18.29-34 Intelligence in the three modes and its difference from knowledge in the three modes

Disclaimer: This transcript was generated using AI and may contain occasional errors or inaccuracies.

About the various factors in action or various components of action. So, we discussed Karanam, Karma, Karta. Sorry, Jnana, Karma and Karta.

And now after that, Krishna will discuss about Dhruti, Buddhi and Sukha. So, let us discuss this one by one. So, Buddhair Bheda.

So, Bheda is differentiation. Bheda as per the Gunas. Three kinds of modes are there.

So, Krishna is saying we will understand these three kinds of differentiations based on the modes of Buddhi and Dhruti. Shuru, please hear it. So, I will describe this to you.

By differentiating it. So, now we will look at, there is knowledge. Do you remember in the 10th chapter, Shri Prabhupada in the Purport explains, I mentioned it briefly.

What is the difference between knowledge and intelligence? Prabhupada explains intelligence means to see things in their proper perspective. Knowledge means to know things as they are. So, intelligence is more about relationships.

Intelligence is more about interactions. You remember that intelligence and interaction, that way you can remember it. Intel, inter, inter, inter is there in both.

The idea is that in the world to be able to function productively, effectively, we need not just to know things properly, but we also need to know the proper priority of things. So, knowledge is to know things as they are. Knowledge.

And then intelligence is to see things in their proper perspective. This means to understand what is essential and what is peripheral or what is central and what is peripheral. To understand the purpose and priority of things.

That means, for example, we have the whole concept of Niyamagra. When we follow rules without understanding their purpose. So, I need to know the rules, that is knowledge.

But when a particular rule is to be applied, when a particular rule is to be subordinated to some other principle. So, the intelligence is more dynamic. Intelligence is more of, you could put it in a way as if like knowledge in action.

So, knowledge is the conception of things as they are. But when they interact with each other, when we live in the world, then for that we need not just knowledge, but intelligence. Like earlier I discussed how to know that I am not the body, I am the soul is important.

But then, when to speak this in a way that people don't find it alienating, but people find it illuminating, that requires intelligence. If you don't have that sensitivity, then we will speak the knowledge, but defeat the purpose of speaking that knowledge. So, earlier Krishna has spoken knowledge in this section.

He has spoken about goodness, passion, ignorance. Goodness is to see unity of all things, passion is to see diversity and ignorance is to see just one fragment of reality, knowledge and ignorance. So, now Krishna is going to say that he will speak about Buddhi and Hrithi, about intelligence and about determination.

So, while we look at the difference between intelligence in three modes, we will also try to look at how Krishna differentiates between intelligence and knowledge. This is the background which I am setting for this. Any questions about this? Correct.

Those three I have just talked about, my Jnana, Karma and Karta. So, basically Srila Prabhupada, this was a long question on my website, that is where I studied the Acharya's commentaries and realized that the six haven't complied, made into three. So, here when Srila Prabhupada is knowledge, object of knowledge and knower.

So, actually you have to equate what I mentioned in that purport of 18.18. So, knowledge is Jnana, object of knowledge and knower. So, the knower is of course the same as Karta. Now, where is Krishna mentioned the object of knowledge over here? Not explicitly in the section.

His explanation is actually Karma. So, now let us go back to that classification over here. Where is it? No, where is this? So, what has happened? The two PPTs have got mixed up.

Ramayana Parikrata, Trimitha Karma Chodana. It has got lost. Okay, anyway.

So, essentially the point here is slide is not available over here. So, basically as far as Giri is concerned, Krishna has talked about Giri Yatra Vakshami. When did he speak that? Which was the verse? Can you just check Giri? When did he speak about that in this chapter? I think it was on 17th or 18th verse.

My Veda base is not working. That is why it is difficult for me to search. Isn't it? Yes.

So, you remember, basically what Shila Prabhupada, then I explained how the three are similar to Karanam, Karma and Karteti. So, Shila Prabhupada has basically taken the first three parts and explained that. Gyanam, Giyayam, Parigyanata.

That is how it is. But those three and these three are, they interrelate with each other. That is how I explained earlier.

That was your question, isn't it? Yeah. Yes, correct. Prabhupada has basically taken reference to the three which started that section.

So, now let us move over to 29, 30. We will look at the three kinds of knowledge, three kinds of Buddhi, sorry. Pravrttimcha, Nivrttimcha, Nivrttimcha, Karyakarye Bhaya Bhaye, Vandham Moksham Chayaveti, Buddhi Saaparth Satvikhi.

So, Pravrtti and Nivrtti. This is what is to be done. Nivrtti is not to be done.

Karyakarye, so what karye one should do and what karye one should be afraid of. This is based on understanding and this will cause bonding, this will bring liberation. So, Krishna says that the intelligence by which this is understood is Buddhi Saaparth Satvikhi.

So, if you see, again the focus in Buddhi is more on action. The focus in knowledge was on perception. So, the way Krishna differentiates between Buddhi and Jnana is that Jnana is more related to the knowledge acquiring senses, how I perceive the world and Buddhi is related more with the act of, with action.

So, this is from 19 to 21, isn't it? Yes, Jnana is related with perception. So, again the same point, no things as they are. And we will see, now this is 29 to 31, isn't it? 29 to 31, the verses, no 32 to 32.

These three verses which talk about Buddhi, that is more about action, how we act in the world. Buddhi is related with action, how I should act. So, Krishna talks about Karya Karya Bhaya Bhaya Bandha Moksha.

So, Krishna is basically giving, actually four contrasting describers he is giving. First is that Pravrtti Nivrtti, Karya Akarya, Bhaya Abhaya and Bandha Moksha. The essential commonality of all these is actually what is to be done, what is not to be done.

And the factors that are there, okay, Pravrtti Nivrtti, this is Karya, this is the word Karya, Karya Mithya Vya Karma. See the Karya which we use normally, we normally use the word Karya in Hindi or Marathi in the sense of what is, I am doing some work. But in Sanskrit the word Karya is more in terms of obligation, duty.

So, in Sanskrit the word Karya is often equivalent with Kartavya. What we use Kartavya is like a obligatory duty. So, Krishna basically what he is saying, Pravrtti Nivrtti.

What scriptures say, do, don't know, Karya Akarya. So, essentially the implication is the same. And Bhaya Abhaya and Bandha Moksha.

Now, what is the emphasis over here? Why these four distinct describers are used? Each of them has an aspect to it. So, what is it? This is 31, 30, okay. So, first is Pravrtti Nivrtti is based on inclination.

What is my inclination? What is not my inclination? Just because something is my inclination that doesn't mean every time I have to do it. Pravrtti Nivrtti refers to inclination. Then Karya Akarya refers to injunction, scriptural injunction.

So, based on my inclinations, if I have a money making propensity, there is scriptural injunction of that you should act like a Brahmana, sorry Vaishya. There is scriptural injunction and then there has to be Bhaya Abhaya. So, there has to be actually the emotion that is associated with it.

Why I should do so? This fear or desire, this is very important when you do activities. Without emotions we cannot keep doing activities for a long time. And this Bandha Moksha is with respect to the consequence.

So, when the two words are used, they are called as binaries. Two terms are used in correlation with each other. So, as per our inclination there is injunction and we should follow the injunction because there will be certain consequences and we should be actually fearful or not fearful of certain consequences.

Sometimes I may not like to do some things because somehow my mind doesn't agree with it. But then if the scriptures are telling that I should not be fearful of it, I should keep doing it. So, Bhaya Abhaya.

So, in this way Krishna is basically talking about intelligence in terms of essentially discrimination. Now, do this, don't do this, that understanding is intelligence. And if we look at the next words, the defining difference between the intelligence and the three modes will be the perception of the long-termness of the consequence.

You see here, this whole discrimination is based on the consideration of liberation or bondage. When we look at the next words, we will see that the consideration, there also determination is there, but the consideration is primarily enjoyment in this world. So, the discrimination is, we look at the long-term goals of our life.

What do I want at the end of my life? I want to become liberated. I want to go back to Krishna. Then what then based on that perception, my actions I shape.

So, then what is dharma dharma? What is karya karya? Ayathavat. So, Prabhupada's Bhagavad Gita as it is, that is called in Hindi as Yatharoop. So, Yathavat means as it is.

So, here the idea is one understands dharma, but not Yathavat. One has some understanding of dharma. So, one gets, for example, at the level of Rajasi buddhi, one might get caught up in karma kanda, if one has some religious inclinations.

And one may think that, okay, I have to discriminate based on scripture, but one is not thinking of developing love for God. One is thinking of simply heavenly enjoyment or better material enjoyment in this world through religious means. So, Ayathavat, the key word over here is Ayathavat.

One doesn't understand things as they are. One has only a partial perception of things. So, what is dharma? What is Adharma? One doesn't understand it properly.

And that was often the failing of many characters. For example, we have Ayathavat Prajnati. So, we have the examples of, can you give examples in the 10th canto of people who knew dharma, but their dharmic understanding was Ayathavat, not as it is.

Okay, Karna could be one, Karna was charitable, but then he was not, we'll start from the, okay, Karna is one example. Then we had the Yadiv Brahmanas. They had understanding, but Ayathavat Prajnati.

They were doing their things nicely, the karma kanda rituals, but when Yagyeshwar came over there, they neglected Yagyeshwar for the sake of Yajna, which was tragic. And similar in the Bhagavatam. Okay, Vyajyasis performs sacrifice for Indra.

Generally, when the pure devotees do some activities, which don't seem to be pure devotional service, we understand that they are a part of the Leela. So, generally, there are other times when the Vyajyasis clearly demonstrate transcendental knowledge. In fact, they are the summit of transcendental knowledge.

So, for example, if Rukmini, just to give another example, if Rukmini has some soft corner for Rukmi, we don't consider that as sisterly-brotherly attachment. That is actually the fortune of Rukmi, by which Rukmini, the goddess of fortune is showing some favor to her. So, generally speaking, the lord associates is a little, we can say that there is a lower level and higher level understanding, but of that particular Leela, but to say that they don't have the proper understanding is not really proper over there.

Akrura, to some extent, yes. Akrura, how? Akrura, actually the character is a little bit, Akrura, when he's coming to Vrindavan, his understanding of devotional principles is so illuminated. But later on, when he sort of conspires against Satyabhama's father, Satrajit, he uses Shatadhanva to kill Satrajit and take the Samantak jewel and then he flees from there.

So, that time he gets corrupted, his mentality gets polluted. And that's because he commits sort of Vaishnavapraad to the Vrajvasis by displeasing them and he takes Krishna away from them. So, that I would say the more safe examples would be, say, the example of Prachinivarishi.

He was doing Karmakanda, he was a religious person, but he did Ayathavat Prajaanati and the Narad Muni came and told him, this is a waste of time. All the animals that you are killing, because the sacrifices are not being performed properly, so you'll have to bear the consequences for them. So, Ayathavat Prajaanati.

So, like that, we can have many examples of this. So, the point is, there is one not clear understanding, some understanding is there, but not very clear understanding. Then, the intelligence in mode of ignorance is exactly the opposite.

So, one thinks Adharma to be Dharma, that is the exact opposite of correct perception. And such a person is Sarvarthaan Viparitamsha. So, only one example is given of wrong perception, but in every way they perceive wrongly.

So, we discussed about fanatical atheists who consider that religion is the greatest problem in the world. So, they are Sarvarthaan Viparitamsha. So, their exact, what is the reality, their perception is exactly the opposite of that.

And this happens in many ways. You remember we discussed in the Ishopanishad, to be in ignorance is bad, to be in ignorance and to consider oneself to be knowledge is worse. To be in ignorance, to consider oneself to be knowledge and to consider knowledge to be ignorance, that is the worst.

So, this is Sarvarthaan Viparitamsha. You not only claim to have understanding, but the understanding is worse, is the opposite of what is the actual understanding. So, Sarvarthaan is in all ways Viparitamsha.

So, to be in ignorance, if I don't know that I am not the body and the soul, that is bad. To be in ignorance and to claim to be in knowledge is worse. Example, Vena had a Sarvarthaan, very good Shastri example.

Of course, Vena is the example of a person who was in a very literal sense demanding that fire sacrifices be offered to him. Actually, all demons do something like this and they want to direct, like Hiranyakashipu also, he wanted all the demigods to bow down to him and all the universal mechanisms be under his control. That is a serious misunderstanding, it is a reversal of perception.

Ravana, the Puranas describe that he wanted the pious to go to hell and the sinful to go to heaven. So, he wanted to construct, he wanted to reverse the universal order, he wanted, Prabhupada explains that he wanted to construct sort of, not a physical staircase, but he wanted to ensure that the religious people go to, the impious sinful people go to heaven. That is Ravana.

This is not mentioned in Valmiki Ramayana, but there are many references to past times from Ramayana and the Puranas. So, Hiranyakashipu, he had knowledge of the philosophy by which he instructed and solaced his mother and his sister-in-law. So, the idea here is that that knowledge was simply for utilitarian purposes.

We do not even know whether Hiranyakashipu believed what he said, what he was speaking. One thing he says, we can say that he must have, he had some belief in it because he also expresses that through the action that he resolves to perform tremendous austerities and he says that because the soul is eternal, so even if I die, I will continue my austerity in the next lifetime and I continue my lifetime austerity for as long as necessary so that I can get the power of Brahma. So, in a sense, we can say that he understands that he not only speaking about the existence of the soul, but he was also understood that he is not the body of the soul.

But there is knowledge and there is purpose of knowledge. So, that purpose of knowledge was completely lost upon him. So, his idea was that he wanted to become the supreme enjoyer and he wanted to enjoy at the material levels.

So, the knowledge of the soul is meant to elevate us to the spiritual level of consciousness. It's like, we are here, God is here. God is at the spiritual level, we are at the material level.

So, Karmakanda means we bring God down to the material level to solve our problems over here. Whereas Bhakti means we connect with God so that we can rise to the spiritual level. There is a difference between the two.

Of course, even when we rise to the spiritual level, at that time, Krishna does help us at the material level also. But that's not the primary purpose for which we approach God. So, whereas, in the case of demons like this, so Karmakanda, at least there is acknowledgement that there is some higher level of reality.

But I want to enjoy at this level. So, I'm talking about atheists who deny the higher level of reality entirely, reject it as imaginary, as fictitious and even as evil. So, Hiranyakashipu doesn't consider Atma Gyan to be evil.

He considers it to be true in a sense on the way he speaks and acts. But he wants to become the supreme ruler and he wants to become the supreme ruler at the material level, supreme and eternal. So, yes, I'm talking here in terms of modern categories, the modern society in some ways is in greater ignorance than in the reign of demons also.

So, here the idea is that people are, it's because of atheistic education today, which claims to be scientific, but it's actually simply atheism in the garb of science. So, people not only don't ignore that God exists, they actually think that we have proven that God doesn't exist. So, let's keep these two, the contemporary analysis and the spiritual analysis.

The frameworks are slightly different. So, we can look at differently. If we complete this, we will come back to the other example of this.

So, to be in ignorance and to claim to be in knowledge is worse. That means to say that we have proven that matter is all that exists. That means this ignorant condition is knowledge.

And then further three points, worse to be in ignorance, to claim to be in knowledge and to claim that knowledge is ignorance is worse. So, for example, here the idea is that religion is the opium of masses. So, the idea is that you know about religion, but you consider religion to be evil or the idea that God is a psychological, God is a psychological crutch, belief in God is a psychological crutch for people who are weak minded.

So, these are all very cunning emotional manipulations by which people who believe in God are made to feel inferior and atheism is made intellectually superior. So, this generally did not happen in the past times. At least in the past, sometimes evil might rule, but evil was never considered to be good.

But the problem in today's society is when people's moral perceptions get so blurred, not just blurred, but so distorted that people think of the incorrect and the evil to be intellectually respected, intellectually right. Actually, yeah, this is a standard argument of Muslims and Christians and non-Jews in general. They say that the population of animals will increase tremendously if we don't kill animals.

So, it's very fallacious because the way animals slaughterhouses run is they are specifically and deliberately bred in huge numbers so that they can be slaughtered. If it was in nature, by competition with the nature itself, the animal population would be in control. Here, we are not talking about natural fields and farms and grazing lands where animals are producing in alarming numbers.

Here, actually, animals are given artificial fertility drugs. Animals are given growth accelerators, growth accelerating enzymes and chemicals. Animals are made to reproduce and reproduce far more than what they would normally do in nature.

And it is all for the purpose of slaughterhouse. This is a completely erroneous argument, but it is true. The whole idea is that which is a ruthless slaughter is justified as something which is the right thing to do.

So, I mentioned earlier also how Vishal Prabhupada would talk about how women should have a proper social role according to their nature and according to culture. But Prabhupada would argue that women, if they become liberalized, so-called liberalized, then they unite with men and then they have children. And then either they have to struggle to maintain the children or they have to abort the child.

So, now the current idea is that nature has made women subordinate to men. So, nature is evil. And abortion is the way for women to become free from the evilness of nature.

So, this is sarvarthan viparitamsya. So, it is one thing to blame God and religion that this morality is prohibitive. But it's in the face.

Nature is saying it directly. And actually, still people get perverse ideas. And the kind of argument that I used to try to rationalize abortion, it just doesn't work.

Because technology is so well advanced now that actually we can look into the mother's womb and we can clearly see that the child, the embryo is actually a living person. There was one famous abortionist, whatever he was. So, there are various ways in which they abort.

There are four main ways. One is that they cut the embryo within the child and pull it out. The other is that they just crush it inside only and cut it, just crush it.

The other is they sort of send some sort of toxic gas over the child. There are various ways. So, in one of the abortions, this person, he sent that device which was meant to sort of cut and kill into the embryo.

And it was a little late abortion. So, the child, what that object came, the child didn't understand what it was. And he just caught the object and held the object in the hand.

And this doctor who was doing the abortion, that day in the morning, his own baby had held his finger like that. And that brought him such a memory. And he realized, this is a child, I am committing murder.

And then after that, it's like he had a heart transformation. And then that picture is very widely used in anti-abortion campaigns. They call it pro-life groups.

It's actually just like sometimes we see a child holding the finger of a parent. So, like that, this infant in the womb is holding the object as if it is a finger. The object has actually come to kill him, but he's holding it like a finger.

So, there is very clear, undeniable evidence that abortion is nothing but murder. But sarva-arthana paritam It's very unfortunate. So, let's move forward.

Now, Krishna will talk about dhriti. After talking about intelligence, we will talk about determination. So, intelligence is, again, although it's action, it is action in terms of understanding.

And determination, sorry, intelligence is sort of wisdom to understand. This is to be done first, this is to be done later. This is what is to be done.

It is wisdom in terms of understanding the right action. Whereas, after I understand, then I have to do it. And doing it requires determination.

So, how the whole thing is working, this five factors that Krishna analyzes, first is his jnana. Jnana is how we perceive. Then after we perceive, what is the nature of the doer and what is the nature of the action that person does.

And then after that, the two, okay, there is knowledge, then there is doer, there is work and there is doer, action and actor. And then there is, this is the way I should act. From the past two analysis of action and the work and karma and karta, action and actor, then we understand, I should act in goodness, I should not act in passion and ignorance.

But to be able to act, I need proper understanding of what the right action is, then I need proper determination to act. So, let us first understand this link so that this will be clear. And the last part, ultimately what we want is, through whatever we do is happiness.

That is what the last part will be. So, knowledge is the first step in action. I have to have some knowledge.

Then after that, 22 to 24 is, what is first? Jnanam karma cha karta cha. Karma is first. Then just check what is 22.

Karma is first. Jnanam karma cha karta cha. So, then when I am action, nature of the actor, the doer, this is the word action, 35 is, 19, till it will go on to I think, 38, 39.

It is all analysis of action as per the three modes. Then after that, 25 to 27, it must be 22. Then 23 to 25 is karma, nature of the doer.

Then karta is nature of the action. Oh, sorry. Then after that, what we discussed is now 29 to 31 is buddhi, the understanding, 26 to 28, fine.

It is only 32, 32. One word is missing. Then after that, 33 to 35 is dhruti, that is determination for the right action.

So, first I have to understand what I should do and then I should be able to do it. So, I need both. And then after that, what is there in 36? Something, yeah, 36 to 37 was talking about three types of happiness.

So, 36 to 39 is sukha, the fruit of action. Ultimately, whatever we do, we want some result from that and the result is happiness. So, we will talk about sukha in the three modes.

In this way, there is a progression in this analysis. So, first jnana, then karma, karta, buddhi, dhruti and sukha. These are all the components of how the karma yogi, by understanding how action can be in the three modes, chooses the mode of goodness and stays detached from the fruits of action.

So, the whole idea of this analysis is to explain to Arjuna that don't think that all action is binding. Arjuna's initial options was either I act or I don't act. If I act, I get bound.

If I don't act, I don't get bound. But Krishna is telling, it's not so simple. To analyze action in the three modes and if you act in goodness, then you won't get bound.

So, the jnana of a karma yogi that enables him to stay free from bondage is this jnana. The idea of how action is in three modes and by acting in goodness, one can stay free from bondage. In fact, one can prepare for liberation.

So, now let's look at dhruti. Once I understand this, how do I move forward? dhrutya yadhar yate mana pranendriya kriya yogena avyabhicharyanya dhruti sa partha sattviki So, dhrutya yadhar yate. So, what is the nature of that dhruti? So, dhruti and dhar yate, they are sort of cognates.

They come from the same root. Dhruti, that is sustains. And we are saying that until that dhruti, which has two characteristics.

That mana pranendriya kriya dhar yate. And actually that leads to the control of the mind, senses and life air. And how does one do this sort of control? Yogena avyabhicharyanya by unflinching yoga.

So, the whole idea is in goodness, there has to be some connection with some higher reality. That connection with the higher reality is yoga. And that connection with the higher reality regulates our interaction with the lower reality.

So, yogena avyabhicharyanya connects us with spiritual reality. And mana pranendriya kriya dhar yate regulates our interaction with the lower reality. That is how determination is there.

Determination essentially means what? We have to, for example, when we take initiation vow, there are two aspects of determination. One is we follow the four regulatory principles by which we regulate our interaction with matter. We discipline, curb to some extent.

And we chant 16th round. That is, we fix, we rigorously our connection with spirit, with Krishna. So, this determination, which is in the mode of goodness, what does it do? It actually, dhruti, in goodness.

So, the first part is, so, regulates our connection with matter. And CD, CD is next two lines. It ensures our connection with spirit.

Yogena vyabhicharyanya. Vyabhicharyanya means with unflinching, undeviating. So, in this way, this determination makes sure that we stay on the path to moksha.

So, actually, if I have to get moksha from matter, I have to at least regulate my connection with matter and I have to connect with spirit. So, that will happen when there is this particular asana. All yogic processes have these two.

For example, yam, niyam, asana. Yam, niyam, basically, they regulate our connection with matter. And then, through asana, prana, yam, and then onward, pratyahara, dhyana, pratyahara, especially, again, this connection with matter.

Then, dhyana, dharana, samadhiya, connection with spirit. So, all yogic processes will have some components by which these two things happen. Regulation of connection with matter and provision for connection with spirit.

Now, Krishna will talk about determination in the mode of passion, wherein, there is the whole idea of dharmic enjoyment. So, dharmakamartham. So, dharma artha kama mokshi.

So, the Bhagavad Gita says, dharma only for kama artha. One does the first three purusharthas, one is not concerned about the fourth purushartha. The fourth purushartha, to strive for it, one needs goodness.

For the first three purusharthas, if there is some passion, which is not undisciplined passion, then one can be within the framework of dharma. So, that determination, which is dharayate, which is motivated by, sustained by the desire for dharma artha kama, and what is the characteristic? Prasangena phalakamshi. Liberation essentially means that we are not attached to material things.

But when there is attachment to material things, that causes bondage. So, prasangena, strong attachment, phalakamshi. So, when one does activities, but one is not concerned with their ultimate benefit, can come from those activities, one is concerned with the immediate results, prasangena phalakamshi, that is action in the mode of passion, that is determination in the mode of passion.

So, most of the frustration that people experience in life is because of the short-term perspective. Now, people think of studies as meant not for development of their thinking capacity or for the formation of character or for the capacity, but they think of studies only as for getting marks and passing exams. So, if they don't pass in that, then all my study has gone waste.

So, often when there is mode of passion, there is great desire and along with the desire, when the desire is not fulfilled, there is frustration. So, even in devotional service, we have goals, we have targets, we want to distribute books, we want to share Krishna Konam, get people for programs. So, those goals and targets, they in themselves are not important.

What is important for us is how we can engage ourselves in Krishna Consciousness. So, now regarding the book distribution recently, so devotees were telling that Radhan Maharaj was told about how the distribution was. Maharaj told me, don't tell me about the scores of how many books were distributed.

Tell me how many devotees were involved in the book distribution. What did you do to get more and more devotees to participate in the distribution? So, naturally, if we inspire devotees, devotees will do a lot of things. So, the idea is, in passion, if we set up goals in devotional life also, it becomes too attached to the goals and you become too agitated by that and sometimes if our authorities want it, then we can do it.

But that's okay. But the important point here is that it is not that that achievement of that goal is success and a failure to achieve that goal is failure. Actually, the purpose of all devotional engagements is not to just get things done.

The purpose of devotional engagements is to keep ourselves connected with Krishna. Often, we forget that the purpose of service is not to get things done. The purpose of service is to keep ourselves connected with Krishna.

And of course, setting deadlines and things like that helps us to connect with Krishna better. The purpose of service is not to get things done or rather is not just to get things done, but to keep ourselves connected with Krishna and targets, deadlines, competitions, all these are anupoorn if they increase our connection with Krishna. So, that was Srila Prabhupada's idea of encouraging distribution also.

You know, this temple is distributed, you should distribute more books. So, the idea for that was the devotees will be more inspired and engaged in service. But Srila Prabhupada did not appreciate unethical means for distribution.

Our devotees tried to pull others down so that I could distribute more books because that was not the definition of success. Sometimes in an institutional framework, because the institutions have to function in a material world, where there are limitations of time and there are obligations in terms of things to be done. Sometimes people who can get things done will be valued more and they will be recognized more and they should be valued.

But that alone is not necessarily a sign of spiritual advancement. So, the idea is that we are getting things done more because we want to serve Krishna more and more. So, you will see that there are two examples.

Srila Prabhupada himself said that ekash chandrastamohanti richitarah sahasrashah that one moon is better than a thousand stars. He says we are going for quality. But on the other hand, Srila Prabhupada also said that Vaishnava is known by how many other Vaishnavas he makes.

So, is external success the sign of a devotee's spiritual advancement? Somebody builds a very big temple, somebody distributes a lot of books, somebody gives very good classes. Is that a sign of spiritual advancement? It should be, but it is not necessarily. Ideally it is that because the devotee is happy in Krishna consciousness, so the devotee wants to share Krishna consciousness with others and that desire to share Krishna consciousness manifests as book distribution, it manifests as classes, it manifests as building of temples.

But if the desire for this external success is because one is not getting inner satisfaction, the one is not actually serious in Krishna consciousness, one is not experiencing inner satisfaction, you want satisfaction somewhere. So, then I try to do big things and I get glorification from others. Then what we will find that if in our services we become too insecure due to recognition or lack of recognition, then that is a sign that we are not very well situated in our Krishna consciousness.

So, this external success should be the result of not the substitute for internal success. So, internal success is happiness in Krishna consciousness. Now, happiness does not necessarily mean we are dancing in ecstasy all the time, but we feel inner strength, we feel inner satisfaction by remembrance of Krishna.

So, external success is book distribution, temple construction, etc. So, obsession with recognition for service. I have done so much, why do people not know about it? Why do people not appreciate me for it? Certainly, if we are doing something, it's fine, we can tell senior devotees about it, so that they know about it, we can get their blessings.

But we should not be obsessed with that whole idea. If nobody knows what I am doing, then my service is useless. It's not like that.

Even when Srila Prabhupada was on the planet, it's not that Prabhupada knew everything that everybody was doing. Some devotees never met Srila Prabhupada also. And even their authorities did not report too much about what they were doing for Srila Prabhupada's mission.

But many of those devotees are the prominent leaders of our movement today. So, the obsession for recognition is often due to deficient inner connection with Krishna. If I am too obsessed, my service should be recognized by others.

What is this? That means there are two extremes. One is, if we are doing some service, we got some result. As a matter of reporting, we should tell.

If we are doing some preaching and we got some good number of people are coming for the programs. The whole idea of, for example, devotees invite the spiritual master and senior devotees to various places where preaching is going on. People may invite devotees from Mumbai to say Satara, Karad and Kullapur and other places.

Why? The local devotees need encouragement over there. And they also want to say, okay, we are doing preaching and so many people are coming. That is good.

But we don't have to in a sense, blow our trumpet so that people know what all we are doing. No, if we are doing service, Krishna is observing and those who are relevant authorities, we can tell them that we are doing, send reports. We should know that actually, if we are doing service, then we are making spiritual advancement.

So, there is no need that, it is not that if somebody else distributes more books than me, that means that spiritual world is not like a limited quota engineering college, where there are so many seats and so few seats and so many people. It is not that if somebody distributes more books, then he is going to take up my seat over there. All of us can go back to the spiritual world.

So, the whole idea of targets, deadlines, competition is just to inspire us to become more engaged in service. Yes, can we discuss in the evening? Don't mind. Yeah.

Okay. Krishna says in 13.12 that apart from all these qualities, everything else is ignorance. So, the idea is those 20 qualities are, they are the fruit of knowledge and they are also the root to knowledge.

That means by cultivating those qualities, we develop knowledge and those who have knowledge, they will have those qualities. So, naturally, if there are qualities, that will also manifest through activities. If somebody has humility, that will also be expressed through activities.

Somebody has enthusiasm, that will also be expressed in the actions and those actions will naturally lead to results. So, in a sense, it is not that when Krishna is talking about everything else is a jnana, that is referring to just information, which is information and things that are diverse from the development of character and qualities. So, but if all these, say for a person's knowledge, a person's eloquence, a person's erudition, these are a result of devotion to Krishna and the desire for the glorification of Krishna, then they are not a jnana.

They are actually very important. So, Jinko Swami is a great devotee, a great scholar also. So, in that sense, we have to see whether they are a jnana, rta-artham, yat-pratiyeta, na-pratiyeta chaatmai, tam vidyad atmano maya, nitha-bhasa yata-tamai.

In the Chittushloki Bhagavatam, it is said that that which is not connected with Krishna, that is maya. So, most of the services that we do are connected with Krishna because we are doing them for Krishna. But are they connecting us with Krishna? Is our consciousness connected with Krishna when we are doing it? When I am speaking about Krishna, am I remembering Krishna or am I just focusing on how much people are impressed by my knowledge? Am I thinking that actually I am serving my spiritual master and sharing Krishna and message with others? Or am I just interested in showing people how clever I am? So, the second might also be a factor.

We are not pure devotees right now. The second might be a factor, but that should not be the factor that we look forward to. Yes, that is there and we try to subordinate that.

So, it will depend on whether the activities like distribution and other things are important activities. We shouldn't deride or minimize them. They are important.

And quite often, in youth, we have passion and artificially trying to deny that passion simply makes us lethargic and dissatisfied in another way. Sometimes our mind decides that we have so many things to do, how will I manage? And in other times, if we don't do adequate sensitivity, am I doing something with my life? Are you doing something tangible? Are you doing something worthwhile? I will talk about this topic more in the evening class. Thank you very much.