Prakriti Sthani Karshapi and the soul is Mamai Vamsho Jeevila Uke Jeeva Bhuta Sanatana Krishna says in 15.7 that the soul is my part but unfortunately the soul instead of acting as Krishna’s part the soul acts in illusion and a part of that illusion an important part of that illusion is that the soul thinks that I need to do what my mind and senses are bidding me and by doing what my mind and senses are bidding me I will become satisfied that is the fundamental misconception of the soul and it is this misconception that is being dealt with that is being countered over here are you satisfied by identifying the soul with the body and the mind he goes on further and then what does he say Sarvarth Paribhramhitam Jigyasitam Susampannam you have enquired properly and you are well versed yours is not an ignorant enquiry yours is a well informed enquiry Apite Mahadabhatam what is the difference between informed enquiry and ignorant enquiries suppose somebody is having chest pain and that person starts googling what are the possible causes of chest pain now some level of preliminary knowledge can come about but a doctor when the doctor enquires the doctor’s enquiry is at a very different level what else is there do you have a headache do you have heart palpitations how is your blood pressure so when the doctor is enquiring because the doctor has a different background so the enquiry will be an informed enquiry it will not be an ignorant enquiry Jigyasitam Susampannam Vyasadev is not an ignorant enquirer who is just probing about subjects about which there is not much knowledge there is nothing wrong in searching on google for getting some introductory information but then we should know that just by searching on google we don’t become an expert on the subject expertise requires a lot of time of dedicated study so here that point is being made that Jigyasitam Susampannam that he is a well informed enquirer he is looking at his dissatisfaction and he is looking at it from a serious perspective from a well formed perspective Apite Mahadabhatam and it is wonderful Apite Mahadabhatam it is wonderful the work that you have done is remarkable Krutavan Bharatam Vyastom that your compiling of the Mahabharata is remarkable Sarvarth Paribhrum Vyatam and in it all sequences you have explained fairly well so here also we see Vyasadev while Narad Muni is going to instruct Vyasadev Narad Muni does not give him a tongue lashing he appreciates he starts with a thought provoking question are you satisfied with misidentifying the soul with the body and the mind and then he elaborates what does he mean he is appreciating the work that he has done in material life also you know there are people who have achieved substantial things somebody may have achieved wealth somebody may have achieved fame somebody may have achieved position and from the transcendental perspective you may say if it is not connected with Krishna it is all useless that is true at one level but at another level those people have worked hard to achieve anything in life anything substantial in life requires hard work it requires commitment it requires application and appreciating that also indicate it can connect us at a human level with that person so even if we want to help that person become elevated to a higher level of understanding of things that elevation begins with appreciation of where the person is right now and from there we can take that person upwards higher so that is what is being pointed out here Krutavan Bharatam Yastam Sarvartha Paribhrum Vyatam so it is full it is complete in all respects it is being stated over here further he continues Narada Muni continues Jignasitam Adhitam Brahmayat Tat Sanatanam Tatha Pishochasya Atmanam Akrutartha Iva Prabho Prabho the word Prabho is used here amazing that the spiritual master the instructor is using the word Prabho to refer the instructed so within the devotee community this is how discussion should be even if somebody is in a superior position that does not mean that the person drives home one’s own superiority over others no one recognises that ok this is how it is and one takes one step at a time to move onwards with a respectful way there is discussion Jignasitam Adhitam Chao you are deliberated on the knowledge that you have obtained Brahmayat Tat Sanatanam of the eternal absolute truth Tatha Pishochasya Atmanam and despite of doing all this you are lamenting Akrutartha Iva as if you are undone as if you are left something incompleted you are incomplete you are feeling unfulfilled so here you know sometimes if a doctor starts prescribing without giving adequate attention to the patient’s patient’s description of the problem then the patient may feel that the doctor has not understood my problem only and if the patient does not feel understood then the doctor the patient may not take the doctor’s prescription seriously because the patient may have some doubts so if the doctor rephrases what the patient has spoken he summarises so he says that so essentially what Vyasa was thinking Narada Muni is rephrasing over here Narada Muni is stating that actually Akrutartha you are feeling unfulfilled you are feeling incomplete although you have done phenomenal amount of work still you are feeling unfulfilled Iva Prabho O Master let us discuss about this now so now after Narada Muni speaks this Vyasa will start speaking and Vyasa will speak in a very respectful tone expressing deference to his spiritual teacher he does not claim any scholarship in front of his spiritual teacher Vyasa Vacha astey evame sarvam idam tvayoktam tatha pinatma paritushyate me tanmulam avyaktam agad agad bodham vichamahe tvatma bhavatma bhutam astey evame sarvam idam tvayoktam what you have said about me is true astey it is certainly there it is as you got it in today’s language you might say yes you got it you got my problem exactly that gives confidence to the patient the doctor understood my problem may be the doctor will prescribe a proper remedy also astey evame sarvam idam tvayoktam as you have spoken it is true tatha pinatma paritushyate me although I composed the Mahabharata although I have done so much tinatma paritushyate me that my soul is not feeling satisfied tanmulam avyaktam agad bodham tanmulam the cause of this I am not able to understand tanmulam avyaktam it is still undetected so now Vyasa Dev does not immediately tell this is the cause although Vyasa Dev has arrived he is open mindedly humbly waiting to hear the diagnosis agad bodham oh bodham your knowledge your perception your cognition is so deep as to be unfathomable just like sometimes with our naked eye we cannot see what is there under the ground but through some special devices we will be able to see so Vyasa Dev is using the word agad bodham here yes that which is not that is difficult for me to find out to me is remaining avyakta but you are agad bodham you have you have a fathomless intelligence you have a very vast intelligence prichyamahe tuatma so I am asking you prichyamahe so earlier Vyasa Dev was referred to respectfully in terms of his father Parashari so here now Vyasa Dev refers to Narada Muni in a respectful way and says bhavaatma bhutam this bhavaatma bhutam so to aatmabhava so aatmabhava aatmabhutam it’s a nice poetic alliteration here aatma aatma gets repeated and the bha sound also gets repeated so aatmabhava aatmabhutam so aatmabhava one who is self born that is referring to brahma ji who is born he is not born through the union of a male and a female he is directly manifested from Vishnu’s navel so it’s called aatmabhava and aatmabhutam refers to a one who is born from that self born person so aatmabhava aatmabhutam is referring to to Narada Muni as the son of Brahma so you are he is also pointing out you are a very learned and respectable person therefore I am asking you please guide me what could be the cause of my dissatisfaction sixth text savai bhavan vedasamastguhyam upasito yat purusha puranah paravaresho manasey vavishvam sujyatya vatyati gunairasangah savai savai bhavan so now you certainly bhavan respectful second person address you vedasamastguhyam you know the vedas and you know their confidential import also upasito yat purusha puranah and you have also worshipped the primaeval person purusha puranah paravaresho manasey vavishvam paravaresho that primaeval person who is paravaresh paravara the material and the spiritual worlds the higher and the lower the transcendental and the material worlds is the controller manasey vavishvam and just by the mind in the mind he can be worshipped with the contemplation of the mind he can be worshipped and with the mind with his desire he controls the whole vishwam sujyatya vatyati gunairasangah sujyatya he creates avati maintains ati gunairasangah that it is he who is responsible ultimately for the creation and destruction of the world and yet he remains transcendental being unaffected by the modes so here the point is made that you now he is describing the glory the qualification of narad muni and he is saying that you can enlighten me because you have worshipped the purusha puranah who is the ultimate controller and who remains completely disentangled from everything in material existence so unto that supreme lord i offer my respects and from him i beg you have worshipped him and he is the source of all enlightenment and because you are devoted to him you can enlighten me about the cause of my dissatisfaction text 7 tam paryatan arkayivat trilokhim antashcharo vayurivat masakshi paravare brahmanidharma do vratai snatasyame nyunamalam chakshwa tam paryatan arkayivat trilokhim that you can travel over all the three worlds your wisdom the light of your knowledge can penetrate all the three worlds just as the sun through its illumination penetrates everywhere antashcharo vayurivat masakshi antashcharo and not the sun can only illuminate outside but you lord can illuminate inside also vayurivat masakshi that just as the wind can penetrate inside our body also so you can go inside you can look at my heart also atmasakshi you can see you can see examine my heart paravare brahmanidharma do vratai you have devoted yourself to the supreme lord dharma do vratai who is brahmani snatasyame nyunam so you absorbed him and nyunam alam chakshwa so because you can paravare everything externally and internally by your devotion to the supreme so please examine and tell me what is my defect the relationship of the spiritual master and the disciple or the spiritual teacher and the student is based on mutual confidence the spiritual teacher has to have confidence and sincerity of the student of the candidate and the student has to have confidence faith in the competence in the exaltedness of the spiritual teacher so here as they were expressing their confidence by saying that your penetrating vision is so great, so deep that actually you can penetrate into the deepest recesses of my heart and you can tell what is the cause of my dissatisfaction what is the cause of the problem so at this point Narada Muni will start speaking again that bhavata by you you have not worshipped, you have not praised the spotless glory of the supreme lord and the spotless glory of the lord so any darshana that does not please the supreme lord means it is defective so you have talked about much you have talked about the various darshanas in the Vedic context there were the six darshanas and darshan can also refer, it can refer specifically to the schools of thought it can refer to any body of thought so you have talked about certain things in the Mahabharata, certain things in the Ramayana in the Vedas so there are various deep thoughts you have talked about but that darshana which does not that darshana which does not satisfy the supreme lord that is not considered satisfactory, that is not considered glorious, that is not considered something which is worthy of being studied being, it is not going to lead to transcendental satisfaction that is the point that is being made over here it will not lead to satisfaction 9th text yatha dharmādayaÅ›cārtha munivaryānu kÄ«rti taha yatha vāsudevasya mahimāyānu varṇi taha so dharmādayaÅ›cārtha just as you have talked about dharmārtha kāma moká¹£a and you have talked about it in detail yatha dharmādayaÅ›cārtha munivaryānu kÄ«rti taha munivaryā O greatest of the sages, you have talked about this in great depth munivaryānu kÄ«rti taha you have talked about the four purushārthas the vedas if you see, they focus on discussion of the four purushārthas dharmārtha kāma moká¹£a so you have talked about that munivaryānu kÄ«rti taha yatha vāsudevasya but similarly you have not talked about vāsudeva, the supreme lord mahimāyānu varṇi taha you have not talked about his glory in a similar way and that is your defect because of not having talked about the supreme lord, you have missed out on the most important of the messages that are to be learned, that are to be assimilated, that are to be used. mahimāyānu varṇi taha so he is pointing out the defect in what has been done nayad bhajas chitra padam harer yasho jagat pavitram pragrani itkarhe chitta dvāi samtir tamuá¹£aṁ divānasa netra haṁsā niraman tehuá¹£iká¹£ayaḥ so this 10th and 11th verse, they are important verses which talk about, which give us a parameter by which we can understand the level of various literature which literature is at what level and how it needs to be channelled, used directed, so these things are to be understood carefully and that understanding requires a certain level of cognition it requires a certain level of maturity so here literature can be classified in various ways or something can be about there is light literature there is for example mystery novels or romance often fiction is considered to be light literature especially romance kind of fiction but beyond that there are other kinds of fiction sometimes they are called literary novels or philosophical novels where some philosophical motifs are taught which are considered to be deeper and then there can be didactic books about various subjects, there are text books, there are analytical books so there are various ways in which literature can be classified the bhāgavatam with its thrust on transcendence here there is one foundational criteria for classifying books and that is does the book glorify the supreme or does it not glorify the supreme so here it is described that shloka that those words which do not glorify the supreme shloka shloka the glories of the supreme lord they purify the whole, they purify the whole world shloka that which the suddhavadic literature does not glorify shloka shloka this is that is considered to be shloka it is a very poetic metaphor over here shloka is the pilgrimage for the crows so crows usually in garbage heaps they try to find something to eat over there so people who delight over literature in which there are no glories of the lord described they are compared to crows and such literature is by by extension compared to garbage pipe shloka and just as swans who live in places where where there are pure waters, clean beautiful places so the swans do not go there so here we see that that literature is even now immensely popular now with the advent of youtube and videos and other things the number of people reading books has gone down but still with kindle readers and online reading facility and digital reading facility is coming up reading is still going on and people do read a lot of books so if the books which they read are not about the supreme lord then the benefit that one can get from such books is limited there may be some benefit but there is not much ultimate benefit and therefore it is important to recognise that for all of us we all need to take steps towards attaining the supreme and for going towards the supreme we need to expose ourselves to those things which connect us with the supreme so if we are disconnected from the thing which connect us with the supreme then we end up not being able to do much constructive things not being able to achieve the kind of things which we could have achieved human life is meant for achieving the ultimate potential fulfilling the ultimate potential of attaining eternal life and from that perspective when something so glorious is available to us as compared to that everything else pays into insignificance everything else everything else seems turns out to be not very valuable and the bhagavatam offers this perspective that as compared to the supreme and the supreme illumination offered to the supreme it is not that we should let ourselves get get we should undersell ourselves our time and our life is so precious that we can attain eternal life through this and if giving up the opportunity for eternal life we let ourselves get caught in small small trivial things then we cheat ourselves, we deprive ourselves and the bhagavatam doesn’t want us to deprive ourselves like this and that’s why it states that such literature, so Vyasadev the literature which Vyasadev has written it’s not that exactly it is godless and Vyasadev, Narbun is definitely not referring to Vyasadev’s composition of the bhagavatam and the Vedas as a pilgrimage for the crows but by giving this extreme example that literature which does not contain the glory of the lord is like a pilgrimage place for crows, he is setting the criteria and he is going to point out in the future verses as we will discuss that actually because you are not focused on the glory of the lord that’s why you are not satisfied, in the literature you have composed the glories of the lord are mentioned but they are not emphasised so this verse is at the foundation for the discussion about what kind of literature is to be glorified, we continue the