Uddhava Gita

[ArvindakshDas]

O King, I have taken shelter of twenty-four gurus, who are the following: the earth, air, sky, water, fire, moon, sun, pigeon and python; the sea, moth, honeybee, elephant and honey thief; the deer, the fish, the prostitute Pingala, the kurara bird and the child; and the young girl, arrow maker, serpent, spider and wasp. My dear King, by studying their activities I have learned the science of the self.

[Pritesh01]

Chapter 7. Sri Krishna's instructions to Uddhava - Uddhava Gita - in reply to his queries. Need of preceptor for salvation - avadhuta and story of eight out of twenty-four preceptors.

 

Beginning with the seventh chapter till chapter twenty-nine, the Lord instructs Uddhava, answering several doubts and questions raised by Uddhava. This part of Srimad Bhagavatham is generally referred to as Uddhava Gita. There is a remarkable resemblance in its content to the Bhagavad-Gita spoken to Arjuna by Sri Krishna in Mahabharat. The Lord confirms to Uddhava, His intention to exit the world, the impending disaster waiting upon Dwaraka, the setting in of the disastrous Kali age and instructing Uddhava to develop a dispassionate outlook and an attitude of renunciation. Uddhava confesses his ignorance and says that he is too attached to this body and bodily ties as a result of the Lord's Maya; and therefore afflicted by sorrows. He therefore seeks refuge in the Lord. The Lord, in reply, states that, very often, with own efforts people are unable to reach fulfillment and therefore need the help of a Guru. He further states that, of all evolved bodies; the human body is most dear to Him as it provides the required apparatus for self-realization. Those who are ever vigilant, in this human body, directly discover Me, says the Lord. By way of illustration, the Lord narrates the ancient legend of a dialogue between Yadu and an ascetic of a high order. Yadu is amazed at the penetrating wisdom and simplicity and the blissful nature of the ascetic and inquires about the reasons for the same. In answering this query of Yadu, the ascetic details the 24 gurus or preceptors from whom he has derived his lessons in life. This is an amazing list of items in our midst including the five primary elements from whom there is so much to learn. Of the 24 gurus cited, 8 gurus are dealt in chapter seven. They are the earth,air,sky,water,fire,moon,the sun and the dove.

 

 

[ArvindakshDas]

Shri Shri Guru Gauranga Jayatah !!!

 

Uddhava Gita continued...

 

(Avadhuta Gita)

 

11th Canto, Chapter 7, Verses 36-39

 

Please listen, O son of Maharaja Yayati, O tiger among men, as I explain to you what I have learned from each of these gurus.

 

A sober person, even when harassed by other living beings, should understand that his aggressors are acting helplessly under the control of God, and thus he should never be distracted from progress on his own path. This rule I have learned from the earth.

 

A saintly person should learn from the mountain to devote all his efforts to the service of others and to make the welfare of others the sole reason for his existence. Similarly, as the disciple of the tree, he should learn to dedicate himself to others.

 

A learned sage should take his satisfaction in the simple maintenance of his existence and should not seek satisfaction through gratifying the material senses. In other words, one should care for the material body in such a way that one’s higher knowledge is not destroyed and so that one’s speech and mind are not deviated from self-realization.

 

[ArvindakshDas]

Shri Shri Guru Gauranga Jayatah !!!

 

Verse 11-7-40: Even a devotee is surrounded by innumerable material objects, which possess good and bad qualities. However, one who has transcended material good and evil should not become entangled even when in contact with the material objects; rather, he should act like the wind.

Also a pure devotee knows that Lord Krishna is everywhere –

 

Ito Narsinha (Krishna) parto Narsinha, yato yato yami tato Narsinha;

Bahir Narsinha hridaye Narsinha, Narsinham adim sharanam prapade

 

Therefore there is no such thing as “Material” for a truly enlightened devotee. Such a devotee sees everything in relation to the devotional service of Shri Shri Radha Govinda.

 

[ArvindakshDas]

Shri Shri Guru Gauranga Jayatah !!!

 

Uddhava Gita continued 11-7-41&42:

 

Although a self-realized soul may live in various material bodies while in this world, experiencing their various qualities and functions, he is never entangled, just as the wind which carries various aromas does not actually mix with them.

 

A thoughtful sage, even while living within a material body, should understand himself to be pure spirit soul. Similarly, one should see that the spirit soul enters within all forms of life, both moving and non-moving. The sage should further observe that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as the Supersoul, is simultaneously present within all things.

 

Ito Narsinha (Krishna) parto Narsinha, yato yato yami tato Narsinha;

Bahir Narsinha hridaye Narsinha, Narsinham adim sharanam prapade

 

Shrila Prabhupada gave a lot of emphasis on this verse for a person young in devotional service.

 

The Supersoul can be understood by comparing them to the nature of the sky: although the sky extends everywhere and everything rests within the sky, the sky does not mix with anything, nor can it be divided by anything.

 

[Guest guest]

Uddhava Gita 11-7-43

 

Although the mighty wind blows clouds and storms across the sky, the sky is never implicated or affected by these activities. Similarly, the spirit soul is not actually changed or affected by contact with the material nature. Although the living entity enters within a body made of earth, water and fire, and although he is impelled by the three modes of nature created by eternal time, his eternal spiritual nature is never actually affected.

 

[Guest guest]

O King, a saintly person is just like water because he is free from all contamination, gentle by nature, and by speaking creates a beautiful vibration like that of flowing water. Just by seeing, touching or hearing such a saintly person, the living entity is purified, just as one is cleansed by contact with pure water. Thus a saintly person, just like a holy place, purifies all those who contact him because he always chants the glories of the Lord.

[Guest guest]

Verse 11-7-48

 

The various phases of one’s material life, beginning with birth and culminating in death, are all properties of the body and do not affect the soul, just as the apparent waxing and waning of the moon does not affect the moon itself. Such changes are enforced by the imperceptible movements of time.

[Guest guest]

11-7-52: One should never indulge in excessive affection or concern for anyone or anything material; otherwise one will have to experience great suffering, just like the foolish pigeon.

 

Ones affection should always be towards the transcendental love and devotional service of Shri Hari Guru & Vaishnavas.

 

[Guest guest]

Shrimad Bhagvatam 11-8-5&6

 

A saintly sage is happy and pleasing in his external behaviour, whereas internally he is most grave and thoughtful. Because he has transcendental knowledge and is never disturbed. In all respects he is like the tranquil waters of the ocean.

 

During the rainy season the swollen rivers rush into the ocean, and during the dry summer the rivers, now shallow, severely reduce their supply of water, yet the ocean does not swell up during the rainy season, nor does it dry up in the hot summer. In the same way, a saintly devotee who has accepted the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the goal of his life sometimes will receive by providence great material opulence, and sometimes he will find himself materially destitute. However, such a devotee of the Lord does not rejoice in abundance of material pleasures, nor is he morose when lacking in material pleasures.

 

[Guest guest]

Shrimad Bhagvatam 11-8-7:

 

One who has failed to control his senses immediately feels attraction upon seeing a woman’s form, which is created by the illusory energy of the Supreme Lord. Indeed, when the woman speaks with enticing words, smiles coquettishly and moves her body sensuously, his mind is immediately captured, and thus he falls blindly into the darkness of material existence, just as the moth maddened by the fire rushes blindly into its flames.

[Guest guest]

Shrimad Bhagvatam 11-8-18:

 

Becoming attracted to the worldly singing, dancing and musical entertainment of beautiful women, even the great sage Rsyasrnga, the son of Mrgi, fell totally under their control, just like a pet animal.

 

[Guest guest]

Shrimad Bhagvatam 11-8-21:

 

Although one may conquer all of the other senses, as long as the tongue is not conquered it cannot be said that one has controlled his senses. However, if one is able to control the tongue, then one is understood to be in full control of all the senses.

 

[Guest guest]

Shrimad Bhagavatam 11.8.41:

The intelligence of the living entity is stolen away by activities of sense gratification, and thus he falls into the dark well of material existence. Within that well he is then seized by the deadly serpent of time. Who else but Shri Shri Radha Govinda could save the poor living entity from such a hopeless condition?

[Guest guest]

A very happy Janamashtami to everyone. And with the grace of Shri shri Radha Govinda, may our desire for devotional service increase every moment.

[Guest guest]

SB 11.9.12:

The mind can be controlled when it is fixed in the devotional service of Shri Hari Guru and Vaishnavas. Having achieved a stable situation, the mind becomes free from polluted desires to execute material activities; thus as the mode of goodness increases in strength, one can completely give up the modes of passion and ignorance, and gradually one transcends even the material mode of goodness. When the mind is freed from the fuel of the modes of nature, the fire of material existence is extinguished. Then one achieves the transcendental platform of direct relationship with the object of his meditation, the Supreme Lord.

[Guest guest]

Shrimad Bhagavatam 11.9.29:

 

After many, many births and deaths one achieves the rare human form of life, which, although temporary, affords one the opportunity to attain the highest perfection. Thus a sober human being should quickly endeavor for the ultimate perfection of life as long as his body, which is always subject to death, has not fallen down and died. After all, sense gratification is available even in the most abominable species of life, whereas loving devotional service of Shri Shri Radha Govinda is possible only for a human being.

 

[Guest guest]

Shrimad Bhagavatam 11.9.31:

 

Although the Absolute Truth is one without a second, the sages have described Him in many different ways. Therefore one may not be able to acquire very firm or complete knowledge from one spiritual master.

[Guest guest]

Uddhava Gita - Shrimad Bhagavatam 11.10.1-3

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Taking full shelter in Me, with the mind carefully fixed in the devotional service of the Lord as spoken by Me, one should live without personal desire and practice the social and occupational system called Varnashram Dharma.

 

A purified soul should see that because the conditioned souls who are dedicated to sense gratification have falsely accepted the objects of sense pleasure as truth, all of their endeavors are towards failure and fruitless in the long run.

 

One who is sleeping may see many objects of sense gratification in a dream, but such pleasurable things are merely creations of the mind and are thus ultimately temporary. Similarly, the living entity who is asleep to his spiritual identity also sees many sense objects, but these innumerable objects of temporary gratification are creations of the Lord's illusory potency and have no permanent existence. One who meditates upon them, impelled by the senses, uselessly engages his intelligence.

 

[Guest guest]

Shrimad Bhagavatam 11.10.4

One who has fixed Me within his mind as the goal of life (devotional loving service of Shri Shri Radha Govinda) should give up activities based on sense gratification and should instead execute work governed by the regulative principles for advancement. When, however, one is fully engaged in searching out the ultimate truth of the soul, one should not accept the scriptural injunctions governing fruitive activities.