Week 24 - power of maya & remaining equanimous (Narayan Hari Updesh)

00:00 - 06:55 Narad Muni gets lost in Maya. Vishnu ignores a woman who is crying but Narad felt merciful towards her. Vishnu said she is a liar and will not keep her words. The woman is in the pains of labour and swears oath to never have sex with her husband again. Vishnu said she will not keep her promise but due to the persistence of Narad Muni, Vishnu agreed to free her from the pains of labour. Vishnu & Narad Muni leave after this and return after 10 years and the same woman is again in the pains of labour (giving birth). She broke her promise to her Guru Vishnu and took advantage of Narad Muni agreeing to be her guarantor. The woman said we lie like this as we are householders. Vishnu says she is entrapped by Maya in this way, attached to illusion of the world. Narad says via contemplation surely we can overcome Maya.
06:56 - 15:00 Vishnu said, "You do not understand my Maya is very powerful - it will not allow the person to contemplate". Narad then says, "I would never forget, Maya cannot delude me." Vishnu said, "Without my blessings you too will get deluded." Narad then challenged Vishnu to test him with Maya. Vishnu put his Maya over him while Narad bathed in a lake. Vishnu told him that he will put his Maya on him while he bathes. Narad then becomes the daughter of a fisherman & is married off. He had 60 sons & 12 daughters but was still lustful. Vishnu then lifted his Maya and brought Narad out of the water again & lifted the illusion of that life. Narad got confused and cried out for this fake family.
15:00 - 20:01 Vishnu tries to bring Narad back to reality and says you are not of this world, you are free from creation etc and you have no relationship to this body of yours or this contrived family. Narad asks to see this family again and Vishnu grants his wish. Narad gets happy seeing them all. He is that attached to them and contrary to what Vishnu is teaching, Narad asks for all these children to be blessed with an elevated status. They were created in 48 minutes and don't exist. Vishnu had to make them Angels/devte/devia. Narad then agrees to the power of Maya to Vishnu and agrees he needs their grace to avoid the trammels of this maya. Vishnu blesses him and agrees to fulfilling this wish of his.
20:02 - 29:47 Vishnu & Narad meet after a long time. Vishnu asks of his state of mind & Narad says he is now blessed with much peace and remains at peace in challenging situations. Narad got cursed by Dakash that he will forever be a traveller and never settle anywhere as Narad Muni convinced his sons to remain immersed in devotional practice rather than return home to become householders but Narad remained calm and unaffected when receiving the curse.
29:48 - 31:44 King Pareekat was taught of liberation & remaining equanimous by Sukhdev Muni. In this way he heard the Sri Madh Bhagvat & in 7 days he attained liberation.
31:45 - 43:28
Further teachings on equanimity. The angels gathered to congregate in the court of Brahma & he (Brahma) narrates the history of Parbati, Sita & Radha. In a previous life they were very devout sisters who attained darshan of Vishnu who they believed in. But, they made a mistake by disrespecting Sanat Kumar & were cursed to fall from heaven & live as humans on earth. They begged for forgiveness from Sanat Kumar & he then blessed them with a boon, the eldest would become Parbati, the second will be Sita the wife of Sri Ram Chandar & the third will become Radha the famous devotee of Krishan Bhagwan.
This showed that Sanat Kumar also suffered from emotional turmoil & were not equanimous before they took the sanctuary/teachings of a Guru. In this way these brothers Sant Kumar etc also cursed the guards of the doors of Vishnu's court. They became equanimous after they received the teachings of the bar-headed (hans) duck separating water & milk, water representing
the world, milk being God.
43:29 - 54:03
Sanat Kumar is sitting in meditation. Parbati curses Sanat Kumar to test his equanimity as he doesn't accept a gift off here. He gets reborn many times due to curses from Parbati but remained equanimous in all the lives that he lived through as a stable hand, camel & Kartik.