Bhakti Shastri (130) – Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15 Text 15 to 20

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Hare Krishna.
Welcome back to the Bhagavad Gita Bhakti Shastri course. Now, we are in the 15th chapter, last part. We discussed the earlier sections of the 15th chapter.
Let’s have an overview of the sections before we move to 15.15. So, the first section talks about the upside down banyan tree and conveys through that metaphor, how we can attain liberation through detachment. That’s verses 1 to 6 and 7 to 11 talks about how those who are not detached have to undergo transmigration and stay in bondage. Then, the next four verses 12 to 15 describe how Krishna assists us in our material existence and our spiritual endeavour.
So, we discussed how Krishna assists us in our material existence based on how He helps us cosmologically, terrestrially, physiologically. Physiologically, He maintains the body. So, now, let us move on and discuss about the spiritual aspect.
So, how Krishna helps all of us spiritually. सर्वस्य चाहं रदि सन्यि विष्टो मत्तःस्मतिर्ज्ञानमपोहनम्जः वेदैश्च सर्वैरहमेव वेद्यो मेदान्तकृत्वेदविदेव चाहं So, Sarvasya Chaham. Sarvasya, in all living beings, Chaham.
In all living beings’ hearts, रदि सन्यि विष्टो I am situated. सन्यि विष्टो निविष्टो is related with the word निवास् to reside. So, I reside.
मत्तःस्मतिर्ज्ञानमपोहनम्जः And from me come three things. स्मृतिर्ज्ञानमपोहनम् Remembrance, Knowledge and Forgetfulness. We’ll discuss about these a little bit later more.
बडवेदैश्च सर्वैर अहमेव वेद्यो Just like 15.7 had two parts. So, similarly, this verse also has two parts in the sense that there are two distinct thoughts which are conveyed over here. And then they are linked also.
We’ll see how they are linked. So, first is Krishna’s indwelling presence and His actions through His indwelling presence. A second part is His connection with the Vedas.
That is वेदैश्च सर्वैर अहमेव वेद्यो That by all the Vedas, I am to be known. And then वेदान्तक्रित That I am the compiler of Vedanta and therefore, वेदविदेवचाहं I know it. You know, it’s not that sometimes we may write something, we may speak something and then somebody else comes and says, you spoke that point, it was so wonderful.
We may have spoken that point or maybe a year ago, we forget the point also. So, Krishna is not like that. He is वेदान्तक्रित वेदविदेवचाहं He doesn’t forget.
He remembers always whatever he has spoken in. He’s not under illusion. So, he doesn’t go on to forgetfulness.
So, वेदान्तक्रित वेदविदेवचाहं So, let’s look at these two units within this verse separately and understand their significance and then their interconnection. So, first is Krishna is present in the heart. That has been talked about earlier also.
In 13.23, most prominently, उपद्रिष्टान्मन्ताच भर्ता भुक्ता महेश्वर परमात्मेति चाप्यौक्तो देहेस्मिन पुरुषापरः In the body, there is a transcendental person. पुरुषापरः That is the Supreme Lord. So, there the focus was on उपद्रिष्टान्मन्ताच How this Lord is the overseer and the maintainer.
But here, the focus is something different. Here, the focus is on how He acts internally. So, here are three things.
मत्तः From Me come The word मत्तः is already there. मत्तः सर्वं प्रभर्तते In 10.8, Krishna has said that From Me मत्तः means from Me. From Me, the universal order emanates and is maintained.
So, मत्तः स्मृतिर् ज्ञानम पोहनं ज So, remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. What does it mean? We see that actually there are three aspects. There is knowledge.
So, we will try to understand this verse in different ways. First is that we get knowledge. Now, Krishna acts internally as the चेत्यगुरू.
The indwelling super soul is called as the चेत्यगुरू. For the चेतन, He is the Guru from inside. चेत्यगुरू And we also have the शिक्षागुरू, दिक्षागुरू externally.
So, the same Krishna who is present inside guiding us as the indwelling super soul is also present outside as the Guru, साधू शास्त्र. So, from there, Krishna gives us ज्ञान. And when we get the ज्ञान, after that we have the choice.
What do we do with the ज्ञान? If we decide to change our desires according to the ज्ञान that we have got. So, for example, we get the ज्ञान that I am not the body and the soul. And I am meant to love and serve Krishna.
And I will get far greater happiness in that loving and serving Krishna. I am not independently trying to enjoy, separate from Krishna. So, when I understand this, I got the ज्ञान.
Now, this ज्ञान is not just meant for pooling. Pooling means p-o-o-l-i-n-g. Pooling means just accumulating in the head, pooled together.
It is meant for pulling. It is meant to pull us towards Krishna. This ज्ञान is meant to increase our attraction towards Krishna, increase our desire to surrender to Krishna.
As it is mentioned in the Bhagavatam also, धर्म सुनुष्टिता पुम्साम् विश्वक्सेन कथासुय नौत्पाध्येध्यतिरतिम् श्रमेवहिकेवलम् So, धर्म सुनुष्टिता पुम्साम् That when one is situated in one’s own, that whatever dharma one may do, the purpose is to increase our attraction towards Krishna. विश्वक्सेन कथासुय नौत्पाध्येध्यतिरतिम् If our attraction towards Krishna is not increasing, then श्रमेवहिकेवलम् It is actually a waste of time. So now, after explaining this, the next point that comes up is, that okay, so now I have the choice that I have heard the knowledge and based on the knowledge I can change my desires.
I can try to strive to turn towards Krishna. If I desire to turn towards Krishna, then one trajectory comes about. If I don’t desire to turn towards Krishna, then another comes about.
So when we say Krishna gives forgetfulness, so what does it mean? Sometimes we hear from scriptures, Sanskrit again leads to misery. But then when the sense objects come in front of us, what happens? सर्वधर्मान्प्रक्तेज्य मायामेकमिशरणम्रज्य What happens is, we surrender to maya at that time. Just give up everything else and forget about everything.
That’s what actually we say happened to Ajamila, isn’t it? Just forgot all dharma. I forgot his dharma as a son, forgot his dharma as a brahmin, forgot his dharma as a member of a respectable, of a respected society and just as a capitulated to the attraction to the prostitute. So now, when this kind of thing happens, मायामेकमिशरणम्रज्य So Krishna is telling us, surrender to me, but we can have other desires.
So what happens is, when maya tempts us, at that time often, we just tend to forget all the instructions that we have heard from Guru Sadhu Shastra and we succumb to the temptation. So now, can we say that, oh, Krishna gives forgetfulness, therefore Krishna is responsible. Krishna is responsible, why? Because Krishna gives forgetfulness.
So now I forgot, so what can I do? So students go for an exam and then sometimes students get a blackout. Just forget something. All they memorise, just at the time of the exam, they forget.
So then, can they say, oh, I studied, but Krishna is to take the blame, because Krishna gives forgetfulness. No. We have to understand that, Krishna is responsible, we are responsible.
Krishna is responsive. He responds. Responds to what? Our desires.
So, responsive and responsible. Responsible means, it is related with the response able. You know, we are able to choose our response and we are meant to choose the right response.
Responsible. So we are meant to be responsible. Krishna will be responsive.
That means, when temptations come and we forget all the instructions that we have heard from scripture. So, why is that happening? If you go back to 2.62 and 62 in the Bhagavad Gita, then we see that Krishna describes that it all begins with contemplation and then he gives a whole sequence in which we let the consciousness degenerate, degrade along that sequence. Contemplation, then attachment, then obsession, then so first there is dhyayato, then there is sangha, that is attachment, then there is kama, that is infatuation, then there is krodha, there is anger, then there is sammoha, delusion and then sammohat smrti vibhrama So smrti vibhrama, that forgetfulness comes after sammoha.
That means, we when the temptations come, when the material desires come, it is we who contemplate. That’s nice. I would like to have that.
And we entertain the desires. And when Krishna sees that we are entertaining the desires, we are telling Krishna, I have heard all the things that you have taught me, but I don’t care about it. I want to enjoy.
Then Krishna says, okay, if that’s what you want to do, if that’s what you want to enjoy separate from me, you want to continue to struggle to get that tiny little pleasure that is there in the material world, that’s what you want. I’ll let you do that. So Krishna gives us forgetfulness because we want to act in forgetfulness of that reality.
So he may say, no, no, no. Actually, I want to remember. I want to act according to Krishna’s instructions.
Yes, we want to. But then when the temptations come, what is our response? We often entertain the desires. Entertain means we allow them to enter.
And then we don’t dismiss the desires. We actually retain the desires. So they enter and retain.
So that’s entertain. So we entertain the desires. And when we entertain the desires, what happens? They start taking more and more space.
First, we give them a foothold and then they build a stronghold over there. They get a full hold on our consciousness ultimately. And then what happens is apaharita chet, sam, our consciousness gets abducted away.
So therefore, we can’t blame Krishna for forgetfulness. Krishna is reciprocal. He’s responsive.
So what happens is for us, when the temptations come, it is important for us. So Krishna has given us gyan from Guru Sadhu Shastra. And then depending on what is the desire that we choose to have, if we choose to have the desire, if we hold on to the desire to love and serve Him, then what will happen? Krishna will give us further, stronger remembrance of scripture, the message of Guru Sadhu Shastra.
And over a period of time, Krishna will give us forgetfulness of material desires and material enjoyment. And then we won’t feel that, oh, I’m missing something. I have to renounce something.
No, we will feel that actually those who are chasing after that, they are unfortunate. That is what is the position of Prahlad Maharaj. Prahlad Maharaj in his prayers, famous prayer, he says that So he says that, my dear Lord, I have no anxiety about how I will cross beyond material existence.
Why? Because in glorifying You, I’ve got immense nectar. And as I get this nectar, so what happens? I lament for those, those whose consciousness has turned away. For the sake of sense gratification, those who have turned their consciousness away from Krishna, to tovimukha chetas indriyarthan, and then what happens? That one, that actually for the sake of illusory happiness, the vimudhas, the foolish people are carrying.
Actually the word vimudha means not just fool, special fool. What is the special fool? They are empowered fools. You know, we talk about empowered devotees, but there can be empowered fools also.
What is the empowered fool means? Means they have a lot of power for doing foolish activities. So our desires will empower us. Now if our desires are positive, the empowerment will be positive.
If the desires are destructive, then the empowerment will be destructive. So Prahlad Maharaj is praying that, my dear Lord, I pity those who are chasing after sense gratification. The tiny pleasure, which is actually a big burden of anxiety and lamentation, hankering and lamentation.
So what does this mean? Coming back to our Bhagavad Gita verse, that means, when he sees people enjoying sense gratification, he has heard from Guru Sadhu Shastra, from Narada Muni and others, that actually there is no real pleasure over here. It simply leaves you suffering. So what is he saying now? He is saying that, he is not even considering enjoying the sense objects, enjoying sense gratification.
So what happens? Because he has strongly chosen to desire to serve Krishna, so then Krishna is giving him more and more remembrance. More and more remembrance of what? His own beauty, his own sweetness, his own glory. His own means Krishna’s.
And then what happens by that? Mahamrita Magna Chittaha. It becomes completely absorbed in remembrance of Krishna. So when one is thus Mahamrita Magna Chittaha, then what happens? Then, when one forgets the forgets material enjoyment, that means, the tiny little enjoyment is there, one doesn’t even crave for it.
One thinks that, actually for that little enjoyment, so much hankering, so much lamentation. We discussed how sense enjoyment is like a sandwich. It’s two thick loaves of bitter bread of foul tasting and action.
Then in between, there is a little thin delicious stuff. So that two thick loaves are hankering, first hankering. Then finally I get it.
And then after that, oh, I lost it. Why did I, why did it get over so quickly? Why did it get over? That is lamentation. So like that, one feels that, so one doesn’t remember the pleasure in sense gratification.
One remembers all the associated misery that comes with sense gratification. And one feels, there is nothing in it. So Krishna can invert the normal dynamics for a serious devotee.
What do we mean by normal dynamics? The normal dynamics for the struggling sadhaka is that when sense objects come in front, the person forgets Krishna and instructions and then remembers maya. So now Krishna is giving the forgetfulness and remembrance because that’s what the soul is desiring. But if a soul seriously desires to love and serve Krishna, then Krishna will invert this and then Krishna will give forgetfulness of sense enjoyment and Krishna will give remembrance of his own sweetness, his own glory, his own beauty.
And then the struggle will become a struggle in trying to control the senses, in trying to move away from sense gratification towards Krishna will become much, much lesser for us. So Krishna is responsive. We are responsible.
That means when desires come, we have to choose what will we do. We shouldn’t become a desirer of desires, kamakami. We become a desirer of Krishna.
And then when we do that, then gradually this will change. So Krishna acts for our welfare. Now even when Krishna uses forgetfulness, why does he do that? That is also to facilitate our eventual return to him.
How is that? When Krishna gives forgetfulness also, he doesn’t condemn a person to perennial forgetfulness. There’s forgetfulness and then in the intoxication that results after forgetfulness, the intoxication, the infatuation with the hope for material enjoyment, then it works. So after that, it fizzles out.
Because when one enjoys, one realises the anticlimax. There’s nothing in it. So then one afterwards comes back to Krishna and Krishna then gives guidance for the person to come back to him.
So what we as seekers should do is we should try to move closer and closer towards Krishna. That means when we have the opportunity to remember Krishna, at that time we seriously remember Krishna. So that means when we are in the association of devotees, we are studying scriptures, we are chanting the holy names, we are in a devotional environment, that time it is relatively easier to remember Krishna.
So when it is possible for us to remember Krishna, if at that time we show Krishna our earnestness, yes, I want to remember you, Krishna. And Krishna sees that. And then afterwards, when the temptations come, Krishna will give us the knowledge.
No, Krishna will give us the remembrance. Don’t, no need to get involved. Don’t get into this.
And if we respond to that, we will be protected. So we begin by doing what we can do. You know, to end our forgetfulness, we need to first end our forgetfulness of our forgetfulness.
What does that mean? To end our forgetfulness, we need to first end our forgetfulness of our forgetfulness. And sometimes we become forgetful and we forget that we have forgotten also. And we get so much into illusion that we don’t even realise that we are in illusion.
But if we are in illusion, suppose we are chanting and we get spaced out. While chanting, we start doing some sightseeing, you know, looking at the sky, looking here, looking there. And if you’re all alone, then we’ll be forgetful and we’ll stay forgetful of our forgetfulness also.
But if we are in the association of devotees, somebody will come. Prabhu, what are you doing? Oh, I’m going to chant. This chanting time, let me chant.
So then what will happen is we have to resolve to end our forgetfulness of our forgetfulness. That means as soon as we become aware, oh, I’ve forgotten that, we bring ourselves back on track. So by that also, we show Krishna that we want to come towards him.
As we discussed earlier, a plane is often off track. When a plane is moving, say from Mumbai to Calcutta, at that time, it is not that the plane moves in a straight line. Almost 90% of the time, because of the atmospheric conditions, because of the wind and because of the pressure, the plane keeps going off track.
And the plane keeps going off track for 90% of the time. How does it reach the destination? Because the pilot brings it back on track. It goes off track, again on track, off track, on track, off track, on track.
And then gradually, because the pilot is focused on the destination, so eventually the plane reaches the destination, in spite of the distractions. So like that, we will get distracted. We may not be able to avoid that.
So we may become forgetful, but we should resolve to end our forgetfulness of our forgetfulness. And as soon as we remember, oh, I’ve gone on the wrong track, bring back, bring back, bring back. And by this, we will keep moving forwards.
And eventually, till we reach the final destination, till we develop love for Krishna. So here we know that Krishna is ready to help us. And we will also observe in our spiritual life that certain forms of enjoyment, which we used to crave for earlier, they become utterly insignificant over a period of time.
That means that over, over a period of, steady practise, we may have been infatuated with a particular thing in the past. We may have been infatuated with a particular sport or a particular food item. Say some of us might have been very attached to meat eating.
But then, after we get the higher taste of prasad, then what happens? Then do we feel any attraction for meat? No, not at all. What has happened? Krishna has given us forgetfulness of the taste of the meat. So what might have immediately caused saliva to secrete and craving to be generated in our mind earlier? Now nothing happens.
So Krishna can give us forgetfulness of our cherished material enjoyments. So just as it has happened for a few of our cherished material enjoyments, it will happen for the remaining also. We just have to keep persevering in our practise of devotional service.
When we keep persevering steadily in the practise of devotional service, eventually we come to a level where we become liberated from even the strongest of material enjoyments. The strongest of material enjoyments, we become liberated from them. And then we can purely relish the nectar of Krishna consciousness, of remembrance of Krishna, love of Krishna.
So this is the first part of this verse. Krishna gives us knowledge through Guru Sadhu Shastra and then depending on what is the desire that we cultivate, he will either give us remembrance or he will give forgetfulness. The second part says that वेदैश्च सर्वाईर अहमेव वेद्यो Now we wonder why the Vedas come in suddenly? Yes, because the घ्यान.
So Krishna is talking now about, first he is talking about his internal role is that स्वित्ति रपोहनम्च. So how does he give the घ्यान? He gives the घ्यान externally through the Vedas. So then he is telling what is the connection with the Vedas? He says, actually by all the Vedas, I am to be known.
Now in the Vedas, a large variety of subjects is talked about. Most of the Vedas, if you use the word Vedas in a restrictive sense to refer to the four Vedas only, then the Vedas actually primarily talk about कर्मकांट. But the word Veda in a generic sense means knowledge and the ultimate goal of knowledge is to know Krishna.
So the ultimate goal of knowledge is to know Krishna. But apart from that generic understanding also, actually all the Vedas, so there is a restrictive understanding of the word Vedas, there is a very liberal understanding and there is a moderate understanding. What is the moderate understanding? That is the Vedas refer to the body of literature which are derived from the Vedas.
It includes the Puranas, Itihasas. We have discussed all this in the introduction to the Aishopanishad right at the start of a Bhakti Shastri course. So in the general body of the Vedic literature, there is a progression from कर्मकांट to ग्यानकांट, ultimately to भक्ति.
So in that sense, because there is a progression which ultimately leads to pure devotion to Krishna, so by all the Vedas, it is Krishna who is to be known. It is Krishna who is the object of all the different subjects that are talked about in the Vedas. So ग्यानं गेयं ग्यानगम्यं, it is सर्वस्यवस्तितम्.
We discussed also in the 13th chapter, ग्यानं गेयं ग्यानगम्यं. ग्यानगम्यं is the object of knowledge. It is Krishna who is the ultimate object of knowledge.
It is सर्वस्यवस्तितम्. He is situated in the hearts of everyone. So ग्यानगम्यं, similarly, वेदाईश्च सर्वाई आमई वबेद्यों.
So it is important, when we study a book, to know what is the purpose of the book. If we start reading a book, especially if a book is having a lot of informational content, then we may just get lost in the details of the book and we will lose track, what is the purpose of the book. So we need to know, okay, this is the objective of the book.
When the author wrote the book, this was the objective. When we know that, then we can move forward through all the different things that are told in the book and come to the right understanding by understanding what is the most important part of the book and what is the flow of the book. So Krishna is telling like that, for all the Vedas, it is by all the Vedas, I am to be known.
And then, how does Krishna know this? That he is the goal of all the Vedas? Krishna says, actually I am the compiler of the Vedas. वेदान्तक्रत् How is Krishna the compiler? As Vyasadev. Vyasadev is the literary incarnation of the Supreme Lord.
Because he is the literary incarnation of the Supreme Lord, so he himself is also transcendental. And Krishna says, वेदान्तक्रत् And then after he says, वेदविदेवचाहम् वेद वेद I know all the Vedas. So I am the compiler, I am the knower.
So Krishna is talking about the Vedas in three ways over here, that I am the goal, compiler and knower. So if you look at it once again, what are the connection between the two? That every body of knowledge is meant to go towards a particular purpose. So then how can we know if there is a big book that is there? So big book that is there, how do we know what is the purpose of the book? Ask the author.
So वेदविदेविदेवचाहम् I am the goal of the Vedas. How does Krishna know it? Because वेदान्तक्रत् He is the author. And then can we say sometimes, nowadays there is the whole idea of deconstructionism.
Deconstructionism means that subsequent reviewers of books, they try to deconstruct. When the author said this, what was the intention in saying this? Why did the author say like this? And sometimes they come up with such interpretations that those interpretations are completely contradicted to author’s intention only. So that sort of deconstructionism is not of much use.
So वेदान्तक्रत् वेदविदेवचाहम् The author has spoken something. When the author has spoken it, the author, Krishna is, some author may have forgotten. He may forget what I wrote and why I wrote.
But Krishna is not like that. Krishna remembers. वेदविदेवचाहम् So now the connection between these two parts, these two parts as what? Firstly, that Krishna gives the knowledge internally.
Krishna gives the knowledge and remembers and forgetfulness as a super soul. And that same Krishna acts externally. So the first part largely talks about how Krishna acts internally.
And the second part talks about how Krishna acts externally. And both together talk about how Krishna strives to elevate us. He strives actually.
Krishna is working. In the prayer of Gajendra, it says that, My dear Lord, you are liberated. You are supremely merciful.
And for striving for my liberation, you are a laya. You do not get tired. You never get, you don’t become lazy.
You are constantly active, constantly striving. So internally and externally, Krishna strives for liberating us. That is Krishna’s great mercy.
So when we talk about Krishna’s mercy, Krishna’s mercy, certainly he has created the material world and he has made arrangements for maintaining the material world. But his ultimate mercy is not that he creates arrangements for maintaining the material world. Because ultimately, this world is a place of old age, disease and death.
Krishna’s ultimate mercy is that he takes us beyond this world to the spiritual world. And he provides arrangements for that. He provides abundant arrangements for that by which he helps us to move from this world towards Krishna, towards the eternal world.
So this concludes the Gyan Chakshu section. It started with 15.10 using the word Gyan Chakshu. Pashyanti Gyan Chakshu Shaha.
And then that carries to the question if somebody is not so perceptive to understand Atma Tattva, then can that person make spiritual advancement? Yes. That person with material consciousness, that person can see the arrangement that Krishna is making at a material level. And gradually, the person can understand how Krishna is making arrangements, not just materially, but also spiritually.
So here Arjuna gets a question, Krishna, if you have compiled the Vedas and you know the Vedas, then can you tell me what is the essence of the Vedas? So that leads to the Trishloki Gita. Trishloki Gita is the Gita in three verses. So the essence of Vedanta is taught over here in 16, 17 and 18.
Before we go to that, let’s look at the purport. So Prabhupada explains, a Lord is not only all-pervading, He is also localised in every individual heart. So He is all-pervading as Brahman, but He is also localised as Paramatma.
So when the Lord is thus present, so Prabhupada writes about, the Supreme Lord is so full, so full with what? Full with mercy, full with love, that for the deliverance of the conditioned soul, He is a supplier and digester of foodstuff, the witness of His activity and the giver of knowledge in the form of Vedas and as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Shri Krishna, the teacher of the Bhagavad Gita. So He is maintaining materially, supplier and digester of foodstuff, and He is witnessing and depending on witnessing, He is guiding also. Therefore, because He is so merciful, He is worshipable by the conditioned soul.
Thus God is all-good, God is all-merciful. Krishna goes to so many such extents for trying to help us. And Prabhupada quotes over here, So actually, when the soul enters into the body, the soul forgets.
But the Lord remembers, the Lord guides soul how to act. That means, that when the soul comes in a particular body, when the soul goes from a human body to dog’s body, then how does the soul know how to act in the dog’s body? It doesn’t know. Actually, it is the Supreme Lord who guides.
It is the Lord who guides. Even when a baby is born and then the baby starts crying and the mother picks up the baby and puts at the baby’s mouth near its breasts. So now, how does the baby know that I should suck this breast and by that milk will come and that milk will nourish me? Science may say that it is instinct.
But ultimately, where does instinct come from? You know, ultimately, it is a mystery actually. And we will discuss in 18.61 about bird migration. It is a profound mystery about how some of the instincts are so complex that they can’t be understood very easily.
They can’t be explained in reductionistic terms. So, it is Supreme Lord who gives guidance when the soul enters into a body how to live in that body. And Prabhupada quotes now also from the Vedanta Sutra.
The ultimate goal is the Supreme Personality of God. Vedanta Sutra quotes 1.1.4. He quotes up to Samanvayad. So, Tattu Samanvayad.
Samanvayad means reconciliation, harmonisation. So, actually, Jiva Goswami has written an elaborate commentary actually on just in the first four sutras of the Vedanta Sutra. So, this first sutra is Athato Brahma Jijnasa.
Second is Janmadyas Chaitaha. Third is Shastra Yonitva. Fourth is Tattu Samanvayad.
So, first says enquire about Brahman. And what is that Brahman? It is the source of everything. And how can we know about that source? That is through Shastra Yonitva, through Shastra.
Then, but Shastra says so many things. How do we know what is the actual conclusion of Shastra? Tattu Samanvayad, Samanvayad. You have to harmonise, you have to reconcile by a particular hermeneutics, a particular analytical methodology, one should be able to harmonise.
So, here what the point is, Tattu Samanvayad. That we, whatever different things are taught in the scripture, we have to understand that they are in hierarchy and at the top of the hierarchy is knowledge of Krishna. It is he, it is knowing about Krishna that is the most important for us.
So, Prabhupada writes in the last sentence in the purport, in this verse, the purpose of the Vedas, the understanding of the Vedas, and the goal of the Vedas are clearly defined. That is all ultimately meant Vedaishtha Sarvair Ahameva Vedyo. It is Krishna who is known through the Vedas.
So, now Krishna will talk about Chatushloki Gita, sorry, not Chatushloki, Trishloki, the essence of Vedanta in three verses. So, Dvavimau Purushavloke Sharas Chaksharevacham Sharas Sarvani Bhurtani Kutastho Akshara Uchchate So, Dvavimau Purushavloke Purushavloke, in this world, there are two kinds of Purushas. What are those Purushas? Sharas Chaksharevacham Shara and Akshara, fallible and infallible, the conditioned and the liberated.
Sharas Sarvani Bhurtani The fallible are situated, they are everywhere. They exist in the material world. And Kutastha, Kutastho Akshara Uchchate Kutastha means, they are transcendentally situated, well situated, high up.
So, they are not dragged down by the material world. They are situated in a liberated position. Akshara Uchchate, in oneness.
Now, Kutastha, Prabhupada translates as oneness. But what exactly is this oneness? As we have discussed in Ekatmanupashyate in the Vishwa Upanishad, actually Kutastha refers to the oneness in terms of quality, not in terms of entirely identity. So, that is Kutastha Uchchate.
The liberated souls are existing in the spiritual world. Now, we may say, no, no, this is not the interpretation of Kutastha. Kutastha actually means oneness.
So, to understand what it is, we have to look at the full flow and then look at the context. So, Prabhupada explains in the Purport, that oneness does not mean that they have no individuality, but that there is no disunity. Thus, they are all agreeable to the purpose of creation.
The purpose of the creation is to love and serve Krishna. And so, oneness does not mean dissolution of individuality, but it means resolution of disunity. When there is resolution of disunity, then there is harmony.
And that is what is the goal. So, Kutastha Uchchate. Kutastha means, Prabhupada says that actually, there are these six changes in the spiritual world, the body is not made of matter and therefore there are no changes.
In that sense, they are Akshara, they are infallible, they are Kutastha, they are the liberated souls. So, basically here Krishna identifies in the first verse, there are two kinds of living beings. Now, Krishna goes on to further, next verse.
The Uttama Purusha, the supreme person is Anya, is somebody else. It is very significant that there is Akshara and Shara, there is condition and liberated. But the supreme person, the Purusha Uttama is not a liberated soul.
There is something higher, beyond the liberated also. So, Paramatma is known as Paramatma, is the Paramatma. He is said to be Paramatma, the supreme soul.
So, Krishna is actually building up the message of the Vedanta. So, if you look at the Vedanta Sutra itself, it talks primarily in terms of Brahman. So, Krishna will tell, Krishna also uses in third person.
Yes, there is that Uttama Purusha. And who is that Uttama Purusha? That Uttama Purusha is known as Paramatma, Paramatma. Now, Krishna has used the word Paramatma several times earlier.
He is using 13.23, Paramatma Samahita is used in 6.7. So, like that, he has used it in various places. But the important point here is that Krishna is telling in terms of the message of the Vedanta, there are two Purushas, but among them, there is one, beyond them, there is a Uttama Purusha. And he is known as Paramatma.
And he enters into all the worlds and he maintains the worlds. Now, actually, Krishna has just said two verses earlier in the 13th verse, three verses earlier. This is the 17th verse.
So, four verses earlier. 13th verse, what has he said? That, So, it is I who enter into the planets and I maintain those planets. Now, Krishna is saying that Paramatma maintains those planets.
Now, obviously, we can put two and two together. And then we can say that, oh, it is Krishna who is entering into all the planets. And it is Krishna who is talking about the Vedas.
And that is what Krishna will tell in the next verse. So, Krishna refers to himself in the third person over here. And later on, he will refer to himself in the first person.
Why? Because he is now talking from the perspective of the Vedanta. So, Vedanta talks about, there is Akshara and then there is Uttama Purusha. And then Krishna says, I am that Uttama Purusha.
In this way, in the three verse summary, he leads to the conclusion that, by all the Vedas, I am to be known. So, he does not just give the conclusion right in the beginning only. This is a development of thought.
And that is why here, there is a second person reference. And then there will be a first person reference. There is a third person reference over here.
You remember, we are discussing third person reference means, I is first person, you second person. He or she is a third person. So, Krishna refers to the Purusha Uttama in the third person here.
Because he is talking from the perspective of Vedanta. And he is telling over here that, that person is beyond the condition and the liberated. So, in the three verse summary of the Vedanta, Krishna does three things.
First is, he establishes that the supreme person is different from both the super soul, both the liberated and the conditioned being. Especially, the important point is, the supreme being, the supreme person is different from even the liberated souls. Then it is not the liberated souls who are all pervading.
It is the supreme soul who is all pervading. Supreme soul enters into all creation and maintains the creation. So, because once the word Anya is used, that means it is not even the liberated souls who are there.
The idea of the Mayavadis is that, when we become, when we merge into the impersonalism, then when we merge into Brahman, then we become everything. That’s how they have that conception. Krishna says, no, that supreme person is somebody else.
And that supreme person is all pervading. And the third thing that he will convey in the next verse is that, that supreme person is me. So, in this way, Krishna correlates, he comes to the same conclusion through this three-shloki Gita.
So, let us look at, Prabhupada quotes from the Upanishads, this is the favourite verse of Srila Prabhupada. He often quotes it, that how, that there are many living beings, but among them, one is special, one is supreme. And Krishna, the same point is told over here, that the supreme being is beyond even the liberated souls.
Then after that, now Krishna will say that, that supreme being is me itself. I am that supreme being. Because I am beyond the Kshara.
Because I am beyond the Kshara, and because I am beyond the Akshara also. So, now Krishna has earlier said that, the uttama purusha is beyond the Kshara and Akshara. Now Krishna is using the word aham to make things very clear.
I am beyond the Kshara, I am also beyond the Akshara. Therefore, therefore, in the Lokas and in the Vedas, in the world and among, that in the world and among the Vedas, I am celebrated as Purushottama. So, this chapter is called as Purushottam Yoga.
Now Purushottam Yoga, Yoga of the Supreme Person, actually Prabhupada translates it. So, Krishna has clearly established over here that, I am that Purushottama. So, that Purushottama Krishna has referred to in the upside down banyan tree also, when he’s talking about it.
There he says, actually after one becomes liberated from material world and goes beyond, there also, in that beyond, one has to search for the Supreme Person. He has talked about it in 12.4. So, Purusham Prapadye, there one has to surrender to the Supreme Person, who is the transcendental person, whom one can seek for after one becomes disentangled from material existence. That means disentanglement from material existence and attaining the spiritual platform is not enough.
In the spiritual platform also, one has to connect with the Supreme Lord. So, beyond Brahman, one has to rise to Bhagawan. So, that Bhagawan is that Purusha who is beyond the liberation also, that is Purushottama and that is Krishna.
So, these three verses comprise the strongest and the most devastating rebuttal, refutation, expose of Mayavada. Because Krishna, there is very little scope for any kind of interpretation. People may try to do some kind of prestidigitation.
Prestidigitation means jugglery of words, verbal or intellectual trickery. But it is so obvious. If we let the Bhagavad Gita speak for itself, Prabhupada would often say that Krishna can speak for himself.
Let Krishna speak, you shut up. So, Bhagavad Gita as it is Prabhupada called his explanation of the Gita. Why? Because Krishna’s words are so clear.
He is saying, first of all, there are two persons and then one liberated, one conditioned, one liberated. Then he says that there is a supreme person who is beyond both of them and who maintains all the worlds. And then Krishna says, I am that supreme person.
So, that means that I am beyond the liberated also. And therefore, actually, when we become liberated, we don’t merge into Krishna. We don’t become a homogeneous, non-differentiated oneness.
No, Krishna still remains supreme reality. So, this is how he strongly actually refutes and devastates Mayavada. So, Prabhupada explains various things in his purport.
So, he quotes from Chandogya Upanishad over here. So, what is Prabhupada doing? Prabhupada is correlating what Krishna has talked about Purushottama in this verse with other scriptural references. So, he says that The super soul comes out of the body and then Paramjyoti roopam sampadya svena roopen abhinishpadyate That is okay.
Then the super soul goes and gets situated in the Brahmajyoti and there how is situated? In one’s own form and that is called as the Purushottama. So, in this way Krishna makes things very clear to us. So, let’s look at the next point over here.
Yeah, let’s look at the summary over here now. 15.16 Krishna is saying that Krishna talks about Now, Vishwachit Thakur explains this in a slightly different way. He says 15.16 talks about Brahman, 15.17 talks about Paramatma and 15.18 talks about Bhagawan.
So, let’s see how this works out. There are three aspects of the absolute truth. Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagawan.
Now, if we look at it, let’s go backwards. 15.18 what is it talking about? It is talking about I am celebrated in all the three worlds as the Purushottama. So, and I am beyond the Kshara and Akshara.
Now, we know that in the absolute truth are the three aspects and the Bhagawan aspect is transcendental to everything and everyone. So, in that sense, it is a logical correlation that this particular verse refers to the Bhagawan. And Krishna is clearly using Aham.
Aham is the Supreme Lord who is transcendental, who performs leelas, who is not just an indwelling super soul, but who has his own abode and his own associates and performs pastimes. So, Aham, that makes it very clear this refers to the Bhagawan aspect. Then if you look back at 15.17, then it is referring to the Paramatma aspect.
How is that? It’s clearly, one who enters into all the worlds and residing there maintains those worlds. So, this is clearly referring to the Paramatma. The Paramatma enters into three worlds.
We know Maha Vishnu, Garbhodaksha Vishnu, Shivodaksha Vishnu. How the Garbhodaksha Vishnu enters into each universe. The Shivodaksha Vishnu enters into the hearts of all living beings and even Paramana Chayantarastra, into all of matter also, even the atoms.
So, that is referring to the super soul. Now, what about the 15.16? How does it refer to Brahman? Actually, there are two things are talked about. So, Kshara and Akshara.
So, the word Akshara has been used to refer to Brahma. If you remember 8.1, Akshara, not 8.1, 8.2, the first verse is the question of Arjuna. And So, 8.1 and 8.2. And in 8.3, the answer was Akshara is Brahma.
So, of course, Prabhupada uses the word Akshara Brahma to refer to the living entity. But Vishwanath Chaturthi is giving us a different explanation. And there also he refers to Brahma as Brahman.
So, I will not go into the full technical analysis because that will become too intricate. But the point is, this is also another way of looking at it. So, the word Akshara, what is infallible, it is Brahman.
And then Brahman is also Kutastha, is situated without any changes, situated in transcendence. So, the Brahma is Kutastha. So, then that is Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan.
So, there is a progression in these three verses. And through this progression, Krishna is taking us towards the ultimate conclusion. What is the ultimate conclusion? That ultimate conclusion is that we have to understand Him to be the Supreme Person.
So, let us look at another way of looking at the summary of these verses. Krishna is not the same as the liberated Purusha, but is beyond even the liberated. Beyond even the liberated, that is one conclusion.
Krishna is the Purushottama and the Paramatma, that is another conclusion. And therefore, Krishna is the highest manifestation of the Absolute Truth. There is no manifestation higher than Krishna.
And that will be made clear in the next verse. So, this is a very unambiguous and emphatic verse. That means, Trishloki, if one understands, then what happens after that? One, this is the conclusion that one should come to.
Yo mam evam asamudho, janati purushottama, sa sarvavid bhajati mam sarvabhavena bharata. So, yo mam evam asamudho, asamudho, asamudho means without any delusion, one who understands. Mam evam asamudho, when one understands, janati purushottama, purushottamam.
So, in this way, without any delusion, when one understands, me to be the Purushottamam, which a person, sa sarvavid, which a person knows everything, has got the complete knowledge, Krishna is saying. That means, to know Krishna as the Purushottama is sa sarvavid. Now, Krishna has told earlier in 7.3 that, not in 7.3, 7.2, He has said that, I will give you complete knowledge, and after getting this, there is nothing more to be known.
idam vaksham yasheshatah yaj jnatvane bhuyo anyat jnatavdhyam avashishyate asheshata Without giving anything back, I am giving you everything. So, what does that mean? It doesn’t necessarily mean that all the technical details of all branches of knowledge are given. No, the broad principles that comprise the essence of knowledge are given, in their completeness.
The principles are properly explained. So now, when Krishna is talking in that way, Krishna is saying, what is the essential principle of understanding of knowledge? It is to know me as Purushottama, sa sarvavid. And it’s not just an intellectual knowledge, it is a transformational knowledge.
What is the transformation that happens? sarvavid bhajati maam When the person who becomes sarvavid in this way, what does the person do? bhajati maam, worships me. And how does the person worship me? sarvabhavena bharata sarvabhavena, with all the emotions of the heart. So actually, the result of knowledge is devotion.
Krishna has talked about this earlier also. When one understands Him to be the source of everything, 10.8 he has said, aham sarvasya prabhavo matta sarvam pravartate iti matva When one knows me, then what happens like this? When one knows me like this, what happens? bhajante iti matva bhajante maam budha bhaava samanvitah Such a person becomes budha. Krishna used the word sarvavid over here, same.
And then bhaava samanvitah bhajati As such a person worships me, devotes oneself to me, with all the emotions of the heart, bhaava, imbued with emotions. And Krishna also used the word over here, bhajati maam sarvabhavena With all the emotions he worships, that person worships. So basically, knowledge doesn’t lead to the dissolution of emotions, but knowledge leads to the intensification of emotions.
The Mayavadi idea is that when we get jnana, then we will understand that everything is one. And then all emotions, idea of love and all this. Because I am the only one existing, so who is there to love? So the idea is that we have to go beyond emotions.
But Krishna says, knowledge doesn’t lead to the dissolution of emotions, knowledge leads to the intensification of emotions. Why intensification? Because all the emotions, sarvabhavena, become concentrated on Krishna. Become concentrated on Krishna and Krishna is all attractive.
When we actually direct our love towards Krishna, he’s so attractive and he’s so sweetly reciprocal in his love, that our emotions become intensified and they are attracted more and more towards him. And they rush forwards towards him. And an unstoppable river that keeps flowing forever and forever towards Krishna.
So Krishna’s love is like an ocean, our love is like a river. And our love keeps flowing and flowing towards Krishna. And an unstoppable river.
This is what Kunti Maharaj is also praying that, my dear Lord, just as the Ganga flows towards the ocean, let my consciousness flow towards you. We discuss how also a devotee holds nothing back, nothing holds a devotee back. That’s how the wholeheartedly a devotee works in loving and serving Krishna.
So Prabhupada explains in the Parpot that instead of the perfect knower without wasting his valuable time, he is directly in Krishna consciousness. So when one understands that ultimately it is to Krishna who is to be known, then why go through all the various processes talked about in the Vedas? No need. Just focus on the devotional service.
And then Prabhupada talks about commentators who give wrong understanding. And then Prabhupada further explains the meaning of the word bhajati also. And then he concludes by saying, even after speculating for hundreds and thousands of years, it has not come to the point that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
And one has to surrender there. And all his speculation for many years and lives is a useless waste of time. Now Krishna concludes this chapter by again another superlative emphatic verse.
Iti guhyatamam shastram idamuktam mayanagha etad budhva buddhimansyad krutakrityas ca bharata iti guhyataram So guhya is secret. Guhyataram is most secret. This is the most secret knowledge among the shastras.
So this guhyataram shastram is significant. Because many people say the Vedas talk about so many things. The Vedas talk about Indra.
They talk about Surya. They talk about Agni. They talk about so many things.
They do talk about those beings and so many other things they talk about. But their ultimate purpose is to direct us towards Krishna. And this is confidential.
Iti guhyataram shastram The Bhagavatam describes that even when Brahmaji studied the Vedas, what happened? First time when he heard it, he thought the conclusion is karma kanda. Second time he heard it, he thought the conclusion is jnana kanda. Third time when he heard it, then he understood, oh, actually the conclusion is bhakti.
So iti guhyataram shastram This guhyataram shastram It is the most confidential knowledge. What is confidential? Krishna is Purushottama and he is the goal of the Vedas. idam uktam mayanagha I have spoken it to you because anagha, you are non-envious.
So here Krishna there is a resemblance to nine chapters where Krishna says, I am going to speak rajguhya knowledge to you. idam tute guhyataram pravaksyam yena suvyave Very confidential knowledge. I am going to speak to you because you are non-envious.
etadbudhva One who knows this, what happens to such a person? buddhimansyad Such a person becomes truly wise. becomes buddhiman. endowed with intelligence and then krutakruttyasya bharata krutakruttyasya means whatever actions the person will do, they will attain success.
So that is actually what we want to do. We want to attain supreme success in life, all of us. We may have different conceptions of what is success.
But there is an objective supreme success, that which will lead to supreme everlasting happiness. And that supreme everlasting happiness comes through the development of eternal love for eternal object of love, that is Krishna. And that is what will happen.
And in this way we will attain the supreme perfection of life. So Prabhupada writes Devotional service is a process of spiritual understanding. So spiritual understanding doesn’t come overnight.
It is a process and the best process for that is devotional service. And wherever devotional service exists material contamination cannot exist. Material contamination cannot exist.
And Prabhupada gives the example of Surya Sama, Krishna Surya Sama and then finally concludes that the first fall down is caused by the desire to lord over material nature. And then because of that we give up the service of the lord. And second weakness of the heart is that as one increases the propensity to lord over material nature, one becomes attached to the position of heart.
The problems of material existence are due to the weakness of the heart. What does weakness of the heart mean? Weakness of the heart means that instead of serving Krishna and being determined to serve Krishna we give in to lower desire. That is weakness.
But by praying to Krishna and by solidifying our connection with Krishna whenever we have the facility to then we will become stronger and stronger and then this weakness of the heart will be overcome. And instead of wanting to enjoy separate from Krishna we will want to serve Krishna love Krishna and therein we will get the supreme enjoyment. So in this way the chapter Purushottam Yoga starts with the upside down banyan tree emphasises detachment over there then talks about without detachment one will have to continue cycle of birth and death and therefore one needs to have Jnana Chakshu.
But what if somebody doesn’t have Jnana Chakshu? So there is significant altering in the flow from the verse 12 onwards. It is very analytical focussing on Jnana, detachment, cutting off the tree focussing on transmigration but then afterwards the 12th verse, the focus becomes extremely devotional and says see the hand of Krishna in maintaining us even at the material level then see the hand of Krishna in trying to liberate us from material existence and then that Jnana to Bhakti is most beautifully illustrated in the 3 shlokas where Vedanta is explained in how it leads to a devotional conclusion and then the understanding that Krishna is the highest reality and Bhakti to him is the highest sadhana that is unambiguously established at the end of this chapter in verses 19 and 20 Thank you very much.