Srimad Bhagavatam Skanda 1 - Dispassion and Equanimity in Bhakti Yoga

Srimad Bhagavatam cleanses kalimala or the pollutant of Kali, destroys sins, shows the indweller, the Lord, in oneself by bringing Vairagya towards the materialistic world, and gives pure devotion, crystal clear, and clean knowledge. 

|| Hari Om ||

Hare Srinivasa

कल्यण अद्भुत गात्राय कामितार्थ प्रदयिने ।

श्रीमद् वेन्कटनाथाय श्रीनिवासय ते नम: ॥

Your benevolence for granting wishes is incredibly vast and unsurpassed.

Divine Lord Venkateshwara! Destroyer of Sins! An abode of Mahalakshmi! Srinivasa!

My salutations to you.

भवाय नस्त्वं भव विश्वभावन त्वमेव माताथ सुहृत्पतिः पिता ।

त्वं सद्गुरुर्नः परमं च दैवतं यस्यानुवृत्त्या कृतिनो बभूविम ॥ ७॥

Vishwabhavana! From you, the whole universe has arisen. Suhrtpati! You are the mother, the father, you are the friend, as well as our teacher. Sadguru! It is you, who makes us walk on the right path. You are our lord, as well as being worshipped. We are safe and successful by taking refuge in your lotus feet which are auspicious. 

Lord! You are the only cause of our success.

व्यासाय भव नाशाय श्रीशाय गुण राशऐ ।

हृद्याय शुद्ध विद्याय मध्वायछ नमो नमः ॥

Charming & the beloved Vyasa, the destroyer of emotional & behavioral disorders, the Lord of Goddess of abundance having heaps of attributes, bestower of clean knowledge, my repeated salutations to you and Acharya Madhwa.

यः स्वानुभावमखिलश्रुतिसारमेकमध्यात्मदीपमतितितीर्षतां तमोऽन्धम् ।

संसारिणां करुणयाह पुराणगुह्यं तं व्याससूनुमुपयामि गुरुं मुनीनाम् ॥

This Srimad Bhagavatam gives the experience of the Lord and has the essence of all Vedas and Vedanta. It sheds spiritual light on the transcendental philosophy required to surpass the intense cycle of death and birth which is wrapped in ignorance. However, it is very secretive in nature. Hence, I pray to you Sri Shukacharya for your continued blessings.

दयादाक्षिण्यवैराग्यवाक्पाटवमुखाङिकतः ।

शापानुृग्रहशक्तोऽन्यो राघवेन्द्रन्नविध्यते ॥

The face symbolizing Compassion; Modesty; Dispassion towards sensual pleasure; Eloquence; Power to remove curses is none else than you, Guru Raghavendra. 
My salutations to you.

We understood that even as Dhritarashtra was at the tail end of his life, his expectations of materialistic happiness had not diminished. Nor the lessons from his life had awakened wisdom to him. Hence, the best of being, and second only to God Brahma took on himself to awaken wisdom. Though Dhritarashtra felt that the acts of Bheemasena were rude, even his brother Vidura endorsed the acts. Hence, Dhritarashtra after the counseling of Vidura and the blessings of Bheemasena realized the righteous path. He recalled each of his misdeeds and saw the mistakes he had done. With this, his anger towards Bheemasena transformed into love and devotion.

Though Dhritarashtra was physically blind, his overlove or obsession towards his hundred sons and especially Duryodhana had blinded his awareness including the ability to distinguish the righteous path.

We noted that Sri Sutacharya narrating to the spiritual gathering had said,

एवं राजा विदुरेणानुजेन प्रज्ञाचक्षुर्बोधित आजमीढः ।

छित्त्वा स्वेषु स्नेहपाशान् द्रढिम्नो निश्चक्राम भ्रातृसन्दर्शिताध्वा ॥ २८॥

Hearing his brother’s words, Dhritarashtra got awakened and came to his real senses. Giving up all worldly luxuries and becoming detached with the relationship, he took up the path suggested by his brother Vidura.

Bheemasena, the form of God Prana and the best in a being had now blessed him प्रज्ञाचक्षु or the divine eye of awareness. He became आजमीढः i.e आज is knowledge & awareness and मीढः soaked. As Dhritarashtra got soaked with awareness, he became guilty. He started realizing that though his brother Pandu had won several kingdoms and filled his treasury, he had ill-treated his children. Yet the Pandavas respected him and transformed him. The guilt of committing sins had engulfed him.

Knowing that there are only three ways of redemptions, 1. Yagna or Sacrifice. This is done by submitting substance or knowledge or jnana in our possession to Gods through fire or time; 2. Dhana or donation in a righteous way to the righteous people; and 3. Thapas or Punish the body. Hence, Dhritarashtra chooses to take up the third and take up Vanaprastha ashrama.

To understand the subsequent sequence of events, let us draw the consistency among the story narrated in Mahabharata and Srimad Bhagavatam by Lord Veda Vyasa. In the war of Kurukshetra, Duryodhana and his cronies had died. After the war, Yudhishthira ascended to the throne of Hastinapura. Though the war was of upholding Justice and as per the wish of Lord, Yudhishthira had felt guilty of killing several relatives and relations. As this was against the wish of Lord, to redeem the sins Pandavas took up fifteen (15) years of Yagna or sacrifices.

Subsequently, Vidura, Dhritarashtra, Gandhari, Kunti Sanjaya, left to Himalaya to take up Vanaprastha ashrama. Pandavas too visit Himalayan Mountains to see them. During that visit, Vidura the form of Yama Dharma Raja joins and merges himself with King Yudhishthira Who too was another form of Yama Dharma raja. Hence, after the disappearance of Yama Dharma Raja as Vidura, Pandavas have ruled about 21 years during which Lord Sri Krishna was also present.

During the fag end of Pandava’s rule of 36 years, Lord Sri Krishna disappears. After the disappearance of Lord Sri Krishna, Pandavas handed over the kingdom to their grandson, Parikshid and walked away. They reached the Himalayan Mountains from where they ascended to heaven. Meantime, Dhritarashtra, Gandhari, and Kuniti to end their life.

The current events in Srimad Bhagavata are when Dhritarashtra, Gandhari, and Kuniti end their life. In fact, after the departure of Vidura, Dhritarashtra, Gandhari, Kunti, Sanjaya, to the forest after the due consent of King Yudhishthira, he made a practice of the following;

अजातशत्रुः कृतमैत्रो हुताग्निर्विप्रान् नत्वा तिलगोभूमिरुक्मैः ।

गृहं प्रविष्टो गुरुवन्दनाय न चापश्यत्पितरौ सौबलीं च ॥ ३०॥

King Yudhishthira having no enemy would get up early morning to carry out his daily routines, including the sandhyavandanam or the prayers to Goddess Gayatri, giving Surya argya, Agnihotra or the fire sacrifice and so on. He followed it up with greetings to Brahmins, including the donation of Cow, Gold, and Land. Later, he would proceed to the palace where Dhritarashtra, Gandhari, Kunti, and Vidura stayed to pay his remote respects intuitively.

One day as he was doing so, a surprise awaited him. He could not find them through his sixth sense and gets perturbed.

After the disappearance of Dhritarashtra, Gandhari, Kunti, Sanjaya returns to Hastinapura. Sri Sutacharya narrating this incidence says,

सूत उवाच

कृपया स्नेहवैक्लव्यात्सूतो विरहकर्शितः ।

आत्मेश्वरमचक्षाणो न प्रत्याहातिपीडितः ॥ ३४॥

Sri Shaunaka Rishi! After the return of Sanjaya from the forest, he could not respond to King Yudhishthira to any of his questions! He was engulfed in sorrow and was weeping profusely.

विमृज्याश्रूणि पाणिभ्यां विष्टभ्यात्मानमात्मना ।

अजातशत्रुं प्रत्यूचे प्रभोः पादावनुस्मरन् ॥ ३५॥

Unable to control his sorrows, Sanjaya was weeping. He subsequently came to terms and wiped his tears. Remembering the lotus feet of his Lord Dhritarashtra, Sanjaya told thus to King Yudhishthira

Sanjaya said, सञ्जय उवाच

नाहं वेद व्यवसितं पित्रोर्वः कुलनन्दन ।

गान्धार्या वा महाबाहो मुषितोऽस्मि महात्मभिः ॥ ३६॥

Yudhishthira! The one born in the great Kuru clan! I am not sure of the wish of your uncle, aunt and your mother Kunti! Nor the decision they took!

The one with heavy shoulders! All I realized is that they left me without telling anything. I am feeling deceived.

Sri Sutacharya continues the narration saying,

अथाजगाम भगवान् नारदः सह तुम्बुरुः ।

प्रत्युत्थायाभिवाद्याह सानुजोऽभ्यर्चयन्निव ॥ ३७॥

As the conversation was happening between King Yudhishthira and Sanjaya, the God Narada appeared. He held his musical string instrument named Tumbura and was singing the praises of Lord in a very melodious voice. Seeing him, King Yudhishthira and brothers immediately got up to pay respects. Subsequently, with the folded hands King Yudhishthira said to Narada Rishi,

युधिष्ठिर उवाच

नाहं वेद गतिं पित्रोर्भगवन् क्व गतावितः ।

अम्बा वा हतपुत्रार्ता क्व गता च तपस्विनी ॥ ३८॥

The holy one! I am bewildered. A sense of loss of my uncle, aunt, and my mother has taken over me. My ascetic aunt was grieving for the loss of her 100 children. I am unable to understand as to where did they go? What did they accomplish after death? 

कर्णधार इवापारे भगवान् पारदर्शकः ।

अथाबभाषे भगवान्नारदो मुनिसत्तमः ॥ ३९॥

A Great Saint! You have appeared like a boat appearing at the shore while waiting to cross a wide and vast river. We are fortunate to have you hear.

Hearing this, Narada Rishi responded thus,

मा कञ्चन शुचो राजन् यदीश्वरवशं जगत् ।

लोकाः सपाला यस्येमे वहन्ति बलिमीशितुः ।

स संयुनक्ति भूतानि स एव वियुनक्ति च ॥ ४०॥

Dharmaraja! You should not feel sorrow for any of the happenings in this world. Not even at the time of death of near and dear. Your understanding that all the happenings here are as per the wish of Lord should not go dormant. It should always be active in your mind and thought. The awareness of the Lord and his lordship over every act is important.

The protectors of all the regions in this vast universe and being in all directions carry out acts as per the wish of the Lord. It is he who endows all living beings and forsakes based on their deeds.

यथा गावो नसि प्रोतास्तन्त्यां बद्धाश्च दामभिः ।

वाक्तन्त्यां नामभिर्बद्धा वहन्ति बलिमीशितुः ॥ ४१॥

When the powerful bull is tied with a nose string and the one who holds the reins tied to the nose string is under full control. Like the powerful bulls come under the control of the one who is holding the reins, so to the Lord. The Lord has tied all the beings with a nose string called Vedas. He takes control of us or our actions through the reins called rules of his constitution or dharma.

Hence, like the powerful bulls being under the controls of its master doing actions as he commands through the reins and serves him, so too, all living beings need to obey the command of Lord and serve him being equanimous.

People run scared when a wild bull without a nose string enters human dwelling and is chased away. Similarly, those not following the command of the Lord are kept away from society. Hence, we have to remain bound by the rules of Vedas, follow dharma, and not cry for the acts happening as per the wish of Lord.

This is the same as told by Lord Sri Krishna to Arjuna in the middle of the battlefield, when Arjuna refuses to fight the War of Kurukshetra. The excerpt of the same from chapter 12 is recalled here appreciating the consistency in Sanathana or the oldest dharma.

Lord Sri Krishna says,

मय्यावेश्य मनो ये मां नित्ययुक्ता उपासते ।

श्रद्धया परयोपेतास्ते मे युक्ततमा मताः॥१२- २॥

Those who fix their thoughts and serve me by doing Karma Yoga, Dhyana Yoga with supreme faith to propitiate me are the best practicing Yogis, in my opinion.

मय्येव मन आधत्स्वमयि बुद्धिं निवेशय ।

निवसिष्यसि मय्येव अत ऊर्ध्वं न संशयः ॥१२- ८॥

Fix your mind on me, with intellect, make your thoughts flow towards me. With that, there shall be no doubt of living with me and living in me.

अभ्यासेऽप्यसमर्थोऽसि मत्कर्मपरमो भव ।

मदर्थमपि कर्माणि कुर्वन्सिद्धिमवाप्स्यसि ॥१२- १०॥

If you find this impossible, do activities to please me. With that, you shall accomplish perfection.

श्रेयो हि ज्ञानमभ्यासाज्ज्ञानाद्ध्यानं विशिष्यते ।

ध्यानात्कर्मफलत्यागस्त्यागाच्छान्तिरनन्तरम् ॥१२- १२॥

Better than activities or actions to please me is Knowledge. Better than knowing me through Knowledge is Meditation. Better than Meditating on me is foregoing expectations or fruits of activities or actions. Nishkama dhyana or foregoing expectations or fruits of meditation leads to Moksha.

अद्वेष्टा सर्वभूतानां मैत्रः करुण एव च ।

निर्ममो निरहंकारः समदुःखसुखः क्षमी ॥१२- १३॥

सन्तुष्टः सततं योगी यतात्मा दृढनिश्चयः ।

मय्यर्पितमनोबुद्धिर्यो मद्भक्तः स मे प्रियः ॥ ॥१२- १४॥

One who has no enemy is friendly, is compassionate to others trouble or issues, has no attachment with any being, nor has an ego, sees the worldly happiness and sorrow in balanced emotions, is forgiving, is always satisfied, engaged in Karma Yoga & Dhyana Yoga, has full control over mind, has clarity on the axiom of philosophy, and has submitted his mind and intellect in me is a devotee of me or Bhakta.      

यस्मान्नोद्विजते लोको लोकान्नोद्विजते च यः ।

हर्षामर्षभयोद्वेगैर्मुक्तो यः स च मे प्रियः ॥१२- १५॥

With whom the world does not become distressed and he doesn't get distressed by the world, such devoted or bhakta not becoming distressed, nor is getting angry, nor revengeful, nor scared dear to me, says Lord Sri Krishna. 

अनपेक्षः शुचिर्दक्ष उदासीनो गतव्यथः ।

सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी यो मद्भक्तः स मे प्रियः ॥१२- १६॥

The devotee who is free from desires, congruent with inside feelings and outside expressions, committed to his duty, without being attached, stable, who has given up the desire for the fruit of his action, and has given up all that is not liked by the Lord is dear to me, says Lord Sri Krishna.

यो न हृष्यति न द्वेष्टि न शोचति न काङ्क्षति ।

शुभाशुभपरित्यागी भक्तिमान्यः स मे प्रियः ॥१२- १७॥

The devotee who is not excited with the worldly happiness, nor hates anyone, nor craves for that he doesn't have, or desires anything, nor becomes attached with good or bad is dear to me, says Lord Sri Krishna.

समः शत्रौ च मित्रे च तथा मानापमानयोः ।

शीतोष्णसुखदुःखेषु समः सङ्गविवर्जितः ॥१२- १८॥

तुल्यनिन्दास्तुतिर्मौनी सन्तुष्टो येन केनचित् ।

अनिकेतः स्थिरमतिर्भक्तिमान्मे प्रियो नरः ॥१२- १९॥

The devotee who equanimous towards his friend or a foe; or while receiving compliments or being insulted; also who is equanimous during hot & cold, comfort & dis-comfort; the one who has sheared the bind of fruit for every action; is equanimous when being flattered or abused; Intelectual; is satisfied & happy for all what he has; is not stuck to one pace; And such perfectly equanimous devotee is extremely dear to me says, Lord Sri Krishna. 

|| Hari Om ||

|| Sri Krishnarpanamastu ||