-7th chapter: verses 19, 20, 21
-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on March 5, 2020.
-19th verse: “The highest stage in spiritual evolution is to realize that there is one supreme reality that pervades the entire universe and that the same reality is present in all of us. Such exalted spiritual seekers, who see everything as an expression of Vasudeva, are rare.”
-This highest stage is the natural culmination of our spiritual evolution. To reach this highest stage, we may have to go through many life cycles of evolution. We have to accumulate enough positive samskaras through spiritual practices. Eventually, we will reach this destination.
-Vasudeva is the name of a Hindu deity. In this verse, it means the one who lives in all jivas, and who is all-pervading. At the highest stage, we feel God’s presence in all our interactions - even when we are not in the temple or not reading a holy book.
-In the Bhagavata Purana, there is a dialog between King Nimi and the Nava Yogis. In answer to the King’s question: “Who is an ideal devotee of God?”, one of the sages gives the following answer: “The one who sees in all beings the presence of God, and who sees the presence of all beings in God.“
-20th verse: “Those who do not have the highest spiritual knowledge, they follow certain rituals, and turn to deities, impelled by their desires and their own innate nature.”
-In early stages of evolution, we turn to God compelled by our needs and desires. Because we lack the highest spiritual knowledge, we conceptualize our own ideas of God, without realizing that Vasudeva is the ultimate goal – the desires color our idea of God, and we look upon God as an agency that comes to our rescue.
-When our prayers are answered, our conviction that God is a reality becomes deeper. Then we begin our further evolution.
-If we turn to transcendental reality with evil desires, the same evil desires get stronger. This is why it is important to practice yamas and niyamas before undertaking intense spiritual practices.
-Extreme selfish desires lead to self-destruction. Bhasmasura prayed to God due to his selfish desire to have the power to turn into ashes anyone on whom he placed his hand. He ended up using his power on himself and turned into ashes.
-Even when we reach the highest idea of transcendental reality, at practical level, we do not reject the idea of the beautiful, charming, heartening idea of a personal God. This is best illustrated in the writing of Madhusudan Saraswati. After writing Advaita Siddhi, which describes the Absolute Reality as attribute-less, transcendental, all pervading and impersonal, he said: “My highest idea of God is the child Krishna holding his flute, wearing a yellow cloth and with beautiful childish eyes.”
-21st verse: “Whatsoever form a devotee seeks to worship God with full shraddha, that shraddha is enough for him to reach his goal.”
-Shraddha is the highest qualification needed to reach our spiritual goal. Shraddha refers to a sense of sincerity, integrity and purity. It is the language of the heart, not head.
-A humble person, with no knowledge of scriptures, but who has a pure heart, who is compassionate, who follows yamas and niyamas – that person, when he approaches God with his heart, God will open his door to him. He will realize the supreme truth.
-In the Parable of the Sower, the seeds fall on fertile ground as well as rocky surfaces and thorny bushes. The results depend on the quality of the soil where the seeds fell. Shraddha is like fertile soil. A person with shraddha surrenders to God and eventually connects with the highest spiritual reality.