On day 3 Bhagavat Katha at Itarasi, Pujya Bhaishri speaks strongly on the importance of all nations uniting to defeat terrorism in this world. Watch the video clip where he also talks on the Balakot airstrike that took place on 26th February 2019.
Pujya Bhaishri talks strongly on defeating terrorism on day 3 Itarasi Bhagavat Katha
On day 4, Pujya Bhaishri shared his thoughts on the outcome of being attached to the material world through the example of Bharatji’s story from Shrimad Bhagavat. This is what he said.
An ascetic must stay away from wealth. This is the definition of asceticism. As a householder, one enjoyed material pleasures, worked hard to earn wealth as well as spent it on charity or spiritual activities. However, asceticism means renouncing everything. This is what the story of Bharatji in Shrimad Bhagavat teaches us.
Bharatji saved a fawn from drowning in a river once. At this time, he thought, ‘I saved the fawn!’ This is the first stage to attachment. The second stage was when Bharatji thought, ‘This fawn is mine because I saved it’. From here on, he was strongly attached to the fawn.
The process of saving the fawn is sattvaguṇa (nature of goodness); the sentiment/ego ‘I saved it’ is rajoguṇa (mode of passion) and then the attachment to the fawn is tamoguṇa (mode of inertia). Bharatji lost his alertness which led to his downfall as an ascetic.
He had renounced everything and come to the forest. However, he once again became attached in the forest and was trapped in the material world. Thereafter, when Bharatji was on his deathbed, he died whilst thinking of the deer. Hence, in his next birth, he was born as a deer.
Consequently, keep your vivek (discrimination between right and wrong) alert.
