Few.

Destiny.

Yudhishthira performs the Rajasuya yaga, but is worried because Narada had warned of threats to his kingdom. Yudhishthira then consults Vyasa, said Kidambi Narayanan in a discourse. Vyasa says that Yudhishthira and his family will face dangers for thirteen years. Duryodhana’s sin will result in the deaths of thousands of Kshatriyas. A mistake of Yudhishthira’s would lead.

Duryodhana to do terrible things. He says that Yudhishthira will have a dream, in which he will see Lord Siva proceeding towards the abode of Yama. When that dream occurs repeatedly, it is the indication that Yudhishthira’s troubles are about to start. But Vyasa tells Yudhishthira that he should not worry, because worrying will change nothing.

Yudhishthira cannot digest the thought that he will cause many deaths. He tells his brothers that it is better if he dies. His brothers pacify him. He then says that for the next thirteen years, he will not utter even one harsh word to anyone. He will behave in such a way that no one will be unhappy with him. He will be impartial to all. And yet, despite all these resolutions of Yudhishthira, the Kurukshetra war does break out and results in the deaths of thousands of warriors.

Nothing can change Destiny. There is a Tukaram abhang, which describes how helpless we are. A twig falls into the water in a canal. Can the twig decide in which direction it wants to go? Even the water in the canal is helpless. It may be happy to be moving straight ahead, but at some point the canal may take a bend to the right, in which case the water has to flow towards the right. Can a worker change a plan that a master architect has made? Likewise in life, we cannot change what is destined to happen.

Self

In the Advaita text Panchadasi, the author Vidyaranya explains the nature of the Self as the essence of bliss by alluding to the famous instruction by Yagnyavalkya to his wife Maitreyi in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. The acharya analyses the instruction that shows with relevant examples that it is individual self interest at work in all human relationships, pointed out Sri R. Rajagopala Sarma in a discourse. The conclusion drawn is ‘ atmanasthu kamaya sarvam priyam bhavati,’ ‘the Self is most loved by all and is most dear.’ It is shown that all objects, people and places are loved by people not for their sake but for the sake of the Self. In our day today life, when constant interaction is always taking place, at the family, social, cultural and spiritual levels, etc, it is the self or inner essence that is dear to each individual. The reason behind the love in ties such as those between husband-wife, parent-children, etc is one’s own satisfaction. Even the love of wealth and possession only reflects the owner’s sense of ego. Does wealth know that it belongs to a particular person? Or does it wish to belong to anyone it thinks is special?

When one seeks name and fame in life it is for the individual’s sake since name and fame are insentient abstractions. One might rear animals such as the cow or the horse not because of any love for them but because they serve him in some way or other. At the bottom line in all these instances is the desire for happiness in us. Since the self is the essence of happiness and bliss, knowledge of this truth leads to realisation. To internalise this truth, the sage advises her to know about the atma. This is possible by the practices of sravana, hearing, manana, reflecting in one’s mind and nididhyasana, contemplating and meditating on the Self at all times.

Devotion

Not all are endowed with devotion to God, and the purana stories on Siva, Vishnu, Muruga or Ambal are the basis for many of us to cultivate faith and devotion to God. Devotion that is directed to any of these deities is known as bhakti to Ishta Devata, pointed out Sri B. Sundarkumar in a discourse. In the Gita, the Lord explains the nuances in the concept of Ishta devata worship. He says that when people are swayed by their desires, their inherent swabhava prompts each one of them to seek divine help. They worship the various deities and pray to them to grant them their wishes as well as for guidance to enable them to cross the vicissitudes of life. “Whatever deity a jiva wants to worship, I will strengthen his devotion,” says the Lord. He explains the truth that God is the antaryami in all the forms of deities that people worship. It is He who grants their desires. He does so to strengthen their devotion.

Moreover, we may not understand that all our desires will bring us good. What is desirable may not always be beneficial to us. In addition, when one desire gets fulfilled it is not an end in itself. It leads to yet other desires and the list is never ending. But by granting some desires, God leads us to seek what is ultimately good for us.

But Ishta Devata devotion should not encourage the tendency to belittle other deities. A true devotee should take the cue from Narayana Bhattathiri, in whose perception there is only one God who takes many forms for different purposes in every Yuga. He should cultivate the same bhava and see his Ishta devata in the many forms and deities. Bhakti and jnana grow hand in hand and the mature devotee, though convinced about his faith, will understand that all distinctions in name, functions, etc, are merely external.

Raasleela

Many of the episodes in the Bhagavata Purana can be interpreted as illustrative of the deeper and esoteric meanings in the Bhagavad Gita, said Sri B. Sundarkumar in a discourse. For instance, the underlying aim in the Rasa leela episode is to explain the realised state as one wherein true bhakti and jnana merge to become a singular quality of the experience of God. The Lord describes this state in the Gita: “The jnani, the one with discrimination, is continually united with Me. He is always devoted to Me and to no other. I am very dear to that person and he is dear to Me.”

In the Rasa leela episode, the Gopis are shown to be engrossed in love sports with God and are immersed in limitless joy. Each one feels she is exceptional and so Krishna has chosen her as His companion. They are devastated when Krishna suddenly leaves them. They reveal their state of mind and console themselves with the surmise that the Lord has disappeared with one among them who is obviously more special to Him. They feel that she is a cut above all of them and Vyasa uses the phrase ‘anaya araaditho noonum,’ in this context. When roughly translated, it means, ‘very devotedly worshipped by her.’ He has chosen to be with her only because she has selfless devotion to Him. She represents the realised state of a jnani in whom the intrinsic power of the Lord coexists with transcending bhakti. She is a symbol of jnana and is His very essence. In that state, there is no room for self importance or pride. The Lord’s intention is to make all of them reach that state of a jnani. With the separation from the Lord and the consequent experience of extreme viraha tapa, the Gopis overcome their ahamkara and repent. They are united with the Lord by His Sankalpa.