BG18x78
Introduction
om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri-gurave namah
sri-caitanya-mano-'bhistam sthapitam yena bhu-tale
svayam rupah kada mahyam dadati sva-padantikam
I was born in the
darkest ignorance, and my spiritual master opened my eyes with the torch
of knowledge. I offer my respectful obeisances unto him.
When will Srila Rupa
Gosvami Prabhupada, who has established within this material world the mission
to fulfill the desire of Lord Caitanya, give me shelter under his lotus feet?
vande 'ham sri-guroh sri-yuta-pada-kamalam sri-gurun vaisnavams ca
sri-rupam sagrajatam saha-gana-raghunathanvitam tam sa-jivam
sadvaitam savadhutam parijana-sahitam krsna-caitanya-devam
sri-radha-krsna-padan saha-gana-lalita-sri-visakhanvitams ca
I offer my respectful
obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master and unto the feet of
all Vaisnavas. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Srila
Rupa Gosvami along with his elder brother Sanatana Gosvami, as well as Raghunatha
Dasa and Raghunatha Bhatta, Gopala Bhatta, and Srila Jiva Gosvami. I offer
my respectful obeisances to Lord Krsna Caitanya and Lord Nityananda along
with Advaita Acarya, Gadadhara, Srivasa, and other associates. I offer my
respectful obeisances to Srimati Radharani and Sri Krsna along with Their
associates, Sri Lalita and Visakha.
he krsna karuna-sindho dina-bandho jagat-pate
gopesa gopika-kanta radha-kanta namo 'stu te
O my dear Krsna,
You are the friend of the distressed and the source of creation. You are
the master of the gopis and the lover of Radharani. I offer my respectful
obeisances unto You.
tapta-kancana-gaurangi radhe vrndavanesvari
vrsabhanu-sute devi pranamami hari-priye
I offer my respects
to Radharani whose bodily complexion is like molten gold and who is the Queen
of Vrndavana. You are the daughter of King Vrsabhanu, and You are very dear
to Lord Krsna.
vancha-kalpatarubhyas ca krpa-sindhubhya eva ca
patitanam pavanebhyo vaisnavebhyo namo namah
I offer my respectful
obeisances unto all the Vaisnava devotees of the Lord who can fulfill the
desires of everyone, just like desire trees, and who are full of compassion
for the fallen souls.
sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda
sri-advaita gadadhara srivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrnda
I offer my obeisances
to Sri Krsna Caitanya, Prabhu Nityananda, Sri Advaita, Gadadhara, Srivasa
and all others in the line of devotion.
hare krsna hare krsna, krsna krsna hare hare
hare rama hare rama, rama rama hare hare.
Bhagavad-gita
is also known as Gitopanisad. It is the essence of Vedic knowledge
and one of the most important Upanisads in Vedic literature. Of course
there are many commentaries in English on the Bhagavad-gita, and one
may question the necessity for another one. This present edition can be explained
in the following way. Recently an American lady asked me to recommend an
English translation of Bhagavad-gita. Of course in America there are
so many editions of Bhagavad-gita available in English, but as far
as I have seen, not only in America but also in India, none of them can be
strictly said to be authoritative because in almost every one of them the
commentator has expressed his own opinions without touching the spirit of
Bhagavad-gita as it is.
The spirit of
Bhagavad-gita is mentioned in Bhagavad-gita itself. It is just
like this: If we want to take a particular medicine, then we have to follow
the directions written on the label. We cannot take the medicine according
to our own whim or the direction of a friend. It must be taken according
to the directions on the label or the directions given by a physician. Similarly,
Bhagavad-gita should be taken or accepted as it is directed by the
speaker Himself. The speaker of Bhagavad-gita is Lord Sri Krsna. He
is mentioned on every page of Bhagavad-gita as the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, Bhagavan. Of course the word bhagavan sometimes refers
to any powerful person or any powerful demigod, and certainly here
bhagavan designates Lord Sri Krsna as a great personality, but at
the same time we should know that Lord Sri Krsna is the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, as is confirmed by all great acaryas (spiritual masters)
like Sankaracarya, Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, Nimbarka Svami, Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu and many other authorities of Vedic knowledge in India. The Lord
Himself also establishes Himself as the Supreme Personality of Godhead in
the Bhagavad-gita, and He is accepted as such in the
Brahma-samhita and all the Puranas, especially the
Srimad-Bhagavatam, known as the Bhagavata Purana (krsnas
tu bhagavan svayam). Therefore we should take Bhagavad-gita as
it is directed by the Personality of Godhead Himself. In the Fourth Chapter
of the Gita the Lord says:
(1) imam vivasvate yogam proktavan aham avyayam
vivasvan manave praha manur iksvakave 'bravit
(2) evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh
sa kaleneha mahata yogo nastah parantapa
(3) sa evayam maya te 'dya yogah proktah puratanah
bhakto 'si me sakha ceti rahasyam hy etad uttamam
Here the Lord informs
Arjuna that this system of yoga, the Bhagavad-gita, was first
spoken to the sun-god, and the sun-god explained it to Manu, and Manu explained
it to Iksvaku, and in that way, by disciplic succession, one speaker after
another, this yoga system has been coming down. But in the course
of time it has become lost. Consequently the Lord has to speak it again,
this time to Arjuna on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra.
He tells Arjuna that
He is relating this supreme secret to him because he is His devotee and His
friend. The purport of this is that Bhagavad-gita is a treatise which
is especially meant for the devotee of the Lord. There are three classes
of transcendentalists, namely the jnani, the yogi and the
bhakta, or the impersonalist, the meditator and the devotee. Here
the Lord clearly tells Arjuna that He is making him the first receiver of
a new parampara (disciplic succession) because the old succession
was broken. It was the Lord's wish, therefore, to establish another
parampara in the same line of thought that was coming down from the
sun-god to others, and it was His wish that His teaching be distributed anew
by Arjuna. He wanted Arjuna to become the authority in understanding the
Bhagavad-gita. So we see that Bhagavad-gita is instructed to
Arjuna especially because Arjuna was a devotee of the Lord, a direct student
of Krsna, and His intimate friend. Therefore Bhagavad-gita is best
understood by a person who has qualities similar to Arjuna's. That is to
say he must be a devotee in a direct relationship with the Lord. That is
a very elaborate subject matter, but briefly it can be stated that a devotee
is in a relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead in one of five
different ways:
Arjuna was in a
relationship with the Lord as friend. Of course there is a gulf of difference
between this friendship and the friendship found in the material world. This
is transcendental friendship which cannot be had by everyone. Of course everyone
has a particular relationship with the Lord, and that relationship is evoked
by the perfection of devotional service. But in the present status of our
life, we have not only forgotten the Supreme Lord, but we have forgotten
our eternal relationship with the Lord. Every living being, out of many,
many billions and trillions of living beings, has a particular relationship
with the Lord eternally. That is called svarupa. By the process of
devotional service, one can revive that svarupa, and that stage is
called svarupa-siddhi--perfection of one's constitutional position.
So Arjuna was a devotee, and he was in touch with the Supreme Lord in friendship.
How Arjuna accepted
this Bhagavad-gita should be noted. His manner of acceptance is given
in the Tenth Chapter:
(12) arjuna uvaca
param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan
purusam sasvatam divyam adi-devam ajam vibhum
(13) ahus tvam rsayah sarve devarsir naradas tatha
asito devalo vyasah svayam caiva bravisi me
(14) sarvam etad rtam manye yan mam vadasi kesava
na hi te bhagavan vyaktim vidur deva na danavah
"Arjuna said: You
are the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the supreme abode and purifier, the
Absolute Truth and the eternal Divine Person. You are the primal God,
transcendental and original, and you are the unborn and all-pervading beauty.
All the great sages like Narada, Asita, Devala, and Vyasa proclaim this of
You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me. O Krsna, I totally accept
as truth all that You have told me. Neither the gods nor the demons, O Lord,
know Thy personality." (Bg. 10.12-14).
After hearing
Bhagavad-gita from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Arjuna accepted
Krsna as param brahma, the Supreme Brahman. Every living being is
Brahman, but the supreme living being, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
is the Supreme Brahman. Param dhama means that He is the supreme rest
or abode of everything, pavitram means that He is pure, untainted
by material contamination, purusam means that He is the supreme enjoyer,
divyam, transcendental, adi-devam, the Supreme Personality
of Godhead; ajam, the unborn, and vibhum, the greatest, the
all-pervading.
Now one may think
that because Krsna was the friend of Arjuna, Arjuna was telling Him all this
by way of flattery, but Arjuna, just to drive out this kind of doubt from
the minds of the readers of Bhagavad-gita, substantiates these praises
in the next verse when he says that Krsna is accepted as the Supreme Personality
of Godhead not only by himself but by authorities like the sage Narada, Asita,
Devala, Vyasadeva and so on. These are great personalities who distribute
the Vedic knowledge as it is accepted by all acaryas. Therefore Arjuna
tells Krsna that he accepts whatever He says to be completely perfect.
Sarvam etad rtam manye: "I accept everything You say to be true."
Arjuna also says that the personality of the Lord is very difficult to understand
and that He cannot be known even by the great demigods. This means that the
Lord cannot even be known by personalities greater than human beings. So
how can a human being understand Sri Krsna without becoming His devotee?
Therefore
Bhagavad-gita should be taken up in a spirit of devotion. One should
not think that he is equal to Krsna, nor should he think that Krsna is an
ordinary personality or even a very great personality. Lord Sri Krsna is
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, at least theoretically, according to
the statements of Bhagavad-gita or the statements of Arjuna, the person
who is trying to understand the Bhagavad-gita. We should therefore
at least theoretically accept Sri Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
and with that submissive spirit we can understand the Bhagavad-gita.
Unless one reads the Bhagavad-gita in a submissive spirit, it is very
difficult to understand Bhagavad-gita because it is a great mystery.
Just what is the
Bhagavad-gita? The purpose of Bhagavad-gita is to deliver mankind
from the nescience of material existence. Every man is in difficulty in so
many ways, as Arjuna also was in difficulty in having to fight the Battle
of Kuruksetra. Arjuna surrendered unto Sri Krsna, and consequently this
Bhagavad-gita was spoken. Not only Arjuna, but every one of us is
full of anxieties because of this material existence. Our very existence
is in the atmosphere of nonexistence. Actually we are not meant to be threatened
by nonexistence. Our existence is eternal. But somehow or other we are put
into asat. Asat refers to that which does not exist.
Out of so many human
beings who are suffering, there are a few who are actually inquiring about
their position, as to what they are, why they are put into this awkward position
and so on. Unless one is awakened to this position of questioning his suffering,
unless he realizes that he doesn't want suffering but rather wants to make
a solution to all sufferings, then one is not to be considered a perfect
human being. Humanity begins when this sort of inquiry is awakened in one's
mind. In the Brahma-sutra this inquiry is called "brahma
jijnasa." Every activity of the human being is to be considered a failure
unless he inquires about the nature of the Absolute. Therefore those who
begin to question why they are suffering or where they came from and where
they shall go after death are proper students for understanding
Bhagavad-gita. The sincere student should also have a firm respect
for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such a student was Arjuna.
Lord Krsna descends
specifically to reestablish the real purpose of life when man forgets that
purpose. Even then, out of many, many human beings who awaken, there may
be one who actually enters the spirit of understanding his position, and
for him this Bhagavad-gita is spoken. Actually we are all followed
by the tiger of nescience, but the Lord is very merciful upon living entities,
especially human beings. To this end He spoke the Bhagavad-gita, making
His friend Arjuna His student.
Being an associate
of Lord Krsna, Arjuna was above all ignorance, but Arjuna was put into ignorance
on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra just to question Lord Krsna about the problems
of life so that the Lord could explain them for the benefit of future generations
of human beings and chalk out the plan of life. Then man could act accordingly
and perfect the mission of human life.
The subject of the
Bhagavad-gita entails the comprehension of five basic truths. First
of all, the science of God is explained and then the constitutional position
of the living entities, jivas. There is isvara, which means
controller, and there are jivas, the living entities which are controlled.
If a living entity says that he is not controlled but that he is free, then
he is insane. The living being is controlled in every respect, at least in
his conditioned life. So in the Bhagavad-gita the subject matter deals
with the isvara, the supreme controller, and the jivas, the
controlled living entities. Prakrti (material nature) and time (the duration
of existence of the whole universe or the manifestation of material nature)
and karma (activity) are also discussed. The cosmic manifestation
is full of different activities. All living entities are engaged in different
activities. From Bhagavad-gita we must learn what God is, what the
living entities are, what prakrti is, what the cosmic manifestation
is, how it is controlled by time, and what the activities of the living entities
are.
Out of these five
basic subject matters in Bhagavad-gita it is established that the
Supreme Godhead, or Krsna, or Brahman, or supreme controller, or Paramatma--you
may use whatever name you like--is the greatest of all. The living beings
are in quality like the supreme controller. For instance, the Lord has control
over the universal affairs, over material nature, etc., as will be explained
in the later chapters of Bhagavad-gita. Material nature is not
independent. She is acting under the directions of the Supreme Lord. As Lord
Krsna says, "Prakrti is working under My direction." When we see wonderful
things happening in the cosmic nature, we should know that behind this cosmic
manifestation there is a controller. Nothing could be manifested without
being controlled. It is childish not to consider the controller. For instance,
a child may think that an automobile is quite wonderful to be able to run
without a horse or other animal pulling it, but a sane man knows the nature
of the automobile's engineering arrangement. He always knows that behind
the machinery there is a man, a driver. Similarly, the Supreme Lord is a
driver under whose direction everything is working. Now the jivas,
or the living entities, have been accepted by the Lord, as we will note in
the later chapters, as His parts and parcels. A particle of gold is also
gold, a drop of water from the ocean is also salty, and similarly, we the
living entities, being part and parcel of the supreme controller,
isvara, or Bhagavan, Lord Sri Krsna, have all the qualities of the
Supreme Lord in minute quantity because we are minute isvaras, subordinate
isvaras. We are trying to control nature, as presently we are trying
to control space or planets, and this tendency to control is there because
it is in Krsna. But although we have a tendency to lord it over material
nature, we should know that we are not the supreme controller. This is explained
in Bhagavad-gita.
What is material
nature? This is also explained in Gita as inferior prakrti,
inferior nature. The living entity is explained as the superior
prakrti. Prakrti is always under control, whether inferior
or superior. Prakrti is female, and she is controlled by the Lord
just as the activities of a wife are controlled by the husband.
Prakrti is always subordinate, predominated by the Lord, who is the
predominator. The living entities and material nature are both predominated,
controlled by the Supreme Lord. According to the Gita, the living
entities, although parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord, are to be considered
prakrti. This is clearly mentioned in the Seventh Chapter, Fifth Verse
of Bhagavad-gita: "Apareyam itas tv anyam." "This
prakrti is My lower nature," "prakrtim viddhi me param jiva-bhutam
maha-baho yayedam dharyate jagat." And beyond this there is another
prakrti: jiva-bhutam, the living entity.
Prakrti itself
is constituted by three qualities: the mode of goodness, the mode of passion
and the mode of ignorance. Above these modes there is eternal time, and by
a combination of these modes of nature and under the control and purview
of eternal time there are activities which are called karma. These
activities are being carried out from time immemorial, and we are suffering
or enjoying the fruits of our activities. For instance, suppose I am a
businessman and have worked very hard with intelligence and have amassed
a great bank balance. Then I am an enjoyer. But then say I have lost all
my money in business; then I am a sufferer. Similarly, in every field of
life we enjoy the results of our work, or we suffer the results. This is
called karma.
Isvara (the Supreme
Lord), jiva (the living entity), prakrti (nature), eternal
time and karma (activity) are all explained in the
Bhagavad-gita. Out of these five, the Lord, the living entities, material
nature and time are eternal. The manifestation of prakrti may be
temporary, but it is not false. Some philosophers say that the manifestation
of material nature is false, but according to the philosophy of
Bhagavad-gita or according to the philosophy of the Vaisnavas, this
is not so. The manifestation of the world is not accepted as false; it is
accepted as real, but temporary. It is likened unto a cloud which moves across
the sky, or the coming of the rainy season which nourishes grains. As soon
as the rainy season is over and as soon as the cloud goes away, all the crops
which were nourished by the rain dry up. Similarly, this material manifestation
takes place at a certain interval, stays for a while and then disappears.
Such are the workings of prakrti. But this cycle is working eternally.
Therefore prakrti is eternal; it is not false. The Lord refers to
this as "My prakrti." This material nature is the separated energy
of the Supreme Lord, and similarly the living entities are also the energy
of the Supreme Lord, but they are not separated. They are eternally related.
So the Lord, the living entity, material nature and time are all interrelated
and are all eternal. However, the other item, karma, is not eternal.
The effects of karma may be very old indeed. We are suffering or enjoying
the results of our activities from time immemorial, but we can change the
results of our karma, or our activity, and this change depends on
the perfection of our knowledge. We are engaged in various activities.
Undoubtedly we do not know what sort of activities we should adopt to gain
relief from the actions and reactions of all these activities, but this is
also explained in the Bhagavad-gita.
The position of
isvara is that of supreme consciousness. The jivas, or the
living entities, being parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord, are also conscious.
Both the living entity and material nature are explained as prakrti,
the energy of the Supreme Lord, but one of the two, the jiva, is
conscious. The other prakrti is not conscious. That is the difference.
Therefore the jiva-prakrti is called superior because the jiva
has consciousness which is similar to the Lord's. The Lord's is supreme
consciousness, however, and one should not claim that the jiva, the
living entity, is also supremely conscious. The living being cannot be supremely
conscious at any stage of his perfection, and the theory that he can be so
is a misleading theory. Conscious he may be, but he is not perfectly or supremely
conscious.
The distinction between
the jiva and the isvara will be explained in the Thirteenth
Chapter of Bhagavad-gita. The Lord is ksetra-jna, conscious,
as is the living being, but the living being is conscious of his particular
body, whereas the Lord is conscious of all bodies. Because He lives in the
heart of every living being, He is conscious of the psychic movements of
the particular jivas. We should not forget this. It is also explained
that the Paramatma, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is living in everyone's
heart as isvara, as the controller, and that He is giving directions
for the living entity to act as he desires. The living entity forgets what
to do. First of all he makes a determination to act in a certain way, and
then he is entangled in the actions and reactions of his own karma.
After giving up one type of body, he enters another type of body, as we put
on and take off old clothes. As the soul thus migrates, he suffers the actions
and reactions of his past activities. These activities can be changed when
the living being is in the mode of goodness, in sanity, and understands what
sort of activities he should adopt. If he does so, then all the actions and
reactions of his past activities can be changed. Consequently, karma
is not eternal. Therefore we stated that of the five items (isvara, jiva,
prakrti, time and karma) four are eternal, whereas karma
is not eternal.
The supreme conscious
isvara is similar to the living entity in this way: both the consciousness
of the Lord and that of the living entity are transcendental. It is not that
consciousness is generated by the association of matter. That is a mistaken
idea. The theory that consciousness develops under certain circumstances
of material combination is not accepted in the Bhagavad-gita.
Consciousness may be pervertedly reflected by the covering of material
circumstances, just as light reflected through colored glass may appear to
be a certain color, but the consciousness of the Lord is not materially affected.
Lord Krsna says, "mayadhyaksena prakrtih." When He descends into the
material universe, His consciousness is not materially affected. If He were
so affected, He would be unfit to speak on transcendental matters as He does
in the Bhagavad-gita. One cannot say anything about the transcendental
world without being free from materially contaminated consciousness. So the
Lord is not materially contaminated. Our consciousness, at the present moment,
however, is materially contaminated. The Bhagavad-gita teaches
that we have to purify this materially contaminated consciousness. In pure
consciousness, our actions will be dovetailed to the will of isvara,
and that will make us happy. It is not that we have to cease all activities.
Rather, our activities are to be purified, and purified activities are called
bhakti. Activities in bhakti appear to be like ordinary activities,
but they are not contaminated. An ignorant person may see that a devotee
is acting or working like an ordinary man, but such a person with a poor
fund of knowledge does not know that the activities of the devotee or of
the Lord are not contaminated by impure consciousness or matter. They are
transcendental to the three modes of nature. We should know, however, that
at this point our consciousness is contaminated.
When we are materially
contaminated, we are called conditioned. False consciousness is exhibited
under the impression that I am a product of material nature. This is called
false ego. One who is absorbed in the thought of bodily conceptions cannot
understand his situation. Bhagavad-gita was spoken to liberate one
from the bodily conception of life, and Arjuna put himself in this position
in order to receive this information from the Lord. One must become free
from the bodily conception of life; that is the preliminary activity for
the transcendentalist. One who wants to become free, who wants to become
liberated, must first of all learn that he is not this material body.
Mukti or liberation means freedom from material consciousness. In
the Srimad-Bhagavatam also the definition of liberation is given.
Mukti means liberation from the contaminated consciousness of this
material world and situation in pure consciousness. All the instructions
of Bhagavad-gita are intended to awaken this pure consciousness, and
therefore we find at the last stage of the Gita's instructions that
Krsna is asking Arjuna whether he is now in purified consciousness. Purified
consciousness means acting in accordance with the instructions of the Lord.
This is the whole sum and substance of purified consciousness. Consciousness
is already there because we are part and parcel of the Lord, but for us there
is the affinity of being affected by the inferior modes. But the Lord, being
the Supreme, is never affected. That is the difference between the Supreme
Lord and the conditioned souls.
What is this
consciousness? This consciousness is "I am." Then what am I? In contaminated
consciousness "I am" means "I am the lord of all I survey. I am the enjoyer."
The world revolves because every living being thinks that he is the lord
and creator of the material world. Material consciousness has two psychic
divisions. One is that I am the creator, and the other is that I am the enjoyer.
But actually the Supreme Lord is both the creator and the enjoyer, and the
living entity, being part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, is neither the
creator nor the enjoyer, but a cooperator. He is the created and the enjoyed.
For instance, a part of a machine cooperates with the whole machine; a part
of the body cooperates with the whole body. The hands, feet, eyes, legs and
so on are all parts of the body, but they are not actually the enjoyers.
The stomach is the enjoyer. The legs move, the hands supply food, the teeth
chew and all parts of the body are engaged in satisfying the stomach because
the stomach is the principal factor that nourishes the body's organization.
Therefore everything is given to the stomach. One nourishes the tree by watering
its root, and one nourishes the body by feeding the stomach, for if the body
is to be kept in a healthy state, then the parts of the body must cooperate
to feed the stomach. Similarly, the Supreme Lord is the enjoyer and the creator,
and we, as subordinate living beings, are meant to cooperate to satisfy Him.
This cooperation will actually help us, just as food taken by the stomach
will help all other parts of the body. If the fingers of the hand think that
they should take the food themselves instead of giving it to the stomach,
then they will be frustrated. The central figure of creation and of enjoyment
is the Supreme Lord, and the living entities are cooperators. By cooperation
they enjoy. The relation is also like that of the master and the servant.
If the master is fully satisfied, then the servant is satisfied. Similarly,
the Supreme Lord should be satisfied, although the tendency to become the
creator and the tendency to enjoy the material world are there also in the
living entities because these tendencies are there in the Supreme Lord who
has created the manifested cosmic world.
We shall find, therefore,
in this Bhagavad-gita that the complete whole is comprised of the
supreme controller, the controlled living entities, the cosmic manifestation,
eternal time, and karma, or activities, and all of these are explained
in this text. All of these taken completely form the complete whole, and
the complete whole is called the Supreme Absolute Truth. The complete whole
and the complete Absolute Truth are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri
Krsna. All manifestations are due to His different energies. He is
the complete whole.
It is also explained
in the Gita that impersonal Brahman is also subordinate to the complete.
Brahman is more explicitly explained in the Brahma-sutra to be like
the rays of the sunshine. The impersonal Brahman is the shining rays of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. Impersonal Brahman is incomplete realization
of the absolute whole, and so also is the conception of Paramatma in the
Twelfth Chapter. There it shall be seen that the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
Purusottama, is above both impersonal Brahman and the partial realization
of Paramatma. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is called
sac-cid-ananda-vigraha. The Brahma-samhita begins in this way:
isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah/anadir adir govindah
sarva-karana-karanam. "Krsna is the cause of all causes. He is the primal
cause, and He is the very form of eternal being, knowledge and bliss." Impersonal
Brahman realization is the realization of His sat (being) feature.
Paramatma realization is the realization of the cit (eternal knowledge)
feature. But realization of the Personality of Godhead, Krsna, is realization
of all the transcendental features: sat, cit and ananda (being,
knowledge, bliss) in complete vigraha (form).
People with less
intelligence consider the Supreme Truth to be impersonal, but He is a
transcendental person, and this is confirmed in all Vedic literatures. Nityo
nityanam cetanas cetananam. As we are all individual living beings and
have our individuality, the Supreme Absolute Truth is also, in the ultimate
issue, a person, and realization of the Personality of Godhead is realization
of all of the transcendental features. The complete whole is not formless.
If He is formless, or if He is less than any other thing, then He cannot
be the complete whole. The complete whole must have everything within our
experience and beyond our experience, otherwise it cannot be complete. The
complete whole, Personality of Godhead, has immense potencies.
How Krsna is acting
in different potencies is also explained in Bhagavad-gita. This phenomenal
world or material world in which we are placed is also complete in itself
because the twenty-four elements of which this material universe is a temporary
manifestation, according to Sankhya philosophy, are completely adjusted to
produce complete resources which are necessary for the maintenance and
subsistence of this universe. There is nothing extraneous; nor is there anything
needed. This manifestation has its own time fixed by the energy of the supreme
whole, and when its time is complete, these temporary manifestations will
be annihilated by the complete arrangement of the complete. There is complete
facility for the small complete units, namely the living entities, to realize
the complete, and all sorts of incompleteness are experienced due to incomplete
knowledge of the complete. So Bhagavad-gita contains the complete
knowledge of Vedic wisdom.
All Vedic knowledge
is infallible, and Hindus accept Vedic knowledge to be complete and infallible.
For example, cow dung is the stool of an animal, and according to
smrti, or Vedic injunction, if one touches the stool of an animal
he has to take a bath to purify himself. But in the Vedic scriptures cow
dung is considered to be a purifying agent. One might consider this to be
contradictory, but it is accepted because it is Vedic injunction, and indeed
by accepting this, one will not commit a mistake; subsequently it has been
proved by modern science that cow dung contains all antiseptic properties.
So Vedic knowledge is complete because it is above all doubts and mistakes,
and Bhagavad-gita is the essence of all Vedic knowledge.
Vedic knowledge is
not a question of research. Our research work is imperfect because we are
researching things with imperfect senses. We have to accept perfect knowledge
which comes down, as is stated in Bhagavad-gita, by the
parampara (disciplic succession). We have to receive knowledge from
the proper source in disciplic succession beginning with the supreme spiritual
master, the Lord Himself, and handed down to a succession of spiritual masters.
Arjuna, the student who took lessons from Lord Sri Krsna, accepts everything
that He says without contradicting Him. One is not allowed to accept one
portion of Bhagavad-gita and not another. No. We must accept
Bhagavad-gita without interpretation, without deletion and without
our own whimsical participation in the matter. The Gita should be
taken as the most perfect presentation of Vedic knowledge. Vedic knowledge
is received from transcendental sources, and the first words were spoken
by the Lord Himself. The words spoken by the Lord are different from the
words spoken by a person of the mundane world who is infected with four defects.
A mundaner 1) is sure to commit mistakes, 2) is invariably illusioned, 3)
has the tendency to cheat others and 4) is limited by imperfect senses. With
these four imperfections, one cannot deliver perfect information of all-pervading
knowledge.
Vedic knowledge is
not imparted by such defective living entities. It was imparted unto the
heart of Brahma, the first created living being, and Brahma in his turn
disseminated this knowledge to his sons and disciples, as he originally received
it from the Lord. The Lord is purnam, all-perfect, and there is no
possibility of His becoming subjected to the laws of material nature. One
should therefore be intelligent enough to know that the Lord is the only
proprietor of everything in the universe and that He is the original creator,
the creator of Brahma. In the Eleventh Chapter the Lord is addressed as
prapitamaha because Brahma is addressed as pitamaha, the
grandfather, and He is the creator of the grandfather. So no one should claim
to be the proprietor of anything; one should accept only things which are
set aside for him by the Lord as his quota for his maintenance.
There are many examples
given of how we are to utilize those things which are set aside for us by
the Lord. This is also explained in Bhagavad-gita. In the beginning,
Arjuna decided that he should not fight in the Battle of Kuruksetra. This
was his own decision. Arjuna told the Lord that it was not possible for him
to enjoy the kingdom after killing his own kinsmen. This decision was based
on the body because he was thinking that the body was himself and that his
bodily relations or expansions were his brothers, nephews, brothers-in-law,
grandfathers and so on. He was thinking in this way to satisfy his bodily
demands. Bhagavad-gita was spoken by the Lord just to change this
view, and at the end Arjuna decides to fight under the directions of the
Lord when he says, "karisye vacanam tava." "I shall act according
to Thy word."
In this world man
is not meant to toil like hogs. He must be intelligent to realize the importance
of human life and refuse to act like an ordinary animal. A human being should
realize the aim of his life, and this direction is given in all Vedic
literatures, and the essence is given in Bhagavad-gita. Vedic literature
is meant for human beings, not for animals. Animals can kill other living
animals, and there is no question of sin on their part, but if a man kills
an animal for the satisfaction of his uncontrolled taste, he must be responsible
for breaking the laws of nature. In the Bhagavad-gita it is clearly
explained that there are three kinds of activities according to the different
modes of nature: the activities of goodness, of passion and of ignorance.
Similarly, there are three kinds of eatables also: eatables in goodness,
passion and ignorance. All of this is clearly described, and if we properly
utilize the instructions of Bhagavad-gita, then our whole life will
become purified, and ultimately we will be able to reach the destination
which is beyond this material sky.
That destination
is called the sanatana sky, the eternal spiritual sky. In this material
world we find that everything is temporary. It comes into being, stays for
some time, produces some by-products, dwindles and then vanishes. That is
the law of the material world, whether we use as an example this body, or
a piece of fruit or anything. But beyond this temporary world there is another
world of which we have information. This world consists of another nature,
which is sanatana, eternal. Jiva is also described as
sanatana, eternal, and the Lord is also described as sanatana
in the Eleventh Chapter. We have an intimate relationship with the Lord,
and because we are all qualitatively one--the sanatana-dhama, or sky,
the sanatana Supreme Personality and the sanatana living
entities--the whole purpose of Bhagavad-gita is to revive our
sanatana occupation, or sanatana-dharma, which is the eternal
occupation of the living entity. We are temporarily engaged in different
activities, but all of these activities can be purified when we give up all
these temporary activities and take up the activities which are prescribed
by the Supreme Lord. That is called our pure life.
The Supreme Lord
and His transcendental abode are both sanatana, as are the living
entities, and the combined association of the Supreme Lord and the living
entities in the sanatana abode is the perfection of human life. The
Lord is very kind to the living entities because they are His sons. Lord
Krsna declares in Bhagavad-gita, "sarva-yonisu...aham bija-pradah
pita." "I am the father of all." Of course there are all types of living
entities according to their various karmas, but here the Lord claims
that He is the father of all of them. Therefore the Lord descends to reclaim
all of these fallen, conditioned souls to call them back to the
sanatana eternal sky so that the sanatana living entities may
regain their eternal sanatana positions in eternal association with
the Lord. The Lord comes Himself in different incarnations, or He sends His
confidential servants as sons or His associates or acaryas to reclaim
the conditioned souls.
Therefore,
sanatana-dharma does not refer to any sectarian process of religion.
It is the eternal function of the eternal living entities in relationship
with the eternal Supreme Lord. Sanatana-dharma refers, as stated
previously, to the eternal occupation of the living entity. Ramanujacarya
has explained the word sanatana as "that which has neither beginning
nor end," so when we speak of sanatana-dharma, we must take it for
granted on the authority of Sri Ramanujacarya that it has neither beginning
nor end.
The English world
"religion" is a little different from sanatana-dharma. Religion conveys
the idea of faith, and faith may change. One may have faith in a particular
process, and he may change this faith and adopt another, but
sanatana-dharma refers to that activity which cannot be changed. For
instance, liquidity cannot be taken from water, nor can heat be taken from
fire. Similarly, the eternal function of the eternal living entity cannot
be taken from the living entity. Sanatana-dharma is eternally integral
with the living entity. When we speak of sanatana-dharma, therefore,
we must take it for granted on the authority of Sri Ramanujacarya that it
has neither beginning nor end. That which has neither end nor beginning must
not be sectarian, for it cannot be limited by any boundaries. Yet those belonging
to some sectarian faith will wrongly consider that sanatana-dharma
is also sectarian, but if we go deeply into the matter and consider it in
the light of modern science, it is possible for us to see that
sanatana-dharma is the business of all the people of the world--nay,
of all the living entities of the universe.
Non-sanatana
religious faith may have some beginning in the annals of human history, but
there is no beginning to the history of sanatana-dharma because it
remains eternally with the living entities. Insofar as the living entities
are concerned, the authoritative sastras state that the living entity
has neither birth nor death. In the Gita it is stated that the living
entity is never born, and he never dies. He is eternal and indestructible,
and he continues to live after the destruction of his temporary material
body. In reference to the concept of sanatana-dharma, we must try
to understand the concept of religion from the Sanskrit root meaning of the
word. Dharma refers to that which is constantly existing with a particular
object. We conclude that there is heat and light along with the fire; without
heat and light, there is no meaning to the word fire. Similarly, we must
discover the essential part of the living being, that part which is his constant
companion. That constant companion is his eternal quality, and that eternal
quality is his eternal religion.
When Sanatana Gosvami
asked Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu about the svarupa of every living being,
the Lord replied that the svarupa or constitutional position of the
living being is the rendering of service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
If we analyze this statement of Lord Caitanya, we can easily see that every
living being is constantly engaged in rendering service to another living
being. A living being serves other living beings in two capacities. By doing
so, the living entity enjoys life. The lower animals serve human beings as
servants serve their master. A serves B master, B serves C master and C serves
D master and so on. Under these circumstances, we can see that one friend
serves another friend, the mother serves the son, the wife serves the husband,
the husband serves the wife and so on. If we go on searching in this spirit,
it will be seen that there is no exception in the society of living beings
to the activity of service. The politician presents his manifesto for the
public to convince them of his capacity for service. The voters therefore
give the politician their valuable votes, thinking that he will render valuable
service to society. The shopkeeper serves the customer, and the artisan serves
the capitalist. The capitalist serves the family, and the family serves the
state in the terms of the eternal capacity of the eternal living being. In
this way we can see that no living being is exempt from rendering service
to other living beings, and therefore we can safely conclude that service
is the constant companion of the living being and that the rendering of service
is the eternal religion of the living being.
Yet man professes
to belong to a particular type of faith with reference to particular time
and circumstance and thus claims to be a Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist
or any other sect. Such designations are non-sanatana-dharma. A Hindu
may change his faith to become a Muslim, or a Muslim may change his faith
to become a Hindu, or a Christian may change his faith and so on. But in
all circumstances the change of religious faith does not affect the eternal
occupation of rendering service to others. The Hindu, Muslim or Christian
in all circumstances is servant of someone. Thus, to profess a particular
type of sect is not to profess one's sanatana-dharma. The rendering
of service is sanatana-dharma.
Factually we are
related to the Supreme Lord in service. The Supreme Lord is the supreme enjoyer,
and we living entities are His servitors. We are created for His enjoyment,
and if we participate in that eternal enjoyment with the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, we become happy. We cannot become happy otherwise. It is not
possible to be happy independently, just as no one part of the body can be
happy without cooperating with the stomach. It is not possible for the living
entity to be happy without rendering transcendental loving service unto the
Supreme Lord.
In the
Bhagavad-gita, worship of different demigods or rendering service
to them is not approved. It is stated in the Seventh Chapter, twentieth verse:
kamais tais tair hrta-jnanah prapadyante 'nya-devatah
tam tam niyamam asthaya prakrtya niyatah svaya
"Those whose minds
are distorted by material desires surrender unto demigods and follow the
particular rules and regulations of worship according to their own natures."
(Bg. 7.20) Here it is plainly said that those who are directed by
lust worship the demigods and not the Supreme Lord Krsna. When we mention
the name Krsna, we do not refer to any sectarian name. Krsna means
the highest pleasure, and it is confirmed that the Supreme Lord is the reservoir
or storehouse of all pleasure. We are all hankering after pleasure.
Ananda-mayo 'bhyasat (Vs. 1.1.12). The living entities, like
the Lord, are full of consciousness, and they are after happiness. The Lord
is perpetually happy, and if the living entities associate with the Lord,
cooperate with Him and take part in His association, then they also become
happy.
The Lord descends
to this mortal world to show His pastimes in Vrndavana, which are full of
happiness. When Lord Sri Krsna was in Vrndavana, His activities with His
cowherd boyfriends, with His damsel friends, with the inhabitants of Vrndavana
and with the cows were all full of happiness. The total population of Vrndavana
knew nothing but Krsna. But Lord Krsna even discouraged His father Nanda
Maharaja from worshiping the demigod Indra because He wanted to establish
the fact that people need not worship any demigod. They need only worship
the Supreme Lord because their ultimate goal is to return to His abode.
The abode of Lord
Sri Krsna is described in the Bhagavad-gita, Fifteenth Chapter, sixth
verse:
na tad bhasayate suryo na sasanko na pavakah
yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama
"That abode of Mine
is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by electricity and anyone who reaches
it never comes back to this material world." (Bg. 15.6)
This verse gives
a description of that eternal sky. Of course we have a material conception
of the sky, and we think of it in relationship to the sun, moon, stars and
so on, but in this verse the Lord states that in the eternal sky there is
no need for the sun nor for the moon nor fire of any kind because the spiritual
sky is already illuminated by the brahmajyoti, the rays emanating
from the Supreme Lord. We are trying with difficulty to reach other planets,
but it is not difficult to understand the abode of the Supreme Lord. This
abode is referred to as Goloka. In the Brahma-samhita it is
beautifully described: goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhutah. The Lord
resides eternally in His abode Goloka, yet He can be approached from this
world, and to this end the Lord comes to manifest His real form,
sac-cid-ananda-vigraha. When He manifests this form, there is no need
for our imagining what He looks like. To discourage such imaginative speculation,
He descends and exhibits Himself as He is, as Syamasundara. Unfortunately,
the less intelligent deride Him because He comes as one of us and plays with
us as a human being. But because of this we should not consider that the
Lord is one of us. It is by His potency that He presents Himself in His real
form before us and displays His pastimes, which are prototypes of those pastimes
found in His abode.
In the effulgent
rays of the spiritual sky there are innumerable planets floating. The
brahmajyoti emanates from the supreme abode, Krsnaloka, and the
anandamaya-cinmaya planets, which are not material, float in those
rays. The Lord says, na tad bhasayate suryo na sasanko na pavakah. yad
gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama. One who can approach that
spiritual sky is not required to descend again to the material sky. In the
material sky, even if we approach the highest planet (Brahmaloka), what to
speak of the moon, we will find the same conditions of life, namely birth,
death, disease and old age. No planet in the material universe is free from
these four principles of material existence. Therefore the Lord says in
Bhagavad-gita, abrahma-bhuvanal lokah punar avartino 'rjuna. The
living entities are traveling from one planet to another, not by a mechanical
arrangement but by a spiritual process. This is also mentioned: yanti
deva-vrata devan pitrn yanti pitr-vratah. No mechanical arrangement is
necessary if we want interplanetary travel. The Gita instructs: yanti
deva-vrata devan. The moon, the sun and higher planets are called Svargaloka.
There are three different statuses of planets: higher, middle and lower planetary
systems. The earth belongs to the middle planetary system.
Bhagavad-gita informs us how to travel to the higher planetary systems
(Devaloka) with a very simple formula: yanti deva-vrata devan. One
need only worship the particular demigod of that particular planet and in
that way go to the moon, the sun or any of the higher planetary systems.
Yet
Bhagavad-gita does not advise us to go to any of the planets in this
material world because even if we go to Brahmaloka, the highest planet, through
some sort of mechanical contrivance by maybe traveling for forty thousand
years (and who would live that long?), we will still find the material
inconveniences of birth, death, disease and old age. But one who wants to
approach the supreme planet, Krsnaloka, or any of the other planets within
the spiritual sky, will not meet with these material inconveniences. Amongst
all of the planets in the spiritual sky there is one supreme planet called
Goloka Vrndavana, which is the original planet in the abode of the original
Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna. All of this information is given in
Bhagavad-gita, and we are given through its instruction information
how to leave the material world and begin a truly blissful life in the spiritual
sky.
In the Fifteenth
Chapter of the Bhagavad-gita, the real picture of the material world
is given. It is said there:
urdhva-mulam adhah-sakham asvattham prahur avyayam
chandamsi yasya parnani yas tam veda sa veda-vit
"The Supreme Lord
said: There is a banyan tree which has its roots upward and its branches
down, and the Vedic hymns are its leaves. One who knows this tree is the
knower of the Vedas." (Bg 15.1) Here the material world is
described as a tree whose roots are upwards and branches are below. We have
experience of a tree whose roots are upward: if one stands on the bank of
a river or any reservoir of water, he can see that the trees reflected in
the water are upside down. The branches go downward and the roots upward.
Similarly, this material world is a reflection of the spiritual world. The
material world is but a shadow of reality. In the shadow there is no reality
or substantiality, but from the shadow we can understand that there is substance
and reality. In the desert there is no water, but the mirage suggests that
there is such a thing as water. In the material world there is no water,
there is no happiness, but the real water of actual happiness is there in
the spiritual world.
The Lord suggests
that we attain the spiritual world in the following manner:
nirmana-moha jita-sanga-dosa
adhyatma-nitya vinivrtta-kamah
dvandvair vimuktah sukha-duhkha-samjnair
gacchanty amudhah padam avyayam tat
That padam
avyayam or eternal kingdom can be reached by one who is
nirmana-moha. What does this mean? We are after designations. Someone
wants to become a son, someone wants to become "lord," someone wants to become
the president or a rich man or a king or something else. As long as we are
attached to these designations, we are attached to the body because designations
belong to the body. But we are not these bodies, and realizing this is the
first stage in spiritual realization. We are associated with the three modes
of material nature, but we must become detached through devotional service
to the Lord. If we are not attached to devotional service to the Lord, then
we cannot become detached from the modes of material nature. Designations
and attachments are due to our lust and desire, our wanting to lord it over
the material nature. As long as we do not give up this propensity of lording
it over material nature, there is no possibility of returning to the kingdom
of the Supreme, the sanatana-dhama. That eternal kingdom, which is
never destroyed, can be approached by one who is not bewildered by the
attractions of false material enjoyments, who is situated in the service
of the Supreme Lord. One so situated can easily approach that supreme abode.
Elsewhere in the
Gita it is stated:
avyakto 'ksara ity uktas tam ahuh paramam gatim
yam prapya na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama
Avyakta means
unmanifested. Not even all of the material world is manifested before us.
Our senses are so imperfect that we cannot even see all of the stars within
this material universe. In Vedic literature we can receive much information
about all the planets, and we can believe it or not believe it. All of the
important planets are described in Vedic literatures, especially
Srimad-Bhagavatam, and the spiritual world, which is beyond this material
sky, is described as avyakta, unmanifested. One should desire and
hanker after that supreme kingdom, for when one attains that kingdom, he
does not have to return to this material world.
Next, one may raise
the question of how one goes about approaching that abode of the Supreme
Lord. Information of this is given in the Eighth Chapter. It is said there:
anta-kale ca mam eva smaran muktva kalevaram
yah prayati sa mad-bhavam yati nasty atra samsayah
"Anyone who quits
his body, at the end of life, remembering Me, attains immediately to My nature;
and there is no doubt of this." (Bg. 8.5) One who thinks of Krsna
at the time of his death goes to Krsna. One must remember the form of Krsna;
if he quits his body thinking of this form, he approaches the spiritual kingdom.
Mad-bhavam refers to the supreme nature of the Supreme Being. The
Supreme Being is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha--eternal, full of knowledge
and bliss. Our present body is not sac-cid-ananda. It is asat,
not sat. It is not eternal; it is perishable. It is not cit,
full of knowledge, but it is full of ignorance. We have no knowledge of the
spiritual kingdom, nor do we even have perfect knowledge of this material
world where there are so many things unknown to us. The body is also
nirananda; instead of being full of bliss it is full of misery. All
of the miseries we experience in the material world arise from the body,
but one who leaves this body thinking of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
at once attains a sac-cid-ananda body, as is promised in the fifth
verse of the Eight Chapter where Lord Krsna says, "He attains My nature."
The process of quitting
this body and getting another body in the material world is also organized.
A man dies after it has been decided what form of body he will have in the
next life. Higher authorities, not the living entity himself, make this decision.
According to our activities in this life, we either rise or sink. This life
is a preparation for the next life. If we can prepare, therefore, in this
life to get promotion to the kingdom of God, then surely, after quitting
this material body, we will attain a spiritual body just like the Lord.
As explained before,
there are different kinds of transcendentalists, the brahmavadi,
paramatmavadi, and the devotee, and, as mentioned, in the
brahmajyoti (spiritual sky) there are innumerable spiritual planets.
The number of these planets is far, far greater than all of the planets of
this material world. This material world has been approximated as only one
quarter of the creation. In this material segment there are millions and
billions of universes with trillions of planets and suns, stars and moons.
But this whole material creation is only a fragment of the total creation.
Most of the creation is in the spiritual sky. One who desires to merge into
the existence of the Supreme Brahman is at once transferred to the
brahmajyoti of the Supreme Lord and thus attains the spiritual sky.
The devotee, who wants to enjoy the association of the Lord, enters into
the Vaikuntha planets, which are innumerable, and the Supreme Lord by His
plenary expansions as Narayana with four hands and with different names like
Pradyumna, Aniruddha, Govinda, etc., associates with him there. Therefore
at the end of life the transcendentalists either think of the
brahmajyoti, the Paramatma or the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri
Krsna. In all cases they enter into the spiritual sky, but only the devotee,
or he who is in personal touch with the Supreme Lord, enters into the Vaikuntha
planets. The Lord further adds that of this "there is no doubt." This must
be believed firmly. We should not reject that which does not tally with our
imagination; our attitude should be that of Arjuna: "I believe everything
that You have said." Therefore when the Lord says that at the time of death
whoever thinks of Him as Brahman or Paramatma or as the Personality of Godhead
certainly enters into the spiritual sky, there is no doubt about it. There
is no question of disbelieving it.
The information on
how to think of the Supreme Being at the time of death is also given in the
Gita:
yam yam vapi smaran bhavam tyajaty ante kalevaram
tam tam evaiti kaunteya sada tad-bhava-bhavitah
"In whatever condition
one quits his present body, in his next life he will attain to that state
of being without fail." (Bg. 8.6) Material nature is a display of one of
the energies of the Supreme Lord. In the Visnu Purana the total energies
of the Supreme Lord as Visnu-saktih para prokta, etc., are delineated.
The Supreme Lord has diverse and innumerable energies which are beyond our
conception; however, great learned sages or liberated souls have studied
these energies and have analyzed them into three parts. All of the energies
are of visnu-sakti, that is to say they are different potencies of
Lord Visnu. That energy is para, transcendental. Living entities also
belong to the superior energy, as has already been explained. The other energies,
or material energies, are in the mode of ignorance. At the time of death
we can either remain in the inferior energy of this material world, or we
can transfer to the energy of the spiritual world.
In life we are accustomed
to thinking either of the material or the spiritual energy. There are so
many literatures which fill our thoughts with the material energy--newspapers,
novels, etc. Our thinking, which is now absorbed in these literatures, must
be transferred to the Vedic literatures. The great sages, therefore, have
written so many Vedic literatures such as the Puranas, etc. The
Puranas are not imaginative; they are historical records. In the
Caitanya-caritamrta there is the following verse:
maya-mugdha jivera nahi svatah krsna-jnana
jivere krpaya kaila krsna veda-purana
(Cc. Madhya 20.122)
The forgetful living
entities or conditioned souls have forgotten their relationship with the
Supreme Lord, and they are engrossed in thinking of material activities.
Just to transfer their thinking power to the spiritual sky, Krsna has given
a great number of Vedic literatures. First he divided the Vedas into
four, then he explained them in the Puranas, and for less capable
people he wrote the Mahabharata. In the Mahabharata there is
given the Bhagavad-gita. Then all Vedic literature is summarized in
the Vedanta-sutra, and for future guidance he gave a natural commentation
on the Vedanta-sutra, called Srimad-Bhagavatam. We must always
engage our minds in reading these Vedic literatures. Just as materialists
engage their minds in reading newspapers, magazines and so many materialistic
literatures, we must transfer our reading to these literatures which are
given to us by Vyasadeva; in that way it will be possible for us to remember
the Supreme Lord at the time of death. That is the only way suggested by
the Lord, and He guarantees the result: "There is no doubt." (Bg.
8.7)
tasmat sarvesu kalesu mam anusmara yudhya ca
mayy arpita-mano-buddhir mam evaisyasy asamsayah
"Therefore, Arjuna,
you should always think of Me, and at the same time you should continue your
prescribed duty and fight. With your mind and activities always fixed on
Me, and everything engaged in Me, you will attain to Me without any doubt."
He does not advise
Arjuna to simply remember Him and give up his occupation. No, the Lord never
suggests anything impractical. In this material world, in order to maintain
the body one has to work. Human society is divided, according to work, into
four divisions of social order--brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya,
sudra. The brahmana class or intelligent class is working in
one way, the ksatriya or administrative class is working in another
way, and the mercantile class and the laborers are all tending to their specific
duties. In the human society, whether one is a laborer, merchant, warrior,
administrator, or farmer, or even if one belongs to the highest class and
is a literary man, a scientist or a theologian, he has to work in order to
maintain his existence. The Lord therefore tells Arjuna that he need not
give up his occupation, but while he is engaged in his occupation he should
remember Krsna. If he doesn't practice remembering Krsna while he is struggling
for existence, then it will not be possible for him to remember Krsna at
the time of death. Lord Caitanya also advises this. He says that one should
practice remembering the Lord by chanting the names of the Lord always. The
names of the Lord and the Lord are nondifferent. So Lord Krsna's instructions
to Arjuna to "remember Me" and Lord Caitanya's injunction to always "chant
the names of Lord Krsna" are the same instruction. There is no difference,
because Krsna and Krsna's name are nondifferent. In the absolute status there
is no difference between reference and referent. Therefore we have to practice
remembering the Lord always, twenty-four hours a day, by chanting His names
and molding our life's activities in such a way that we can remember Him
always.
How is this possible?
The acaryas give the following example. If a married woman is attached
to another man, or if a man has an attachment for a woman other than his
wife, then the attachment is to be considered very strong. One with such
an attachment is always thinking of the loved one. The wife who is thinking
of her lover is always thinking of meeting him, even while she is carrying
out her household chores. In fact, she carries out her household work even
more carefully so her husband will not suspect her attachment. Similarly,
we should always remember the supreme lover, Sri Krsna, and at the same time
perform our material duties very nicely. A strong sense of love is required
here. If we have a strong sense of love for the Supreme Lord, then we can
discharge our duty and at the same time remember Him. But we have to develop
that sense of love. Arjuna, for instance, was always thinking of Krsna; he
was the constant companion of Krsna, and at the same time he was a warrior.
Krsna did not advise him to give up fighting and go to the forest to meditate.
When Lord Krsna delineates the yoga system to Arjuna, Arjuna says
that the practice of this system is not possible for him.
arjuna uvaca
yo 'yam yogas tvaya proktah samyena madhusudana
etasyaham na pasyami cancalatvat sthitim sthiram
"Arjuna said, O
Madhusudana, the system of yoga which You have summarized appears
impractical and unendurable to me, for the mind is restless and unsteady."
(Bg. 6.33)
But the Lord says:
yoginam api sarvesam mad-gatenantaratmana
sraddhavan bhajate yo mam sa me yuktatamo matah
"Of all yogis,
he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental
loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga, and is
the highest of all." (Bg. 6.47) So one who thinks of the Supreme Lord
always is the greatest yogi, the supermost jnani, and the greatest
devotee at the same time. The Lord further tells Arjuna that as a
ksatriya he cannot give up his fighting, but if Arjuna fights remembering
Krsna, then he will be able to remember Him at the time of death. But one
must be completely surrendered in the transcendental loving service of the
Lord.
We work not with
our body, actually, but with our mind and intelligence. So if the intelligence
and the mind are always engaged in the thought of the Supreme Lord, then
naturally the senses are also engaged in His service. Superficially, at least,
the activities of the senses remain the same, but the consciousness is changed.
The Bhagavad-gita teaches one how to absorb the mind and intelligence
in the thought of the Lord. Such absorption will enable one to transfer himself
to the kingdom of the Lord. If the mind is engaged in Krsna's service, then
the senses are automatically engaged in His service. This is the art, and
this is also the secret of Bhagavad-gita: total absorption in the
thought of Sri Krsna.
Modern man has struggled
very hard to reach the moon, but he has not tried very hard to elevate himself
spiritually. If one has fifty years of life ahead of him, he should engage
that brief time in cultivating this practice of remembering the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. This practice is the devotional process of:
sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam
arcanam vandanam dasyam sakhyam atma-nivedanam
These nine processes,
of which the easiest is sravanam, hearing Bhagavad-gita from
the realized person, will turn one to the thought of the Supreme Being. This
will lead to nisala, remembering the Supreme Lord, and will enable
one, upon leaving the body, to attain a spiritual body which is just fit
for association with the Supreme Lord.
The Lord further
says:
abhyasa-yoga-yuktena cetasa nanya-gamina
paramam purusam divyam yati parthanucintayan
"By practicing this
remembering, without being deviated, thinking ever of the Supreme Godhead,
one is sure to achieve the planet of the Divine, the Supreme Personality,
O son of Kunti." (Bg. 8.8)
This is not a very
difficult process. However, one must learn it from an experienced person,
from one who is already in the practice. The mind is always flying to this
and that, but one must always practice concentrating the mind on the form
of the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna or on the sound of His name. The mind is naturally
restless, going hither and thither, but it can rest in the sound vibration
of Krsna. One must thus meditate on paramam purusam, the Supreme Person,
and thus attain Him. The ways and the means for ultimate realization, ultimate
attainment, are stated in the Bhagavad-gita, and the doors of this
knowledge are open for everyone. No one is barred out. All classes of men
can approach the Lord by thinking of Him, for hearing and thinking of Him
is possible for everyone.
The Lord further
says:
mam hi partha vyapasritya ye 'pi syuh papa-yonayah
striyo vaisyas tatha sudras te 'pi yanti param gatim
kim punar brahmanah punya bhakta rajarsayas tatha
anityam asukham lokam imam prapya bhajasva mam
"O son of Prtha,
anyone who will take shelter in Me, whether a woman, or a merchant, or one
born in a low family, can yet approach the supreme destination. How much
greater then are the brahmanas, the righteous, the devotees, and saintly
Kings! In this miserable world, these are fixed in devotional service to
the Lord." (Bg. 9.32-33)
Human beings even
in the lower statuses of life (a merchant, a woman or a laborer) can attain
the Supreme. One does not need highly developed intelligence. The point is
that anyone who accepts the principle of bhakti-yoga and accepts the
Supreme Lord as the summum bonum of life, as the highest target, the
ultimate goal, can approach the Lord in the spiritual sky. If one adopts
the principles enunciated in Bhagavad-gita, he can make his life perfect
and make a perfect solution to all the problems of life which arise out of
the transient nature of material existence. This is the sum and substance
of the entire Bhagavad-gita.
In conclusion,
Bhagavad-gita is a transcendental literature which one should read
very carefully. It is capable of saving one from all fear.
nehabhikrama-naso 'sti pratyavayo na vidyate
svalpam apy asya dharmasya trayate mahato bhayat
"In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement
on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear."
(Bg. 2.40) If one reads Bhagavad-gita sincerely and seriously,
then all of the reactions of his past misdeeds will not react upon him. In
the last portion of Bhagavad-gita, Lord Sri Krsna proclaims:
sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami ma sucah
"Give up all varieties
of religiousness, and just surrender unto Me; and in return I shall protect
you from all sinful reactions. Therefore, you have nothing to fear."
(Bg. 18.66) Thus the Lord takes all responsibility for one who surrenders
unto Him, and He indemnifies all the reactions of sin.
One cleanses himself
daily by taking a bath in water, but one who takes his bath only once in
the sacred Ganges water of the Bhagavad-gita cleanses away all the
dirt of material life. Because Bhagavad-gita is spoken by the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, one need not read any other Vedic literature. One
need only attentively and regularly hear and read Bhagavad-gita. In
the present age, mankind is so absorbed with mundane activities that it is
not possible to read all of the Vedic literatures. But this is not necessary.
This one book, Bhagavad-gita, will suffice because it is the essence
of all Vedic literatures and because it is spoken by the Supreme Personality
of Godhead. It is said that one who drinks the water of the Ganges certainly
gets salvation, but what to speak of one who drinks the waters of
Bhagavad-gita? Gita is the very nectar of the
Mahabharata spoken by Visnu Himself, for Lord Krsna is the original
Visnu. It is nectar emanating from the mouth of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, and the Ganges is said to be emanating from the lotus feet of the
Lord. Of course there is no difference between the mouth and the feet of
the Supreme Lord, but in our position we can appreciate that the
Bhagavad-gita is even more important than the Ganges.
The
Bhagavad-gita is just like a cow, and Lord Krsna, who is a cowherd
boy, is milking this cow. The milk is the essence of the Vedas, and
Arjuna is just like a calf. The wise men, the great sages and pure devotees,
are to drink the nectarean milk of Bhagavad-gita.
In this present day,
man is very eager to have one scripture, one God, one religion, and one
occupation. So let there be one common scripture for the whole
world--Bhagavad-gita. And let there be one God only for the whole
world--Sri Krsna. And one mantra only--Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna
Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. And let there
be one work only--the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
THE DISCIPLIC SUCCESSION
Evam parampara-praptam
imam rajarsayo viduh (Bhagavad-gita, 4.2). This
Bhagavad-gita As It Is is received through this disciplic succession:
1) Krsna, 2) Brahma, 3) Narada; 4) Vyasa, 5) Madhva, 6) Padmanabha,
7) Nrhari, 8) Madhava, 9) Aksobhya, 10) Jaya Tirtha, 11) Jnanasindhu, 12)
Dayanidhi, 13) Vidyanidhi, 14) Rajendra, 15) Jayadharma, 16) Purusottama,
17) Brahmanya Tirtha, 18) Vyasa Tirtha, 19) Laksmipati, 20) Madhavendra Puri,
21) Isvara Puri, (Nityananda, Advaita), 22) Lord Caitanya, 23) Rupa,
(Svarupa, Sanatana), 24) Raghunatha, Jiva, 25) Krsnadasa, 26) Narottama,
27) Visvanatha, 28) (Baladeva) Jagannatha, 29) Bhaktivinoda, 30) Gaurakisora,
31) Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, 32) His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupada.