TAVASMI Uttrayan Bhagvat Gita

1. TAVASMIUttrayanBhagvat Gita December 5, 2010

2. Agenda • Yamunastak – Meaning of Namami Yamuna Aham • Sarva Vyapak Dinta • Bhagvat Gita • Uttrayan • DVD

3. Pushti Marg Review • One of the philosophies within Hinduism is “Shuddha-Adwait”. • Non-Dualism (“Adwait”) means Oneness. • Pure Non-Dualism (“Shuddha-Adwait”) means • Absolute Oneness. • Meaning that the Soul is One with the Supreme Being

4. Essential Elements to Pushtimarg: Sarv-Vyapak Dinta (Chapter 20) • Sarv – all, everything, complete • Vyapak – comprehensive, broad, expansive, unspecific • Dinta – Humility • Total Humility to everything and everyone. • Humility – the quality of not being proud or arrogant or being modest, courteously respectful. • Pushti Marg is experienced when one has 'dinta'. • When seva and remembrance are done lovingly with selfless humbleness, God is pleased and bestows His grace. • One should always see the divinity in all Vaishnavs and maintain relations lovingly with humbleness.

5. Pushti Marg and Humility • Being humble encourages us not to hold any grudges or prejudices for any one. • Humility teaches us to be less judgmental. When we are less judgmental of persons, we tend to accept others as they are. • Our humbleness should not be the result of our helplessness against the adverse circumstances. It should not be the result of our defeat. • We must be willing to be humble to Krishna And to Krishna’s creations -- all the living (humans, animals, plants, etc) and non-living (rocks, mountains, wood, metal, etc) objects of the universe. • This level of humility is known as Wholesome Humility – being humble to all, no exception. • How do we become humble?

6. Methods of Humility (1) • We tend to hide our weakness and our limitations and pretend otherwise. • We also tend to find faults with others instead of accepting our faults. • Our ego makes us behave in such a manner. • Once we begin to understand and accept our weakness, our limitations, our faults, our mistakes, our ego starts melting and we begin to feel humble.

7. Methods of Humility (2) • When we are successful and wealthy, we tend to feel powerful and invincible. We tend to believe that nothing or no one can surpass us. We tend to believe that we are above all and nothing can harm us. • When we realize and accept Krishna’s almightiness we feel humble to Krishna. • When we realize and accept the fact that Krishna is omnipotent (all powerful), omniscience (all knowing) and omnipresent (exists everywhere), we are overwhelmed with humility towards Krishna. • When we realize and accept the fact that we are nothing but a small part of Krishna, The ParBrahm, we feel powerless and we feel humble to Him. • When we realize and accept that Krishna is superior to us in all aspects, we feel humble to Him. • When we acquire a high degree of humility towards Krishna, it makes us patient against the miseries of life, it makes us tranquil – at peace with ourselves. • Our wholesome humility makes us beloved of Krishna. • Krishna is then willing to grant us an experience of His Divine Love.

8. Example of Humility • When ShriNathji blessed Vallabhacharya with BrahmSambandh Mantra (midnight of Pavitra Agyarus), Vallabhacharya’s disciple DamodarDas Harsaniji was sleeping a few feet away. • Next morning, Vallabhacharya asked Harsaniji whether he heard and understood anything. • Harsaniji said: “GuruDev, I heard what Shriji said but did not understand anything. Please be kind to me and explain me the meaning of your conversation with Shriji.” • Vallabhacharya was very much pleased with Harsaniji’s humbleness. He initiated Harsaniji with BrahmSambandh and explained him its meaning. Harsaniji’s denial that he did not understand anything (even though he heard everything) was an example of his humility to his Guru Vallabhacharya. • He loved and respected his Guru Vallabhacharya so much that he wished to understand BrahmSambandh only from his Guru. • That is wholesome Humility.

9. Bhagvad Gita • Part of Discussion

10. Uttrayan • Uttarayan comes from joining two different Sanskrit words "Uttara" (North) and "ayana" (movement towards). Uttarayan (Makar Sakranti) is the day when the sun starts to travel towards north as a sign of coming summer and longer days. • Makar Sankranti, when the sun moves from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn, commemorates the beginning of the harvest season and cessation of the northeast monsoon in South India. The movement of the earth from one zodiac sign into another is called Sankranti and as the Sun moves into the Capricorn zodiac known as Makar in Hindi, this occasion is named as Makar Sankranti in the Indian context. It is one of the few Hindu Indian festivals which are celebrated on a fixed date i.e. 14th January every year. • Uttarayan, is the six month period between Makar Sankranti around (January 14) and Karka Sankranti around (July 14), when the Sun travels towards north on the celestial sphere. The period from July 14 to January 14 is known is Dakshināyana. The starting of Uttarayan is celebrated as Makara Sankranti throughout India.

11. Uttrayan: Religious Significance • According to the Puranas, Surya visits the house of his son Shani (Saturn). Though the father and son did not get along well, Surya made it a point to meet his son. He comes to his son’s house, for a month. This day symbolizes the importance of the relationship between father and son. • It was on this day when Lord Vishnu ended the increasing terror of the Asuras (Demons) by burying their heads under the Mandara Parvata, representing the end of 'negativities' and beginning of righteous living. • Another well-known reference of this day came when the great grand-sire of Mahabharata fame, Bhishma. declared his intent to leave his mortal coil on this day. He had the boon of Ichha-Mrityu(death at his will) from his father, so he kept lying on the bed of arrows till this day and then left on Makar Sankranti day. • It is believed that the person, who dies during the period of Uttarayan, becomes free from transmigration(rebirth). So this day was seen as a definite auspicious day to start a journey or endeavors to the higher realms beyond.

12. Uttrayan Celebrations • Uttrayan is celebrated all over South Asia with different names. In India, each region has different customs that typically consist of gatherings and food. The food is usually something that causes warmth and gives the body energy since this is a winter holiday. • Gujarat: Uttrayan and Vasi Uttrayan; Eating Undhiyu and Chikki made from Sesame and Peanuts • Maharastra: Haldi-Kum Kum—celebration for married women • Karnataka: Celebration involving cows; eat sesame seeds, coconut, and jaggery • Punjab: Lodi or Lohri; create bonfires and throw in rice and sugar canes • Nepal: Maghi • Thailand: Songkran • Laos: Pi Ma Lao • Myanmar: Thingyan • Cambodia: Moha Sangkran

13. Uttrayan Celebrations: Kites • Since Surya is celebrated on Uttrayan, kites are believed to be a way to reach Surya. • Previous kings also created kite flying competitions on this day as kite flying was a competitive ritual.