Hindi – Chapter 11 Bhagavad Gita And Decision Making Bhagavad Gita Overview – Chaitanya Charan

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors. Hare Krishna. So, since some days, on the basis of Bhagavad Gita, I am taking overview of Gita. Everyday, we are taking one chapter. Today, we are discussing chapter 11. On that topic, Playing our part in God’s plan. How can we play our part in God’s plan? This is what we are going to discuss today. So, the analysis of the Gita that we are doing, we are doing it in such a way that the Gita is a decision-making guide. The Gita was making it difficult for Arjun to decide what should I do. And the Gita helps Arjun in making that decision. And how does it help? It helps from different perspectives. So, in the Gita, there are three main truths that are told. Jeeva, Jagdish and Jagat. So, Jagdish is God. Jeeva is our soul. So, in the first chapter, on the basis of Jeeva, the knowledge of the soul, the soul is bound in this world. And through what kind of karma? There is a lot of noise. So, the soul that is bound in this world, how can it be free from the bondage? Now, when the Gita is telling us about decision-making, how is that decision-making? It is not just based on the current situation. What do I have to do now? Let’s do what I like. No, what is good for me? Now, decision-making can be situation-driven. What is the situation? This is the situation. This is the situation. This is what I have done. What happens with a situation? We get a lot of emotions. Situation-driven or emotion-driven. I like doing this in this situation. That is why I do it. The opposite can be principle-driven. That there is some truth, there are some principles. We decide on the basis of them. So, the Bhagavad Gita that is giving guidance, how we have to do the work, that is not situation-driven, that is principle-driven. Situations are important, but the Gita does not say that you should fight because Kauravas are so cruel, and Kauravas have done so much atrocities with you, so you should take their revenge. That is not the feeling. There is no mention of Kauravas’ atrocities in the Gita. So, decision-making, we have to see the situations many times, but every time, we will keep making decisions according to the situations. So, our long-term purpose, the purpose of our life, we will never be able to achieve that. So, our principle-driven or purpose-driven is important. So, the Gita is a guide for our principle-driven decision-making. So, first of all, what does the Gita say? I am giving a very broad summary of the Gita here. If we understand the nature of the soul, then the soul is trapped in this world, and by doing Karma Yoga, this soul can be freed from this world. And God says, from the point of view of Karma Yoga, what should you do? You should fight. So, we are getting guidance for the situation, but the calculation is not happening on the basis of the situation. It is happening on the basis of a long-term calculation. Now, the two chapters in the middle, 7 to 12, they emphasise that what is happening in the world, is happening under the control of God. And God has a plan in this world too. It is not that whatever happens in this world, has nothing to do with it. For example, there is a jail. Now, in the jail, everyone is a criminal. So, what do they do? In the jail, one gang kills another gang. There are murders in the jail. The government, the police, the king, they don’t care what is happening in the jail. When the term is over, if they behave well, they will come out. They don’t care what they do in the jail. This is not the feeling of God. Sometimes, this world is called a prison. But no metaphor, no comparison, speaks about the nature of this world. From one point of view, this world is like a jail. From another point of view, this world is like a hospital. Now, the hospital is not our home. But what is happening in the hospital, the doctor has a very important role in it. And the way the doctor will work, the way the doctor is working, if the patient cooperates with him, then the patient will get well. And then he can come home from the hospital. So, what is there in Karma Yoga? The focus is that this world is a place of bondage. And if we work with attachment, then we will get stuck in bondage. That is why we don’t want to get stuck in bondage. That is why we put a lot of emphasis on detachment. So, this is like a jail metaphor. In Karma Yoga, this world is like a jail, but we have to come out of it. That is very important. Then, what is there in Bhakti Yoga? Yes, this world is a place of bondage, but here too, there is a control of God. Here too, there is a plan of God. And the kind of work we do here, we have to do the same kind of work outside in the spiritual world, in the Bhagavad Gita. So, the metaphor here, this is a hospital metaphor, which is more appropriate. Then, after that, the 13th to 18th chapters, what is this? This is the nature of the world, we have to put emphasis on that. This describes the three qualities, and on the basis of these three qualities, how this world is an attachment. It is said, So, what is there in this? On the basis of this, Gyan Yoga has been emphasised. And the defining example of this world is a dream. So, what is there in jail? If you want to get out of jail, then you should behave well, and you will have to stay there till that period. After that, you will leave. But if it is a dream, then what is there? You just have to get up from it. Once you get up, you will realise that all this was an attachment. So, the method in Gyan Yoga is that the whole world is an attachment, a dream, and we have to get out of it. So, now, these are different metaphors, different examples, to understand the nature of the world. So, now, we are discussing the six chapters in the middle. So, now, in this, when we have to work in this world, we have our family, we have our career, we have our social life, and we also have our devotion. If we have to work with everyone, then in the whole world, in a way, God is controlling us. And God is making the whole world do something so that we can get closer to Him. So, during that time, now, God, in the six chapters in the middle, is telling us in a way, first of all, He tells us our goal, our destination. What is the purpose? If we have to get liberated in the path of devotion, then what we have to do for that? We have to make our mind attached to God. If our mind becomes attached to God, then that will be the reason for liberation. So, mayi asakta manaha. So, what is the ultimate purpose? It starts with that. Focus is that we have to make our mind attached to God. Now, to make our mind attached to God, what do we have to do? We have to remember Him. Remembrance. So, this remembrance of God, this is being told in chapter 8. In a way, what is there for that? To do this purpose, what are the means for that? What is the purpose? What is that? We have to remember God. If we have to remember God, then what is the method for that? To remember God, to sit at one place and remember God, it is not like that. There is a method for that. So, what is that? That is bhakti yoga. So, the path for that, it is told in chapter 9, that glory of bhakti yoga. What are the glories of bhakti yoga, through which we get inspiration, so that we can do smriti of God. So, that is also being mentioned as a means later. But specifically, emphasis is being given on that. So, if you are sick, then what is your purpose? You have to get fit. You have to be healthy. What do you have to do to be healthy? You decide that you have to do a good diet, you have to exercise, you have to take these medicines. So, in which method are you doing that? Someone is taking Ayurveda. So, what is the glory of Ayurveda? You have to understand that. Someone is taking naturopathy. What is the glory of that? That is being told. And after that, in chapter 10, it is told that if you want to do remembrance in bhakti yoga, then remembering, when we remember God, remembering in the world In this world, there is one remembrance of God, that we go away from the world, we do japa, we do pooja. Going away from the world means we do not have a centre in the world. We have time for sadhana, we do japa, we do seva, we do japa, we do satsang. But we have to work in the world also. When we have to work in the world, how do we work? So, remembrance, Remembrance, So, in chapter 10 and 11, there is a similar theme in both. I will put it here. Remembering in the world. When we are working in the world, how can we remember in that? So, remembrance, which is with our senses of knowledge, we can see this from two aspects. That our senses of knowledge, when we see some things in the world, how can we remember God in that? That is told through vibhuti. That the different vibhutis of God, if we understand them, then we will be able to remember. And then in chapter 11, what is there in that? Remembering while engaging with our karmendriya. When we see, then how can we, the attractive things in the world, how can we remember God in that? And here in chapter 11, how can we remember God through our karmendriya? And then in the last chapter, chapter 12, in this section, in that, the remembrance, how is it multilevel? Multilevel means, if someone is not able to do it, if he is not able to do one thing, then he can do the other. If he is not able to do the other, if he cannot come to this level, then he can come to this level. If he cannot come to this level, then he can come to this level. So, in this world, when we are working, if I am trying to do this, then that problem has arisen. So, if that problem has arisen, then how do I have to do it? Is it our plan or God’s plan? So, sometimes our plan and God’s plan are the same, sometimes they are different, sometimes they are completely opposite. So, how do we have to work? About that, this is the focus in chapter 11. So, we are discussing on chapter 11. So, if this seems a little complicated, then don’t worry. After this, it will become more complicated. No, now it is not so complicated. It was a little technical overview. So, now in chapter 11, do you know how many verses are there? 55, yes. There are 55 shlokas in this. Now, it starts like this, that in the last chapter, at the end, God says, that I have described my elements to you, but what is the need to describe them? I have told you so many, what is the need for that? I have sustained the whole world with my one element. I follow it. So, now, listening to this, Arjun asks some questions. Now, in a way, Arjun’s question is, that shloka, which is said at the end of the Gita, which is said at the end of the Gita, it is the same shloka. It is the same feeling. So, we repeat this shloka. Om Ho Yam Vigato Mama Om Ho Yam Vigato Mama So, Arjun is saying that Mad Anugrahaya Paramam that you have done a great favour on me, you have done a great favour on me. What is the result of that? Gohiyam Adhyatma Sangeetam The spiritual knowledge that you have given, So, in the first shloka of the last chapter, God had said, Bhuya Eva Mahabaho Shrunume Paramam Vachaha So, that Paramam Vachaha, Arjun is saying that you have given me this supreme spiritual knowledge. and Yatvayoktam Vachasteena The words that you have said, it is your grace to say this, but what is the effect of this grace on me? Moho Yam Vigato Mama My desire is gone. The desire is finished now. Now, at the end of Gita, in 1873, what Arjun says, he says the same thing, Nashto Moha Spate Labda Tat Prasadan Mayachuta So, Prasad and Anugrah are one. and Nashta Moha and Moha Vigato are one. There, one more thing comes. There, Arjun says, Sthito Smigata Sandeha I have been established. I have been composed. I have done my work. My worries, my doubts, they have all gone. and Karishe Vachinam Tava I will do as you say. I will do as you wish. So, Arjun is not saying that now, because Arjun has some other question. So, now, the question that Arjun asks, he says, that what you have told me, that you sustain this whole world. You are the one who sustains this whole world. You maintain it. So, can you show me this? Can you give me a glimpse of this? So, Manyase Yadita Chakyam Manyase Yadita Chakyam Mayadrashtam Iti Prabho So, is it possible with the word Manya? Chakyam Do you think it is possible? Mayadrashtam Can I see this, Lord? What is it? Yogeshwar Tato Mitvam You are Yogeshwar. And you, Yogeshwar means you have all the yogic powers. So, you can do this. I believe so. Darshayatmanam Avyayam So, your form, your vast form, how you have sustained this whole world, can you show me this? So, this is the chapter of this Gita. In this, the first four shlokas, what is this? This is Arjun’s question. And in the Gita, there is an interesting thing. Here, when Sanjay is telling, he uses a strategy as to how he is telling. So, the five to eight is Krishna’s description. Krishna is describing what I am going to show you. Krishna’s description of universal form. He is describing the vast form. After that, the nine to thirteen, this is Sanjay’s description. When God shows something, Sanjay sees it. That is described. After that, from fourteen to thirty-one, this is Arjun’s description. What is Arjun seeing? So, first Krishna tells what I am going to show you now. Then Sanjay is telling what I am seeing. And then Arjun sees and then Arjun prays. So, Arjun prays. So, what happens here? Then here, in thirty-two, thirty-two, thirty-three, thirty-four, thirty-five. What is happening up to here? Here, Krishna, Krishna’s explanation. Arjun becomes a little engrossed here. So, he asks, what is this? So, after that, thirty-six to forty-six, these are Arjun’s prayers. Seeing the vast form, Arjun prays. And then, after that, Krishna’s final declaration. Krishna’s final declaration is coming to an end. Now, this is a rough division. There is a little overlap in the sections. But now, when someone is seeing something very extraordinary, something extraordinary, as if no one has seen it, someone is seeing something like this. So, what is he seeing? What are you going to see? That is explained first. I was in Stanford, America, Stanford University, a very high-tech university. There, they were recreating a lot of things with a virtual reality. So, there, there was a devotee there, he used to tell us what to do. There, he is doing a service. He is a Hindu, a devotee. He has a feeling of devotion. So, there, the Christians, with a virtual reality, the Noah’s Ark, in their story, it is told that when the whole world was destroyed, so, with the help of God, Noah recreated everything. So, his whole thing is like a 3D virtual reality. You must have seen a Facebook meta-goggle. He wears something big. Everything is visible. So, that devotee, how the universe is created by Brahmaji, he had made a small version of that. So, he was telling, what is going to happen, what is going to be seen, he was telling. So, actually, when we started seeing, so, when Brahmaji was sitting on the lotus, suddenly, so, it feels like we are sitting there, and the storm is coming, so, we are also moving like this. So, the whole lotus is moving like this. It feels like it is going to fall from here. And we see all around, so, there is sound, and there is darkness. And then, it feels like we are holding something, like Brahmaji, he is going inside that lotus. So, what is there? We are experiencing something extraordinary. So, first, we have to give a little warning, that what is this? If someone is going to watch a movie, if it is a horror movie, then we should say, this is a horror movie. Otherwise, he will think that this is a romantic comedy and there is a battle going on, and this is, he is eating some popcorn, and then, it pops. What is this? So, first, we have to give a little information or a warning. Like, what happens is, sometimes, it comes in the news, that, this footage contains some graphic violence. Some viewers may find it disturbing. Some will find it strange. So, what is here? Similarly, Krishna is telling first, what I am going to show you. Right now, where is this Gita told? In Kurukshetra, on the battlefield. So, right now, when Arjuna says, can you show me Vishwaroop? So, Krishna can say, during the battle, you started talking. What do you mean by talking? Do you want to do sightseeing? There is a battle going on here. What is this? Don’t we have time? Do you want to see Virat Roop? So, what happens is, sometimes, there are some questions. So, sometimes, the questions are tangential. What does tangential mean? It means, it is not related to the subject. It means, the subject is going like this, and the question is going like this. So, when such questions arise, then what happens is, the teacher has two options. One is, don’t answer. That, this is not related to the subject. I will not answer it. But the second is, go on the tangent. That, while answering it, what happens is, it goes completely away from the subject. And then, what is that subject? The audience does not remember the subject. The speaker also does not remember the subject. So, if someone wants to give a good class, then what happens is, such tangential questions arise. So, how to handle that? If there is a truly expert speaker, then what will he do? He, he, addresses the question. The tangential questions go on the tangent. But after that, reconnect with the subject. How? This is the skill of the speaker, that, a subject which has no connection, how can he connect it with the main subject? So, this is the expertise of God, which is seen here. If you want to fight a war, that is Arjun’s question. This is Arjun’s question, whether you want to do it or not. And he says, show me Virat Roop. So, what does God say here? I will show you that, I will show you that, but apart from that, I will show you something else. This other thing, which I am showing you, apart from that, I will show you something else. So, he says, Pashyame Partha Roopani. Arjun, you see. And see, Shantashyota Sahasrasa. Bahunya Adrushta Purvani. Adrushta Purvani means, unseen, which is not seen. Purvani means, before this. What I have never seen before, I will show you that also. Now, someone says, now, what you have never seen before, I will show you. Now, is this a promise or a threat? So, is the one who is showing very good or very bad? We do not know that, in a way. But what is it? This, God says, I will show you something else also. And the Arjun who sees something else, he gets scared of that later. But here, in a way, he is making a promise. I will show you something else. Bahunya Adrushta Purvani. Pashyash Charyani Bharata. And there is one more thing, Yaj Chanyat Drashtamichchasi. What you are asking for, what you have said, apart from that also, maybe you would like to see something, I will show you that also. So, the extra vision that God gives, through that, God, the context of Gita, the context of Gita, whether you want to do war or not, God reconnects you with that. So, how does he do that? God, here, he is saying, that you will see the whole world from one place. You will see the whole world So, how does it happen, that if we go to the sky, we go up and up, so what happens? From one place, we can see the whole Nashik city. But it will be foggy. If you want to see clearly, you will need a telescope or something to expand. So, God is saying, from one place, I will show you the whole world. So, when he says that, after that, the word used by Arjuna, Yogeshwar, the same word is used by Sanjay, but he uses it more strongly, Mahayogeshwarohari. The Mahayogeshwarohari, he is showing his form now. So, Darshayan Asaparthaya So, he is showing. Now, Sanjay is describing, what is being shown. So, what is going to be seen, that is so extraordinary, so different people, when we get to know from different people, then we will be able to experience that. If, it happens that, you go to Vrindavan Yatra, so how was Vrindavan Yatra? It was ecstatic. So, what was ecstatic? Kirtan was ecstatic, Darshan was ecstatic, Govardhan Parikrama was ecstatic, Prasad was ecstatic. So, now, he is trying to sing Guna Gana, but he is calling everyone ecstatic. Everything was ecstatic, but your vocabulary is static. What is this? You are repeating the same words again and again. So, we don’t get to know anything from that. So, maybe one person will ask, what did you like? He will say, that, Govardhan Parikrama, the Kirtan we did, I liked that. So, what happened in that Kirtan? If we ask one person, we get to know from one aspect. If we ask another person, we get to know from that aspect. If we ask third person, we get to know from third aspect. So, from that, we will be able to understand a little more, what is happening. So, this Virat Roop Darshan, is so extraordinary, that Krishna himself is telling, what is this? Then Sanjay is telling, what is this? Then, Arjun is also telling. Especially, Arjun is being shown. So, that is why, what we have is, his description is more. So, it is like a multi-perspective description. Now, if someone wants to buy a house, then what happens? You see that house from inside. You see, which is the neighbourhood. You see from above. So, what happens with that? We decide, whether I want to buy this house or not. Or, how will the house be? So, this Virat Roop, which is the universal form, first, we get to know from Krishna’s perspective. Then, after that, we get to know from Sanjay’s perspective. And, after that, we get to know from Arjun’s perspective. So, we can see this from different perspectives. So, now, this will be a detailed study, that, in whose description, what is being told? What is not being told? Why is this happening? But, now, Sanjay tells, that this is looking very extraordinary. And then, he tells, later, he tells, we will see one. What does he say? Divi Surya Sahasrasya Divi Surya Sahasrasya So, Divi Surya, Surya means, the sun. So, when one sun rises, there is a lot of light. But, if Sahasrasurya rises, how much light will there be? So, sometimes, what happens is, the darkness, blinds us. When we are in darkness, we are not able to see. But, the blindness, can happen in two ways. Blindness, which is not being able to see, is usually, due to darkness. But, sometimes, it is also due to brightness. Something is so bright, that we are not able to see anything, because of it. So, especially, if we are driving at night, and, a truck comes in front of us, the truck sometimes, glares at us. So, it is so bright, that we are not able to see anything. So, now, in a way, here also, this is happening. Earlier, Sanjay was saying, what is this, which is not being able to be seen clearly. So, why is this happening? Is it because of darkness, or because of brightness? Because of brightness. Divi Surya Sahasrasya, the sun is so bright, that I am not able to see anything here. But, and he was saying, bhaved yuga path uthita, the age ends. So, as there will be light, similarly, there is light here. yadi bha sadrushi saasya If it will be like this, similarly, bhaasas tasya mahatmanah The great, vast form, similarly, there is light. Coming back here, tatra ekastham ekastham, which Arjun, Krishna told Arjun, ek jagah pe, jagat kuchnam, the whole world can be seen. And then, what is Arjun’s response? First, he says, tatah sa vismaya vishto tatah sa vismaya vishto So, Arjun, vismaya, means, he was astonished, what has happened, what is being seen, a vishto. So, in the beginning also, tat krupaya vishto was told, that he, krupaya, he sees that, all the warriors are fighting, he gets a lot of control over his emotions. So, the same is happening here. So, vismaya vishto And, what has happened to him? rishta roma dhananjaya rishta roma dhananjaya His hair stood up. This is not due to fear, this is due to wonder, due to astonishment. pranamya shirsa devam pranamya shirsa devam He bows his head, and joins his hands. krutanjali rabhashata krutanjali rabhashata He joins his hands and starts saying something. Now, what does he say? He sees that, de pasyami Now, in this whole chapter, this pasyami, he is giving emphasis on seeing, because Arjuna is seeing everything. So, he says, devans tava dev dehe In your body, I am seeing all the gods. Above, I am seeing Brahmaji. brahmanam isyam And, below, urugam isyadivyan which is a divine serpent, which is infinite. I am seeing the whole world. First, he sees, and then, he identifies it. What is it? First, he describes what it is. And then, he says, pasyami vishveshwar vishvarupa pasyami vishveshwar vishvarupa So, it is vishvarupa. This, I understand. And then, when he keeps on saying this, then he describes that, I am seeing many heads, I am seeing many hands. And then, he says, here, I am seeing the form of Vishnu. And, he keeps on describing like this. But, here, what happens is, in vishveshloka, what happens is, lokatrayam First, it is surprising. But, now, what is surprising? Now, he says, all people got scared lokatrayam pravattitam mahatmam This form, first, he was describing but, now, it is surprising. Surprising means, scared. First, people got scared. But, after that, slowly, he starts saying, that, the sage is saying, swastityukta You calm down. You calm down. stuvantitvam sativipushkalabhi And, Arjuna is still saying, vismitas vishchayivasar All people are scared. But, pravyathitas tathaham What is happening from here, from 23? Arjuna says, I am scared. I am scared. But, scared and scared. This is a very different feeling. So, what happens is, Arjuna’s feeling is going on a rollercoaster here. So, I once gave a class. And, a devotee came to me with a big smile. Prabhu, your class was awful. So, I said, what? Your class was awful. What does it mean? It was very bad. So, I said, what? You are smiling so sarcastically. What is happening? What did he say? Your class was awful. So, then, I said, ok, what did you find awful? So, he started asking, I liked this point, I liked that point. Later, I understood, that he was trying to learn English. So, there are two words. One is awesome. And, the other is awful. So, he wanted to say awesome. But, he said awful. So, what happens to Arjuna is, when he sees the world for the first time, he becomes enraged. this is awesome. But, what happens later? He says, this is awful. He gets enraged. What happens to him? He starts seeing something horrible. So, what is happening now? The universe, we call it the universal form, has two things. In the universe, there is space and time. Einstein made space and time as a continuum. But, there are two things in space and time. So, when God shows the universal form, then, how it is spread in space, in space, it is spread everywhere. He shows that the whole universe is within him. But, the form he showed to Duryodhana, the form he showed to Yashodamayi, what was all that? In that, how all the whole universe is in the body of God. The body of God is universal. He shows that. But, here, he shows Arjuna. He shows Arjuna this, but, he shows Arjuna this, the form of time, which is extra. This is only for Arjuna. Now, God says, I will show you something other than this. So, the universal form he wants to see, he makes it extra. But, the form of time, he makes it extra. He makes it extra. So, what is the form of time? It means, the control of God in the whole space. When we study, in social sciences, there is history, there is geography. Geography means, the whole area. History means, in the past, and now, we do not know the future, but, it is called future, future logic. So, it is spread in time also. So, the control of God, is not only in the whole geography, but, it is also in the whole history. And, it is in the front as well as in the back. So, in the form of time, God, what is going to happen in the future, he is telling. So, the history, if we look at it from the perspective of devotion, history is, his story. His story means, it is the story of God. Now, in this, this king did this, he did that, he did this conspiracy, that is all right. But, God is his plan, he is moving ahead. God is doing the work. So, now, according to the form of time, what God shows, that, Arjun, especially his description, that, starts coming from the 25th shloka. When Arjun says, that, now, I am going crazy. I am going crazy. Here, he is telling, that, the form I am seeing, tamstra karalani, which is very scary, very scary teeth are visible, which are coming out. Like, the form of Narasimha, in the same way, he is showing a very scary form. And, not only those teeth are coming out, with that, fire is also coming out. Now, what is the meaning of teeth? If you go there, you will be caught. But, fire means, wherever you are, it will come there and catch you. So, it is, drishtvaiva kaalanal sannibhani. And, kaalanal means, the fire of Kaal, which destroys the whole world. I am seeing the same fire. And, it is so scary, that, disho na jaane, na labheje sharma. What happens is, to understand the direction, there is a reference point. If we, ok, now, the sun is here. Now, it is the beginning of the day. So, ok, this will be east, this will be west. At night, the pole starts, there is a star. So, for us, there is a reference point, with which we understand the direction. But, if it is dark everywhere, then, we do not know the direction. If, suppose, there is fire, then, we do not know, where to go. Now, in March, in April, I will go to America. So, this morning, in Los Angeles, I was talking to some of our devotees. I am going to go there. So, now, you know, in Los Angeles, there is a very big, terrible fire, burning there, in a place called Palisades. so, I was talking to them. So, one of their friends, a firefighter, he was also coming in devotion. He was saying, they went to rescue someone, and then, what happened, suddenly, the wind was so strong, that the fire spread. And, the way they went inside, there was fire everywhere. So, now, what happened, on one hand, they knew that they came from here, but, the fire spread so much, that, they could not understand where to go. So, for such emergencies, what do they do? So, for them, their system is, they keep a beeper. The beeper, makes a very loud sound. And, they follow that sound, and then, say, we have to go here. So, now, there is fire everywhere. So, the fire will burn us. But, in the direction, where there is less fire, from there, we will run away. So, we will burn a little, and then, we will escape. But, in the direction, where there is more fire, from there, we will escape. So, we will burn. So, what happens, there was a helicopter, they were looking from the helicopter, and, they said, go in this direction. So, what happens, when there is complete fire, they say, I don’t know where to go. So, where to go, they do not understand. So, now, the form, which everyone is seeing, Arjuna tells first, na antam, na madhyam, na punas, tawadim, where is your beginning, where is your middle, where is your end, I cannot see it. But, now, this is a universal form, that, where do I have to go? Because, this fire is coming out from your form, and is burning everyone. So, nisho na jaane, na labheja sharma, I am not able to stay calm. He tells this. And, what do we see further? That, all those warriors, they, are going into the mouth of this form. Dhritarashtra’s son, Duryodhana, etc., are going into this form. Sarve sahi, I will just say a few words, I will not repeat it. So, they see, Bhishma, Drona, Suta putra, Satha, Sau. Bhishma, Drona, Suta putra, everyone is seen here. Sahas, Madhir, Api, Yodhamukhe, Yodhamukhe, everyone is going into this form. And, there is such a fear, that, when everyone is going, Damshtra, Karalani, Bhayanak, the second time, the same thing is coming, that teeth are very dangerous. So, this mouth is open, and when teeth are coming, then what happens? Some people, some people, their heads, they hit the teeth. When they hit, then what happens? That head breaks. And, when it breaks, then, Kechid, Vilagna, Dashanant, Reshu, Sandrush, Shanti, Churnitair, Uttamangai. So, Churnitair, they break, they scatter. And, Uttamangai, the best part of the body, is called the head. Uttamangai. So, this is a very dangerous form, which is being shown. And, basically, it is being shown here, that, it is being discussed about death. And, the death, for this, two Upamayas are given. So, we will see these two Upamayas. So, first, we come to the 29th Shloka, then, we come to the 28th Shloka. So, I will tell you from today, then we will repeat it. It is being told that, Yatha Pradeeptam, Pradeeptam means burning, Jwalanam Patanga, The kite, is a burning lamp, which runs towards it. What happens with it? Vishanti Nashaya, it burns, it gets destroyed. But, it is going fast, Samruddha Vega, So, its speed, makes its death, even faster. Yatha Pradeeptam Jwalanam, Tathaiva, Yatha and Tatha. That is symmetry. This is an example. Similarly, Tathaiva. Similarly, Nashaaya. Vishanti Lokas. I am looking at people. They are going towards their destruction. Tavaapivaktrani In your mouth. Samruddhavega They are going fast. Tathaiva, Nashaaya, Vishanti Lokas Tavaapivaktrani, Samruddhavega Now, what is being told here? These are such people we can say that death, destruction is unavoidable. Be it a devotee or a non-devotee, everyone is going to die. So, this is necessary. But the turn of death can take place in two ways. One is described in 28, the other is described in 29. So, when a kite flies in fire, it has two characteristics. What happens is that it is pointless. Because of its death, water is flying, water is burning, and water is dying. So, it has no meaning. And it is self-induced. Meaning, it is itself burning in the fire. So, the second example is of death. And the second example is of a river. And what is its opposite? One is that it is meaningful, it is not pointless, it is self-induced, and it is natural, it is naturalistic. So, this example is of a river. Let us see the example. So, the first example is It is being told that the death of Duryodhana etc. is like that of this kite. There was no need for war. He himself repeatedly tortured the Pandavas. Krishna came to Shantidhoop but did not accept him. So, the death that is taking place is because of his misdeeds. Now, the opposite of this is the description of Bhishma etc. It is being told that it is like that of a river. यथा नदी नाम भहो अम्भुवेगा The river is also moving at a speed. अम्भुवेगा is the speed of water. समुद्रम् एवा भिमुखा दर्वन्ति It burns in the sea. Similarly, तथा तवामि I am seeing नरलोक वीरा The brave men of Narlok here, those people are called brave men. विशन्ति वक्तराणि अभिविज्वलंति Your mouth is burning and they are entering it. यथा नदी नाम भहो अम्भुवेगा यथा नदी नाम भहो अम्भुवेगा समुद्रम् एवा भिमुखा दर्वन्ति समुद्रम् एवा भिमुखा दर्वन्ति तथा तवामी नरलोक वीरा तथा तवामी नरलोक वीरा विशन्ति वक्तराणि अभिविज्वलंति विशन्ति वक्तराणि अभिविज्वलंति So, in Shri Sampradaya, Ramacharya was the Pradhanacharya. So, one of his followers was the Pradhan of Vedanta Desi. So, he has written a sub-commentary on Ramacharya’s language in Gita. तो उसमें बताते है कैसे है यह सागर होता है जो नदी होती है जब सागर के हो जाती है तो नदी का जो सुभाव होता है वो बदलता नहीं है जल है वैसे जल ही रहता है नदी में भी जल है और सागर में जाने का भी जल ही रहता है पतिणग है, वो जब गब सागर में जाता है, आगने में जाता है तो जल के भ्सम होजाता है हो여�ं जो से लिए जो किस्र के लिए जी रहे हैं वो उसका विनाश हो जाता है पतिंग क्या है? पतिंग से शरीर का न buys जाता है Meaningless means that it is completely destroyed. But the essential nature of water remains the same. Some people say that water is found in the ocean. You can say that it is found. But the drops of water remain the same. The atoms of water, each atom is individual. So the nature of water remains the same. It does not get destroyed. And secondly, when that water is going towards the ocean, while going towards the ocean, it benefits many living beings. On the banks of the river, all the humans, animals, trees, it gives nutrition to all of them. So it is said that the people who live by ethics, who live by devotion, they too are going to die. But in their lives, they benefit others. And in the end, the thing for which they are living, if someone is doing devotion, if he is living with devotion, then the value in his life, that God, God’s service, God’s connection with God, it remains intact. It does not get destroyed. And death comes naturally. It is not that he himself is doing something and bringing death. So death is going to come to everyone. But how can it be meaningful? There are two things that are meaningful. I don’t have any meaningful space here. One is contribution. When the river is going towards the sea, it benefits everyone. And the second is preservation. What does preservation mean? The nature of the sea, of the river, of the water, it remains the same. So in the same way, the devotees too, those who are living a devout life, they too are going to die. But they can serve others They can contribute to others. And in the end, the thing for which they are living, that thing will remain with them in the next life too. If someone lives for money, then money will go away. If someone lives for farming, then it will go away. But if someone is doing devotion, then devotion is the property of the soul. It will remain with us. So that is why, death comes to everyone. But everyone’s death is not equal. So how we have lived before death, it is decided according to that what is going to be the importance of our life in the end. So all of us, we all have to become like a river. The ocean is God. It is the spiritual world. So we all have to go towards the ocean. But what is there? The material world is a mountain. We have to go from there. This is a very high mountain. And here is a big ocean. So what is there now? From this material world, we have to go to this spiritual world. If we go here, then we all are a different river. So every river has to find its own way. So there is only one destination. Our purpose is the same. But every person’s life is different. We are in a different family. We are in a different society. There are different things. So how do we all have to go towards God in our situation? How do we have to go towards God in our situation? In our situation, what type of contribution will we make? Everyone will have a different type of contribution. Every river will go from a different area. The area from which it will go, there it will give water. So the ultimate purpose of all of us is one. When we ask people, nowadays everyone asks what is the purpose of my life? And if we tell people, there are new people, we tell them, in companies, the purpose is given a lot of importance. Find the purpose of your life. So we tell them, the purpose is to go back to Krishna. So they say, you go back to Krishna. If we tell them, Krishna is our purpose, they say, wherever you go, we have no interest in this purpose. So people think, okay, when we have to go there, most of the people think, this world is beyond life, there is no other world. And to go to that world, there is a lot of joy in it. Either it seems imaginary, imaginary, or it seems irrelevant. Because, right now, it is not of much importance to me. So when people think, what is the purpose of my life? And if we go through the path of knowledge, we say, what is this world? This is a dream, you have to get up from it. And you have to get out of it. You have to get out of this jail. They say, you are very pessimistic. You are very pessimistic. How does a pessimistic person feel? So, in this life also, we have a contribution. And every person has a distinct, unique contribution. So, we have to live our life in such a way, that we have to go towards the ocean. But, to go towards the ocean, what is there? There are many temptations in this world. So, what are those temptations? Those temptations are like fire. And when we get attracted towards those temptations, we become like a kite. And then, instead of going towards the ocean, we become like a kite, and get burnt. So, we don’t have to become like a kite, we have to remain like a river. And the river, which is going towards the ocean, similarly, all of us can also go towards the ocean. We can go towards God. And, while going, in this world also, we can contribute by serving. So, now, when Arjun sees all this, Arjun, Arjun is telling him a joke, but he is seeing that, this is a very scary thing. So, what happens? He starts asking, what is this? He has told earlier that, this is the world form. But, this world form, this is such a part, which he has never seen before. So, he asks, that, I am asking, O God, what is this world form? Aakhyahime ko bhavanu grah roopo Aakhyahime ko bhavanu grah roopo He says, I bow to you. Varapradeva varaprasida I understand that you are the God who will give birth to a child. I am happy with you. Don’t be angry. Namostu te deva varaprasida Namostu te deva varaprasida It is important to understand who you are. It is important to understand who you are. But if a person comes to you, a very strong, powerful, a scared person, and on top of that he seems to be very angry. His eyes are red, his face is red. So, it is important to know who you are. But for whom have you come? You haven’t come to kill me, have you? So what is it? I want to know bhavantamadhyam You have come here. Nahi prajanami tava pravrttim I don’t know what your pravrtti is, what your objective is. Vijnantu micchami bhavantamadhyam Nahi prajanami tava pravrttim So, I don’t understand what your pravrtti is. Someone can say, this is Vishwaroop. So, now what happens is, when Krishna shows Arjuna Vishwaroop, so what happens is, when we see the picture, so here is Arjuna, here is Krishna, and Krishna is showing him Vishwaroop. But when Arjuna starts seeing Vishwaroop, then Krishna is not seen. That is why he is not asking Krishna, what is that? Krishna is not here. He is asking him, who are you? And when he is asking, now when Arjuna goes to Krishna’s shelter, then what happens is, he says, vichchami tvam dharmasamudh cheta So, he uses the word tvam. But here, he is using bhavan. So, what is the difference between tvam and bhavan? It is you and you. So, we are sitting at home on Sunday, watching TV, and we get a call. They ask, who are you? And our boss calls, what can I do for you? So, tvam becomes you. So, when Arjuna sees Vishwaroop, and when he says tvam to Krishna, he becomes bhavan. And he asks, who are you? Now, Krishna can say, I am Vishwaroop, or I am Krishna. But when Arjuna is asking a question, suppose, we meet a friend after 10-20 years, and we say, we are going for a walk, and when we are talking, suddenly, 5-6 goons come and attack us. And we get scared, but this friend, he does some karate moves, and all the goons fall on the ground. We say, who are you? He says, I am your friend, that is not the question. Who are you? What does it mean? The familiar person, we see some unfamiliarity in him. He is a very serious person, and he starts laughing a lot. We say, where did my friend go? Who are you in his place? So, Arjuna knows what Vishwaroop is, but now, this destructive aspect, which is visible, when he is asked about it, who are you? So, bhavantamadhimakhyay I am asking you. That is why, when Bhagwan answers, what does Bhagwan answer? kalosmi lokakshay kultpravato I am time. Now, creation happens from time, from time, the maintenance that happens, there is sustenance as well as destruction. But, at this time, the time that has come, has come for destruction. So, that is why, Bhagwan is saying, I am time. So, what has Bhagwan done? He has given darshan of Virat Roop. The darshan of Virat Roop, in that, there is one aspect, Kaal Roop. So, this Kaal Roop, this is adrushta purvam. This, before this, has never been shown. So, here, Arjuna is seeing, Arjuna is afraid of it. And then, here, when Bhagwan shows, kalosmi lokakshay kultpravato Time, I am the destroyer of the worlds. some time ago, a movie came from Hollywood, named Oppenheimer. So, Oppenheimer was a scientist, who, from the Manhattan Project, made the first atom bomb. So, when the first atom bomb was explored, in a desert in North America, he explored it. He did a test drive of it. He explored it. So, when it was explored, then, just now, Oppenheimer was interested in Bhagavad Gita. So, when he read it, what did he say? He quoted this shloka. Seeing such a great destruction, he said, such a great destruction, such a great power of destruction, humans have never seen in the modern age. Then he said, Time, I am, this is the power of Bhagwan, this is the true power, he was saying. So, Bhagwan, just now, has come to destroy the battlefield. So, first, Bhagwan answers Arjuna’s question, Who am I? And then, What is your purpose? So, the answer to that, was the main focus of our class today. The class was, in the scheme of Bhagwan, how can we play our role? So, Bhagwan, tells Arjuna here, that, I have come here to destroy everyone, leaving you. I have come to destroy everyone, What does it mean, I want to make you my target. So, Bhagwan tells here, Arjuna, That is why, because I want to make you my target, you get up, and attain glory. Tasmātma-tishtha-yashola-bhasva Jitva-shatru You will win over the enemy, and you enjoy the kingdom. It is not that, Bhagwan says, if you are sad, you will remain sad. No, if you are a part of my scheme, you will also get prosperity and happiness. Jitva-shatru-bhūṅkṣvārājyaṁ samṛaddhaṁ Then Bhagwan says, Arjuna says, there are so many big enemies, how will I be able to win over them? Through me, mayai vaite nihata By my scheme, they have been destroyed. purvameva This is purva-nirdhārita. mayai vaite nihata purvameva So, what you have to do is, you have to become nimitta. sauvya-sācī Why am I telling you about sauvya-sācī? Arjuna, you are virtuous. With both your hands, you are the master of Dhanu-vidyā. So, use your mastery for my service. nimittamātram bhava sauvya-sācī So, the essence of Bhagavad Gita can be explained in different ways. But this is one shloka. In a way, the essence of Bhagavad Gita is explained by Guru Acharya. What is the purpose of our life? To become nimitta for Bhagwan. So, it is not just one shloka, it is one line of one shloka. nimittamātram bhava sauvya-sācī Now, Arjuna was with Bhagwan. He was with Bhagwan. What is Bhagwan’s scheme? And how is that scheme going on? Bhagwan is telling Arjuna. So, it is easy for him to become a companion. We do not have access to Bhagwan. But in reality, it is not like that. When Bhagwan was with Arjuna, it is not like that every time Bhagwan was micro-controlling Arjuna. Now, you shoot this arrow. Now, shoot this arrow. Don’t shoot that. Even after listening to this Gita, Arjuna himself has his own individuality. Arjuna himself makes his own scheme. Arjuna himself uses his own intellect. But all that he does is for the service of Bhagwan. So, now all of us are in different situations. And we have many problems in our life. We may not know what Bhagwan’s scheme is for us. But we can understand that what Bhagwan wants, is the welfare of all. Bhagwan wants that surdam sarva-bhūtānām He cares for all. And if we serve him, we should also want the welfare of all. We want our own welfare, and we want the welfare of others. So, whatever is the situation in our life, the service attitude, can have many meanings. The service attitude has a specific meaning. What does specific mean? The service attitude means when you come to a temple and you serve some prasadam, or you make a garland, or you involve yourself in some programme, that is directly devotional. But apart from that specific, it has a universal meaning. Universal means it has universal meaning. And what is that? That is this attitude, how can I help make things better? Whatever is the situation, in that situation, how can I contribute to make this situation better? Not like this, how can I make things better? Maybe we will try, but that will not happen. Right now, Prabhupāda ji, his gurudev has ordered that you propagate in Peshawar. But that was a very general order. He did not specify anything. You go here and propagate. In Peshawar, Peshawar is a very big country. Where do you want to go there? So Prabhupāda ji used his own intellect. He experienced. Sometimes one thing worked, sometimes another thing did not work. And then, Prabhupāda ji always had a feeling that I have to serve God. So whatever is our situation, it can be our house, it can be our job, it can be our service in the temple, it can be anything. Right now, God wants things to be good. To serve God means whatever things I have, I have to make them better. So, if we keep that feeling, then what will happen? Gradually, God will give us intellect. We will have intellect. I told this in the last chapter. You can do this service. You can do this work. So, we have to become a target. Its aim, its intention is that, if I have to do service, in this situation, to make this situation better, what can I do? So, after this, when we tell this to God, then Arjuna joins his hands again. This time, he is a little scared. Here, he offers prayers. The prayers he offers, are not good prayers, but we see a couple of prayers in this. What? So, one thing comes here. What does God say? He says, Dronam cha Bheeshamam cha Jayadratam cha Here, Arjuna said, I have heard of Sutaputra Sathas. I have seen Bheesham, Dronam, Karna, Sutaputra. But here, God is mentioning Jayadrat. Now, this mention of Jayadrat is interesting, because the mention of Jayadrat was not even mentioned in the first chapter. That means, Jayadrat is not considered as a very important warrior. When Duryodhan is counting the numbers of both the armies, then the mention of and Sanjay also says that both are playing the shankh, in that also Jayadrath is not mentioned. So why is God mentioning Jayadrath here? Because in future it is going to happen that Jayadrath is going to be a big challenge for Arjun. So when Arjun took a vow to kill Jayadrath, it would be very difficult for him to kill Jayadrath by going alone across the army of Kauravas. But here what does God say? Dronam cha bhishmam cha jayadratham cha So all these warriors are desolate, Mayahatam swam By my plan all of them have died. Then after that when Arjun prays, Arjun understands that I was supposed to call him my friend, I was supposed to say that he is such a powerful God. So Arjun says, Please forgive me. He says, Just like a father forgives his son, similarly you also forgive me. I did not understand your greatness and sometimes I have made fun of you. There is laughing with others and laughing at others. These are two different things. Laughing with others and laughing at others. So Arjun says, I have made fun of you and you too. So he says, Sometimes So Chakravarti Bhai explains this very beautifully. sakheti matva prasabham yaduktam So Arjun says, When Duryodhana befriended Karna, Duryodhana had helped Karna. So Chakravarti Bhai explains, Arjun says, I am a Kshatriya, but you are Kshatriya, Vaishya, no one knows. And I am a king, I am a king’s brother, but you are not a king, you are a king of Ugrasen. So when I am befriending you, I have helped you. So this is not like this. Chakravarti Bhai explains this with a sense of humour. sakheti matva prasabham yaduktam So I used to call you a friend. Hey Krishna, Hey Yadav, Hey Sakheti. So you are not Yadunath. He is called Yadunath, but officially he was not Yadav’s king. ajanata mahimanam tavedam I did not know your greatness, so please forgive me. Arjun says, the form you have shown me, it is a very good form, it is of great kindness, but it is enough, don’t show it to me now. So what happens? Enough. Now Bhagwan has started making fun of him. He says, this form, even the deities have not seen it. This is a very bad form. Don’t you want to see it? Arjun says, no, it is enough now. So the form he has shown me, he says, show me the form of kindness. So what happens? So Bhagwan, first he has shown the form of Vishwa. Then what does he do with the form of Vishwa? In the concise form, he shows the form of Vishnu. Vishnu means, he shows the form of Chaturbhuj. And after that, he comes in the form of Krishna. So, when he sees the form of Krishna, Arjun says, now I have calmed down. So now, he has come back to normal. What has happened? Arjun comes, Arjun comes to see the form of Virat, but he is given the form of Kaal. Or you go to see a thriller movie, but that thriller movie becomes a horror movie. Thriller and horror are similar, but the animal is a little different. So Arjun says, I have found my peace. And then, he has shown the complete form of Vyavah. Bhagwan had told Arjun, you fight a war. And I have killed your enemy. But the surprising thing here is, in the last shloka of this chapter, Bhagwan says, Prabhupadaji says, this is the substance of Bhagavad Gita. This is the substance of Bhagavad Gita. So what is being said here? mat karmakran mat parmo That you do karma for me, and not only for me, but make me your goal. Because what happens, if you work in an office, so we are working, we are working inside the boss. But that boss is not our goal. Money is our goal. Of course, if someone wants to marry the boss, he becomes the boss’s goal. He is different. But what is it? mat karmakran mat parmo That you do my karma, but make me your goal. And you, nirvairah sarvabhuteshu You do my bhakti. Sangavarjita You, Sang, don’t fall into the material world. Don’t fall into the material world, what is the special meaning of this? nirvairah sarvabhuteshu You, don’t have enmity with anyone. Just now, God told me, that this is your enemy, I have killed your enemy, you get up and fight. And now, God is telling, nirvairah sarvabhuteshu that don’t fight. So, what is this? There is a western scholar of Gita, he comments, he says that, Krishna contradicts himself so many times. What is this? Even now, Krishna has forgotten what he has said. But Krishna has not forgotten. Krishna says, yes, there is war, we have to fight. But, you are not fighting with the intention of revenge. You are fighting with the intention of my service. And, you are fighting with the intention that you have to do dharma. So, that is why, God says, You, keep the husband of Kauravas as your enemy. Why do you have to fight? Because, he has done a bad deed. He has to be punished. I am going to punish him. But, you have to be the reason for it. you don’t keep the intention of enmity. When we serve, then, many times, the devotion, in a way, is like a battle. It is like a war. So, but, our focus is, it is who we are fighting for, not who we are fighting against. For whom are we fighting? This is more important. For whom are we fighting? That is more important. But, it is not that important. When, Prabhupada ji, gave money for land of Juhu, and, he was going to buy it, then, his owner, wanted to take money, and, he was a politician at that time, he wanted to take money, and, keep it in the land. So, Prabhupada ji, once, writes in a letter, that, if he, if he, wants to steal the land of Krishna, he will have to go over my dead body. He will have to go over my dead body. I will never let him steal. Prabhupada ji says. And then, Prabhupada ji says, he is like a snake. He says. But, later, that person, dies of heart attack. Then, his wife, sends goons, to the temple. She tries to break the temple. She gets arrested by the devotees. But, later, Prabhupada ji, starts a war. And, the entire publicity, is against him. That, these devotees, are coming from abroad, to make a temple in India, and, they are being tortured. So, the entire media is against him. Politicians come to support him. And, then, he, thinks that, the matter has become very big. So, he comes to settle it. So, he signs the land, Prabhupada ji gives him money, and, transfers it. So, sometimes, he says, Swami ji, I made a big mistake. Please forgive me. And, Prabhupada ji says, Don’t worry. You are like my daughter. You are like my daughter. I will take care of you. So, when, for Krishna’s land, there was a war, Prabhupada ji, was like a lion. But, he had no enmity towards anyone. So, nirvairah sarvabhuteshu. Sometimes, when we are doing bhakti, someone opposes us. When we are doing service, someone opposes us. So, we feel sad. We may even get angry. But, we, should not keep that person in our heart, with hatred, with hatred. Because, Arjuna, was not Duryodhana conscious. Duryodhana did such a big atrocity. He was not Karna conscious. He was Krishna conscious. So, nirvairah sarvabhuteshu means that if we keep more enmity towards someone, then that person will sit in our consciousness. But, God is saying, mat karmakron mat parmo. So, we may have to do war. But, we, with the feeling of service, whatever the situation is, in this, what can I do better? If we keep that feeling, then God will guide us. And, whatever the problem is in our life, in that, we can go beyond that. And, Arjuna, in a way, this situation has come. We are having to do a big war. But, God is saying, in this also, I have a plan. And, through this plan, I will take you beyond whatever the situation is. So, in summary, we discussed how, first of all, we saw an overview of Gita. How is Gita? It is helping us in taking decisions. But, decisions, they are only situations, situations, or emotions, they are not the basis. They are based on principles and purposes. That, how to take on the basis of that. So, when we are taking decisions in this way, so, in that, we saw how Gita tells on three levels, that we are Jeev, Jagat, and Jagdish. So, first on the Jeeva Yoga, and then on the basis of Jnana Yoga. So, in that, we saw, especially in Chapter 11, that how the question is a tangential question. So, don’t answer that or go tangential. What is to the connect the tangent. Tangent to subject. So, that, saw, the tangent. So, in that, we saw, question So, in that, we saw, question is a So, question question identity or intention. question question direct devotional activity improving mentality How can I consider myself to be good? If we have that feeling, then God will guide us. That is why when we are doing this, our focus should be on Krishna, not on the opposition. We don’t have to give strength to the enemy. When we see that Krishna is the greatest, as it is said in English, don’t tell God how big your problems are. There is no need to tell God how big your problems are. Tell your problems how big God is. Tell your problems how big God is. When God shows His great form, then no one can be greater than God. There is no one greater than God. Bigger than our biggest problem is Krishna. If we are Krishna conscious, then the problem will seem small. If we are problem conscious, then the problem will become bigger, and we won’t feel the importance of Krishna. So first we have to be Krishna conscious, and then whatever the problem is, if we face it with service, then we can overcome it. Thank you very much. Hare Krishna. Okay. So what is the lesson that you learn from that? And that could be the problem or thing that you are asking for your seva only. But you see that Krishna isn’t helping you the way you are thinking should be helped. You see that they get some divine power and they win. Abhimanyu fights for Krishna’s seva only. He is not Krishna, he is Yudhishtira. He goes to fight for Krishna’s seva only. But he gets stuck in the wheel. So it is not necessary, it is mentioned in the Shastras, that even if our objective is seva, it doesn’t mean that it will be a success at the material level. For example, we take the example of Ganga. Ganga had to be brought to earth. So many kings were doing penance. Some kings did penance for their whole life. And they also attained enlightenment. Did their effort go in vain? No. They moved ahead and then they were able to bring Bhagirath. So what is it? One is spiritual purity. Purity means our objective is to serve Bhagwan. And the second is material ability. So now, spiritual purity is not a substitute for material ability. Jatayu’s whole objective was to serve Bhagwan. But he didn’t have that ability. He was old. Abhimanyu didn’t have the ability to serve Bhagwan. So now what is it? The one who doesn’t have spiritual purity, he is always inauspicious. He is inauspicious. If someone doesn’t have this ability, then he will always be sad. He doesn’t have spiritual objective, he doesn’t have material ability. So what will happen to him? He will be more or less ineffective. He won’t be able to do anything. Now, if someone has material ability, then he will be temporarily effective. He will be able to do some work for some time. But if he doesn’t have spiritual awareness, then he won’t have any effect. So now when we do bhakti, if our objective is to serve Bhagwan, then whatever we are doing, it is in a way auspicious. It is auspicious. But if it is inauspicious, it doesn’t mean that it is necessary that we will see the result of it at the physical level. So sometimes what happens is that this will be materially successful. When someone has material ability, then he will be materially successful. If he doesn’t have it, then here it is material and spiritual success. Here it will be spiritual success, but it is not going to be material success. Now on the spiritual level, Jatayu was successful. Bhagwan did his last rites. He sacrificed his body in the lap of Bhagwan. He was successful. So now, I asked Prabhupada ji, that bhakti nothaks have only propagated in Bengal. Bhakti nothaks have propagated in India. You have propagated all over the world. You are greater than all of them. Prabhupada ji became very serious. Don’t ever think like this. Whatever I have done, I have done it by their grace. So the point is that it is not that we have a pure intention, that is why success is going to come. So now, in many places, there are many problems for success. I have spoken about material ability. But along with ability, to manifest that ability, whatever is going on, material situation is important. So we have to see that if I am trying to do something, that is not happening. So then, there are two things. Sometimes when we do service, we have to use our intellect. Prabhupada ji says, intellect means to see things in their proper perspective. So what does proper perspective mean? What are the big things for me and what are the small things for me? What is big for me and what is small for me? We have to understand this and on the basis of that, we have to decide that on the basis of intelligence, tolerance comes. So now, in Bhagavad Gita, in the thirteenth shloka, it is mentioned that intellect means to see things in their proper perspective. And then, in the fourteenth shloka, tolerance comes. Without intellect, tolerance will become powerless. We have to understand with intellect what is important and what is not important. What does tolerance mean? Keep big things big and keep small things small. Today, we are telling them to tolerate. This does not mean that Kauravas have tortured you so much, you should tolerate them. There is no need to fight. What should we do in tolerance? We are fighting for Dharma. In that, you have to fight against Bhishma and Drona. You should tolerate that. So now, what does it mean to say that we are doing service. So now, in that service, what are the big things for us and what are the small things for us? We have to see that. Now, suppose, there is an instruction to promote someone. So, we go to one place and promote. We do not get any interest or following. People are not interested. So, we will go to another place. We will promote there. So, it is not that we should try for some time. But, if someone has got an order that you have to go to this place and promote. So, there will be a thousand problems. But, if that place is important for our Gurudev, for our tradition, so, even if we get a little success, there, where we are promoting, that is important. Whether the success is small or big. And sometimes, we say, no, we have to preach. We are not getting success here. We will go somewhere else. So, when Prabhupadaji was in Jhansi, when he got a problem, he said, leave Jhansi. What is there to do? So, there, the place was not important. When Prabhupadaji was starting the mission, he wanted sincere people. So, he said, leave all the complications. But, when there was complexity in Juhu, in Mumbai, Prabhupadaji said, no, I am not going to leave. Because, it has become a big organisation. We are devotees. Mumbai is a very important place. So, we need our place there. This place is good, it is promising. So, I will fight for it. So, sometimes, we have to see, who is serving, what is important in that? Is it important to serve at that place? Is it important to serve in that area? Some devotees say, by nature, they are teachers. So, this teaching, by nature, is theirs. If they leave teaching and they say, I teach people and they are so interested so I become a manager. But, maybe, they don’t have that feeling. Bhagwan says, PAR DHARMO BHAYAV In which, the manager has no feeling, he becomes a manager, so, later, to manage him, one has to bring someone else. So, But some people don’t even know what their nature is. Some people, even small children, some children’s talents are very clear from childhood. His music is very good, his math is very good, his language is very good. Some people have the same game of karma. Some people have talents, but not a special talent. So what happens? It’s not like I have to do only one thing. There are some other things. So you can try this. So some devotees try teaching, then try managing, then try something else. So we have to see what the big thing is for us. If there is only one specific service for us, we have to do that only, because we have talent in that. We get satisfaction in doing that. So whether we get pleasure or not, we have to do that only. So the big thing is that we have to serve according to our nature. But if the nature is not clear, then we see different services. If the nature is not clear, then we see different services. And maybe that will help us discover our nature. That will help us know that there can be service here. So it’s not like God is not helping us. It takes time to understand our part. So it is not that God is not helping. It is our understanding of how we should be serving is evolving. When Prabhupadaji goes to America, faith, I’ll conclude with this point, Shraddha, we sometimes call it certainty. I have complete faith that God will protect me. But in Shraddha, there are two things. One is certainty and the other is uncertainty. That I know, but I don’t know. What was Prabhupadaji? He says that when he goes to America, the temple is full of devotees, that only time is separating us. So what is certainty? Krishna will protect. Bhagwan Krishna will protect us, will help us. But what is uncertainty? How and when? When will he do it and how will he do it? The same Prabhupadaji says that there is a temple. But what does the same Prabhupadaji say? When I landed in America, I didn’t know whether to go left or right. In the Bhagavad Gita, Prabhupadaji says that अच्छे किछु कार्ज तबे एही अनुमाने आपका कौई कारी होगा है यहाँ पे? मैं आनुमान कर रहा हूँ. सबस्च्य कहाया, मुझे बता नही खाया हूँ. मै आनुमान कर रहा हूँ. प्रभुपादी यह ट्राय करती थे. यह ट्राय किया, वो ट्राय किया, I tried this and that. Some things were SSV, some things weren’t SSV. But later, some things, like I got Yash. I got more Yash than I expected. So, it’s not that Krishna is not helping us. You have to understand that in faith, Krishna will help. But how will he help? When will he help? In that, what happens with this uncertainty? We can have insecurity. That, oh, what will happen? But what should we keep with insecurity? We should keep curiosity. Curiosity, what is God teaching me here? Here, okay, I didn’t get Yash. But can I grow by understanding this? Or what experience have I got? So, what happens is, when we become judgemental, we can be judgemental towards others, but we can also be judgemental towards ourselves. Whatever I am doing, nothing happens in it. My luck is bad. God is angry with me. We make different judgments. No, this is not necessary. The meaning of Brahma Jigyansa that is told, that is not only to tell new people. That Brahma Jigyansa, that is only a part of faith. Faith is, in faith only, curiosity also comes. This is faith in me, that God is definitely protecting me. But here, what is God teaching me? Here, as I told you, what can I do to make things better? What can I do to help make things better? So, sometimes it happens that, in a situation, you keep trying there. You say, this situation is not working, we can do something else. So, it is not that Krishna is not helping me. But our own part, it takes time for us to understand that. So, what happens, sometimes, first God gives us humility, then He gives us ability, and then He gives us popularity. So, if this comes first, then what happens? This leads to ego. And what is ego? Ego makes God go. So, now, what do we have to learn? We try to learn, and slowly, slowly, we move ahead. Okay? Thank you so much, Prabhu. I am so grateful. Thank you very much. Hare Krishna. Thank you. Shreemad Bhagavad Gita Ki Jai Srila Prabhupada Ki Jai Gaurabhakta Vrindaki Jai Vitai Gaur Premanande Shreemad Chaitanya Chaitanya Prabhu Ki Jai