Bhagavad-gita As It Is
CHAPTER 9b: The Most Confidential Knowledge
©1989, The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
Text:
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TEXT 15
jnana-yajnena capy an ye
yajanto mam upasate
ekatvena prthaktvena
bahudha visvato-mukham
WORD FOR WORD
jnana-yajnena -- by cultivation of knowledge; ca -- also;
api -- certainly; anye -- others; yajantah --
sacrificing; mam -- Me; upasate -- worship; ekatvena
-- in oneness; prthaktvena -- in duality; bahudha -- in
diversity; visvatah-mukham -- and in the universal form.
TRANSLATION
Others, who engage in sacrifice by the cultivation of knowledge, worship
the Supreme Lord as the one without a second, as diverse in many, and in
the universal form.
PURPORT
This verse is the summary of the previous verses. The Lord tells Arjuna
that those who are purely in Krishna consciousness and do not know
anything other than Krishna are called mahatma; yet there are other
persons who are not exactly in the position of mahatma but who
worship Krishna also, in different ways. Some of them have already been
described as the distressed, the financially destitute, the inquisitive,
and those who are engaged in the cultivation of knowledge. But there are
others who are still lower, and these are divided into three: (1) he who
worships himself as one with the Supreme Lord, (2) he who concocts some
form of the Supreme Lord and worships that, and (3) he who accepts the
universal form, the visvarupa of the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, and worships that. Out of the above three, the lowest, those who
worship themselves as the Supreme Lord, thinking themselves to be monists,
are most predominant. Such people think themselves to be the Supreme Lord,
and in this mentality they worship themselves. This is also a type of God
worship, for they can understand that they are not the material body but
are actually spiritual soul; at least, such a sense is prominent.
Generally the impersonalists worship the Supreme Lord in this way. The
second class includes the worshipers of the demigods, those who by
imagination consider any form to be the form of the Supreme Lord. And the
third class includes those who cannot conceive of anything beyond the
manifestation of this material universe. They consider the universe to be
the supreme organism or entity and worship that. The universe is also a
form of the Lord.
TEXT 16
aham kratur aham yajnah
svadhaham aham ausadham
mantro 'ham aham evajyam
aham agnir aham hutam
WORD FOR WORD
aham -- I; kratuh -- Vedic ritual; aham -- I;
yajnah -- smrti sacrifice; svadha -- oblation; aham
-- I; aham -- I; ausadham -- healing herb; mantrah --
transcendental chant; aham -- I; aham -- I; eva --
certainly; ajyam -- melted butter; aham -- I; agnih
-- fire; aham -- I; hutam -- offering.
TRANSLATION
But it is I who am the ritual, I the sacrifice, the offering to the
ancestors, the healing herb, the transcendental chant. I am the butter and
the fire and the offering.
PURPORT
The Vedic sacrifice known as jyotistoma is also Krishna, and He is
also the maha-yajna mentioned in the smrti. The oblations
offered to the Pitrloka or the sacrifice performed to please the Pitrloka,
considered as a kind of drug in the form of clarified butter, is also
Krishna. The mantras chanted in this connection are also Krishna.
And many other commodities made with milk products for offering in the
sacrifices are also Krishna. The fire is also Krishna because fire is one
of the five material elements and is therefore claimed as the separated
energy of Krishna. In other words, the Vedic sacrifices recommended in the
karma-kanda division of the Vedas are in total also Krishna.
Or, in other words, those who are engaged in rendering devotional service
unto Krishna are to be understood to have performed all the sacrifices
recommended in the Vedas.
TEXT 17
pitaham asya jagato
mata dhata pitamahah
vedyam pavitram omkara
rk sama yajur eva ca
WORD FOR WORD
pita -- father; aham -- I; asya -- of this;
jagatah -- universe; mata -- mother; dhata --
supporter; pitamahah -- grandfather; vedyam -- what is to be
known; pavitram -- that which purifies; om-kara -- the
syllable om; rk -- the Rg Veda; sama -- the Sama Veda;
yajuh -- the Yajur Veda; eva -- certainly; ca -- and.
TRANSLATION
I am the father of this universe, the mother, the support and the
grandsire. I am the object of knowledge, the purifier and the syllable om.
I am also the Rg, the Sama and the Yajur Vedas.
PURPORT
The entire cosmic manifestations, moving and nonmoving, are manifested
by different activities of Krishna's energy. In the material existence
we create different relationships with different living entities who
are nothing but Krishna's marginal energy; under the creation of
prakrti some of them appear as our father, mother, grandfather,
creator, etc., but actually they are parts and parcels of Krishna. As
such, these living entities who appear to be our father, mother, etc.,
are nothing but Krishna. In this verse the word dhata means
"creator." Not only are our father and mother parts and parcels of
Krishna, but the creator, grandmother and grandfather, etc., are also
Krishna. Actually any living entity, being part and parcel of Krishna,
is Krishna. All the Vedas, therefore, aim only toward Krishna.
Whatever we want to know through the Vedas is but a progressive
step toward understanding Krishna. That subject matter which helps us
purify our constitutional position is especially Krishna. Similarly,
the living entity who is inquisitive to understand all Vedic principles
is also part and parcel of Krishna and as such is also Krishna. In all
the Vedic mantras the word om, called pranava, is
a transcendental sound vibration and is also Krishna. And because in
all the hymns of the four Vedas -- Sama, Yajur, Rg and
Atharva -- the pranava, or omkara, is very
prominent, it is understood to be Krishna.
TEXT 18
gatir bharta prabhuh sakai
nivasah saranam suhrt
prabhavah pralayah sthanam
nidhanam bijam avyayam
WORD FOR WORD
gatih -- goal; bharta -- sustainer; prabhuh -- Lord;
saksi -- witness; nivasah -- abode; saranam --
refuge; suhrt -- most intimate friend; prabhavah --
creation; pralayah -- dissolution; sthanam -- ground;
nidhanam -- resting place; bijam -- seed; avyayam --
imperishable.
TRANSLATION
I am the goal, the sustainer, the master, the witness, the abode, the
refuge, and the most dear friend. I am the creation and the annihilation,
the basis of everything, the resting place and the eternal seed.
PURPORT
Gati means the destination where we want to go. But the ultimate
goal is Krishna, although people do not know it. One who does not know
Krishna is misled, and his so-called progressive march is either partial
or hallucinatory. There are many who make as their destination different
demigods, and by rigid performance of the strict respective methods they
reach different planets known as Candraloka, Suryaloka, Indraloka,
Maharloka, etc. But all such lokas, or planets, being creations of
Krishna, are simultaneously Krishna and not Krishna. Such planets, being
manifestations of Krishna's energy, are also Krishna, but actually they
serve only as a step forward for realization of Krishna. To approach the
different energies of Krishna is to approach Krishna indirectly. One
should directly approach Krishna, for that will save time and energy. For
example, if there is a possibility of going to the top of a building by
the help of an elevator, why should one go by the staircase, step by step?
Everything is resting on Krishna's energy; therefore without Krishna's
shelter nothing can exist. Krishna is the supreme ruler because everything
belongs to Him and everything exists on His energy. Krishna, being
situated in everyone's heart, is the supreme witness. The residences,
countries or planets on which we live are also Krishna. Krishna is the
ultimate goal of shelter, and therefore one should take shelter of Krishna
either for protection or for annihilation of his distress. And whenever we
have to take protection, we should know that our protection must be a
living force. Krishna is the supreme living entity. And since Krishna is
the source of our generation, or the supreme father, no one can be a
better friend than Krishna, nor can anyone be a better well-wisher.
Krishna is the original source of creation and the ultimate rest after
annihilation. Krishna is therefore the eternal cause of all causes.
TEXT 19
tapamy aham aham varsam
nigrhnamy utsrjami ca
amrtam caiva mrtyus ca
sad asac caham arjuna
WORD FOR WORD
tapami -- give heat; aham -- I; aham -- I;
varsam -- rain; nigrhnami -- withhold; utsrjami --
send forth; ca -- and; amrtam -- immortality; ca --
and; eva -- certainly; mrtyuh -- death; ca -- and;
sat -- spirit; asat -- matter; ca -- and; aham
-- I; arjuna -- O Arjuna.
TRANSLATION
O Arjuna, I give heat, and I withhold and send forth the rain. I am
immortality, and I am also death personified. Both spirit and matter are
in Me.
PURPORT
Krishna, by His different energies, diffuses heat and light through the
agency of electricity and the sun. During summer season it is Krishna who
checks rain from falling from the sky, and then during the rainy season He
gives unceasing torrents of rain. The energy which sustains us by
prolonging the duration of our life is Krishna, and Krishna meets us at
the end as death. By analyzing all these different energies of Krishna,
one can ascertain that for Krishna there is no distinction between matter
and spirit, or, in other words, He is both matter and spirit. In the
advanced stage of Krishna consciousness, one therefore makes no such
distinctions. He sees only Krishna in everything.
Since Krishna is both matter and spirit, the gigantic universal form
comprising all material manifestations is also Krishna, and His pastimes
in Vrindavan as two-handed Syamasundara, playing on a flute, are those of
the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
TEXT 20
trai-vidya mam soma-pah puta-papa
yajnair istva svar-gatim prarthayante
te punyam asadya surendra-lokam
asnanti divyan divi deva-bhogan
WORD FOR WORD
trai-vidyah -- the knowers of the three Vedas; mam -- Me;
soma-pah -- drinkers of soma juice; puta -- purified;
papah -- of sins; yajnaih -- with sacrifices; istva
-- worshiping; svah-gatim -- passage to heaven; prarthayante
-- pray for; te -- they; punyam -- pious; asadya --
attaining; sura-indra -- of Indra; lokam -- the world;
asnanti -- enjoy; divyan -- celestial; divi -- in
heaven; deva-bhogan -- the pleasures of the gods.
TRANSLATION
Those who study the Vedas and drink the soma juice, seeking the heavenly
planets, worship Me indirectly. Purified of sinful reactions, they take
birth on the pious, heavenly planet of Indra, where they enjoy godly
delights.
PURPORT
The word trai-vidyah refers to the three Vedas -- Sama,
Yajur and Rg. A brahmana who has studied these three
Vedas is called a tri-vedi. Anyone who is very much attached
to knowledge derived from these three Vedas is respected in
society. Unfortunately, there are many great scholars of the Vedas
who do not know the ultimate purport of studying them. Therefore Krishna
herein declares Himself to be the ultimate goal for the tri-vedis.
Actual tri-vedis take shelter under the lotus feet of Krishna and
engage in pure devotional service to satisfy the Lord. Devotional service
begins with the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra and side by
side trying to understand Krishna in truth. Unfortunately those who are
simply official students of the Vedas become more interested in
offering sacrifices to the different demigods like Indra and Candra. By
such endeavor, the worshipers of different demigods are certainly purified
of the contamination of the lower qualities of nature and are thereby
elevated to the higher planetary systems or heavenly planets known as
Maharloka, Janoloka, Tapoloka, etc. Once situated on those higher
planetary systems, one can satisfy his senses hundreds of thousands of
times better than on this planet.
TEXT 21
te tam bhuktva svarga-lokam visalam
ksine punye martya-lokam visanti
evam trayi-dharmam anuprapanna
gatagatam kama-kama labhante
WORD FOR WORD
te -- they; tam -- that; bhuktva -- enjoying;
svarga-lokam -- heaven; visalam -- vast; ksine --
being exhausted; punye -- the results of their pious activities;
martya-lokam -- to the mortal earth; visanti -- fall down;
evam -- thus; trayi -- of the three Vedas; dharmam --
doctrines; anuprapannah -- following; gata-agatam -- death
and birth; kama-kamah -- desiring sense enjoyments; labhante
-- attain.
TRANSLATION
When they have thus enjoyed vast heavenly sense pleasure and the results
of their pious activities are exhausted, they return to this mortal planet
again. Thus those who seek sense enjoyment by adhering to the principles
of the three Vedas achieve only repeated birth and death.
PURPORT
One who is promoted to the higher planetary systems enjoys a longer
duration of life and better facilities for sense enjoyment, yet one is not
allowed to stay there forever. One is again sent back to this earth upon
finishing the resultant fruits of pious activities. He who has not
attained perfection of knowledge, as indicated in the Vedanta-sutra
(janmady asya yatah), or, in other words, he who fails to
understand Krishna, the cause of all causes, becomes baffled about
achieving the ultimate goal of life and is thus subjected to the routine
of being promoted to the higher planets and then again coming down, as if
situated on a ferris wheel which sometimes goes up and sometimes comes
down. The purport is that instead of being elevated to the spiritual
world, from which there is no longer any possibility of coming down, one
simply revolves in the cycle of birth and death on higher and lower
planetary systems. One should better take to the spiritual world to enjoy
an eternal life full of bliss and knowledge and never return to this
miserable material existence.
TEXT 22
anan yas cintayanto mam
ye janah paryupasate
tesam nit yabhi yuktanam
yoga-ksemam vahamy aham
WORD FOR WORD
ananyah -- having no other object; cintayantah --
concentrating; mam -- on Me; ye -- those who; janah
-- persons; paryupasate -- properly worship; tesam -- of
them; nitya -- always; abhiyuktanam -- fixed in devotion;
yoga -- requirements; ksemam -- protection; vahami --
carry; aham -- I.
TRANSLATION
But those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My
transcendental form -- to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what
they have.
PURPORT
One who is unable to live for a moment without Krishna consciousness
cannot but think of Krishna twenty-four hours a day, being engaged in
devotional service by hearing, chanting, remembering, offering prayers,
worshiping, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, rendering other services,
cultivating friendship and surrendering fully to the Lord. Such activities
are all auspicious and full of spiritual potencies, which make the devotee
perfect in self-realization, so that his only desire is to achieve the
association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such a devotee
undoubtedly approaches the Lord without difficulty. This is called
yoga. By the mercy of the Lord, such a devotee never comes back to
this material condition of life. Ksema refers to the merciful
protection of the Lord. The Lord helps the devotee to achieve Krishna
consciousness by yoga, and when he becomes fully Krishna conscious
the Lord protects him from falling down to a miserable conditioned life.
TEXT 23
ye 'py anya-devata-bhakta
yajante sraddhayanvitah
te 'pi mam eva kaunteya
yajanty avidhi-purvakam
WORD FOR WORD
ye -- those who; api -- also; anya -- of other;
devata -- gods; bhaktah -- devotees; yajante --
worship; sraddhaya anvitah -- with faith; te -- they;
api -- also; mam -- Me; eva -- only; kaunteya
-- O son of Kunti; yajanti -- they worship; avidhi-purvakam
-- in a wrong way.
TRANSLATION
Those who are devotees of other gods and who worship them with faith
actually worship only Me, O son of Kunti, but they do so in a wrong way.
PURPORT
"Persons who are engaged in the worship of demigods are not very
intelligent, although such worship is offered to Me indirectly," Krishna
says. For example, when a man pours water on the leaves and branches of a
tree without pouring water on the root, he does so without sufficient
knowledge or without observing regulative principles. Similarly, the
process of rendering service to different parts of the body is to supply
food to the stomach. The demigods are, so to speak, different officers and
directors in the government of the Supreme Lord. One has to follow the
laws made by the government, not by the officers or directors. Similarly,
everyone is to offer his worship to the Supreme Lord only. That will
automatically satisfy the different officers and directors of the Lord.
The officers and directors are engaged as representatives of the
government, and to offer some bribe to the officers and directors is
illegal. This is stated here as avidhi-purvakam. In other words,
Krishna does not approve the unnecessary worship of the demigods.
TEXT 24
aham hi sarva-yajnanam
bhokta ca prabhur eva ca
na tu mam abhijananti
tattvenatas cyavanti te
WORD FOR WORD
aham -- I; hi -- surely; sarva -- of all;
yajnanam -- sacrifices; bhokta -- the enjoyer; ca --
and; prabhuh -- the Lord; eva -- also; ca -- and;
na -- not; tu -- but; mam -- Me; abhijananti
-- they know; tattvena -- in reality; atah -- therefore;
cyavanti -- fall down; te -- they.
TRANSLATION
I am the only enjoyer and master of all sacrifices. Therefore, those who
do not recognize My true transcendental nature fall down.
PURPORT
Here it is clearly stated that there are many types of yajna
performances recommended in the Vedic literatures, but actually all of
them are meant for satisfying the Supreme Lord. Yajna means Vishnu.
In the Third Chapter of Bhagavad-gita it is clearly stated that one
should only work for satisfying Yajna, or Vishnu. The perfectional form of
human civilization, known as varnashrama-dharma, is specifically
meant for satisfying Vishnu. Therefore, Krishna says in this verse, "I am
the enjoyer of all sacrifices because I am the supreme master." Less
intelligent persons, however, without knowing this fact, worship demigods
for temporary benefit. Therefore they fall down to material existence and
do not achieve the desired goal of life. If, however, anyone has any
material desire to be fulfilled, he had better pray for it to the Supreme
Lord (although that is not pure devotion), and he will thus achieve the
desired result.
TEXT 25
yanti deva-vrata devan
pitrn yanti pitr-vratah
bhutani yanti bhuteiya
yanti mad-yajino 'pi mam
WORD FOR WORD
yanti -- go; deva-vratah -- worshipers of demigods;
devan -- to the demigods; pitrn -- to the ancestors;
yanti -- go; pitr-vratah -- worshipers of ancestors;
bhutani -- to the ghosts and spirits; yanti -- go;
bhuta-ijyah -- worshipers of ghosts and spirits; yanti --
go; mat -- My; yajinah -- devotees; api -- but;
mam -- unto Me.
TRANSLATION
Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those
who worship the ancestors go to the ancestors; those who worship ghosts
and spirits will take birth among such beings; and those who worship Me
will live with Me.
PURPORT
If one has any desire to go to the moon, the sun or any other planet, one
can attain the desired destination by following specific Vedic principles
recommended for that purpose, such as the process technically known as
darsa-paurnamasi. These are vividly described in the fruitive
activities portion of the Vedas, which recommends a specific
worship of demigods situated on different heavenly planets. Similarly, one
can attain the Pita planets by performing a specific yajna.
Similarly, one can go to many ghostly planets and become a Yaksa, Raksa or
Pisaca. Pisaca worship is called "black arts" or "black magic." There are
many men who practice this black art, and they think that it is
spiritualism, but such activities are completely materialistic. Similarly,
a pure devotee, who worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead only,
achieves the planets of Vaikuntha and Krishnaloka without a doubt. It is
very easy to understand through this important verse that if by simply
worshiping the demigods one can achieve the heavenly planets, or by
worshiping the Pitas achieve the Pita planets, or by practicing the black
arts achieve the ghostly planets, why can the pure devotee not achieve the
planet of Krishna or Vishnu? Unfortunately many people have no information
of these sublime planets where Krishna and Vishnu live, and because they do
not know of them they fall down. Even the impersonalists fall down from
the brahmajyoti. The Krishna consciousness movement is therefore
distributing sublime information to the entire human society to the effect
that by simply chanting the Hare Krishna mantra one can become
perfect in this life and go back home, back to Godhead.
TEXT 26
patram puspam phalam to yam
yo me bhaktya prayacchati
tad aham bhakty-upahrtam
asnami prayatatmanah
WORD FOR WORD
patram -- a leaf; puspam -- a flower; phalam -- a
fruit; toyam -- water; yah -- whoever; me -- unto Me;
bhaktya -- with devotion; prayacchati -- offers; tat
-- that; aham -- I; bhakti-upahrtam -- offered in devotion;
asnami -- accept; prayata-atmanah -- from one in pure
consciousness.
TRANSLATION
If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water,
I will accept it.
PURPORT
For the intelligent person, it is essential to be in Krishna
consciousness, engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord,
in order to achieve a permanent, blissful abode for eternal happiness. The
process of achieving such a marvelous result is very easy and can be
attempted even by the poorest of the poor, without any kind of
qualification. The only qualification required in this connection is to be
a pure devotee of the Lord. It does not matter what one is or where one is
situated. The process is so easy that even a leaf or a little water or
fruit can be offered to the Supreme Lord in genuine love and the Lord will
be pleased to accept it. No one, therefore, can be barred from Krishna
consciousness, because it is so easy and universal. Who is such a fool
that he does not want to be Krishna conscious by this simple method and
thus attain the highest perfectional life of eternity, bliss and
knowledge? Krishna wants only loving service and nothing more. Krishna
accepts even a little flower from His pure devotee. He does not want any
kind of offering from a nondevotee. He is not in need of anything from
anyone, because He is self-sufficient, and yet He accepts the offering of
His devotee in an exchange of love and affection. To develop Krishna
consciousness is the highest perfection of life. Bhakti is
mentioned twice in this verse in order to declare more emphatically that
bhakti, or devotional service, is the only means to approach
Krishna. No other condition, such as becoming a brahmana. a learned
scholar, a very rich man or a great philosopher, can induce Krishna to
accept some offering. Without the basic principle of bhakti,
nothing can induce the Lord to agree to accept anything from anyone.
Bhakti is never causal. The process is eternal. It is direct action
in service to the absolute whole.
Here Lord Krishna, having established that He is the only enjoyer, the
primeval Lord and the real object of all sacrificial offerings, reveals
what types of sacrifices He desires to be offered. If one wishes to engage
in devotional service to the Supreme in order to be purified and to reach
the goal of life -- the transcendental loving service of God -- then one
should find out what the Lord desires of him. One who loves Krishna will
give Him whatever He wants, and he avoids offering anything which is
undesirable or unasked. Thus meat, fish and eggs should not be offered to
Krishna. If He desired such things as offerings, He would have said so.
Instead He clearly requests that a leaf, fruit, flowers and water be given
to Him, and He says of this offering, "I will accept it." Therefore, we
should understand that He will not accept meat, fish and eggs. Vegetables,
grains, fruits, milk and water are the proper foods for human beings and
are prescribed by Lord Krishna Himself. Whatever else we eat cannot be
offered to Him, since He will not accept it. Thus we cannot be acting on
the level of loving devotion if we offer such foods.
In the Third Chapter, verse thirteen, Sri Krishna explains that only the
remains of sacrifice are purified and fit for consumption by those who are
seeking advancement in life and release from the clutches of the material
entanglement. Those who do not make an offering of their food, He says in
the same verse, are eating only sin. In other words, their every mouthful
is simply deepening their involvement in the complexities of material
nature. But preparing nice, simple vegetable dishes, offering them before
the picture or Deity of Lord Krishna and bowing down and praying for Him
to accept such a humble offering enables one to advance steadily in life,
to purify the body, and to create fine brain tissues which will lead to
clear thinking. Above all, the offering should be made with an attitude of
love. Krishna has no need of food, since He already possesses everything
that be, yet He will accept the offering of one who desires to please Him
in that way. The important element, in preparation, in serving and in
offering, is to act with love for Krishna.
The impersonalist philosophers, who wish to maintain that the Absolute
Truth is without senses, cannot comprehend this verse of
Bhagavad-gita. To them, it is either a metaphor or proof of the
mundane character of Krishna, the speaker of the Bhagavad-gita.
But, in actuality, Krishna, the Supreme Godhead, has senses, and it is
stated that His senses are interchangeable; in other words, one sense can
perform the function of any other. This is what it means to say that
Krishna is absolute. Lacking senses, He could hardly be considered full in
all opulences. In the Seventh Chapter, Krishna has explained that He
impregnates the living entities into material nature. This is done by His
looking upon material nature. And so in this instance, Krishna's hearing
the devotee's words of love in offering foodstuffs is wholly
identical with His eating and actually tasting. This point should be
emphasized: because of His absolute position, His hearing is wholly
identical with His eating and tasting. Only the devotee, who accepts
Krishna as He describes Himself, without interpretation, can understand
that the Supreme Absolute Truth can eat food and enjoy it.
TEXT 27
yat karosi yad asnasi
yaj juhosi dadasi yat
yat tapas yasi kaunteya
tat kurusva mad-arpanam
WORD FOR WORD
yat -- whatever; karosi -- you do; yat -- whatever;
asnasi -- you eat; yat -- whatever; juhosi -- you
offer; dadasi -- you give away; yat -- whatever; yat
-- whatever; tapas yasi -- austerities you perform; kaunteya
-- O son of Kunti; tat -- that; kurusva -- do; mat --
unto Me; arpanam -- as an offering.
TRANSLATION
Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer or give away, and
whatever austerities you perform -- do that, O son of Kunti, as an
offering to Me.
PURPORT
Thus, it is the duty of everyone to mold his life in such a way that he
will not forget Krishna in any circumstance. Everyone has to work for
maintenance of his body and soul together, and Krishna recommends herein
that one should work for Him. Everyone has to eat something to live;
therefore he should accept the remnants of foodstuffs offered to Krishna.
Any civilized man has to perform some religious ritualistic ceremonies;
therefore Krishna recommends, "Do it for Me," and this is called
arcana. Everyone has a tendency to give something in charity;
Krishna says, "Give it to Me," and this means that all surplus money
accumulated should be utilized in furthering the Krishna consciousness
movement. Nowadays people are very much inclined to the meditational
process, which is not practical in this age, but if anyone practices
meditating on Krishna twenty-four hours a day by chanting the Hare Krishna
mantra round his beads, he is surely the greatest meditator and the
greatest yogi. as substantiated by the Sixth Chapter of
Bhagavad-gita.
TEXT 28
subhasubha-phalair evam
moks yase karma-bandhanaih
sannyasa-yoga-yuktatma
vimukto mam upaisyasi
WORD FOR WORD
subha -- from auspicious; asubha -- and inauspicious;
phalaih -- results; evam -- thus; moksyase -- you
will become free; karma -- of work; bandhanaih -- from the
bondage; sannyasa -- of renunciation; yoga -- the yoga;
yukta-atma -- having the mind firmly set on; vimuktah --
liberated; mam -- to Me; upaisyasi -- you will attain.
TRANSLATION
In this way you will be freed from bondage to work and its auspicious and
inauspicious results. With your mind fixed on Me in this principle of
renunciation, you will be liberated and come to Me.
PURPORT
One who acts in Krishna consciousness under superior direction is called
yukta. The technical term is yukta-vairagya. This is further
explained by Rupa Gosvami as follows:
anasaktasya visayan
yatharham upayunjatah
nirbandhah krsna-sambandhe
yuktam vairagyam ucyate
(Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 2.255)
Rupa Gosvami says that as long as we are in this material world we have to
act; we cannot cease acting. Therefore if actions are performed and the
fruits are given to Krishna, then that is called yukta-vairagya.
Actually situated in renunciation, such activities clear the mirror of the
mind, and as the actor gradually makes progress in spiritual realization
he becomes completely surrendered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Therefore at the end he becomes liberated, and this liberation is also
specified. By this liberation he does not become one with the
brahmajyoti, but rather enters into the planet of the Supreme Lord.
It is clearly mentioned here: mam upaisyasi, "he comes to Me," back
home, back to Godhead. There are five different stages of liberation, and
here it is specified that the devotee who has always lived his lifetime
here under the direction of the Supreme Lord, as stated, has evolved to
the point where he can, after quitting this body, go back to Godhead and
engage directly in the association of the Supreme Lord.
Anyone who has no interest but to dedicate his life to the service of the
Lord is actually a sannyasi. Such a person always thinks of himself
as an eternal servant, dependent on the supreme will of the Lord. As such,
whatever he does, he does it for the benefit of the Lord. Whatever action
he performs, he performs it as service to the Lord. He does not give
serious attention to the fruitive activities or prescribed duties
mentioned in the Vedas. For ordinary persons it is obligatory to
execute the prescribed duties mentioned in the Vedas, but although
a pure devotee who is completely engaged in the service of the Lord may
sometimes appear to go against the prescribed Vedic duties, actually it is
not so.
It is said, therefore, by Vaisnava authorities that even the most
intelligent person cannot understand the plans and activities of a pure
devotee. The exact words are tanra vakya, kriya, mudra vijneha na
bujhaya (Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya 23.39). A person who is
thus always engaged in the service of the Lord or is always thinking and
planning how to serve the Lord is to be considered completely liberated at
present, and in the future his going back home, back to Godhead, is
guaranteed. He is above all materialistic criticism, just as Krishna is
above all criticism.
TEXT 29
samo ham sarva-bhutesu
na me dvesyo 'sti na priyah
ye bhajanti tu mam bhakt ya
mayi te tesu capy aham
WORD FOR WORD
samah -- equally disposed; aham -- I; sarva-bhutesu
-- to all living entities; na -- no one; me -- to Me;
dvesyah -- hateful; asti -- is; na -- nor;
priyah -- dear; ye -- those who; bhajanti -- render
transcendental service; tu -- but; mam -- unto Me;
bhaktya -- in devotion; mayi -- are in Me; te -- such
persons; tesu -- in them; ca -- also; api --
certainly; aham -- I.
TRANSLATION
I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever
renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a
friend to him.
PURPORT
One may question here that if Krishna is equal to everyone and no one is
His special friend, then why does He take a special interest in the
devotees who are always engaged in His transcendental service? But this is
not discrimination; it is natural. Any man in this material world may be
very charitably disposed, yet he has a special interest in his own
children. The Lord claims that every living entity -- in whatever form --
is His son, and so He provides everyone with a generous supply of the
necessities of life. He is just like a cloud which pours rain all over,
regardless of whether it falls on rock or land or water. But for His
devotees, He gives specific attention. Such devotees are mentioned here:
they are always in Krishna consciousness, and therefore they are always
transcendentally situated in Krishna. The very phrase "Krishna
consciousness" suggests that those who are in such consciousness are
living transcendentalists, situated in Him. The Lord says here distinctly,
mayi te: "They are in Me." Naturally, as a result, the Lord is also
in them. This is reciprocal. This also explains the words ye yatha mam
prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham: "Whoever surrenders unto Me,
proportionately I take care of him." This transcendental reciprocation
exists because both the Lord and the devotee are conscious. When a diamond
is set in a golden ring, it looks very nice. The gold is glorified, and at
the same time the diamond is glorified. The Lord and the living entity
eternally glitter, and when a living entity becomes inclined to the
service of the Supreme Lord he looks like gold. The Lord is a diamond, and
so this combination is very nice. Living entities in a pure state are
called devotees. The Supreme Lord becomes the devotee of His devotees. If
a reciprocal relationship is not present between the devotee and the Lord,
then there is no personalist philosophy. In the impersonal philosophy
there is no reciprocation between the Supreme and the living entity, but
in the personalist philosophy there is.
The example is often given that the Lord is like a desire tree, and
whatever one wants from this desire tree, the Lord supplies. But here the
explanation is more complete. The Lord is here stated to be partial to the
devotees. This is the manifestation of the Lord's special mercy to the
devotees. The Lord's reciprocation should not be considered to be under
the law of karma. It belongs to the transcendental situation in
which the Lord and His devotees function. Devotional service to the Lord
is not an activity of this material world; it is part of the spiritual
world, where eternity, bliss and knowledge predominate.
TEXT 30
api cet su-duracaro
bhajate mam ananya-bhak
sadhur eva sa mantavyah
samyag vyavasito hi sah
WORD FOR WORD
api -- even; cet -- if; su-duracarah -- one
committing the most abominable actions; bhajate -- is engaged in
devotional service; mam -- unto Me; ananya-bhak -- without
deviation; sadhuh -- a saint; eva -- certainly; sah
-- he; mantavyah -- is to be considered; samyak --
completely; vyavasitah -- situated in determination; hi --
certainly; sah -- he.
TRANSLATION
Even if one commits the most abominable action, if he is engaged in
devotional service he is to be considered saintly because he is properly
situated in his determination.
PURPORT
The word su-duracarah used in this verse is very significant, and
we should understand it properly. When a living entity is conditioned, he
has two kinds of activities: one is conditional, and the other is
constitutional. As for protecting the body or abiding by the rules of
society and state, certainly there are different activities, even for the
devotees, in connection with the conditional life, and such activities are
called conditional. Besides these, the living entity who is fully
conscious of his spiritual nature and is engaged in Krishna consciousness,
or the devotional service of the Lord, has activities which are called
transcendental. Such activities are performed in his constitutional
position, and they are technically called devotional service. Now, in the
conditioned state, sometimes devotional service and the conditional
service in relation to the body will parallel one another. But then again,
sometimes these activities become opposed to one another. As far as
possible, a devotee is very cautious so that he does not do anything that
could disrupt his wholesome condition. He knows that perfection in his
activities depends on his progressive realization of Krishna
consciousness. Sometimes, however, it may be seen that a person in Krishna
consciousness commits some act which may be taken as most abominable
socially or politically. But such a temporary falldown does not disqualify
him. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated that if a person falls
down but is wholeheartedly engaged in the transcendental service of the
Supreme Lord, the Lord, being situated within his heart, purifies him and
excuses him from that abomination. The material contamination is so strong
that even a yogi fully engaged in the service of the Lord sometimes
becomes ensnared; but Krishna consciousness is so strong that such an
occasional falldown is at once rectified. Therefore the process of
devotional service is always a success. No one should deride a devotee for
some accidental falldown from the ideal path, for, as explained in the
next verse, such occasional falldowns will be stopped in due course, as
soon as a devotee is completely situated in Krishna consciousness.
Therefore a person who is situated in Krishna consciousness and is engaged
with determination in the process of chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna,
Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
should be considered to be in the transcendental position, even if by
chance or accident he is found to have fallen. The words sadhur
eva, "he is saintly," are very emphatic. They are a warning to the
nondevotees that because of an accidental falldown a devotee should not be
derided; he should still be considered saintly even if he has accidentally
fallen down. And the word mantavyah is still more emphatic. If one
does not follow this rule, and derides a devotee for his accidental
falldown, then one is disobeying the order of the Supreme Lord. The only
qualification of a devotee is to be unflinchingly and exclusively engaged
in devotional service.
In the Nrsimha purana the following statement is given:
bhagavati ca harav ananya-ceta
bhrsa-malino 'pi virajate manusyah
na hi sasa-kalusa-cchabih kadacit
timira-parabhavatam upaiti candrah
The meaning is that even if one fully engaged in the devotional service of
the Lord is sometimes found engaged in abominable activities, these
activities should be considered to be like the spots that resemble the
mark of a rabbit on the moon. Such spots do not become an impediment to
the diffusion of moonlight. Similarly, the accidental falldown of a
devotee from the path of saintly character does not make him abominable.
On the other hand, one should not misunderstand that a devotee in
transcendental devotional service can act in all kinds of abominable ways;
this verse only refers to an accident due to the strong power of material
connections. Devotional service is more or less a declaration of war
against the illusory energy. As long as one is not strong enough to fight
the illusory energy, there may be accidental falldowns. But when one is
strong enough, he is no longer subjected to such falldowns, as previously
explained. No one should take advantage of this verse and commit nonsense
and think that he is still a devotee. If he does not improve in his
character by devotional service, then it is to be understood that he is
not a high devotee.
TEXT 31
ksipram bhavati dharmatma
sasvac-chantim nigacchati
kaunteya pratijanihi
na me bhaktah pranasyati
WORD FOR WORD
ksipram -- very soon; bhavati -- becomes; dharma-atma
-- righteous; sasvat-santim -- lasting peace; nigacchati --
attains; kaunteya -- O son of Kunti; pratijanihi -- declare;
na -- never; me -- My; bhaktah -- devotee;
pranasyati -- perishes.
TRANSLATION
He quickly becomes righteous and attains lasting peace. O son of Kunti,
declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes.
PURPORT
This should not be misunderstood. In the Seventh Chapter the Lord says
that one who is engaged in mischievous activities cannot become a devotee
of the Lord. One who is not a devotee of the Lord has no good
qualifications whatsoever. The question remains, then, How can a person
engaged in abominable activities -- either by accident or by intention --
be a pure devotee? This question may justly be raised. The miscreants, as
stated in the Seventh Chapter, who never come to the devotional service of
the Lord, have no good qualifications, as is stated in the
Srimad-Bhagavatam. Generally, a devotee who is engaged in the nine
kinds of devotional activities is engaged in the process of cleansing all
material contamination from the heart. He puts the Supreme Personality of
Godhead within his heart, and all sinful contaminations are naturally
washed away. Continuous thinking of the Supreme Lord makes him pure by
nature. According to the Vedas, there is a certain regulation that
if one falls down from his exalted position he has to undergo certain
ritualistic processes to purify himself. But here there is no such
condition, because the purifying process is already there in the heart of
the devotee, due to his remembering the Supreme Personality of Godhead
constantly. Therefore, the chanting of Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna
Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare should be
continued without stoppage. This will protect a devotee from all
accidental falldowns. He will thus remain perpetually free from all
material contaminations.
TEXT 32
mam hi partha vyapasrit ya
ye 'pi syuh papa-yonayah
striyo vaishyas tatha sudras
te 'pi yanti param gatim
WORD FOR WORD
mam -- of Me; hi -- certainly; partha -- O son of
Prtha; vyapasritya -- particularly taking shelter; ye --
those who; api -- also; syuh -- are; papa-yonayah --
born of a lower family; stri yah -- women; vaishyah --
mercantile people; tatha -- also; sudrah -- lower-class men;
te api -- even they; yanti -- go; param -- to the
supreme; gatim -- destination.
TRANSLATION
O son of Prtha, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower
birth -- women, vaishyas [merchants] and sudras [workers] -- can attain the
supreme destination.
PURPORT
It is clearly declared here by the Supreme Lord that in devotional service
there is no distinction between the lower and higher classes of people. In
the material conception of life there are such divisions, but for a person
engaged in transcendental devotional service to the Lord there are not.
Everyone is eligible for the supreme destination. In the
Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.4.18) it is stated that even the lowest, who
are called candalas (dog-eaters), can be purified by association
with a pure devotee. Therefore devotional service and the guidance of a
pure devotee are so strong that there is no discrimination between the
lower and higher classes of men; anyone can take to it. The most simple
man taking shelter of the pure devotee can be purified by proper guidance.
According to the different modes of material nature, men are classified in
the mode of goodness (brahmanas), the mode of passion
(ksatriyas, or administrators), the mixed modes of passion and
ignorance (vaishyas, or merchants), and the mode of ignorance
(sudras, or workers). Those lower than them are called
candalas, and they are born in sinful families. Generally, the
association of those born in sinful families is not accepted by the higher
classes. But the process of devotional service is so strong that the pure
devotee of the Supreme Lord can enable people of all the lower classes to
attain the highest perfection of life. This is possible only when one
takes shelter of Krishna. As indicated here by the word
vyapasritya, one has to take shelter completely of Krishna. Then
one can become much greater than great jnanis and yogis.
TEXT 33
kim punar brahmanah punya
bhakta rajarsayas tatha
anityam asukham lokam
imam prapya bhajasva mam
WORD FOR WORD
kim -- how much; punah -- again; brahmanah -- brahmanas;
punyah -- righteous; bhaktah -- devotees; raja-rsayah --
saintly kings; tatha -- also; anityam -- temporary;
asukham -- full of miseries; lokam -- planet; imam --
this; prapya -- gaining; bhajasva -- be engaged in loving
service; mam -- unto Me.
TRANSLATION
How much more this is so of the righteous brahmanas, the devotees and the
saintly kings. Therefore, having come to this temporary, miserable world,
engage in loving service unto Me.
PURPORT
In this material world there are classifications of people, but, after
all, this world is not a happy place for anyone. It is clearly stated
here, anityam asukham lokam: this world is temporary and full of
miseries, not habitable for any sane gentleman. This world is declared by
the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be temporary and full of miseries.
Some philosophers, especially Mayavadi philosophers, say that this world
is false, but we can understand from Bhagavad-gita that the world
is not false; it is temporary. There is a difference between temporary and
false. This world is temporary, but there is another world, which is
eternal. This world is miserable, but the other world is eternal and
blissful.
Arjuna was born in a saintly royal family. To him also the Lord says,
"Take to My devotional service and come quickly back to Godhead, back
home." No one should remain in this temporary world, full as it is with
miseries. Everyone should attach himself to the bosom of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead so that he can be eternally happy. The devotional
service of the Supreme Lord is the only process by which all problems of
all classes of men can be solved. Everyone should therefore take to
Krishna consciousness and make his life perfect.
TEXT 34
man-mana bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yaji mam namaskuru
mam evaishyasi yuktvaivam
atmamam mat-parayanah
WORD FOR WORD
mat-manah -- always thinking of Me; bhava -- become;
mat -- My; bhaktah -- devotee; mat -- My; yaji
-- worshiper; mam -- unto Me; namaskuru -- offer obeisances;
mam -- unto Me; eva -- completely; esyasi -- you will
come; yuktva -- being absorbed; evam -- thus; atmanam
-- your soul; mat-parayanah -- devoted to Me.
TRANSLATION
Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer
obeisances to Me and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely
you will come to Me.
PURPORT
In this verse it is clearly indicated that Krishna 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, Krishna. 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 Krishna's mind and Krishna. Krishna is not an ordinary
human being; He is Absolute Truth. His body, His mind and He Himself are
one and absolute. It is stated in the Kurma Purana. as it is quoted
by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami in his Anubhasya comments on
Caitanya-caritamrta (Fifth Chapter, Adi-lila, verses 41-48),
deha-dehi-vibhedo 'yam nesvare vidyate kvacit. This means that
there is no difference in Krishna, the Supreme Lord, between Himself and
His body. But because the commentators do not know this science of
Krishna, they hide Krishna and divide His personality from His mind or
from His body. Although this is sheer ignorance of the science of Krishna,
some men make profit out of misleading people.
There are some who are demonic; they also think of Krishna, but enviously,
just like King Kamsa, Krishna's uncle. He was also thinking of Krishna
always, but he thought of Krishna as his enemy. He was always in anxiety,
wondering when Krishna would come to kill him. That kind of thinking will
not help us. One should be thinking of Krishna in devotional love. That is
bhakti. One should cultivate the knowledge of Krishna continuously.
What is that favorable cultivation? It is to learn from a bona fide
teacher. Krishna 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 Krishna will help one become a
devotee. Understanding Krishna otherwise, from the wrong source, will
prove fruitless.
One should therefore engage his mind in the eternal form, the primal form
of Krishna; with conviction in his heart that Krishna is the Supreme, he
should engage himself in worship. There are hundreds of thousands of
temples in India for the worship of Krishna, and devotional service is
practiced there. When such practice is made, one has to offer obeisances
to Krishna. One should lower his head before the Deity and engage his
mind, his body, his activities -- everything. That will make one fully
absorbed in Krishna without deviation. This will help one transfer to the
Krishnaloka. 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 Krishna. Pure devotional service
is the highest achievement of human society.
The Seventh and Eighth chapters of Bhagavad-gita have explained
pure devotional service to the Lord that is free from speculative
knowledge, mystic yoga and fruitive activities. Those who are not
purely sanctified may be attracted by different features of the Lord like
the impersonal brahmajyoti and localized Paramatma, but a pure
devotee directly takes to the service of the Supreme Lord.
There is a beautiful poem about Krishna 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 Krishna. The devotee,
in the beginning, may sometimes fall from the standard, but still he
should be considered superior to all other philosophers and yogis.
One who always engages in Krishna consciousness should be understood to be
a perfectly 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 the process of Krishna
consciousness and happily live in this material world. He will eventually
receive the supreme award of Krishna.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Purports to the Ninth Chapter of the Srimad
Bhagavad-gita in the matter of the Most Confidential Knowledge.
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