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Part 1: The Dialogue at the Gate: Śukadeva and the Keeper of Janaka’s Wisdom Come, let us all bow at the feet of our mother and chant Oṁkāra with me. Dhoraṁ bhi paśam kuśabhja bhayavar Ganapati mamalaṁ, śetaṁ prasannam. Mātvāṁ ghirjā mati śaḥ cara, Prāṇa śarīram grāha, Pūjate viṣyop bhoga racanā, Yidrā samādhi stati, Sañcara padiyo pradakṣaṇa vidhi stotrani sarva giro. Yad yad karma karo mitat yad akhilam Śambho tavāra dhanam. Yā devī sarva-bhūteṣu mātrī-rūpeṇa saṅsthitā, yā namastasye namastasya namastasye namo namaḥ. Yā devī sarva-bhūteṣu pradhā-rūpeṇa saṅsthitā. Namasthashe, Namasthashe,... Śivāya Sarvārthasāthe Saraṇyetrayambakega, Nārāyaṇe Namostute. Śrī Rām may sab jag jānī, Karhu praṇām jorī utal vachal. "Vīṇādaṇḍaṁ kathaṁ rājyaṁ karoti janaka kilā, Dharmeṇa vartate loko daṇḍaś cenna bhaved yadi." Tell us, Ṣaḍguru Mahārāj Jī, you heard in yesterday’s story that Maharṣi Vedavyāsa Jī obligated his son Śukadeva Jī to marry, and Śukadeva Jī told of the sorrows of marriage and family. Today, you will hear such a truth that very few people know. Until we read the Devī Bhāgavatam—and only the Bhāgavatam or other scriptures—we are like a bulb in the house: there is light, but it is not switched on. Without the study of the Devī Bhāgavatam, we can read others, like the Bhāgavatam or other Purāṇas. But when we read and listen to the Devī Bhāgavatam, the real light comes into our life. It is a very big question. This is the question of this generation. It is a different thing that today’s generation does not want to get married because they do not want to be bound. They want more happiness. But Śukadeva Jī does not want to get married because he wants to teach the world about the divine elements. There is a slight difference. But Śukadeva Jī is not satisfied with his father. This is the great pain if a son or daughter is not on the right path. But this is the ultimate and very deep pain if our children are ready to quit this world, and they want to do just meditation, and they want to live with the master. Kī guru ke sāth rahenge. This trouble is still seen today. If someone in the house takes sannyāsa, the family members feel great sorrow. If a man smokes a little, is in bad company, or is addicted to alcohol, it does not cause so much trouble. But if someone thinks of taking sannyāsa at home, then it becomes very sad. You should try to do it at home today itself. If somebody decides, "I will take sannyāsa," then all the family members will be worried. And if you are going to a club, a party, or the beach, or doing everything, then they will be only a little bit worried. Because there is one wish of society and family: you should be according to me. Samāj aur parivār, jisko āp prem karte ho, vastu to to insān ko prem kā matlab hī nahī̃ pata. Kyuki jise hum prem kehte hain, vastu to vo prem nahi hain, adhikar hain, hum adhikar jatate hain. So, Vyāsa Jī’s feeling for Śukadeva Jī is not prem (pure love), it is moh (attachment). And moh dukhasya kāraṇam—attachment is the reason for sadness. Therefore, here the teachings of Buddha and Mahāvīra will also come through this message. And in the Śrīmad Bhagavad Gītā, the conversation between Arjuna and Lord Kṛṣṇa, you will also get a glimpse of that. Because it is not easy for us to recite the Devī Bhagavad Gītā. So, what has been said in the reference will be even more difficult. This is exactly the same thing: you did not eat the food kept on your plate, and the one who is sitting in the kitchen is kept in the fridge or brought to the neighbor’s shop. It is very difficult. In the Devī Bhāgavatam, today we should have come to Mahiṣāsura Pañcama Skanda; now we are in Prathama Skanda only. But whatever we listen to, if we listen to one thing properly, then we can understand everything. We can run anywhere in life, but we are not going to reach anywhere. And whatever has to happen, Thākurjī has already decided. Śukadeva Jī said, "If Rājā Janaka convinces me, if I satisfy the logic of Rājā Janaka, then I will be ready for marriage." This is what Śukadeva Jī is saying. Now, how many of you know whether Śukadeva Jī married or not? This is a very big thing today. Basant Jī plays the flute and tells stories in foreign countries. He is a very good artist. He is in Vyāsa Pīṭha. Tell us whether Śukadeva Jī married or not. You will find out in half an hour. And see, Śukadeva Jī is going to Janakpur, which is considered to be in Nepal. And this king is the same Janaka who was the father of Sītā, or someone else. There is doubt in this matter too. Because after him, all his descendants were called Videhas. So all the kings were considered as Videhas. Now, what are these Vedas and what are those Videhas? There is a difference in this. As I told you yesterday, Vyāsa is also 28. Vedavyāsa is not one; 28 Vedavyāsas are there. That is why, to understand these Purāṇas, at least for one or two years, you should give at least two years to these Purāṇas, Vedas, and Upaniṣads. Enter the Uttama Āśrama. People go to the Sannyāsa Āśrama to learn. These are the people who are sitting in the Gṛhastha Āśrama. Rājā Janaka is going to them. And how many days have you reached, Mahārāj? Śukadeva Jī, in about two years, traveled by foot, crossed the Himalayas, and reached Mithilā. We need a car five times a day from here to there, and we need a driver. Bhīṣma Pitāmaha asked Mahārāj, "How did you win over death?" He said, "I used to walk for 20 km every day. I never ate curd at night, and I considered all women as my mother. Because of this, I won over death." There are 10 to 20 more things in that, like ascension in Brahmāvṛta, etc. But these three rules were never left: walking for twenty kilometers, walking on foot. One of Girdharāj Bābā’s rituals should be done every day. Say Girdharāj, one ritual of Dhan Bhagavān should be done every day. Now see, Śukadeva Jī walked for two years. This has not happened for the first time. Swami Rama Tīrtha came, went on a long journey abroad, and walked a lot. And Param Pūjya Sadguru, Śaṅkarācārya Bhagavān, at the age of seven years, walked all over India on foot. Walking on foot reduces the desire in the mind, and sins are washed away. Otherwise, you say, "I have come to Delhi, go in the morning, come back in the evening, go to four great cities." You have not come by going. When we walk from this city to another city and do not take the support of any vehicle—by car or bus, just by feet—this experience gives a light and purity in our heart, definitely. Now, birds fly from Siberia. Most animals live well. Since man has developed, he has had problems with his knees. Śukadeva Jī reached. When he entered Mithilā, he saw that people were always complete. And the gatekeeper stopped him. The gatekeeper said, "You are dumb, you are deaf. Why are you not saying anything? Who do you want to meet? Tell me. Go meet a big man. If you go to meet him, people will stop you in the middle. You go to meet the Chief Minister or anyone." Śukadeva Jī said, "The work for which I have come here will not be completed by asking you. This is not the palace of the king; they are standing outside the gate. They have not entered the city, and I had come to see the foreign city, but the entry here is strange. I made a mistake through ignorance. I have come here to meet the king by crossing two mountains. One or two Sumeru mountains came and said, 'These two Dvārapālas are mountains for me.' So Dvārapāla should be like a mountain. The gatekeeper should be like a mountain. You cannot cross them without their inquiry. He stood on my chest. He said he called me a mountain. This is a kind of abuse—that you are a mountain. You stood like a mountain." So Śukadeva Jī says that my father also rejected me. He told me to go to meet Rājā Janaka. In this world, the purpose of traveling is to earn money. But I don’t have any desire for that. I just came here on a whim. My father told me to meet Rājā Janaka. And what do I tell you? Why did I come here? Where is Sumeru mountain, and where is Mithilāpurī? I have come here on foot. Where is Sumeru mountain, and where is Mithilāpurī? How many mountains are there in between? At that time, Vyāsa Jī used to live on Sumeru mountain. Later, he went to Badrikāśrama, to Sarasvatī. Oh ho! What do people think? Whenever someone goes to meet someone, he must have come to take something. Śukadeva Jī says that it is his mistake that he thinks this. Some love can also come, some knowledge can also come. All people do not come to take money; this is your mistake. There is no pilgrimage here, there is no knowledge to be obtained, for which my effort was useless. I came after hearing the name of Mahārāj Janaka, I thought. He is foreign. He lives in this body, but still he does not live in the body. I came after hearing this. By doing this, Śukadeva Jī became quiet. But now you listen. Rājā Janaka’s Dvārapāla is also not an ordinary person. Now he is also taking a test. "Okay, Mahārāj, I have stopped you. Forgive me. O Mahābhāga! You can forgive the free people. You just tell me, what is happiness and what is sadness?" This Dvārapāla is taking the test of Śukadeva Jī. Ask Buddha, he said, "Sukhānu ṣai rāga, Dukhānu ṣai dveṣa." Happiness—when the mind gets stuck in the rāga (attachment), and that rāga gets fulfilled, then there is happiness. And when that rāga is not fulfilled, then there is sorrow. Śukadeva Jī said that the one who has rāga in this world is called a rāgī. And that rāgī has many kinds of happiness and sorrows. See, there is such a doorkeeper, such is his police of Rājā Janaka, such is his military, that he also has knowledge of spirituality. He knew about happiness and sorrow. Happiness and sorrow are things of the mind, so the knowledge of the mind was for the people there. Śukadeva Jī kī bāte sun kar ke usko bahut acchā lagā. Now he started asking, "Mahārāj, manuṣya ke duśman kaun hai?" Who are the enemies? This is the dialogue between Sadgurū Śukadeva Jī and the gatekeeper of Rājā Janaka. And a guard is asking, the police is asking Śukadeva Jī, "What is, who are the enemies?" Śukadeva Jī kehte hain, muskrane lagge, Bole main Ved Vyās jī kā putra hūṁ, betā. Kām hī haiṁ hamārā sattva. Lust, greed, and anger are our enemies. Nobody is our enemy. Aur wo bahar nahin, bheeter hi rehte hain. "Achā, chalo bhaiyā, ek bāt batā do. Ādmī kā mitra kaun hai?" Now tell me, who is the friend of a human being? Śukadeva Jī replied, "The satisfaction, if we attain santosha." Santoshaḥ hi sukhaḥ hai. Sab mili ho santosha dhana, sab dhana dhuri sama. Rahimāna, wo nara mara chuke, jo kahi māṅgana jā. Rahimāna, pānī rakhi, bina pānī, sab so. So, what are the characteristics of a content person? That he does not ask anything from anyone. He is the one who gives, isn’t he? On that, there is trust, faith. From faith, contentment is born. And in that which there is no faith, he gets dissatisfaction. It is a very beautiful story, to have faith in God. The new husband and wife were sitting on the boat, going across the river when the wedding was over. The boat was running, and there was a storm in the boat. There was a storm in the river, and the wife started to get worried. But the groom had a lot of satsaṅga in him, and he was smiling. He didn’t have any problem. The wife said, the new bride said, "Don’t you get scared?" He replied, "I have accompanied the saints, so I was not afraid." He replied, "What will happen with the company?" It is falling down. He took out the sword from his hand and put it on his wife’s neck. His wife said, "Leave it, make a joke. Why are you removing it? Don’t make a joke." He said, "What is the matter? Aren’t you afraid of me?" He said, "You are my beloved. What are you afraid of? You have a sword in your hand. You will not hit me, right? You are my husband." He said, "As I am your husband, he is the husband of the world. If he wants to kill us, then we will die on the bed. Never get scared or never feel fear if any storm comes in your life and any problem comes in your life. God is with us whenever existence is with us. God is with us. No need to fear. This is the wisdom of the masters. This is the wisdom of the masters. This is the knowledge of the saints." After listening to Śukadeva Jī, he fell at his feet. And this Devī Bhāgavatam is very amazing. Śukadeva Jī entered the city. Śukadeva Jī entered the city of Janaka. And there he saw three types of people. People who do business—this is the story of all cities. It is the same in all cities; either they are buyers or sellers. This is not the language of samādhi. Otherwise, what is the point of writing this? They have seen people who sell and sell. They have seen people who are jealous. And they have seen people who argue and argue. It is the same. There are people who are jealous, argue, and argue. And there are people who buy and sell. They are the same people. And there is no one else. They are the same people in every city. Śukadeva Jī, who considered the form and shadow to be equal, did not get an appointment to meet Janaka Jī that day. Janaka Jī got to know that Śukadeva Jī Mahārāj had come. Śukadeva Jī meditated in solitude, stood up, and sat in samādhi. He did not even sit. In Śukadeva Jī’s tradition, the tradition of Jainism and Buddhism was developed. This Mahārāj will tell you. That is why in Jainism and in Buddhism, to meditate while standing and walking—Buddha walking, Vipassanā walking, and Kayotsarga in Jainism—that is the tradition of Śukadeva Jī, the tradition of Ṛṣabhadeva Jī. Śukadeva Jī is standing, and he goes to samādhi while standing. So here, a little meditation technique. Śukadeva Jī is meditating while he is standing. It’s easy to meditate when you walk or stand. But all action will go very slow. Very slow action will be done. And we will walk slowly, walk with awareness. Walking with awakening, we will not walk to go anywhere. We will walk for meditation. Śukadeva Jī will walk like this. When Śukadeva Jī was walking like this, he became a source of energy. At night, he slept, and in this way, on everyone’s sleep, he endured two prayers. And in the third prayer of the night, he got up in the morning, stayed in meditation, and became samādhiṣṭha again. Śukadeva Jī is already samādhiṣṭha. He did not go for samādhi. He went for the question of whether he should go or not. Śukadeva Jī is already samādhiṣṭha. Śukadeva Jī is already enlightened. Already he achieved samādhi. But his father ordered him, "Go and do the dialogues with the Rājā Janaka. Maybe Rājā Janaka will convince you for the marriage." Āge, Śukadeva Jī bole, Vyāsa Jī ne musse kahā hai ki vivā kar lo. Guru rūp pitā kī āgyā ko bandhan mān kar ke maine svīkār nahīṁ kiyā. Kya aap batāye, gṛhasthāśram bandhan nahīṁ hai? Bataye mujhe. Mere pitā jī ne mujhe kahā ki Mahārāj Janak, rājya karte hue bhī māyā ke jāl meṁ nahīṁ phaṁse. And why are you afraid, even though you are a vanavāsī? Look at the praśeṣṭa videha of the Upaniṣad. Give up the desire in your mind. O Mahābhāga, get married or go and ask the king for a solution. Śukadeva Jī has told this message to his father. Till now, we considered Vedavyāsa Jī to be a very weak father. But here the matter will change. King Janaka says, "Whoever wants salvation should first do the upanayana saṁskāra." Upanayana, see this name also, upanayana, other eyes. When we wear janeu, this is the upanayana, other eyes. One is the eye of cakṣu, the other is the eye of knowledge. Other eyes will be found, and by studying Vedas, you should stay in the company of guru, you should return. After giving dakṣiṇā to the guru, and after that, by getting married, you should stay with your wife in the household. Śukadeva Jī’s ears stood up, and he said, "What did he say? It is the second step: one should get married." Hey Śukadeva Jī, in the Vedas, there are 48 saṃskāras. In the Vedas, there are a total of 48 rituals, saṁskāras. Forty for household people and eight for sannyāsīs. For mumukṣus, there are eight saṃskāras. And for household people, there are forty saṃskāras. Śukadeva Jī said, "Should we live in a household where knowledge and knowledge are created in the mind?" So Janaka Jī said, "The senses are very strong, they do not stay in the mind. That is why the mind of a person who has unparalleled intellect can create many kinds of problems. If the mind of a person has the desire for food, happiness, and sons, what will he be able to do as a sannyāsī because of these vices?" He said a very big thing. He said a very big thing. Rājā Janaka is there, and here Rājā Janaka is great. This sannyāsī Vedavyāsa Jī and sannyāsī Śukadeva Jī are also great. Because whatever he was aware of, he came to that householder to reveal that knowledge. He does not have this ego, that "Why should I go and ask him?" He is not arrogant. Rājā Janaka says that the trap of desires is very difficult and does not disappear. The person who sleeps in a high place will fall down, but the one who sleeps below will never fall down. If a person falls down after taking Sannyāsa, then there is no other way for him. Because Sannyāsa is said to be the highest height. So if you go to Sannyāsa after getting cooked from the fire of the Gṛhastha, then you will not fall, because it came out of the fire. And when he came there and fell down, he said, "Jai Śrī Rām." Then Rāmnāma was done. The way an ant climbs up the branch of a tree and slowly comes back down from its feet, it is not afraid. But you see, birds fly so much and get tired very quickly. Ants get food easily, birds get trouble. Birds are very restless. Mind is extremely powerful. It is indolent. And it is very difficult to win it. The one who is calm and self-aware while living in the household is better than a sannyāsī. And even if someone comes to sannyāsa and falls into greed and desire, he said so. In the same way, I am unable to do many things even while enjoying many pleasures. In the same way, O Anagha Śukadeva Jī, you also get free. He is saying to Śukadeva Jī, that means you also stay in the household and get free and show. Śukadeva Jī was also challenged in a way. My father also said the same thing. Why do you go to the household and become free? How can you be free without going? Now, there is a person who has to do a lot to earn fame. To be free, first you have to be free, then only you will be free. Then only you will say, "I have left my family, left my wife and children." Otherwise, what will you say? There is something to be said about giving up. A Bābā Jī used to say every time, "I have given up lakhs and crores of rupees to take Sannyāsa today. I have given up everything, and I am sitting in the Ashram. I have given up everything." An Āj Kī Kalyu’s devotee from ITI knew that when Mahārāj had given up, he had a loan of 15 lakhs. He had nothing. These days people find out, Bhāī Sāhib, when he gave up, what did he have? And he said, "I gave him a kick." If he had given him a kick, he would not have remembered. You have not given him a proper kick. If you had kicked properly, then you would not have remembered. You have left, but you have not left anyone to leave. I have left the world, I have left the world, I still remember the world. So there are two people; one says, "I will have food, I will have food." One says, "I will not have food, I will not have food." Both are roaming there. This King Janaka is giving us knowledge. This is the knowledge of King Janaka. This is the wisdom of Sanātana, eternal Sanskritī. Here, three words we have to understand: Rāgī, Virāgī, and Vītarāgī. Āsakta, Vīrakta, and Anāsakta. O Rājā, the soul is anumāna gamya, and it never disappears. The soul can only be imagined. You can just visualize. You cannot touch it, or you cannot prove it. This is the soul. Now see, the body can be seen, but no one has taken a picture of the soul till now. The saints have told us anumāna gamya. So the region of freedom or bondage is our mind. So just don’t fight with the mind, don’t fight with our senses, and don’t fight with your soul, even the jīvātmā. Jīvātmā se bhī laḍnā nahīṁ hai, bole man ko samajnā hai. Ātmā to sadā śuddhi hai, the soul is always pure. Aur vaha kabhi bhi banti nahi hai, nobody can bind him, or nobody can control the Ātmā. Ātmā ko koī bhī band nahīṁ sakta. Toh phir bandhan aur mokṣ ke liye itni asānti kyun? I can say that the knowledge of Rājā Janaka is the most advanced spiritual study of Adhyātma. The way of Rājā Janaka is that you are already there. Not a struggle for that stage of consciousness. You are already there. Where you want to reach, you are already there. That is why our saints say, "Khoyā kahe jo bāvra, pāyā kahe jo jhūṭh, Khoyā pāyā kuch nahī, āp hī meṁ bharpūr." If someone says that I have lost God, then that person has gone mad. Part 2: The Nature of Truth and the Illusion of Bondage If someone claims, "I have attained it," that person is not speaking truthfully. I have lost nothing; I am already complete in you. This truth can neither be lost nor acquired; you are born with it. This is what Rāja Janaka declares. You are bonded with that truth. It is like having money in your pocket but forgetting you have many pockets and many accounts. You simply need to put your hand in your pocket and feel, "Oh, my money is here." So you are born with that truth. Śiva rūp ho. You are Śiva. Isliye ātmā sadā śuddhe hai. Ātmā kabhī bandh nahīṁ sakti. The ātmā is ever pure; the ātmā can never be bound. Enmity and friendship—these are all plays of the mind. Therefore, try to understand what the mind is. The mind is like stairs; you can go up, and you can fall down. Āp ūpar bhī jā sakte aur nīche bhī gir sakte ho. Yahī man hai. This is the mind. Isliye man ko jāṇlo bhai. So know the mind, brother. Main jīva śaḍahī brahm hoon. I, the individual soul, am verily Brahman. Is viṣay mein vicār karne kī auśakta nahīṁ hai. There is no need to contemplate this subject. Bheda buddhi toh sansār mein āśakt rahne par hotī hai. The intellect of differentiation arises from remaining attached to the world. Bheda buddhi kā tyāg kar do. Abandon the intellect of differentiation. Kittinī sundar bāt buddhi hai. How beautiful a thing the intellect is! Bheda buddhi kā tyāg kar do. Abandon the intellect of differentiation. What is this bheda-buddhi? It is the distinction between "mine" and "others," between small and big, between poor and rich—all these are bheda buddhi. Is kā tyāg kar do. Renounce this. No one can take away your truth from you. By listening to these teachings, you will feel, "I am what I am," and the matter is over. When you hear this, you are the Śiva behind the rays of ego, and the ego is finished. The ego says, "Now I am Śiva." When the ego says this, then we fall. All spiritual practices bear the fruit that you can erase this ego. In English, we see that "I" is always capitalized. That is why when we get attached to this ego, it says, "I did it." And as soon as it says, "I did it," listen—whether you listen to the Devī Bhāgavata, the Bhāgavata, the Gītā, the Rāmāyaṇa, take Sannyāsa, become a householder, or go on pilgrimage—everything becomes zero. There is only this much. And see, this is a very beautiful knowledge. I myself was amazed by it. Because I read the Devī Bhāgavata many years ago, and now when I read it again, it describes a person sitting at the feet of a saint, receiving counsel on whether to marry or not. My father said to do it. And that is the creation of the Vedas, Upaniṣads, and Purāṇas. He is saying, "Marry, and go ask Rāja Janaka." Main Jīvasādhanī Brahm hoon. I am Brahman attainable by the individual soul. Is viṣay mein vicār karne kī auśakta nahīṁ hai. There is no need to think about this. Bheda buddhi to sansāra mein āśakt rehne par hotī hai. The intellect of differentiation indeed arises from remaining attached to the world. So try to understand these three words: āśakt (attached), virakt (detached), and anāśakt (non-attached). The word virakt is very beautiful in Hindi. Virakt, yaani rakt jab khatam ho jāye to virakt. Virakt means when blood (rakt) is finished, then it is virakt. Rakt ke āge vī lag gayā, jahān rakt nahīṁ hai, vohī virakt hai. Where there is no blood, that is virakt. And our desires (vāsanā) have a deep connection with blood. Because blood is connected to the mind, and blood is connected to food (an). So, what do people do for detachment? They stop eating food. If you stop eating, you will fall down. Don't eat sugar, don't eat food. You won't be able to move around. Then how will the desire to enjoy the world arise? Because all the blood that gains strength, the circulation in the blood, comes only when you eat food. That is why sannyāsīs have gradually worked on their diet. Sannyāsīs worked on food because they didn't want to become addicted to God. So that their blood would be diluted, that's why they worked on food. And the one who wants everything is addicted. But Rāja Janaka is not addicted. Śrī Kṛṣṇa is not addicted. Mahādeva is not addicted. It is a story of non-addictive feeling. Rāja Janaka says, "Brother, there will be a difference of intellect if there is attachment to the world." Now, how can this attachment to the world be erased? How can it happen that I tell you this car is not mine, this wife is not mine, this house is not mine? Neighbors will come and sit, waiting for you to say this. May this knowledge come to you so that the problems of many people are solved. How can there be knowledge of the happiness of a shadow without the sun? In the same way, how can anything be accomplished without knowledge? That is why, until a person does not experience the sorrows of the world, he does not even wish for the ultimate happiness. Sukhadeva jī has said such a beautiful thing. I see. In the story, people say anything—yes, yes, yes. Sukhadeva jī says, "I did not understand." Sukhadeva jī declared, "I am more confused now." Sukhadeva jī says, "I have more doubts." Sukhadeva jī, the speaker of the Bhāgavata, is saying he has become more confused. "Rāja Janaka jī, tell me." Sukhadeva jī is twelve years old; some say he is sixteen. He heard the story of Parīkṣit later. Sukhadeva jī says, "You tell me. You say that what you are doing will not be a sin. Get married, get married, perform yajña. Now, if you perform a yajña, you will also get its result. If you do good work, then abandon bad work. If you will get a good result, then I will also do good work. But if I get a good result, then I will not be saved from that result. In the Vedas, there is violence in many types of yajñas. In the Sautrāmaṇī Yajña, they take Sūra as an example. And there are many problems. In ancient times, there was a king named Śaśabindhu. He was a very religious person, a truth-speaker (Satyavādī), a protector of religious sects, and in control of people. He performed many great yajñas. They became angry at his yajña, so angry that a huge mountain appeared there. And when it rained, that river became known as the Charmaṇvatī River, because they had so much skin. They became kings, but their fame was lost. When such kinds of dharma are mentioned in the Vedas, O King, I do not have faith in them." Sukhadeva jī says, "I don't have faith in such things—that the name of the king was changed and violence was done to animals. I have no interest in such karmas." And what is the benefit of such names also? These are the ślokas that elders don't discuss. They are ślokas against karma. Sukhadeva jī says, "I don't have faith in such things." One thing is that the name was changed; lokeṣaṇā (desire for fame) is a very bad thing. There are three types of desires which are very lamentable, both for sannyāsīs and for people of the world: Lokeṣaṇā (desire for fame), Vitteṣaṇā (desire for wealth), and Putreṣaṇā (desire for progeny). "I got the happiness of this world, I got a son, and I got a son's son, and I got wealth." It is said that people get rid of Putreṣaṇā and Vitteṣaṇā, but Lokeṣaṇā—that is, my name in the world—even great Mahātma Yogīs are not able to escape from this. This is a matter of meditation. This Lokeṣaṇā is not a joke; it is a very big thing. Even the greatest saints get trapped in lokeṣaṇā. "O King Janaka, tell me, if a person starts finding happiness in his wife and children, how will he be free in this state?" King Janaka says, "It is not about what deeds you do. It means how you do your deeds. What is the purpose of Yajña? What is the purpose of war? And what is the purpose of living in a household? When we are born in human form, then we perform the karmas that arise in the house, in the world, in society—the karmas that come before you. But do not become the doer. Do not say, 'I have done this.' As soon as you become egoistic, all karmas become binding. When you do anything without ego, this karma is called akarma (inaction). And akarma is the step for liberation. If you are not able to do anything, then do whatever you can. O Sukhadeva jī, the violence in the yajña performed by people with rāga (attachment) is violence. And the action done by people without rāga, without ego, is not violence. So try to get rid of the rāga within you. The desire to acquire things inside you—get rid of it. Only then will you be free. You will not become free merely by leaving the household." Such is what Rāja Janaka is saying to Sukhadeva jī. Sukhadeva jī said, "Okay, I still have this doubt in my heart: how can a human being be non-attached while being engrossed in Māyā? To remove the attachment in the mind of a human being, can only scriptural knowledge (śāstra bodh) accomplish it? You eat so many things in your life, and you say, 'I have no taste.' How can this be possible? I don't feel like I belong to a house of women. That's why I live alone with a sense of inferiority. Then I understand. You live with so many women. You live with so many households. How can you say that you are inferior? How can you say that you are unethical? In your clan, there was a king named Nimi. He cursed Vasiṣṭha jī, and Vasiṣṭha jī cursed him. Tell me. He also put 'Nimi' in front of his name. Why do you all put videśa (foreign/estranged) in your name? Can you be videśa if you fight with each other? Tell me." Janaka jī said, "You are right." Here, Janaka jī has realized. Janaka jī is saying, "O Muni, you are telling the truth. You are the son of Vyāsa jī, and Vyāsa jī is like a Guru to me. Āp apne us pitā kī āgyā mān karke gṛhastha dharm me praveś karo. You, obeying the command of that father of yours, enter the householder's duty. Yehi mere aapko sujāv hai. This is my advice to you. Prithvī, jal, ādi mahābhūta sarvatra vidyamāna hai. Earth, water, and the other great elements exist everywhere. Aur tum kehte ho, 'Mein nishkaṅka kaise hoon?' And you say, 'How am I detached?' O vipra (learned one), main sukh se bhojan kartā hoon, sukh se śayan kartā hoon. Lekin main baddh nahī hoon. I eat with pleasure, I sleep with pleasure. But I am not bound. Is bhavanā se sarvadā sukhī retā hoon. With this feeling, I always remain happy. Kitnī baḍī bāt bolī. What a great thing he said. Buddha vimānī baddha, mukta vimānī mukta. The one who thinks he is bound is bound; the one who thinks he is free is free. I don't even think that I am in bondage. This is a very great knowledge. Don't even think that you are sad or in bondage." Rāja Janaka says he received this knowledge from Aṣṭāvakra jī: that he does not even have this pride. He does not even have such a concept that he is in bondage. "I am free." The person who accepts it... and now mind scientists have done a lot of research on the human mind. Someone made a movie, The Secret. Now, those who accept it, they become. Rāja Janaka said, "Why do you believe that you are in bondage? You are not in bondage." Rāja Janaka is giving great knowledge to the human race. You are not in bondage. You are not weak. There is no way to be like this. But the story of man is very strange. When Rāja Janaka had asked the same question to Aṣṭāvakra jī, Rāja Janaka had also asked the same question to Aṣṭāvakra jī: "How can I believe?" He said, "Son, your situation is such that once a lioness had a child, and that child, by mistake, was left in a flock of sheep. He started living with sheep. Now, the sheep eat what they eat. He thinks that he is also a sheep." He considers himself to be a sheep and a goat, and he is totally identified with that. He is a lion's child, but he has kept the company of sheep. So the sheep and the flock we live in—they are the same word. The sheep go to the fair. "Let's go to the fair. Let's go to the cricket match. Let's go to the Kumbh. Let's go on pilgrimage. Let's go to the temple." When we see someone else, whatever we do—until we do not act with our own intellect, until we do not act with our inner intellect—you are not a lion. Swami Vivekānanda says, "Become a lion." You are the son of immortality (Amṛtasya putraḥ). You are the son of Amṛta. Now see, when that lion child grew up, one day a lion (Babbara Śera) came. And the lion had to hunt the sheep, Mahārāj jī. He said, "Today I will eat these sheep." And all the sheep ran. The sheep ran away. The sheep was good at running away, but the lion was not good at running away. So the lion caught the sheep, and as soon as the lion saw him, he was like him. He said, "What are you doing in this?" And the lion said, "I am doing it." He said, "Leave me alone." The lion was hungry. "I am going to catch the sheep. What is the lion doing between the sheep?" The lion did the same. When the animal was scared, he pushed the tail down. After pushing the tail down, the lioness came and grabbed the neck and dragged it to the lake. And she kept doing this to the neck. The lioness said, "Don't kill me by drowning." He said, "I slapped her with my paw," and said, "Look." She said, "I saw it, now leave it." He said, "Look at me." She said, "I saw it." He said, "Then look at her." Did you understand anything? She said, "You get your face." You are looking the same. So he said, "Now I am a lion, so he too is a lion." And both are lions. This is the relationship between Guru and disciple. This is the condition of the Sadguru Mahārāj. So in these Purāṇas, this is the tradition of revealing the truth slowly. If you tell the truth on the very first day, the person will run away. Because there is a habit. And a person is such that in a day or two, he will not believe he is a lion. He needs the eighteen Purāṇas; then he will understand he is a lion. Yes, if we go to our house, we are more than one and a quarter of a lion. This lion is not to be eaten by anyone, brother. This lion is so that you know you are free. You cannot be in bondage. This is all a trap. What is this? It is a trap. That is, this is nothing. This is a trap created by you, and no one else has touched it. This trap. Be free from this doubt that you can be in bondage. There is no way to bind you. Hey Muni, after listening to Rāja Janaka, Śukadeva jī was delighted and happy that his Guru had taught him such knowledge. This is the way of knowledge. This is the method of knowledge, Mahārāj. The knowledge that is there, brothers, is not available without a Guru. Come. Pākīr divānā sattaguru nāmakā mastānā heli. Jāt pānta ki śaṅkha na māne samāna pāta rahirāmājī. Jāt pānta ki śaṅkha na māne samāna pāta rahirāmājī. Na loka kī icchā nahīṁ, nahīṁ sukha binā śarīra, divānā satguru nāma kā mastānā heli. Vepār vaha pakīr, Divāna Satguru nām kā mastānā helī. Śaṅkāmāne kyā rājā raṅkavā jī rāma jī, nahīṁ kisī kī śaṅkāmāne rājā raṅkavā jī, ukā pyāsā par bhak nahīṁ rakhe, par bhak joge har gambhīra. Divāna Satguru Nāmakā Mastānahēlī Veparvāhā Pakeera, Divāna Satguru Nāmakā Mastānahēlī Jīvatāhī Muradāsamrēve. Nahi Siddha Nahi Pir Ramaji Jivatahi Muradasamreve nāhi sīdhā nāhi pīr vāmi-dīpāva-dūta-avalīyā Mahā-vīrāṇaka-vīrdhīvāna-sattaguru-nāma-kāma-sthāna-helī. Parvaha Pateer Diwana Satguru Nām Ka Mastānā Heli Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Jai, Śarma Deva Kī Jai. So those who were singing in the bhajan... There are two paṅktis (lines): Jāt pāt śhak na yāve. There is no meaning from their position. Na samān pātar hīr. There is a letter, a stone, and a diamond. For our people, the diamond is important. Who doesn't need a letter? And secondly, no one is afraid of anyone. Who will be afraid? You have recognized yourself. You are connected to God. No one will be afraid of you. I won't take much time. The conversation is very long. We have reached one page. We have a long way to go. Mahārāj jī, please proceed. Bhagavān Bhūtanāth told Satgurū Vyāsa that he should not grieve for his son. There is a story that Vedavyāsa prepared his four disciples: Asita, Devala, Vaiśampāyana, and Jaimini. These disciples went to Bhagavāna Kṛṣṇa's līlā and Rādhājī's such ślokas of the Bhāgavata that Śukadevajī, who was doing penance in space, came down. "What are these līlās that are disturbing my mind?" There, Sukhadeva jī was then taught by Vedavyāsa jī the Bhāgavata Mahāpurāṇa and the Devī Bhāgavata. That is why we have to read all the scriptures. Sukhadeva jī narrated the story of Parīkṣit. He was re-established on this earth. And Sukhadeva jī is immortal. His shadow is in every story. That is why they are worshipped in the form of happiness. But as you know, this story is going on in Sūtajī and Śoṇakādi. So they ask us to narrate the story of the snake which was created by Janamejaya. So we keep on cutting it, but it has not been cut in the Purāṇas. The same story has been repeated many times. So here the story of the Mahābhārata enters. And the story of Janamejaya and Vedavyāsa jī will be narrated. Janamejaya, who is the son of Parīkṣit, because in this Devī Bhāgavata, Janamejaya is narrated. And I will tell you this Devī Bhāgavata in detail by taking out a part from the story. Why do we listen to the Devī Bhāgavata? The Devī Bhāgavata is heard to eliminate the temporary suffering that has been created. This worship of Devī is done in your life because of this. The children are sleeping in the middle of the night, the mother is sleeping here, and the father is sleeping there. If the child pees, then the father will get angry and will sleep in the other room. The mother will sleep in the wet and will make the child sleep. So the worship of the mother, the worship of Jagat Jananī, the worship of Parambhā is because we have not given any other name to that God but the mother. Lord Kṛṣṇa was pleased by his mother's worship. So Vasudeva jī heard the worship of Parambhā Bhagavatī Bhuvaneśvarī from Devī Bhāgavatī Nārada jī. Vasudeva jī was a great devotee of Parambhā Bhagavatī. In order to free himself from Kālagraha and not to be killed like Kaṁsa, he used to observe four Navarātrīs in the year for Bhagavatī. This is the reality of Vāsudeva jī. And by the grace of that Parambhā, by the grace of that Bhagavatī, Vedavyāsa jī found his lost son back in his house. By the grace of that Bhagavatī, when all the Kauravas and Pāṇḍavas had died, Vedavyāsa jī came and told all the Kauravas and Pāṇḍavas about the Devī Bhāgavata, then everyone appeared. And everyone—it means that sometimes our ancestors, or our forefathers, go away from the world. Where he had come from and where he had gone. So his vision is that of the Devī Bhāgavata. Some people are new today, so let me tell you, that is why the Devī Bhāgavata is there. So whether wealth is lost, or property is lost, or a kingdom is lost, or if it is ruined, then for that—even in this, two or three people who have died—the knowledge of life has also come in the Devī Bhāgavata. So, the Devī Bhāgavata is for obtaining her lost power, lost kingdom, lost relatives and kin. And the only thing left to lose on this earth is a great personality like Vedavyāsa jī, who is the incarnation of Lord Viṣṇu himself. The birth of Vedavyāsa jī will also be discussed now. So he also had to do the Devī Bhāgavata. He also had to meditate on Bhagavatī and Parambhā, that Mātāśvarī. That is why we worship Mahā Kālī, Mahā Lakṣmī, Mahā Sarasvatī—the power of action, the power of knowledge, and the power of sovereignty. Say, Jagadambā Mātā Kī. These four disciples got Sukhadeva jī to give knowledge and left. Now see, here, Śoṇakādi Ṛṣis asked about Sukhadeva jī's birth. They asked about Sukhadevajī's marriage. I told you that it is in flashback. So now, they are asking about Vedavyāsa jī's birth. So let me tell you, once, when this incident happened—before that, I will take you to the Mahābhārata, where Vedavyāsa jī's son Śukadeva jī has gone. This is the story of Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vyāsa, the 28th Vyāsa. The Vyāsa before him is not his. His mother remembered him. Who is his mother? Matsyagandhā, Satyavatī, Yojanagandhā. This is her name. And Parāśara jī's son was born in the 28th Dvāpara. And let me tell you, before coming to the story of Matsyagandhā, let me tell you that after remembering his mother Satyavatī, on the call of his mother, the Tejasvī went to his birthplace. That was Dvīpa, a kind of island. There, the Niṣadhas told that their mother was taken by King Śantanu. King Śantanu got married to her. Upon receiving the Niṣadha kingdom, Vedavyāsa jī sat in his āśram on the banks of the Sarasvatī river. And here, the Devī Bhāgavata tells us that the king is Śāntanu. God Vedavyāsa jī's mother, Vedavyāsa jī, had passed away before her marriage. This is the mystery of the story. It is 8 o'clock now. It is also said about Jesus. It is also said about Kabīr. And Karṇa was also like this. Great, powerful, and... Sukhadeva jī's wife's name is also not known. What was her name? She was Ghaṭāchī Apsarā. That means the enlightened masters who are born, their burden—even after their birth, the purity of mother and father remains the same. They remain pure. Śantanu took Satyavatī with him. Satyavatī is the same who was born to Parāśarajī as Vedavyāsajī on the Dvīpa. And those kings killed Śantanu with two children, Citrāṅgada and Vicitravīrya. One Gandharva killed Citrāṅgada, and Vicitravīrya became sick. He died. Now there were no children. So Mother Satyavatī said that to run the clan, children are needed. So Vedavyāsa jī was called. Although Śantanu had one more son. His name was Gaṅgāputra Bhīṣma. Now he had seven children. Gaṅgā put six children inside the Gaṅgā. And he remained in the seventh, because he had a curse of a sage. Because of that curse, Bhīṣma had to drown the eight Vasus in water and kill them so that they could go back to their own world. Part 3: The Curse of Mandavya and the Lineage of the Mahābhārata The Vasu who had committed the real crime against the Ṛṣi was Viśvāpita. That is why he had to endure the Yad for 100 years. I will take you to this story. Bhīṣma made Citrāṅgada sit on the throne, and he did not rule himself. Now, why did Bhīṣma not rule? See, when he married Gaṅgā, Gaṅgā put six children in the water. When she started beating Bhīṣma, Śantanu got angry. What was the condition of the marriage? "If you ask me who I am, from where I have come, what is my name, then I will leave you and go." At the end, Śantanu got very angry. "You are beating your own sons like a snake." Then she said, "I am Gaṅgā, and I am freeing these children by giving birth to you to do the work of the Gods. Because they have become like this due to the curse of the sage. They are going to their world; they are not dying. And now I have stopped him; he will serve you for one hundred years. Do not worry." And Gaṅgā got distracted, and Gaṅgā said, "I will return this child to you when he grows up a little." Then, after staying in the āśrama of Vasiṣṭha jī, Bhīṣma Pitāmaha learned the same Dhanur Vidyā that Paraśurāma jī learned. And the mother said, "Son, you have the boon of wishful death." Viṣṇupitāmaha is the son, and Śantanu is the king. And there is no one in the house. One day, when he went to hunt, he saw Satyavatī. From the body of Satyavatī, there used to be a fragrance of 100 koś to 100 yojanas, something like kastūrī. So Satyavatī’s father—Satyavatī is also the daughter of a great ascetic. She was born from the womb of a fish. Now, Mahārāj jī has stories within stories. There are stories in it. Then there are stories in it, and then there are stories in it. These are the stories. Let’s move ahead. When Mahābāhu went to marry Satyavatī, her father said, "We will marry on one condition, that you will make his elder son the king." So he came and said in front of his son, sometimes, sons ask for rights from their father, sometimes, tell your son that I want to marry someone else. So the other two meanings, Śantanu spoke in double meaning in the assembly. Many times there have been such sons who have sold their sons for their father. For example, King Rāma went to the forest, and Hariścandra’s son Rohit himself went to the yajña. There was a king named Sunaśeph, he sold his son too. Such stories started going on. Viśvapītāmā understood and said, "Father, if you have committed any crime against me, then tell me what I have to do." He could not say, so today King Śantanu is ashamed of his son. That I want to marry someone else, that I am attracted to a woman who has such a fragrance in her. These are the plans of the Devatās. Some people say that Ved Vyāsa Jī wrote the Mahābhārata. Ved Vyāsa Jī is just not a writer. He is a director. These Mahābhāratas are all his children. All the children of Ved Vyās Jī who are fighting in the Mahābhārata are the children of Ved Vyās Jī. He is not only a writer, he is also its creator. Satyavatī is the mother of Vedavyāsa Jī. Śantanu is getting married to that same Satyavatī. And Viśma Pitāmah said, "I will serve the state all my life and will never get married." And the mother of Satyavatī, who is the mother of Ved Vyāsa Jī, was brought here. And through her, two children, Chitrāṅgada and Vichitravīrya, were killed by the same Gandharva. He grew up in the forest after that. And Vichitrāvīrya also could not give birth to a child. They did not find a good groom for their marriage. How did they find a groom? One of them was a young man, worthy of the name of Bhīṣma Pitāmaha, along with these two. So they brought three girls from the Kāśī kingdom, Ambā and Ambālikā. They brought three girls from the Kāśī kingdom. One of them brought a big girl. She came and said to Bhīṣma Pitāmah, "I love someone else, and his name is Yādavaṁśī Rāja Śalva, who was killed by Lord Kṛṣṇa." So, Bhīṣma Pitāmaha said, "Okay, you go with him." Bhishma Pitāmah vowed in November and said, "I will not get married. My brothers will get married." He said so. He went to Salva. Salva said, "Bhishma has taken you in front of me. And now you have come to me. You have become unmarried." He sent him back. Now, Bhīṣma Pitāmah said, "I will not get married." And my brothers got married to Ambā and Ambālikā. In the next birth, this became the reason for the death of Lord Viṣṇu. Who became? Now see, this Mahābhārata is very big. It is happening in every house till now. It is happening, Mahārāj. We have heard this Mahābhārata so that we also rise above this Mahābhārata and gain knowledge. Now see, when both brothers of Lord Viṣṇu died, there was no child in the house. Then mother Satyavatī said that you marry both of them. Big brothers, you have to do a lot of things. There was such a tradition. Now, a lot of laws and orders have been passed. At that time, there was a lot of laziness. There was a lot of laziness. That means in today’s civil society, those who are called civil, they can’t even talk about it. There were such things too, and there were such precautions too. But now those things are over. Now the constitution will not allow it. Now see, it is a very historical story. Ved Vyāsa jī is also a brother. Whose? Viśvāmitra’s pitāmaha. The son-in-law, he was born by Gaṅgā, he was born by Satyavatī, he was born before the marriage. By Parashar Ṛṣi, Vasiṣṭhānandan. Ved Vyās jī, through his influence, said that, "O Mother, I will give him a child with the power of my eyes, with your permission." So he sent both, Amba and Ambālikā. Mahārāj, the first time when he went in front of him, his eyes were closed when he saw his Tej. So, he was born as a blind Dhṛtarāṣṭra. The second time, he was born as Ambālikā. When he turned yellow, he was born as Pāṇḍu Rājā. The third time, in the third year, he sent his maid. So, with his grace, Vidurjī Mahārāj was born. There are two incarnations of Dharma in the Mahābhārata. One is Yudhiṣṭhir and the other is Vidurjī. You may or may not know that when Vidurjī died, after 36 years of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s death, when Vidurjī left his body, he entered into the mouth of Yudhiṣṭhir, because both are parts of Dharma. With the curse of Mānḍavya Ṛṣi, Vidura jī lived on earth for 100 years. There are a lot of stories, too many. So you want to listen, people want to listen to the story of Vidura also. Mānḍavya Ṛṣi. You must have heard that Mānḍavya Ṛṣi was meditating in samādhi. I will make small content and tell you. And they were meditating, and a thief ran away. People considered him a thief and took him to the king, and he was hanged on a stick. Now, when they hanged him on a stick, people went and asked, "How did he hang the ṛṣi? This king is very wrong." So the king has a minister. Why does he have a minister? He said a minister is nothing; he just sits quietly and does nothing. He said he just sits quietly and does nothing. And the one who speaks a lot, his body has bad air. The one who speaks more, his body is full of air. Bheem is the greatest speaker in the Mahābhārata. Bheem is the greatest speaker in Mahābhārata. And in the Mahābhārata, when our Śyām Bābā was asked, "Khatṭu Śyām, what did you see?" He said, "I saw a Sudarśana Cakra and a Mahāmāyā." Who is that Mahāmāyā? Now, the story of Bhīma. Bheem did not leave even Yudhiṣṭhir. He used to fight with Lord Kṛṣṇa also. He said, "He is Yudhiṣṭhir Mahārāj." Here, Vidurajī’s dead body is lying; they are talking here. So, I will tell you the story of Vidura. Otherwise, it will be mixed. Vidurajī, Mānḍavya Ṛṣi said, "He is the king because of my crime. I curse him." His minister said, "Mahārāj, whatever punishment you get, the punishment on earth is because of Yamarāj. Ask Yamarāj." Yamaarāja said, he called his minister Chitrasen, the accountant, who takes account of his deeds. Chitragupta said, Mahārāj, in your childhood, at the age of 5 years, you had pierced small ants and butterflies with a needle in their wings. And you had cut their wings, that is why you got a needle. Mandāvī Ṛṣi got a curse in his hand and gave water to the curse. He said, "Now you also step on the needle." You don’t know, if a child of 5 years or 6 years or 7 years commits a crime, then he gets punished in his dreams. This is the biggest punishment. You know what is the truth, what is right or wrong, and you will always see wrong. This is the ultimate pain, ultimate punishment. Now see, he is a Vidurajī. He is a form of Dharma. He came 100 years ago because of the curse of Mānḍavya Ṛṣi. He came 100 years ago because of the curse of Mānḍavya Ṛṣi. He came 100 years ago because of the curse of Mānḍavī Ṛṣi. He came 100 years ago because of the curse of Mānḍavya Ṛṣi. He came 100 years ago because of the curse of Mānḍavya Ṛṣi. He came 100 years ago because of the curse of Mānḍavya Ṛṣi. I have told you the story of Vidurajī. So these three children were Rājā Pāṇḍu, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and Vidurajī. Dhṛtarāṣṭra got married to Gāndhārī. And along with that, he brought his brother-in-law. And brother-in-law has been opposed to dowry in our scriptures. With Kekai came Mantra. And with Gāndhārī came Śakuni. That is why, in the marriage of your son, you should avoid some things from your in-laws. Because the things that come from there are dangerous. People think that I made my son a doctor, an engineer, or an IAS officer. There will be some expense, but that expense is going to be very heavy. It is going to be very heavy, so beware. Beware of everything that comes from the side of the wife. Be careful. This has been happening for centuries. The mantra came, and peace came from Gandhar. There was one more marriage. The king of Dhritarashtra was a Vaishya, the daughter of a Baniya. She was very religious. She also had children. She had 100 children. The king of Pāṇḍu married Kuntī, the daughter of the king of Sureshendesh. And she married a Madhurī. But when Pāṇḍu went to the forest, he killed a sage and his wife with an arrow. So he was cursed that if he went near his wife’s son, Kamna, he would also die. Now, when he got this curse, he went to the forest and started doing penance. He was good, had good qualities, started meditating, started worshipping God. And Dhṛtarāṣṭra became king. This is also a big story of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Mahārāj. Now, Mahārāj came to Pāṇḍu’s mind that he should have children. So Mahārāj Pāṇḍu said to his wife, "You will not be free without your child. You should be born in a different way, like us. Not like your father, but like us. You should not destroy my family by giving birth to a Brahmin family or someone else." Kunti said, "Do not worry about it. When I was in my infancy, I learned how to call Devatās from Durvāsa Ṛṣi. One mistake has already happened before marriage. That I have sent Karṇa after giving birth to him." This is the story of a flashback. To prove the words of Mahārāja Pāṇḍu, he presented the Devatās in front of him. And from time to time, Yudhiṣṭhir was born through Dharma. Bhīmasena was born through Vāyu. Indra gave birth to Arjuna, and Mādrī gave birth to Nakula and Sahadeva by the Aśvinī Kumāras. This is the story of the Mahābhārata. Now, one day, when Mahārāj Pāṇḍu went near his wife, he died because of the curse of the sage. And Madhurī became Satī with him. These five Pāṇḍavas entered the city along with Kuntī when they grew up. The society always tries to make fun of women. We say that Kuntī is the incarnation of Devī. That is why Durvāsā taught her such knowledge. You will be happy if you see the way Durvāsā taught her. As soon as Kunti entered Hastinapur, people asked her, "Where did she get these five children from?" Kuntī introduced five hundred gods, Dharma, Indra, the Aśvinī Kumāras, Vāyu, all of them to the assembly. Her fathers and those gods stood up and said, "These are our children." Then people came to know that these are the sons of Gods, they are the sons of Gods. When this knowledge was heard, everyone accepted her with great love. Here it is said that Kuntī remembers how she lost her son. Kunti wakes up in the night and sits down. She cries and says, "What śloka, see? Na dhyātam padapaṅkajam śukaram devyā śivāyaścaraṇam. I have not worshipped Bhagavatī in my entire life. And Bhagavatī must not have worshipped Śiva. That is why, my eldest son, Suryaputra, I don’t know in which position he must be. I must not have taken refuge in that Parambhā Bhagavatī." Kunti prays to Bhagavatī, Mahāmāyā, Bhuvaneśvarī. This is how Kunti brought up her children and told them what had happened in the Mahābhārata. The Mahābhārata is very big, isn’t it? We have to take the story of Parīkṣit’s son till his birth. The story says that it was the time when everyone died. Bhīṣma Pitāmahajī also narrated. And this is the story of the time when, after the death of all the people, Lord Dhṛtarāṣṭra lives with his wife Gāndhārī, and Bhīma tells him harsh words every day. And what does he say? Will you listen to Bhīma’s speech? It is written in the scriptures. Vunakti-piṇḍa-andhoyam-māyādat-gat-trapaḥ. The son of air in the body is not the quality of air but the quality of sound. How is the sound produced? Through fire and wind. So Bhīma speaks a lot. Bheem says, "I have never seen such a wicked blind man. I even drank the blood of his son, and now this blind man is shameless and eats the food given by me like a dog. His life is useless." Now, why does Bhīma say this? One day, the blind Dhṛtarāṣṭra—now, he was blind with his eyes, or from where he was blind—was blinded by the mind. One day in the Mahābhārata, it is difficult to grow up. Bhim is the younger brother of Yudhiṣṭhir. One day, when Yudhiṣṭhir was not at home, Dhṛtarāṣṭra said, "Son Bhīm, come to me today. I have been deprived of all my children for so many days, and you too have been deprived of me. You too are my child. Today I feel like worshiping Duryodhana. Why don’t you become an Āliṅgan today? I will hug you." God Krishna understood what he would do by hugging. He said that the grip of the blind is very strong. That is why we all have a very strong grip on our own things. Now we will go out and wear our own slippers. If the slippers disappear, then we will forget the story; we will remember the slippers. That is why we are all blind, because our grip is very strong. Our grip does not leave us. We know where and what to spend. This is the whole account. We have also set the price of God, that we have to pay Rs. 1.25 or Rs. 5 or Rs. 11. Today is his birthday, so we have to take a gift of Rs. This is the account; this is the Dhṛtarāṣṭra. And he killed my son, so today I will crush Bhīma for the sake of Alingana. With the inspiration of Lord Krishna, the pain behind what Bhīma is saying, He made a stone statue stand, and the blind Dhṛtarāṣṭra held him so tightly that the stone statue was also broken. So Bheem says he is such a dirty man. But what does religion say? He is the elder brother of his father. That’s why he is like his father. Yudhiṣṭhir is religion. He said if you want to learn about religion, then learn from Yudhiṣṭhir. Yudhiṣṭhir’s chariot was nine inches above the earth because he believed in religion. He never lied. There is one such practice in our country: do not do anything, just speak to everyone. What do you say? This is a very difficult task. A Russian scientist has written that if a person speaks the truth on this earth for five minutes, then it will be the same as what happens in the south. They will throw mics, shoes; husband and wife will fight. Neighbors will fight, relatives will fight, mother-in-law, daughter-in-law, the hospital will be full. Guru and disciple will make fun of each other. There will be fights in schools if they speak the truth. And even here, the biggest problem is going to happen in the assembly. Why? Because truth is something inside and something outside, as Mahārāj Jī just told. It is wrong to speak the truth. And let me tell you one thing: happiness and sorrow are the names of the same thing. And love and gratitude are also the names of the same thing. And criticism and praise are also the names of the same thing. When there is criticism, there will also be praise. Where there is attraction, there will also be dissatisfaction. Where there is day, there will also be night. That’s why the one who understands these things will rise up. That’s why you should never sit to fight. Both things are going on together. In Bhīma’s mind, somewhere, there is more love for Dhṛtarāṣṭra than for Yudhiṣṭhira. Because he must have thought that he is the brother of his father. But he always messed up. What did he mess up? Because of this blind man, we got the chance to get burned. Because of this blind man, Gandhi Udhari Arjun had to wear bangles and had to learn dance. Bhim used to talk harshly like this. One day, blind Dhṛtarāṣṭra jī says, "I want to donate my children to the village. I want to punish them, but I need money for that. Paṇḍit jī will only ask for money. If someone dies, it is fine. If someone is born, it is fine. Pandit jī says, 'Bring it. This is how it is.' Go to court. They will only ask for money. If someone dies, live. Go to the hospital. If someone is born and dies, it is fine. If someone dies, it is fine. If an ambulance leaves, it is fine. There is money everywhere. That is why, save yourself from all three. Save yourself from the paṇḍit. Save yourself from the hospital. And from the court, save yourself from all three courts. Bābajī also says. Why, Mahārāj? Save yourself from them. If you stay with a pundit, someone will give you a 10. If you stay with a lawyer, someone will give you a ten. If you stay with a doctor, someone will give you a disease. If you have a lawyer, forgive him. If you have a doctor, forgive him. Otherwise, you don’t know the truth. This is the truth. That’s why you should follow the truth. O Mahābhāg, I want to pray to the Kauravas." So, he called Bhīma and said, "Salām, Asura." Nobody obeys Yudhiṣṭhir’s orders, but Bhīm is used to it. Bhīm loves his brother a lot. He is not able to understand how Mahāmāyā is performed. He is a son of Vāyu in the body. One day, at the time of exile, he used to visit his five brothers frequently. Today, he is his wife. One day, without permission, he entered Bhīmasenjī Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja’s room. His wife is Draupadī. And he saw that Yudhiṣṭhir was pressing Draupadī’s feet. Jai Mātā Dī! All husbands should do this, only then they will become Dharmarāja. Press the feet of your wife. I am telling the truth. If she laughs, it will be an insult to Bhagavatī. There is nothing wrong with Parambhā. See, Lakṣmī jī was pressing the feet of Viṣṇu Bhagavān. And Viṣṇu Bhagavān smiled softly. And the wife felt that this was wrong. She smiled. Why? Did she feel like something else, and she cursed Viṣṇu Bhagavān? Then Vishnu Bhagwān had to cut his throat. That the face from which he smiled, he will cut your throat. And Bhīmsena got angry. He got angry that he was going wrong. My elder brother is suppressing me with his religion. I will suppress him again when I become his husband. He got angry like this. He got angry. He felt that Lord Kṛṣṇa had come. If there is anger, if there is work, if there is evil, if Lord Kṛṣṇa comes, it will be fine. God said, "What is the matter, Bhīmasena? Why are you burning yourself with the fire of anger?" He said, "Draupadī did this." He said, "Do this, go to the forest for a while." If there is a fight between husband and wife, if you have a fight at home, then go for a walk in the forest. They went to the forest. It was evening. There was the sound of a lion. Bhīmasena climbed a tree. Let’s see that in a while. Brahmā, Mahādeva, and Indra came. All the gods came and sat on their seats. Till now, the chair in the middle is empty. They said, Bhagavatī, Parambhā, Bhoṇeśvarī will come. And see, Draupadī came. Say, Jai Mātā Dī. And Draupadi, in a lot of anger, says, "Tomorrow I will drink the blood of Bhīma." Bheem is sitting on the bed, and he is shivering. What has happened to him? What are you doing, Mother? He has insulted me. He has thought about me. If a husband thinks about his wife, he will be killed. All the wives, all the sisters, all the mothers, if you consider them laughing or crying, bow down at their feet. If you bow down at the feet of Trilokī, don’t you think that you can’t feed your grandmother? There is no birth without a mother in this world, so all women are only mothers. They are only motherly powers. Part 4: The Mother's Eternal Refuge Ladies and gentlemen, do not feel troubled. There is no need for ego in this matter. A mother is a mother precisely because she is without ego. The purpose of the Vyāsa Pīṭha is neither to inflame someone’s ego nor to insult it. However, the Bhāgavata—the Devī Bhāgavata—carries a message for humanity: to take refuge in that Parambhā Bhagavatī and to never, by any error, insult any motherly power. Thus, the solution lies in Devī Śakti. In my view, the societal discourse on women's power is a falsehood. Devī Bhagavatī teaches us to respect all women. Only women are worshipped, be they small children or elders of sixty to eighty years. They are the binding force, the worshippers, for they conduct the work of creation. No one can comprehend their sacrifice. Truly, no one can understand their sacrifice. I have observed that if a wife passes away, her husband often cannot remain in the house. He cannot live without her and departs. Conversely, sometimes after a husband's death, his wife continues to live. For whom? To care for his legacy. Behold the sacrifice of that motherly power. This is due to the power of Mother Earth. The power of Mother Earth is the very cause of this world. The more this earth is abused—the more Cow Mother is abused—the more this earth will be destroyed. No one will be able to die from an atom bomb. Mahāmāyā was insulted by Draupadī, and that is why rivers of blood flowed in the Mahābhārata. Say "Jagadambā," glory to Mother Earth. Bhīma declared, "I will not tolerate this." The idea that you should give money and pray for him was unacceptable. Bhīma would not tolerate it at any cost. He left in anger. Along with Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva, they gave a great sum of money to Dhṛtarāṣṭra. Ambikā’s son, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, took the money and, through his Brahmins, had rituals and prayers performed for his children. However, for all who had died in that war, Bhīmasena had already completed all the prayers. Yet, Dhṛtarāṣṭra felt that Bhīma might still harbor some anger, so he performed this work again for his own satisfaction. When news came through Sañjaya that Dhṛtarāṣṭra was retiring to the forest, and upon the refusal of his sons, Mother Kuntī also departed, Bhīma began to weep. Bhīma was tormented by his mother's absence. Bhīma is deeply emotional, Mahārāja. He wept because his mother did not give it to him. And see how much Mother Kuntī is a symbol of dharma. She became extremely weak, harboring a desire to see her parents. Then, when Dhṛtarāṣṭra began living on the banks of the Gaṅgā, Ambikā’s son kept Vidura near him and ultimately began meditating on God. Vidura, who was very strong, was seen. Vidura became like a fallen tree. At that time, Vidurajī gave up his life. His face became very bright, and he went to Yudhiṣṭhirajī. Vidurajī relinquished his life. Everyone was bathing in the pure waters of Gaṅgājī. Vidurajī performed his last rites. Here, Gāndhārī said to Vedavyāsajī, "Duryodhana has gone to the land of Samara. I could not see him. Please show me that Duryodhana along with my younger brothers, O Vedavyāsajī." Mother Kuntī said that she had seen her son Karṇa at his birth. "Today I am suffering; please make me see Kṛṣṇa." And Subhadrā said, "I could not see Abhimanyu during the war. I wish to meet Abhimanyu." Sūtajī says that Vedavyāsajī listened to everyone's prayers. Satyaputra Vyāsajī performed prāṇāyāma and meditated upon Sanātanī Devī, Bhagavatī, Mahākālī, Jagadambā, Mahālakṣmī, Bhūniśvarī, Sarasvatī. Jagadambā Mātā kī, all these people live and die in the lap of that Mother. They do not go anywhere; they are sitting in the lap of that Mother. Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Śaṅkara, Indra, Varuṇa, Kubera—all of them came there to pray to that Mother. And the Mother herself, Bhuvaneśvarī Devī, appeared. She called all the kings from heaven and made them stand before everyone. Jagadambā Mātā kī, as if by a magical trick, everyone saw and everyone began to cry. At that time, Lord Kṛṣṇa was also present there. Inspired by Mīrā and Govinda, Vyāsajī showed such a miracle, and then Vyāsajī also departed from there. After Vyāsajī’s departure, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Gāndhārī, and Kuntī also left their bodies. Thirty-six years after the destruction of the Kauravas, thirty-six years after the Mahābhārata war, due to the curse of the Brahmins, the Yādava dynasty was also destroyed. Balarāma and Śrī Kṛṣṇa returned to their own world. After this, when Vasudevajī heard the news of the sacrifice of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s body, he meditated on Bhūneśvarī Devī in his mind and sacrificed all his holy life. Arjuna, filled with sorrow, brought Lord Kṛṣṇa to the field of worship to cremate Kṛṣṇa’s body. However, he did not burn that body because first the sage Durvāsa gave him kheer, and the body became like vajra. Later, he placed it in the sea. From the sea, it went to Jagannāthpurī. There, Viśvakarmā himself came and fashioned the idol of Lord Kṛṣṇa from that same body. But there was a rule: if someone saw the idol being made, they would understand the difference. This, however, is a different story. Thus, he is Jagannāth Bhagavān. He is the idol made from the very body of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa. That is why his hands and feet were not completed, because the king went in between and saw it. The maker then did not know where he came from and where he went. Now, let us return to the Mahābhārata. By searching for the body of Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa, he performed his dahā saṃskāra with the eight patranīs. Along with Revatī, he performed the rāha saṃskāra of Balarāmajī. After this body of Lord Kṛṣṇa was destroyed, Dvārakā also sank. As Arjuna was journeying with the other wives of the Lord, sheep snatched everything from him—his wealth, and so on. Then Arjuna reached Indraprastha. The son of Aniruddha, Vajranābha, took over his kingdom. When Arjuna became very weak, he went to Vyāsa. King Yudhiṣṭhira asked, "What can I do to regain my power?" Vedavyāsajī said, "Your power departed with Lord Kṛṣṇa’s death." After Lord Kṛṣṇa’s death and the destruction of the Yādavas by the curse, King Yudhiṣṭhira sent the 36-year-old King Parīkṣit to the throne and traveled to the Himalayas. In this way, for 36 years, these six sons of Kuntī, who had ruled Hastināpur, went to the Himalayas and sacrificed their lives. And Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja was the one who entered heaven with his entire body. While searching for a dead animal with his arrow, the son of Uttarā, Parīkṣit, was bitten by a snake. His son, Śṛṅgī, cursed him. Śukadevajī narrated the story to him and, after narrating it, departed. Now see, after his departure, his ministers said, "Mahārāja, you have listened to the story, but it is your duty to protect your life." The story is somewhat similar to the Bhagavad Gītā. From tomorrow, you will be told in the pure form of the Devī Mātā, Mahiṣāsura Niśumbha. Mahiṣāsura should have been done today; we will do it tomorrow. So, he tried his utmost to save King Parīkṣit by building a very tall palace where no one could enter—not even a snake or a bird. But the snake Takṣaka made the other snakes appear as Brahmins, and he himself became a tamarind seed within a huge fruit. The color of the snake Takṣaka was that of tamarind. King Parīkṣit did not desire this kind of effort, but at his son's request, King Parīkṣit sat there in meditation. He sat in a high palace, a high-roofed palace. Mahārāja Takṣaka came with Brahmins to kill Parīkṣit. The Brahmins said they were Atharva-Vedic Brahmins. On the way, they met the sage Kāśyapa, a doctor who knew the medicine for Takṣaka’s poison. They asked him, "What do you want?" He replied, "I want money." They said, "Take this money from us and do not hinder our work, for this is the curse of the ṛṣi. We are going to strike him by obeying that brāhmaṇa’s words." So they gave a great deal of money to Kāśyapa and sent him away. There is much thought in this. Observe the thought in Takṣaka’s mind. Takṣaka thought, "There has never been anyone in the Pāṇḍava dynasty who has placed a dead snake in the throat of a spiritual brāhmaṇa like this. How did this knowledge become so weak? Later, he stationed so many soldiers at his feet. If he wished, he could have performed many good deeds to increase his lifespan, but what is he doing for his safety? Safety never saves a life." Thinking thus, Takṣaka Nāga made all his Nāgas appear as Brahmins. He said, "We are Atharva-Vedic Brahmins. We will give such a blessing that Takṣaka will increase Parīkṣit’s age." All the Brahmins considered him a Brahmin and sent him. All the Brahmins went up to the seventh floor and gave the fruit to all the Brahmins. The king thought there might be some spoiled fruit. He distributed the fruit to all the Brahmins and kept the large fruit for himself. As soon as he cut the fruit, there was a small tamarind worm inside. The king said to his astonished ministers, "Look, the sun is setting, and now I am not afraid of the poison. I accept the snake of the Brahmins. Let this worm bite me." Saying this, the king placed it on his neck. As soon as the sun rose, the wound on his neck turned into a terrible wound, and it wrapped around the king and took his life. Due to the snake being tied to his body, he was very angry at that time. Janamejaya, but Janamejaya was not able to get rid of him. In the end, King Parīkṣit’s death occurred. Janamejaya Mahārāja was very young at that time. When Janamejaya grew up, a brāhmaṇa named Uttanka came. Janamejaya had also married and forgotten everything. So the Brahmin named Uttanka came and said, "Mahārājan, the evil Takṣaka who killed your father—you have spared those snakes. You should destroy all the snakes on earth." Janamejaya replied, "Absolutely." Now he became angry. Uttanka said, "Takṣaka gave money to the Brahmin named Kāśyapa and stopped him from reaching your father. In ancient times, Muniruru’s wife was killed by a snake. She was unmarried. Muniruru revived his wife. O King, your father’s death could have been saved. Here is an old story of Ruru and Daṇḍūp." Uttanka is trying to destroy the snakes here through Janamejaya. "The son who does not take revenge for his father’s wounds will die even if he lives." He said such things; he was angry. Sūtajī says that after listening to the words of Uttankamuni, he called the Brahmins and decided to destroy the snakes in the fire of a yajña. Now, Uttankamuni called Takṣaka, so Takṣaka went to Indra’s house and drank the nectar; he would not die. So Indra went and prayed to the Brahmin Aṣṭika. Aṣṭika came and stopped this snake sacrifice. The story is very beautiful. I would like you to sing a normal stuti of Parambhā Bhagavatī. Sing it before Mahāsarasvatī, because tomorrow is Sunday. So I would like to ask permission from all of you to continue the story from 3 to 7. Do you all give permission to do this for more than an hour tomorrow? Because today, I will inform you one day in advance. We will pray to Mother Sarasvatī for two seconds. From tomorrow, in the story, the birth will be narrated by Devī Bhāgavata after stopping this Sarpa Satra. So come, we will pray to Mother Vīṇā Pāṇī for two seconds. We will bow at the feet of Mahāsarasvatī. After that, I will request Mahārāj Jī. I will end today’s story. Please share this story with your friends sitting outside. I have been listening to this song since my childhood: Charan Kamal Ka Dhyān Devo Vardān Mohi Śivrānī, Jai Jai Jagadamb Bhavānī, Devo Vardān Mohi Śivrānī, Haru Charan Kamal Ka Dhyān Devo Vardān Mohi Śivrānī, Jai Jai Jagadamb Bhavānī. The feet of Bhagavatī are being meditated upon. They cannot be seen by anyone. Cham Cham Kartā Maṣṭak Pīmukuṭ. Cham cham kartā pairayal kari, rum jhum rahisani. Jai Jai Bhagadamb Bhavānī, dharu charan kamal ka dhyān devo, vardān Moheśu Rānī. Jai Jai Agadam Bhavānī, Jai Jai... Mācī Darbā Āṭal Chhatrī Kī Jai. I request Mahāmaṇḍaleśwar Jī to say something about tomorrow’s schedule and morning pūjā. Please. Tomorrow we will start from 2 a.m. Okay, tomorrow we will start from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. My friends and satsaṅgīs who watch me on the internet have so much interest and listen to what is happening here. At least they know some English, but they do not know any Hindi. That is why I will speak to you for at least 10 minutes more than the Paṇḍitjī has told you today in the Devī Bhāgavatam. So, please turn around. After that, I will speak to you. Śrī Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Jai, Jagadambā Mātā Kī Jai. We are listening to the story of Devī Bhāgavatam, the Devī Mahāpurāṇa, the story of the Divine Mother. Now, today there are so many stories within stories within stories, and then again some more stories within stories. So it is actually very difficult to tell you what we were actually listening to, because you really need full concentration. You need to think here, take notes and everything, so that we actually understand what is happening. So I will try to make it simple without too many names, because if I start to do the names, then again we will need the next one hour to get all this in order. But basically, the characters are always the same. In all stories, the characters are always the same: Indra, Vāyu, Dharma, Yamarāja, then Ṛṣis, and of course Yamarāja is always there, then Kṛṣṇa, and so on. The story started from yesterday when we were talking about Śukadeva Muni, who was the son of Vedavyāsa. Now, Śukadeva Muni was born in such a way that he was enlightened; he was already free from birth. His father gave him an impossible task. He said, "Now you have to marry." Now Śukadeva Muni had a problem. He said, "I see there is no point in this world, there is no... why should I marry? There is nothing here. If I marry, then I will lose what I have." But then his father was insistent, pursuing him and saying, "Okay, go to King Janaka. If King Janaka tells you that you should marry, then you should marry." After much convincing, finally Śukadevajī went to King Janaka, who was also named Videha. Videhī means he is in the body but living as if not in the body, like a Jīvanmukta, a liberated soul. Now, after many stories of what happened in between—the discourse between King Janaka and Śukadeva Muni—finally Śukadeva Muni agreed to get married, and he had children. These children were so powerful and so strong that Śukadeva Muni, being so free, went to meditate in some other loka; he made a son of himself. Then, slowly, the story comes to the Mahābhārata, because the Purāṇas are interconnected. All the Purāṇas are, if you think of them, basically one story. And this one story is very difficult to follow. So we divide it because it is huge; we divide it into small stories. Also, Vedavyāsa is not only the writer of the story of the Mahābhārata, the great war, but he is also a main actor there. Why? Because he is actually the father of King Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Pāṇḍu. So he is the father or grandfather of the main actors in the Mahābhārata. Now in the Mahābhārata, many things happen, and this you already know from Swamiji’s lectures. But one of the things most common here is that one of the sons of Vedavyāsa, the third son, was famous as the king of Dharma—not as Yudhiṣṭhira, because Yudhiṣṭhira was also the son of Dharma, but he was also known as Vidura, and he composed Vidura-Nīti and other, how to say, lawful scriptures. Now the story goes—I will just tell you one part, because the Mahābhārata, as you know, in the West we didn’t have the opportunity actually to read the whole Mahābhārata. The Mahābhārata consists of 11 thick volumes. And then these 11 volumes were condensed into about six pages. This was the cost. This was the war. The war passed, and everybody went away. That was the basic story. Now, in that story, it was very interesting that Draupadī married the five sons of the Pāṇḍavas: Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīmasena, Arjuna, and two more, Nakula and Sahadeva. So, five of them; she had five husbands. Now imagine, in our society, you know, this is like—even in the East now—an intolerable situation: one wife, five husbands. And also to think how they became, and so on. This is all the līlā, the play of the Divine Mother, because we all, even Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśa, and everybody else, we are half man, half... female. We are the man based in a female. The female principle is in all of us. There is a female principle which governs the whole universe. Draupadī was an incarnation of this female principle, of course. The stories, we have a tendency to exaggerate, to make things more than what they are not. Why? Because of our bhakti, because of our belief, because of everything we know, to make it true. We want to make some things true. Why? Because we cannot understand. There are two ways of what we can do: we can understand and accept, and another thing is we can just believe. So in the beginning we believe, and then later—that’s why we also said yesterday that you have to read again and again and again, because we don’t understand at once. We understand slowly, by reading again and again. Some things dawn on us, because yesterday we were not as smart as we are today, and tomorrow we will be even smarter than we are today. So the knowledge we have now is the knowledge we will have more of tomorrow. We always cry, "Today is my birthday, and I’m one day older, I’m one year older," but instead we should say, "I’m one year wiser, I’m one day more intelligent," because there is a lot of experience. So the Mahābhārata—I will not go into details because the Mahābhārata is a topic in itself. And after the Mahābhārata, again came the story—or actually not after, but in the middle of the Mahābhārata stories—came the story of how Vedavyāsa was conceived and how everything actually started. And then there was one king who was walking around, and he was very proud. He came upon a hermitage in an ashram, and then he saw a sādhu there. He asked, "Can you please give me water?" And the sādhu was meditating, and then he got angry, thinking, "I’m the king of all this area, and you are not giving me any respect." So he put a dead snake around his neck. Now the sādhu didn’t even notice because he was meditating; he was in samādhi. The son of that ṛṣi came, and he saw the dead snake around his father’s neck and got angry and said, "Now the snake should kill the person who put that on my father’s neck." Upon hearing that curse, the king got very scared, and he made himself a tower so high that even the birds could not come so high. But still, the king of the snakes found a way to go into that tower and bite him, and after that, this king passed away. Now, why is this important? Because the son of the—because there is always some problem in the family. There is always somebody who hates somebody. Somebody is on one side, somebody is on the other side. So now the king’s son was very unhappy, and he was crying. But then some other ṛṣi, who had a problem with the snakes before, told the king, "Why don’t you perform this yajña, which will kill all the snakes in the whole three worlds?" And then they started this yajña. And to stop this yajña, they sent Nārada, and then they sent this person, the king’s son, to listen to the Devī Bhāgavatam. And that is actually also how the Devī Bhāgavatam came to be known. Because there is not only one source of the Devī Bhāgavatam. It is always said how the Devī Bhāgavatam came to be. And then, if you go through the whole book, there will be at least five different ways of how the Devī Bhāgavatam was first composed. Now we can explain this: in different times, different Vedavyāsas, so in different Vedavyāsas, it was different. But basically, all stories can be true, but this is not our matter. The matter is, what can we do with this Devī Bhāgavatam? And one of the things is actually to release our ancestors, to free them from the misery which they caused themselves in their lives. And because they are already dead, they cannot do anything for themselves. Now we have to do for them. Or if you want to have the darśana of them, to see how they are progressing, this is also one of the ways of the Devī Bhāgavatam, which is also mentioned here many times, saying so much. We would stop today this webcast, and we will continue tomorrow, probably one hour earlier, depending on the program, which will be announced.