Get enlightened from the Bhatiya Bhagavat Katha by Pujya Bhaishri

Day 1: Does Bhagavat Katha bestow us with the fruit of good deeds (Punya)?

Pujya Bhaishri enlightens us on this topic and talks about Mahatma Gandhi on the first day of the Katha. Pujya Bhaishri said the following:

Shrimad Bhagavat is the sun. Let us move forwards on the path of our welfare in the guidance of this sun’s light. The sun does not rise in the morning. Instead, when the sun rises, this is called morning. Morning will come when the sun, Bhagavat, rises in our life. The darkness of illusion will be destroyed.

Generally it is said that Bhagavat Katha is for the righteousness of our ancestors, but I say that Bhagavat is the result of the good deeds of our ancestors.

The fruit of good deeds is not the result of Bhagavat, but Bhagavat is the result of these fruits. These fruits then convert into love from the Bhagavat. Through Bhagavat, there will be no conflict between casts and creed. There will be love between people. Besides, our Saurashtra is unique. History proves that just to welcome and feed guests, people have sold the only clothes they had which were being worn at the time.

Just like oiling is necessary for a machine, similarly, the oil of satsang is necessary for our mind. Associate with those who have lustre radiating from their eyes and you will gain the oil of devotion. So let us start this katha based on this foundation of the oil of love being extracted from the fruit of good deeds.

The first day is to understand the importance of Bhagavat. We know the value of Rs. 1,000 hence we like money. Similarly, we will love God and Bhagavat by understanding their importance.

We plead to everyone when we selfishly need something, but have we ever done this to Lord Krishna? Will one who liberates us from life and death not liberate us from the issues in life? Ask God, “May we not deter from our path and give up during hard times”.

For a devotee, sorrow is forgetting God and happiness is remembering God. You will not even need to ask, He will take away your three types of grief just by bowing to Him. He is ready; it is us who lack faith.

Mahatma Gandhi – He is not History but the present.

On 30 January, Pujya Bhaishri visited Kirti Mandir at Porbandar for prayers on the death anniversary of Great Mahatma Gandhi.

Thereafter on the first day of the Bhatiya Bhagavat Katha, Pujya Bhaishri said the following about Mahatma Gandhi:

A great person is one whose thoughts, speech and actions are united. Yesterday was the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. In the Gandhi film, there is court room scene, where the judge stands up in respect when Gandhiji enters the court room, despite Gandhiji being the person the case was filed against.

On one hand, there is Mohan – born at the banks of Yamuna and resided in Saurashtra. On the other hand there is Mohandas who was born in Saurashtra and whose soul departed at the banks of Yamuna.

Mohan was hit with an arrow on his foot and Mohandas was shot on the chest, in the heart. I interpret this as, Mohan was attacked on his conduct and practice; no one understood Him; also, no one understood the emotions of Mohandas. To date, Mohan is being questioned. The relationship between Shri Krishna Draupadi was not understood. Ignorant people still talk about removing the story of raas leela from the Bhagavat.

Gandhiji gave us independence without weapons. Of course, weapons have their place, but the perception that success is only through weapons is wrong. Shri Krishna used his discus but also played a flute which has a greater impact.

Yesterday, I told the media that Gandhiji’s soul departed the gross body but his thoughts are still alive and immortal. Gandhi is not history. He is the present. His thoughts, actions and speech were the same. One in whom the actions are different from speech and thoughts, lives in distress and this distress causes trouble. This is why Gandhiji and Sudamaji are great personalities.

Day 4: Naradji narrates his past life and inspires Vyasji to write Shrimad Bhagavat

Shri Ved Vyasji spread the Vedas, created Mahabharat and other scriptures but was not content. Naradji arrived at Vyasji’s hermitage and asked Vyasji the reason for his unhappiness despite such great creations.

Vyasji said, “Through my creations, I showed people the fear of hell so that they could refrain from sins and the wonders of heaven so that people could perform good deeds”.

Law and order is necessary, else there is an animal within a human. An animal only eats, sleeps and lives for pleasure. When this animal is destroyed, humanity will rise.

“However,” Vyasji continued, “the society did not become what I thought it would become”.

Naradji advised Vyasji to now talk about love and devotion. Naradji narrated the story of his past life to inspire Vyasji.

Naradji was the son of a maid who worked for some Brahmins in his past life. His mind purified on performing service of saints and gaining their Prasad. He developed love for God through this and attained the Vasudev Gayatri Mantra from saints. Mantra is that which protects one on recitation.

Naradji began chanting the Vasudev Gayatri Mantra. One day, a snake but his mother and his mother died. Naradji left his village and began roaming around.

Once, he was reciting his mantra under a tree. His heart was thirsty to see God. He was wondering and desperate on when he would experience God. God is experienced then you get tired through your spiritual endeavours, you continue to pray and thereafter, God showers his grace. This tiredness is necessary. Lord Krishna was tied when Maa Yashoda became tired of trying and trying.

Continue your endeavours with faith and discipline. When you get tears of longing from tiredness, God will shower his grace and you will experience God.

Money is important but do not earn it in an unrighteous manner. All cries are committed die to greed of wealth and sex. However, wealth and Kama are not bad as long as they remain within the boundaries of righteousness. Laxmi is a goddess and Kama is a demi-god. We celebrate on the birth of a boy or girl in this world as this is God’s gift to us.

Remember, we have attained money but this money is not ours. You have received it as Prasad from God. Use it for the right purposes. Do not waste it in addictions and adultery.

You may have the money to buy or get 5,000 delicacies made but will you be able to eat all 5,000? You may be able to eat two but you can certainly feed the rest of the 4,998 delicacies! When you feed, God is feeding with thousands of heads through people. This perception will enable you to see God in all.

So, under the tree, Naradji attained darshan of God within his heart. God then disappeared and Naradji was bewildered. Thereafter, Naradji was assured that he will become God’s attendant in his next birth. Naradji continued to roam around chanting God’s name.

When Lord Brahma re-created the world, Naradji was created as Lord Brahma’s son. Naradji gained the lute from the demi-gods and he moves about reciting God’s name all the time.

In love and joy of God’s name, all happiness seem minute and one will not be tempted to commit any sins. In such devotion, one will not even desire emancipation. All one will desire is to drown in this devotion.

Thereafter, Naradji narrated the Chatuhshloki Bhagavat to Vyasji and left the hermitage. Vyasji wrote and spread the Shrimad Bhagavat filled with love and devotion, in 12 sections, 335 sub-sections and 18,000 slokas. Vyasji became content after this creation complete with love.

Day 6: When will God incarnate and come to us?

God is omnipresent. We need to manifest Him to get rid of unhappiness in the world. God can be manifested through love.

Who is Hari? One who takes away sorrow, sins and grief of devotees. Hari is present in everyone and everywhere.

A devotee wants to see God but the devotee does not know how to cross the river of this world from one’s bank to the other in order to see God. This is okay. Sit at your bank and call God sincerely. Your beloved God will come Himself sailing on a boat from the other side of the river to you.

When unrighteousness increases, God arrives. Unrighteousness is when truth, penance, purity and compassion are not practiced. Temples are built but there is no truth; people have begun to lose faith.

There was a time when it was considered evil for a politician to accept bribe. Now a politician is considered nice when they will do the work but will accept bribe to do so! Not simplicity, but deceit had become the identity of capability. This is the decay of religion.

I have also seen people who will organise a Satya Narayan katha every month but will be immoral every day! So rituals are present but the soul of religion and righteousness is absent!

Hence, unrighteousness is: pleasure instead of penance, cruelty instead of mercy, lies instead of truth and impurity instead of purity.

Lord Shiv says that when religion is in trouble, irreligion and demons increase (demons meaning those who will stoop down to any level and do anything to eat, drink and be merry), God arrives.

So, God will manifest from love. When will love develop? When the mind is pure and the intellect virtuous. Further, a pure mind is attained through good actions and helping others and a virtuous intellect is obtained through satsang.

Indeed, God did manifest in Mathura through Devki and Vasudev. However, he did not live in Mathura due to the presence of Kansa (ego and pride). God went to Gokul where there was Nanda (one who provides bliss to others), Yashoda (one who gives credit to others) and Gopis (the abode of pure love and devotion).

Day 8 – Govardhan pooja – what Shri Krishna teaches us about Cows, Education and Nature

During Govardhan leela, Lord Krishna explains to the citizens of Vraj: Cow is our demi-god. Its urine, faeces etc. are all pure. Just like a mother protects her child in all ways, similarly, the mother cow protects and nourishes us in all ways.

The cow is a mother to anyone who drinks her milk. Yesterday, some Muslim brothers attended the Katha and donated Rs. 51,000. My thanks and blessings to them.

Now listen to something I will tell you for your well-being. You perform service with all your heart, now use your intellect also.

Firstly, make a centre to improve the breed of cows. Most of them should be milk-providing, almost 15-20Litres. If cows are useful, they will automatically be taken care of. You will need to work on this for 10-15 years. Then, you can give cows with the condition that those accepting them will not spoil its breed.

Thank you to all those who have donated for the well-being of our cows. Those who couldn’t give can help in saving cows.

Secondly, take a strong vow for cows. Only have milk, refined butter, yoghurt etc. from cow’s milk. Even delicacies should be made from cow’s milk. The more the necessity, the more the supply and consequently, people will start keeping and caring for cows. Stop the hypocrisy of worshipping cows but loving buffalos.

Cows will not be saved just by raising funds. Cows will improve your health, you will gain your wealth and people will be willing to spend more to obtain pure milk. I have faith that you will listen and there will be such a centre developed here.

Lord Krishna also advised on Yagya of Brahmins. This means concentrate on education and its true purpose. Do not teach just to earn money. An employee will be born from an employee who teaches. There was a time when a Guru was born when a Guru taught.  Stop the motive of getting things free! Be dignified. India was the Guru of the universe and we must maintain this.

Thirdly, Lord Krishna expanded on the worship of Govardhan. This means worship of nature: trees, plants, mountains. A cow is not an animal, Gita is not just a book and Ganga is our mother.

Forests have trees, not just wood. We only see wood for money. This is wrong. Just the law will not solve everything, good education is necessary.

Do not perform circumbulation of the Giriraj and throw rubbish anywhere. Tomorrow, you will all get together and clean this place. We have this strength. Let us make this resolution and do it! What do we not have in this country? I have travelled the whole world whilst holding the hand of Bhagavat and seen that very few have the potential that the citizens of India have.

Thus, we should not just worship Tulsi, Ganga, Pipal etc, but let us awaken practically and intellectually. This Vyas Pith only wants your faith, take 2-4 things away and implement it in your life for your and the nation’s welfare.

To summarise, Lord Krishna, through Govardhan pooja teaches us about protecting our nature, worship of cows teaches us how to be wealthy and worship of Brahmins teaches us about the importance of good education.

Day 2: Katha gives life to people – a current real life example

Nobody’s life id without dilemmas and issues. Waves of enigma will come in the ocean of life. They will stop at the banks. Have patience and understanding and you will be able to surf on these waves.

Katha will guide you on spiritual and worldly matters. It gives refuge to those who have given up.

I was performing a katha in Gujarat recently. On the third day, I received a young man’s letter in which he had written that he was responsible for looking after his father and sister. Being a graduate, he was still unsuccessful in finding a job. He started thinking of committing suicide but listening to the katha gave him strength. He decided that he will fight with the issues in life.

Thus, katha gives life to many people. Katha will never become out of date until we are thirsty.

What is Satsang? Is it katha only?

Lord Brahma is the Lord of intellect. He rides on a swan. These deities and their vehicles are all symbolic. Lord Brahma’s swan symbolises vivek (the ability to discriminate between right and wrong). The intellect must be able to symbolise between right and wrong for one’s well-being in life.

Lord Vishnu rides on a vulture which symbolises Vedas. Lord Shiv rides on Nandi (a bull). Nandi symbolises righteousness. The four legs of Nandi signify: truth, compassion, purity and penance.

Vivek will not be gained without Satsang. Satsang does not just mean katha. Satsang is also association with good books and righteous people.

Look after two things: the mind and the intellect.

In addition, 2 things are important in a home:

1. Temple – pray and implement righteousness and goodwill. Without implementing, however hard you try, you will not gain peace.
2. A small library of books – this is necessary.

The temple is associated with the mind and the books are associated with the intellect. They will keep both healthy, pure, positive and inspired.

Day 3: Want to live in Satyug (golden age) in 2016? Pujya Bhaishri explains how in day 3 Bhagavat Katha at Bhatiya

We are Hindus but unfortunate that we have no knowledge of our scriptures. Everyone must have basic knowledge on our scriptures from children to elders. We have distanced ourselves from Sanskrit language, hence we are unable to study our scriptures.

We listen to Katha but with negligence and inattentively, hence we forget what we have heard. Children go to school but forget what they have learnt due to inattentiveness. Such idleness is equivalent to death.

We know Dwarkadhish but does he know us? We must make our place in God’s heart. Sudamaji, Narsi and Meera were all known by God. Lord Ram resides in Hanumanji’s heart and vice versa. Why? Because of Hanumanji’s selfless service, intellect, discipline and love.

If there is no truth in our practice and actions then all the rituals hold no value. Penance is tolerating anything on the path of Truth. Such penance will get rid of all impurities and compassion will develop.

The 4 pillars of righteousness are: Truth, penance, purity and compassion. Do not leave the path of Truth. As a matter of fact, everyone wants truth and fairness for themselves. Just practicing Truth in life will automatically invite the other three pillars.

All four pillars were present in Satyug (the golden age), which got destroyed one by one as Kalyug approached. Now the pillars of compassion, purity and penance do not exist. Terrorism! Surely, do we need such entertainment where the strings of kites kill birds and people? Surely, have entertainment but this should not take others’ lives!

Penance: you hardly see the ability to tolerate any more in people. Children are committing suicide. This is lack of tolerance! I want to tell parents that do not over-expect from your children. Teach your children how to tolerate insults and hard times. I must say that true education is where it makes one tolerant and understanding.

Thus, keep hold of the path of Truth and you will be living in Satyug even in 2016. It is in our hands how we make our current era.

Day 5: What is Ashwamedha Yagya?

When Lord Krishna returned to His abode, the Pandavas performed the coronation of Pareekshit as the king and went to heaven. Pareekshit won over many kingdoms. He then performed the Ashvamedha Yagya. ‘Ashva’ (the horse used in this Yagya) signifies the country and ‘medha’ signifies progress.

A country must progress in all fields. Education must be first class. A country will stand strong if its teachers, army and farmers are powerful. A teacher should be educational by nature and teach continuously. A soldier must be filled with enthusiasm, bravery and strength. A farmer must be hardworking. They should all receive necessities like electricity and water.

The society must live in unity and every human be of good character and religious. Such efforts by those in the cabinet is a sign of Ashvamedha Yagya. Thereafter, a king must have the capability to defeat one who stops such a horse.

What are the five immoral places resided by Kali in Kaliyug?

On his way from winning other kingdoms, King Pareekshit saw that religion and mother earth were in grief. The king brought Kali, the cause of this grief, under his control and overpowered Kali. The king told Kali that he will not be killed by will be given places to live. The following bad qualities reside where Kali lives: greed, untruth, anger, stealing, poverty, jealousy, hatred, treachery etc. These are barriers in the progress of a nation.

So Kali was given the following places to live in: gambling, alcohol intoxication, prostitution, meat eating (killing others) and money earned unrighteously.

However, the king knew that people will gain liberation in Kaliyug merely by singing God’s name. We wrongly presume that God cannot be attained in Kaliyug. However, just like air is easily obtained but has no price, similarly, we do not understand the value of God because it is easy to attain Him. In Kaliyug, God is attained by chanting His name.

How does one attain a Guru?

When King Pareekshit found that he only had seven days to live due to the curse, he sat at the banks of Ganga and asked all sages how he could improve his death in seven days.

One is independent to choose their Guru but no one has the right to hold someone and force them to be their disciple.

Shukdevji arrived when no one was ready to be the king’s Guru. God will shower His grace should you have the desire to do something good.

A deserving disciple will undoubtedly attain a deserving Guru. When such a saint arrives in life, know that this is God’s divine grace. God Himself arrives as a Guru.

Day 7 – We are the embodiments of happiness. Then why are we crying?

You begin to become like the person you constantly think about. You will become like the world if you think about the world whilst you will continue to become like Shri Krishna if you think about Him.

Thus, change your trail of thoughts. The biggest happiness is thinking about God. You will be widowed if you marry the world as the world is impermanent. You can’t gain happiness from the sorrowful world, but you can gain happiness, peace and bliss from God as God is the embodiment of these three virtues.

You will experience the qualities a person has on thinking about that person. If you experience happiness from the world then either you are lying or you are under an illusion.

Birds which habitat around the sea and ships will fly around the ship or sit on it. Similarly, one whose mind is in Shri Krishna may be engrossed in the world for some time, but will then return to God.

A Gopi’s mind is constantly engrossed in Shri Krishna. All her actions are for Shri Krishna. The mind is caged in Lord Krishna’s holy feet. Ahalyaji said to God in Ramayan, “let my mind bea bee which will always be attached to your lotus feet.”

God is the embodiment of peace. We are a part of God. Thus our natural form, like God is immortal and pure. All souls are divine, it is the nature of a person that is spoilt. Tulsidasji says that we are naturally the form of happiness. Happiness is not earned. When you earn something, you will spend it. Thus, happiness, bliss and peace are not things not to be earned. You are by nature peaceful, happy and blissful.

So what’s changed then? Illusion has grabbed us. People know othersbut fail to know oneself. We think we are this body and have forgotten who we truly are. ‘My house, my watch’ – this means you are not these things; you are the owner.

In fact, even these objects are not yours. They are yours today and someone else’s tomorrow. You will not take anything with you when you die. Even your body is not yours as you don’t take it with you when you die! The shameless worldly person remains in this illusion and loses out!

Thus, pray and chant God’s name else you will be grabbed by the god of death (Yama). You have slept enough in the illusion of worldly attachment and pleasures. Now, wake up – why are you running around to look for happiness? You are sugar itself i.e. happiness. A Guru will enlighten you with this knowledge.

I once saw three quotes in a hermitage:

1. Move away from others
2. Engross your mind in yourself; know thyself
3. This is enough!

We are crying despite our nature being the embodiment of happiness. Thus, still your mind in yourself. This is being healthy. No one can then snatch your happiness from you.Think about God and you will become like him.

Symbolism of a Yagya pit

The qualities of rajoguna (unstable mind) and tamoguna (sleepiness) do not let us pray and listen to Katha. This is what the demon Trunavarta signifies. A devotee slowly increases their qualities of satvaguna (good virtues) through spiritual endeavours.

Anger, lust and greed are qualities of rajoguna. There is no satisfaction in these. Anger increases with arguments. When lust/desires are fulfilled one gets greedy and if not fulfilled, one becomes angry, this does not let us perform devotion.

One will find it difficult to live if one doesn’t love others or does not receive love from others.Our relationships will become how we make them. Do not make your life poisonous. Make your speech truthful, sweet and pure. Truth is the penance of your speech.

The colour of satvaguna is white, rajoguna is red and tamoguna is black. On the pit of a Yagya, the bottom zone is black, the middle zone is red and the top most zone is white.

This Yagya pit symbolises our body. When the fire is lit, we offer oblations. We don’t fill this fire pit but we burn the offerings. Similarly, when we feed our self, do not do this with the intention of over filling our stomach, do this with the emotion of offering oblation to the fire of hunger within us.

Our culture also has a ritual of feeding. In fact we have rituals for tasks throughout the day. We pray when we wake up by looking at our hands. ‘Karagre vasate lakshmi’. Our Rishis say that my hands are God. In fact, I am God.

In the ninth chapter, Vyasji says that the sun has the power to develop and the moon has the power to nourish. The refined butter and sesame seeds we offer as oblation symbolise nectar.

Hence, food is nectar and the fire is the sun. So a Yagya pit is our body, the fire is our life and the oblation is food.