Sri Guru Gita – 22 July 2014 – Episode 212

Jaya Guru Datta Sri Appaji_/\_ !!
Happy Share your food Day Pranams at the Lotus feet of Our Dattaswaroopa Sadgurudeva _/\_!!

Jaya Guru Datta. Episode summary:

Jaya Guru Datta.

The first name that comes to mind when we think of study of the Vedas is Bharadwaja. The way Bharadwaja, who is one of the Saptarishis (the 7 great sages. The others are Gautama, Atri, Jamadagni, Kasyapa, Vasishtha, Viswamitra), acquired knowledge is very interesting. We discussed so far how one should conduct himself when studying under the guidance of a Guru. In the course of his study, when Bharadwaja completed the study of the branch of Vedas assigned to him, he asked his Guru if his study was complete? We do not need to go into the details of what branch he was studying. He asked his Guru if his study of the subject assigned to him was complete.

The Guru said, “Son, not even 1% of it is done. Unless you are born again with a full lifespan, your study of the Vedas will not be completed”. We have to listen to what the Guru says. We cannot go against it. That is it. If the Guru says, “It will not happen in this birth. You need to take another birth. You will need to serve the Guru again. Until then you will not attain liberation”, then, one has to take another birth. Bharadwaja embarked on deep meditation to acquire the lifespan required for the study of the Vedas. He pleased Indra, the king of Gods and earned the boon for another birth will a full lifespan. People had such energy back then to pray and acquire such boons. Can we do this? We are limited to being happy just reading about them in books.

So, Bharadwaja again started his study of the Vedas. He realized that his study of the Vedas was not completed in that birth either. He again deeply meditated on Indra. When the Guru said that his study was not complete, he took another birth. Like this, Bharadwaja had to take 3 births. The fourth time, Indra appeared and said, “Bharadwaja, this fourth time, you are earning the blessing to live for a thousand years. By the way, what you are doing with this lifespan? You are taking so many births. What do you really need? What are you doing? You are getting one thousand years now, what are you going to do?” Bharadwaja replied, “Lord, I decided to study the Vedas completely and thoroughly. My lifespan was not enough to do that. That is why, I meditated 4 times”. Here, study (of Vedas) does not mean just reading. It means understanding and absorbing the essence completely.

Some people say, “I am studying the Vedas. I am almost done. I studied all the Upanishads. I know them by-heart, I can recite them anytime without any mistakes”. Is that enough? One needs to grasp the truth in them completely. Until then, you will not understand them. In the study of the Vedas, one needs to contemplate the meaning of each syllable. Every syllable in the Veda has knowledge associated with it, where did the syllable come from, what is the meaning, where does it get its meaning from and so on. One needs to understand those truths completely.

Then Indra pointed to Bharadwaja three mountains of sand to symbolize the infinite Vedas. So far, Bharadwaja took on 3 births and is again taking birth for a thousand years and asking Indra about his study of the Vedas. Indra is pointing to him 3 mountains of sand. What will he say? Picking up a fistful of sand at a time, Indra said, “Bharadwaja, if Vedas are as big as this huge mountain of sand, what you studied is as much as this fistful of sand. That was a huge mountain of sand. “The study of the Vedas is like this big mountain of sand. Since you asked me how much you studied, I am telling you. It is one fistful of sand. This is how much you studied”.

But Bharadwaja did not lose heart at all. Let’s see what happens next.

Jaya Guru Datta.