Chapter 9: The Most Confidential Knowledge
Bg 9.34
TEXT 34
man-mana bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yaji mam namaskuru
mam evaisyasi yuktvaivam
atmanam mat-parayanah
mad-yaji mam namaskuru
mam evaisyasi yuktvaivam
atmanam mat-parayanah
SYNONYMS
mat-manäù—always thinking of Me; bhava—become; mat—My; bhaktaù—devotee; mat—My; yäjé—worshiper; mäm—unto Me; namaskuru—offer obeisances; mäm—unto Me; eva—completely; eñyasi—come; yuktvä evam—being absorbed; ätmänam—your soul; mat-paräyaëaù—devoted to Me.
TRANSLATION
Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, offer obeisances and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me.
PURPORT
In this verse it is clearly indicated that Kåñëa consciousness is the only means of being delivered from the clutches of this contaminated material world. Sometimes unscrupulous commentators distort the meaning of what is clearly stated here: that all devotional service should be offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kåñëa. Unfortunately, unscrupulous commentators divert the mind of the reader to that which is not at all feasible. Such commentators do not know that there is no difference between Kåñëa's mind and Kåñëa. Kåñëa is not an ordinary human being; He is Absolute Truth. His body, mind and He Himself are one and absolute. It is stated in the Kürma Puräëa. As it is quoted by Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Gosvämé in his Anubhäñya comments on Caitanya-caritämrta, Fifth Chapter, Ädi-lélä, verses 41-48, "deha-dehi-vibhedo 'yaà neçvare vidyate kvacit," which means that there is no difference in Kåñëa, the Supreme Lord, between Himself and His body. But, because they do not know this science of Kåñëa, the commentators hide Kåñëa and divide His personality from His mind or from His body. Although this is sheer ignorance of the science of Kåñëa, some men make profit out of misleading the people.
There are some who are demonic; they also think of Kåñëa, but enviously, just like King Kaàsa, Kåñëa's uncle. He was also thinking of Kåñëa always, but he thought of Kåñëa as his enemy. He was always in anxiety, wondering when Kåñëa would come to kill him. That kind of thinking will not help us. One should be thinking of Kåñëa in devotional love. That is bhakti. One should cultivate the knowledge of Kåñëa continually. What is that favorable cultivation? It is to learn from a bona fide teacher. Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and we have several times explained that His body is not material, but is eternal, blissful knowledge. This kind of talk about Kåñëa will help one become a devotee. Otherwise, understanding Kåñëa from the wrong source will prove fruitless.
One should therefore engage his mind in the eternal form, the primal form of Kåñëa; with conviction in his heart that Kåñëa is the Supreme, he should engage himself in worship. There are hundreds of thousands of temples in India for the worship of Kåñëa, and devotional service is practiced there. When such practice is made, one has to offer obeisances to Kåñëa. One should lower his head before the Deity and engage his mind, his body, his activities-everything. That will make one fully absorbed in Kåñëa without deviation. This will help one transfer into the Kåñëaloka. One should not be deviated by unscrupulous commentators. One must engage in the nine different processes of devotional service, beginning with hearing and chanting about Kåñëa. Pure devotional service is the highest achievement of human society.
In the Seventh and Eighth Chapters of Bhagavad-gétä, pure devotional service to the Lord has been explained, apart from the yoga of knowledge and mystic yoga or fruitive activities. Those who are not purely sanctified may be attracted by different features of the Lord, like the impersonal brahmajyoti and localized Paramätmä, but a pure devotee directly takes to the service of the Supreme Lord.
There is a beautiful poem about Kåñëa in which it is clearly stated that any person who is engaged in the worship of demigods is most unintelligent and cannot achieve at any time the supreme award of Kåñëa. The devotee, in the beginning, may sometimes fall from the standard, but still he should be considered superior to all other philosophers and yogés. One who always engages in Kåñëa consciousness should be understood to be the perfect saintly person. His accidental nondevotional activities will diminish, and he will soon be situated without any doubt in complete perfection. The pure devotee has no actual chance to fall down because the Supreme Godhead personally takes care of His pure devotees. Therefore, the intelligent person should take directly to this process of Kåñëa consciousness and happily live in this material world. He will eventually receive the supreme award of Kåñëa.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the Ninth Chapter of the Çrémad-Bhagavad-gétä in the matter of the Most Confidential Knowledge.
Join the Bhagavad-Gita Connect Newsletter
Copyright (c) 1972 by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada