The Bhagavad-gita
is universally renowned as the jewel of India's spiritual
wisdom. Spoken by Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality
of Godhead to His intimate disciple Arjuna, the Gita's
seven hundred concise verses provide a definitive guide
to the science of self realization. No other philosophical
or religious work reveals, in such a lucid and profound
way, the nature of consciousness, the self, the universe
and the Supreme.
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is
uniquely qualified to present this English translation
and commentary on Bhagavad-gita. He is the world's foremost
Vedic scholar and teacher, and he is also the current
representative of an unbroken chain of fully self-realized
spiritual masters begining with Lord Krishna Himself.
Thus, unlike other editions of the Gita, this one is presented
as it is--without the slightest taint of adulteration
or personal motivation. This edition is certain to stimulate
and enlighten with its ancient yet thoroughly timely message.
Chapter
7.
Knowledge of the Absolute
Chapter
7, Verse 1. Now
hear, O son of Prtha [Arjuna], how by practicing yoga in full
consciousness of Me, with mind attached to Me, you can know
Me in full, free from doubt.
SYNONYMS
sri-bhagavan uvaca--the Supreme Lord said; mayi--unto Me;
asakta-manah--mind attached; partha--O son of Prtha; yogam--self-realization;
yunjan--so practicing; mat-asrayah--in consciousness of Me
(Krsna consciousness); asamsayam--without doubt; samagram--completely;
mam--unto Me; yatha--as much as; jnasyasi--you can know; tat--that;
srnu--try to hear.
TRANSLATION
Now hear, O son of Prtha [Arjuna], how by practicing yoga
in full consciousness of Me, with mind attached to Me, you
can know Me in full, free from doubt.
PURPORT
In this Seventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gita, the nature of Krsna
consciousness is fully described. Krsna is full in all opulences,
and how He manifests such opulences is described herein. Also,
four kinds of fortunate people who become attached to Krsna,
and four kinds of unfortunate people who never take to Krsna
are described in this chapter.
In the first six chapters of Bhagavad-gita, the living entity
has been described as nonmaterial spirit soul which is capable
of elevating himself to self-realization by different types
of yogas. At the end of the Sixth Chapter, it has been clearly
stated that the steady concentration of the mind upon Krsna,
or in other words Krsna consciousness, is the highest form
of all yoga. By concentrating one's mind upon Krsna, one is
able to know the Absolute Truth completely, but not otherwise.
Impersonal brahmajyoti or localized Paramatma realization
is not perfect knowledge of the Absolute Truth because it
is partial. Full and scientific knowledge is Krsna, and everything
is revealed to the person in Krsna consciousness. In complete
Krsna consciousness one knows that Krsna is ultimate knowledge
beyond any doubts. Different types of yoga are only steppingstones
on the path of Krsna consciousness. One who takes directly
to Krsna consciousness automatically knows about brahmajyoti
and Paramatma in full. By practice of Krsna consciousness
yoga, one can know everything in full--namely the Absolute
Truth, the living entities, the material nature, and their
manifestations with paraphernalia.
One should therefore begin yoga practice as directed in the
last verse of the Sixth Chapter. Concentration of the mind
upon Krsna the Supreme is made possible by prescribed devotional
service in nine different forms, of which sravanam is the
first and most important. The Lord therefore says to Arjuna,
"tac chrnu," or "Hear from Me." No one
can be a greater authority than Krsna, and therefore by hearing
from Him one receives the greatest opportunity for progress
in Krsna consciousness. One has therefore to learn from Krsna
directly or from a pure devotee of Krsna--and not from a nondevotee
upstart, puffed up with academic education.
In the Srimad-Bhagavatam this process of understanding Krsna,
the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth, is
described in the Second Chapter of the First Canto as follows:
"To hear about Krsna from Vedic literatures, or to hear
from Him directly through the Bhagavad-gita, is itself righteous
activity. And for one who hears about Krsna, Lord Krsna who
is dwelling in everyone's heart, acts as a best-wishing friend
and purifies the devotee who constantly engages in hearing
of Him. In this way, a devotee naturally develops his dormant
transcendental knowledge. As he hears more about Krsna from
the Bhagavatam and from the devotees, he becomes fixed in
the devotional service of the Lord. By development of devotional
service one becomes freed from the modes of passion and ignorance,
and thus material lusts and avarice are diminished. When these
impurities are wiped away, the candidate remains steady in
his position of pure goodness, becomes enlivened by devotional
service and understands the science of God perfectly. Thus
bhakti-yoga severs the hard knot of material affection and
enables one to come at once to the stage of 'asamsayam-samagram,'
understanding of the Supreme Absolute Truth Personality of
Godhead." (Bhag. 1.2.17-21)
Therefore only by hearing from Krsna or from His devotee in
Krsna consciousness can one understand the science of Krsna.
Chapter 7, Verse 2.
I shall now declare unto you in full this knowledge both phenomenal
and noumenal, by knowing which there shall remain nothing
further to be known.
TEXT
2
jnanam te 'ham
sa-vijnanam
idam vaksyamy asesatah
yaj jnatva neha bhuyo 'nyaj
jnatavyam avasisyate
SYNONYMS
jnanam--phenomenal knowledge; te--unto you; aham--I; sa--with;
vijnanam--noumenal knowledge; idam--this; vaksyami--shall
explain; asesatah--in full; yat--which; jnatva--knowing; na--not;
iha--in this world; bhuyah--further; anyat--anything more;
jnatavyam--knowable; avasisyate--remains to be known.
TRANSLATION
I shall now declare unto you in full this knowledge both phenomenal
and noumenal, by knowing which there shall remain nothing
further to be known.
PURPORT
Complete knowledge includes knowledge of the phenomenal world
and the spirit behind it. The source of both of them is transcendental
knowledge. The Lord wants to explain the above-mentioned system
of knowledge because Arjuna is Krsna's confidential devotee
and friend. In the beginning of the Fourth Chapter this explanation
was given by the Lord, and it is again confirmed here: complete
knowledge can be achieved only by the devotee of the Lord
directly from the Lord in disciplic succession. Therefore
one should be intelligent enough to know the source of all
knowledge, who is the cause of all causes and the only object
for meditation in all types of yoga practices. When the cause
of all causes becomes known, then everything knowable becomes
known, and nothing remains unknown. The Vedas say, "yasmin
vijnate sarvam eva vijnatam bhavanti."
Chapter 7, Verse 3.
Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection,
and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows
Me in truth.
TEXT
3
manusyanam sahasresu
kascid yatati siddhaye
yatatam api siddhanam
kascin mam vetti tattvatah
SYNONYMS
manusyanam--of
men; sahasresu--out of many thousands; kascit--someone; yatati--endeavors;
siddhaye--for perfection; yatatam--of those so endeavoring;
api--indeed; siddhanam--of those who have achieved perfection;
kascit--someone; mam--Me; vetti--does know; tattvatah--in
fact.
TRANSLATION
Out of many thousands
among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who
have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.
PURPORT
There are various
grades of men, and out of many thousands one may be sufficiently
interested in transcendental realization to try to know what
is the self, what is the body, and what is the Absolute Truth.
Generally mankind is simply engaged in the animal propensities,
namely eating, sleeping, defending and mating, and hardly
anyone is interested in transcendental knowledge. The first
six chapters of the Gita are meant for those who are interested
in transcendental knowledge, in understanding the self, the
Superself and the process of realization by jnana-yoga, dhyana-yoga,
and discrimination of the self from matter. However, Krsna
can only be known by persons who are in Krsna consciousness.
Other transcendentalists may achieve impersonal Brahman realization,
for this is easier than understanding Krsna. Krsna is the
Supreme Person, but at the same time He is beyond the knowledge
of Brahman and Paramatma. The yogis and jnanis are confused
in their attempts to understand Krsna, although the greatest
of the impersonalists, Sripada Sankaracarya, has admitted
in his Gita commentary that Krsna is the Supreme Personality
of Godhead. But his followers do not accept Krsna as such,
for it is very difficult to know Krsna, even though one has
transcendental realization of impersonal Brahman.
Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the cause of
all causes, the primeval Lord Govinda. Isvarah paramah krsnah
sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah anadir adir govindah sarva-karana-karanam.
It is very difficult for the nondevotees to know Him. Although
nondevotees declare that the path of bhakti or devotional
service is very easy, they cannot practice it. If the path
of bhakti is so easy, as the nondevotee class of men proclaim,
then why do they take up the difficult path? Actually the
path of bhakti is not easy. The so-called path of bhakti practiced
by unauthorized persons without knowledge of bhakti may be
easy, but when it is practiced factually according to the
rules and regulations, the speculative scholars and philosophers
fall away from the path. Srila Rupa Gosvami writes in his
Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu:
"Devotional service of the Lord that ignores the authorized
Vedic literatures like the Upanisads, Puranas, Narada-pancaratra,
etc., is simply an unnecessary disturbance in society."
It is not possible for the Brahman realized impersonalist
or the Paramatma realized yogi to understand Krsna the Supreme
Personality of Godhead as the son of mother Yasoda or the
charioteer of Arjuna. Even the great demigods are sometimes
confused about Krsna: "muhyanti yat surayah," "mam
tu veda na kascana." "No one knows Me as I am,"
the Lord says. And if one does know Him, then "sa mahatma
su-durlabhah." "Such a great soul is very rare."
Therefore unless one practices devotional service to the Lord,
he cannot know Krsna as He is (tattvatah), even though one
is a great scholar or philosopher. Only the pure devotees
can know something of the inconceivable transcendental qualities
in Krsna, in the cause of all causes, in His omnipotence and
opulence, and in His wealth, fame, strength, beauty, knowledge
and renunciation, because Krsna is benevolently inclined to
His devotees. He is the last word in Brahman realization,
and the devotees alone can realize Him as He is. Therefore
it is said:
atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih
sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah
"No one can understand Krsna as He is by the blunt material
senses. But He reveals Himself to the devotees, being pleased
with them for their transcendental loving service unto Him."
(Padma Purana)
Chapter 7, Verse 4.
Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false
ego--all together these eight comprise My separated material
energies.
TEXT
4
bhumir apo 'nalo
vayuh
kham mano buddhir eva ca
ahankara itiyam me
bhinna prakrtir astadha
Earth, water, fire,
air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego--all together
these eight comprise My separated material energies.
PURPORT
The science of
God analyzes the constitutional position of God and His diverse
energies. Material nature is called prakrti, or the energy
of the Lord in His different purusa incarnations (expansions)
as described in the Satvata-tantra:
visnos tu trini
rupani purusakhyany atho viduh
ekam tu mahatah srastr dvitiyam tv anda-samsthitam
trtiyam sarva-bhuta-stham tani jnatva vimucyate
"For material creation, Lord Krsna's plenary expansion
assumes three Visnus. The first one, Maha-Visnu, creates the
total material energy, known as mahat-tattva. The second,
Garbhodakasayi Visnu, enters into all the universes to create
diversities in each of them. The third, Ksirodakasayi Visnu,
is diffused as the all-pervading Supersoul in all the universes
and is known as Paramatma, who is present even within the
atoms. Anyone who knows these three Visnus can be liberated
from material entanglement."
This material world is a temporary manifestation of one of
the energies of the Lord. All the activities of the material
world are directed by these three Visnu expansions of Lord
Krsna. These purusas are called incarnations. Generally one
who does not know the science of God (Krsna) assumes that
this material world is for the enjoyment of the living entities
and that the living entities are the causes (purusas), controllers
and enjoyers of the material energy. According to Bhagavad-gita
this atheistic conclusion is false. In the verse under discussion
it is stated that Krsna is the original cause of the material
manifestation. Srimad-Bhagavatam also confirms this. The ingredients
of the material manifestation are separated energies of the
Lord. Even the brahmajyoti, which is the ultimate goal of
the impersonalists, is a spiritual energy manifested in the
spiritual sky. There are no spiritual diversities in brahmajyoti
as there are in the Vaikunthalokas, and the impersonalist
accepts this brahmajyoti as the ultimate eternal goal. The
Paramatma manifestation is also a temporary all-pervasive
aspect of the Ksirodakasayi Visnu. The Paramatma manifestation
is not eternal in the spiritual world. Therefore the factual
Absolute Truth is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna.
He is the complete energetic person, and He possesses different
separated and internal energies.
In the material energy, the principal manifestations are eight,
as above mentioned. Out of these, the first five manifestations,
namely earth, water, fire, air and sky, are called the five
gigantic creations or the gross creations, within which the
five sense objects are included. They are the manifestations
of physical sound, touch, form, taste and smell. Material
science comprises these ten items and nothing more. But the
other three items, namely mind, intelligence and false ego,
are neglected by the materialists. Philosophers who deal with
mental activities are also not perfect in knowledge because
they do not know the ultimate source, Krsna. The false ego--"I
am," and "It is mine," which constitute the
basic principle of material existence--includes ten sense
organs for material activities. Intelligence refers to the
total material creation, called the mahat-tattva. Therefore
from the eight separated energies of the Lord are manifest
the twenty-four elements of the material world, which are
the subject matter of Sankhya atheistic philosophy; they are
originally offshoots from Krsna's energies and are separated
from Him, but atheistic Sankhya philosophers with a poor fund
of knowledge do not know Krsna as the cause of all causes.
The subject matter for discussion in the Sankhya philosophy
is only the manifestation of the external energy of Krsna,
as it is described in the Bhagavad-gita.
Chapter 7, Verse 5.
Besides this inferior nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there
is a superior energy of Mine, which are all living entities
who are struggling with material nature and are sustaining
the universe.
TEXT
5
apareyam itas tv
anyam
prakrtim viddhi me param
jiva-bhutam maha-baho
yayedam dharyate jagat
SYNONYMS
apara--inferior;
iyam--this; itah--besides this; tu--but; anyam--another; prakrtim--energy;
viddhi--just try to understand; me--My; param--superior; jiva-bhutam--the
living entities; maha-baho--O mighty-armed one; yaya--by whom;
idam--this; dharyate--being utilized or exploited; jagat--the
material world.
TRANSLATION
Besides this inferior
nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is a superior energy
of Mine, which are all living entities who are struggling
with material nature and are sustaining the universe.
PURPORT
Here it is clearly
mentioned that living entities belong to the superior nature
(or energy) of the Supreme Lord. The inferior energy is matter
manifested in different elements, namely earth, water, fire,
air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego. Both forms of
material nature, namely gross (earth, etc.) and subtle (mind,
etc.), are products of the inferior energy. The living entities,
who are exploiting these inferior energies for different purposes,
are the superior energy of the Supreme Lord, and it is due
to this energy that the entire material world functions. The
cosmic manifestation has no power to act unless it is moved
by the superior energy, the living entity. Energies are always
controlled by the energetic, and therefore living entities
are always controlled by the Lord--they have no independent
existence. They are never equally powerful, as unintelligent
men think. The distinction between the living entities and
the Lord is described in Srimad-Bhagavatam as follows (10.87.30):
aparimita dhruvas
tanu-bhrto yadi sarva-gatas
tarhi na sasyateti niyamo dhruva netaratha
ajani ca yan-mayam tad avimucya niyantr bhavet
samam anujanatam yad amatam mata-dustataya
"O Supreme Eternal! If the embodied living entities were
eternal and all-pervading like You, then they would not be
under Your control. But if the living entities are accepted
as minute energies of Your Lordship, then they are at once
subject to Your supreme control. Therefore real liberation
entails surrender by the living entities to Your control,
and that surrender will make them happy. In that constitutional
position only can they be controllers. Therefore, men with
limited knowledge who advocate the monistic theory that God
and the living entities are equal in all respects are actually
misleading themselves and others."
The Supreme Lord Krsna is the only controller, and all living
entities are controlled by Him. These living entities are
His superior energy because the quality of their existence
is one and the same with the Supreme, but they are never equal
to the Lord in quantity of power. While exploiting the gross
and subtle inferior energy (matter), the superior energy (the
living entity) forgets his real spiritual mind and intelligence.
This forgetfulness is due to the influence of matter upon
the living entity. But when the living entity becomes free
from the influence of the illusory material energy, he attains
the stage called mukti, or liberation. The false ego, under
the influence of material illusion, thinks, "I am matter,
and material acquisitions are mine." His actual position
is realized when he is liberated from all material ideas,
including the conception of his becoming one in all respects
with God. Therefore one may conclude that the Gita confirms
the living entity to be only one of the multi-energies of
Krsna; and when this energy is freed from material contamination,
it becomes fully Krsna conscious, or liberated.
Chapter 7, Verse 6.
Of all that is material and all that is spiritual in this
world, know for certain that I am both its origin and dissolution.
TEXT
6
etad-yonini
bhutani
sarvanity upadharaya
aham krtsnasya jagatah
prabhavah pralayas tatha
SYNONYMS
etat--these
two natures; yonini--source of birth; bhutani--everything
created; sarvani--all; iti--thus; upadharaya--know; aham--I;
krtsnasya--all-inclusive; jagatah--of the world; prabhavah--source
of manifestation; pralayah--annihilation; tatha--as well as.
TRANSLATION
Of
all that is material and all that is spiritual in this world,
know for certain that I am both its origin and dissolution.
PURPORT
Everything
that exists is a product of matter and spirit. Spirit is the
basic field of creation, and matter is created by spirit.
Spirit is not created at a certain stage of material development.
Rather, this material world is manifested only on the basis
of spiritual energy. This material body is developed because
spirit is present within matter; a child grows gradually to
boyhood and then to manhood because of that superior energy,
spirit soul, being present. Similarly, the entire cosmic manifestation
of the gigantic universe is developed because of the presence
of the Supersoul, Visnu. Therefore spirit and matter, which
combine together to manifest this gigantic universal form,
are originally two energies of the Lord, and consequently
the Lord is the original cause of everything. A fragmental
part and parcel of the Lord, namely, the living entity, may
by manipulation of material energy construct a skyscraper,
factory or city, but he cannot create matter out of nothing,
and he certainly cannot construct a planet or a universe.
The cause of the universe is the Supersoul, Krsna, the supreme
creator of all individual souls and the original cause of
all causes, as the Katha Upanisad confirms: nityo nityanam
cetanas cetananam.
Chapter 7, Verse 7.
O conqueror of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior
to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a
thread.
TEXT
7
mattah parataram
nanyat
kincid asti dhananjaya
mayi sarvam idam protam
sutre mani-gana iva
SYNONYMS
mattah--beyond
Myself; para-taram--superior; na--not; anyat kincit--anything
else; asti--there is; dhananjaya--O conqueror of wealth; mayi--in
Me; sarvam--all that be; idam--which we see; protam--strung;
sutre--on a thread; mani-ganah--pearls; iva--likened.
TRANSLATION
O conqueror of
wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior to Me. Everything
rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.
PURPORT
There is a common
controversy over whether the Supreme Absolute Truth is personal
or impersonal. As far as Bhagavad-gita is concerned, the Absolute
Truth is the Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna, and this is
confirmed in every step. In this verse, in particular, it
is stressed that the Absolute Truth is a person. That the
Personality of Godhead is the Supreme Absolute Truth is also
the affirmation of the Brahma-samhita: isvarah paramah krsnah
sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah; that is, the Supreme Absolute Truth
Personality of Godhead is Lord Krsna, who is the primeval
Lord, the reservoir of all pleasure, Govinda, and the eternal
form of complete bliss and knowledge. These authorities leave
no doubt that the Absolute Truth is the Supreme Person, the
cause of all causes. The impersonalist, however, argues on
the strength of the Vedic version given in the Svetasvatara
Upanisad: tato yad uttarataram tad arupam anamayam ya etad
vidur amrtas te bhavanti athetare duhkham evapiyanti. "In
the material world Brahma, the primeval living entity within
the universe, is understood to be the supreme amongst the
demigods, human beings and lower animals. But beyond Brahma
there is the Transcendence who has no material form and is
free from all material contaminations. Anyone who can know
Him also becomes transcendental, but those who do not know
Him suffer the miseries of the material world."
The impersonalist puts more stress on the word arupam. But
this arupam is not impersonal. It indicates the transcendental
form of eternity, bliss and knowledge as described in the
Brahma-samhita quoted above. Other verses in the Svetasvatara
Upanisad substantiate this as follows:
vedaham etam purusam
mahantam aditya-varnam tamasah parastat
tam eva vidvan amrta iha bhavati nanyah pantha vidyate ayanaya
yasmat param naparam asti kincid yasman naniyo no jyayo 'sti
kincit
"I know that Supreme Personality of Godhead who is transcendental
to all material conceptions of darkness. Only he who knows
Him can transcend the bonds of birth and death. There is no
way for liberation other than this knowledge of that Supreme
Person.
"There is no truth superior to that Supreme Person because
He is the supermost. He is smaller than the smallest, and
He is greater than the greatest. He is situated as a silent
tree, and He illumines the transcendental sky, and as a tree
spreads its roots, He spreads His extensive energies."
From these verses one concludes that the Supreme Absolute
Truth is the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is all-pervading
by His multi-energies, both material and spiritual.
Chapter 7, Verse 8.
O son of Kunti [Arjuna], I am the taste of water, the light
of the sun and the moon, the syllable om in the Vedic mantras;
I am the sound in ether and ability in man.
rasah--taste;
aham--I; apsu--in water; kaunteya--O son of Kunti; prabha
asmi--I am the light; sasi-suryayoh--in the sun and the moon;
pranavah--the letters A.U.M.; sarva--in all; vedesu--in the
Vedas; sabdah--sound vibration; khe--in the ether; paurusam--ability;
nrsu--in man.
TRANSLATION
O
son of Kunti [Arjuna], I am the taste of water, the light
of the sun and the moon, the syllable om in the Vedic mantras;
I am the sound in ether and ability in man.
PURPORT
This
verse explains how the Lord is all-pervasive by His diverse
material and spiritual energies. The Supreme Lord can be preliminarily
perceived by His different energies, and in this way He is
realized impersonally. As the demigod in the sun is a person
and is perceived by his all-pervading energy, the sunshine,
similarly, the Lord, although in His eternal abode, is perceived
by His all-pervading, diffusive energies. The taste of water
is the active principle of water. No one likes to drink sea
water because the pure taste of water is mixed with salt.
Attraction for water depends on the purity of the taste, and
this pure taste is one of the energies of the Lord. The impersonalist
perceives the presence of the Lord in water by its taste,
and the personalist also glorifies the Lord for His kindly
supplying water to quench man's thirst. That is the way of
perceiving the Supreme. Practically speaking, there is no
conflict between personalism and impersonalism. One who knows
God knows that the impersonal conception and personal conception
are simultaneously present in everything and that there is
no contradiction. Therefore Lord Caitanya established His
sublime doctrine: acintya-bheda and abheda-tattvam--simultaneously
one and different.
The light of the sun and the moon is also originally emanating
from the brahmajyoti, which is the impersonal effulgence of
the Lord. Similarly pranava or the omkara transcendental sound
used in the beginning of every Vedic hymn to address the Supreme
Lord also emanates from Him. Because the impersonalists are
very much afraid of addressing the Supreme Lord Krsna by His
innumerable names, they prefer to vibrate the transcendental
sound omkara. But they do not realize that omkara is the sound
representation of Krsna. The jurisdiction of Krsna consciousness
extends everywhere, and one who knows Krsna consciousness
is blessed. Those who do not know Krsna are in illusion, and
so knowledge of Krsna is liberation, and ignorance of Him
is bondage.
Chapter 7, Verse 9.
I am the original fragrance of the earth, and I am the heat
in fire. I am the life of all that lives, and I am the penances
of all ascetics.
punyah--original;
gandhah--fragrance; prthivyam--in the earth; ca--also; tejah--temperature;
ca--also; asmi--I am; vibhavasau--in the fire; jivanam--life;
sarva--all; bhutesu--living entities; tapah--penance; ca--also;
asmi--I am; tapasvisu--in those who practice penance.
TRANSLATION
I am the original
fragrance of the earth, and I am the heat in fire. I am the
life of all that lives, and I am the penances of all ascetics.
PURPORT
Punya means that
which is not decomposed; punya is original. Everything in
the material world has a certain flavor or fragrance, as the
flavor and fragrance in a flower, or in the earth, in water,
in fire, in air, etc. The uncontaminated flavor, the original
flavor, which permeates everything, is Krsna. Similarly, everything
has a particular original taste, and this taste can be changed
by the mixture of chemicals. So everything original has some
smell, some fragrance, and some taste. Vibhava means fire.
Without fire we cannot run factories, we cannot cook, etc.,
and that fire is Krsna. The heat in the fire is Krsna. According
to Vedic medicine, indigestion is due to a low temperature
in the belly. So even for digestion fire is needed. In Krsna
consciousness we become aware that earth, water, fire, air
and every active principle, all chemicals and all material
elements are due to Krsna. The duration of man's life is also
due to Krsna. Therefore by the grace of Krsna, man can prolong
his life or diminish it. So Krsna consciousness is active
in every sphere.
Chapter 7, Verse 10.
O son of Prtha, know that I am the original seed of all existences,
the intelligence of the intelligent, and the prowess of all
powerful men.
bijam--the seed; mam--unto Me; sarva-bhutanam--of
all living entities; viddhi--try to understand; partha--O
son of Prtha; sanatanam--original, eternal; buddhih--intelligence;
buddhi-matam--of the intelligent; asmi--I am; tejah--prowess;
tejasvinam--of the powerful; aham--I am.
TRANSLATION
O son of Prtha, know that I am the
original seed of all existences, the intelligence of the intelligent,
and the prowess of all powerful men.
PURPORT
Bijam means seed; Krsna is the seed
of everything. In contact with material nature, the seed fructifies
into various living entities, movable and inert. Birds, beasts,
men and many other living creatures are moving living entities;
trees and plants, however, are inert--they cannot move, but
only stand. Every entity is contained within the scope of
8,400,000 species of life; some of them are moving and some
of them are inert. In all cases, however, the seed of their
life is Krsna. As stated in Vedic literature, Brahman, or
the Supreme Absolute Truth, is that from which everything
is emanating. Krsna is Parabrahman, the Supreme Spirit. Brahman
is impersonal and Parabrahman is personal. Impersonal Brahman
is situated in the personal aspect--that is stated in Bhagavad-gita.
Therefore, originally, Krsna is the source of everything.
He is the root. As the root of a tree maintains the whole
tree, Krsna, being the original root of all things, maintains
everything in this material manifestation. This is also confirmed
in the Vedic literature. Yato va imani bhutani jayante. "The
Supreme Absolute Truth is that from which everything is born."
He is the prime eternal among all eternals. He is the supreme
living entity of all living entities, and He alone is maintaining
all life. Krsna also says that He is the root of all intelligence.
Unless a person is intelligent he cannot understand the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Krsna.
Chapter 7, Verse 11.
I am the strength of the strong, devoid of passion and desire.
I am sex life which is not contrary to religious principles,
O Lord of the Bharatas [Arjuna].
balam--strength;
bala-vatam--of the strong; ca--and; aham--I am; kama--passion;
raga--attachment; vivarjitam--devoid of; dharma-aviruddhah--not
against the religious principles; bhutesu--in all beings;
kamah--sex life; asmi--I am; bharata-rsabha--O lord of the
Bharatas.
TRANSLATION
I
am the strength of the strong, devoid of passion and desire.
I am sex life which is not contrary to religious principles,
O Lord of the Bharatas [Arjuna].
PURPORT
The
strong man's strength should be applied to protect the weak,
not for personal aggression. Similarly, sex life, according
to religious principles (dharma), should be for the propagation
of children, not otherwise. The responsibility of parents
is then to make their offspring Krsna conscious.
Chapter 7, Verse 12.
All states of being--be they of goodness, passion or ignorance--are
manifested by My energy. I am, in one sense, everything--but
I am independent. I am not under the modes of this material
nature.
TEXT
12
ye caiva sattvika bhava
rajasas tamasas ca ye
matta eveti tan viddhi
na tv aham tesu te mayi
SYNONYMS
ye--all those; ca--and; eva--certainly;
sattvikah--in goodness; bhavah--states of being; rajasah--mode
of passion; tamasah--mode of ignorance; ca--also; ye--although;
mattah--from Me; eva--certainly; iti--thus; tan--those; viddhi--try
to know; na--not; tu--but; aham--I; tesu--in those; te--they;
mayi--unto Me.
TRANSLATION
All states of being--be they of goodness,
passion or ignorance--are manifested by My energy. I am, in
one sense, everything--but I am independent. I am not under
the modes of this material nature.
PURPORT
All material activities in the world
are being conducted under the three modes of material nature.
Although these material modes of nature are emanations from
the Supreme Lord, Krsna, He is not subject to them. For instance,
under the state laws one may be punished, but the king, the
lawmaker, is not subject to that law. Similarly, all the modes
of material nature--goodness, passion and ignorance--are emanations
from the Supreme Lord Krsna, but Krsna is not subject to material
nature. Therefore He is nirguna, which means that these gunas,
or modes, although issuing from Him, do not affect Him. That
is one of the special characteristics of Bhagavan, or the
Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Chapter 7, Verse 13.
Deluded by the three modes [goodness, passion and ignorance],
the whole world does not know Me who am above the modes and
inexhaustible.
TEXT
13
tribhir guna-mayair bhavair
ebhih sarvam idam jagat
mohitam nabhijanati
mam ebhyah param avyayam
SYNONYMS
tribhih--three; guna-mayaih--by the
three gunas; bhavaih--state of being; ebhih--all these; sarvam--the
whole world; idam--in this world; jagat--universe; mohitam--deluded;
na abhijanati--do not know; mam--Me; ebhyah--above these;
param--the Supreme; avyayam--inexhaustible.
TRANSLATION
Deluded by the three modes [goodness,
passion and ignorance], the whole world does not know Me who
am above the modes and inexhaustible.
PURPORT
The whole world is enchanted by three
modes of material nature. Those who are bewildered by these
three modes cannot understand that transcendental to this
material nature is the Supreme Lord, Krsna. In this material
world everyone is under the influence of these three gunas
and is thus bewildered.
By nature living entities have particular types of body and
particular types of psychic and biological activities accordingly.
There are four classes of men functioning in the three material
modes of nature. Those who are purely in the mode of goodness
are called brahmanas. Those who are purely in the mode of
passion are called ksatriyas. Those who are in the modes of
both passion and ignorance are called vaisyas. Those who are
completely in ignorance are called sudras. And those who are
less than that are animals or animal life. However, these
designations are not permanent. I may either be a brahmana,
ksatriya, vaisya or whatever--in any case, this life is temporary.
But although life is temporary and we do not know what we
are going to be in the next life, still, by the spell of this
illusory energy, we consider ourselves in the light of this
bodily conception of life, and we thus think that we are American,
Indian, Russian or brahmana, Hindu, Muslim, etc. And if we
become entangled with the modes of material nature, then we
forget the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is behind all
these modes. So Lord Krsna says that men, deluded by these
three modes of nature, do not understand that behind the material
background is the Supreme Godhead.
There are many different kinds of living entities--human beings,
demigods, animals, etc.--and each and every one of them is
under the influence of material nature, and all of them have
forgotten the transcendent Personality of Godhead. Those who
are in the modes of passion and ignorance, and even those
who are in the mode of goodness, cannot go beyond the impersonal
Brahman conception of the Absolute Truth. They are bewildered
before the Supreme Lord in His personal feature, which possesses
all beauty, opulence, knowledge, strength, fame and renunciation.
When even those who are in goodness cannot understand, what
hope is there for those in passion and ignorance? Krsna consciousness
is transcendental to all these three modes of material nature,
and those who are truly established in Krsna consciousness
are actually liberated.
Chapter 7, Verse 14.
This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes
of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who
have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.
TEXT
14
daivi hy esa guna-mayi
mama maya duratyaya
mam eva ye prapadyante
mayam etam taranti te
SYNONYMS
daivi--transcendental; hi--certainly; esa--this;
guna-mayi--consisting of the three modes of material nature;
mama--My; maya--energy; duratyaya--very difficult to overcome;
mam--unto Me; eva--certainly; ye--those; prapadyante--surrender;
mayam etam--this illusory energy; taranti--overcome; te--they.
TRANSLATION
This divine energy of Mine, consisting of
the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome.
But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond
it.
PURPORT
The Supreme Personality of Godhead has innumerable
energies, and all these energies are divine. Although the
living entities are part of His energies and are therefore
divine, due to contact with material energy, their original
superior power is covered. Being thus covered by material
energy, one cannot possibly overcome its influence. As previously
stated, both the material and spiritual natures, being emanations
from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, are eternal. The
living entities belong to the eternal superior nature of the
Lord, but due to contamination by the inferior nature, matter,
their illusion is also eternal. The conditioned soul is therefore
called nitya-baddha, or eternally conditioned. No one can
trace out the history of his becoming conditioned at a certain
date in material history. Consequently, his release from the
clutches of material nature is very difficult, even though
that material nature is an inferior energy, because material
energy is ultimately conducted by the supreme will, which
the living entity cannot overcome. Inferior material nature
is defined herein as divine nature due to its divine connection
and movement by the divine will. Being conducted by divine
will, material nature, although inferior, acts so wonderfully
in the construction and destruction of the cosmic manifestation.
The Vedas confirm this as follows: mayam tu prakrtim vidyan
mayinam tu mahesvaram. "Although maya [illusion] is false
or temporary, the background of maya is the supreme magician,
the Personality of Godhead, who is Mahesvara, the supreme
controller."
Another meaning of guna is rope; it is to be understood that
the conditioned soul is tightly tied by the ropes of illusion.
A man bound by the hands and feet cannot free himself--he
must be helped by a person who is unbound. Because the bound
cannot help the bound, the rescuer must be liberated. Therefore,
only Lord Krsna, or His bona fide representative the spiritual
master, can release the conditioned soul. Without such superior
help, one cannot be freed from the bondage of material nature.
Devotional service, or Krsna consciousness, can help one gain
such release. Krsna, being the Lord of illusory energy, can
order this insurmountable energy to release the conditioned
soul. He orders this release out of His causeless mercy on
the surrendered soul and out of His paternal affection for
the living entity who is originally a beloved son of the Lord.
Therefore surrender unto the lotus feet of the Lord is the
only means to get free from the clutches of the stringent
material nature.
The words mam eva are also significant. Mam means unto Krsna
(Visnu) only, and not Brahma or Siva. Although Brahma and
Siva are greatly elevated and are almost on the level of Visnu,
it is not possible for such incarnations of rajo-guna (passion)
and tamo-guna (ignorance) to release the conditioned soul
from the clutches of maya. In other words, both Brahma and
Siva are also under the influence of maya. Only Visnu is the
master of maya; therefore He can alone give release to the
conditioned soul. The Vedas confirm this in the phrase tam
eva viditva or "Freedom is possible only by understanding
Krsna." Even Lord Siva affirms that liberation can be
achieved only by the mercy of Visnu. Lord Siva says:
mukti-pradata sarvesam visnur eva na samsayah.
"There is no doubt that Visnu is the deliverer of liberation
for everyone."
Chapter 7, Verse 15.
Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind,
whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of
the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.
TEXT
15
na mam duskrtino
mudhah
prapadyante naradhamah
mayayapahrta-jnana
asuram bhavam asritah
SYNONYMS
na--not; mam--unto
Me; duskrtinah--miscreants; mudhah--foolish; prapadyante--surrender;
nara-adhamah--lowest among mankind; mayaya--by the illusory
energy; apahrta--stolen by illusion; jnanah--knowledge; asuram--demonic;
bhavam--nature; asritah--accepting.
TRANSLATION
Those miscreants
who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge
is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature
of demons, do not surrender unto Me.
PURPORT
It is said in Bhagavad-gita
that simply by surrendering oneself unto the lotus feet of
the Supreme Personality Krsna, one can surmount the stringent
laws of material nature. At this point a question arises:
How is it that educated philosophers, scientists, businessmen,
administrators and all the leaders of ordinary men do not
surrender to the lotus feet of Sri Krsna, the all-powerful
Personality of Godhead? Mukti, or liberation from the laws
of material nature, is sought by the leaders of mankind in
different ways and with great plans and perseverance for a
great many years and births. But if that liberation is possible
by simply surrendering unto the lotus feet of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, then why don't these intelligent and
hard-working leaders adopt this simple method?
The Gita answers this question very frankly. Those really
learned leaders of society like Brahma, Siva, Kapila, the
Kumaras, Manu, Vyasa, Devala, Asita, Janaka, Prahlada, Bali,
and later on Madhvacarya, Ramanujacarya, Sri Caitanya and
many others--who are faithful philosophers, politicians, educators,
scientists, etc.--surrender to the lotus feet of the Supreme
Person, the all-powerful authority. Those who are not actually
philosophers, scientists, educators, administrators, etc.,
but who pose themselves as such for material gain, do not
accept the plan or path of the Supreme Lord. They have no
idea of God; they simply manufacture their own worldly plans
and consequently complicate the problems of material existence
in their vain attempts to solve them. Because material energy
(nature) is so powerful, it can resist the unauthorized plans
of the atheists and baffle the knowledge of "planning
commissions."
The atheistic plan-makers are described herein by the word
duskrtinah, or "miscreants." Krtina means one who
has performed meritorious work. The atheist planmaker is sometimes
very intelligent and meritorious also, because any gigantic
plan, good or bad, must take intelligence to execute. But
because the atheist's brain is improperly utilized in opposing
the plan of the Supreme Lord, the atheistic planmaker is called
duskrtina, which indicates that his intelligence and efforts
are misdirected.
In the Gita it is clearly mentioned that material energy works
fully under the direction of the Supreme Lord. It has no independent
authority. It works as the shadow moves, in accordance with
the movements of the object. But still material energy is
very powerful, and the atheist, due to his godless temperament,
cannot know how it works; nor can he know the plan of the
Supreme Lord. Under illusion and the modes of passion and
ignorance, all his plans are baffled, as in the case of Hiranyakasipu
and Ravana, whose plans were smashed to dust although they
were both materially learned as scientists, philosophers,
administrators and educators. These duskrtinas, or miscreants,
are of four different patterns, as outlined below:
(1) The mudhas are those who are grossly foolish, like hard-working
beasts of burden. They want to enjoy the fruits of their labor
by themselves, and so do not want to part with them for the
Supreme. The typical example of the beast of burden is the
ass. This humble beast is made to work very hard by his master.
The ass does not really know for whom he works so hard day
and night. He remains satisfied by filling his stomach with
a bundle of grass, sleeping for a while under fear of being
beaten by his master, and satisfying his sex appetite at the
risk of being repeatedly kicked by the opposite party. The
ass sings poetry and philosophy sometimes, but this braying
only disturbs others. This is the position of the foolish
fruitive worker who does not know for whom he should work.
He does not know that karma (action) is meant for yajna (sacrifice).
Most often, those who work very hard day and night to clear
the burden of self-created duties say that they have no time
to hear of the immortality of the living being. To such mudhas,
material gains, which are destructible, are life's all in
all--despite the fact that the mudhas enjoy only a very small
fraction of the fruit of labor. Sometimes they spend sleepless
days and nights for fruitive gain, and although they may have
ulcers or indigestion, they are satisfied with practically
no food; they are simply absorbed in working hard day and
night for the benefit of illusory masters. Ignorant of their
real master, the foolish workers waste their valuable time
serving mammon. Unfortunately, they never surrender to the
supreme master of all masters, nor do they take time to hear
of Him from the proper sources. The swine who eat the soil
do not care to accept sweetmeats made of sugar and ghee. Similarly,
the foolish worker will untiringly continue to hear of the
sense-enjoyable tidings of the flickering mundane force that
moves the material world.
(2) Another class of duskrtina, or miscreant, is called the
naradhama, or the lowest of mankind. Nara means human being,
and adhama means the lowest. Out of the 8,400,000 different
species of living beings, there are 400,000 human species.
Out of these there are numerous lower forms of human life
that are mostly uncivilized. The civilized human beings are
those who have regulative principles of social, political
and religious life. Those who are socially and politically
developed, but who have no religious principles, must be considered
naradhamas. Nor is religion without God religion, because
the purpose of following religious principles is to know the
Supreme Truth and man's relation with Him. In the Gita the
Personality of Godhead clearly states that there is no authority
above Him and that He is the Supreme Truth. The civilized
form of human life is meant for man's reviving the lost consciousness
of his eternal relation with the Supreme Truth, the Personality
of Godhead Sri Krsna, who is all-powerful. Whoever loses this
chance is classified as a naradhama. We get information from
revealed scriptures that when the baby is in the mother's
womb (an extremely uncomfortable situation) he prays to God
for deliverance and promises to worship Him alone as soon
as he gets out. To pray to God when he is in difficulty is
a natural instinct in every living being because he is eternally
related with God. But after his deliverance, the child forgets
the difficulties of birth and forgets his deliverer also,
being influenced by maya, the illusory energy.
It is the duty of the guardians of children to revive the
divine consciousness dormant in them. The ten processes of
reformatory ceremonies, as enjoined in the Manu-smrti, which
is the guide to religious principles, are meant for reviving
God consciousness in the system of varnasrama. However, no
process is strictly followed now in any part of the world,
and therefore 99.9 percent of the population is naradhama.
When the whole population becomes naradhama, naturally all
their so-called education is made null and void by the all-powerful
energy of physical nature. According to the standard of the
Gita, a learned man is he who sees on equal terms the learned
brahmana, the dog, the cow, the elephant and the dog-eater.
That is the vision of a true devotee. Sri Nityananda Prabhu,
who is the incarnation of Godhead as divine master, delivered
the typical naradhamas, the brothers Jagai and Madhai, and
showed how the mercy of a real devotee is bestowed upon the
lowest of mankind. So the naradhama who is condemned by the
Personality of Godhead can again revive his spiritual consciousness
only by the mercy of a devotee.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in propagating the bhagavata-dharma
or activities of the devotees, has recommended that people
submissively hear the message of the Personality of Godhead.
The essence of this message is Bhagavad-gita. The lowest amongst
human beings can be delivered by this submissive hearing process
only, but unfortunately they even deny giving an aural reception
to these messages, and what to speak of surrendering to the
will of the Supreme Lord? Naradhamas, or the lowest of mankind,
will fully neglect the prime duty of the human being.
(3) The next class of duskrtina is called mayayapahrta-jnanah,
or those persons whose erudite knowledge has been nullified
by the influence of illusory material energy. They are mostly
very learned fellows--great philosophers, poets, literati,
scientists, etc.--but the illusory energy misguides them,
and therefore they disobey the Supreme Lord.
There are a great number of mayayapahrta-jnanah at the present
moment, even amongst the scholars of the Gita. In the Gita,
in plain and simple language, it is stated that Sri Krsna
is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is none equal
to or greater than Him. He is mentioned as the father of Brahma,
the original father of all human beings. In fact, Sri Krsna
is said to be not only the father of Brahma but also the father
of all species of life. He is the root of the impersonal Brahman
and Paramatma; the Supersoul in every entity is His plenary
portion. He is the fountainhead of everything and everyone
is advised to surrender unto His lotus feet. Despite all these
clear statements, the mayayapahrta-jnanah deride the personality
of the Supreme Lord and consider Him merely another human
being. They do not know that the blessed form of human life
is designed after the eternal and transcendental feature of
the Supreme Lord.
All the unauthorized interpretations of the Gita by the class
of mayayapahrta-jnana, outside the purview of the parampara
system, are so many stumbling blocks in the path of spiritual
understanding. The deluded interpreters do not surrender unto
the lotus feet of Sri Krsna, nor do they teach others to follow
this principle.
(4) The last class of duskrtina is called asuram bhavam asritah,
or those of demonic principles. This class is openly atheistic.
Some of them argue that the Supreme Lord can never descend
upon this material world, but they are unable to give any
tangible reasons as to why not. There are others who make
Him subordinate to the impersonal feature, although the opposite
is declared in the Gita. Envious of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, the atheist will present a number of illicit incarnations
manufactured in the factory of his brain. Such persons whose
very principle of life is to decry the Personality of Godhead
cannot surrender unto the lotus feet of Sri Krsna.
Sri Yamunacarya Albandaru of South India said, "O my
Lord! You are unknowable to persons involved with atheistic
principles despite Your uncommon qualities, features, and
activities and despite Your personality being confirmed by
all the revealed scriptures in the quality of goodness, and
despite Your being acknowledged by the famous authorities
renowned for their depth of knowledge in the transcendental
science and situated in the godly qualities."
Therefore, (1) grossly foolish persons, (2) the lowest of
mankind, (3) the deluded speculators, and (4) the professed
atheists, as above mentioned, never surrender unto the lotus
feet of the Personality of Godhead in spite of all scriptural
and authoritative advice.
Chapter 7, Verse 16.
O best among the Bharatas [Arjuna], four kinds of pious men
render devotional service unto Me--the distressed, the desirer
of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge
of the Absolute.
TEXT
16
catur-vidha bhajante mam
janah sukrtino 'rjuna
arto jijnasur artharthi
jnani ca bharatarsabha
SYNONYMS
catuh-vidhah--four kinds of; bhajante--render
services; mam--unto Me; janah--persons; su-krtinah--those
who are pious; arjuna--O Arjuna; artah--the distressed; jijnasuh--the
inquisitive; artha-arthi--one who desires material gain; jnani--one
who knows things as they are; ca--also; bharata-rsabha--O
great one amongst the descendants of Bharata.
TRANSLATION
O best among the Bharatas [Arjuna], four kinds
of pious men render devotional service unto Me--the distressed,
the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching
for knowledge of the Absolute.
PURPORT
Unlike the miscreants, these are adherents
of the regulative principles of the scriptures, and they are
called sukrtinah, or those who obey the rules and regulations
of scriptures, the moral and social laws, and are, more or
less, devoted to the Supreme Lord. Out of these there are
four classes of men--those who are sometimes distressed, those
who are in need of money, those who are sometimes inquisitive,
and those who are sometimes searching after knowledge of the
Absolute Truth. These persons come to the Supreme Lord for
devotional service under different conditions. These are not
pure devotees because they have some aspiration to fulfill
in exchange for devotional service. Pure devotional service
is without aspiration and without desire for material profit.
The Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu defines pure devotion thus:
"One should render transcendental loving service to the
Supreme Lord Krsna favorably and without desire for material
profit or gain through fruitive activities or philosophical
speculation. That is called pure devotional service."
When these four kinds of persons come to the Supreme Lord
for devotional service and are completely purified by the
association of a pure devotee, they also become pure devotees.
As far as the miscreants are concerned, for them devotional
service is very difficult because their lives are selfish,
irregular and without spiritual goals. But even some of them,
by chance, when they come in contact with a pure devotee,
also become pure devotees.
Those who are always busy with fruitive activities come to
the Lord in material distress and at that time associate with
pure devotees and become, in their distress, devotees of the
Lord. Those who are simply frustrated also come sometimes
to associate with the pure devotees and become inquisitive
to know about God. Similarly, when the dry philosophers are
frustrated in every field of knowledge, they sometimes want
to learn of God, and they come to the Supreme Lord to render
devotional service and thus transcend knowledge of the impersonal
Brahman and the localized Paramatma and come to the personal
conception of Godhead by the grace of the Supreme Lord or
His pure devotee. On the whole, when the distressed, the inquisitive,
the seekers of knowledge, and those who are in need of money
are free from all material desires, and when they fully understand
that material remuneration has nothing to do with spiritual
improvement, they become pure devotees. As long as such a
purified stage is not attained, devotees in transcendental
service to the Lord are tainted with fruitive activities,
and they search after mundane knowledge, etc. So one has to
transcend all this before one can come to the stage of pure
devotional service.
Chapter 7, Verse 17.
Of these, the wise one who is in full knowledge in union with
Me through pure devotional service is the best. For I am very
dear to him, and he is dear to Me.
TEXT
17
tesam jnani nitya-yukta
eka-bhaktir visisyate
priyo hi jnanino 'tyartham
aham sa ca mama priyah
SYNONYMS
tesam--out of them; jnani--one in full knowledge;
nitya-yuktah--always engaged; eka--only one; bhaktih--in devotional
service; visisyate--especially; priyah--very dear; hi--certainly;
jnaninah--person in knowledge; atyartham--highly; aham--I
am; sah--he; ca--also; mama--Mine; priyah--dear.
TRANSLATION
Of these, the wise one who is in full knowledge
in union with Me through pure devotional service is the best.
For I am very dear to him, and he is dear to Me.
PURPORT
Free from all contaminations of material desires,
the distressed, the inquisitive, the penniless, and the seeker
after supreme knowledge can all become pure devotees. But
out of them, he who is in knowledge of the Absolute Truth
and free from all material desires becomes a really pure devotee
of the Lord. And of the four orders, the devotee who is in
full knowledge and is at the same time engaged in devotional
service is, the Lord says, the best. By searching after knowledge
one realizes that his self is different from his material
body, and when further advanced he comes to the knowledge
of impersonal Brahman and Paramatma. When one is fully purified,
he realizes that his constitutional position is to be the
eternal servant of God. So by association with pure devotees,
the inquisitive, the distressed, the seeker after material
amelioration and the man in knowledge all become themselves
pure. But in the preparatory stage, the man who is in full
knowledge of the Supreme Lord and is at the same time executing
devotional service is very dear to the Lord. He who is situated
in pure knowledge of the transcendence of the Supreme Personality
of God is so protected in devotional service that material
contaminations cannot touch him.
Chapter 7, Verse 18.
All these devotees are undoubtedly magnanimous souls, but
he who is situated in knowledge of Me I consider verily to
dwell in Me. Being engaged in My transcendental service, he
attains Me.
TEXT
18
udarah
sarva evaite
jnani tv atmaiva me matam
asthitah sa hi yuktatma
mam evanuttamam gatim
SYNONYMS
udarah--magnanimous;
sarve--all; eva--certainly; ete--these; jnani--one who is
in knowledge; tu--but; atma eva--just like Myself; me--My;
matam--opinion; asthitah--situated; sah--he; hi--certainly;
yukta-atma--engaged in devotional service; mam--unto Me; eva--certainly;
anuttamam--the highest goal; gatim--destination.
TRANSLATION
All
these devotees are undoubtedly magnanimous souls, but he who
is situated in knowledge of Me I consider verily to dwell
in Me. Being engaged in My transcendental service, he attains
Me.
PURPORT
It
is not that other devotees who are less complete in knowledge
are not dear to the Lord. The Lord says that all are magnanimous
because anyone who comes to the Lord for any purpose is called
a mahatma or great soul. The devotees who want some benefit
out of devotional service are accepted by the Lord because
there is an exchange of affection. Out of affection they ask
the Lord for some material benefit, and when they get it they
become so satisfied that they also advance in devotional service.
But the devotee in full knowledge is considered to be very
dear to the Lord because his only purpose is to serve the
Supreme Lord with love and devotion. Such a devotee cannot
live a second without contacting or serving the Supreme Lord.
Similarly, the Supreme Lord is very fond of His devotee and
cannot be separated from him.
In the Srimad-Bhagavatam (9.4.68), the Lord says:
sadhavo
hrdayam mahyam sadhunam hrdayam tv aham
mad-anyat te na jananti naham tebhyo manag api
"The devotees are always in My heart, and I am always
in the heart of the devotees. The devotee does not know anything
beyond Me, and I also cannot forget the devotee. There is
a very intimate relationship between Me and the pure devotees.
Pure devotees in full knowledge are never out of spiritual
touch, and therefore they are very much dear to Me."
Chapter 7, Verse 19.
After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge
surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes
and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.
TEXT
19
bahunam janmanam
ante
jnanavan mam prapadyate
vasudevah sarvam iti
sa mahatma su-durlabhah
After many births
and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto
Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that
is. Such a great soul is very rare.
PURPORT
The living entity,
while executing devotional service or transcendental rituals
after many, many births, may actually become situated in transcendental
pure knowledge that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is
the ultimate goal of spiritual realization. In the beginning
of spiritual realization, while one is trying to give up one's
attachment to materialism, there is some leaning towards impersonalism,
but when one is further advanced he can understand that there
are activities in the spiritual life and that these activities
constitute devotional service. Realizing this, he becomes
attached to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and surrenders
to Him. At such a time one can understand that Lord Sri Krsna's
mercy is everything, that He is the cause of all causes and
that this material manifestation is not independent from Him.
He realizes the material world to be a perverted reflection
of spiritual variegatedness and realizes that in everything
there is a relationship with the Supreme Lord Krsna. Thus
he thinks of everything in relation to Vasudeva, or Sri Krsna.
Such a universal vision of Vasudeva precipitates one's full
surrender to the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna as the highest goal.
Such surrendered great souls are very rare.
This verse is very nicely explained in the Third Chapter of
Svetasvatara Upanisad: "In this body there are powers
of speaking, of seeing, of hearing, of mental activities,
etc. But these are not important if not related to the Supreme
Lord and because Vasudeva is all-pervading and everything
is Vasudeva, the devotee surrenders in full knowledge (cf.
Bhagavad-gita 7.17 and 11.40).
Chapter 7, Verse 20.
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.
TEXT
20
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.
PURPORT
Those who are freed from all material contaminations
surrender unto the Supreme Lord and engage in His devotional
service. As long as the material contamination is not completely
washed off, they are by nature nondevotees. But even those
who have material desires and who resort to the Supreme Lord
are not so much attracted by external nature; because of approaching
the right goal, they soon become free from all material lust.
In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is recommended that whether one
is free from all material desires, or is full of material
desires, or desires liberation from material contamination,
or is a pure devotee and has no desire for material sense
gratification, he should in all cases surrender to Vasudeva
and worship Him.
It is said in the Bhagavatam that less intelligent people
who have lost their spiritual sense take shelter of demigods
for immediate fulfillment of material desires. Generally,
such people do not go to the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
because they are in particular modes of nature (ignorance
and passion) and therefore worship various demigods. Following
the rules and regulations of worship, they are satisfied.
The worshipers of demigods are motivated by small desires
and do not know how to reach the supreme goal, but a devotee
of the Supreme Lord is not misguided. Because in Vedic literature
there are recommendations for worshiping different gods for
different purposes (e.g., a diseased man is recommended to
worship the sun), those who are not devotees of the Lord think
that for certain purposes demigods are better than the Supreme
Lord. But a pure devotee knows that the Supreme Lord Krsna
is the master of all. In the Caitanya-caritamrta it is said
that only the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, is master
and all others are servants. Therefore a pure devotee never
goes to demigods for satisfaction of his material needs. He
depends on the Supreme Lord. And the pure devotee is satisfied
with whatever He gives.
Chapter 7, Verse 21.
I am in everyone's heart as the Supersoul. As soon as one
desires to worship the demigods, I make his faith steady so
that he can devote himself to some particular deity.
TEXT
21
yo
yo yam yam tanum bhaktah
sraddhayarcitum icchati
tasya tasyacalam sraddham
tam eva vidadhamy aham
I
am in everyone's heart as the Supersoul. As soon as one desires
to worship the demigods, I make his faith steady so that he
can devote himself to some particular deity.
PURPORT
God
has given independence to everyone; therefore, if a person
desires to have material enjoyment and wants very sincerely
to have such facilities from the material demigods, the Supreme
Lord, as Supersoul in everyone's heart, understands and gives
facilities to such persons. As the supreme father of all living
entities, He does not interfere with their independence, but
gives all facilities so that they can fulfill their material
desires. Some may ask why the all-powerful God gives facilities
to the living entities for enjoying this material world and
so lets them fall into the trap of the illusory energy. The
answer is that if the Supreme Lord as Supersoul does not give
such facilities, then there is no meaning to independence.
Therefore He gives everyone full independence--whatever one
likes--but His ultimate instruction we find in the Bhagavad-gita:
man should give up all other engagements and fully surrender
unto Him. That will make man happy.
Both the living entity and the demigods are subordinate to
the will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; therefore
the living entity cannot worship the demigod by his own desire,
nor can the demigod bestow any benediction without the supreme
will. As it is said, not a blade of grass moves without the
will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Generally, persons
who are distressed in the material world go to the demigods,
as they are advised in the Vedic literature. A person wanting
some particular thing may worship such and such a demigod.
For example, a diseased person is recommended to worship the
sun-god; a person wanting education may worship the goddess
of learning, Sarasvati; and a person wanting a beautiful wife
may worship the goddess Uma, the wife of Lord Siva. In this
way there are recommendations in the sastras (Vedic scriptures)
for different modes of worship of different demigods. And
because a particular living entity wants to enjoy a particular
material facility, the Lord inspires him with a strong desire
to achieve that benediction from that particular demigod,
and so he successfully receives the benediction. The particular
mode of the devotional attitude of the living entity toward
a particular type of demigod is also arranged by the Supreme
Lord. The demigods cannot infuse the living entities with
such an affinity, but because He is the Supreme Lord or the
Supersoul who is present in the heart of all living entities,
Krsna gives impetus to man to worship certain demigods. The
demigods are actually different parts of the universal body
of the Supreme Lord; therefore they have no independence.
In the Vedic literature (Taittiriya Upanisad, First Anuvaka)
it is stated: "The Supreme Personality of Godhead as
Supersoul is also present within the heart of the demigod;
therefore He arranges through the demigod to fulfill the desire
of the living entity. But both the demigod and the living
entity are dependent on the supreme will. They are not independent."
Chapter 7, Verse 22.
Endowed with such a faith, he seeks favors of a particular
demigod and obtains his desires. But in actuality these benefits
are bestowed by Me alone.
TEXT
22
sa
taya sraddhaya yuktas
tasyaradhanam ihate
labhate ca tatah kaman
mayaiva vihitan hi tan
Endowed
with such a faith, he seeks favors of a particular demigod
and obtains his desires. But in actuality these benefits are
bestowed by Me alone.
PURPORT
The
demigods cannot award benedictions to the devotees without
the permission of the Supreme Lord. The living entity may
forget that everything is the property of the Supreme Lord,
but the demigods do not forget. So the worship of demigods
and achievement of desired results are not due to the demigods
but to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by arrangement.
The less intelligent living entity does not know this, and
therefore he foolishly goes to the demigods for some benefit.
But the pure devotee, when in need of something, prays only
to the Supreme Lord. Asking for material benefit, however,
is not a sign of a pure devotee. A living entity goes to the
demigods usually because he is mad to fulfill his lust. This
happens when something undue is desired by the living entity,
and the Lord Himself does not fulfill the desire. In the Caitanya-caritamrta
it is said that one who worships the Supreme Lord and at the
same time desires material enjoyment is contradictory in his
desires. Devotional service of the Supreme Lord and the worship
of a demigod cannot be on the same platform because worship
of a demigod is material and devotional service to the Supreme
Lord is completely spiritual.
For the living entity who desires to return to Godhead, material
desires are impediments. A pure devotee of the Lord is therefore
not awarded the material benefits desired by less intelligent
living entities who prefer to worship demigods of the material
world rather than engage in devotional service of the Supreme
Lord.
Chapter 7, Verse 23.
Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their
fruits are limited and temporary. Those who worship the demigods
go to the planets of the demigods, but My devotees ultimately
reach My supreme planet.
TEXT
23
antavat
tu phalam tesam
tad bhavaty alpa-medhasam
devan deva-yajo yanti
mad-bhakta yanti mam api
SYNONYMS
anta-vat
tu--limited and temporary; phalam--fruits; tesam--their; tat--that;
bhavati--becomes; alpa-medhasam--of those of small intelligence;
devan--demigods' planets; deva-yajah--worshipers of demigods;
yanti--achieve; mat--My; bhaktah--devotees; yanti--attain;
mam--to Me; api--surely.
TRANSLATION
Men
of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits
are limited and temporary. Those who worship the demigods
go to the planets of the demigods, but My devotees ultimately
reach My supreme planet.
PURPORT
Some
commentators on the Gita say that one who worships a demigod
can reach the Supreme Lord, but here it is clearly stated
that the worshipers of demigods go to the different planetary
systems where various demigods are situated, just as a worshiper
of the sun achieves the sun or a worshiper of the demigod
of the moon achieves the moon. Similarly, if anyone wants
to worship a demigod like Indra, he can attain that particular
god's planet. It is not that everyone, regardless of whatever
demigod is worshiped, will reach the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. That is denied here, for it is clearly stated that
the worshipers of the demigods go to different planets in
the material world, but the devotee of the Supreme Lord goes
directly to the supreme planet of the Personality of Godhead.
Here the point may be raised that if the demigods are different
parts of the body of the Supreme Lord, then the same end should
be achieved by worshiping them. However, worshipers of the
demigods are less intelligent because they don't know to what
part of the body food must be supplied. Some of them are so
foolish that they claim that there are many parts and many
ways to supply food. This isn't very sanguine. Can anyone
supply food to the body through the ears or eyes? They do
not know that these demigods are different parts of the universal
body of the Supreme Lord, and in their ignorance they believe
that each and every demigod is a separate God and a competitor
of the Supreme Lord.
Not only are demigods parts of the Supreme Lord, but ordinary
living entities are also. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated
that the brahmanas are the head of the Supreme Lord, the ksatriyas
are the arms, etc., and that all serve different functions.
Regardless of the situation, if one knows that both the demigods
and himself are part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, his knowledge
is perfect. But if he does not understand this, he achieves
different planets where the demigods reside. This is not the
same destination the devotee reaches.
The results achieved by the demigods' benedictions are perishable
because within this material world the planets, the demigods
and their worshipers are all perishable. Therefore it is clearly
stated in this verse that all results achieved by worshiping
demigods are perishable, and therefore such worship is performed
by the less intelligent living entity. Because the pure devotee
engaged in Krsna consciousness in devotional service of the
Supreme Lord achieves eternal blissful existence that is full
of knowledge, his achievements and those of the common worshiper
of the demigods are different. The Supreme Lord is unlimited;
His favor is unlimited; His mercy is unlimited. Therefore
the mercy of the Supreme Lord upon His pure devotees is unlimited.
Chapter 7, Verse 24.
Unintelligent men, who know Me not, think that I have assumed
this form and personality. Due to their small knowledge, they
do not know My higher nature, which is changeless and supreme.
Unintelligent
men, who know Me not, think that I have assumed this form
and personality. Due to their small knowledge, they do not
know My higher nature, which is changeless and supreme.
PURPORT
Those
who are worshipers of demigods have been described as less
intelligent persons, and here the impersonalists are similarly
described. Lord Krsna in His personal form is here speaking
before Arjuna, and still, due to ignorance, impersonalists
argue that the Supreme Lord ultimately has no form. Yamunacarya,
a great devotee of the Lord in the disciplic succession from
Ramanujacarya, has written two very appropriate verses in
this connection. He says, "My dear Lord, devotees like
Vyasadeva and Narada know You to be the Personality of Godhead.
By understanding different Vedic literatures, one can come
to know Your characteristics, Your form and Your activities,
and one can thus understand that You are the Supreme Personality
of Godhead. But those who are in the modes of passion and
ignorance, the demons, the nondevotees, cannot understand
You. They are unable to understand You. However expert such
nondevotees may be in discussing Vedanta and the Upanisads
and other Vedic literatures, it is not possible for them to
understand the Personality of Godhead."
In the Brahma-samhita it is stated that the Personality of
Godhead cannot be understood simply by study of the Vedanta
literature. Only by the mercy of the Supreme Lord can the
Personality of the Supreme be known. Therefore in this verse
it is clearly stated that not only the worshipers of the demigods
are less intelligent, but those nondevotees who are engaged
in Vedanta and speculation on Vedic literature without any
tinge of true Krsna consciousness are also less intelligent,
and for them it is not possible to understand God's personal
nature. Persons who are under the impression that the Absolute
Truth is impersonal are described as asuras, which means one
who does not know the ultimate feature of the Absolute Truth.
In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated that supreme realization
begins from the impersonal Brahman and then rises to the localized
Supersoul--but the ultimate word in the Absolute Truth is
the Personality of Godhead. Modern impersonalists are still
less intelligent, for they do not even follow their great
predecessor, Sankaracarya, who has specifically stated that
Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Impersonalists,
therefore, not knowing the Supreme Truth, think Krsna to be
only the son of Devaki and Vasudeva, or a prince, or a powerful
living entity. This is also condemned in the Bhagavad-gita:
"Only the fools regard Me as an ordinary person."
The fact is that no one can understand Krsna without rendering
devotional service and without developing Krsna consciousness.
The Gita confirms this.
One cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
Krsna, or His form, quality or name simply by mental speculation
or by discussing Vedic literature. One must understand Him
by devotional service. When one is fully engaged in Krsna
consciousness, beginning by chanting the maha-mantra--Hare
Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama, Hare
Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare--then only can one understand the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. Nondevotee impersonalists
think that Krsna has a body made of this material nature and
that all His activities, His form and everything, are maya.
These impersonalists are known as Mayavadis. They do not know
the ultimate truth.
The twentieth verse clearly states: "Those who are blinded
by lusty desires surrender unto the different demigods."
It is accepted that besides the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
there are demigods who have their different planets (Bg. 7.23),
and the Lord also has a planet. It is also stated that the
worshipers of the demigods go to the different planets of
the demigods, and those who are devotees of Lord Krsna go
to the Krsnaloka planet. Although this is clearly stated,
the foolish impersonalists still maintain that the Lord is
formless and that these forms are impositions. From the study
of the Gita does it appear that the demigods and their abodes
are impersonal? Clearly, neither the demigods nor Krsna, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, are impersonal. They are all
persons; Lord Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
and He has His own planet, and the demigods have theirs.
Therefore the monistic contention that ultimate truth is formless
and that form is imposed does not hold true. It is clearly
stated here that it is not imposed. From the Gita we can clearly
understand that the forms of the demigods and the form of
the Supreme Lord are simultaneously existing and that Lord
Krsna is sac-cid-ananda, eternal blissful knowledge. The Vedas
also confirm that the Supreme Absolute Truth is anandamaya,
or full of blissful pleasure, and that He is abhyasat, by
nature the reservoir of unlimited auspicious qualities. And
in the Gita the Lord says that although He is aja (unborn),
He still appears. These are the facts that we should understand
from the Gita. We cannot understand how the Supreme Personality
of Godhead can be impersonal; the imposition theory of the
impersonalist monist is false as far as the statements of
the Gita are concerned. It is clear herein that the Supreme
Absolute Truth, Lord Krsna, has both form and personality.
Chapter 7, Verse 25.
I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For
them I am covered by My eternal creative potency [yoga-maya];
and so the deluded world knows Me not, who am unborn and infallible.
TEXT
25
naham prakasah sarvasya
yoga-maya-samavrtah
mudho 'yam nabhijanati
loko mam ajam avyayam
I am never manifest to the foolish
and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My eternal creative
potency [yoga-maya]; and so the deluded world knows Me not,
who am unborn and infallible.
PURPORT
It may be argued that since Krsna was
present on this earth and was visible to everyone, then why
isn't He manifest to everyone now? But actually He was not
manifest to everyone. When Krsna was present there were only
a few people who could understand Him to be the Supreme Personality
of Godhead. In the assembly of Kurus, when Sisupala spoke
against Krsna being elected president of the assembly, Bhisma
supported Him and proclaimed Him to be the Supreme God. Similarly,
the Pandavas and a few others knew that He was the Supreme,
but not everyone. He was not revealed to the nondevotees and
the common man. Therefore in the Gita Krsna says that but
for His pure devotees, all men consider Him to be like themselves.
He was manifest only to His devotees as the reservoir of all
pleasure. But to others, to unintelligent nondevotees, He
was covered by His eternal potency.
In the prayers of Kunti in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.8.18)
it is said that the Lord is covered by the curtain of yoga-maya
and thus ordinary people cannot understand Him. Kunti prays:
"O my Lord, You are the maintainer of the entire universe,
and devotional service to You is the highest religious principle.
Therefore, I pray that You will also maintain me. Your transcendental
form is covered by the yoga-maya. The brahmajyoti is the covering
of the internal potency. May You kindly remove this glowing
effulgence that impedes my seeing Your sac-cid-ananda-vigraha,
Your eternal form of bliss and knowledge."
This yoga-maya curtain is also mentioned in the Fifteenth
Chapter of the Gita. The Supreme Personality of Godhead in
His transcendental form of bliss and knowledge is covered
by the eternal potency of brahmajyoti, and the less intelligent
impersonalists cannot see the Supreme on this account. Also
in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.14.7) there is this prayer by
Brahma: "O Supreme Personality of Godhead, O Supersoul,
O master of all mystery, who can calculate Your potency and
pastimes in this world? You are always expanding Your eternal
potency, and therefore no one can understand You. Learned
scientists and learned scholars can examine the atomic constitution
of the material world or even the planets, but still they
are unable to calculate Your energy and potency, although
You are present before them." The Supreme Personality
of Godhead, Lord Krsna, is not only unborn, but He is avyaya,
inexhaustible. His eternal form is bliss and knowledge, and
His energies are all inexhaustible.
Chapter 7, Verse 26.
O Arjuna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I know everything
that has happened in the past, all that is happening in the
present, and all things that are yet to come. I also know
all living entities; but Me no one knows.
TEXT
26
vedaham
samatitani
vartamanani carjuna
bhavisyani ca bhutani
mam tu veda na kascana
O
Arjuna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I know everything
that has happened in the past, all that is happening in the
present, and all things that are yet to come. I also know
all living entities; but Me no one knows.
PURPORT
Here
the question of personality and impersonality is clearly stated.
If Krsna, the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
is considered by the impersonalists to be maya, to be material,
then He would, like the living entity, change His body and
forget everything in His past life. Anyone with a material
body cannot remember his past life, nor can he foretell his
future life, nor can he predict the outcome of his present
life; therefore he cannot know what is happening in past,
present and future. Unless one is liberated from material
contamination, he cannot know past, present and future.
Unlike the ordinary human being, Lord Krsna clearly says that
He completely knows what happened in the past, what is happening
in the present, and what will happen in the future. In the
Fourth Chapter we have seen that Lord Krsna remembers instructing
Vivasvan, the sun-god, millions of years ago. Krsna knows
every living entity because He is situated in every living
being's heart as the Supreme Soul. But despite His presence
in every living entity as Supersoul and His presence beyond
the material sky, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the
less intelligent cannot realize Him as the Supreme Person.
Certainly the transcendental body of Sri Krsna is not perishable.
He is just like the sun, and maya is like the cloud. In the
material world we can see that there is the sun and that there
are clouds and different stars and planets. The clouds may
cover all these in the sky temporarily, but this covering
is only apparent to our limited vision. The sun, moon and
stars are not actually covered. Similarly, maya cannot cover
the Supreme Lord. By His internal potency He is not manifest
to the less intelligent class of men. As it is stated in the
third verse of this chapter, out of millions and millions
of men, some try to become perfect in this human form of life,
and out of thousands and thousands of such perfected men,
hardly one can understand what Lord Krsna is. Even if one
is perfected by realization of impersonal Brahman or localized
Paramatma, he cannot possibly understand the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, Sri Krsna, without being in Krsna consciousness.
Chapter 7, Verse 27.
O scion of Bharata [Arjuna], O conqueror of the foe, all living
entities are born into delusion, overcome by the dualities
of desire and hate.
O
scion of Bharata [Arjuna], O conqueror of the foe, all living
entities are born into delusion, overcome by the dualities
of desire and hate.
PURPORT
The
real constitutional position of the living entity is that
of subordination to the Supreme Lord, who is pure knowledge.
When one is deluded into separation from this pure knowledge,
he becomes controlled by illusory energy and cannot understand
the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The illusory energy is
manifested in the duality of desire and hate. Due to desire
and hate, the ignorant person wants to become one with the
Supreme Lord and envies Krsna as the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. Pure devotees, who are not so deluded or contaminated
by desire and hate, can understand that Lord Sri Krsna appears
by His internal potencies, but those who are deluded by duality
and nescience think that the Supreme Personality of Godhead
is created by material energies. This is their misfortune.
Such deluded persons, symptomatically, dwell in dualities
of dishonor and honor, misery and happiness, woman and man,
good and bad, pleasure and pain, etc., thinking, "This
is my wife; this is my house; I am the master of this house;
I am the husband of this wife." These are the dualities
of delusion. Those who are so deluded by dualities are completely
foolish and therefore cannot understand the Supreme Personality
of Godhead.
Chapter 7, Verse 28.
Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this
life, whose sinful actions are completely eradicated and who
are freed from the duality of delusion, engage themselves
in My service with determination.
TEXT
28
yesam tv anta-gatam
papam
jananam punya-karmanam
te dvandva-moha-nirmukta
bhajante mam drdha-vratah
Persons who have
acted piously in previous lives and in this life, whose sinful
actions are completely eradicated and who are freed from the
duality of delusion, engage themselves in My service with
determination.
PURPORT
Those eligible
for elevation to the transcendental position are mentioned
in this verse. For those who are sinful, atheistic, foolish
and deceitful, it is very difficult to transcend the duality
of desire and hate. Only those who have passed their lives
in practicing the regulative principles of religion, who have
acted piously and who have conquered sinful reactions can
accept devotional service and gradually rise to the pure knowledge
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then, gradually, they
can meditate in trance on the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
That is the process of being situated on the spiritual platform.
This elevation is possible in Krsna consciousness in the association
of pure devotees who can deliver one from delusion.
It is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam that if one actually
wants to be liberated he must render service to the devotees;
but one who associates with materialistic people is on the
path leading to the darkest region of existence. All the devotees
of the Lord traverse this earth just to recover the conditioned
souls from their delusion. The impersonalists do not know
that forgetting their constitutional position as subordinate
to the Supreme Lord is the greatest violation of God's law.
Unless one is reinstated in his own constitutional position,
it is not possible to understand the Supreme Personality or
to be fully engaged in His transcendental loving service with
determination.
Chapter 7, Verse 29.
Intelligent persons who are endeavoring for liberation from
old age and death take refuge in Me in devotional service.
They are actually Brahman because they entirely know everything
about transcendental and fruitive activities.
TEXT
29
jara-marana-moksaya
mam asritya yatanti ye
te brahma tad viduh krtsnam
adhyatmam karma cakhilam
Intelligent persons who are endeavoring for
liberation from old age and death take refuge in Me in devotional
service. They are actually Brahman because they entirely know
everything about transcendental and fruitive activities.
PURPORT
Birth, death, old age and diseases affect
this material body, but not the spiritual body. There is no
birth, death, old age and disease for the spiritual body,
so one who attains a spiritual body, becomes one of the associates
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and engages in eternal
devotional service, is really liberated. Aham brahmasmi: I
am spirit. It is said that one should understand that he is
Brahman--spirit soul. This Brahman conception of life is also
in devotional service, as described in this verse. The pure
devotees are transcendentally situated on the Brahman platform,
and they know everything about transcendental and material
activities.
Four kinds of impure devotees who engage themselves in the
transcendental service of the Lord achieve their respective
goals, and by the grace of the Supreme Lord, when they are
fully Krsna conscious, they actually enjoy spiritual association
with the Supreme Lord. But those who are worshipers of demigods
never reach the Supreme Lord in His supreme planet. Even the
less intelligent Brahman-realized persons cannot reach the
supreme planet of Krsna known as Goloka Vrndavana. Only persons
who perform activities in Krsna consciousness (mam asritya)
are actually entitled to be called Brahman, because they are
actually endeavoring to reach the Krsna planet. Such persons
have no misgivings about Krsna, and thus they are factually
Brahman.
Those who are engaged in worshiping the form or arca of the
Lord or who are engaged in meditation on the Lord simply for
liberation from material bondage, also know, by the grace
of the Lord, the purports of Brahman, adhibhuta, etc., as
explained by the Lord in the next chapter.
Chapter 7, Verse 30.
Those who know Me as the Supreme Lord, as the governing principle
of the material manifestation, who know Me as the one underlying
all the demigods and as the one sustaining all sacrifices,
can, with steadfast mind, understand and know Me even at the
time of death.
TEXT 30
sadhibhutadhidaivam
mam
sadhiyajnam ca ye viduh
prayana-kale 'pi ca mam
te vidur yukta-cetasah
SYNONYMS
sa-adhibhuta--the
governing principle of the material manifestation; adhidaivam--underlying
all the demigods; mam--Me; sa-adhiyajnam--sustaining all sacrifices;
ca--and; ye--those; viduh--know; prayana--of death; kale--at
the time; api--even; ca--and; mam--Me; te--they; viduh--know;
yukta-cetasah--with steadfast minds.
TRANSLATION
Those who know
Me as the Supreme Lord, as the governing principle of the
material manifestation, who know Me as the one underlying
all the demigods and as the one sustaining all sacrifices,
can, with steadfast mind, understand and know Me even at the
time of death.
PURPORT
Persons acting
in Krsna consciousness are never entirely deviated from the
path of understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
In the transcendental association of Krsna consciousness,
one can understand how the Supreme Lord is the governing principle
of the material manifestation and even of the demigods. Gradually,
by such transcendental association, one becomes convinced
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, and at the
time of death such a Krsna conscious person can never forget
Krsna. Naturally he is thus promoted to the planet of the
Supreme Lord, Goloka Vrndavana.
This Seventh Chapter particularly explains how one can become
a fully Krsna conscious person. The beginning of Krsna consciousness
is association of persons who are Krsna conscious. Such association
is spiritual and puts one directly in touch with the Supreme
Lord, and, by His grace, one can understand Krsna to be the
Supreme God. At the same time one can really understand the
constitutional position of the living entity and how the living
entity forgets Krsna and becomes entangled in material activities.
By gradual development of Krsna consciousness in good association,
the living entity can understand that due to forgetfulness
of Krsna he has become conditioned by the laws of material
nature. He can also understand that this human form of life
is an opportunity to regain Krsna consciousness and that it
should be fully utilized to attain the causeless mercy of
the Supreme Lord.
Many subjects have been discussed in this chapter: the man
in distress, the inquisitive man, the man in want of material
necessities, knowledge of Brahman, knowledge of Paramatma,
liberation from birth, death and diseases, and worship of
the Supreme Lord. However, he who is actually elevated in
Krsna consciousness does not care for the different processes.
He simply directly engages himself in activities of Krsna
consciousness and thereby factually attains his constitutional
position as eternal servitor of Lord Krsna. In such a situation
he takes pleasure in hearing and glorifying the Supreme Lord
in pure devotional service. He is convinced that by doing
so, all his objectives will be fulfilled. This determined
faith is called drdha-vrata, and it is the beginning of bhakti-yoga
or transcendental loving service. That is the verdict of all
scriptures. This Seventh Chapter of the Gita is the substance
of that conviction.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta
Purports to the Seventh Chapter of the Srimad Bhagavad-gita
in the matter of Knowledge of the Absolute.
