VAISHNAVA
TRAINING &
EDUCATION
Course Material
BOOK OF QUOTES
for Module One
of the Bhakti ®astri Course
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness
Founder-Acarya: His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
The VTE Bhakti Sastri Course Materials
Copyright © 2000. Vaishnava Training and Education
CD Version, First Edition (published December 2000)
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Syllabus One (Module One)
Syllabus Two (Module Two)
Syllabus Three (Module Three)
Syllabus Four (Module Four)
Book of Quotes One (Module One)
Book of Quotes Two (Module Two)
Book of Quotes Three (Module Three)
Instruction Manual (CD version only)
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(First edition)
CONTENTS
Introduction
Welcome to your Book of Quotes for Module One of the VTE Bhakti Sastri Course. We recommend that you use it in conjunction with the corresponding Lesson Outlines in which these quotes are cross-referenced by the symbol `QT' (refer to Section 3 of the Syllabus). In this book, quotes are categorised according to chapter and, within each chapter, are numbered according to the corresponding verse. This means that several consecutive quotes may bear the same number - this is not an error, but indicates that more than one quote is relevant to that single verse.
For course teachers, this booklet will be particularly useful as you prepare your Lesson Plans. Reading through the quotes may help you identify your “Focuses of Learning” (i.e. Aims related to the specific content). You may also select suitable quotes to read out loud during the lesson, or for use in other classroom exercises.
Do keep in mind that on your CD this book and the corresponding Lesson Outlines are available as Microsoft Word files. This enables you to cut and paste selected passages in preparing your own course material, especially your personal Lesson Plans. Further details on how to use this book and the other Bhakti Sastri materials are found in Chapter 5 of the Teachers' Handbook (page 52).
This Book of Quotes will also be essential if you are engaged in self-study or are enrolled on a Bhakti Sastri distance-learning course. Regular Bhakti Sastri students will also find it helpful during their studies.
The VTE is eager to constantly improve its service. If you identify further reference materials which could be included in future editions, then we'd be most grateful to hear from you. (You'll find our details on page 2 of this booklet.) Many thanks!
Finally, we sincerely hope you get much pleasure from using this book.
Chapter 1
1. Why is he asking the question, kim akurvata: “What did they do”? He was very anxious about whether they had changed their decision. Otherwise there was no question of asking, kim akurvata. Just like if you are given food, if I ask somebody “Such and such gentleman was served with nice dishes. Then what did he do?” This is foolish question. He would eat. That's all. Lec BG 1.1 London 73
So Dron€crya knew that “Drupada Mah€r€ja has got his son. In the future he will kill me.” Still, when he offered to become his disciple, to learn military art, he accepted, “Yes.” That means the br€hmanas were so liberal: “When he is my disciple, never mind if he kills me in the future. That doesn't matter. But I must teach him.” ... Duty is duty. After all, everyone will die. So nobody should be afraid of death. This is Vedic civilisation. Death is inevitable. “As sure as death.” Who can avoid death? So being afraid of death, we should not deviate from our duties, real duty. Lec BG 1.2-3 London 73
4. Duryodhana was afraid of Bhima's fiery temperament and expertise in fighting. Before the battle, Bhima took three vows:
1. He vowed to kill each of Dhrtarastra's one hundred sons.
2. He vowed to break Duryodhana's thigh which he had uncovered before Draupadi.
3. He vowed to tear open Duhsasana's chest and drink his blood. SUM
5-6. So people may ask “By mentioning these great fighters, what spiritual progress do we make? We are meant for chanting the Hare K Ša mah€-mantra, so by chanting the names of these great fighters, what do we gain?” But the thing is that nirbandhaƒ KŠa-sambandhe, whenever there is connection with KŠa, that also becomes KŠa ... KŠa wanted to gather all the demoniac powers on that Battlefield of Kuruksetra and kill them. That was His plan ... The fight was who would be the king, Mah€r€ja Yudhisthira or Duryodhana. So KŠa decided, “Duryodhana is unfit. Mah€r€ja Yudhisthira is fit.” This was KŠa's desire. Therefore the fight. Kuruksetra. KŠa wanted to wipe out all unwanted demons from the face of the world and enthrone Mah€r€ja Yudhisthira because he was the exact representative of KŠa ... Anyone who was killed, who died in the Battlefield of Kuruksetra, in the presence of KŠa, they all attained their original, constitutional position, spiritual form. They all went back to home, back to Godhead, everyone. Therefore K Ša is Absolute. Either He's killing or He's protecting, it is all the same. Lec BG 1.4 London 73
7-8. Duryodhana first of all pointed out the military strength of the opposite side. This is intelligence. One should calculate the opposing elements. In fighting the first thing is to estimate the enemy's side, how strong they are, how they are arranged. Then one should calculate how to counteract, how to fight with them, this is intelligence ... A prajna, an intelligent man, not only thinks of the bright side of a business, or anything ... There is a darker side also. We should always think, “If there is a thief, if there is some rogue, if they cheat us, what precaution am I going to take?” Lec BG 1.6-7 London 73
7-8. Somebody was criticising me that “Swamiji, you are introducing this Hare KŠa movement. People are becoming cowardly. They simply chant Hare KŠa.” So I replied that “You will see the power of the Hare KŠa movement in due course of time.” Because there were two battles in India: the battle between R€vana and R€ma, R€ma-R€vana, the battle of R€m€yana; and another battle was the Battle of Kuruksetra. And in these two battles the hero was a Vaisnava and ViŠu ... So Vaisnavas do not simply chant Hare KŠa. If there is a need, they can fight under the guidance of ViŠu and become victorious ... Out of the twenty-six qualifications, one qualification is daksa, expert. If there is a need for fighting, they can fight very expertly. That is also needed. K Ša consciousness does not mean one-sided. K Ša is all-pervading, the K Ša consciousness movement also should be all-pervading. It should touch everything, even politics, sociology, everything, if required. Lec BG 1.6-7 London 73
But in the previous verse he said, anye ca bahavah s™r€ mad-arthe tyakta-jivit€h. Tyakta-jivit€h means “They have come to lay down their life for me.” This is a foretelling because actually, whoever joined the Battle of Kuruksetra, did not return. Tyakta-jivit€h. So it is already concluded that although Duryodhana was very proud of his military strength protected by Bhisma, still, tyakta-jivit€h, they would surely die. Lec BG 1.10 London 73
12. In modern days the fighting takes place — the poor soldiers, they come to fight, and the leaders, they remain in a safe place. It was not like that. All of them came out, ksatriya. Bhismadeva came, Duryodhana came, Arjuna came. And face-to-face, they had to fight. Not that the poor soldiers would fight and the leaders would remain in a secure place, no. Kuru-vrddha, the oldest man in the dynasty, Kuru dynasty, pit€maha, he's the grandfather of Arjuna and Duryodhana. Bhismadeva, at such an old age also came. This is ksatriya spirit. When there is fight, there is no rest. And fight means “Either the other party shall be killed or I shall be killed.” Lec BG 1.12 London 73
KŠa and His devotee Arjuna are on the same platform. Therefore M€dhava and P€ndava. blew Their transcendental conchshells. This is not ordinary ... Arjuna, as KŠa's associate, is equally powerful. Nobody can be an associate of K Ša without being very, very advanced. Just like fire can mix with fire, similarly water can mix with water; similarly, unless one is transcendentally advanced, he cannot be an associate of K Ša. Lec BG 1.13-14 London 73
Citraratha, the chief of the Gandharvas, had given Arjuna his beautiful white horses, Agni
gave him his inexhaustible quiver, and Indra had given him his conchshell. Mahabharata
15. Hrsikesa, Param€tm€, He is always guiding us, but we do not accept His guidance. This is our position. Arjuna has accepted KŠa, that “I shall be guided by You. Although You'll not fight.” Lec BG 1.15 London 73
15. So Vrkodara, Bhimasena, is advertised as a voracious eater. We can perform Herculean tasks. Just like the elephant, it eats voraciously, but it gives service also. Similarly if we simply eat voraciously and we cannot give any service that is not good. We must eat sumptuously and give service also. Lec BG 1.15 London 73
19. The Pandavas were placed in so many distressing conditions but they never faltered. They never asked K Ša, "My dear K Ša, You are our friend. Why we are undergoing so many severe difficulties?" They were confident that "In spite of all these difficulties, we shall come out victorious because K Ša is there”.
This confidence is called saranagati, surrender. There are six points of surrender unto K Ša. One point of surrender is to believe that "K Ša will protect me." Just like a small child has full faith in his mother. "My mother is here. There is no danger." Confident. I have seen it. I'll narrate one practical example. In Calcutta, in my younger days, I was travelling in a tram, and my youngest son was with me. He was only two and a half years old. So the conductor, by way of a joke, asked him, "Give me your fare." So he first of all said, "I have no money." So the conductor said, "Then you get down." Then he immediately said, "Oh, here is my father. You cannot ask me to get down. My father is here." You see? So this is the psychology. If you have approached K Ša, then even the greatest fear will not agitate you.
Kaunteya pratijanihi na me bhaktah pranasyati. "My dear Kaunteya, son of Kunti, Arjuna, declare in the world that My devotees will never be vanquished." Lec Geneva Seattle 68
20. Nowadays, every nation has a different type of flag. Arjuna also had his flag on the top of his chariot and it was marked with Hanum€n, who fought for Lord R€macandra. He is fighting for KŠa. So he is also following the footsteps of Vajr€ngaji.
Vaisnavism is like that. Mah€jano yena gataƒ sa panth€h. Vaisnava should follow his
previous mah€jana, authority. Arjuna is fighting for KŠa. He is following the previous fighting €c€rya, Hanum€nji. Therefore he has depicted his flag with Hanum€n, that “Hanum€nji, Vajr€ngaji, kindly help me.” This is Vaisnavism. “I have come here to fight for Lord KŠa. You fought also for the Lord. Kindly help me.” This is the idea. Kapi-dhvajah. So before performing any activities the Vaisnava should always pray to the previous €c€rya, “Kindly help me. TheVaisnava is always thinking himself helpless, helpless. And begging help from the previous €c€rya. Lec BG London 73
21-22. Purua means controller. And prakrti means controlled. Purusa means predominator, and prakrti means predominated. This is the difference. So KŠa does not fall from his position of predominator. Therefore He is addressed as Acyuta.
Another meaning of Acyuta ... K Ša is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Arjuna knows that “I am not the controller; I am the controlled.” He is a devotee and he knows his position. Therefore he is now trying to control K Ša. He is ordering K Ša. “My dear K Ša,” he is not addressing as K Ša — Acyuta, “now you place my chariot between the two parties.” This is ordering. That would mean Arjuna becoming the controller and K Ša becoming the controlled. Just the opposite. Therefore Arjuna knows his subordinate position and he is ordering to K Ša. So indirectly he is begging to be excused: “My dear K Ša, I cannot order You. The order must come from You. Because You promised to carry out my order and You wanted to become my chariot driver, so I am ordering. I am not in a position to order but You promised to carry out my order, and I think You are firm in Your promise. Therefore I am asking you, Acyuta. don't go back on Your promise.”
So if we serve K Ša, that is our Acyuta position. If we do not serve K Ša, that is vicyuta, fallen condition. Acyuta and vicyuta. So to become K Ša conscious means acyuta-gotra. Acyuta-gotra. Gotra means of the same family, of rsis, gotra, from the rsis. So we have to become acyuta-gotra, again belonging to the family of K Ša.
Lec BG 1.21 London 73
21-22. He is Param€tm€, or the Supersoul, present in everyone as the supreme guidance, and therefore He is already the chariot driver and counsel of all living beings. When He exhibits Himself as chariot driver of Arjuna, there is no change in His exalted position. It is the power of devotional service alone that identifies Him as the chariot driver or the messenger. SB 1.9.21
21-22. K Ša is called bhakta vatsalya. He is very affectionate to His devotees. He takes pleasure in being controlled by His devotees. Although K Ša has all good qualities, He is not proud. He drove Arjuna's chariot. K Ša wasn't thinking, what will people think if I drive a chariot. No king would ever lower himself to do such menial service. K Ša's foster father was a chariot driver and for that reason K Ša was not accepted as a ksatriya and was looked down upon ... Draupadi's other svayamvara rejected him on these grounds. Yet K Ša accepted such a low position to please His devotee. In the battle of Kuruksetra, when chasing Jarasandha, Arjuna's horses became tired and he made a hall of arrows and created a lake so the horses could drink. At that time K Ša took care of the horses by plucking out all the arrows, dressing their wounds, massaging them and giving them water. He performed all the duties of a groom.
Why did He take so much trouble? Out of His affection for Arjuna. He takes more pleasure in serving His devotee than He does in being served. So we should learn from this that it is better to serve K Ša's servant than to try to serve Him directly. Mahabharata
Durbuddhi, to usurp others' property is durbuddhi, mischievous. It is wrong to encroach upon others' property. Tena tyaktena bhunjith€ m€ grdhah kasya svid dhanam. The Vedic instruction is that “You accept only what is given to you and do not encroach upon others' property.” This is peaceful. Everything belongs to KŠa. So whatever KŠa gives you as
pras€dam, as His favour, accept it and be satisfied. Lec BG 1.23 London 73
24. Gud€ka means darkness, and isa. When you become master of this material world, or of the material senses, then you become gud€kesa. Do not think that Arjuna was mistaken. He cannot be for he is constantly with KŠa. Therefore he cannot be misdirected. In the Caitanya-carit€mrta it is said that KŠa s™rya-sama m€y€ andhak€ra. So gud€ka means darkness, m€y€. So KŠa s™rya-sama m€y€ andhak€ra. Darkness and light are always there, side by side. We have the example of sunlight and darkness. These two things exist but wherever there is KŠa, darkness or m€y€ have no jurisdiction.
You can immediately escape the influence of m€y€ if you remain always surrendered to KŠa. M€y€ will not touch you. Just like if you remain always in the sunshine, there is no question of night. Nowadays it is very easy. You simply fly your plane towards the west and you'll never get night. Start your plane in the morning and go to the west and keep going. You can go on for three, four, as many days as you like and you'll never get night. This is practical. Similarly, if you keep always with KŠa, you are gud€kesa, you will never get darkness and m€y€ will not touch you. This is KŠa consciousness. So try to become Gud€kesa. Lec BG 1.24-25 London 73
24. Another reason why Arjuna is called Gudakesa: when Arjuna was studying under his guru, Drona ordered his servant never to allow Arjuna to eat in the dark. One night, however, the wind blew out his light while he was eating, and Arjuna continued to eat in the dark out of habit. He then realised that if he could eat in the dark, why couldn't he practise archery in the dark? From that time he used to practise shooting at night, so he is called Gudakesa, conquerer of sleep. Mahabharata
28. Arjuna was overwhelmed with compassion; Duryodhana had no such feelings. Why the contrast? Arjuna is a devotee, ready and willing to excuse his enemies. Even if devotees excuse those who insult them, K Ša takes a different position and He is strict on this matter. K Ša will not excuse or tolerate any insult to His devotees. If we want to please K Ša we must never insult His devotees, and we have to be prepared to kill so-called relatives when this is KŠa's plan. Lec BG 1.26-27 London 73
28. So Arjuna was not a coward. He was a competent warrior. But still, deh€tma-buddhi, the bodily concept of life is so strong ... That Arjuna admits, drstva tu svajanam K Ša: “My dear K Ša, I have to kill my own men.” “Own men” means this bodily relationship. Why are others not “own men”? Everyone is “own men”. Because everyone is K Ša's son. So when one becomes K Ša conscious, he can see everyone as “own men”. And when he is not K Ša conscious, he simply sees “own men” where there is bodily relationship. This is the defect. Lec BG 1.28-29 London 73
Viparit€ni means “just the opposite.” “I have come here to fight to regain my kingdom but
actually I am now seeing it differently.” When one tries to become rich, opulent — this is
material nature — just to show his relatives, his friends, his family members, “Just see how
I have become rich, opulent.”... Everyone will experience that. So long as he remains
materially attached, he will find viparit€ni ... “I constructed this nice house for living
happily, but there was a fire and everything was destroyed.” This is the way. You build
everything for your happiness, but there will be something which will put you into the most
miserable condition. This is called the material world. Therefore one who is intelligent
thinks that “If I have to work so hard for so-called happiness, and here is K Ša is saying to
me, `You work for Me.' So why not work for K Ša? Here I see viparit€ni, everything is
opposite. There is no happiness.” So that is intelligence. Lec BG 1.30 London 73
So there are two things, sreyas and preyas. Here Arjuna is speaking of sreyas. Sreyas means ultimate good, and preyas means immediately palatable ... So here the problem is what is sreyas? What is ultimate good? That is mistaken here. Therefore, the Bhagavad-git€ is required. He is thinking that “KŠa is not so important. My family is important. My family.” Although he is devotee. Therefore kanistha-adhik€ri, in the lower stage of devotee, in the lower stage of devotion, one may be interested in KŠa consciousness, but his real interest is how to improve this material life ... They are thinking that “I can bring KŠa in the midst of my family provided KŠa helps me to enjoy this material life.”
Lec BG 1.31
31(a) And he said, na k€nkse vijayam: “I don't want victory.” This is temporary sentiment. These people are attached to family life. They may say, “I don't want this happiness, don't want this very nice position, victory. I don't want it.” But they want everything. They want everything. Because they do not know the nature of the sreyas. Sreyas is K Ša. Actually, when one gets K Ša, or K Ša consciousness, then he can say, “I don't want this”.
Lec BG 1.31 London 73
36. The Pandavas suffered each of these forms of aggression at the hands of the Kauravas, who were now poised to attack. Duryodhana fed Bhima a poisoned cake. He arranged for a house of lac to be built for the Pandavas and conspired to have it set ablaze while they slept. Sakuni cheated in a dice game and plundered all their wealth. The Kauravas then occupied the Pandavas' land. Finally, they stole Draupadi by foul means, once during the dice game and once when Jayadratha attempted to kidnap her. Artha-sastra allows that such aggressors be killed. Why then does Arjuna say sin will overcome him by killing them?
Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur: Arjuna is speaking from the level of dharma-sastra, not artha-sastra. Dharma-sastra, which is more authoritative, propounds that killing one's friends and relatives is never permitted. SUM
37-38. Duryodhana's party were not considering all these pious or impious, sinful or vicious, activities. Because lobha-upahata-cetasah: “They have lost their sense on account of greediness for acquiring the empire.” When one overcome by lust or greed, he loses all intelligence ... Therefore Arjuna is considering so many things because he is devotee. “These rascals have lost their intelligence on account of greed for acquiring the empire. But so far I am concerned,” Arjuna said, katham na jneyam asm€bhih: “By us.” “Us” means including KŠa. He is saying not “I” or “by me.” He is including KŠa: “You are on this side; so because You are on my side, You are my charioteer. If I do not consider all these things, what will people say? That `Arjuna is such a great devotee of K Ša. And K Ša is there. He is committing such sinful activities.'” A saintly person, a devotee, should consider all these things before acting, “Whether I am doing it properly or improperly?” This is Arjuna. The other party, lobha-upahata-cetasah, have lost their sense. But we cannot. A devotee must be very responsible. He must act in such a way that nobody can blame him. Otherwise everyone will ask, “What kind of devotee is he?”
Lec BG 1.37-39 London 73
37-38. Because of greed for the sake of the senses, the spiritual strength, education, austerity and reputation of a devotee or brahmana who is not self-satisfied dwindle, and his knowledge gradually vanishes.
The strong bodily desires and needs of a person disturbed by hunger and thirst are certainly satisfied when he eats. Similarly, if one becomes very angry, that anger is satisfied by chastisement and its reaction. But as for greed, even if a greedy person has conquered the world or has enjoyed everything in the world, still he will not be satisfied.
If one is very greedy to enhance his K Ša consciousness, this is a great boon. Tatra laulyam ekalam mulam. This is the best path available. SB 7.15.19-20
C€nakya Pandita says: visv€sam naiva kartavyam strisu r€ja-kulesu ca. Visv€sam naiva
kartavyam. “Don't trust women.” Visv€sam naiva kartavyam strisu. Strisu means women.
R€ja-kula ... And politicians. Yes. Visv€sam naiva kartavyam strisu r€ja-kulesu ca. Never
trust a politician or a woman. Of course, when a woman comes to KŠa consciousness, that
position is different. We are speaking of ordinary women. Lec BG 1.40 London 73
41. At the present moment, nobody knows that after death there is life, and still such life is connected with the family, the forefathers and the descendants. Nothing of this science is known at the present moment. More or less exactly like animals. An animal has no such feelings of connections. Simply the number of days he will eat. He will eat, sleep, have sex life and die, that's all. This subtle regulation of family connection is unknown at the present moment, and still they are very proud of advancement of knowledge ... Arjuna was not a br€hmana, nor a sanny€si, nor a grhastha. He's on the battlefield. He's not a Vedantist. But just see how his knowledge is perfect. This is Vedic culture ... At the present moment they are reading Bhagavad-git€ for years and years, important scholars, important theologians and ... they cannot understand ... Lec BG 1.41 London 73
42. In Calcutta, there was an eminent scientist. His name was Sarpisirat(?) He was a confirmed atheist. He was saying that: “This pindodaka, by offering pinda, pras€da and water, it will go to my forefather. So just give me to eat downstairs whether I can eat upstairs?” Such reasoning. But he does not know that there are different types of eating. They do not know there is eating in the subtle body also. The ghosts there also eat, but the method is different.
Lec BG 1.41-42 London 73
43. ... we are Vaisnavas. Our only desire is how to satisfy Vi Šu. That is the tradition of everyone, but, especially Vaisnavas. They must be very alert, very careful, how to keep Lord Vi Šu or K Ša satisfied. That is our only business so you should not neglect it. Then utsanna-kula-dharm€n€m ... then you will spoil everything. When you have invited ViŠu, KŠa, Caitanya Mah€prabhu, to accept your service, you must be very, very careful how to render service. How cleanly, how nicely you have to serve. Otherwise everything will be spoiled. A Vaisnava's kula-dharma is simply to satisfy KŠa. Lec BG 1.43 London 73
Sometimes Arjuna is accused and Bhagavad-git€ is also accused, of violence. There I
violence. Bhagavad-git€ is full of violence. Yes, it is full of the violence of a battlefield.
But the Vaisnava is thinking and Arjuna is thinking that it was arranged for his r€jya-sukha.
Yad r€jya-sukha-lobhena. Lobhena. Was arranged for the satisfaction of Arjuna so that he
could enjoy the kingdom and the happiness thereof. Actually, it was not so. It was arranged
by KŠa for His satisfaction, not for Arjuna's satisfaction. So that is the difference between
ordinary work and devotional service. Lec BG 1.44 London 73
45. Pratik€ram means counteraction. Here in this material world, for everything there is counteraction. So if you are diseased, you have to take medicine. That is pratik€ram. Similarly, if somebody is coming to kill you, you also prepare to kill him. This is pratik€ram. If somebody is drowning in the sea, then you have to help him by sending a lifeboat so that he can be saved ... So everywhere there is danger, and there is pratik€ram, counteraction, how to save yourself from it. This is called the struggle for existence ... So here is Arjuna's position: KŠa has already arranged the battle, and he knows that KŠa wants this battle; still, he says that yadi m€m apratik€ram, he decides in his own way. This is called m€y€. He knows what KŠa's desire is, and still, he is speaking his own philosophy. That means Arjuna is placing himself on the position of an ordinary man. An ordinary man does not know K Ša and what is K Ša's desire, and he manufactures his own philosophy and thoughts.
Whatever we have manufactured, pratik€ram, counteraction, will also fail if KŠa does not sanction it. That is realised by Prahl€da Mah€r€ja. He says “... My Lord Nrsimhadeva, the parents of children are not actually protectors of the children.” Every father and mother wants to protect the child, but still, the child has to meet some danger and die Then n€rtasya c€gadam. A person is suffering from some disease, some fatal disease. If you think “I shall engage a first-class physician and I shall supply first-class medicine, then the patient will be saved,” but that is not possible ... Therefore real pratik€ram is KŠa counteractive. So it's better we take shelter of KŠa.
Lec BG 1.45-46 London 73
Chapter 2
Overview
®rila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has summarised this Second Chapter of the Bhagavad-gita as being the contents for the whole text. In the Bhagavad-gita, the subject matters are karma-yoga, jnana- yoga, and bhakti-yoga. In the Second Chapter karma-yoga and jnana-yoga have been clearly discussed, and a glimpse of bhakti-yoga has also been given, as the contents for the complete text. BG 2.72 Purport
2. He was thinking that by showing that compassion he'll be eulogised by K Ša. But K Ša condemned it, just the opposite. In other words, K Ša is very strict also. That is the qualification of K Ša and His associates. Vajr€d api ka˜hora and kusum€d api kamala. Softer than the flower and harder than the thunderbolt. When KŠa is strict He's harder than the thunderbolt, and when He's soft, He's softer than the flower. So KŠa is not lenient to His friend or to His devotee because that leniency will not help the devotee. Sometimes He appears to be very hard on the devotee, but He's not hard. Just like a father sometimes becomes very strict. That is good. It will be proved how K Ša's hardness will prove his salvation. At the end Arjuna will admit, “By Your mercy, my illusion is now over.” So this sort of strictness from God on the devotee is sometimes misunderstood. Because we are always accustomed to accept what is immediately very pleasing, sometimes we find that we do not get what is immediately very pleasing, but we should not be disappointed. We shall stick to K Ša. That is Arjuna's position. Lec BG 2.1-10 Los Angeles 68
3. Parantapa means one who gives trouble to the enemies. This is the material world. A ksatriya cannot behave like a br€hmana, to excuse. It is a br€hmana's business to excuse. Ksam€-r™pa-tapasvinah. Those who are tapasvi can excuse, but those who are in governmental positions administering justice, there is no question of excuse. The law is a life for life. “You have killed one man; you must be killed.” This is justice. A br€hmana may excuse, “All right, you have killed my man. Never mind. I excuse you.” That is a br€hmana's business. But a ksatriya, the government, the ruling power, he cannot do so. It is his mercy. It is the government's mercy when a murderer is hanged. Lec BG 2.1-11 Johannesburg 75
3. He's specially addressing, “chastiser of the enemy.” Where there is no excuse, you must be a chastiser. Not that “Because I have become K Ša conscious, I'll be very humble.” You must be humble, but if there it is necessary, you shall be a thunderbolt. That is K Ša's instruction.
Lec BG 2.1-10 Los Angeles 68
4. And Arjuna addresses KŠa, “Madhus™dana,” or the killer of the demon Madhu. “Yes, You are addressing me as a chastiser of the enemy, but do You think my grandfather, my teacher are my enemies? You killed the demon Madhu, therefore Your name is Madhus™dana, but You are asking me to kill my grandfather and teacher.” That is the hint. “It is all right that Your name is Madhus™dana. You killed one demon whose name was Madhu, but You are asking me, Bhismas™dana? Bhisma is my grandfather. And Dronas™dana? S™dana means killer. So how can I be that?” Lec BG 2.1-10 Los Angeles 68
6. He is perplexed whether he should continue with this battle. There is a proverb in Bengal, “When you are perplexed, whether `I shall eat or not eat,' better not eat.” Sometimes we come to this point, “I am not very hungry, whether I shall eat or not eat?” The best course is to not eat. But if you eat, then you can eat in the month of December, Pausa. Why? Bengal has a tropical climate, but when it is winter, it is advised that “If you eat it is not so harmful because it will be digested.” The night is very long, or the cold season, the digestive power is nice. So when we are confused, “to do or not to do,” when you think, `Shall I go or not?' better don't go. But when it is a question of answering the call of nature, you must go.” This is common sense. Similarly, Arjuna was perplexed, whether “Shall I fight or shall I not fight?”
Lec BG 2.6 London 73
10. So Arjuna was very serious, and K Ša was smiling. “Just see the fool, what is he doing.” Therefore there was necessity of instructing Bhagavad-git€. The fool has to be instructed. He was smiling. He was very serious. Just like sometimes a child is very serious, and the father smiles. So now Bhagavad-git€ will be spoken. He has accepted KŠa as his spiritual master. KŠa will now instruct him. Lec BG 2.1-10 Los Angeles 68
10. Politicians are sometimes perplexed in political situations and claiming, “This is my land, my country,” and other party also claiming, “It is my land, my country,” and they fight very seriously. K Ša smiles. “What nonsense to claim `my country, my land'? It is My land, and they are claiming it and fighting over it.” Actually, the land belongs to K Ša, but these people under illusion, claim, “It is my land, it is my country,” forgetting how long he shall belong to this country or this nation. That is called illusion. Lec BG 2.8-12 Los Angeles 68
11. Similarly K Ša, just after taking the position of the spiritual master, is designating Arjuna as a total fool. Caitanya Mah€prabhu also said “My spiritual master found Me a great fool.” Was Caitanya Mah€prabhu a fool? Is it possible that anyone can become the spiritual master of Caitanya Mah€prabhu? Both are impossible. Caitanya Mah€prabhu, even not accepting Him as incarnation of K Ša, if you simply accept Him as ordinary scholar or man, there was no comparison of His scholarship. But He said that “My spiritual master found Me a great fool.” What does it mean? “A person, even in My position, always remains a fool before his spiritual master. That is good for him.” Nobody should impose that “What do you know? I know better than you.” Lec BG 2.8-12 Los Angeles 68
11. A spiritual master has the right to chastise. Fathers and spiritual masters are advised to chastise. Putram ca sisyam ca tadayet na tu lalayet. So fathers and teachers are advised by Canakya Pandit that "You should always chastise your son and your disciple. Find out their mistakes. Never recognise the disciple's business or son's business as very good or they will be complacent. If you simply pat, they will develop many faults but if you chastise them they will be very much qualified."
So as far as we are concerned, when our spiritual master used to chastise us, we took it as a blessing. And he would chastise vigorously. "Damn rascal, foolish, stupid," anything, all good words. One day it so happened ... and was not my fault. Another old godbrother was ... Prabhupada was speaking and I was enjoying listening. That gentleman, a retired doctor, wanted to say something. He should not have done so. And Prabhupada saw it, and became so angry. So he knew that my attention was drawn by him. He chastised him like anything. He was old man. Actually almost his age. He was paying sixty rupees in those days per month. So he became so angry, that "Do you think that because you pay sixty rupees, you have purchased us? You can do anything and anything?" He spoke like that, using very strong language. "Do you think that I am speaking to others? Do you know everything? You are diverting your attention." So in many ways, he was very, very angry. So this is nice, to chastise. Therefore, as soon as K Ša was accepted as guru ... immediately He chastised his disciple.
Lec SB 72 Tokyo
13. Foolish people may say that “You devotees, you are dying, and the sinful men, or non-devotees, they are also dying. So where is the difference?” Well, there is difference. This has been described by the example: just like a cat catches her kitten and catches the mouse. So formerly we see that the cat has caught the mouse in her mouth and the kitten also in hermouth, but the metho of catching is different. The kitten feels pleasure, “My mother is carrying me.” And the mouse is feeling his death knell, “Oh, now I am going to die.” This is the difference. So although a devotee is dying and non-devotee is dying, there is difference of feeling at the time of death. Like the mouse and the kitten. And don't consider that both of them are dying in the same process. The process may be same, but the situation is different.
Lec BG 2.13 London 73
Similarly, everyone will be captured by the laws of nature, but a devotee will be carried with great care to Vaikuntha and others will be thrown again into this material existence.
Lec BG 5.17-24 Los Angeles 69
13. Everyone wants to live for ever; nobody wants to die. If I come before you with a revolver and say, “I am going to kill you,” you will immediately cry out, because you do not want to die. This is not a very good business — to die and take birth again. It is very troublesome. This we all know subconsciously. We know that when we die we shall have to enter again into the womb of a mother — and nowadays mothers are killing their children within the womb. The process of accepting another body again and again is very long and very troublesome. In our subconscious we remember all this trouble, and therefore we do not want to die.
Lec BG 2.13 London 73
So dh…ras tatra na muhyati. It is very simple thing. Suppose a young man, a boy, changes his body, bodily symptoms. Just like a boy has no moustache or beard, but all of a sudden he grows hair. Does he cry, “Oh, why I am growing hair? Why I am growing?”
Lec BG 2.13 London 73
14. The devotees of the Lord do not regard as very troublesome the suffering He imposes on them. Indeed, they find that in the end it gives rise to unlimited pleasure, just as a stinging ointment applied by a doctor cures his patient's eye.
VCT: It is at night that the sunrise becomes attractive, during hot summer that cold water gives comfort, and during cold winter, motnsh, that warm water is pleasing. Lamplight appears attractive in darkness and when one is distressed by hunger, food tastes especially good. So to strengthen the devotees' mood of dependence on Him and longing for Him , the Lord arranges for His devotees to go through some suffering and when He appears to deliver them, their gratitude and transcendental pleasure are boundless. SB 10.88.8
14. How a preacher tolerates: Pururava and Tapas, book distributors: In Scandinavia it's very cold. In Norway it is always raining. Elsewhere it is sometimes too hot. Sometimes a devotee meets nasty demons who want to beat him up. Even if someone is nasty you have to be detached. This is tapasya: you're always nice, even if other people are not.
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14. The devotees must sometimes be tolerant in working with each other: Haridasa spoke to Advaita Acarya, about his sankirtana partner, Nityananda Prabhu, "The Lord has sent me out with an extremely restless person. If I go in one direction, He will find another. He will jump into the crocodile infested swelling monsoon waters of the Ganga and try to catch the crocodiles. When I stand on the banks shouting for Him to return, He ignores everything and floats downstream like a dead man. And if He sees a young boy on the banks He gets up and goes shouting angrily after the boy. Soon the boy's irate parents arrive with sticks and I have to plead and beg with them before sending them away.
He steals butter and cream from the milkman and runs away and I get caught and they want to beat me up. He is always doing the sort of activities which are incorrigible and beyond all logic. If He comes across a young maiden He asks her to marry Him. He sits on a bull shouting `Mahesh' and if He sees a cow He milks her and drinks the milk." CB Mad13
15. So K Ša is addressing Arjuna, purusasabha, the best of the men. “O the best of the men.” Certainly, (sic) Arjuna is the best of mankind. Because he is a personal friend of K Ša, who can be better man than him? The best of men. So why is the best of men distressed in executing his duty? Actually, the best of men should not be disturbed by any material condition but simply discharge his duties. And what is the duty? Duty is to become immortal ... The formula is given here by K Ša how to become immortal. That means you should be oblivious to so-called happiness and distress of this material world. One who doesn't care what is the distress and happiness of this body must execute K Ša consciousness. That is the qualification. One who says, “Oh, I cannot execute K Ša consciousness because there are so many inconveniences,” is not fit for becoming immortal. Lec BG 2.15 London 73
16. There are two things, sat and asat. Sat means`which exists', and asat means `which does not exist, temporary'. It appears and again disappears. That is asat. The example is just like the sky and the cloud. The cloud appears, exists for some time, and disappears. But the sky remains always. This is the distinction between sat and asat ... Sometimes we have an experience when threads become entangled and it is very difficult unravel them. And the yarn is sometimes spoiled. So, on account of our attachment to this material body, we are becoming entangled ...
The modern so-called philosophers, scientists and scholars say, “I think. I think.” What is your value? The great personalities will never say this. Therefore K Ša even says, tattva-darsibhih: “It has been concluded by higher authorities.” K Ša Himself is the authority. Sometimes He says matam mama: that is My opinion.” But He's also following the principle, authoritative, tattva-darsibhih. Although K Ša is saying that this is sat and this is asat, this is permanent and this is non-permanent, still He is giving evidence that tattva-darsibhih, those who have seen the truth, have concluded thus. This is, this means, authority.
Lec BG 2.16 London 73
18. This verse reverses Arjuna's argument that by not fighting he will save his family members from harm. Everyone's body must perish. Fearing for the death of others is ignorance. The soul, the real person within the body, is indestructible. SUM
19. Regarding just punishment and killing on religious principles: a cruel and wretched person who maintains his existence at the cost of others' lives deserves to be killed for his own well-being, otherwise he will go down by his own actions. (See purport for further explanation, especially for punishment for animal killers.) SB 1.7.37
19. Foolish people are suspicious of K Ša's taking part in the Battle of Kuruksetra, not knowing that His taking part insured liberation for all who were present on the battlefield. It is said by Bhismadeva that all who were present on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra attained their original spiritual existences after death. Therefore, hearing the war topics of the Lord is as good as any other devotional service. SB 3.14.5
21. Baladeva Vidyabhusana: Arjuna may think, "Granting that the soul does not die, still the
bodies of the men called Bhisma and others are going to be destroyed in the battle. That is
wrong because it will improperly deprive them of the happiness they derive from their bodies."
K Ša explains to Arjuna the fault of that logic in the next verse. SUM
K Ša is always our friend, natural friend. That is stated in the Bhagavad-git€. Suhrdam sarva-bh™t€n€m. Suhrdam means suhrt. There are different kinds of friends, but here ... In Sanskrit, for different kinds of friend, there are different names. Just like one friend is called bandhu. One is called mitra, one friend is called suhrt. There are differences. Therefore they are different words. In English is only one word: “friend.” But in Sanskrit, because it is perfect language, friend — what kind of friend. So KŠa says that “I am suhrdam sarva-bh™t€n€m.” Suhrt, suhrt means he's such a friend ... Just like you have friends. Sincerely he wants you to be happy. Just like your mother. Mother is also a friend. A devoted wife is also a friend. So father, mother, wife or any such relative are also friends, as are many persons in our ordinary relationships. They want actually their friends to be happy.” That is a real friend, suhrt. And mitra, social friendship. Bandhu, official friendship. But suhrt, suhrt means one who actually desires good for his friend. So K Ša is suhrt. He's always seeking my good. How shall I be good. Therefore He is pleading with me: “Please, you surrender unto Me.” Just like a father says, “My dear boy, why are you acting independently? Foolishly you are suffering. Just surrender unto me. I shall take care of all your needs.” Similarly K Ša is such a friend. He's always concerned. He is with me in any type of body. Even if I get the body of a dog, K Ša is always there with me. That is stated in Bhagavad-git€, isvarah sarva-bh™t€n€m hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati. Isvara, the Supreme Lord, dwells within the heart of every living entity. Every living entity means He is staying with the cats, dogs, hogs, or any lower type of animal. He has no hesitation because He is not living with him. He's living in Vaikuntha, but He's so friendly that wherever this friend goes, He also goes. He is with His friend Param€tm€, engaged in friendly activities. He sends His bona fide servant as spiritual master. He comes as an incarnation. He comes as a devotee, Lord Caitanya. He helps us in so many ways. But we are so foolish we are do not accept Him. Nobody can be better friend to us than K Ša. But we are so unfortunate, so captivated by the external energy that we don't accept K Ša as a friend. We accept so many other things as a friend ... I give trouble to my sincere friend K Ša only trouble. Just as a bird flies from one tree to another, and his friend follows. He has no business, he has no interest to be there because he is not eating anything from the tree. He has nothing to do. But because his friend is there, he goes wth him. So we are changing our body as the bird, the changing from one tree to another. But K Ša, the supreme bird, is always accompanying me. Lec BG 2.20-25 Seattle 68
22. It is very clear. K Ša knows your desire and if you still want to enjoy this material world, K Ša says “All right, enjoy.” So for different kinds of mundane enjoyment, we require different kinds of bodies. So K Ša prepares you, He is so kind. Just like the father gives a toy, the child wants a motor car. “All right, take a toy motor car.” He wants an engine, he wants to become a railway man. Similarly K Ša supplies these toy bodies Yantra, yantra means machine. This is a machine. Everyone understands this is a machine. But who has supplied the machine? The machine is supplied by nature, material ingredients, but it is prepared under the order of K Ša ...The supreme director, K Ša, is sitting there, and He is directing, “Now this living entity wants to fulfill his desire in this way.” He's giving direction to the material nature. “Prepare a vehicle, a body, for this rascal in this way. He wants to enjoy. All right, let him enjoy.” We are all rascals, we are manufacturing our different ways of life. But we cannot fulfill our desires without sanction of God. Because we are persisting, that “I want to fulfill my desire in this way,” K Ša sanctions it. Just like a child persists in wanting something and the father gives it. So we get all these bodies by the sanction of the Supreme Lord, but He sanctions with reluctance, saying “Why does this rascal want this?” This is our position. Therefore, at last K Ša says, sarva-dharm€n parityajya, “Give up this rascaldom, `I want this body, I want that body, I want to enjoy life in this way' — give up all this nonsense.” Lec BG 2.21-22 London 73
24(b) If I take a drop of opium, I will die. Because it is impossible for me to eat opium and live, you cannot say that there cannot be living entities there. Similarly you have experience that you cannot live in the fire. That does not mean that in the sun planet there are no living entities. There are living entities. Because in Bhagavad-git€ you'll find that the living soul, as it is, it is not burnt by fire because it is spiritual. The material element has no power to destroy it. It is not burnt by fire. So it is concluded that on every planet there are living entities.
Lec BG 2.12 New York 66
24(b) Yesterday we learned from Bhagavad-git€ the soul's position is sarva-gatah. The soul has the freedom to go anywhere. Those who are spiritually advanced by yogic mystic power can also move anywhere they like. Anim€, laghim€ siddhi. There are still yogis in India who early in the morning take a bath in four dh€mas: Hardwar, Jagann€tha Puri, R€mesvaram, and Dv€rak€. Within one hour, they'll take a bath in four places. Sarva-gatah, the speed. They'll sit down in one place and by the yogic process within few minutes will get up and dip in this water. Suppose in London you take your dip in the River Thames, and when you get up you see the Calcutta Ganges. There is a yogic process like that. Sarva-gatah. So the spirit soul has so much freedom, sarva-gatah, to go anywhere he likes. But our impediment is this body which curtails our freedom. So if you can get rid of this material body and be situated in the spiritual body, you may be just like N€rada Muni, who can move anywhere; he's moving, his business is moving. Sometimes he's going to Vaikunthaloka or sometimes coming to this material loka. He has a spiritual body, he's free to move anywhere, like spacemen who are trying to travel in space by machines. There is no necessity for machines. Yantr€r™dh€ni m€yay€. The machine is made of m€y€. But you have your own power which is very speedy but it is being curtailed. Therefore one should be very careful how to get the soul out of the encagement of this material body. That should be our first concern. But those who are simply concerned with this body are no better than the animals, cows and asses. Sa eva go-kharah ... But there are powerful yogis who elevate themselves to the higher planetary system. Before going to the spiritual world, they want to see how the higher planetary system works. That is just like visitors and tourists travelling here and there out of curiosity. You should not have such an ambition. Your endeavour should be to go back to home, back to Godhead, K Ša.
Lec BG 2.25 London 73
26. Verse 26 starts with the words atha ca, "if, however," which indicates that K Ša will now begin to discuss a new topic. ®rila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura explains K Ša's thinking: "I have thus far explained things to you from the viewpoint of sastra. Now I will explain them from the worldly point of view." SUM
26(a) K Ša is putting forward the modern scientific view that there is no soul. Life is generated from matter. By combination of material elements, chemical combination. You mix acid, soda, and alkaline. There will be some reaction, effervescence, movement. Similarly, Buddhist philosophy mostly does not believe in the existence of the soul. The Buddhist philosopher thinks that the combination of matter makes a living symptom. Their ultimate goal is nirv€na. Nirv€na means stop this combination. Due to this combination, we feel pain and pleasure. Therefore, if we disintegrate the combination, there will be no more pains and pleasure ... Suppose this house is a combination of material elements. If it is dismantled, who laments for it? No sane man will lament. Similarly, if you have no idea of the existence of the soul, then also you do not need to lament. Lec BG 2.26-27 London 73
27. This is karma-v€da. In the previous verse, KŠa tried to explain bauddha-v€da, n€stika-v€da, atheism ... just like so many people argue that if we discharge our duties nicely, where is the need of accepting God? The karma-v€da philosophy is that if there is God, then He's giving us the result of our activities, and if I keep the rules, He will give me a pleasurable position, and if I break the rules, I shall suffer. So there is karma-phala-datta ... Just like the high court judge gives judgement according to the individual case. Similarly, our goodness or badness will be decided according to our karma. That is also a fact. Then what is the use of accepting one God? If I do my duties properly, He must give me nice result. Why shall I worship Him? Why shall I become a devotee of God? It is His duty. This is karma-v€da. Everyone is trying to avoid the principle of devotional service. It is only the KŠa conscious persons who are advocating the philosophy of Bhagavad-git€, man-man€ bhava mad-bhakto mad-y€ji m€m namaskuru. KŠa says “Always think of Me.” These karma-v€dis will say, “Why should I waste my time thinking of KŠa? If I do my duty nicely then I will get good results. Why should I be devotee of KŠa?” This is their argument.
Manorathen€sati dh€vato bahih. Those who are not KŠa conscious are hovering on the mental plane. There cannot be any morality, honesty or dishonesty ... Sometimes it is moral, sometimes immoral. How will it be standardised? Therefore Bh€gavata says dharmah tu s€ks€d bhagavat-pranitam. Real dharma, real religion, morality, honesty, can be decided on the words of the Supreme Lord. When K Ša says “This is all right,” then it is all right. When K Ša says it is not right, then it is not right. This is our belief. K Ša conscious devotees simply accept. That is a fact because K Ša is the greatest authority, the Supreme Being and the point is that we should not accept this karma-v€da or the bauddha-v€da or M€y€v€da; there are so many v€das. We should simply take KŠa-v€da. Simply accept KŠa and whatever He orders, whatever He likes, for His satisfaction, we should do anything and everything. That is our morality. Lec BG 2.26-27 London 73
28. There is another theory, voidism, which teaches that before this manifested life there was void, and after this manifestation, there will again be void. K Ša puts forward the argument that before this manifested form of life there was void, and after this manifested life, there will be void, according to the voidist philosophy. Then where is the cause of lamentation? For example, here is some vacant land. By combining some bricks and stones and wood, you can build a skyscraper building. Then if you dismantle this, it becomes vacant land again. Similarly, in the beginning there was vacant land, and after finishing this body it will be vacant land again. So why do people lament? Lec BG 2.27-28 Los Angeles 68
31. K Ša says to Arjuna, “There are many things beyond the bodily concept of life. But if you are still thinking that you are in the bodily concept of life then, as a ksatriya, it is your duty to fight.” K Ša putting Arjuna in a dilemma, “This way or that way, you have to fight. If you think that you are not in the bodily concept of life, then it is My order, `You must fight.' If you think that you are in bodily concept of life, then you are a ksatriya, you must fight. Either way, you have to fight.” This is K Ša's conclusion. Lec BG 2.31 London 73
31(a) For a ksatriya, fighting is a matter of duty. In this context, fighting is not killing. People have no idea about the nature of the soul, therefore they think that stopping war will help us establish a peaceful condition in society. There are so many troubles because of the body. War is one of these items. Even if war is stopped, there is no question that people will live forever. No! That is not the law of nature. Duhkh€layam as€svatam. In this life, the problem is how to stop our contact with this material body. It is not that people in general are thinking, “If there is no war, we shall be very happy.” How can you stop war with m€y€? M€y€ has declared war with you, or you have declared war with m€y€. Daivi hy es€ gunamayi mama m€y€ duratyay€. M€y€, material nature, asks, “Why are you closing this door?” “Oh, because it is very cold outside.” Who can control the elements? There will be cold, there will be fog, there will be excessive heat, there may be earthquakes. Can we stop it? Like an innocent child, we are concerned with the immediate problem. But a sane man is concerned with the ultimate problem. Our ultimate problem is not this war. The ultimate problem is repetition of birth and death. That is the ultimate problem and how to stop it. K Ša says “This is useless lamentation, that you do not wish to fight. It is a concluded fact that even though your grandfather or relatives die, they will continue as eternal souls. You must execute your duty. You cannot deviate from your duty. Lec BG 2.27-28 Los Angeles 68
32. KŠa says that “You are a ksatriya; your duty is to fight.” Dharmy€ddhi yuddh€t. “I have arranged this fight on the battlefield of Kuruksetra, it is sanctioned by Me, it is dharma-yuddha, it is religious fighting.” It is not political diplomats declaring war to keep the people in ignorance ... When they cannot manage things properly, they engage people in war to divert their attention. But war is not meant for that purpose. War is permitted when people are not being properly trained by the king of the state, and another king may attack him.
In an ideal state the king must be very responsible. There are many instances. Yudhisthira Mah€r€ja was a pious king. In Bengali there is a proverb — if the king is not pious, then the whole kingdom is spoiled. Similarly if the housewife is not good, the whole family is spoiled. Everyone has experience of this. So, kings must be very honest, pious, religious. Therefore they are called r€jarsi. Lec 2.32 London 73
35. This spirit of ksatriya was prevalent even around three hundred years ago in India. There was a king, Yasomanta Sena. He was the commander-in-chief of Emperor Aurangzeb. In one battle, he was defeated and came back to his home. His wife heard that her husband had been defeated and was coming home. She told the caretaker to close the door of the palace. When Yasomanta Sena came there, he saw that his palace door is closed. He sent a message to the queen, asking “Why you have closed the door? I have come home.” So the messenger informed the queen “The king has come and he is asking you to open the door.” The queen replied, “Who is the king? Yasomanta Sena cannot come here having being defeated. Yasomanta Sena either wins the battle or he lays down his body there dead. So the man who has come must be a pretender. He is not King Yasomanta Sena.” She refused to open the door, and that is the ksatriya spirit. Lec BG 2.33-35 London 73
37. So Arjuna's position is very precarious. There is a Bengali proverb. There was a famous dancing girl. Now those ladies have a veil called gunthana in Indian language. So when this dancing girl was on the stage, she noticed that many of her relatives were in the audience. So she began to draw her veil. This is correct for a dancing girl. She is there to dance. She should not appear to be shy and must freely dance according to her duty. So a rascal kills a man and makes the excuse that killing is not sinful because in the Bhagavad-git€ it is advocated. Apparently, to rascals it appears that KŠa is encouraging Arjuna to fight. And He says it is not sinful. But the rascal does not see his sinful position. By the sva-dharma principle, it is a ksatriya's duty to fight and to kill in the fight. If you are fighting and become sympathetic, then it's like the dancing girl who, when on the stage, appears to be shy. Why should she be shy? She should dance freely and that will be to her credit. So on the battlefield you cannot be compassionate. That is not required. Lec BG 2.36-37 London 73
38. This is brahma-bh™ta. Brahma-bh™tah prasann€tm€ na socati na k€nksati. A devotee is always prasann€tm€, because his happiness is to serve KŠa. His only business is to see KŠa happy, that's all. This is devotion. There may be loss or gain, there may be victory or defeat, there may be distress or happiness, it doesn't matter. He's not affected with this duality. This is KŠa's teaching. This will be taught in different languages up to the end of the Bhagavad-git€. M€m ekam saranam vraja. Samsiddhir hari-tosanam. Bh€gavata also confirms this. You do not consider whether it is a loss or a gain, but you have to see that KŠa is satisfied. Hari-tosanam. The real perfection of life is whether by your service, KŠa is satisfied. That is perfection. You don't consider your personal victory or defeat, loss or gain, distress or happiness. Therefore Bhaktivinoda Th€kura has sung that: “When I carry out a very difficult task for KŠa, that task becomes real happiness for me.” That is the standard of happiness. In the material world, there is duality. In the absolute world, there is simply happiness and nothing else. When KŠa went to Mathur€, all the gopis become very, very distressed and were crying. We cannot understand the happiness in that distress. We cannot understand from a material point of view. When the gopis were crying in separation from K Ša, that is greater happiness than meeting K Ša. This is the K Ša conscious philosophy. That is now beginning to be known. Lec BG 2.36-37 London 73
Overview
In texts 11-30, K Ša described jnana, knowledge as the difference between spirit and matter or the soul and the body. The activities of jnana-yoga are basically the same as those of sankhya-yoga, the analytical study of matter and spirit. To practise either, one must renounce all activities and practise meditation. K Ša, however, has consistently instructed Arjuna in another way. He has told him to work in a renounced spirit, not to renounce activity.
Verse 39 hints that analytical study (sankhya) means the renunciation of activity, which, if successfully performed, elevates one in jnana. But K Ša does not recommend that Arjuna renounce his activities. He therefore explains the benefits of action, not renunciation of activity, and says that action should be executed in knowledge, with the understanding (jnana) that one is not this body. K Ša encourages Arjuna to listen attentively and to hear how to become free from sinful reactions. SUM
39. What is buddhi-yoga? K Ša says, tes€m satata-yukt€n€m: “Persons who are engaged twenty-four-hours a day,” satata ... Satata means always. What kind of engagement? Bhajat€m priti-p™rvakam. This engagement means always trying to render some service to the Lord. How? Priti-p™rvakam: “with love and faith.” There is no compulsion but all service to the Lord should be done with love. Unless there is love, you cannot do it properly. In the material world unless you have some attachment for something, you cannot act properly. For example, a musician has an attachment for music so he tries to perform it perfectly. Similarly, when you serve K Ša, if you have no love for K Ša, you cannot serve Him very well. Also, K Ša does not accept your service if it is not done in great love and affection. That is the basic principle. K Ša does not need our service. He is self-sufficient and has many servants anywhere and everywhere. But if we render service to K Ša, then we become happy. It is always our gain.
Every educational or progressive method has dos and do nots. The asuras do not know what they should do and what they should not do. A devotee knows what to do and what not to do. There is no illicit sex. That is “do not.” But there is “do” also, that “If you want sex life, then you should marry according to religious principles and with a wife beget good children.” Also, “You do not take intoxicants” — that is “do not.” Instead, “You take KŠa pras€dam and be intoxicated with KŠa's love” — that is “do.” Similarly, “You do not indulge in gambling, but you indulge in gambling.” Gambling is to “Dedicate your life to K Ša and see the result.” That is a gamble because people are engaged in business, but are advised to give up their business and take to K Ša business. That is also a gamble because who knows what will happen. If a person becomes engaged in devotional service twenty-four hours a day, satata — satata means twenty-four hours — satata-yukt€n€m, with faith — KŠa will be merciful to him. He'll deliver him from this miserable condition of material life” — tes€m satata-yukt€n€ˆ bhajat€m priti-p™rvakam. So KŠa is within and you cannot deceive KŠa. KŠa is the Supreme. If you are deceiver, KŠa is also the supreme deceiver. And if you are lover, then KŠa is the supreme lover. Ye yath€ m€m prapadyante t€ms tathaiva bhaj€my aham. You deal with KŠa. As you deal, He reciprocates. That is KŠa.
Lec BG 2.39 London 73
39. Baladeva Vidyabhusana: defines buddhi-yoga as niskama-karma-yoga, or combining jnana and karma, working with knowledge without material attachment. SUM
(Even if one falls down, there is no loss.) K Ša is very clever. One may try to leave Him but He is not going to leave you. Once you come, He says, “No sir, you cannot go out.” Just like Ajamila . He was a devotee in the beginning but later had bad association of a prostitute and fell down. But K Ša took him in the end. K Ša is so kind that He thought, “Alright, this rascal is going out of My hands. Give him a child Narayana. He will chant Narayana, Narayana, and that will go to his credit. Even if we don't finish, nothing is lost.
Hari Sauri Diary, volume 2, p. 313
40. (What actually saves the devotee?) Bhakti rasa, the mellow relished in the transcendental loving service of the Lord does not finish with the end of life. It continues perpetually and is therefore called amrta, that which does not die but exists eternally. NOD, xiv
41(b) ®rila Prabhupada once told his disciples that in the 1950s he read the commentary on this verse written by ®rila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur. He said he was struck by the commentary, which further fixed him in his resolve to follow his guru's order to preach K Ša consciousness in English. The commentary is as follows:
“The best kind of intelligence I can have, is intelligence used in the service of K Ša. That intelligence is defined as `fixed' when it is intent upon my spiritual master's instructions; such as chanting the name of K Ša, remembering His activities and performing service to His lotus feet. Those instructions are my sadhana and my life both in the beginning stages of bhakti as well in bhakti's perfectional stage. I desire only to follow his instructions, I accept nothing else in my life's work, even in dreams. Whether I am happy or distressed, whether the material world remains or is destroyed, I don't care. There is no loss for me. I simply must carry out the orders of my spiritual master. Being fixed upon his order is determined intelligence and devotional service and only by being fixed on his orders can such determined intelligence prosper."
41(b) (®rila Prabhupada was discussing love) Love is the basis of activity. If we love someone, naturally we want to do something for them. In material life we also perform our work on the basis of love of family, friends and others, but we are always disappointed in that love. In love for K Ša though, we are never let down. Either way, the symptom of love is activity.
®rila Prabhupada gave two examples to show this principle.
Sanatana Gosvami said, “I know it is by Your mercy I have been able to give up maya, so now tell me what is my duty.” This is how a devotee sees things. Not that “now I am free from family life. I have no responsibility. Now I'll just eat prasadam and sleep.” No. You must be one hundred times more active in spiritual life than in your material life.”
Of course, it is not pride, but look at the example of my life. I was retired in Vrndavana and at seventy years old I thought what should I do now? My friends said, “This man is going away to die.” I said, "Never mind, death will come. Nobody did it, so let me try.” Activity is a symptom of love. So this activity must be there. It doesn't matter what age you are, young or old, you must execute the order of the Supreme Lord, Lord Caitanya and your guru. That is the real test of devotional service, to take responsibility and carry out your duty to the best of your ability.“
Lec Washington, D.C. 76 10th anniversary of ISKCON (taken from Hari Sauri's Diary)
42-3. The Vedas mention many incentives for achieving a better standard of life. In this life, a father will advise his son to get a good education. This will lead to a well paid job and then he will be able to afford high living standards for his wife and children. These incentives in material life are mirrored by similar incentives in the Vedic literatures. People are urged towards pious activities so that they may be elevated to the higher planets and merit a high standard of life. But K Ša recommends us not to be misled by enticing situations that maya offers. Tamaso m€ jyotir gamaya. KŠa also advises that we shouldn't want to stay on any planet of this universe. Yad gatv€ na nivartante tad dh€ma paramam mama. Our goal must be to go back to KŠa and live eternally with Him. Lec BG 2.40-44 Los Angeles 68
42-3 It should be noted that in the previous section, K Ša encouraged Arjuna to fight by appealing to the same mentality in Arjuna that He now condemns. Although previously encouraging Arjuna to fight to obtain heaven, K Ša now speaks on a higher level, the level of buddhi-yoga.
SUM
44. In the beginning it has been said that you decide that “In this life I shall execute KŠa consciousness in such a way that after leaving this body I shall enter into the spiritual world and go directly to Goloka Vrnd€vana, Krsnaloka.” This is called vyavas€y€tmik€ buddhih. Niscay€tmik€ means determination. But KŠa says that persons who are attached to bhoga, material enjoyment, aisvarya, material opulence: bhogaisvarya-prasakt€n€m, and those who are attached to material enjoyment and material sense gratification, material opulence, tay€pahrta-cetas€m, and those who have become bewildered or mad after it, tay€pahrta-cetas€m, vyavas€y€tmik€ buddhih, cannot make the necessary firm resolution. So we do not know that we are standing on a crumbling precipice and can fall at any moment. We rely on false premises and our own judgements. Therefore Bhaktivinoda Th€kura says that jada-bidy€ jato m€y€ra vaibhava. This material advancement of civilisation is enticing. Just like the streets or roads of your American cities that look so nice with the many lights and neon signs. But we should always remember that this situation is not permanent. Any moment we may have to surrender everything. Everything! So therefore, if one becomes attached to this false platform, then his determination to go back to Godhead will not be all that is required.
Lec BG 2.40-45 Los Angeles 68
44. A man with jaundice perceives sugar candy as bitter, but when he is cured the candy tastes sweet. NOI7
44. As long as we are haunted by the witches of bhukti and mukti, we will not get the sweet taste of devotional service. NOD
.
46. In the Bhagavad-git€ (BG 15.15), the Lord says, vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah. The purpose of all scriptures and Vedas is to know KŠa and that He is God. If you simply understand the Supreme Absolute, then you understand everything. KŠa consciousness includes everything. The karmis' activities, fruitive actions, the jn€nis', philosophers' speculation, the yogis' mystic power, and bhaktas', devotees' worship of the Lord — everything is included. So when you take to KŠa consciousness, you have to accept everything and not try to pick and choose. Lec BG 2.46-62 Los Angeles 68
47. Karma means work. One should not think that “Because I am not this body, I do not need to work.” If you cease to work, then the idle brain will be a devil's workshop. We have to work. So therefore the Lord says, “The technique of acting on the spiritual platform is that you have your right to act. You have your right to act according to your position.” But, karmany ev€dhik€ras te m€ phalesu kad€cana: “But you should not desire to enjoy the fruit of your activities.” If I want to enjoy the fruit of my activity, what will happen? Suppose I am a businessman. I have made a profit of ten million dollars this year. Do you mean to say that I should not enjoy this huge amount of money? I have to throw it away? The Bhagavad-git€ says m€ phalesu kad€cana: “You cannot take the fruitive result of your work.” What will happen if I do? KŠa said, m€ karma-phala-hetur bh™h: “Don't be the cause of the result of your activities otherwise you will be bound by the interaction of your activity. If you are not the cause the effect will not touch you.” M€ karma-phala-hetur bh™r m€ te sango 'stv akarmani. If you say, “Perhaps its better that I do nothing,” that is not permitted. You cannot stop taking action and at the same time, you should not enjoy the fruitive result of your activities.
I have a business friend in India who sold many of my books. Then one time he told me that for the present he would not be offering my books for sale. The strange reason was that because of government regulations it was more profitable for him to temporarily suspend trading. If he continued all profits would be taken in taxes so it was more profitable to do less work.
The mind operates like this. It reasons that if it cannot enjoy the results of its activities then it will cease work. There is a proverb in English — “Ownership turns sand into gold.” (Where there's muck there's brass). Employers can make huge profits; an employee on a fixed wage may feel exploited and not give of his best because he has no share of the profits. But K Ša teaches that we should work to the best of our ability, dedicating our efforts to Him. If we do, our lust to enjoy the results of our work will fade in the light of the knowledge that work for K Ša is on the spiritual plane. Lec 46-47 New York 66
48. The real meaning of yoga is to keep in touch with the Supreme. So you have to work from the platform of spiritual consciousness. The Lord doesn't say “You may stop work.” He is God. He did not say to Arjuna, “I am your friend. I shall supply what you need. You don't need to work.” No, He did not say that. Rather, Arjuna was refusing to fight, and K Ša is inducing him to fight. On the spiritual platform there is no question of stopping work, but we must work for the Supreme. You are not the doer. You are being ordered by the Lord to do it. There is an example that you take a rod and kill a snake. Now, the rod is practically killing the snake, but actually the rod is not responsible because the man who has taken the rod is killing the snake; he is responsible for killing the snake, not the rod. So we have to become the rod in the hand of the Supreme. The Lord then assumes responsibility for the actions.
Lec BG 2.48-49 New York 66
49. We have to decide “Shall I work for sense gratification or shall I work for the satisfaction of the Supreme?” If the latter, then our life becomes spiritualised. Spiritual life does not mean that we have to change the activities in which we are already engaged, or that our body will change to something extraordinary. The same body, the same features, the same activities, the same engagement — everything remains the same. But we have to decide whether our activities will be done from the spiritual platform or from the material platform. If we can discriminate in that way, as Lord KŠa advises Arjuna, d™rena hy avaram karma buddhi-yog€d dhananjaya: “My dear Dhananjaya, buddhi-yog€d, by your intelligence ... ” You have to use your intelligence and decide whether to be on the platform of pure consciousness or on the platform of this body. Lec BG 2.49-51 New York 66
50. Yogah karmasu kausalam. Kausalam means expert trick. There are two workers. One man is very expert; another man is not so adept. Perhaps something is wrong with a machine, and the man who is not very expert works all day to repair it. The expert arrives and immediately makes a few minor adjustments and the machine starts ... Kusala means auspicious, and kusala leads to kausala. That means if you know how to work on the platform of yoga, that is the highest technique of doing work ... Persons who are not working towards spiritual realisation may be engaged in work for eight hours a day only, but those who are working towards spiritual realisation are engaged twenty-four hours every day. The difference is that on the material platform, on the bodily conception of life, if you work for eight hours only, you'll feel fatigued. But if you work twenty-four hours on a spiritual level, you won't feel fatigued. This is true and it is my practical experience. I am here with you. I am always working, reading or writing twenty-four hours at a time. When I feel hungry, I take some food. When I feel tired, I go to bed. Otherwise, always, I don't feel fatigued. You can ask Mr. Paul if this is my practice. I take pleasure in this. I don't feel tired. Similarly, when one achieves that spiritual sense, he will not want to waste time sleeping.
Lec BG 2.49-51 New York 66
52. This is a prayer by M€dhavendra Puri. He says “I am not going to do anything except serve KŠa”... When ®ri Caitanya Mah€prabhu started this movement, He preached that simply by chanting you'll get all perfection, and the br€hmanas of Navadvipa rebelled against Him, saying “This boy ... (He was boy of around twenty years) ... This boy is preaching against the Vedic religious system.” In other words, they were afraid of losing their priestly position. Because if everyone takes to simply chanting Hare K Ša and forgets all ritualistic activities, then how will these priests live? They were priestly class, they were getting money from their followers. But Caitanya Mah€prabhu had no such desire. He simplified the whole thing. Harer n€ma eva kevalam. Simply chant Hare KŠa and you will become elevated to the highest platform. Lec BG 2.46-62 Los Angeles 68
52. Madhavendra Puri: Let the sharp moralist accuse me of being illusioned; I do not mind. Experts in Vedic activities may slander me as being misled, friends and relatives may call me frustrated, my brothers may call me a fool, the wealthy mammonites may point me out as mad, and the learned philosophers may assert that I am much too proud; still my mind does not budge an inch from the determination to serve the lotus feet of Govinda, though I be unable to do it. SB 2.4.4
54. Arjuna is asking questions, and K Ša is answering. The message of the Bhagavad-gita is for all conditioned souls. If Arjuna had not asked all these questions, we would not have received such a transcendental message. Therefore it was necessary that Arjuna played the part of an ordinary conditioned soul. Lec BG 2.46-62 Los Angeles 68
54. Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur: Arjuna's questions have an internal meaning. The first question means: How is one who is transcendentally situated described? What are his characteristics? K Ša answers this in text 55. SUM
55. At the present moment, in our material condition, we are speculating and baffled because it is the nature of the mind to create something and again reject it. The mind will think, “Yes, let me do this”, and then it will decide, “Oh, better not to do this.” This is called sa‰kalpa-vikalpa, deciding and rejecting. This is due to our unsteady condition on the material platform. But when we decide to act according to the supreme consciousness, there is no such duality. There is only one thought, “Let me do it because it is sanctioned by the superior consciousness.” The whole Bhagavad-git€ is based on this principle of life. In India, we watch the boatman on the towpath dragging the boat with a rope. The boat is in the middle of the river and there is a big log in the middle of the boat. The log is tied with a rope and that rope is held by the boatman. While walking on the riverbank, so many things disturb the boatman. He thinks “When I am a very rich man, I shall cover the riverbank with soft pillows so that when I walk on the pillows, dragging this boat, I shall have no pain.” Our position is like that of the foolish boatman. He does not seem to understand that if he becomes rich, he will not have to pull this boat. We want to be happy in the same way and cover the whole world with cushions and soft pillows and have no pain at all. This is our plan.
But the Lord rejects this plan, and tells us that our foolish plans should be rejected. Prajah€t. Lec BG 2.55-56 New York 66
55. Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur: The second question is: How does he speak? This means: How are his intelligence and words affected by another's affection, anger or neutrality? In other words, how does he respond? SUM
56. Being put into this material world is like being thrown into a saltmine. You will taste salt wherever you go. Similarly, the material world is full of misery. Even so-called happiness is misery but in ignorance we do not understand. A K Ša conscious person is unconcerned with happiness and distress. SB 6.17.20
56. As one mistakenly considers a flower garland to be a snake or experiences happiness and distress in a dream, so in the material world, by lack of careful consideration, we differentiate between happiness and distress, considering one good and another bad.
Purport: Prabodhananda Sarasvati: visvam purna sukhayate, this world is full of happiness. How is this possible? yat karunya kataksa vaibhavavatam tam gauram eva stumah, a devotee accepts the distress of this world as happiness only due to causeless mercy of Lord Caitanya. He showed by personal behaviour He was never distressed, but always happy by chanting Hare K Ša ... We should follow in His footsteps and we'll never feel the distress of this material world of duality. In any condition of life we can be happy by chanting the holy name of the Lord. SB 6.17.30
Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur: The third question — What is his situation? — means: How
does he not engage his senses? What is his mentality when his senses are restrained from their
objects? K Ša answers in the next two verses. SUM
58. The senses are given by the Lord, as I explained. We are very proud of our senses. The senses are given by the Lord just as a father gives his son some toys; similarly, we want to enjoy this material world. Therefore our material senses are given to us with the advice “All right, enjoy them. You experience this material world, and when you do not experience enjoyment, then you shall come back again to Me.” So the senses are actually meant for rendering service to the Lord. The senses belong to the Supreme Lord. Just as these are my spectacles and should be used for my purpose. Just like this room, this loft where we are sitting. The loft belongs to our landlady. We should always be conscious of that. There is no harm in using it as long as we remember it is not ours. But if I think, “This is my loft. I don't have to pay the rent. I am the owner,” the trouble begins. We have rented this loft. That is fine, but I do not own it.
Lec BG 2.55-58 New York 66
59. One can give up all connection with material attachment when one is able to see the param, or the superior quality of things. From Bhagavad-gita we understand that the quality of the Lord's energy is superior to the material quality of energy, and by the grace of a bona fide spiritual master like Sukadeva, it is quite possible to know everything of the superior energy. Unless one thoroughly understands this superior or eternal energy of the Lord, it is not possible to leave the material energy. SB 1.18.3
60. Our mind is so strong and so uncontrolled that even though we artificially try to control our senses, usually we fail. Just like Visv€mitra Muni failed. Yatato hy api kaunteya purusasya vipascitah. Vipascitah means a very learned man, not an ordinary man, but a learned man, trying to control his senses. Yatato hy api kaunteya purusasya vipascitah, indriy€ni pram€ ... The senses are so strong that this is a serious command that “One should not sit in a solitary place even with his mother, with his sister, with his daughter.” Why? Now balav€n indriya-gr€mo vidv€msam api karsati. The senses are so strong that temptations arise even for a learned man. Lec BG 2.59-69 New York 66
60. ”Yad-avadhi, since the time, mama cetah, I have engaged my life, my soul, my consciousness, in the service of the lotus feet of KŠa ... ” This verse is given by Y€mun€c€rya. He was a great king and kings, in general, are licentious, but he became a saintly devotee. From his personal experience he said that “Since I have engaged my mind in the service of the lotus feet of KŠa, yad-avadhi mama cetah KŠa-pad€ravinde ... ” Nava-nava. It is not hackneyed. Those who are spiritually realised will find that serving K Ša brings enlightenment. In this material world everyone wants to enjoy and it becomes hackneyed. Punah punas carvita; therefore you are disappointed. But if you engage in the service of K Ša, you'll find great spiritual encouragement. That is spiritual. If you find it hackneyed, then you must realise that you are not yet serving spiritually, you are serving materially. But if you feel new energy, then you know that you are serving spiritually. This is the test. Your enthusiasm will increase, not decrease. Lec BG 2.58-59 New York 66
62. The whole material energy is enticing every one of us by this beauty, the womanly beauty. Actually, there is no beauty. It is illusion. Sankar€c€rya says that “You are going after this beauty, but have you analysed this beauty? What is the beauty?” It is just like our students Govinda d€si and Nara-n€r€yana moulding plaster of paris. At this time, it is not attractive. But this plaster of paris, when nicely painted, will be so attractive. Similarly, this body is combination of blood and muscles and veins. If you cut the upper portion of your body, as soon as you look inside you will see it is full of obnoxious horrible things. But outwardly, under the illusion of m€y€, it looks very attractive. It is attracting our senses and is the cause of our bondage. We are being bound by the false illusory beauty of this world. The exact example is the mirage; reflection of sunlight on the desert appears to be water but there is no water. The thirsty animal goes after the mirage, thinking “Here is water. I'll be satisfied.” Similarly we are running after the mirage, and find no peace, no happiness. Therefore we have to divert our attention back to Godhead. Don't run after this mirage. Just turn back to Godhead, back to K Ša. Don't engage your senses in the illusory material beauty. Just apply your senses to K Ša, the really beautiful. That is K Ša consciousness.
Lec BG 2.62-72 Los Angeles 68
63(b) Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur: Beginning with text 64 and continuing almost until the end of Chapter Two, K Ša answers Arjuna's last question: "How does he walk?" The purport of this question is: "How does a man in transcendence engage his senses?" SUM
65. The yogis and others are trying to control the senses by force. “I shall go to the Himalayas. I shall not see beautiful women. I shall close my eyes.” You cannot control your senses. You don't need to go to Himalayas. Remain in Los Angeles and use your eyes to see KŠa, you are better than a person who goes to the Himalayas. You don't need to change your position. Engage your ears hearing Bhagavad-git€ As It Is, you'll forget all nonsense. Engage your eyes in seeing the beauty of the Deity, KŠa. Engage your tongue in tasting KŠa pras€dam. Engage your legs coming to the temple. Engage your hands working for KrŠa. Engage your nose in smelling the flowers offered to KŠa. Then your senses will be controlled and perfection is assured. You don't have to control your senses forcibly but you have to change the engagement, the status, and that will be very helpful. Lec BG 62-72 Los Angeles 68
68. Everyone in this material world is looking for peace, but they don't want to control the senses. For example, if you are diseased, and the doctor says “Take this medicine” or “Follow this diet,” but you refuse. You take whatever you want, against the instruction of the physician, so how can you be cured? Similarly, we want to be cured of the chaotic condition of this material world, we want peace and prosperity, but we are not willing to control the senses.
Lec BG 62-72 Los Angeles 68
69. There are two kinds of intelligence. One kind of intelligence is to apply the senses for unrestricted enjoyment, and the other is to apply the senses in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Now, suppose one has given up all material enjoyment and is engaged in transcendental service of the Lord. Materialists think such a person is crazy to have given up all material enjoyment and be engaged in something so nebulous. The materialist sees the spiritual person as losing out in life's enjoyment. And the spiritual person is sad that the materialist is destroying himself in material enjoyment, taking no interest in spiritual life. Lec BG 2.59-69 New York 66
71. We don't have to kill our desire. Desire is the constant companion of all living things. Because we are alive, we have desires. Inanimate things have no desires. If our desires are material we engage in sense gratification. But if we engage our senses in serving K Ša then He will free us from all material desires. This is where true happiness lies.
Lec BG 2.62-72 Los Angeles 68
71. Brhadbhanu Dasa: Desires cannot be extinguished. One may suppress desires, but they always come up again. Therefore desires have to be redirected. One can conquer material desires by always helping others and inspiring them in K Ša consciousness. If you can just think of giving K Ša consciousness, that desire will overflow all other desires. The pleasure of seeing people take to K Ša consciousness surpasses material pleasure. At such moments you don't think of any nonsense. NBD
72(a) Acyut€nanda: Which is more important, to go back to Godhead or spread KŠa consciousness?
Prabhup€da: Well, one who is preaching KŠa consciousness, he's already back to Godhead … …h€ yasya harer d€sye karman€ manas€ gir€. “Preacher” means he has engaged his body, his mind and his speech only to glorify the Lord. That is the meaning of preacher. So anybody who's engaged in preaching is jivan-muktah sa ucyate. He's liberated even in this life. Why should he seek liberation when he's already liberated. He's already back to Godhead. He's already with K Ša. K Ša is talking with him. Buddhi-yogam dad€mi One who is actually a preacher, engaged in KŠa's glorification and service is already in Vaikuntha. That is stated in Bh€gavata. It's just like KŠa. If He comes within this material world, does it mean that he's in the material world? Similarly, KŠa's pure devotee, he's not in the material world. He is in the spiritual world.
Guest (1): He gets the body? Does he get the body?
Prabhup€da: Therefore it's said, jivan-mukta. Although he is within this body, still he is mukta. For example, if you take a rod and put it into the fire, by the association of fire, it becomes red hot. Then it is fire and not a rod. Similarly, if one is fully K Ša conscious, he has no other business than to glorify K Ša, he's already in the Vaikuntha. Therefore K Ša-bhakta doesn't require any mukti. Muktih svayam mukulit€njali sevate 'sm€n. Mukti's serving him. Just as Caitanya Mah€prabhu says, mama janmani janmani, birth after birth. But when you go back to home, back to Godhead, there is no birth. Yad gatv€ na nivartante tad dh€ma paramam mama. You don't return. But here Caitanya Mah€prabhu says, “Birth after birth.” So he's already mukta, he's already in the Vaikuntha. Do you understand? Therefore KŠa-bhakta is nisk€ma. He has no desire because he has already fulfilled all His desires. He's in the service of the Lord. Conv Bombay 73
Chapter 3
1(b) In Vrnd€vana you'll find so-called devotees of KŠa living in seclusion and supposedly chanting Hare KŠa. In practice it has been seen that such an artificial way of trying to become K Ša conscious does not make anyone advanced. They live in a secluded place and chant Hare K Ša, but when they come out, they are smoking. They cannot even give up tobacco, let alone the other enticements of the material world. When you become mature then you may wish to try living in seclusion.
M€y€ is everywhere and she will tempt you with, for example, tobacco. You will not advance while engaging in such nonsense. Phalena pariciyate. In general, people understand that by retiring from ordinary life, one becomes spiritually advanced. That is being taught here but it is not like that. K Ša taught to the whole world that Arjuna was a soldier, he was a fighter, and even by fighting and carrying out his prescribed duty, he can be K Ša conscious.
Lec BG 3.1-5 Los Angeles 68
2. Sometimes things appear contradictory to the student. In fact, the master conversant in these matters does not say anything contradictory. Sometimes the student will misunderstand and think there are contradictions. Therefore students are advised to ask questions of the spiritual master. Tad viddhi. They should understand the transcendental science. First of all, surrender, then question, then sev€, service. Surrender, service and question. If you simply question without surrender and don't render any service, then you are simply wasting your time.
Lec BG 3.1-5 Los Angeles 68
3. There are certain classes of men who simply philosophise and there are certain classes of men who simply blindly follow religious ritualistic processes. The Bhagavad-git€ is a scientific combination of both. You should be religious, but you should also understand everything philosophically. Otherwise one becomes a religious fanatic. In the Caitanya-carit€mrta it is clearly said that caitanyera day€ra kath€ karaha vic€ra. You people try to understand the gifts of Caitanya Mah€prabhu by your philosophical understanding. Not blindly, philosophically. And vic€ra karile citte p€ibe camatk€ra. If you are actually a wise man, then you'll find it is sublime. If you simply stick to your own religious ritualistic principles without trying to understand the philosophy of everything, then you'll become a fanatic. So we should not become religious fanatics, nor dry mental speculators. Both these classes of men are dangerous. They cannot make any advancement. You should be religious and also try to understand each and every line philosophically ... We have seen many such philosophical speculators. They simply talk in the meetings and that's all. And if we examine their private character it is less than ordinary. A person may be a nice speaker but will that help you in your spiritual realisation? On the other hand, if you chant Hare K Ša, it will give you immediate results. Lec BG 3.1-5 Los Angeles 68
4. Some of our students went to a well-known swami here in New York and found that he was smoking. A student said, “Swamiji, we don't smoke.” And he was ashamed. So what is the use of taking this kind of sanny€sa? Sanny€sa means to give up all material contaminated activities for the sake of the Supreme Lord. That is called sanny€sa.
Sat ny€sa, sanny€sa. This is the combination. Sat means the Supreme, the ever-existing, and ny€sa means renunciation. That means one who has renounced everything for serving the Supreme is a real sanny€sa. How he dresses doesn't matter. Anyone who has sacrificed his life for service of the Supreme Lord, he's a sanny€si. Lec BG 3.1-5 Los Angeles 68
5. We saw a signboard in a yoga society in Los Angeles that said “You become silent, and you'll become God.” And here K Ša says that you cannot become silent even for a moment.
Lec BG 3.1-5 Los Angeles 68
5. You'll find in India many saintly persons who observe silence. Prahl€da Mah€r€ja says it is for the ajitendriy€n€m. This process, mauna, to remain silent, is meant for persons who cannot control the senses. It is better not to talk than to talk rubbish. Many people think they will advance by not talking. If you ask a question, they'll reply in writing. What is the difference between talking and writing? It is all sense gratification and the fact is you cannot stop the tongue working. Engage the tongue in K Ša consciousness only and do not talk material subject matters. Lec SB 7.9.46 New V ndavana 76
6. Dharmadvaji means the hypocritically devout who accept external signs of dharma but do not actually follow dharma. There are two types: the hypocrites (cheaters) and the fools (cheated). In devotional service this hypocrisy ruins everything. Bhaktivinoda Thakur says, better to associate with sense enjoyers for in this world there is no worse association. Bhaktyaloka.
6. Jaya-gop€la: People who stop performing prescribed duty to engage in so-called meditation, are they actually committing sinful activity? Is this actually sinful activity to attempt such meditation like that?
Prabhup€da: Meditation? Look at the result. Many people meditate but achieve little advancement. Phalena pariciyate. If a man has worked very hard and has become wealthy, but does not have a desirable apartment, nor a car, nor any other show of wealth, where is the evidence of his success? This is straightforward. So if a person by practice of meditation is actually advancing in spiritual life, why is he materially affected? Before an examination a student may study a lot, but if he fails does it mean that he studied? It means he did not study at all. The test is that spiritual advancement means minimising material activities. Bhaktih pares€nubhavo viraktir anyatra sy€t. Automatically they will give up material engagement and concentrate on spiritual advancement.
If you give a hungry man food, immediately he'll feel satisfaction, and when he is fully fed, he'll say, Thank you, I've had enough.” Similarly, spiritual advancement means that one should shun material engagement. That is the test.
If someone is advancing by meditation or bhakti-yoga or K Ša consciousness, he has to demonstrate his detachment from material engagement. This is not only for meditators. It is for everyone. How far are you advancing in K Ša consciousness? How far have you become detached from material consciousness? Your dislike of material engagement will be proportionate to your advancement in K Ša consciousness.
So everyone has to ask himself, “How far have I advanced?” or “How far have I become detached from material contamination.” If you are sincere, you should examine yourself.
Lec BG 3.1-5 Los Angeles 68
8. There was a tiger who posed as a saint in order to cheat a traveller. He called the traveller saying that he wanted to give him a gold bracelet in charity. The traveller asked, “Can I trust a ferocious animal like you?"
The tiger said, "In my youth, I was wicked and killed many cows and humans. But then I met a saintly person who advised me to give charity and act religiously. The scriptures say religious acts are of eight types:
sacrifice 2) study of scripture 3) charity 4) austerities 5) speaking truth 6) patience
7) forgiveness 8) not being greedy. Out of these the first four can be performed out of
show, whereas the last four are found only in great souls..
The tiger preached duplicitously and induced the traveller to come for the bracelet. On the way, he got stuck in the mud and the tiger ate him. Hitopadesa
11. There is an invisible chain of complete cooperation between the Lord, the demigods and the devotees on earth. When Maharaja Pariksit decided to sit and hear ®rimad Bhagavatam, the demigods were pleased and showered flowers on him. SB 1.19.18
11. By the grace of Lord K Ša, Arjuna pleased all the demigods, whereas the worshippers of the demigods may achieve only partial benefits which are also perishable like the demigods themselves. One who is favoured by the demigods may not be favoured by K Ša. Arjuna pleased the demigods so they gave him all their celestial weapons. SB 1.15.12
12. One may claim ownership to as much wealth as required to maintain body and soul together, but one who desires ownership over more than that must be considered a thief, and he deserves to be punished by the laws of nature.
Concisely, it may be said that everyone is a thief and is liable to be punished. Punishment by the laws of nature takes place in the cycle of birth and death. No-one dies fully satisfied by the fulfillment of material desires, for that is not possible. Therefore at the time of one's death one is very sorry, being unable to fulfill his desires. By the laws of nature one is then offered another body to fulfill his unsatisfied desires, and upon taking birth again, accepting another material body, one voluntarily accepts the threefold miseries of life.” SB 7.14.8
13. In 1942, there was a contrived famine in Bengal by the manipulation of the then government. In our childhood, first-class rice was selling seventy-five cents for eight-two pounds. When I was a boy in India rice was cheap. Can you imagine that? But all of a sudden in 1940, the price of rice rose to ten dollars Can you imagine the price of rice rose from seventy-five cents to ten dollars. It was difficult for the public, for the general mass of people. Many people experienced great difficulty, and so many people died for want of food, diseases, famine. I had some family responsibilities: myself, my wife, my five children, a servant, about ten people, but I was able to purchase rice. But does this surprise you? Many people who were in some way or other practising devotional service were not in any great difficulty even in that famine. Even in the villages people were some way or other managing. Anyone who is engaged in devotional service, whose life is dedicated for service of the Supreme, will experience no want and there will be no unhappiness. This is a fact.
Lec BG 3.8-13 New York 66
14. Gurukesa: Russia is importing its food grains now.
Prabhup€da: So why can they not produce sufficient, such a big country?
Gurukesa: And Eastern Europe, which is also communist, gets all its supplies from ...
Prabhup€da: No, what is their explanation. Russia is the biggest country.
Gurukesa: Land.
Hari-sauri: The reason was that there was no rain.
Prabhup€da: Then? Then you have to depend on rain, and when we say, parjany€d anna-sambhavah ... Hm? And yajn€d bhavati parjanyah. That means, rascal, you take one side, ardha-kukuti-ny€ya. Cut the chicken in half and separate the mouth — it is expensive — and keep the rear side. You'll get eggs. So this is ardha-kukuti-ny€ya. The rascal does not know that if you separate the mouth there will be no egg. Conv Nellore 76
We live on food grains. We cannot live on meat-eating. It is not possible. However great a meat-eater he may be, he must have some grains and some vegetables. That is his life. Yes. Therefore grains, vegetables, are actually our food. Now I am living and getting energy by eating grains and vegetables, how should my energy be utilised? It should be utilised for the purpose from where I am getting energy. I am getting energy from the Supreme Lord by supply of this foodstuff; therefore my energy should be utilised for the service of the Supreme Lord.
Lec BG 3.13-16 New York 66
Here it is plainly said by Lord K Ša, “the self, one who is taking pleasure in self.”
How can we take pleasure in self? As soon as we engage ourselves with the Supreme Self, that is enjoyment. €nandamayo 'bhy€s€t. The Supreme Lord is joyful. If you associate with a joyful society or a joyful person, then automatically you become joyful. There is no necessity of becoming joyful separately. That association will make you joyful. If you mix with a society of criminals, automatically you become a criminal. There is no necessity of learning criminality separately. By association, you'll do that. Similarly, if you associate with the supreme joyful, K Ša, automatically you become joyful. This is K Ša consciousness. Therefore here it is said “One who rejoices in.” That rejoicing is by association with the Supreme. “And is satisfied with the self only.” With self. My self, what am I? My identity is that I am an eternal servant of God. So as soon as I engage myself in the service of God, that is my self-realisation. And if I enjoy in that self-realisation, then I have no other duty. I have finished my duty, my sacrifice, and everything is complete. Lec BG 11-19 Los Angeles 68
17. The other day we were narrating the story of Sukadeva Gosv€mi. He was a very handsome sixteen-year-old boy. One day he was walking naked by the river and the girls, who were also naked, were taking a bath. Realising the saintliness and innocence of the young man, they were in no way embarrassed by their own nudity. Later on, his father Vyasadeva, author of all Vedic literatures, was passing by. Because he was a worldly man, a householder, when the girls saw him they covered themselves. So the stage of Sukadeva Gosv€mi is €tma-rati, self- satisfied, doesn't care for anything of the world. He is aloof from the world. We should not imitate Sukadeva Gosv€mi and become naked. Lec BG 3.17-20 New York 66
18. Lord Caitanya Mah€prabhu said that by chanting this K Ša-sankirtana, Hare K Ša, Hare K Ša, K Ša K Ša, Hare Hare, the first result will be that your heart will be cleared of the dust accumulated over many lifetimes in this material situation.
Just like we are sitting in this loft in Bowery Street and dust is coming in the room and collecting layer upon layer, similarly, by association of this material contamination, we have accumulated so much material dust in our heart. Our progress in spiritual life, our progress in spiritual realisation, is checked only because we have a misunderstanding of our identification. The identification is that “I am this body.” Lec BG 3.16 New York 66
19. For the impersonalist, the impersonal Brahman effulgence is the Supreme. Just like light. When you come to the sunshine, that is light, but the devotees are not satisfied with the sunshine only. They want to penetrate into the sun planet and see the sun-god. That is a devotee's position. One who cannot do so is satisfied with the sunshine.
Lec BG 3.18-30 Los Angeles 68
A man may consider himself to be a very good man or a very bad man. If he becomes K Ša
conscious, then he is neither a good man nor a bad man, but simply K Ša's man, and will
always be ready to do whatever K Ša wants him to do. Lec BG 11-19 Los Angeles 68
21. Sanatana Gosvami spoke to Haridas Thakura: Some people behave very well but do not preach. Others preach but do not behave properly. You simultaneously perform both duties in relationship with the holy name by your personal behaviour and your preaching. Therefore, you are the spiritual master of the entire world for you are the most advanced devotee of the Lord.
Cc. Ant. 4.102-103
24. We sing this song daily, gopi-jana-vallabha giri-vara-dh€ri. KŠa is playing with the gopis. The sahajiy€s take it very easily, but giri-vara-dh€ri, that is a very difficult thing. KŠa raised Govardhana Hill with His finger, but nobody is imitates that. Again, gopi-jana-vallabha is very easy. “You are a gopi, I am KŠa. Let us enjoy.” This is sahajiy€. That is going on. Parakiy€-rasa. All rascality is going on. But one should understand that KŠa can dance with the gopis and He can lift Govardhana Hill, which also is to please the gopis. When there was incessant rainfall, the inhabitants of Vrnd€vana became disturbed. They had no other friend but KŠa and they appealed to KŠa to do something. Immediately, He raised the whole hill like an umbrella. Don't imitate KŠa, just listen to KŠa, and then your life will be successful. We cannot imitate God. We have to simply follow His order. That is dharma. And if you imitate KŠa, that is adharma. Don't try to imitate. There are two words in Sanskrit, anuk€rana, anusarana. Anuk€rana means imitation, and anusarana means follow. We have to execute anusarana, follow. Lec SB 6.1.45 Los Angeles 76
37. Narottam Dasa prays in Prema Bhakti Candrika (Bhaktyaloka): I will engage lust, anger, greed, illusion, madness, envy and pride in proper ways and by defeating these enemies I will feel happiness in my heart as I peacefully worship Govinda. I will engage lust by offering it in K Ša's service. I will direct anger towards those who are envious of the devotees. I'll be greedy to hear the topics of Hari in the association of devotees. I'll feel illusioned without achieving my worshippable Lord. I'll be maddened while singing the glories of K Ša. In this way I will engage these enemies in their proper places. Bhaktyaloka
37. Th'expense of spirit in a waste of shame
Is lust in action, and, till action, lust
Is perjured, murd'rous, bloody, full of blame,
Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust,
Enjoyed no sooner but despisèd straight,
Past reason hunted, and no sooner had,
Past reason hated as a swallowed bait
On purpose laid to make the taker mad:
Mad in pursuit, and in possession so,
Had, having, and in quest to have, extreme,
A bliss in proof, and proved, a very woe,
Before, a joy proposed, behind, a dream,
All this the world well knows, yet none knows well
To shun this heaven that leads men to this hell. William Shakespeare, Sonnet 129
40. It is described in ®rimad-Bh€gavatam and the Bhagavata, as “One who is identified with this body of three elements, which according to Ayurvedic medicine is made of tri-dh€tu: tejo-v€ri-mrd. It means heat, water and earth, and the whole material creation is a combination of these three things, tejo-v€ri-mrd. Tejah means heat or fire, v€ri means water and mrd means earth ...
To explain to anyone who identifies with this body, we can use the analogy that the body is a bag of three elements. So yasy€tma-buddhih kunape tri-dh€tuke sva-dhih kalatr€disu. From this bag many other bags emanate, just like my children. One who identifies this bag as “myself — I am this body, and the result of my body, these kinsmen, children, and family, or countrymen or society men, they are mine ... ”
Bhauma ijya-dhih means this earth from which this earthly body has grown up, meaning this country. We are fond of our country because from this American earth my body has developed, or from Indian earth, or the earth of this planet, apart from American or Indian conception of life. So we are human beings of this planet and we are identifying with this planetary situation. All these things have been very carefully analysed and the conclusion is that yasy€tma ... “One who thinks like that, he is no better than an ass or a cow.”
Lec BG 3.16 New York 66
41. Everyone in the material world is lusty to varying degrees. Everyone is trying to lord it over material nature. That is lust. The ant is trying to lord it over material nature in his way, and the so-called elevated politician is trying to lord it over material nature in a different way. Lording it over material nature is a sign of lust. On the other hand, K Ša consciousness means offering one's energy to K Ša. Energy is derived from K Ša and it should be offered to K Ša. For example, water is taken from the ocean. It goes to the clouds and again turns to water, falls down as rain and flows in rivers to the ocean. Similarly, we derive our energy from K Ša. Now again if we glide down towards K Ša, that is perfection.
Lec BG 3.31-43 Los Angeles 68
43. To stop material desires we must take shelter of the lotus feet of K Ša. The waves of a river are constantly flowing and cannot be stopped, but the waves of the river flow toward the sea. When the tide crosses over the river, it overwhelms the flowing of the river and the river itself becomes over-flooded. The waves from the sea become more prominent than the waves of the river.
Similarly, the devotee with intelligence plans so many things for the service of the Lord in K Ša consciousness that stagnant material desires become over-flooded by the desire to serve K Ša. As confirmed byYamunacarya:, since he has been engaged in the service of the lotus feet of the Lord, there is always a current of newer and newer desires flowing to serve K Ša, so much so that the stagnant desire of sex life becomes very insignificant. BG 2.59 also confirms this: param drstva nivartate. SB 4.22.39
Chapter 4
2. Therefore one has to learn this science from the parampar€ system. Evam parampar€-pr€ptam. You have to go to the right person who knows KŠa. Evam parampar€ ... Just as S™rya, the Vivasv€n, was instructed by KŠa. So if you take instruction from Vivasv€n, from the sun-god, then you have the perfect knowledge. But you cannot go to the sun planet and ask Vivasv€n, “What did KŠa teach you?” ... Time is very powerful. It changes everything ... Time means changes; it kills the original position and its business is to destroy. Sa k€lena iha nasta. So in due course of time, if k€la sees that you are distorting truth, then truth will be lost. Following the parampara system is the only true way. Lec BG 4.2 Bombay 74
5. Arjuna and K Ša are on the level of friendship; one is God and the other is an ordinary living entity. God does not forget; the living entity forgets. That is the distinction ... The M€y€v€di philosophers say that “I am God, but I have forgotten that I am God.” So how can God forget? Here is the evidence. How can God forget? If you forget, then you are not God.
Lec BG 4.1-6 Los Angeles 69
5. Try to understand the difference between God and a dog. A dog forgets. A dog comes to your place looking for something to eat. You give it a slap. It goes away and comes back again. It forgets that slapping. That is the dog's nature. God's nature is different. Lec BG 7.1
5. Lord K Ša asks us “Why are you struggling so much in this material world?” Sarva-dharm€n parityajya m€m ekam saranam vraja: “Come to Me, depend on Me, and I will protect you.” And we refuse to believe the Lord's offer. This is our situation, forgetfulness. A conditioned soul is forgetful. Praksep€tmik€, viksep€tmik€. Two forces of nature are acting upon us and we decide that “I shall make spiritual advancement. I have decided.” And next moment the illusory energy, m€y€, says, “Do you really think you can make a successful spiritual life? Just enjoy this life.” So praksep€tmik€, viksep€tmik€. This is how we are deceived by forgetting the Lord. That is the difference between God and man. Lec BG 4.3-6 New York 66
I'll give you another example. A king is sitting on the throne and there is a bug beside
him. Sitting on the same throne does not mean they are equal. The bug's constitutional
position is to bite and the king's position is to rule. Although they are on the same level, the
difference is enormous. Similarly, God and the living entity may sit down together, they may
talk together, they may lie together or they may eat together, but they can never be equal and a
great gulf will always exist between them. Lec BG 4.5 Montreal 68
6. The Lord is called mayamayam. In whatever form the Lord appears He is always affectionate to the devotees. ®rila Jiva Gosvami says krpa pracuram, He is deeply merciful. When a mother deals with her child affectionately, it is mayamayam. ®rila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says mayamayam: because the living entity is covered by illusion, the Lord is always eager to deliver the devotees from maya. SB 5.18.17
7. The world is so conceived that even if we make a very good arrangement, it will gradually deteriorate ... Similarly, when the body is young, people care for it, always lavishing affection upon it and kissing it, but when it grows old no one cares for it. This is the nature of the material world — even if a very good adjustment is made, it will in course of time be vanquished. RV6
7. What is gl€nih? gl€nih is when we forget KŠa. Then our activities become polluted. Just like a servant who forgets he has a master, and he becomes polluted. He steals, he mismanages and things become very disordered. If he has the sense he realises he has a master, and that everything belongs to the master, and if he acts accordingly then his situation will improve.
Lec BG 4.9 Bombay 74
7. Reporter: What do you try and teach, sir?
Prabhup€da: I am trying to teach what you have forgotten.
Reporter: Which is what?
Prabhup€da: That there is a God. Some of you say there is no God, some of you say God is dead, and some of you say God is impersonal or void. This is nonsense. I want to teach these people that there is a God. That is my mission. Whatever the opposition, I shall prove that there is a God. That is my K Ša consciousness movement. It is a challenge to the atheistic people. There is a God. As we are sitting here face to face, you can see God face to face. If you are sincere and if you are serious, that is possible. Unfortunately, we are trying to forget God; therefore we are embracing so many miseries of life. So I am simply preaching that you take the K Ša consciousness and be happy. Don't be swayed away by these nonsense waves of m€y€, or illusion. That is my request. Arrival Address London 69
8. In the Teachings of Queen Kunti (Ch. 12), ®rila Prabhupada very nicely explains about KŠa's birth: “Now, the Lord comes to deliver the devotees (paritranaya sadhunam), but it is clearly stated in Bhagavad-gita (14.26) that a devotee transcends the material qualities (sa gunan samatityaitan). A devotee is in a transcendental position because he is no longer under the control of the three material modes of nature — goodness, passion and ignorance. But if a sadhu is already delivered, being on the transcendental platform, then where is the necessity of delivering him? This question may arise. The Lord comes to deliver the devotee, but the devotee is already delivered. Therefore the word vidambanam, meaning `bewildering', is used in this verse because this appears contradictory.
The answer to this contradiction is that a sadhu, a devotee, does not require deliverance, but because he is very much anxious to see the Supreme Lord face to face, K Ša comes not to deliver him from the clutches of matter, from which he has already been delivered, but to satisfy his inner desire. Just as a devotee wants to satisfy the Lord in all respects, the Lord even more wants to satisfy the devotee.” Teachings of Queen Kunti, Ch. 12
8. Another aspect is paritr€n€ya s€dh™n€m. Actually KŠa appears for the s€dhus and to kill the duskrtas. One little earthquake can kill millions of duskrtas in a second. So KŠa does not need to come to kill the duskrtas. Instead He comes to favour the s€dhus, who are often much persecuted.
Just like Prahl€da Mah€r€ja.,who was a s€dhu and was being persecuted by his father. So Lord Nrsimhadeva appeared, not to killing Hiranyakasipu, but to show Prahl€da Mah€r€ja that he had no cause to be afraid because he was being protected. Actually, KŠa comes for this purpose. Paritr€n€ya s€dh™n€m. S€dhus are very anxious. They do not order KŠa to come and save them. They know that KŠa is busy so why should they trouble Him. Even if they suffer, that's all right.” But still KŠa comes to save them. Vin€s€ya means for annihilating, for killing. It is also good for a person to be killed by KŠa in order to dissipate his ignorance. When one is in ignorance, he does not know the value of life. Therefore KŠa wants to kill his ignorance and give him real knowledge. That is also vin€s€ya, killing his ignorance. So the Bhagavad-git€ is continuing for two reasons. One is to give relief to the s€dhu, to the devotee, and the other is to kill ignorance or personally kill the duskrtinah. For non-devotees, death at KŠa's hands is good for them because K Ša is absolute. Whether K Ša loves somebody or kills somebody, the result is the same. That is called absolute. Just like a father or mother loves one child and chastises the other. The result is the same — affection. There is no jealousy.
Suppose one child is diseased, another child is healthy. The healthy child is being supplied with nice foodstuff and the diseased child is refused the same food. It is not that the mother is unkind to the child. She is very kind and loving. So K Ša's killing and K Ša's supporting is the same. There is affection. Lec BG 4.8 Bombay 74
9. Now here the word tattvatah is very important. Tattvatah is the science of K Ša and means “in truth.” It is not enough to know by historical facts that K Ša is born on such and such date, in such and such place, in such and such family and that He did such and such activities. One has to learn them in tattvatah, in truth. Then he becomes free from this bodily entanglement. How one can understand the science of K Ša? It is explained in the Eighteenth Chapter that K Ša science can be understood by devotional service.
Lec BG 4.7-9 New York 66
9. Woman Devotee: Can we just have the chanting without instructions?
Prabhup€da: What is that?
Sud€m€: She wants to know actually that should they just have the chanting without reading your books or without instruction or following the programme.
Prabhup€da: But the chanting must be pure. Your guru is writing books. If you think that there is no necessity to read any books,” that is guror avajn€. Do you mean to say I am writing these books every night for selling and making money? Why do you think that?
Woman Devotee: So there should just be chanting and reading books.
Lec BG 17.1-3 Hawaii 74
10(a) Vita-r€ga means when you increase r€ga for KŠa, then you can become vita-r€ga. Param drstv€ ni ... That if you get rasagull€, you can give up gur. Lec BG 4.10 Bombay74
10(a) (Bhaya) A foolish man, if he is informed he can have a better life in the spiritual world by becoming a servant of God, K Ša, thinks, “I am a slave to materialism. I have suffered so much. Why should I be a servant of K Ša? There is no gain for me”. They think all service is material slavery. They cannot understand that service to K Ša is simply €nanda. So these nirvisesav€di, impersonalists, do not understand. It's like a sick man being told that on his recovery he will be able to eat well and will be able to walk again. He believes that soon he will eat and exercise but at the present he is accustomed to taking horrid medicine and s€gud€n€, and doing so many gross things like passing stool and urine on the bed. When he realises that after being cured the gross activities continue, he cannot understand. It is something like this trying to decide for spiritual life or for materialism.
Lec BG 1.30 London 73
10(a) Krodha means there are other persons who are neither impersonalists nor personalists. They are atheists, meaning they don't believe in any transcendental nature. They do not even believe in the existence of the soul. They simply concern themselves with this material body.
Lec BG 4.9-11 New York 66
11(a) Professor: But why existence of all these things?
Prabhup€da: The purpose is €nanda, pleasure-seeking. One who hasn't any pleasure is seeking after it. That is the Ved€nta-s™tra. We are all seeking €nanda. Scientific knowledge, philosophy, driving a car, or whatever you are doing — the purpose is €nanda. That is a common factor. Why I am eating delightful food? I can eat anything, but I am seeking the sort of foodstuff that will please me.” That is €nanda. Conv Mexico City 75
12. So your problem is eternal life. Why you should be engaged iha devat€h? Because iha devat€h means iha will be finished, your devat€ will be finished, you'll be finished, everything will be finished. But your problem is how to come to the eternal point.
Lec BG 4.12 New V ndavana 74
13(a) Here is Mr. Goldsmith, a qualified lawyer. Although he is a lawyer, his son cannot claim also to be a lawyer. The son must qualify by passing the bachelor of law examination and then he can be a lawyer. Similarly, K Ša tells us that the Indian caste system is not hereditary. In Vedic literature, it is according to the quality of the individual. In human society, everyone thinks that he is better than everyone else. In his own reckoning he thinks he is the best. Lord KŠa is not concerned with such ideas. Dasa cakre bhagav€n bh™ta.(?)
There was a br€hmana called Bhagav€n and he had ten enemies. They sat down in ten places and wherever he was passing they said, “Oh, you have become a ghost!” and he replied “I am alive. How have I become a ghost?” This continues with his ten enemies and he begins to think “I might be a ghost. Otherwise why are people saying I have become a ghost?” So dasa cakre bhagav€n bh™ta.
So if everyone says I am lowborn, should I also think I am lowborn? But I am not lowborn. Aham brahm€smi. I am brahm€smi. In fact, I am a spirit soul. I am born of KŠa. KŠa is my father and I am twice-born. KŠa says, m€m hi p€rtha vyap€sritya: “Anyone who takes shelter of Me, regardless of his perceived material status, can come to live in My kingdom.” Te 'pi y€nti par€m gatim. So it is our duty to become twice-born by KŠa consciousness and take another birth. Then we will be recognised as br€hmanas. Brahm€ j€n€ti. As soon as we know KŠa, we are br€hmanas, whether born in America or Czechoslovakia or any other place. So try to become br€hmanas.
Lec BG 4.12-13 New York 66
13(a) But how to become a br€hmana? Is it by purchasing a few coppers' worth of this thread and wearing it on the body? Of course not. There are qualities to acquire and karma to consider. You have to act like a br€hmana, and you have to acquire the qualification of a br€hmana ... Muci haya suci haya, although born in the family of a muci, cobbler, he can become suci, a br€hmana, by yadi KŠa bhaje, if he is a devotee of KŠa and if he is in KŠa consciousness And muci haya suci haya yadi KŠa bhaje or suci haya muci haya yadi KŠa tyaje: “If one is born of a br€hmana family, but gives up KŠa bhajana, devotional life, he becomes a muci.” Karman€. Because he's changed his karma. Lec BG 4.17 Bombay 74
13(a) Prabhupada: So we are creating br€hmanas in the western countries. Yes.
Professor: Yes. I know. Don't you think it's against the dharma-s€stra?
Prabhup€da: No.
Professor: No? Tell me why.
Prabhup€da: Because in the Bhagavad-git€ it is said, c€tur-varnyam may€ srstam guna-karma-vibh€gasah. There is no such thing as janma.
Professor: Oh. Very nice.
Prabhup€da: Also in the Bh€gavatam, there is statement by N€rada, advising Mah€r€ja Yudhisthira that yasya yal laksanam proktam pumso varn€bhivyanjakam. There are symptoms of the br€hmana system, samo damas tapah saucam ks€ntir €rjavam. It is stated in the Bhagavad-git€. This is the injunction of N€rada, “The symptoms, brahminical symptoms, if found in the person who is born in a s™dra family, he should be accepted as a br€hmana. And if the s™dra symptoms are visible in a person born in a br€hmana family, he should be accepted as a s™dra ... Para-upak€ra means everyone is asleep and believing that he is the body, just like cats and dogs. Therefore, they should be raised to the spiritual consciousness and taught that “You are not cats and dogs. You are Brahman.” Just realise “aham brahm€smi.” We are awakening everyone. Uttisthatah j€gratah pr€pta-varam nibodhata: “You now have a human body so get up and make your life successful by spiritual realisation.” Conv Paris 73
13(a) Lord Caitanya and K Ša Himself both say the same thing. To them, birth is no consideration. Nobody is responsible for his own birth ... If I want to enter into the kingdom of K Ša, if we want to be K Ša conscious, there is no impediment ... it is open for everyone. C€tur-varnyam may€ srstam. The opportunity is there for each of us to become a br€hmana, to become a great devotee of Lord KŠa and to become the spiritual master of the world. I think you should take this seriously. I am old man and if some of you at least would understand and take up this science, you would really benefit this country and the world. That is my request to you, that you take this opportunity and become a spiritual master for all the people.
Lec BG 4.12-13 New York 66
14. So here K Ša says that na me karma-phale sprh€. He is €tm€r€ma. €tm€r€ma means He is fully satisfied in Himself. He can create so many things. So there is no question of Him needing anything. Although He has set up the principle of varnasrama-dharma, He's not within the varn€srama-dharma… Just like KŠa performed the r€sa dance. At midnight, many young girls came on hearing His flute, and He danced with them. By Vedic standards, this is not very moral. To dance at dead of night with the wives or sisters or daughters of other men is not a very good example of Vedic principles. But KŠa did, and He was very attractive. Sometimes it seems that KŠa is acting against social conventions and so He warns, na m€m karm€n limpanti: “These social, political or religious laws do not apply to Me.”
This question was raised by Pariksit Mah€r€ja when Sukadeva Gosv€mi described the r€sa-lil€. “KŠa appeared on this material world, paritr€n€ya s€dh™n€m, dharma-samsth€pan€rth€ya, so why did He violate these rules of dharma?” According to Vedic civilisation, nobody may associate with another man's wife. This is confirmed by Sukadeva Gosv€mi that tejiyas€m na dos€ya. KŠa cannot be contaminated by material ideas. By chanting KŠa's name one becomes purified, so therefore how can KŠa be contaminated?
Lec BG 4.14 New Vndavana 74
15. Now, in this verse three times, four times, the word has been used, p™rvataram, p™rvatamaih. Kuru karmaiva tasm€t tvam p™rvaih p™rvataraˆ krtam. P™rva, p™rvataram, p™rvatama: comparative, superlative, and positive. This is the process, we have to follow the previous €c€ryas. That is the Vedic system.
In the very beginning of this chapter KŠa said, evam parampar€-pr€ptam imam r€jarsayo viduh. We do not require modern research or understanding. We are all following the ancient ways. Now, even from an ordinary standpoint, eating, sleeping, mating and defending, is that modern? It is not modern. Formerly also, all living entities were eating, they were sleeping, they were having sexual intercourse and they were defending.
Nothing is modernised. The principle is the same, old system. Nothing changes. People are dying. Janma-mrtyu-jar€-vy€dhi. That is also the old system. Everyone is taking birth, everyone is growing, everyone is falling diseased and everyone is dying. Can the modern system stop this? ... The sun is also following the old system. It rises as it did in olden times. The moon also rises. The years and seasons change. Everything continues. Why should we not accept the system of Vedic knowledge, the oldest of all in the world? KŠa advises, evam jn€tv€ krtam karma p™rvair api mumuksubhih, that karma should be divided according to the quality of the person ...
You have to make your life successful by reading Bhagavad-git€ and preach the truth all over the world. Then the world will be happy and you also will be happy. This is what we need. Y€re dekha, t€re kaha `KŠa'-upadesa. That is recommended here, evam jn€tv€ krtam karma p™rvair api mumukubhiƒ. Who can carry out this kind of business? Mumuksubhih, not ordinary men, but those who are aspiring after liberation ... The real business is mumuks€, how to get out of this business of repetition of birth. This human life is meant for that, to get out of the cycle of birth and death. That is advice of KŠa to Arjuna, `Follow the previous €c€ryas, previous personalities, authorities.” Just like svayambh™r n€radah sambhuh. “Follow them, act like them, and try to understand My position. If you simply understand My position, immediately you become liberated.” Lec BG 4.15 Bombay 74
Vikarma is specifically defined as illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication (including drinking tea and coffee, and smoking) ... Pramattah — pra means sufficiently or extraordinarily. Prakrsta-r™pena. Mattah. Mattah means mad. N™nam pramattah kurute vikarma: “All people, being mad, are committing so many sinful activities.” They do not know what sinful activity is. They think everything is all right. Nature will take account of everything and he will give you another body.
For example, if you catch some disease then you must suffer from that disease. This is nature's law ... Lec BG 4.16 Bombay 74
18. The example is given of a boy flying a kite. Sometimes it seems the kite is coming down and sometimes it seems the kite is going up. Someone observing sees only the boy pulling the string. Similarly, unless one is very intelligent, he cannot understand what is karma and akarma. That is the whole subject matter of Bhagavad-git€. Arjuna was thinking “I am going to commit some sinful activities by killing my kinsmen, my brothers, my nephews, my master, my grandfather, and so many relatives.” He could see only sinful activity in that battle. When there is deliberation of sinful and pious activities, it is called karma. Karma has two results, either suffering or enjoying. Of course, in this material world there is no enjoyment. But with the hope of enjoyment, we agree to suffer. That is mistakenly called enjoyment.
Just like a businessman who works very hard, day and night. He makes a lot of profit and thinks that he is very happy. But actually he is working very hard and because he does not know better he thinks that making profit will make him happy. Lec BG 4.18 Bombay 74
21. Nir€sir yata-citt€tm€ tyakta-sarva-parigrahah. Parigrahah means unnecessarily collecting something, aty€h€rah. Aty€h€rah pray€sah ... ®ri R™pa Gosv€mi has defined how bhakti is killed ... Aty€h€rah, eating more than you require. We should eat reguarly but we should not eat more than necessary. The best principle is that if we do not feel hungry we should not eat because if there is no hunger and at the same time no appetite and we eat, that brings dysentery and indigestion. Lec BG 4.21 Bombay74
22. Visv€sa p€lana. This is called faith. We should appreciate that if KŠa is supplying food to the elephants in the jungle and to the ants in the hole of my room, what have we done that He will not supply our food? This is commonsense. It is called yadrcch€-l€bha-santustah. But we must be satisfied with whatever KŠa gives. If KŠa gives luci, puri, that is all right, and if he gives suska, c€p€ti, that is also all right. Yadrcch€-l€bha-santustah. Because we are dependent on KŠa. We should be satisfied with whatever KŠa gives us ... You may be surprised to learn that in 1942 there was an artificial famine in India created by politicians and the people were starving. An American gentleman, a very responsible man, was present and said that “In our country if such starvation occurred there would have been a revolution.” The Vedic culture is so nice that nobody even stole a pin from another's pocket. They starved. because their culture teaches them to be satisfied. “God has put me in this condition. Why should I encroach upon other's property?” That is Vedic culture. Is€v€syam idam sarvam. Everything belongs to God; whatever He has given into my care, I shall be satisfied ... tena tyaktena bhunjith ... M€ grdhah kasya svid dhanam: “Do not encroach upon another's property”... Similarly, we should not be disturbed by all these things, that “He has more food, he is enjoying more.” Nobody is enjoying more. Whatever KŠa has given, he is enjoying. That is called yadrcch€-l€bha-santusto dvandv€titah. Dvandv€titah and vimatsarah. And KŠa is not envious... Lec BG 4.19-25 Los Angeles 69
Samah siddh€v asiddhau ca. If you are working for KŠa, it is KŠa's decision whether you are successful or not successful. The word here is asiddhau. This means don't think that because you are K Ša conscious, you will always be successful, for it really doesn't matter. If you are unsuccessful, then be assured that this is K Ša's arrangement. To know and accept this is to be K Ša conscious ... So never be depressed because you are unsuccessful. A devotee is never depressed in this horrible condition of life. Tat te 'nukamp€m su-samiksam€no bhunj€na. Lec BG 4.22 Bombay 74
23. Gata-sangasya. Because we are being given different types of bodies on different planets and in different spheres of life on account of our association with the modes of nature, K Ša is advising, gata-sangasya: “Don't associate with the modes of material nature. That should be your way of life. It is not that you aim for the higher modes of nature.” K Ša advises that you become free from association with any of the modes of material nature, any one of them. Gata-sangasya. Muktasya. When you become free from the association of the modes of material nature, then you are mukta. Muktasya. Gata-sangasya muktasya. And how can mukti be achieved? Muktasya. Now, jn€n€vasthita-cetasah. If you are actually situated in knowledge, then you can be mukta. Without knowledge, you are in ignorance.
Lec BG 4.23 Bombay 74
34. Blind following and absurd enquiries are condemned in this verse. Blind following means: “Oh, there is a swami and thousands of people are following him. I shall become his disciple.” This is called blind following. You do not know whether he is a swami or a rascal. But because everyone else is following you want to become his disciple. This is blind following, without knowledge. The swami says “Give me moneyand I will make you God.”
There are so many stories where a person approaches his spiritual master and asks him, “Can you show me God?” And the spiritual master immediately shows him God. You see? This deception is going on.
If you go to a professor and say, “Oh, if you are a professor, can you make me an M.A. immediately?” and he says, “Yes, why not?” then you are a fool and he also is a fool. The so-called spiritual master is a rascal, and the man who has gone to him is also a rascal. Dhruva Mah€r€ja went to the forest and had practised many penances and austerities. Then he saw God. Can I see God immediately without being trained, without undergoing training? No. It is not possible.
These are absurd things. If you are not qualified, how you can see such things? If you have never seen a ten dollar note and you ask someone to give you a ten dollar note, you will not feel cheated if he gives you a piece of paper. You must know what a ten dollar note looks like, otherwise you'll be satisfied with a piece of paper. If you do not know God, how can you see God and how will you recognise God?
You go to a market to buy, for example, a knife. You know what a knife is. It must be a sharp instrument. You test it to see how sharp it is. So suppose you go to someone to see God, how will you test it if you do not know what God is? Suppose he gives you a dog, and you understand, “This is God.” So what is your testing power? At least, you must have some theoretical knowledge of what God is. These things are going on, absurd things. You must know what God is. Lec BG 4.34-39 Los Angeles 69
34. If you purchase something, you must pay for it. This is called sevay€. You cannot pay by offering the value of the teachings of the spiritual master. That is not possible, so it is called sevay€. Dedicate your life for his service. You cannot pay. How can you repay a spiritual master? Just like King Prthu Mah€r€ja. When the Kum€ras preached to him about transcendental knowledge, he very humbly submitted, “My dear spiritual master, you have taught me so well. I must give you some daksin€.” After initiation, one should pay daksin€. “I should pay daksin€, but what shall I pay? I haven't got anything of my own. It is only by the mercy of the br€hmanas that I enjoy this kingdom. So it is yours anyway. My kingdom already belongs to you.” If any saintly person, br€hmana, asks from a ksatriya king, he cannot refuse.
KŠa gave his son to be sacrificed. A br€hmana asked “I want you to sacrifice your son.” He was an incarnation of God. He tested KŠa's charity. He was very charitable, so he told him “I want your son, and you shall sacrifice, you both, husband and wife.” KŠa agreed. So there was some test like that. Actually in former times the kings possessed their kingdom to manage only, not thinking “It is my property for I am the king.” As soon as the kings thought like that, the monarchy finished. So Prthu Mah€r€ja said “Nothing belongs to me, and even if I can pay from my treasury, I cannot actually pay for the benefit I have derived from you. Therefore, the only way I can pay is by surrendering to you. You can utilise me in any way.” So, tad viddhi pranip€tena pariprasnena sevay€. Therefore the disciple's duty is to be always ready to serve the spiritual master, at any cost. Lec SB 2.3.25 Los Angeles 72
34. By intense service of the Lord, one can experience the presence of the Lord transcendentally. Therefore seeing the Lord means being engaged in His service because His service and His person are identical. SB 1.6.19-22
38. The king of Iran had a book containing the secret of how to raise the dead with an elixir made of herbs and trees from the high mountains of India. The king sent his chief minister to find them. He looked everywhere with the help of wise sages but could not find anything. Then he found one famous sage who had also searched. He discovered that the elixir described in the book was actually an allegory. The high mountains were the wise men of lofty intellect. The trees and herbs were their writings. The wisdom taken from their writings was the elixir of life that revived the dead intellect of ignorant men. The knowledge of Bhagavad-gita revives our spiritual consciousness, so it is the real elixir of immortality. Introduction to Pancatantra
So we require hundreds and thousands of spiritual masters who have understood this K Ša
science and have preached it all over the world. That is the problem. To this end, we have
formed this society and we invite all sincere souls to take part in the society and become a
spiritual master, and preach this science all over the world. There is a great need for this
knowledge. Lec BG 4.34-38 New York 66
39. In the beginning there is no nistha, because there are anarthas. All anarthas are vanquished by performing devotional service with enthusiasm. SB 2.1.10 tivrena bhakti yogena. The word sraddha is certainly faith but enthusiasm is the life of faith. Bhaktyaloka p.53
40. How do we become faithful? samyata indriya. We have to control the senses. We are here in material existence because we want to gratify the senses. That is our problem. So this faith of spiritual advancement can be enhanced when we agree; at the same time, samyata indriya. If a physician is treating you, you have faith in him. But if the physician says, “Don't do this,” and you do it, then what kind of faith have you got? When a physician treats a patient, he prescribes something, “don't do this” and “do this,” some “do-nots,” some “dos.” Now, if I say, “My dear physician, I have all faith in you but I cannot follow your instruction. You say, `Do not.' but I do it,” how can you? How are you faithful? So sraddh€v€n labhate jn€nam tat-parah samyatendriyah. You have to follow the instruction with faith.
Lec BG 4.37-40 New York 66
Chapter 5
3. A person who has renounced everything for the service of the Lord is called a sanny€si. Sanny€si means sat-ny€si. Sat means the supreme eternal, and ny€si means renounced. So a sanny€si is someone who has renounced everything for the sake of the Lord.
Lec BG 5.3-7 New York 66
3. There is another instance in Bengali poetry, grhe v€ vanete th€ke, sad€ gaur€nga bole d€ke, that “A man may be a householder or he may be in the renounced order in life. That doesn't matter. If he is attached to KŠa consciousness, he is the perfect man.” “So Arjuna is asking what is the difference between karma-yoga and sanny€sa. There is no difference. It is better if you become a karma-yogi, meaning you simply work for KŠa. Then you are better than a sanny€sa.” Because a sanny€sa is living at the expense of the society, but a man who is fully convinced that “Whatever I earn and whatever I do, it is all for KŠa,” he is the practical man.
Lec BG 4.39-5.3 New York 66
4. So s€nkhya-yogah pthag b€l€h pravadanti na pandit€h. There are different forms of spiritual realisation. “You are a Hindu? I am a Christian.” “Oh, you are Christian? I am Muhammadan.” These conceptions that “I am different from you,” are not for the learned. The learned one is seeking the Supreme Truth. You may search the Bible or the Bhagavad-git€, or go through the Koran, it doesn't matter. What is the aim of your life? If your aim of life is to understand the Absolute Truth, then there is no difference ... And yoga means direct connection with the Lord. In the darkness, you cannot see anything. If your room is closed and dark, you cannot see anything. But when you come into the sunlight, then you can see yourself and everything very clearly. So this word yoga means to come in direct touch with the absolute light or Absolute Truth. That is called yoga. So analytical study of this material world is not sufficient. Unless you come in direct touch with the Supreme Absolute Truth, this knowledge has no value. Lec BG 5.3-7 New York 66
So sanny€sas tu mah€-b€ho. If artificially I detach myself and renounce this world, then KŠa
says duhkham €ptum ayogatah. If there is no engagement, good engagement, better
engagement, then it is a cause of misery. It is very difficult. If a family man renounces the
family connection and does not make a better attachment, then he will feel that he was better
off in family life and that he has made a big mistake.” K Ša says, sanny€sas tu mah€-b€ho
duhkham €ptum ayogatah. Ayogatah means if we have no link with KŠa consciousness then
detachment will cause us great misery. Lec BG 5.7-14 New York 66
8-9. In this state, K Ša says, naiva kincit karomiti yukto manyeta tattva-vit. “I am not doing
anything.” A K Ša conscious person does not think that he is accomplishing a lot. Ask him is he going to a certain place even when it is already agreed that he's going. Ask him, “When are you going?” and he'll say “I do not know when I shall go, but when KŠa asks me or allows me to go, then I shall go.” I am saying this from my own practical experience of my Guru Mah€r€ja, my spiritual master. He would never say “I am going,” “I am doing,” but “If KŠa desires, then I shall do it.” “If KŠa desires, then I shall go.” He always depended on KŠa. This is called visuddh€tm€ ... Tattva-vit means one who knows the truth. The truth is that I shall only go when KŠa allows me to go. Lec BG 5.7-14 New York 66
10. The example is given here of the leaf of the lotus flower which although it is in the water has no connection with the water. Not a drop of water will stay there although it is in the huge mass of water. Waves are going over it and the water is always moving, but that particular leaf of the lotus flower has no connection with the water. Similarly with all upheavals of this material world, one who is K Ša conscious is oblivious to such disturbances. Visvam p™rnam sukh€yate. Visvam p™rnam sukh€yate. Everyone is afflicted but a man who is in KŠa consciousness will not be affected.
KŠa consciousness is the antiseptic. If there is an epidemic in the city, a person who has taken the vaccine will not be affected. Similarly this KŠa consciousness is the antiseptic method to free one from the contamination of this material world. So lipyate na sa p€pena. A KŠa conscious person is not affected by the contamination of this material world.
Lec BG 5.7-14 New York 66
13. The KŠa conscious person has decided, manas€, by the mind. Determination comes to the mind and his determination is manas€ €ste sukham vasi. He has decided to work only for KŠa consciousness, therefore his happiness is under his own control. He doesn't have to seek happiness externally, his happiness is controlled by himself ... Just like a rich man is sitting in his room and everything is happening. Similarly, the soul who is in pure consciousness, K Ša consciousness, is aloof from this material body and everything is happening by K Ša consciousness. Lec BG 5.7-14 New York 66
14(a) All your activities should be for K Ša's enjoyment, but if you act for your own sense gratification you'll be entangled by the results. K Ša is so kind that if you want to do something, first of all He forbids it. A thief may pray to God: “My dear Lord, give me an opportunity to steal this thing.” K Ša first of all forbids it. The thief insists. Then K Ša says, “All right. Do it.” But as soon as you do it, you become entangled. Why do you go against the will of K Ša? That is your entanglement. K Ša does not wish you to do it but if you are determined, K Ša will let you steal others' property and then you become entangled. That is not K Ša's responsibility, it is your responsibility. Suppose a high court judge rules that you should be condemned to death, you should be hanged. Does it mean the high court judge is your enemy and that he is hanging you? The judge is neither your enemy nor your friend. You broke the law and the law decrees that you should hang. The judge simply administers the law. Your best plan is to surrender to K Ša and act according to His instruction. That way you'll be happy, otherwise you'll be miserable. Lec BG 5.7-14 New York 66
15(a) Desire comes from us, but sanction comes from God. If you want to do business, you must hav sanction or license from the government. You cannot do it of your own will. Similarly, you can desire and propose, “God, I want to do this,” and God will sanction it. Those who are not K Ša conscious have many, many desires and K Ša says, “All right. You can have them.” To devotees, KŠa says “Give up all these trivial desires,” sarva-dharm€n parityajya m€m ekam: “Simply take Me,” but we refuse His offer. KŠa gives you the liberty to do whatever you like. It is your choice. Just like a father and his grown-up son. The father gives his son good advice, but the son disregards this advice and goes his own way. But without his father's sanction, the son cannot do anything. Similarly, without K Ša's sanction, you cannot do anything. But the proposal is yours. Therefore this maxim: “Man proposes, God disposes.” So God is not responsible for your actions. If you act according to the precepts of God, then He's responsible. And if you act against the will of God, then you are responsible.
Lec BG 7.1-3 London 71
20. Na prahrsyet priyam pr€pya. Suppose someone in the Brahman conception of life or in a life
of KŠa consciousness, suddenly receives hundreds of millions of dollars. One moment he is a
poor man, then suddenly he is wealthy. There was a case in Calcutta ... a groom and his master
bought some lottery tickets. The master did not win anything, but the groom won some ten
lakhs of rupees or some enormous sum. When his master told him he had won the lottery, he
had a heart attack and died. A devotee does not become too happy. He reckons, “By K Ša's
grace, I have this. Let me engage it in K Ša's service.” He has dedicated his life, he does not
claim anything, knowing that everything is K Ša's. So if something favourable is achieved, he
engages it in the service of the Lord. Na prahyet priyaˆ pr€pya ... That is his happiness.
Lec BG 14-22 New York 66
21. Those who are on the material plane seek to gratify the senses. Tthe highest level of sense gratification in the material world is sexual activity. One who is situated in Brahman has no connection with external things and enjoyment of the senses, b€hya-sparsa. Sparsa means touch, and b€hya means external. He is not interested in such happiness but is detached from it. Vindaty €tmani yat sukham: His pleasure is from within himself. That is real happiness. We chant Hare KŠa Hare KŠa KŠa KŠa Hare Hare, Hare R€ma Hare R€ma R€ma R€ma Hare Hare. This r€ma means unlimited enjoyment in real happiness ... €tmani means with the soul, with the Supersoul and the relation between the soul and the Supersoul. That is called €tm€. That is called r€sa dance. You have heard about KŠa's r€sa dance. This is true happiness. On the spiritual platform happiness is fully realised. So sa brahma-yoga-yukt€tm€ sukham akayam anute. Akayam means it does not pass away. Here in the material world all happiness, this so-called happiness, is flickering. It comes and goes. One who is transcendentally situated does not look for happiness or distress because he knows it has appeared and it will go, so there is no need to be disturbed in distress. It is like snowfall in your country. We are expecting snow. Last year there was snow. It has melted away and will come again this winter. Anything of this world will come and go, and we should not be disturbed by it. In the Bhagavad-git€, Lord KŠa advised Arjuna that m€tr€-spars€s tu kaunteya ... Lec BG 14.22 New York 66
22. Ye hi samsparsaj€ bhog€h. Enjoyment which is derived from the senses brings misery. Duhkha-yonayah means that in future I'll have to suffer for that. Therefore sense control is essential ... Material happiness is derived from the senses, and it is clearly stated here that duhkha-yonayah: “They are the mother of all miseries.” Lec BG 5.14-22 New York 66
23. The yoga practice means one should be tolerant. According to their practice, they enter deep water in winter and meditate. In scorching heat, they sit down in the midst of fires and meditate. These are the processes to learn tolerance.
Fortunately we do not have to do these things. Instead we can chant in a nice room like this with statues of Jagann€tha, and derive a thousand times greater benefit than can be obtained from those practices. It would be very difficult for most people to imitate those practices. It may be possible for one or two persons, but it cannot be practised on a mass scale. But this practice of self-realisation can be practised by anyone, even by the children.
Lec BG 5.17-24 Los Angeles 69
23. Suppose a man is suffering from some disease, and the doctor tells him to avoid solid food. Because he is accustomed to eating solid food, he wants to eat solid food. However, if he can obey the doctor, he will be cured very easily. Similarly, sense perception, sense pleasure, is reserved for us in our spiritual life. That is actual sense pleasure. Here we are having sense pleasure artificially through this body. We have to avoid sense pleasure as much as possible ... K Ša advises us to tolerate the urge of sense pleasure and we have to order our life so that we can tolerate. That will give us advancement in spiritual life and when we are achieve the spiritual plane, the enjoyment is unending and unlimited. Lec BG 5.22-29 New York 66
25. Ksina-kalmas€h, one who is able to reduce the reaction of all sinful life by practising sense control. Just like a diseased person. By obedience to the doctor and by controlling himself the suffering from the disease is reduced. Similarly, we have to reduce the temperature. We think that by increasing the temperature we shall be happy. We do not know that by increasing the temperature we shall never be happy. We have to decrease the temperature. There is a nice story, I may have told you it before, of a rich householder whose wife and maidservant were both sick. The gentleman called a doctor, who treated both the patients. The doctor said, “Your wife has a temperature of 98º, it's not serious. But your maidservant has a temperature of 104º, so she should be taken care of.” The housewife became angry and told the doctor, “I am the head of the family. I have a temperature of only 98º ` and my maidservant has a temperature of 104º? You are not a doctor!” From 104º we want to go higher, and at 104º death will come. Modern civilisation is raising the temperature. We have come to the point of 107º — atom bomb. We are prepared to kill ourselves. This increasing of the temperature of material enjoyment will never make us happy. We have to decrease the temperature. We have to come to the point of 97º, not 107º. Lec BG 5.22-29 New York 66
25. “ ... whose mind is engaged within, who is always busy working for the welfare of all sentient beings.” This chanting of Hare K Ša, it is welfare work for all sentient beings, even the worms, the microbes, the cockroaches. So many living entities are in this room and by hearing this vibration of Hare K Ša mantra they will be also derive benefit. That is described in Caitanya-carit€mrta. When Lord Caitanya questioned Harid€sa Th€kura about the efficacy of chanting, how did he describe it? You will find it in the Teachings of Lord Caitanya. It is a fact. If you are chanting in this room and nobody is coming to participate in the kirtana, don't be disappointed. There are many germs, worms and cockroaches within this room and they are being benefitted. You cannot find any place without any living entities. Find just one hole and you will see hundreds of ants. So living entities are in the air, in the water, in the holes, everywhere. And the vibration of this sound is so powerful because it is spiritual that it will act even on the ants and the trees and birds and the bees, what to speak of human beings. So those who are chanting and those who are always busy working, are benefitting all creatures around them.
What is the business of these K Ša conscious students? They are busy chanting Hare K Ša, in distributing knowledge in K Ša consciousness. Therefore they are doing the best welfare work in the world. Other welfare work will be finished as soon as this body is finished. But these welfare activities will not be finished. If one hears one day, one minute, one second, this vibration of chanting, it will act someday. Therefore this is the best welfare activity in the human society. Lec BG 5.17-24 Los Angeles 69
26. After beholding the beautiful form of the Lord, the Kum€ras declared, "O Lord, we have committed a great offence by cursing your servants. Let us be born in Hell for this grievous sin but we pray that our hearts and minds be always engaged in the service of Your lotus feet, our words be made beautiful by speaking of Your activities just as tulasi leaves are beautified when offered to Your lotus feet, and our ears be always filled with the chanting of Your transcendental qualities." SB 3.15.49
(This prayer reveals how the hearts of the Kum€ras had changed and heralds a significant difference between the jñ€n… and the bhakta. As jñ€nis, the Kum€ras had become angry simply because their movements had been checked but having attained bhakti, they are prepared to tolerate the sufferings of hell provided they can hear and chant about the Lord).
27-28. This yoga practice means withdrawing the senses from the sense object. The bhakti-yoga process means not wanting to be affected by the beauty of woman or man, and instead holding in my mind a vision of the beauty of K Ša. In this way my desires to see a beautiful man or woman diminish even without closing my eyes. If the mind is concentrated on the beauty of K Ša I can see beautiful girls as K Ša's gopis. That is another vision. So if I close my eyes and if some beautiful girl is in my imagination, what is the use of closing my eyes?
By force you cannot control the senses. There are many examples where even great yogis have failed. Real sense control lies in purifying the senses in the activities of K Ša consciousness. Lec BG 5.26-29 New York 66
29. A saintly person simply depends on K Ša. Why? If K Ša is supplying food to the animals from the elephant to the ant, why not to me? I am engaged in His service. Is He so ungrateful? If you render some service he rewards you. So if you are engaged in K Ša's service do you think you will starve? You cannot starve. He is well-wisher of all living entities, even for you. We must have confidence in K Ša. If He is a well-wisher for everyone and I am engaged in His service, is He not my well-wisher? So we should simply depend on K Ša. We should simply exert our energies in the service of K Ša and everything will be all right. This is surrender, this is confidence. K Ša will supply everything. Let me engage in His service and attain peace from the pangs of material miseries. Those who are not confident of K Ša's protection are in constant anxiety over food, accommodation, occupation and so on.
Therefore the other day I cited the verse from Y€mun€c€rya. Bhavantam evam ciram nirantaram pras€ntam nihsesa gato rathan(?) ... Just like the child in the lap of the mother is confident that “My comfort, my food, my dress, everything is taken care of. My mother is there.” Not only human beings, but even cats and dogs have confidence that the mother will take care of them. Young people, on reaching maturity, seek independence away from their parents. Actually we are all dependent on K Ša. He is the supplier. He gives us food, everything. So we must have confidence in Him. Lec BG 5.26-29 New York 66
Chapter 6
1. But K Ša prescribes that an€sritah karma-phalam, “One who works without any expectation of result or reward.” Then why does he work? K€ryam. “It is my duty ... There are two kinds of duty in life. One is to serve the illusion and the other is to serve the reality. When you serve reality, that is called real sanny€sa. And when we serve the illusion, that is called m€y€.
Lec BG 6.1-4 New York 66
1. Meditation means to stop all mundane occupation. Those who are advanced in KŠa consciousness have to work for KŠa. Just like an upset child. The mother says, “My dear child, sit down here.” And if the mother can keep him occupied doing various things, the child will be content. The whole Bhagavad-git€ is action. “Fight for Me.” There are no “don'ts.” K Ša consciousness does not mean sitting idly. We can think of K Ša's pastimes, how they are full of activities. In the spiritual world K Ša is always dancing. You have twenty-four hours to dance and to eat, and no time to sit around. There is no question of sitting down. Have you ever heard about the gopis meditating or sitting down? Can you imagine it? Or even Lord Caitanya Mah€prabhu? Lec BG 6.1 Los Angeles 69
3. Bhaktivinoda Thakura states that the path of yoga is full of obstacles. He explains the pitfalls of each level. At the time of practising yama-niyama the fruit of religiosity is awakened and upon achieving this insignificant result, one may become known as religious minded and forget the attempt to achieve prema. During the long period required to practise asana and pranayama, one's longevity increases and he becomes free from disease. One can become enamoured by this side effect and forget the real goal of life. Although the process of pratyahara awards one sense control, if prema is not achieved, then the result is like dry renunciation which makes the heart hard like a stone. During dhyana, dharana and samadhi, material thoughts are removed but if prema is not reached, there is the danger that the living entity will lose his identity. Thus the ultimate goal of yoga is excellent, but the path is full of difficulties. Prem-pradipa
3. K Ša is asking Arjuna, tasm€d yogi bhav€rjuna. “My dear Arjuna, become a yogi.” But at the same time, He's asking him to fight. Now we know the yogi sits down at a place and meditates and concentrates his mind and controls his senses. How can he fight at the same time? This is the mystery of Bhagavad-git€. You can remain a fighting man and at the same time be the highest yogi or highest sanny€si. In KŠa consciousness you have to fight for KŠa. If you fight for KŠa, if you work for KŠa, if you eat for KŠa, if you sleep for KŠa, if you do everything for KŠa, then you are a yogi, you are a sanny€si, and you are everything.
Lec BG 6.1-4 New York 66
5. The mind is the driver, the body is the chariot or car. If you ask your driver to take you to the K Ša consciousness temple, the driver will take you there. If you ask your driver to take you to a liquor house, he will drive you there. The driver's business is to drive you wherever you like. Similarly your mind is the driver, and if the driver takes your licence then he will take you wherever he likes. Then you're finished. Then your driver is your enemy. But if your driver acts on your order, then he's your friend. So actually the yoga system means to control the mind in such a way that he will act as your friend, not as your enemy ... “Nobody is nobody's friend, nobody is nobody's enemy. But it is only the behaviour by which one can understand who is his friend and who is his enemy.” ... similarly, I have to deal with my self. I have to get my self out of the entanglement of this material nature. If I act in that way, then I am my friend. But even after getting this opportunity, if I do not act in that way, then I am my own enemy. Lec BG 6.2-5 Los Angeles 69
5. Our thoughts are always changing, that is the nature of the mind, so you cannot expect that even the great saintly persons are free from thoughts coming and going. But after thinking there is feeling and willing, willing being the stage of putting the thoughts into action. So if we are able to employ our intelligence, then we can kill the thoughts before they become manifest in activity, but because we are so much inclined to enjoying something intelligently, we have to sharpen our intelligence by reading and discussing and preaching to others. In this way we are able very easily to defeat all challengers to our philosophy and everything becomes very clear as it is revealed from different angles of vision. Letter 2.28.72
6. So we have to make good association if we want to make our mind a friend. If you want to make your mind a friend, then you have to associate with a s€dhu. Tasm€t satsu sajyeta buddhim€n. Buddhim€n means intelligent person. You must associate with a satsu. Satsu means those who are trying for self-realisation. They are called sat. Sat and asat. Asat means those who are trying for the temporary things ... And what is the result of good association? If we make good association, sant€h chindanti. Sant€h means the persons who are s€dhu, who are pious. They can cut off by their words our attachment for this material world ... KŠa is presenting His Bhagavad-git€ just to cut off. Sant€ eva hi chindanti uktibhih. Uktibhiƒ. Chindanti means cut. For cutting something we require a sharpened instrument. Here, to cut off the mind from attachment, requires sharpened ukti. Ukti means words ... Just as when a person cuts something there is no mercy, similarly when a s€dhu, or a saintly person, speaks to his student he does not show any mercy. He speaks the truth so that his mind may be cut off from unreal attachment. Lec BG 6.4-12 New York 66
8. So jñ€na-vijn€na-trpt€tm€. One should have not only theoretical knowledge, but practical knowledge as well. Simply understanding that I am not this body and doing all the nonsense of this body, is a mistake. One should have perfect knowledge and demonstrate it in practical ways. One who has perfect understanding that “I am not this body” will find that his bodily necessities will be reduced to the minimum ... There should be practical realisation and this is pras€nt€tm€. The mind is calm and quiet, no longer agitated by the attraction of this material encirclement.
Lec BG 6.4-12 New York 66
9. We have relationships within this world. Somebody is my very good well-wisher, somebody is my friend, and somebody is neither friend nor enemy. And somebody, madhyastha, mediator, and somebody actually doing some good ... when you are on the yoga-yukta, when you are in the platform of transcendence, these distinctions, this friend, enemy, s€dhu, saintly and sinful, will all disappear. No more ... We are just acting, disguised as father, mother, wife, children, friend, enemy. In a drama, each plays a part ... but off-stage we are all friends. On stage I may say, “Oh, you are my enemy. I shall kill you,” and so on. But when off-stage, we are friends. Similarly, in this material world, with this dress of the material body, we are playing on the stage of the material world as enemies, friends, father, mother, son. I cannot beget any son. It is not possible. I simply beget this body. Lec BG 6.4-12 New York 66
11-12. Caila means sitting place. You know yogis sit on a tiger or deerskin in a secluded place? This has some chemical effect. If you sit on tiger or deerskin, the reptiles and snakes won't disturb you. It has some physical effect. There are so many medicinal effects in so many things. We do not know all the reasons but God has created everything for our use. We do not know. Every plant, every herb is a medicine. It is meant for some particular disease, for some particular protection. Lec BG 6.4-12 New York 66
11-12(b) In India there are some very sacred places, and yogis go there and sit there alone as prescribed in the Bhagavad-git€ and meditate. Yoga-€sana cannot be executed in a public place. Now, as far as this kirtana is concerned ... Just like we have performed just now kirtana, this is called sankirtana. Sankirtana means: bahubhir militv€ kirtayati iti sankirtanam. When many people sit down together ... When Lord Caitanya was performing this kirtana ceremony five hundred years ago, He had sixteen persons in each group taking part in kirtana, and thousands and thousands of people were singing with them. Now, this participation in the kirtana is very easily possible. But so far the yoga system is concerned, it requires a very secluded, sacred place.
Lec BG 6.11-21 New York 66
11-12(b) So many so-called meditators might as well be asleep (makes snoring sound). I've seen them. As soon as you close your eyes it is natural to feel sleepy. The correct process will help your mind to be unagitated, subdued and devoid of fear. Generally the yogis used to practice in the jungle and wondered if a tiger or snake or some other wild animal is coming. It is especially stated, “devoid of fear.” Devoid of fear and also completely free from sex life. You see, if you indulge in sex life you cannot control your mind at all. That is the effect of brahmac€ri life. If you remain a brahmac€ri without sex life, then you can be determined. Lec BG 6.11-21 New York 66
16. Material civilisation is like fever. The temperature should be ninety-eight degrees. If it falls below ninety-eight degrees or rises above ninety-eight degrees, that is not good. Similarly, our programme is not to increase to the death point, neither to decrease it to the death point. Yukt€h€ra-vih€rasya. We don't say, “Don't eat.” Eat, but don't eat more or don't eat less. That is our programme. We don't prohibit anything. We don't say, “No sex life” but regulated sex life. Lec SB 1.1.3 London 71
17. (How to keep physical and mental balance):
Srila Prabhupada's daily schedule: 1:30a.m. wake up and translate books; 3:00-5:00 japa; 5:30 morning walk, 2 miles, 1½ hours; 7:00 morning programme, breakfast; 9-00-11:30 management ISKCON: 11:30 massage, bath; 1:00 lunch; 2:00 rest 4:00 juice (eats only twice a day and sometimes at night); 5:00 guests or lecture; 10:00-11:00 rest after leg massage. ISKCON in '70s
17. After one lecture, one devotee child asked ®rila Prabupada this question: Swamiji? You said that if you eat too much you will pay. But how about the devotee? How about when they eat too much prasadam?
®rila Prabhupada: You want to eat more?
Young boy: I just want to know how.
®rila Prabhupada: You think you are eating more? So you can eat more. It is medical advice that there are two kinds of mistakes in eating. Over-eating and under-eating. So under-eating for an old man is very good. And over-eating for boys is good. So you can overeat. I cannot.
Young boy: How about Tamala and Vi Šujana?
®rila Prabhupada: They cannot. You can. You can eat as much as you like. Free pass.
Lec BG 6.46-7 Los Angeles 69
19. A yogi should meditate on the most benevolent smile of Lord ®ri Hari, a smile which, for all those who bow to Him, dries away the ocean of tears caused by intense grief. He should also meditate on His arched eyebrows, which are manifested by His internal potency in order to charm the sex god for the good of the sages.
Purport: It is stated in this verse that the charming eyebrows of the Lord are so fascinating that they cause one to forget the charms of sense attraction. The conditioned souls are shackled to material existence because they are captivated by the charms of sense gratification, especially sex life. The charming brows of the Personality of Godhead protect the sages and devotees from being charmed by material lust and sex attraction. SB 3.28.32
20-23(b) Every one of us is searching for happiness, but we do not know what real happiness is. Real happiness is described by Lord ®ri K Ša to Arjuna. We feel happiness through our senses. Inanimate things cannot feel happiness or distress. Developed consciousness feels happiness and distress more than undeveloped consciousness.
The trees also have consciousness, but not developed consciousness. Trees are standing on the roadside, but they have no sense of feeling the miseries. Now, suppose a human being is asked to stand like a tree for at least three days. It will be impossible for him because he cannot tolerate this sort of misery. Therefore the conclusion is that every living entity feels pleasure and happiness according to the developed consciousness of his being. Similarly, the happiness which we are feeling now in the material mixture is not real happiness. If you ask a tree, “Are you feeling happy?” the tree will say, “Yes. I am feeling happy standing here the whole year, and the wind and snowfall I enjoy very much.” So that sort of happiness the tree may enjoy, but you are a human being and you cannot endure this level of enjoyment.” ... But the highest standard of happiness is described here, sukham €tyantikam yat tad buddhi-gr€hyam atindriyam. Buddhi-gr€hyam atindriyam. Buddhi means intelligence. One has to be intelligent. If you want to enjoy life, then you must use your intellgence. The animals do not have human intelligence, therefore they cannot enjoy life as a human being can. So here, in the Bhagavad-git€, it is said that buddhi-gr€hyam atindriyam.
Atindriyam. Take the example of a dead man. The senses, the hands, the nose, the sense organs and everything are there, but now he cannot enjoy them. The dead body cannot enjoy anything. Enjoyment requires intelligence. That means that the enjoying energy, the spiritual spark, has gone away and it has no power to enjoy. The dead body cannot enjoy anything. If a man is offered a dead body of a beautiful woman, will he accept? Or a woman is offered the dead body of a beautiful man, will she accept? No. Because that enjoying spark is no longer there. That requires intelligence. The spirit can enjoy, but not this body.
The whole process is to concentrate upon the ViŠu-m™rti, the ViŠu form, within the heart. And unless there is pleasure, there is no enjoyment, what is the use of controlling the senses and focusing the mind on the Supreme Supersoul within the heart? What sort of pleasure is this? That pleasure is ananta. Ananta means endless. Yoginah. Yoginah. Ramante yoginah anante. Anante means that pleasure is not endless. Why has it not ended? The living spirit is eternal, the Lord is eternal, and their exchange of loving feelings are also eternal. So one who is intelligent should refrain from sensual enjoyment of this material body which is flickering and temporary and should seek the eternal enjoyment of spiritual life. That is called r€sa-lil€. You have heard about Lord KŠa's r€sa-lil€. That is not an ordinary exchange of the feelings of this material body, but an exchange of feelings of the spiritual body.
Gurun€pi duhkhena na vic€lyate. He is not disturbed. Here is a story from my personal life. In 1942 there was heavy bombing in Calcutta. Following one or two air raids, all the population was vacated. Calcutta was a deserted city. Somehow or other I had to remain in the city and on 12 December, 1942, I remember there was heavy bombing. But fortunately, we stayed perplexed(?) Someone thought it was fireworks “So let us enjoy.” So what can be done? There are many dangers in our life because life is full of danger. Because we are foolish, we are trying to change these things. That is our foolishness.
Just like in a railway carriage. If you are travelling in a crowded train, instead of trying to change the situation, just tolerate it for a few hours until you reach your destination. Similarly, we may have many dangerous events in this material life, but if we are preparing ourselves for going back to K Ša in K Ša consciousness, then these things will not upset us. Let them happen. €gam€p€yinah anity€s t€ms titiksasva bh€rata. They will come and go. Let them. The bombing was not for ever but for few hours or few days. We have to adjust and it is very difficult to adjust. But one who is situated in KŠa consciousness is not disturbed. Lec BG 6.21-27 New York 66
24. In a letter ®rila Prabhupada says: "Good things do not come so easily. You know the difficulties that I encountered in my first years in your country. Sometimes I did not even know where I was to live, neither when I came did I have any friends. But I was always determined that somehow I would do everything possible to fulfil the desire of my Guru Maharaj, and despite all difficulties I always remained enthusiastic.
25. A K Ša conscious person should not sit idly thinking that such a nice philosophy of life should not be distributed. It is his mission to preach. A yogi may be satisfied with his own elevation, sitting in a secluded place, practising yoga, elevating himself to transcendental life, and that is his personal concern. But a devotee is not satisfied simply elevating himself. We offer our respect to the Vaisnavas ... Therefore the preacher is the most dearest devotee of Lord. That is stated in the Bhagavad-git€. They are are preaching, they are meeting opposing elements. Sometimes they are defeated, sometimes disappointed, sometimes able to convince. Not every devotee is expert at convincing different people. There are three classes of devotees also. But the endeavour to preach K Ša consciousness is the best service to the Lord. Because they are trying, despite opposition, to elevate people to the highest standard of self-realisation.
Lec BG 6.25-29 Los Angeles 69
29(a) A true yogi, a true devotee, observes Me in all beings. Just like these devotees are going to preach K Ša consciousness outside. Why? They see K Ša in all beings. How? Because they see that all beings are part and parcel of K Ša. They have forgotten K Ša. So let us awaken them to K Ša consciousness. Everyone should know that he's part and parcel of K Ša. Forgetting this consciousness he suffers. That is to see K Ša in everything.
Not that everything has become K Ša. Don't see like it that or you'll be mistaken. If I see that this boy is the son of such and such gentleman then I see such and such gentleman in this boy. Is it clear? If I see every living being as the son of God or K Ša, then that means I see God in all beings. Do you understand?
Vi Šujana: Is this an association or this a vision?
Prabhupada: No, this is a fact. It is not an association or vision, this is a fact. When you see a cat, when you see a dog, you see K Ša in him because you know that this cat is a living being. By his past deeds he has the body of a cat. So let me help this cat, give it some K Ša prasada so that some day he will come to K Ša consciousness. This is to see K Ša in him. We do not say, "Oh, here is K Ša, let me embrace this cat." This is nonsense. Here is a tiger, "Oh, here is K Ša, come on, please eat me." This is rascaldom. You should have sympathy with every living being because he is part and parcel of K Ša. Vanca kalpa tarubhyas ca krpa sindhubhya eva ca. Not that we shall embrace him saying, "Come on K Ša" but "the true yogi observes Me in all beings." This is proper seeing.
Not that everyone is K Ša. Don't make this mistake. K Ša is all-pervading. He is in every human being. He is also therein the atom. Adantarastham paramanu cayantarastham. You'll find in the Brahma-samhita. Paramanu means atom. So he's also there within the atom. Why not every living being? You should have that knowledge. So "the true yogi observes Me in all beings, and also sees every being in Me." How "in Me"? Because everything you see is K Ša. You are sitting on this floor so you are sitting on K Ša. You are sitting on this carpet, you are sitting on K Ša. You should know it. How is this carpet K Ša? Because the carpet is made of K Ša's energy. To see every being, to see everything, in relationship with K Ša means you see K Ša everywhere. Lec BG 6.25-29 Los Angeles 69
30. If you practise your life in this way, always thinking of K Ša, then at the time of death you are sure to go to K Ša. K Ša promises, "My dear Arjuna, My pure devotee is never lost to Me." Don't be lost to K Ša. That is perfection of life. Simply don't be lost to K Ša. You can forget all things, but don't forget K Ša. Then you have real riches.
Purport. "The person in K Ša consciousness certainly sees Lord K Ša everywhere and he sees everything in K Ša. Such a person may appear to see all separate manifestations within the material nature. But in each and every instance, he is conscious of K Ša, knowing that everything is the manifestation of K Ša's energy."
Prabhupada: "Energy." Now, one who sees a tree, he's a philosopher, a K Ša conscious person is a philosopher. If he considers, "What is this tree?" he sees the tree has a material body just like I have a material body. He's a living entity, but due to his past misdeeds he has such an abominable body that he cannot even move. But his body is material and material means the material energy. Whose energy? K Ša's energy. Therefore the tree has a K Ša connection. And the tree, as a living entity, is part and parcel of K Ša. So in that way if you discuss philosophy, K Ša consciousness, you don't see the tree, you see K Ša. That is K Ša consciousness. You have to practise that. That is yoga practice. That is samadhi.
Devotee: Nothing can exist without K Ša and K Ša is the Lord of everything. This is the basic principle of K Ša consciousness. K Ša consciousness is the development of love of K Ša. A position transcendental even to material liberation."
Prabhupada: Yes. This consciousness, this studying of the tree as K Ša's energy, as part and parcel of K Ša, will help you to enhance your love for K Ša. Just like you love your child and he is not with you. You find his shoes and think "Oh, these are the shoes of my child." But you do not love the shoe, you love the child. Similarly as soon as you perceive the energy of K Ša manifested in a different way, you love that entity because you love K Ša. Therefore, if you love K Ša, then your all-embracing love is apparent. Otherwise it is useless and you do not have love. And if you don't love K Ša, then you reason "Here is my American brother, and the American cow is my food." But your reasoning is false. Both are living creations, both are part and parcels of K Ša. You cannot say you love one and yet you will eat the other. This is not an all-embracing love.
On the other hand, a K Ša conscious person sees a cow or a dog and knows they are part and parcel of K Ša, even though they have a different body. That does not mean they are not his brother, so how can he kill his brother? We we love K Ša, we will love all his creations without exception. There cannot be any love without K Ša consciousness.
Devotee: "It is the stage after self-realisation in which the devotee becomes one with K Ša in the sense that K Ša becomes everything for the devotee, and the devotee becomes full in loving K Ša. An intimate relationship between the Lord and the devotee then exists. In that stage there is no chance that the living entity will be annihilated (?) nor is the Personality of Godhead ever out of sight of the devotee."
Prabhupada: How can K Ša become out of sight? The devotee sees everything in K Ša and K Ša in everything so how can he lose sight of K Ša?
Devotee: "To merge in K Ša is spiritual annihilation. The devotee takes no such risk. It is stated in the Brahma-samhita: 'I worship the primeval Lord, Govinda, who is always seen by the devotee whose eyes are anointed with the pulp of love. He is seen in His eternal form of Syamasundara situated within the heart of the devotee.' At this stage, Lord K Ša never disappears from the sight of the devotee, nor does the devotee ever lose sight of the Lord. In the case of a yogi who sees the Lord as Paramatma within the heart, the same applies. Such a yogi turns into a pure devotee and cannot bear to live for a moment without seeing the Lord within himself."
Prabhupada: That's it! That's the process of seeing God. You must qualify yourself so that you can God every moment, everywhere. And this qualification is simple. That's not very difficult. Lec BG 6.30-34 Los Angeles 69
30. Why is it that KŠa cannot hear your sincere prayer? So, prem€njana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santah sadaiva hrdayesu vilokayanti. Across thousands and thousands of miles you send television pictures or radio soundwaves, similarly, if you prepare yourself, you can always see Govinda. It is not difficult. This is stated in Brahma-samhit€, prem€ñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena. You simply have to prepare your eyes and your mind in that way. It's like having a television set within your heart. This is the perfection of yoga. You do not have to purchase a television set. It is there, and God is also there. You can see, you can hear, you can talk, provided you have the set. You simply repair it and the repairing process is K Ša consciousness. You have all you need within you. For repairing you will need an expert mechanic, similarly, you require the help of an expert to ensure that your machine is working. Nobody can say that it is not possible. In the s€stra we hear also. S€dhu s€stra, guru v€kya, tinete kariya aikya. Spiritual realisation can be perfected by three parallel processes. S€dhu. S€dhu means saintly persons, who are realised souls, s€dhu. And s€stra. S€stra means scriptures, authoritative scriptures, Vedic scriptures, s€stra. S€dhu, s€stra, and guru, a spiritual master. These are three parallel lines, and if you place your car or vehicle on these three parallel lines, you and your car will go direct to KŠa. Lec Seattle 68
34. The mind is so agitated that to control it is as impossible as trying to stop a hurricane ... Just imagine Arjuna, five thousand years ago, he was able to understand Bhagavad-git€ from KŠa, his friend. Just imagine his qualification. He is a close friend of KŠa, and a great warrior. He has administrative ability and wide-ranging knowledge ... He was able to unerstand the Bhagavad-git€ within one hour... Do you think what was impossible for Arjuna five thousand years ago in such favourable circumstances is possible for you to comprehend? ... There is a Bengali proverb describing a wide, overflowing river. At that time there were no ferry boats so everyone had to cross the river either by small boat or by swimming. Generally the animals were allowed to swim over to the other bank and the men used small rowing boats. Now, there was very strong current and many horses were swept away by it. One lean horse came and asked, “Tell me how strong this river is.” Similarly, if what was impossible for Arjuna, such an advanced devotee in every respect, and a close friend of K Ša, yet even he considers that “K Ša, this process is not possible for me.”
Even from the history of the Mah€bh€rata, we don't find that Arjuna ever practised meditation of the yoga system. No, never. Still he was approved by KŠa, who told him “You are the only man to understand Bhagavad-git€, the only one.” Why? Bhakto 'si: “Because you are My devotee.” Priyo 'si: “You are My very dear friend.” So with such a commendation and such a favourable condition, still Arjuna refused. Lec BG 6.32-40 New York 66
37. Vi Šujana: How will it be possible, Prabhup€da, for a man whose mind is clouded to constantly chant Hare KŠa? A man who's always thinking thoughts about family, friends, country, nation?
Prabhup€da: Yes. How can we think mundane thoughts and at the same time chant. Two things are happening, and one will conquer. As m€y€ is working to drag you from KŠa consciousness, you can challenge m€y€ by chanting Hare KŠa. There is a constant struggle, and m€y€ is very strong. She will entice you to other paths. But if you perservere, if you chant loudly, you need not fear m€y€. Simply improve your chanting and you will be the conqueror. N€r€yana-par€h sarve na kutascana bibhyati. We are not afraid of m€y€ because KŠa is there. KŠa says, kaunteya pratij€nihi na me bhaktah pranasyati. Just declare, “My devotee will never be vanquished by m€y€.” M€y€ cannot do anything if we become strong. And what is that strength? Chant Hare KŠa Hare KŠa KŠa KŠa Hare Hare, loudly.
Lec BG 3.6-10 Los Angeles 68
44. He has got a taste from the previous life. So it appeals to him. P™rv€bhy€sena tenaiva hriyate hy avaso 'pi sah. Just as if somebody is urging, “Oh, you take this, take this.” Just like one who is sinful, he is also forced to go to the Bowery Street. Similarly, one who is pious in his life and has begun this spiritual path ... he is forced to cultivate and make progress because God is within ... And sarvasya c€ham hrdi sannivistah. He is seated in everyone's heart. Mattah smrtir jn€nam. He reminds us: “Yes. You forget.“ We are reminded and urged to begin again, to be perfect, and not to ignore this chance. K Ša is so kind. Smrtir jnanam. He gives us knowledge and remembrance. And if one wants to forget God, “ Yes, you may forget. You came to this earth because you wanted to.” But K Ša continues to give us the opportunity to return to Him. Lec BG 6.40-44 New York 66
47. When we speak of worship, there is motive. But when we speak of service, there is no motive. Service is love. Just as a mother renders service to her child without any motive. It is love only. Everyone can neglect that child, the mother cannot because of her love for her child. Similarly bhaj-dh€tu, where there is service, there is no motive. That is the perfection of K Ša consciousness ... We have the example of a staircase. You have to go to the highest floor which is, say, the hundredth. Perhaps someone is on the fiftieth floor, someone is on the thirtieth floor, someone is on the eightieth floor. If by reaching one of these levels, a person thinks, “This is it, I've arrived,” then he is not progressing. One must finish the course. That is the highest platform of yoga. The whole staircase can be called a yoga system, the connecting link. Don't be satisfied by keeping yourself on the fiftieth floor or eightieth floor. Go to the highest level, the hundredth floor. That is bhakti-yoga ... Now, if somebody is given the chance of taking the elevator instead of climbing the stairs, within a second he comes to the top. So if somebody says, “Why should I take advantage of the elevator? I shall climb step by step,” that's fine, but there is a better way. If you take this bhakti-yoga, immediately you take the elevator and within a second you are on the hundredth floor. This is the process, a direct process. You can go step by step, following all other yoga systems, or you can go directly and speedily. Lord Caitanya has taught that in this age, people are very shortlived. They are disturbed, they are full of anxiety and therefore by His grace, by His causeless mercy, He is giving you the lift to come immediately to the bhakti-yoga by chanting Hare K Ša.
Lec BG 6.46-47 Los Angeles 69
Chapter 7
Overview One should try to understand these chapters not by scholarship or mental speculation but by hearing them in association with devotees. Chapters Seven through Twelve are the essence of the Bhagavad-gita. Lec BG 8.28 Purport
Overview The first six and the last six chapters are like coverings for the middle six chapters, which are especially protected by the Lord. If one is fortunate enough to understand Bhagavad-gita - especially these middle chapters - in the association of devotees. then his life at once becomes glorified beyond all penances, sacrifices, charities, speculations, etc., for one can achieve all the results of these activities simply by K Ša consciousness. Lec BG 8.28 Purport
2. Then K Ša says that jn€nam te 'ham sa-vijn€nam idam vaksy€my asesatah. Now this knowledge of God is not a sentiment, it is a science. It is scientific. Nobody can deny it. We are not preaching any particular type of sentiment, or any frog's speculation. It is fact. How our relationship with the Supreme Lord can develop, how we are related to Him, these things are fact on philosophical basis. Therefore KŠa is assuring Arjuna that “What I'm saying to you is not a religious sentiment, but it is jn€nam.” Jn€nam means it is practical knowledge. Jn€nam. Jn€nam means theoretical knowledge, and vijn€nam means practical knowledge.
Lec BG 7.1 San Francisco 68
4. Bhinn€ means separated. An example is when I speak into the tape recorder. When you replay the tape recorder, you hear my voice. But it is not me, it is my separated energy. With my energy I have spoken, I have vibrated some sound and it is recorded on the tape. When it is played back, it produces exactly the same sound but it is separated from me. Try to understand. This material world is just like that, bhinn€, separate. Real life is in the spiritual world ... and these energies, the external energy, KŠa says, are separated. Separated means you cannot perceive KŠa directly from this energy. Lec BG 7.4 New Vndavana 74
4. Similarly, as the subtler form of elements develop into grosser forms, from sky to air, from air to fire, from fire to water, from water to land, the attachment to K Ša begins to develop from the sense of greatness. “God is great,” then “God is master,” then “God is friend,” and then “God is my son,” and then “God is my lover.” In the lover stage, all other elements are there. When you love somebody, there is a loving element, and there is a paternal element, there is a friendship element, there is a master and servant element, and there is a greatness element. Therefore, in the sense of loving God, all other elements are full. Therefore the full attachment to K Ša is to love Him as your lover. Lec BG 7.1 San Francisco 68
5(b). Arjuna is addressed as mah€-b€hu, the great warrior. Can you understand what is meant by “great warrior”? Whoever is acting under KŠa's direction is a great warrior. Just as Arjuna is fighting this battle, so when you take shelter of KŠa and fight against material opposing elements, sudras, you are also mah€-b€hu. You are fighting with persons who are not KŠa conscious. You are pushing on the KŠa consciousness movement by fighting. But this fighting is different. This was taught by Lord Caitanya Mah€prabhu. KŠa-varnam tvis€KŠam s€ngop€ng€stra-p€rsadam. Sa anga up€nga astra. Lec BG 7.4-5 Bombay 71
7(a) Pearl is round, and the innumerable universes are also round. Lec BG 7.7 Bombay 74
7(a) ... in the material sphere there are so many planets — Sun, Moon, Venus, Earth, so many millions and millions ... They are all resting on the Brahman effulgence. Yasya prabh€. Yasya prabh€ prabhavato jagad-anda-koti. Tad brahma niskalam anantam aesa-bh™tam govindam. The brahmajyoti is the bodily rays of KŠa. So everything is resting ... But from the Vedic literature we understand that KŠa in His ananta feature, Anantadeva, or Sesas€yi N€ga ...
The hoods are expanded, and all the planets are resting on His hood. It is so small, and the hood is very big ... So therefore the planets are resting not on the law of gravitation but on the head of K Ša in His form of Sesa. This is our Vedic conclusion.
Lec BG 7.7 New V ndavana 74
8. When a doctor gives you medicine and he gives directions to you “Drink this medicine, take the bottle and take two drops or five drops,” gradually you understand that by taking the medicine you are being cured, you are feeling well again. Similarly, a prescription is given by K Ša ... Actually it is meditation. When we meditate upon the taste of the water, it means we are meditating on KŠa. Similarly, KŠa says prabh€smi sasi-s™ryayoh: “I am the sunshine, moonshine.” So who has not seen the sunshine? If you have seen sunshine and if you follow this prescription given by KŠa, then early in the morning you'll see KŠa. Why do you say “I have not seen KŠa. KŠa is not present before Me”? Follow KŠa's instruction, and He will be present. He is present; we have to purify our eyes and senses to understand Him. Prem€njana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santah sadaiva hrdayesu. Suppose you have a beloved friend. When you hear the telephone, you ask, “Who is it?” “This is ... ” You immediately see your friend. Similarly, in this way, if you develop your dormant love of K Ša, you'll see K Ša in every moment.
Lec BG 7.7 Bombay 71
8. I am the taste of any liquid that attracts you. Even if you are a drunkard and fond of wine, I should recommend that you simply think that “This taste of wine is K Ša.” That will make a yogi of you. That will make you the greatest yogi. Simply repeat “I am tasting wine. Oh, very nice taste. This is K Ša.” Isn't that easy? That is K Ša consciousness.
Lec BG 7.1 Stockholm 73
9. The same manure, the same water, the same gardener, but different flowers have a different perfume. Therefore it is answered in the Bhagavad-git€ that nature is not all in all. Nature cannot work independently. There is control by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, KŠa. He rules that “Each kind of bija or seed will produce a particular kind of flower or flavour.” We fools cannot explain this. We ask “What is this nature? There must be intelligence behind nature. Otherwise how could a rose flower so beautifully?” Even from an artistic point of view, if you want to paint one flower it takes so much effort, so many colours, so many materials, and even then you cannot paint one lifelike rose. There is no comparison between the painting and the original flower. So to produce a third-class flower, you need so much effort; therefore can you say that a first-class flower has no intelligence behind it? That is not very good logic. Lec BG 7.9-10 Bombay 74
14(a). Guna means the three qualities: sattva-guna, rajo-guna, tamo-guna. Another meaning for guna is “rope”. If you take three ropes and braid them, these form a very strong rope. That is also guna-mayi. Lec BG 4.15 Bombay 74
15. Naradhama: Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura: Having become civilised human beings by practising devotional service for some time, they later decide that devotional practices are impractical for achieving their aims in life and thus whimsically discard devotional service. The symptom of their being adhama, or the most fallen, is their intentional rejection of devotional service. SUM
15. Asura: Baladeva Vidyabhusana: K Ša says, "In the same manner as asuras try to shoot arrows at My personal form, the source of all bliss, the Mayavadis attack My personal form, which is proven in sruti to be the eternal embodiment of living spirit. The Mayavadis thus try to destroy My personal form with their arguments." SUM
16. ... He is pious, he is distressed, and at the same time, he is foolish because he does not know that “God is with me, dwelling within my heart. The soul and the Supersoul, both of them sitting together. And God knows everything about me so I do not need to pray to God to get me out of this distress. He knows everything. When you pray, ask for surrender to God, pray to glorify God and know His greatness, but do not pray for selfish interests, for example, for food. A pure devotee does not pray to God for any personal interest. Even if he is distressed, he says, “O Lord, it is Your kindness. You have put me in distress just to rectify me. I should have many more trials, but You are giving me few. That is Your great mercy.” That is his vision. A pure devotee is not disturbed. A person who is in K Ša consciousness doesn't care for all this material distress, insult or honour, because he is aloof from it all. He knows very well that “This designation, this honour, or this insult, pertains to my body, but I am not this body.” Because he believed in the immortality of the soul, Socrates was condemned to death and he was asked to take hemlock. The judge asked: “Socrates, how do you want to be put into the grave?” He replied, “First of all, you catch me. Then you put me into the grave ... One who is completely conversant with K Ša science knows very well, “I am not this body. I am part and parcel of K Ša. My eternal relation is with K Ša.” Lec BG 7.15-18 New York 66
17. Without being elevated to the position of a jnani, one cannot stick to devotional service. A jnani has realsed that he is spirit soul and that K Ša is the supreme spirit. Therefore, he makes his relationship with K Ša and not with the body. NOD, Ch. 3, pp.31-32
18. K Ša says, "If one engages in My transcendental loving service, but at the same time wants the opulence of material enjoyment, he is very, very foolish. Since I am very intelligent, why should I give this fool material prosperity? Instead I shall induce him to take the nectar of the shelter of My lotus feet and make him forget illusory material enjoyment." CC Mad. 22.37-39
18. Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura: K Ša accepts the jnani as His own self. But the Lord considers His pure devotee greater than His own self: "My dear Uddhava, neither Lord Brahma, Lord ®iva, Lord Sankarsana, the goddess of fortune nor indeed My own self are as dear to Me as you are. (SB 11.14.15) SUM
19. Now, this research work about the science of God has to be carried out for several births. Bah™n€m janman€m ante — after many births. God realisation is very easy and at the same time, it is very difficult. Easy for those who accept it as truth and difficult for those who are trying to understand by knowledge alone, since they still have to find their faith after they finish their research work. That may take many, many births ... An intelligent man can do it immediately. If one understands that “Ultimately I will have to surrender to the Supreme Lord, and the Supreme Lord is here, personally speaking Bhagavad-git€, so why not surrender immediately? If ultimately, after many, many births, I have to come to this point and surrender, why should I put myself to such difficulties for so many, many births? Why not surrender immediately?” If we take up this principle, this intelligence, then God can be realised in one second. But if you don't, then go on with your research work for many, many, many, many births. Lec BG 7.18 New York 66
20. Due to kama, lusty desires, intelligence is lost. Also in BG 2.62-63 it is shown how kama, lust, leads to loss of intelligence. Lec BG 2.62-63
20. How demigods relate to devotees: Devotees whose tongues are decorated always with prayers to Lord KŠa are worshippable by the demigods. NOD, p. 83
24(a). The M€y€v€di philosophers do not accept KŠa or KŠa's lil€. They think it is m€y€. So there is no €nanda. Therefore they come down again. Punar m™siko bhava.
Nowadays it is very difficult to collect funds. If you say, “I am going to open a temple,” nobody will help. But if you say, “I am going to open a hospital,” they'll give you a donation.
So therefore we must have positive engagement. Simply negation, jagan mithy€ ... Why jagan mithy€? We don't say jagan mithy€. This building, this nice building, is it mithy€? It is not mithy€. It is perfectly true because here KŠa is being worshipped, the devotees are chanting ... This is life, this is truth. So why should I say “jagan mithy€”? You have to utilise jagat in such a way that it will become truth. That process is samsiddhir hari-tosanam. Here the only business is how to satisfy KŠa.
Lec SB 1.8.41 Mayapur 74
26. Defeats the theory of overpopulation: he knows the future. He knows how to provide for the future population. There is no question of overpopulation. The lower animals are never concerned about overpopulation. The leaders mismanage and then they give some theory of overpopulation. People are punished due to sinful activity. Therefore there must be scarcity. When people are put into jail it is not due to overpopulation, it is due to over-criminality. Similarly, whenever there is scarcity of food, it is not due to overpopulation, it is due to their over-criminality. Hari Sauri's Notes
27. Small m™dhas are working hard only to become happy, and the big m™dha wants to become God. The small m™dha wants to become a minister or a president, and the big m™dha wants to become God. The disease is the same: “I shall become the most powerful.” But that is not possible. Only KŠa is the most powerful. Lec BG 4.20 Bombay 74
28. God consciousness is not a cheap thing. Yes€m tv anta-gatam p€pam jan€n€m punya-karman€m. One who is completely free from all contamination of material modes, anta-gatam p€pam, sinful activities, can te dvandva-moha-nirmukt€ bhajante m€m, can stick to the principle of devotional service. Otherwise, if he's not free from the contamination of sinful life, he may make a show of devotion, but that is not actual devotion. Bhakty€bh€sa. That is called bhakty€bh€sa. Lec BG 2.32 London 73
Chapter 8
1. štm€ means this body, €tm€ means this self, €tm€ means the mind. But Arjuna is asking, “What is the real meaning of €tm€?” štm€ means the soul ... So KŠa is the Purusottama, uttama-purusa. The madhyama-purusa is the Supersoul, the link between KŠa and us. We are adhama-purusa. Lec BG 8.1 Geneva 74
5. This is the ultimate goal of KŠa consciousness, that anta-k€le, at the time of death, at the end of life, anta-k€le ca m€m, “unto Me,” anta-k€le ca m€m eva, “certainly,” smaran, you will remember KŠa.” Deity worship is especially meant for this purpose, so that you go on worshipping the Deity of R€dh€ and KŠa, and then you'll be able to think of R€dh€-KŠa always within your heart. This practice is needed. Lec BG 8.1 Geneva 74
6. How great devotees faced death: Pariksit Maharaja: Let the snake-bird bite me at once. I only desire that you all continue singing the deeds of Lord Vi Šu. SB 1.19.15
6(a). So this practice of K Ša consciousness is sad€ tad-bh€va-bh€vitah. If you always think of KŠa, naturally, you will think of KŠa at the time of death. And the result will be that in the next life you will get a body like KŠa. Lec BG 8.1 Geneva 74
6(b). The following is a letter written by a devotee on his deathbed to his friend taken from a lecture by SDG:
“I have to tell you about the place I'm staying in. It's a huge hospital like a factory. It is next to a soulless suburb. Some of the people are in horrible shape. At night people are screaming and crying. The jaws of karma are chewing them. Amazingly I am not losing my mind. I never felt so strong spiritually. Everyday I drink the nectar of SP's words in the Gita. This is the true remedy for all diseases in life.
This body has to go anyway. Anxiety is not necessary. Every living entity taking birth has to die. The issue is not to live and die. It is to know and realise who we really are. We have to concentrate our minds on K Ša, His beauty and develop a loving attraction for Him.
Of course, we have to serve His devotees when we can. This is what pleases Him the most. Never should we criticise someone engaged in His service, faulty or not. Mental offences as well as verbal bring down falldown and misery.
SDG: We pay more attention to someone on his deathbed. This is his last time to say things and there's no need to put up any pretense. There are lessons we should take to heart. This devotee did have some problems with making offences to other devotees.
"I beg you to consider all this and think about your life. I'm experiencing these trials for my benefit and for yours. Please be serious in your devotional life. Please make as much progress as you can while you are able to function as a normal human being. Read the Gita again. Take notes. Collect the verses that inspire you the most. Chant your heart out in front of the beautiful K Ša-Balarama and serve GuruMaharaja to the best of your ability. Then you'll be safe and peaceful all your life and at the time of your death and your mind will be fixed, as well as your destination. Don't lose a minute. There's no time to waste. The clock is ticking. Death is the most serious thing in your life. This is what we have to prepare ourselves for.
` Here people are trying to forget their anxieties by getting deeper into illusion. They watch TV on their deathbed. They do crosswords. They read mundane magazines like Inquirer or Globe. This is so sad. They listen to music and try to absorb themselves in material sound vibration, but it doesn't do any good. Their anxieties are limitless.
I had some period where I felt worried about my health, but I was never scared in a big way. It's not that I'm very courageous, it was just K Ša protecting me in the form of His holy name. In the worst times I chanted mentally the mahamantra over and over again and I felt secure. Either I would have died thinking of Hare K Ša or lived thinking of K Ša, so why worry?”
7(a). If he doesn't practise remembering K Ša while he is struggling for existence, then it will not be possible for him to remember K Ša at the time of death. Lord Caitanya also advises this. He says, kirtaniyah sad€ harih: one should practise chanting the names of the Lord always. The names of the Lord and the Lord are non-different. So Lord KŠa's instructions to Arjuna to “remember Me” and Lord Caitanya's injunction to “always chant the names of Lord KŠa” are the same instruction. There is no difference, because K Ša and K Ša's name are nondifferent. In the absolute status there is no difference between reference and referent. Therefore we have to practice remembering the Lord always, twenty-four hours a day, by chanting His names and molding our life's activities in such a way that we can remember Him always ... If a married woman is attached to another man, or if a man has an attachment for a woman other than his wife, then the attachment is to be considered very strong. One with such an attachment is always thinking of the loved one. The wife who is thinking of her lover is always thinking of meeting him, even while she is carrying out her household chores. In fact, she carries out her household work even more carefully so her husband will not suspect her attachment. Similarly, we should always remember the supreme lover, ®ri K Ša, and at the same time perform our material duties very nicely. A strong sense of love is required here.
Lec BG INTRO New York 66
8. If you think of KŠa twenty-four hours a day, you'll become fully KŠa conscious and your life will be successful. This requires a little practice, abhy€sa-yoga-yuktena cetas€ n€nya-g€min€. I should not allow my mind to think of any subject other than KŠa. We have so many books, so you must find time to read all these books or to chant. When you are hungry, you take pras€dam. When you are sleepy, you take a nap just to refresh yourself. Then keep on either chanting the beads or reading the books or talking about KŠa. In this way, you will always remain in KŠa consciousness. Lec SB 2.3.14-15 Los Angeles 72
Sarva-dv€r€ni means ... This system is called praty€h€ra. In the technical language of yogic system it is called praty€h€ra. Praty€h€ra means “just the opposite.” Now my eyes are engaged in seeing worldly beauty. I have to retract from enjoying that beauty, and must instead see inside the beauty. That is called praty€h€ra. Similarly, I have to hear the omk€ra sound from within. So all the senses are to be stopped in their external activities — that is the
perfection of yoga — and concentrate the mind on ViŠu-m™rti. Mano hrdi. The mind is very agitating, so it has to be fixed up on the heart. Mano hrdi-nirudhya. Nirudhya means just arresting the mind within the heart. M™rdhni, m™rdhny €dh€y€tmanah pr€nam €sthito yoga-dh€ran€m. And in this way, when we transfer the air-life on the top of our head, that is the perfection of yoga. And a perfect yogi fixes up where he shall go. There are innumerable planets, and beyond the planets, there are spiritual world ... Yoga, the actual translation of the word yoga means plus, just the opposite of minus. At the present moment we are minus God, or minus Supreme. So when we make ourself plus, connected, then our human form of life is perfect. So at the time of death we have to finish that perfection. So long as we are alive, we have to practise how to approach that point of perfection, and at the time of death, when we give up this material body, that perfection has to be realised. Lec BG 8.12-13 New York 66
13. Om is a combination of the letters a, u and m. "A" refers to K Ša; "u" indicates ®rimati Radharani, and "m" indicates the jivas. CC Adi 7.128
13. Chanting om is a transcendental but mechanical way of getting into trance ... Persons who are unable to realise the transcendental personal form or name of the Lord because of imperfect senses, are trained to the practice of self-realisation by this mechanical process of regulating the breathing and simultaneously repeating om within the mind. SB 2.1.17
14(b) For example, my residence is at Vrnd€vana. That is the place of KŠa, where KŠa advented Himself. So now I am in America, in your country. But that does not mean I'm out of Vrnd€vana, because if I think of KŠa always, it is as good as being in Vrnd€vana. I am in New York, in this apartment, but my consciousness is there in Vrnd€vana. KŠa consciousness means you already live with K Ša in His spiritual planet. You simply have to wait to give up this body. Lec BG 8.12-13 New York 66
21(b) ®rila Prabhupada was once asked while he was in Vrndavana: What is the difference between Goloka and this Vrndavana?
®rila Prabhupada: None, but your mind is in America. MW New V ndavana 74
21(b) ®rila Prabhupada to Govinda dasi: Preach while you are young. When you are old, retire to Vrndavana and chant Hare K Ša. But you cannot retire unless you have preached sufficiently. The mind will agitate. If you have preached, you can retire and chant Hare K Ša — so preach as much as possible. Srila Prabhupada Lila V
24. This verse refers to the jnana-yogi. When one leaves by this method, the fire-god takes him up to a certain point and hands him over to the next demigod, who turns him over to another. He passes through segment after segment of the universe until he reaches Brahman. SUM
Chapter 9
1(a) Guhya is positive. Guhyatara is comparative. And guhyatamam. So this brahma-jñ€na, Brahman, is guhya, is very confidential because if you achieve brahma-jñ€na, immediately you become the most important person within this material world. Brahma-bh™tah. Br€hmana ... Param€tm€ is KŠa, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, situated in everyone's heart. So that is guhyataram. Lec BG 9.1 New Vndavana 75
1(a) Jn€na, this most confidential knowledge, it is not sentiment. Vijn€na-sahitam. It is science. Just like in scientific knowledge you must know theoretically and practically ... But when you really surrender, that is practical science. That is practical. If you decide to surrender —that is called saran€gati — then you have to learn the science how to become surrendered. That is vijn€na. Jn€na means theoretical knowledge and vijn€na means practical knowledge. So we have to do it practically, not that “I have read Bhagavad-git€ and Bh€gavata. So I have become a devotee.” No. You should practically demonstrate in your life that you are actually devotee. That is called vijn€na-sahitam.
1(b) KŠa is very strict. But the devotees are very lenient. KŠa doesn't want to even speak with demons. But the devotees are so kind, they go to the demons and pray, “Kindly hear. Kindly hear about KŠa.”
KŠa says, “Don't speak this Bhagavad-git€ to the non-devotees,” because non-devotees will not accept. KŠa says, sarva-dharm€n parityajya m€m ekam saranam vr
aja. Who will accept unless he is a devotee? The M€y€v€di, karmi, jn€ni or yogi cannot accept. They are envious, “I am KŠa. I am God. Why should I surrender to KŠa? Why should I accept KŠa as God?” This is the position of the bhukti-mukti-siddhi-k€mi ...They cannot understand the science of KŠa. They cannot understand because K Ša does not disclose Himself to the non-devotees. But the devotees are so merciful, they go to the abhakta, transgressing the order of K Ša because they are so merciful: “All right, K Ša has rejected them. Let me try. Let me try.” This is the position of a bhakta. They are totally unenvious of God. Lec BG 9.1 New V ndavana 75
2 (b+c) Pratyaksa means directly. Avagamam dharmyam. If you are hungry and are given very nice, nutritious, palatable food, you don't have to take any advice from others. You'll understand yourself, “Yes, I am now feeling strong. I am now feeling energetic.” This is called pratyak€vagamaˆ dharmyam. Similarly, if you take to KŠa consciousness — that is the process — then you'll feel automatically how you are satisfied. Lec BG 9.1 Melbourne 76
3. There are two ways. One destination is to go back to home, back to Godhead. Another destination is to be involved in the cycle of birth and death. So this human form of life is the crossroads where you decide where you'll make your way. You are either going back home, back to Godhead, or you are going back to the cycle of birth and death, mrtyu-sams€ra-vartmani? Vartmani means path. You have to decide in this human form of life because you are not an animal. Lec BG 9.4 Melbourne 76
4. Electric power can be transmitted everywhere. An electrician can take electric power from anywhere and utilise it. Similarly, KŠa's energy is spread all over the universe. When we are transcendentally situated, just like the electrician, we can see God eye to eye. Prem€njana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena. That creation, spiritualisation of the senses, is possible by devotional service and love ... His energy is spread all over the universe, all over the world, and by His energy He can be present anywhere and everywhere simultaneously. The conclusion is: when His devotee is there, He can manifest Himself everywhere and anywhere, but when there is no devotee, He is not there, although His energy is there. There are many instances. Prahl€da Mah€r€ja saw KŠa from the pillar. Lec BG 9.4-7 New York 66
4(c). The pantheists think that “God is everywhere. Therefore there is no personal God.” No, that is foolish. He is everywhere, it is explained here. May€ tatam idam sarvam: “By Me” ... May€ means, “by me.” “By Me, or by My energy, I am expanded everywhere”... The other day, while coming here, we saw how within a second the sun rose from the sea. It seemed like that. Immediately, within a second, the whole world became illuminated. So ... what is this illumination? It is the expansion of the sunshine. But because the expansion is there it does not mean the sun globe is finished. BG 9.4 Melbourne 76
4(c). Although so many units emanate from Him, He remains the complete balance.
ISO (Invocation)
5. After explaining in verse four that all beings rest in Him, in verse five K Ša says the opposite, that they do not rest in Him. This contradictory language is meant to show that He is personally aloof from the workings of the universes, and that such functions are carried out by His energies. SUM
6. Although all living entities are within K Ša, are dependent on K Ša and are supported by K Ša, they nevertheless act independently. How can one who is completely dependent act independently? This is an inconceivable feature of the relationship between the living entities and K Ša. SUM
8. We are completely under the grip of the stringent laws of material nature, and we are repeatedly put into these stringent laws of material nature so that we may come into our consciousness that “Why are we suffering this repeated birth and death?” But we have become so dull and so accustomed to this habit because it has been continuing since time immemorial. We don't take it very seriously that we are dying and we are getting another body and we are suffering these miseries. Lec BG 9.7-10 New York 66
10. Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura: The governmental business of a king, like Ambarisa Maharaja, is carried out by his ministers, while the uninvolved king merely remains present. All the same, unless the king is present on his throne, the ministers are incapable of doing anything. In the same way, unless K Ša gives His support as the supervisor, material nature cannot do anything.
Maya means "by My”, adhi means "from above" and aksa means "eyes." Thus, mayadhyaksena means "under My eyes." Everything is done under KŠa's supervision.
SUM
11(b) M™dha rascals. To accept God as man and to accept man as God, this is rascaldom. We can understand who is an intelligent man and who is a rascal by this criterion. In another place KŠa says, na m€m duskrtino m™dh€h prapadyante nar€dham€h: “M™dh€h, rascals, they do not surrender unto Me.” KŠa is canvassing ... But the m™dhas will not accept it. Avaj€nanti m€m m™dh€h. “Why should I accept KŠa? I have made my own God.” So we have a very clear criterion to understand a rascal and an intelligent man. If he is a devotee of K Ša, then he is an intelligent man. If he is not, then he's a rascal ... “No, he does not accept K Ša as God, but he has many other gods.” Especially in our Hindu society, the M€y€v€da philosophers say that everyone is God. How everyone can be God? If everyone is God, then what is the significance of God? Lec BG 9.11 Calcutta 73
12. Mogh€s€. Mogh€s€ means that whatever they are aspiring to, whatever they are desiring, will be baffled ... Mogha means they are hoping to be very happy at a certain point, but that point never comes. Mogh€s€. This means mogh€s€. Because he does not know “what is the ultimate point of my satiation?” Na te viduh sv€rtha-gatim hi ViŠum dur€say€ ye bahir-artha-m€ninah. People are enamoured by the external beauty of this illusory material energy and cannot understand the aim and objective of life. Lec BG 9.11-14 New York 66
12. Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura: If one is practising astanga-yoga for liberation, or if one is practising karma-kanda rituals for material well-being, or if one is practising jnana-yoga for knowledge and Brahman realisation, all his aspirations will be crushed if he misunderstands K Ša's form to be material. SUM
12. Mogha-karm€nah. Mogha-karm€nah means fruitless, baffled. Whatever they do they will find it is frustrating. They are unhappy. Mahatma Gandhi was a great worker for national emancipation in India. In the end he was so disgusted at the attitude of his people, he used to cover his ears to block out the noise of the thousands of people who would gather and cry, “Mahatma Gandhi ki jaya. The poor man could not even sleep. As soon as there was a rumour that “Mahatma Gandhi is coming here,” at least five thousand people would gather and cry, “Mahatma Gandhi ki jaya.” At the last stage of his life he could not sleep due to this shouting. He was so disgusted that the very morning when he was assassinated he said to his secretary, “I am so disgusted, I wish to die.” His very words were published in the newspaper. Now see. Such a great worker, but still he was baffled. And what to speak of others. So mogha-karm€nah. Unless we become KŠa conscious, then all our activities will be frustrated.
Mogha-jn€n€h. Jn€na means research of knowledge, philosophical speculation ... Do some research work and find out whether or not KŠa is God. Then your research work will be worthwhile. But without any objective, what is the use of your research? It's like thousands of years of idle speculation. Lec BG 9.11-14 New York 66
13. Mah€tm€ means one who has enlarged his heart: “Oh, everything belongs to God, and I also belong to God.” He's mah€tm€. Mah€tm€nas tu m€m p€rtha: “My dear Arjuna, these mah€tm€s are not under the control of material nature.” One who thinks that “Everything belongs to God and I also belong to God, therefore the supreme proprietor is God and everything should be engaged in His service ... ” has the qualification of mah€tm€. Mah€tm€, is not a position or political leader. Don't think that you become mah€tm€ by votes, and then you become God. This practice is not accepted in the Bhagavad-git€. Mah€tm€ is described in the Bhagavad-gita as mah€tm€nas tu m€m p€rtha daivim prakrtim €srit€h: “He has taken the shelter of the superior, spiritual energy”...
This Vedic word is called aham brahm€smi: “I am Brahman.” Being puffed up and thinking “I am Brahman, I am God,” is another r€ksasim and is misleading. Here it is said that if you have become Brahman, you must show this in your activities, by being an example. Because you are spirit, you are not inactive. To become Brahman does not mean that I become inactive. In fact, I am more active because I am Brahman. Although I am contaminated with matter, I am still active. And when I am purified from matter, do you mean to say my activities stop? ... To become Brahman does not mean to become void. To become Brahman means having superior energy and with superior energy, we must display superior endeavour and superior authority. In the next line we read, bhajanty ananya-manasah: “One who has become mah€tm€ is fully engaged in the loving transcendental service of KŠa.”
Lec BG 9.11-14 New York 66
14(a) Bhajanti means “He's always engaged in My service.” That is mah€tm€. Laziness is not bhakti. There must be activity. If somebody says, “I'll chant sitting down. Who will notice? I'll doze and people will think I am chanting,” this kind of cheating will not do.
For those who are interested in KŠa consciousness, it is clearly stated that they should chant sixteen rounds every day. You are not Harid€sa Th€kura, you are not able to chant all day and all night; although it is a lofty ideal, it is something which at present you cannot do. Sixteen rounds of japa is the minimum requirement and that takes no more than two hours. That leaves twenty-two hours to spend in K Ša'service. That is required for progress in K Ša consciousness.
This is up€sate, the work is there for you. Just like Arjuna; fighting is his duty. That is also KŠa consciousness. Yudhyasva m€m anusmara. KŠa said “You chant ... You remember Me. At the same time, fight.” Yudhyasva mam anusmara. He did not say “Simply fight” or “Simply chant,” because in the material world that is not possible. Therefore we must chant and at the same time we have to work to continue this movement. The movement requires a lot of energy. Lec BG 16.4 Hawaii 75
15. Anye means others. They may not have been given much importance even though they have been accepted. The manifestation of the universe is also the manifestation of the energy of God. And the energy of God and God is nondifferent. Therefore one who takes the manifestation of the energy as God is not mistaken because there is nothing beyond God. If you think, “I am God,” yes, you are also God, because there is nothing beyond God.
Ahangrahop€sanam. If you think everything is God, that is also true. Because in the higher conception, there is nothing beyond God. Sarvam khalv idam brahma. Sarvam, everything. Lec BG 9.15-18 New York 66
17. Now He says, pit€ham asya jagatah: “I am the father of this material world.” How does He become the father? What is the definition of father? The father is one who gives the seed. Then He says, m€t€: “I am the mother also.” What is the definition of mother? Mother receives the seed from the father, and the child is born. Similarly, this material energy is the mother. We obtain this body from our mother. So this material covering is the mother. And I am a spiritual spark, the seed. I am part of the Supreme. The material energy is also the energy of the father, and as I am a spiritual spark, I am also a part of the Supreme. So He is my father and mother. Lec BG 9.15-18 New York 66
21. Students of the Vedas generally worship the demigods. If such persons worship K Ša through their worship of the demigods, they are properly situated. If they worship the demigods as independent deities, however, they are purified of the lower modes and attain the heavenly kingdom. SUM
21. Arjuna was allowed to enter into the heavenly planets in his own body simply by the grace of the Lord, otherwise it is not possible to do so. The present attempts to enter into the heavenly planets by the modern scientists will certainly prove futile because such scientists are not on the level of Arjuna. They are ordinary human beings, without any assets of sacrifice, charity or austerities. SB 1.15.12
21. There is a story of Mudgala who was given the opportunity of going to the heavenly planets in his same body. After hearing of the benefits and defects of life there, he refused to go and instead desired to go to the spiritual world, from which he would never again return.
Mahabharata, Vana Parva
22. Well, Mr. Materialist, you have to work very hard. But here the assurance from the Lord is that “Those who are unflinching and totally devoted to the transcendental service of Me, in return I take responsibility for their care and comfort.” Nity€bhiyukt€n€m yoga-ksemam vah€my aham.
Now, this sloka is very important for the devotees. There was a great devotee. His name was €nand€c€rya. (®rila Prabhupada tells the story of Arjunacarya)
Lec BG 9.20-22 New York 66
22. One may ask, "What kind of devotee would give his worshipful Deity, K Ša, such a burden?" However, K Ša does not consider maintaining His devotee a burden. He wants to serve His devotee. K Ša is so powerful that simply by exerting His will, He can create unlimited universes; maintaining His devotees is not a burden. Rather, it is His pleasure. SUM
23. Similarly, to worship demigods may be acceptable if people know that these demigods are authorised agents of the Supreme Lord. But those fools who do not accept the Supreme God and misunderstand that “This particular type of demigod is all powerful,” are behaving stupidly. They are in opposition to the Supreme Lord. That is avidhi-p™rvakam. Avidhi-p™rvakam. That is not allowed, for no-one can compete with the Supreme Lord.
Lec BG 9.23-24 New York 66
23. Someone once asked Prabhupada if he ever met King Indra.
®rila Prabhupada: So what is the use of meeting others? That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita. Kamais tais tair hrta-jnanah yajante anya-devatah. They go to other demigods for some benefit, their knowledge being lost, hrta-jnanah. If I want some favour in Japan and if I know the emperor, I will ask him for the favour. Why should I go to a subordinate even if he is a departmental manager? He may be very important in his department, but if I want a favour and if I know the emperor, I would ask him and he would immediately accede to my request.
I do not disrespect anyone in the government service but if I know the supreme person in the government, why should I go and beg from a subordinate? If I want something, I can ask the supreme.
Why should I rely on the demigods? K Ša knows my business is to spread glories of His holy name. I am directly in the service of K Ša, so whatever is needed, He will supply. A devotee does not need to meet demigods. I have all respect for them, but I do not need to meet them. They are all servants of K Ša. Ekala isvara K Ša ara saba bhrtya. Isvarah paramah ... He is the supreme controller. So why should Ie go to the subordinate controller? Is there any necessity?
There is no need. Why should I bother to meet the demigods? I know the Supreme, and the Supreme knows what I want without my asking. He will supply all that I need because I am engaged in His business. Why am I bothering so much in this old age? My only business is that people may be taught that K Ša is the supreme controller. That is my business, and I have no other business. I don't want anything from K Ša, from the demigods, or anyone else. My only business is as advised by Caitanya Mahaprabhu, yare dekha, tare kaha K Ša-upadesa. I am carrying the Bhagavad-gita As It Is and am trying to educate people in the real knowledge contained in it. This is my business. That means K Ša is the supreme. Isvarah param ... Lec BG 16.8 Tokyo 75
26(a) You must become a friend of K Ša. If you want to meet somebody important, then somehow or other, you have to make some connection with him. You have to introduce yourself in a friendly, loving manner. Then it is possible to make connection with great personalities. So if we want to transfer ourselves to that supreme planet, K Šaloka, then we have to learn how to love KŠa. How can one learn to love God? There are six kinds of reciprocation, six kinds of exchanges. Dad€ti. We have to serve God in that way. Therefore, if you want to serve Him, start with some offering. Patram puspam, anyone can offer a little flower, some fruit and a little water. So the Lord says, patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhakty€ prayacchati. The important thing is love. BG 9.24-26 New York 66
26(a) KŠa went to Duryodhana's house on a peace mission before the battle. Duryodhana offered a sumptuous feast but K Ša refused to accept it. K Ša said, "I'm not hungry and you're not offering out of love. This food is full of bad feelings. Therefore it cannot nourish the mind and body. Without any reason you are envious of the Pandavas. Anyone who envies the Pandavas envies Me and anyone who favours the Pandavas favours Me. The Pandavas are one with My life. One should not eat in the house of envious people, nor offer food to envious people,"
K Ša then went to Vidura's house. Vidura was in such ecstasy he was peeling bananas and offering the peel to K Ša and throwing away the bananas. K Ša relished that offering.
Mahabharata
26(a) Lord Caitanya used to drink from Sridhar's waterpot made of iron. It was full of repairs and dents and was used for many purposes. The Lord enjoyed drinking from this pot because He was drinking Sridhar's transcendental devotion to Him and so the common liquid water was immediately transformed into divine ambrosia. Thus the Lord taught that everything in relation to a pure devotee is transcendental. The Supreme Lord, on the other hand, ignores the valuable gem-studded waterpot of insolent materialists, but he accepts any offering from His surrendered devotees, irrespective of any rules and regulations for offering. If His devotee has little ordinary food then He forcibly takes it from him, as with Sudama Vipra. It has been seen that the Lord sells Himself to His devotees. When the Pandavas were banished to the forest, Lord K Ša relished a simple offering of leafy vegetables from Yudhisthira.
Caitanya Bhagavat Mad. 23
26(a) Just like Madana-mohana. He was talking with San€tana Gosv€mi, who at that time had no temple and was standing his Deity on a tree. Madhana-mohana said, “San€tana, you are bringing all these stale, dry chapatis and you don't even give Me a little salt. How can I eat?” San€tana Gosv€mi said, “Sir, where shall I go? Whatever I offer you, please kindly accept. I cannot move, I am an old man.” So KŠa ate the offered food. Because the bhakta is offering He will not refuse. Ye m€m bhakty€ prayacchati. The important thing is bhakti. What you can offer to KŠa when everything belongs to KŠa? What do you possess? What is your value? And what is the value of your things? It is nothing. Therefore the real thing is bhakty€, the real thing is your devotion. “KŠa, kindly take it. I have no qualification. I am most rotten, fallen, but I have brought this for you. Please take it.” This will be accepted. Don't be puffed up, always be careful. You are dealing with K Ša. That is my request. Thank you very much. Lec DI Los Angeles 69
26(b) There is a process of worshipping the river Ganges. After you take your bath, you stand up to your waist in the water and take little water from the Ganges and you offer it, saying “Mother Ganges, I am offering this respect.” This is the process. Now, suppose you take a handful of water from the Ganges. What is the loss to the Ganges? And if you offer a handful of water to the Ganges, where is the gain? So patram puspam phalam toyam, if you offer a flower, a fruit or a leaf to the Supreme, do you mean to say He gains something? Or if you take it from nature — and you take so many things — is He in loss? He has no gain or loss. It is for your interest. When God accepts, He says, “Yes ... Asn€mi: I eat”.
A member of the Arya-samajis asked me, “Swamiji, do you think God eats?” I said, “Yes. Because God says, `I eat.' So God says, `I eat'. Who are you to say that He does not eat?” I replied to him in this way: “You say that God does not eat, but here God says, `I eat.' So who shall I believe, a loafer like you, or K Ša. I am a third person, you are also a third person, and K Ša is recognised as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Who shall I believe? I accept that I am fool number one, but who shall I accept, you or K Ša? What are you? What is your position? You are an ordinary man. So when you say God does not eat, but God says, `I eat', who should I believe?” Lec BG 9.26-27 New York 66
26(c). If you want peace, then you have to accept that everything belongs to God and you may use it after offering it to Him. Accept that everything belongs to God and He has sent it for your subsistence. Offer everything to the Lord and then honour the Lord's pras€dam. This is KŠa consciousness. The Lord supplies everything. He will not eat whatever is given to you. It is for you to offer it to Him and acknowledge Him. Confide in Him and say, “Oh, God, You have given us such nice things to eat. Please accept my offering.”
For a small child everything is provided by the father, but while eating he offers small items to the father: “My dear father, it is very nice. You taste.” How very pleased the father will be. The father knows that the child is giving him his own food but when the child says, “Father, this is very nice. You eat,” the father replies, “It is very nice? All right, I shall eat it.” This is love. How can you offer your love? Patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhakty€ prayacchati, tad aham bhakty-uprthram asn€mi. And if God accepts your offering and eats, then what more do you want? He becomes your most intimate friend. Yam labdhv€ c€param l€bham manyate n€dhikam tatah. If you accept God as your intimate friend then you need nothing more. You'll be fulfilled. You'll tell yourself “I have got everything.” Lec BG 9.24-26 New York 66
The real fact is that we have lost our devotion to and faith in God. He is begging for your love and faith. Not your money. Because He is already opulent, and you have nothing. You come from the womb of your mother open-handed, and when you die you go open-handed. So what belongs to you? Nothing belongs to you. That's a fact. Simply by illusion, you come here for some days and you think, "This is mine." This is called m€y€. Actually, nothing belongs to you. Everything belongs to God, or KŠa. But you claim that it belongs to you. That is your m€y€. Therefore here it is said, m€nam jan€d aviduah karuno vrnite. Out of His causeless mercy He sometimes begs, "Give Me this." Just like sometimes a father asks his child, "My dear boy, will you kindly give me a little cake from your portion?" And if the child is very fond of him, he immediately gives. And sometimes he refuses, "No, I shall not give it." Similarly, K Ša is full. Why is He begging? He's begging your love. Whenever K Ša wants some service from you or begs something from you, it does not mean that He is in need of it. He is not in need of it. But He is in need of your love because you have forgotten how to love God, how to love KŠa.
There is a story that some sanny€si went to a householder, because a sanny€si begs from householders. They are not beggars, but they introduce themselves as such so that the householder may receive them and take some advantage of their knowledge. So the sanny€si went to a householder, and the housewife said, "Oh, this beggar is going from door to door. Give him some ashes." So the sanny€si replied, "All right. Give me some ashes. Just begin your charity.” So similarly, when K Ša asks, "Give Me a little flower, a little fruit, a little water," it does not mean that He is begging. He is just inducing you to the practice of offering everything that belongs to Him. Lec SB 7.9.11 Montreal 68
27. Niskama-karmis are attached to the specific work they perform. To them K Ša therefore says that whatever you are already doing, "do that as an offering to Me." First perform the activity and then surrender its fruit to K Ša. Bhakti is different. In bhakti, we first surrender to the order of guru and K Ša and then act. We make no distinction between the activity and its fruit. Everything is offered in surrender to K Ša's lotus feet. SUM
29(c). So this is the reciprocation of devotional service to the Lord. And if there is any devotee who is constantly engaged in such devotional service, God will never forget him. Tesu te mayi: “As he is always unto Me, similarly I am also unto him.” There is no question of disappointment. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya tr€yate mahato bhay€t. If you do a little service for the Lord, it is recorded in KŠa's notebook. Don't think that your labour is going in vain. Everything, whatever you do sincerely, is noted. It is clearly stated here, tesu te mayi: “As they are constantly thinking of Me, similarly I am also constantly thinking of them, how they can make further development, how they can come to Me very quickly, how they can be free from all contamination ... ” He will give you intelligence.
Lec BG 9.27-29 New York 66
30(b). This is a story of how habit becomes second nature. There was a thief who went on a pilgrimage with some friends. One night, when his friends were sleeping (and because his habit was to steal at night), he got up and began to steal from someone's bag, at the same time thinking, “I have come to this holy place of pilgrimage yet I am still committing theft out of habit. I shall stop.” But still he took someone's bag and hid it. All night the poor fellow did this. However, his conscience then got the better of him and in the morning when his friends got up and could not find their bags, the thief owned up and confessed, “My dear gentlemen, I am a thief, and because I usually steal at night, I wanted to steal your bags; then I thought `I have come to this holy place. I shall not steal,' so I switched your bags around. Please forgive me.” He does not want to commit theft, but he has the habit of stealing. Although he has decided not to commit theft anymore, because of his habit sometimes he still does. Therefore K Ša says, “In that condition, one who has decided to stop all bad or immoral habits and progress in K Ša consciousness and then by chance does something which is immoral in the face of the society, that should not be taken account of. Lec BG 4.7-9 New York 66
31(b). Kaunteya pratij€nihi. Pratij€nihi: “My dear Arjuna, you can declare this to the world.” Why is K Ša not speaking? K Ša is speaking through His devotee because He has promised that “I shall protect My devotee.” Because K Ša is God, He can violate His own promise. But He wants to protect His devotee, therefore He declares through His devotee that the promise will be kept.
I will give you an example of how K Ša sometimes breaks His promise. When He joined Arjuna at Kuruksetra, K Ša promised “Because the fight is between your brothers, it is not My duty to take sides ... Because both of you are My relatives, it is not My duty to join one party and not to join another. But because I have divided Myself — Myself one side and My soldiers the other — and Duryodhana has decided to take My soldiers, not Me, I shall join you. But I shall not fight. I may perform some task which may assist you.” So Arjuna offered, “Whatever work You like, You can take.” So K Ša said, “All right. I shall drive your chariot.” So K Ša's promise was that He would not fight. Then, when Arjuna was perplexed by fighting with Bhisma (Bhisma was the greatest fighter, although he was a very old man), Duryodhana complained to him that “Because your pet grandsons are on the other side, you are not fighting fully.” So in order to encourage him, Bhisma said to Duryodhana, “All right, tomorrow I shall finish all five brothers. I now have special arrows for killing these five chivalrous brothers.”
Now Duryodhana was very clever. He said, “All right, let me keep these five arrows tonight and I will deliver them to you tomorrow morning.” And K Ša understood the position. K Ša knows everything, past, present and future. K Ša knew that Bhisma had promised to kill. So He asked Arjuna — this is also politics — to go to Duryodhana and remind Duryodhana of a promise that he had once made to Arjuna: “Arjuna, whenever you need something, just ask me.” K Ša told Arjuna that now was the time to ask, because Duryodhana had five arrows for the purpose of killing Arjuna and his brothers. So Arjuna went to the camp of Duryodhana, where he was well received. “Well Arjuna, what do you want? Come on, sit down. Do you want something from me? If you want, I can stop this fight.” Arjuna said, “No. I have not come to you to beg for my kingdom. The battle will go on. But you promised something, and now I ask for those five arrows.” Duryodhana gave the arrows to him immediately.
This information was carried to Bhisma, who knew that K Ša was also very clever, that He would save His devotees and that He was behind Arjuna's request. K Ša had made him break his promise and he waited to see if the next day K Ša would break His own promise; if so, His friend would be killed. So Bhisma fought fiercely, and Arjuna almost died. The chariot was torn into pieces, and Arjuna fell down. Then K Ša took up one of the wheels of the chariot and said: “Now, Bhisma, stop this fighting otherwise I will kill you.” Bhisma at once gave up his arrows and replied, “All right. Kill me.” Because Bhisma vowed he would kill Arjuna and K Ša had also promised not to fight, just to save these two devotees, Arjuna and Bhisma — Bhisma was also a great devotee — He decided “Either I will break My promise or you will kill Arjuna. So it is better that I break My promise.” In this way, for His devotees, K Ša sometimes breaks His own promise.
So here K Ša says, kaunteya pratij€nihi. “You promised so I shall protect your promise.” Na me bhaktah pranasyati: “Anyone who has taken to Ksrna consciousness will be never destroyed.” Na me bhaktah pranasyati. Of course, a living entity is never destroyed so far as his constitution is concerned. Na hanyate hanyam€ne. The destruction of this body is not destruction. The real destruction is that if we lose our spiritual consciousness, we can also lose our identity. In our material conception of life, we are practically destroyed because as spiritual beings we have a blissful, eternal life. We have full knowledge, but here we live in wretched conditions feeling that life is not eternal, not blissful and not in full knowledge. So are we already destroyed? We are thinking we are advancing in civilisation, but unless we revive our original life of eternity and full knowledge and bliss, we should know that we are not advancing; we are being defeated by the illusory energy. This is destruction. Destruction of real life is materialism.
So here KŠa says, kaunteya pratij€nihi: “Please declare in the world that anyone who has taken to this KŠa consciousness will never be destroyed. He will never go back again to that material life of sense gratification and to this material existence full of miseries. Lec BG 9.27-32 New York 66
32. In India, according to the caste system, or varnasrama-dharma, the br€hmana and ksatriyas are considered to be the highest in the society, the vaisyas a little less than them, and the s™dras are not taken into account. Similarly, women are classified as s™dra. The thread ceremony is given to the br€hmana, ksatriya and vaisya, but there is no thread ceremony for women. Although a woman may be born into a br€hmana family, she does not have that benefit. Because striyah, women, are seen as less intelligent, they should be given protection, but they cannot be elevated. But here in the Bhagavad-git€, Lord KŠa surpasses all these formalities. He is giving opportunities to everyone regardless of birth. In the social structure, you may consider that a woman is less intelligent or a s™dra or less purified, but in spiritual consciousness there is no such bar. KŠa accepts everyone. It doesn't matter whether you are a woman, a s™dra or a vaisya. If you simply take to KŠa consciousness, the Lord is there. He will give you all protection and gradually He will help you.
One who is in KŠa consciousness is already on the liberated platform. Simply ksipram: it will take some time, ksipram, but very soon he will be all right. So this is the proposal of Lord K Ša and this is the facility of K Ša consciousness.
Lec BG 9.29-32 New York 66
32. Even one born into a low-grade family can be elevated, without exception. That is s€stra. But there are rascals who do not allow this. They have their own ideas. KŠa never said that “Only the br€hmanas or Indians or Hindus can take shelter of Me.” M€m hi p€rtha vyap€sritya ye 'pi syuh, whatever he may be. There is no restriction. Just like anyone can take a bath in the Ganges. It is not that only a particular person or particular community can take a bath. Anyone can, and he becomes purified. There is an example, na hi harate jyotsn€ candras cand€la vesmani.(?) When there is moonlight, there is no discrimination that a bhangi's house should receive the moonshine whilst at a cand€la's house, there should be none. The moon shines upon the palace of the king or on the house of a cand€la, na hi harate jyotsn€ candras cand€la vesmani. KŠa's mercy is for everyone and it is not restricted to a certain community or class of people. Anyone can take advantage of K Ša consciousness. Conv Washington 76
33(a). Brahma satyam jagan mithy€. Jagat is not mithy€. A Vaisnava, a devotee, cannot accept that this jagat, world, is false. No. How it can be false? Suppose you enter a very beautiful garden with beautiful trees ... so many nice flowers and buildings. Everything is exquisite. The owner of the garden shows you around, and if you say, “Oh, it is all mithy€,” then how depressed he becomes, thinking “I brought this friend to show him the beauty of this garden, and he says it is mithy€.” Similarly, we don't want to depress K Ša. That is not our business. K Ša has created this world where everything is very nice. The sun is rising just exactly on time. It is setting exactly on time. The moon is rising. The seasons are changing. And we are getting nice food, nice fruit, nice flowers ... so we won't discourage K Ša. K Ša has created this nice world. How can I say it is mithy€? It is the by-product of KŠa's energy, and KŠa's energy cannot be false. It is eternal.
Lec NOD New Vndavana 72
34(a). M€m evaisyasi, you are trying to find out the supreme loveable object. So m€m evaisyasi, come and let us live and love one another. This is the goal of life.
Every one of us loves KŠa, but we are missing Him. Therefore we are placing our loving propensity wrongly, here and there, and we are becoming frustrated. KŠa says that “If you simply follow this process, man-man€ bhava mad-bhaktah, you come to Me, come to your original lover. Lec BG 9.34 Paris 76
34(a) This confidential service, preaching of Bhagavad-git€, is essential: sarva-dharm€n parityajya m€m ekam saranam vraja. Simply go and preach. KŠa says, man-man€ bhava mad-bhakto mad-y€ji m€m namaskuru. It is KŠa's desire that we preach to the world, “Just be KŠa conscious.” Man-man€h. “Just become KŠa's devotee.” Man-man€ bhava mad-bhakto mad-y€ji. “Just worship KŠa.” Mad-y€ji m€m ... “Just offer your obeisances to KŠa.” Four words. Then you become a preacher. It is not very difficult to become a preacher and to become a spiritual master. How? It's simple. Go and teach what K Ša says. That's all. You have nothing to make up. Lec SB 1.15.51 Los Angeles 73
34(a). The Bhagavad-gita is the essence of all Vedic literature. The middle six chapters are the essence of the Gita, and the Ninth and Tenth chapters are the essence of the middle six chapters. Finally, the last verse of this chapter, which is exactly in the middle of the Gita and which will be repeated practically verbatim at the end of the Gita, is the most confidential and essential sloka. It is the essence of the essence of the essence and the most confidential of all knowledge: Become a pure devotee of Lord K Ša. SUM
Abbreviations
The following are the abbreviations used in the Books of Quotes:
BG Bhagavad-gita As It Is
BRS Bhakti Rasamrta Sindhu
CB Caitanya Bhagavat
CC Caitanya-caritamrta
Conv Srila Prabhupada Conversations
ISO Sri Isopanisad
KBK Krsna Book
LCFL Life Comes From Life
Lec Srila Prabhupada Lectures
Letter Srila Prabhupada's Letters
MW Morning Walk
NBD Nectar of Book Distribution
NOD Nectar of Devotion
NOI Nectar of Instruction
POP Path of Perfection
RV Raja Vidya
SAR Saranagati
SB Srimad Bhagavatam
SPL Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta
SSR Science of Self-Realisation
SUM Surrender Unto Me
TLC Teachings of Lord Caitanya
TLK Teachings of Lord Kapila
TQK Teachings of Queen Kunti
Bibliography
The following bibliography applies to all reference material used in the VTE Bhakti Sastri materials, as found mainly in the `Books of Quotes' (one to Three) and/or in the `Additional References' sections of the Lesson Outlines. Every attempt has been made to acknowledge the source of quoted materials and any corresponding copyright. If any credits have been omitted or rights overlooked it is completely unintentional, and the publishers would welcome suggestions for rectifying any ommissins or mistakes.
Bhagavad-gita As it Is His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (BBT, Los Angeles `73) Bhakti Rasamrta Sindhu Srila Rupa Goswami
Bhaktidedant Vedase
Version 4.11 (The Bhaktidedanta Archives, Sandy Ridge, NC, USA, 1998)
Bhakyaloka Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Translated by Bhumipati das (Vrajaraja Press, Vrindavana)
Caitanya Bhagavat Srila Vrindavana das Thakura, Translated by Sarvabhavana das
Caitanya-caritamrta HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (BBT, Los Angeles) Embankment Of Separation His Holiness Gaura Govinda Swami
Hari Sauri's Diary His Grace Hari Sauri das Adhikari (HS Books, Dan Diego, 1992)
Hitopadesh His Grace Kurma Rupa das Brahmacari (VIHE, Vrindavana)
Introduction to Pancatantra Source unknown at time of going to print
Krsna Book HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (BBT, Los Angeles)
Life Comes From Life HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (BBT, Los Angeles, 1979)
Mahabharata, The Source unknown at time of going to print
Nectar of Book Distribution Compilation (BBT Sankirtan Books, 1993)
Nectar of Devotion HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (BBT, Los Angeles, 1985)
Nectar of Instruction HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (BBT, Los Angeles, 1975)
Path of Perfection HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (BBT, Los Angeles)
Raja Vidya HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (BBT, Los Angeles)
Sarangati Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura
Science of Self-Realisation HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (BBT, Los Angeles)
Shakespeare, The Sonnets
and a Lover's Complaint (Penguin Books Ltd., UK, 1986)
Sri Isopanisad HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (BBT, Los Angeles)
Srila Prabhupada's
Conversations HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (BBT, Los Angeles)
Srila Prabhupada Lectures HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (BBT, Los Angeles)
Srila Prabhupada's Letters HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (BBT, Los Angeles)
Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta His Holiness Satsvarupa das Goswami (BBT, Los Angeles, 1993)
Srimad Bhagavatam HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (BBT, Los Angeles, 1972)
Surrender Unto Me His Grace Bhurijana das Adhikari (VIHE, Vrindavana)
Teachings of Lord Caitanya HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (BBT, Los Angeles)
Teachings of Lord Kapila HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (BBT, Los Angeles)
Teachings of Queen Kunti HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (BBT, Los Angeles)
Upadesa Upakhyane HDG Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati Maharaja
(Bhaktivedanta Academy, Mayapur 1995)
Vedanta Sutra Commentary by Baladeva Vidyabushana. Translation by His Grace
Kusakratha das Brahmacari (Krishna Institute, USA)
2
1
4
10
Bhagavad-gita Chapter 1
25
Bhagavad-gita Chapter 2
30
Bhagavad-gita Chapter 3
38
Bhagavad-gita Chapter 4
43
Bhagavad-gita Chapter 5
51
Bhagavad-gita Chapter 6
55
Bhagavad-gita Chapter 7
58
Bhagavad-gita Chapter 8
68
Bhagavad-gita Chapter 9
69
Abbreviations
70
Bibliography
Book of Quotes One
Page
Introduction 4
Chapter 1 5
Chapter 2 11
Chapter 3 26
Chapter 4 31
Chapter 5 39
Chapter 6 44
Chapter 7 52
Chapter 8 56
Chapter 9 59 Abbreviations Used in this Book 69
Bibliography 70
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