Bhagavad Gita Ch11 part 14 on 22 November 2020

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

Om Vasudeva Sutam Devam Kamsa Chanuram Ardhanam Devaki Paramanandam Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum Sarvo Panishadho Gavo Dhogdha Gopalanandana Artho Vatsa Sudhir Bhokta Dubdham Geetha Amritam Mahat Mookam Karuthi Vachalam Pangum Langhayate Kirim Yath Kripa Tamaham Vande Paramananda Madhavam We will be continuing studying the Bhagavad Gita 11th chapter. Yesterday we had studied a most beautiful shloka. Arjuna, he was overcome with bhakti now. First it was surprise, he was seeing such wonderful things in that Vishwaroopa, universal form. Then he was terrified. We discussed that point. Why was he terrified? Because he was seeing God in the form of Kala, time. Time means Srishti, Stithi, Laya. There will be birth, there will be sustenance and finally everybody has to die. That is not a, for most people, acceptable fact of life. But fact is a fact. Nobody can prevent it. But by the grace of the Lord, he understood. What did he understand? That Bhagawan is not only the frightening Kala. Death is nothing but the beginning of a new growth. A fresh opportunity for us, for all Jeevas to reclaim their true nature. That's why early in the morning when we go to bed and have deep sleep, that is called Nithya Pradaya, daily death. But as soon as you wake up, first of all we are refreshed. Secondly, mind is eagerly looking forward. So with a very peaceful mind, very joyful mind, we are awaiting this grand opportunity and it has come as soon as we wake up. And then we can plan. Even I have committed a billion mistakes in the past. But that is all in the past. Today, a fresh opportunity for me to become a saint, to become a very positive person. That's why we have to start our early morning. Prathah Smaraami Hridi Sampurad Atma Tattvam Satchit Sukham Paramahamsagatim Turiyam Yath Swapna Jagara Sushuptim Avaithi Nityam Tat Brahma Nishkalamaham Nachabhuta Sangah So this is a very positive idea. Each soul is potentially divine. I am also potentially divine. It is up to me now to manifest that potential divinity. So also, just as I commit mistake, others also commit mistake. So if there are some people who have done great harm to us, let us all remember positively they are also potential divinities. In fact, the scripture goes so far as to say, if somebody hurt you, not because of their fault, it is because of our own sin which we have committed in the past life, it is coming to haunt us. Karma phala has come which is inevitable and it's good. It exhausts our karma phala, gives us a great lesson for us to learn and it gives us a fresh opportunity to reform ourselves. So Arjuna, by the grace of God, God doesn't even only frighten, He will also give that sufficient knowledge. So we presume Arjuna got that inner eye opening, that complete knowledge has come. Now he understood Bhagawan is really Paramatma, Parabrahma. So long he was moving with Him in the form of Krishna, His friend, His cousin and His well-wisher, His protector, with His advice, with His saving power, everything. But that individual Krishna is now elevated into real, all-pervading, infinite Bhagawan. And therefore, how do we know? Arjuna is praising. What is he praising? Oh great soul, Oh Paramatma, why should not anybody praise you? After all, You are greater. That means you are the Pitamaha. This Prapitamaha, not Pitamaha. You are not the grandfather. You are the great grandfather. You are the father of our Brahma who is called Pitamaha. You are greater than him. Greater means what? Because of you, he exists. Because of your existence, Brahma exists. Vishnu exists. And similarly, Shiva exists. These three exist only because of your existence. You are that Parabrahma. Therefore, in that sense, you are far superior. A father is far superior to a child. In that sense, Ananta, you are infinite. Devesha, you are lord of all the Devas. Jagannivasa, where are you? Not only in Vaikuntha. Yes, are you in Vaikuntha? Yes. Are you in Kailasa? Yes. Are you in Kingdom of Heaven? Yes. Are you in Paradise? Yes. Then, are you here? Not only there, but I am everywhere. If anybody claims, if any Vaishnava says, God is only in Vaikuntha, he is an ignoramus. What should he say? Not only God is in Vaikuntha, he is everywhere. In fact, if we can see God everywhere, we are not living anywhere. We are living in Vaikuntha. The ability to see God everywhere in the form of Narayana, Vishnu is called Vaikuntha. In the form of Shiva is called Kailasa. In the form of God is called Kingdom of Heaven. In the form of Allah is called Paradise. In the form of Parabrahma is called Nirvana. So, you are Jagannivasa. You are everywhere. There is no place excluded from you. From Aksharam. And you are imperishable. Everything seems to be perishing. Really, there is nothing imperishable. Then, what is it that we call perishing? That from the manifest to the non-manifest. You burn a paper, some ashes remain. That ashes is the unmanifested form of the paper. So, everything in this world, either in the manifested or in the unmanifested form, that is called perishing. Unmanifested is called perishing. Really speaking, there is no death. For the existence, there is no destruction. For non-existence, there is no existence at all. So, whatever is existing, either in a limited form called manifest, unlimited form called unmanifest, there is nothing which can perish. That's why God is imperishable. World is also imperishable. Who is telling? Even physicists are telling. Scientists are telling. Matter cannot be created, cannot be destroyed, but can be transformed. Energy can be transformed into matter. And Sat-Asat, Tat-Param. You are the visible. You are the invisible. You are the manifest. You are the non-manifest. Sat means visible, manifest. Asat means invisible, non-manifest. And not only that, Tat-Param, both beyond form and formless, beyond the visible, beyond the invisible, and beyond the manifest, beyond the manifest. Then why do we say He is beyond? Because these both manifest and non-manifest, they are changing continually. Visible and invisible are continuously changing. For example, take one virus. It is invisible for naked eye. But if you take the help of a microscope, and that is what is called, you are adding to the power of your sight. Both microscope, telescope add to the power of the eye. But it is nevertheless, it is only an eye. So until now, what is invisible becomes suddenly visible. If a person has got a sharp mind, the unmanifest also becomes manifest. In fact, our life cannot continue unless we are completely aware of this unmanifest. What am I talking about? See, every cultivator, what does he put in the field? Does he put rice? No, he puts what is called a grain, seed. The seed will have husk and everything. And why is he putting? Because he sees clearly in the form of his, what is called, seeing eye. After three months, this very seed will produce a most wonderful, a thousandfold or even more of rice. Similarly, you put the seed of an apple. And after two years or three years, after 15 years, you may get 500, 1000 first class apples, mangoes, papayas, coconuts, anything you name it. So we know the law of the unmanifest. It is not visible. It is not manifest. But given time, it becomes manifest. So these are the phenomena for our physical as well as mental personality. But if God is confined within these, these are changing phenomena. God is unchanging phenomena. Therefore, He must be both beyond visible, invisible, manifest, unmanifest and what we call beyond form, beyond formlessness, which our Sri Ramakrishna puts it so beautifully. God is with form, without form and beyond both form and formless and both that Nirguna Brahma and Saguna Brahma. Both are there. Oh Lord, why should not others praise you? Because everybody else is nothing but your creation. Your creation means your manifestation. This is continued in the 30th verse. Tvamadi devaha purushaha puranaha Tvamasya vishvasya paramnidhanam Vedasvidyancha paranchadhama Tvayatatam vishvam anantaroopa Thou art the first of gods, the ancient soul. Thou art the supreme resting place of the universe. Thou art the knower and Thou art which is to be known and Thou art the ultimate goal. And by Thee is this whole world pervaded. Oh Thou of infinite form. All the words indicate only one thing. Excepting God, nothing else really exists. Tvamadi devaha, you are the first of the gods. Why Adi Deva? That means you are the cause of all this universe consisting of 14 Lokas. Indra Loka, Chandra Loka, Prajapati Loka, Brihaspati Loka, what is called Satya Loka up until Brahma Loka. Then going Atala, Sutala, Talatala, Patala. All this, this earth, the hell, the heaven, Bhu, Bhuvaha, Swaha. All this has come out of you. That means you are manifesting in the form of this all the 14 worlds. Just as the same one rope is manifesting as a snake, as a garland, as a bent stick and as a stream of water. Anybody who has past experience, he sees in that one rope. He can see any form that he had experienced before provided it is similar to that rope. So from Adi Deva, you are Purusha. Purusha means he who is all-pervading is called Purusha. Puranaha, Purana means the ancient. Ancient means not old. Ancient means that Ananta is the infinite, beginningless. Tvam, you O Lord, Asya Vishwasya of this universe. Param Nidhanam, supreme abode. Everybody wants to reach you ultimately. So a person may go, do lot of punya karmas and go to Svarga Loka. From Svarga Loka ultimately he will go to another higher Loka and another higher Loka. Ultimately he reaches Brahma Loka. That is the highest imaginable happiness in this Vishwa, Jagat. And beyond that is Brahmananda. So one day that person will also reach. So even a mosquito will reach. Even so a piece of stone will also reach. It is even scientifically accepted before life started, what was there? Everything is inorganic. Inorganic means without life. Then somehow life came. Where from it has come? Now scientists agree that life must have been inherent. And when the right circumstances, temperature and climate, everything is right, then life merely manifested. Just as a beautiful apple fruit manifests when the conditions are right. Similarly, this everything, whatever is existing is Chit. Whatever is Chit is also Ananda, nothing but Brahman. It is evolving. This theory of evolution is what Charles Darwin had posited, proposed and that has become very popular now. But we have to understand from the Vedantic point of view, a lifeless becomes with life, starts with one's old life and it goes on evolving until it understands. I am Brahman. That is what is indicated Param Nidhanam. And from the devotee point of view, every devotee believes, Oh Lord, ultimately I depend upon you and I have to be protected by you because you created me, you are sustaining me and you are alone my protector. And this is called, I am protected by you, you are protecting me. So that beautiful Saranagati Gadhiya, devotee realizes God alone can save. That's why he becomes Gopatavyahai, Varaniyaha, Varishtaha. Earlier we discussed it. So, Vettasi, everyone of us have got knowledge. So we feel I know. But what I know? The I also belongs to God. That power of knowing also belongs to God. That's why I said Vetta, a real knower is who? The Divine Mother. She is sporting in the form of every object in this world. So she alone knows, she alone is the knowable and she is everything. In fact, I, you, anybody doesn't exist as separate from God but as one with God in the form of God. Vettasi, you are the knower, Vedyancha and you are the highest goal of all knowledge. What is that knowledge? There is no I, only you remain and that is true I, Aham Brahmasmi. And so it is said, Paranchadhama. Once a person realizes, attains to that supreme, Dhama means supreme state. And what is that supreme state? Reaching which no return is possible. Every other loka is finite and finite means changing. Changing means even from Brahmaloka, perhaps one has to fall either down or he has to be kicked upstairs. Which is become one with Brahman. You are the supreme abode. Then same idea is being repeated so that it will enter into our stony brain. Tvaya, by you. Tatam, the pervaded part. Vishwam, this entire Vishwam. Why, how? Because you are Anantarupa. Your form is infinite. Yesterday I told you, infinity has no form. If anything has form, that is only finite. Since I am calling you infinite, there can be nothing else excepting you. That is called you Ananta, infinity, pervaded everything in this universe. Same idea is being elaborated, naming some individual gods. Vayur, Yamo, Agni, Varunaha, Shashankaha, Prajapati, Hithvam, Prapitamahascha, Namostestu, Sahasrakritvaha, Punashchabhuyopi, Namo Namaste. Thou art the Vayudevata, death, that is Yama, and fire, and moon, and the Jaladevata, Varuna, Thou art Prajapati, and Thou art the great Grandsire, Prapitamaha. We know what we are talking about. There are certain things in this world and we are combination of that. That is why this world is called Prapancha. Pancha means five. So what are those five? Akasha, Vayu, Agni, Jala, and Prithvi. So that fact, a few he has mentioned here, Vayu, air is there. Then Agni is there. Agni represents Agni Tattva. Varuna, Varuna represents Jala Tattva. Only three are mentioned. Then Shashankaha, Suryaha. In the 10th chapter we have seen that Nakshatranam Aham Shashi. Then Adityanam Aham Vishnahu. Among Adityas, I am that Surya Devata who is called Vishnu. And Dwadash Adityas are there, 12 Adityas. Why 12? Because we have in a year 12 months. So every month the same sun gets a special name, separate name. And among one names is Vishnu, Adityanam Aham Vishnahu, Nakshatranam Aham Shashi. I am the moon, I am the sun. And Yama. Yama means what? Recycling power. Death means recycling power. That's all. So what do you do when you are recycling all your plastic material or all the junk, iron, your vehicles, cars, etc. Take them, separate all the iron from iron, zinc from zinc, silver from silver, etc. It's plastic from plastic. Take them, recycle them. So from the ordinary point of view, a car is written off. That means it is dead. What do they do? Recycle it. So you understand that we use the water and we pass it out through our body. We eat food, we pass it out. What does it do? It is recycled. It goes into the earth from where it has come and it becomes manure and it helps to spring into life in some other form and again we take it in and through it this constant service cycle is going on. That cycle is called Ritam. This was the greatest discovery of our Rishis. So what are you telling? Arjuna has recognized, O Lord, as Nirguna Brahma, you are indescribable, only pointed out as Neti Neti, not this, not this. But as Saguna Brahma, everything is you. If we say that the whole universe has come from the five elements and you are that five elements. आत्मणः आकाश संभूतः आकाशः द्वायोः वायो रग्निः अग्नेरापः अध्यः प्रतिवि प्रतिवियां ओषदयः ओषदेप्यो अन्नम् अन्नात् रसः रसात् पुरुषः So from Atman came this space Akasha. Akasha has grossified itself into Vayu. Vayu further grossified into Agni. Agni fire, fire heat grossified itself into water Jala. Water grossified itself into Prithvi, earth. From earth all these eatables, food has come and we are all getting sustained. And again it is being recycled. So what am I talking about? You are the cause of creation. You are the cause of sustenance. You are also the cause of the destruction. But destruction is not real destruction. It is recycling as I mentioned. God is giving us a new body and a new opportunity, fresh energy to learn, to become blessed until we know who we are. So that is called Yamaha. Agni, Varunaha. Varunaha is the residing deity of waters. Shashanka is the presiding deity of the mind. Prajapati, he is the creator. Prajapati is the creator. And then this Prajapati's father. Where from Prajapati has come? From Brahma. So our father is Prajapati. Prajapati's father is Brahma, Brahmadeva. And Brahmadeva sprung from the navel of Vishnu. That is why by Vishnu you are called great-grandson, great-grandfather, grandfather's father. Brahma is usually addressed as grandfather. That's why he is depicted as an old man having a white beard, etc. But these are all human concepts for the sake of meditation, celebration, puja concept. Like we say, Sairam Krishna is an old man. And in comparison, Swami Vekananda is extremely handsome young man. So our Ishta Devata is great-great-great grand guru. He is old man. He is already a few of black hairs and more of white hairs. All these things have come. This is all wretched human imagination. What is in reality our Sairam Krishna? That is the true nature. So that is what Arjuna is telling. He is so much overcome. He is still shaking. You have to understand from earlier. He has folded his hands and he is talking all these things. What is it? You are Vayu, you are Yama, you are Agni, you are Varuna, you are Shashanka, you are Prajapati and you are great-grandsir Prapeetha Vishnu. Then where is this Vishnu? Where is he? Not he. He is everywhere. So Arjuna sees in front of him. That is what he is telling. Let salutations be to you. How many? Thousands, thousands and millions and billions. Billions. Again. Means again. Again and again. Salutations to you. Salutations to you. Why? Because when you hear somebody is giving you life. Suppose a doctor has given you life. What do you say? My grateful thanks to you. Oh doctor, because of you I have been able to survive. How long will you say? One day? One week? One month? So if you are a good person, whole life you remember that here comes a doctor and he gave me life but for him I would have been dead a long time back. Whole life we become Kritagnas. Kritagna means acknowledging what good someone has done. Otherwise it is called Kritagna. A killer, a destroyer of other people's goodness or our gratitude is completely destroyed. Such a person is not considered as a worthy person at all. So why is Arjuna saluting again and again? Because first of all he showed you are going to win the war. From a purely human point of view I am telling. So he was a warrior. He wanted to participate in the war. He hesitated. God removed all that hesitations and then naturally doubt comes. Okay, I will participate in the war but I am highly doubtful because I have to fight not merely against Duryodhana, Dushasana. They are nothing in front of me. I have defeated them many times in the past. That Uttara Gokarana time I defeated them. Many other times as a student also there were exams, six-monthly exams, yearly exams and final examination where Dronacharya eliminated everybody and gave the highest award to Arjuna. How? Ramakrishna mentions it. Drona called everybody. That is what you call valedictory function and then his last test. So he tied a bird and these people had to pierce the eye of that bird, not merely the bird. So he called one by one and then he asked, what do you see? Oh, I see you. I see all these people. I see the tree. I see the bird. Out. Because such a distracted mind can never reach, can never pierce the eye. So some people said, I don't see anybody excepting the tree and the bird. Out. Then a little more advanced student comes. What do you see? I see the bird. Out. Then finally Arjuna comes. What do you see, Arjuna? I see nothing else excepting the eye of the bird. Yes. That is the first condition. If to be successful, mind must be absolutely focused. And here, by the grace of God, Arjuna was given that divine insight. He realized whom I considered as my greatest well-wisher and intimate friend. Remember of all the Pandavas, Arjuna and Krishna were the closest. Not even Bhima, not even Yudhishthira. He was, Krishna was intimate, closest. How do we know? We will talk about it. Arjuna himself is expressing that relationship earlier. So, seeing this all-pervading Lord and he is protecting me, he has enveloped me, he is protecting me like a baby is protected by a mother, tigress. Nobody can dare to go there. Even a big lion also cannot go. So, like that the infinite Lord is protecting. If he is a human being, he can only protect a little bit for a short time. Infinite Lord is everywhere and he is Ananta, both in time and space. So, he can protect me for all times. And then he also assured me that I have killed, I have done the donkey's work. All that you need to do is just discharge your arrow. Like we see in cinemas, you know, just one fake gun is discharged and then the fellow, like that he falls down. This fellow is nothing but a dummy, that's all. Everything is pre-arranged. I killed everybody but people will see you fought ferociously and you overcame them. That future good news, Arjuna was given, so he was grateful. Not because only of that news about the war. He has been given the highest wisdom of seeing the whole universe as the Divine Lord. That's why it is called Vishwa Roopa Darshana Yoga. Therefore, he cannot but express involuntarily. That's why Jagavandana, Jagavandita Vandita Humaya. Every day we say the whole world recognised you as the only saviour. That is why the whole world is saluting you. And I also recognise, I also join them in saluting you. Further, Arjuna in the 40th shloka, what is he telling? Namah purastat atha prishtataste namo sthute sarvata eva sarva ananta veerya amitavikramahatvam sarvam samapnosi tatosi sarvaha So let us first deal with the last part of this shloka. Ananta veerya, what does it mean? Ananta veerya means you are, your veerya, your valour is infinite. Why? Because you are infinite. It has got deep meanings. If there is Duryodhana, Duryodhana could have won any time Bhima in Gadha Yudha. Why? Because Duryodhana has been practising for all the 13 years the Pandavas were absent. He could jump into the sky and give a blow to Bhima. Whereas this Bhima, I think most probably is wasting his time because of other reasons. So it was not easy. Duryodhana was a great hero. Karna was a great hero. Drona of course is the very teacher of Arjuna. Bhishma was unconquerable. Even his own Shastra Guru Parashurama could not defeat him and had to concede victory to his disciple. Such a great valourous person. But where from they got all that valour? You are the root cause of everybody. If someone is beautiful, that's your beauty. If someone is valourous, it's your valour. If someone is intelligent, If someone is intelligent, that is why he said Just to recollect what we discussed, the very last verse, penultimate verse of the Dasimha Skanda. Last chapter, wherever you see something great in anybody, whether it is an animal, Simhavala or it is Hastivala or Buddhi, it is nothing but manifestation of my own Self. In fact, there is nobody else. Everybody is Bhagawan only. This fact has been given to us in the Chandi. In every form of Rupa, everything, great. Manifesting in either small percentage or a huge percentage. It is nothing but the Divine Mother. So we have no reason to become proud or egotistic. It is nothing but Divine Mother's manifestation. Arjuna, by the grace of God, he was given that Buddhi, capacity to understand. So he understood. That's why he is cognized. If I have valour, it is because you are manifesting in me. If Duryodhana has valour, that is because you are manifesting. If Bhishma is great, that greatness belongs to you. Any greatness belongs to you. Not only greatness, weakness also belongs to you. What is weakness? Small manifestation of power is weakness and bigger manifestation of strength is called valour, etc. There is no end to your strength, to your greatness. You are manifesting in the form of everybody, pervading everybody. You are the inside, outside. The clay pervades every single part. The gold pervades every single ornament. In fact, there is nothing else excepting gold. So that is why, Only clay is the reality. Everything else is a modification of this clay. There is nothing else existing excepting in truth. The clay only. The gold only. The wood only. Anything is made up of anything. So that is being told here. You pervade everything means, in plain language, there is nothing else excepting you. Therefore, you are everything. What is a pot? Clay. What is an ornament? Gold. What is a furniture? Wood. What is this world? Brahma. There is nothing else because inside, outside, everything else is nothing but you. Remember, if there is anything other than Brahman, then this Advaita will fall down. Because Brahman plus something which is not Brahman, and both are existent, and that is not the view of Advaita Vedanta at all. So, Arjuna, we presume, was given this insight. Because Divya Cheshtu means, not only see the Vishwaroopa, that which is also beyond the Vishwaroopa, beyond the Roopa, beyond the Nama. Nirguna Tattva. So, he is telling, what is he telling? What he was seeing? And what was Arjuna seeing? Namaha Purastha. I see in front of you, God. So, my salutations to you, whom I see in front of me. Then behind me, what do I see? Is there somebody other than God? There also same God. Therefore, if I turn that way, that becomes front. If I turn the other way, it becomes the back. So, behind me, only you are existing. To the left side of me, only you exist. Right side of me, only you exist. Above me, you exist. Below me, you exist. Wow! Wonderful! Then, what about me? Do you exist as me or excluding me? You exist everywhere. That is foolish thought. Because, if everything is God, what is called Arjuna or me, is I, is nothing but that one reality. Itnamaroopa. Therefore, he cannot salute him enough. Because, wherever he is seeing, he is seeing only Brahman. That's why in the Ashtavakra Samhita, it is Therefore, salutations to myself. Because, I am everything. Of course, this is human language, you must understand. There is no saluter and there is no one who is saluted. In Advaita Drishti, Guru and Sishya cannot see each other. Because, there are no two. That is the thing. Therefore, he says, salutations to you who is before, salutations to you who is behind, salutations to you on every side. Because, wherever I see, I see only God. Kamsa, he was given the fright of his life by that Akashvani. Thereafter, whomsoever he sees, oh, maybe Krishna is coming to kill me. He hears some words. Maybe Krishna is telling, I am going to kill Kamsa. So, whether he is in waking state, dream state, dreamless state, he was seeing Krishna and Krishna and Krishna and nowhere else. When Gopis were dancing in Rasha Leela, what were they seeing? Krishna, Krishna, Krishna. Karmam, Krishnamayam, Jagat. This was the experience. Therefore, whom is he going to salute? That is a human word. That is why he says. Then Arjuna realized, oh, Lord, when we were moving together before this event, I loved you, we loved each other and you put up with so many things. At that time, whether when we are alone, whether we are in the presence of other people, I did not hesitate to call you by names. You are, oh, friend. Hey, Yadava. Hey, Krishna. Hey, Sakha. Hey, Yadava. Yaduvamsheya. Belonging to the lineage of Yadu family. Or, hey, Krishna. Because, friends do not call Mr. so and so, Sir so and so. They just call by their names. That's all. So, or sometimes, so I also called you, hey, friend. Hey, Krishna. Hey, Yaduvamsheya. And many other things also. He must have called him a useless fellow. I am asking some advice and you are giving a rotten advice. He must have told him also. He must have pulled the legs of Krishna just as Krishna also pulled the legs of Arjuna. Because that is common thing between friends. Bhagavatam describes that Brahma was seeing. How fortunate is this great. All people, they are constantly seeing the Parabrahma. All the Gopas, they are going together and they are putting their hands on each other's shoulders. They are sharing all whatever their mothers have bundled them for lunch. All of them are sharing together. Many times we see you are requesting Krishna. Krishna, there are nice food materials, fruits, etc. But there are ferocious demons there. But we know you can get that food for us. They are demanding. Krishna says definitely I will go. You just follow me. I will fulfill your desires. Whatever being guarded with so much of power of the demons. It was all completely useless before the power of Krishna. And when they were eating each other, it must have been eaten by somebody. Krishna did not hesitate to eat him. Like you know a child comes and sits in front of mother's plate when she is eating. What do you think he will do? He will be eating. So mother is eating what is eaten by the child. Child is also eating what is eaten by the mother. And two lovers, they have no secrets. They eat whatever they share. Everything, there is nothing that is not sacred for each one of them. So Arjuna behaving like that, Arjuna understood. Now he said, my God, whom have I been mixing with? What was my understanding about him? I know he was a great man, a little greater than me. But I never knew he was the divine Lord, the Srishti Kartha. So this is being depicted in the next few shlokas. The supreme being has been living with me as my friend and companion. But I never recognized him, the very Godhead. So I have treated him as a man, as a friend. I did not know his divinity. So I overlooked his divinity. So he now asks his forgiveness. Here, Shri Ramakrishna says, you know, a child is a prince. And the prince doesn't say, oh, my father is a king, my mother is a queen and I am a prince. That is not there. I am a child, here is my father, here is my mother. I can just run and throw myself into her lap. Can anybody do it? They will incur punishment, they will even incur the death punishment. But for a child, he can do whatever he likes. There is a beautiful story. Birbal was the greatest intelligent person in Akbar's court. And Akbar naturally had a big beard. He had a grandson. And this grandson does sometimes mischief, even while sitting in the emperor's lap. So one day in the court, a big discussion came. If anybody pulls the beard of Akbar, then what punishment should he, what should be done to him? Everybody with one voice said, should be killed. And Birbal was the only one who said, no, no, no. It all depends upon circumstance. But sometimes you have to reward him with the greatest reward. Everybody said, what nonsense are you talking? Our Jahanpana's beard has to be pulled and you are talking that that person should be rewarded. Prove it. Yes, yes, give me one week's time, I will prove it. So this Birbal was a favorite uncle of this grandson of Akbar. So he took the permission of Akbar. He used to take him to his home and conditioned him. But Birbal also had a beard. So this child was conditioned, every time he pulls Birbal's beard, he will get one sweet and chocolate and many other things. For one week, every time he pulls, he was being rewarded. So the time for testing had come and one day everybody is sitting. Birbal, can you prove that if somebody pulls the beard of Akbar, he should be rewarded? He says, just in one minute I will prove. So he brought the grandson and he whispered, see, go and do what you are doing with me to your grandfather. See, you will get much better things than what you are getting from me. Poor child, he just ran, jumped into Akbar's lap and started furiously pulling the beard of Akbar. Of course, Akbar understood and he started playing him with so many things. And then Birbal turned, looked down upon everybody, you foolish courtiers, don't you understand? If he is a beloved, then he will get more reward. If he is an enemy, he will get punishment. So there is no one absolute rule. Now, what I am talking to you, that because we do not know the greatness, one can run to holy mother like anything. In fact, I remember a beautiful story. These verses will be understood very nicely. So holy mother was living at Udbodhan and there was one devotee who was very close to holy mother. Close in the sense, he used to do mother's work. He could go to the mother's room at any time and speak with her and she also treated him like her grandchild. And then he became proud. I can ask anything of holy mother. So one day early morning, they were all brushing their teeth and mother had sat down for puja. Swami Madhavanandaji who understood this egotism of this devotee called him and said, Chandru, can you go to mother and ask her that mother give me mukti. He said, just wait a second. I will run up and run down and I will ask mother and bring the answer to you. So he said, he thought he could do whatever he liked. As he started climbing, his heart started beating terribly. He could hardly climb. By the time he approached the puja room, his whole body was shaking, his legs were terribly shaking and somehow he petrified. He stood in front. Mother noticed him and said, what do you want by Sai with his hands? He said, I want some prasada. Mother indicated with very serious look, here is prasada, take it and get the hell out of here. And somehow with great difficulty, he took a few pieces of prasada and was able to come down. Did you ask? He said, no. As if somebody had shut my mouth completely down. So many times Ramakrishna, Holy Mother, Swami Vivekananda, just like children, only after he passed away, then they, oh my God, with whom did we live for so many years and he never allowed us to think anything of him. Now we know that he is like a burning midday sun. We could not have approached him, but like a loving grandfather, he allowed us, so he joked with us, but he is the greatest soul in this world. Now Arjuna was in that condition, so he is telling, O Lord, whatever I have rashly said from inadvertence or love, addressing you as O Krishna, O Yadava or O friend, regarding Thee merely as a friend, unaware of Thy greatness, and in whatever other ways I may have shown disrespect to Thee, while playing or resting, while sitting or eating, while alone or in the presence of others, O Eternal Lord, all that I implore Thee, O Immeasurable One, please forgive me. Of course, is there any need to say please forgive me? If God did not want, could Arjuna have done all those things? It would have been impossible. It was the God only who made him do it, who behaved like that. So there is an incident in the life of Sri Ramakrishna. This was the reminiscence of Ashwini Kumar Dutta. It comes at the very fag end of the gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. There, in one instance, he was telling, he just talked with Sri Ramakrishna and he made fun also. Sri Ramakrishna asked, because it was a very hot summer day, can you bring that something which is fuzzy, which is very cool and all that. Then Ashwini Kumar Dutta understood. Oh, you want lemonade? Yes, yes, yes, yes, sir. Next time I come, I bring. And then there was a conversation and then very as an ordinary person, Sri Ramakrishna talked with him. Ashwini Kumar Dutta afterwards, he came out, said, my God, in whose presence had I been? And he never allowed me to think he was so great. Now I wonder how I could behave with him like a child. That's because God allowed him. God only wants him. He doesn't want him, his devotees to be far away. So he will not show his frightening appearance. But now because of special circumstances, Bhagavan Krishna is telling. So what was Arjuna telling? Whether when we were alone, when we were in the presence of other people, I addressed you because I did not know anything about you. I knew you are my friend. You are my greatest. You are a person who loved me, who allowed me to do whatever I wanted to do with you, all because of your grace. I addressed you sometimes as Hey Aadava, means Hey Dhuvamshiya or Hey Krishna, Hey Krishna, come here. Let us go for a walk or Hey Sakha, Oh, my dear friend. Many other epithets I have used. Sometimes I respected you. Sometimes I made fun of you and we shared everything. But now I am not in that condition. I know who you are. Therefore, oh Lord, please forgive me. Of course, as I said, there was no need to forgive at all. These beautiful concepts, what happened, we will discuss in our next class. May Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti.