What Is Leela?

There is another one big difference between Srimad Bhagavata and other shastras.

In other Shastras, Smritis, Darshanas, Upanishads, even Puranas, everything is described as acts of God, acts of the Almighty.

This has an air of seriousness around it.

We become very serious when we hear about them, read about them.

Respect for his enormity, his greatness that is what comes to our mind.

They are like how a big official does his work in his office.
Very serious.

Like a Collector.

He has to be meticulous, always right.

Or he will be challenged, questioned.

This officer has to justify every decision he takes.

Or the media will tear him apart.

How you interact with him is also specific.

You take an appointment, wait outside, go in when called.

You maintain protocol.

You are very cautious about how you behave.

Even self-conscious.

Compare this with a young child playing with his toys.

He will throw them here and there.

At times, you will see the barbie doll lying with the head and hands separated from the torso.

At times, you will see him drowning his toys in water.

You don’t take them seriously.

The more mischievous the child, the more lovable he becomes.

This love and affection, you can never feel towards that official, that officer.

Bhagavata says whatever Bhagavan does is leela, innocent play, with no malice.

An adult throwing a toy across the room is violence, why throwing, an adult even raising his voice is violence.

But the child can drown a doll in water, he or she becomes more adorable.

In Bhagavata, everything is Bhagavan’s leela, play.

There is no scope for us to get judgemental about them.

There is no scope to complain.

That’s why and how you develop love and bhakti towards him when you listen to Bhagavata.

The Rishis did a thousand-year-long yajna in Naimisharanya.

Why is yajna done?

Primarily, to attain heaven.

There are much smaller much shorter yajnas that can get you to heaven: seven days, one month, one year, twelve years.

But this is thousand years.

Though it started as a yajna to attain heaven or a good world, a divya loka, soon the Rishis must have realized, there is much more that can be attained.

Much more than heaven, much beyond heaven.

That’s why even after hearing all the shastras, they insisted, we want the essence of all these now.

They knew something completely different was yet to be revealed, Srimad Bhagavata.

The easiest and most effective means to attain the highest goal, moksha, much higher than all those divine worlds.

That too just by listening.

Knowledge Bank

What is the duration of Kali yuga?

432000 years.

What is the root cause of fear?

According to Brihadaranyakopanishad, the root cause of fear is the dualistic perception that -something other than me - also exists. To avoid fear, you should see everything as yourself.