Bhakti Shastri (149) – Bhagavad Gita Chapter 18 Text 72 to 78

Podcast

Welcome back to the Bhagavad Gita Vakti Shastri course. We are now coming to the last session on the Bhagavad Gita, the concluding part from verses 72 to 78. So, here Krishna has spoken the Charam Shloka, Charam is the pinnacle, the climax, Charam Shloka is the word used by Ramavicharya to refer to 18.66. So that is the climax.
Vishwanath Chakrathakur says that Bhagavad Gita is like a jewel box, is like a treasury chest rather, and he says in the treasury chest there is a strong upper covering and a strong lower covering, and within that there is a treasure. So like that he says the first six chapters and the last six chapters, they are like the covering of the treasury chest. So first six chapters talk about how Karma leads to Bhakti, the last six chapters talk about how Jnana leads to Bhakti.
And in between are the middle six chapters, seven to twelve, which talk about Bhakti directly and they are the treasure. So this is his revelation of how the Bhagavad Gita is structured. But then he says that in order to inspire people to open the chest and discover the treasure therein, as an incentive, two shining jewels are kept on the cover of the chest.
So when people say, oh there are such jewels other than the outer covering of the chest, there must be something wonderful. So those two jewels which are kept on the outer cover of the chest, they are 18.65 and 66. These are shlokas, these are verses which reveal the love of Krishna’s heart and they invite us, call us to offer love back.
So in that sense, they are reflective in a very powerful way of the essential treasure of the Gita’s message. So like this, the Gita is structured and after describing in 18.65 and 66, manmana bhosa rudhaan patya ja, then Krishna starts giving a phalashruti. First he cautions about whom all we can give this knowledge in 67, then 68, 69 he talks about the glory of sharing this wisdom with others, 70 talks about studying it and 71 talks about hearing it.
So here Krishna completes the phalashruti also. Now the Bhagavad Gita is not just an abstract theoretical analysis, Krishna is speaking this, Arjuna is hearing it and like a serious teacher-student discussion, Krishna is concerned, has Arjuna understood the message or not? So in 18.72, Krishna asks Arjuna this question. So till now in the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna has been questioning and Krishna has been answering.
But now Krishna questions to check Arjuna’s understanding, whether Arjuna has understood or not. Let us look at the verse. So 18.72. So Arjuna is being asked whether, is it, O Partha, O Arjuna, have you heard this, O Partha, have you heard this, O Partha, O Arjuna, have you heard this, O Partha, O Partha, have you by you with ekagra cetasa, with one-pointed attention, with one-pointed attention, have you heard this? And if you have heard it, kachid agyanasamoha, has the ignorance and the illusion, agyanasamoha, pranashtas dispelled, te dhananjaya, O dhananjaya, O Arjuna, has your ignorance been dispelled, has your illusion been dispelled? So Krishna is enquiring from Arjuna, two things, first is, have you heard attentively? And second is, have you understood clearly? So the first question is related in some ways to the battlefield setting, when a turbulent and violent battle is about to take place, it is possible that the student may not be very attentive.
And imagine if we are having this bhakti-shastri class in a noisy marketplace, there will be so much disturbance and naturally, often when a class is there, say we are on a yatra especially, and then the sound system has to be arranged and everything, that time we ask, and the speaker often asks, you know, am I audible to you, are you able to hear me? So that is to enquire whether the facilities for hearing are adequate. So similarly, now Krishna and Arjuna, in between their conversation, there is an enquiry. Now of course, they are close to each other.
So audibility is not a problem, but the ability to concentrate in such a situation can be a problem. So it is, of course, Krishna’s expertise that by his presence and by his presentation, he transforms a battlefield into a classroom. And therein he reveals knowledge, the like of which has never been revealed before and never will be revealed afterwards, extraordinary knowledge he reveals.
So he takes a student who is in the battlefield, converts the battlefield into a classroom and raises the student’s thoughts and understanding to one of the climaxes in the wisdom all over the world. So still, Krishna as a concerned teacher is enquiring, Arjuna, where are you able to hear? So actually, in the stages of samadhi, ekagrata is the penultimate stage. So there are stages, we have discussed these different stages in our sixth chapter Dhyana Yoga.
So ekagrata is a concentrated, the second last stage. So that can refer to a yogic stage of immense concentration or it can in general refer to attention, concentrated hearing. So could you hear attentively Arjuna? And then, of course, we say that attentively I have heard, but that alone is not enough.
Has Arjuna been able to understand? So ignorance and illusion, Krishna is using two words over here. So ignorance means to not know and illusion means to understand wrong. So both are problems.
There is the problem of not knowing if I don’t know. For example, if I’m sick and if I don’t know how to take a treatment, I’ll stay sick. Similarly or even worse, if I’m sick and I don’t know what is the treatment and I take some other medicine, that may lead to some further complication.
So actually both are problems for us to not know the right thing and to think of the wrong thing as right. So both of these misconceptions have to be removed. So Krishna is asking, destroyed.
Dhananjaya. Oh Arjuna, you are the conqueror of great wealth. So have you conquered this particular wealth? Have you been able to conquer over ignorance and illusion? And have you attained the wealth of wisdom? So the Acharyas describe over here, the implication of Krishna’s question is that Krishna is a compassionate teacher.
They’re asking, have you understood? And if you’re not understood, the implication is Krishna is ready to speak whatever Arjuna has not understood again. And if Krishna, if Arjuna wants, Krishna is ready to speak the whole Bhagavad Gita also again. So whole Bhagavad Gita again.
That is the extent of Krishna’s concern. Generally, nowadays, if we have colleges and schools where there are teachers and the teachers explain something in school and often they explain such a way that the students can’t understand. If the student goes to the teacher and says, teacher, can you please explain? I’ll explain.
Come to my private coaching classes. Now pay extra fees. Then I’ll explain to you.
So for them, teaching is often a business. For Krishna, it is not a commercial enterprise. It is a compassionate enterprise.
He’s not concerned with anything that he will get. He’s concerned with our well-being. So that’s why he’s saying, Arjuna, have you understood? Has your ignorance and illusion been destroyed? If not, I’m ready to speak the whole thing again.
And in this way, Krishna expresses his loving concern. So here Arjuna replies. So Arjuna has spoken.
The last time he spoke was in 18.1. When he asked the tattva of sanyasa and tyaga. And then now he’s going to speak in 18.73. And these are the last words that are spoken in this conversation between Krishna and Arjuna. So let us look at that question over here.
18.73. So Arjuna Vacha Nashto Moho Smtir Labdha Tvat Prasadan Mayachuta Sito Smigata Sandeha Karishe Vachanam Tava So, Nashto Moho. Nashto. Nashto means destroyed.
Arjuna was asked by Pranashtaste. So Krishna is, Arjuna is confirming. Nashto Moho.
Yes, Nashto. Moho Smtir Labdha. Actually, my moho has been destroyed and my smriti, my memory has been restored.
So what memory? Memory that I am the atma. Memory that I am primarily a devotee and I am primarily meant to serve Krishna. Nashto Moho Smtir Labdha.
And how has all this happened? Tvat Prasadan Mayachuta. The word prasad is coming the third time in this 18th chapter. Mercy.
Because ultimately bhakti is a path of mercy. Tvat Prasadan Mayachuta. The word prasad has come earlier in 18.58. Then Machitta Sarva Durgani Mat Prasadat Tareshyasi.
And then again it has come in 18.62. Tat Tameva Sharanam Gaccha Sarva Bhavena Bharata Tat Prasadat Param Shantim Sthanam Prapsasi Shashvatam Prasadat So prasad is mercy. So the Bhagavad Gita gives a lot of analysis. But in its conclusion, it describes itself as a path of grace, as a path of mercy.
And as a path of mercy, it is revealing such extraordinary levels of knowledge. So by Krishna’s grace, that which we cannot understand very easily, we can understand by his mercy. So what is difficult for us to do, it becomes easy by Krishna’s mercy.
Arjuna is saying, yes, it is by your mercy, Krishna, that I have understood. Tvat Prasadan Mayachuta Achuta Achuta is significant that the first and the last references by Krishna to Arjuna are with Achuta. The Bhagavad Gita begins in the first chapter where Krishna tells Arjuna, Senayorubhayor Madhye Rathamsthapayam Mayachuta Rathamsthapayam Mayachuta Or Achuta or O Lord, please place me between the two armies.
And now also he is using the same word Achuta. Why Achuta? Achuta means that one who falls. Achuta means one who never falls.
So Krishna never falls. Krishna never fails his devotees. Krishna always remains transcendental and Krishna unfailingly helps his devotees.
So in the beginning of the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna was serving Arjuna. And as a charioteer in that service role, he followed Krishna’s, Arjuna’s request. And took the chariot in between.
Now even when Krishna is asking as a spiritual master, there is a bond of love. And in love, the devotee wants to serve the Lord and the Lord wants to serve the devotee. So the Lord took on the role of a spiritual master.
And Krishna is telling that, oh Arjuna is saying that you are Achuta still. When you are acting, when you are the spiritual master, as a spiritual master also you are perfect. You don’t fail, you don’t fall.
So I asked you for enlightenment and you have given me enlightenment by your mercy. And then sthitosmi, now I have become properly situated. Earlier Arjuna was shaken.
He was physically also trembling and internally also he was shaking. But now sthitosmi and then gatasandeha. Sandeha means doubt.
Gata means to go away. Arjuna’s doubts have gone away. Gatasandeha.
And then all my doubts have gone away. How? By satprasadana. And now after doubts have gone away, then what happens? karishye vacanam tava I will do your will.
karishye vacanam tava So actually the end of the Bhagavad Gita is what? It is not simply it is not simply just an abstract intellectual exercise or an elocution performance. It is a call for transformation. It is a call for redirection.
It is a call for practical change. Just as a doctor when the doctor gives a prescription to the patient it is a call for change. Change means the patient should do these things and should avoid these things.
So what does the patient do if a doctor tells Ok, this is your disease. Doctor, make sure to show some x-rays. Explain some things.
And at the end of that what will the doctor say? Ok, now you have to take these medicines. And what should the patient say at that time? Oh doctor, very good talk. You are a very good speaker.
That is not the point over there. It is not how good a speaker you are. The point is I will do what you say.
The patient has to cooperate with the doctor’s prescription and do what the doctor is saying. So similarly Arjuna is telling karishye vacanam tava So when we hear from the spiritual master when we hear from Krishna and Srila Prabhupada and the devotees actually after hearing we may say as a matter of appreciation that yes it was a good class if you liked the class but the real appreciation is shown not in appreciation but in action. Real appreciation is shown in implementation.
Yes, we don’t just speak that oh it is a very good class. Real appreciation is shown through implementation. I do the action of implementing what has been taught.
And when we do that then there is true benefit. That way Krishna is telling Arjuna Krishna is giving a call for action to Arjuna and Arjuna accepting that call. karishye vacanam tava We discussed earlier about how this section of the Gita This 18.73 reflects the pinnacle of surrender.
In the Bible there is a famous statement Let thy will be done, not my will. Let thy will be done, not my will. This refers to just before the crucifixion on the previous night Jesus by his foresight was able to know that tomorrow there is going to be great danger and at that time he requested Oh God, let the cup pass.
Let the cup pass means at that time one way people were killed or if people were punished and they had to die they were given a cup of poison. Socrates was given a cup of hemlock a cup of poison basically. So Jesus was referring to that let the cup pass that means let the calamity that is about to come let it not come.
He made a request like that. It was a prayer. But then after that he said Let thy will be done, not mine.
Let thy will be done. So Oh God Now this is also surrender that Oh God, Oh Krishna what is your will? I’ll accept it. But here Krishna is going forward Arjuna is going forward and not only saying that let your will be done It’s like Krishna is himself through various agents doing his will and we accept it.
But here Arjuna is saying I’ll go further and say I will do your will. So it is not just my responsibility is not just to accept your will but my responsibility is to implement your will. So he is implementing the will.
And generally when we talk about surrender it’s important that we ask not why this but how now. When things start going wrong we can protest and resent by saying Why this? Why this? Why is this happening like this? Why is that happening like that? Why is that happening like that? But instead of that if you ask the question How now? How now means Okay, this has happened How can I act now? How can I best serve Krishna? If I act in that way then I’ll find a way to move forward in my life. And becoming an enjoyer is disempowering because it leaves us at the mercy of the conditions necessary for that enjoyment.
When we ask why this means I had a particular plan for enjoyment and now I’m not able to enjoy so I’m asking why this? But when we decide to become an enjoyer it is disempowering because we become so much dependent on so many circumstances which are not in our control. In contrast if we become a servant that is empowering because we have freedom. In all situations we can serve Krishna maybe not in the same specific way but we can always keep serving Krishna in some way or the other even when we are sick in our deathbed at that time we can definitely not enjoy our senses in any way but there also we can serve Krishna by remembering Him by speaking about Him by glorifying Him and in that way we can move closer to Krishna.
So becoming a servant is empowering and that’s why surrender is not passive surrender is not weakening surrender is strengthening surrender is not disempowering it is empowering. So now let’s move to the next word Srishti Prabhupada explains in the Purport that Moha Prabhupada writes Nashto Moha So as I mentioned Moha refers to that which is opposed to knowledge opposed to knowledge means the living entity is a servant as I said living entity is a servant but when the living entity thinks he is not a servant but he is a master that is Moha and then Prabhupada explains a simple explanation that Krishna Consciousness is acting according to Krishna’s order so this is an important definition because Krishna Prabhupada explains Krishna Consciousness is not just a matter of consciousness yes it is a matter of consciousness but then that consciousness has to be expressed through action we think about Krishna we think about Krishna means we think about how we can serve Krishna and when we serve Krishna we move forward in our spiritual life by moving closer to Krishna through that service So Karishye Vachanam Tava that is he is ready to follow Krishna’s instructions now the conversation moves back and Sanjay speaks Sanjay Vachan Ityaham Vasudevasya Parthasya cha Mahatmanaha Sambadamim Ashrausham Adbhutam Romaharshanam so he is telling over here Ityaham Vasudevasya so between Vasudeva Parthasya cha Mahatmanaha between Vasudeva and Partha this conversation has happened so there are levels of conversation the Bhagavad Gita is it coming a part of the Mahabharata so the Mahabharata at outer level is what it is a this Mahabharata is narrated by Vaishampayan Rishi to Janmejay who is the son of Parikshit Maharaj the great grandson of Arjuna so that is the outer level conversation there are various levels of nesting in the Mahabharata different conversations are happening but then within the narration of the events of the Mahabharata there is there is Sanjay narrating to Dhritarashtra the events on the Kurukshetra battlefield and within that narration in the Bhishma Parva there is the conversation between Krishna and Arjuna so there is outer level Vaishampayan and Janmejay then there is the Dhritarashtra and Sanjay and Dhritarashtra and that is Krishna and Arjuna so now the Krishna and Arjuna conversation has been going on till now so now the camera focus moves backwards it moves to Sanjay and Dhritarashtra so in one sense the conversation of the Bhagavad Gita is also conversation between Sanjay and Arjuna sorry Sanjay and Dhritarashtra the Bhagavad Gita conversation starts with Dhritarashtra’s original question Dhritarashtra watches first words he says what did they do on the battlefield so he is describing what what happened thereafter and now Sanjay is concluding that and he is saying what happened the first thing that happened was this this beautiful conversation took place so as this conversation took place ityaham vasudevasya parthasya mahatmanah significant mahatmanah now Krishna this word mahatma has been used by Sanjay to refer to both the devotee and the lord now mahatmanas tu mam partha daivim prakritim ashrita not by Sanjay, I am sorry Krishna has used this word to refer to his devotees mahatma for example in 9.13 and similarly samahatma sudurlabha in 7.19 the word mahatma is used to refer to devotees in the Bhagavad Gita in Krishna’s words now in the 11th chapter the word mahatma is also used to refer to Krishna maha yogeshwar ohari there the word mahatma is also used to refer to Krishna so here Sanjay is in one verse saying both of them are mahatmas Krishna is mahatma, Arjuna is mahatma now Krishna is of course he is the word mahatma literally refers to mahatma the great soul so Krishna is the super soul he is the paramatma he is present everywhere so he is definitely the great soul but what about Arjuna how is he the great soul he is the great soul because he is he is surrendered to Krishna he has understood the message of devotion and he has surrendered to the will of the lord so the small soul when the small soul surrenders to the will of the big soul the small soul also becomes big how the small soul becomes big in influence there is such a small soul who has become big is called as mahatma so parthasya chamahatmanah and then samvadham imam ashravsham ashravsham ashravsham means to hear shravan is to hear so samvadham imam ashravsham I have heard this samvad this conversation I have heard and what is the nature of this conversation adbhutam romaharshanam it is given in two descriptions of it adbhutam it is wonderful it is extraordinary it is amazing and as a result of this amazement what is happening romaharshanam the hair on my body are standing up standing up so it is thrilling astonishing and thrilling and actually if you see at the start of the bhagavad gita when arjuna was contemplating the prospect of fighting with his relatives so at that time so at that time also he was discussing romaharsha so romaharsha the standing of the hair it can happen in two situations one is in a state of great fear and second is in a state of great ecstasy so arjuna was very fearful not just fearful of losing his own life but fearful of being a part or even a cause of a great disaster a disaster that would involve the deaths of so many people so that time that there was romaharsha was because of fear this romaharsha is because of ecstasy as will be seen in the next verses so here he is saying I have heard this conversation and the result of hearing is it’s a wonderful conversation and my hair are standing on end romaharsha sujayate so now he will describe ok how was I I have heard this conversation now how has he heard that he will describe in this verse 18.75 yasaprasadashrutvan etadguhiyam aham param yogam yogeshwarat krishnat sakshat kathayatah svayam so yasaprasadashrutvan by the mercy of Vyasa we have heard shrutvan shrutvan yasaprasadashrutvan so how is it that by yasaprasadashrutvan we have discussed it at the start of the bhagavad gita itself actually yasaprasadash that means at the start of the bhagavad gita or just before the Krushetra war, Vyasadev came and he was he had tried to give good counsel to Duryodhana but Duryodhana was incorrigible not ready to hear anything and then he spoke Vyasadev spoke with Dhritarashtra and he said if you want to see the battle, I can give you eyes also Dhritarashtra said that what is the use of eyes throughout I did not see the life of my sons what is the use of seeing their death he knew in his heart that actually they are all going to die therefore he said that what is the use so but still I want to hear what happens and then Vyasadev said that I will give special eyes to Sanjay who is your secretary so Sanjay and Dhritarashtra had a special relationship although Sanjay was Vidura and Dhritarashtra they were brothers although Vidura was lower because he was born in a Shudra family so he was he never became a king but Dhritarashtra respected him for his wisdom and Vidura would often give advice to Dhritarashtra but when Vidura left at that time Sanjay who had been clearly subordinate to him as a secretary but Sanjay also would sometimes give counsel sometimes try to give good advice to Dhritarashtra that’s why because Sanjay also had an intimate relationship Vyasadev said okay I will give special vision to Sanjay and what happened by that vision by his mercy actually although he was far away from battlefields Kurukshetra and Hastinapura not neighbouring cities also quite far away but although they were far away there was a mystic television by which Sanjay was able to see sorry by which Sanjay was able to see and so actually it is not just a matter of seeing even if Sanjay had been right next to Arjuna when Krishna was speaking that alone would not have been able to understand so Vyasa Prasad refers not just to the special vision and audibility that was provided but it also refers to the special comprehension that was provided so by mercy we don’t just get vision but we get comprehension so what happened is that he was not only able to hear or see what was happening on the battlefield but along with that he was also able to understand it and that’s why I say actually this guhya param so he is using the same words which Krishna has used earlier in 18.64 he says sarva guhyatamam say sarva guhyatam bhuvya shunume paramam vachaha so he said like that most confidential knowledge paramam vachaha supreme instruction so he is using the same words over here etat guhyam ahamparam and what is the speciality of this knowledge is guhyam param yogam yogeshwarat krishnat sakshat kathayatasvayam kathayatasvayam who has spoken himself who has spoken it yogam yogeshwarat krishnat that lord Krishna who is Yogeshwar who is the lord of all mystic powers he has himself spoken how wonderful it is you know if we throughout history there have been great locutionists and even sometimes even decades or centuries later if some speeches some people have given then later on people hear those speeches so there may be some some heads of state before a historic wars they give some speech short speech which inspired the soldiers to fight on and to go forward and get victory then afterwards historians and other people who study history they say oh that was such a great speech and then somebody say actually I was there at that time when that speech was given I heard that speech live so sakshat I heard it so Sanjay is telling sakshat kathayatasvayam so Krishna himself spoke it and Krishna is no ordinary person if you look at the history of the universe in terms of the cosmic timescales that are described within those vast timescales actually what Krishna speaks is so rare when Krishna appears it is so rare Krishna himself doesn’t appear although he appears repeatedly but still in terms of the vastness of the universal time Krishna’s appearance time span is relatively small and within that also it is not that all the time Krishna is speaking systematic philosophical instructions no mostly Krishna is performing occasionally he may speak some instructions we don’t see lord Ram speaking anything comparable with the Bhagavata directly he gives instructions in various places but nothing directly comparable to the Bhagavad Gita so sakshat kathayatasvayam so it is very rare for the lord to appear and it is very rare for the lord to when on his appearance speak philosophy so systematically and succinctly and then it is even rarer for a devotee to be present for a devotee to be actually able to hear that so although Sanjaya is not directly present but still it is as good as direct because he is able to hear sakshat kathayatasvayam so through this verse we see Sanjaya’s gratitude and appreciation he is saying that he is not just saying to Krishna thank you for giving this message actually the thanks is implicit but there is much more than thanks over here he is saying how fortunate I am sometimes we may speak the words of thanks without valuing what we have been given earlier without valuing what has been given and for which we are externally using the word thanks for it but here when Krishna is speaking Sanjaya is appreciating and he is saying how fortunate I am that I was able to hear this conversation and it was all by the mercy of Vyasadev, so by his mercy I had vision and by his mercy I had comprehension which Prabhupada explains that just as we have got this message Sanjaya has got this message, we can also get the message so one who so Prabhupada explains that if one does not come to the disciple he cannot hear Krishna, therefore his knowledge is imperfect so therefore what he is saying is that actually we have to come in parampara and hear it, so just as by Sanjaya’s spiritual master Vyasadev’s mercy Sanjaya was able to understand, similarly we can understand by the mercy of our spiritual master and without that mercy we will not be able to understand properly so as devotees we are grateful to Sri Prabhupada and to our spiritual master and to the Vaishnavas who have given us understanding, now further Sanjaya will describe what happens now he says Rajan sam smritya sam smritya samvadam imam adbhutam Keshavarjunayopunyam Hrishyamichamuhurmuhum Rajan sam smritya sam smritya o king remembering again and again sam smritya sam smritya samvadam imam adbhutam adbhutam so he is using the word adbhutam second time earlier he used the word adbhutam in just two words ago and Keshavarjunayopunyam so this is punyam, it is a purifying auspicious, sacred conversation and what is happening I am remembering again and again and Hrishyamichamuhurmuhum I am in thrill Hrishyami, I am taking pleasure in this conversation again and again again and again so Hrishyami so Prabhupada writes that the result of Krishna consciousness is one becomes increasingly enlightened and he enjoys life with a thrill not only for some time but at every moment Muhurmuhu Hrishyamichamuhurmuhu so we will just discuss about this Hrishyami because the same sentiment is repeated by Sanjay in the next verse so we will recite that verse and then we will discuss Taccha samsmitya samsmitya roopam atyadbhutam hare vishmayo me mahan rajan Hrishyami chi punah punah so Taccha samsmitya samsmitya samsmitya samsmitya hearing roopam atyadbhutam hare atyadbhutam hare this form is extraordinary atyadbhutam and then after seeing this atyadbhutam hare refers to the vishwaroopa which he has seen Taccha samsmitya samsmitya he is remembering the extraordinary vishwaroopa that Krishna had shown and he is saying vishmayo me mahan rajan I am immensely astonished I am wonderstruck hugely wonderstruck and Hrishyami chi punah punah so there are similarities in this 76th and 79th verses that swarshrutya samsmitya is there in the first line of both there it was rajan samsmitya samsmitya here it is Taccha samsmitya samsmitya so the first line has similarity and the last line also has similarity there it was Hrishyami chi muhur muhur here it is Hrishyami chi punah punah Hrishyami chi punah punah muhur muhur so essentially the meaning is same Hrishyami to delight, to rejoice to be jubilant actually when we hear Krishna’s message the result of hearing Krishna’s message is that we become deeply thrilled enlivened in an extraordinary way it is described that when Narada Muni had the darshan Narada the boy in his earlier life had the darshan of Krishna what was the result of that darshan of the supreme lord when he had darshan actually that darshan thrilled him completely it thrilled him so much that he was just it was as if each and every one of his senses was independently enlivened it was an extraordinary experience for him to have his senses enlivened like that amazing it was so that’s how he became extraordinarily enlivened and Hrishyami chi punah punah similarly what effect we can get by the darshan of Krishna we can get that effect even by his remembrance especially along with the remembrance of the message there is a remembrance of the form also so the thrill is enormous now in this world people want new pleasures and most people think that to do get new pleasures I have to do new activities that’s what they try to do they try to go to travel to new places or maybe they buy new gadgets or they try to develop new relationships try to find out new houses new spouses all these things they try to do new new things so people want newness in their life, freshness in their life thrill in their life and they try to do it by doing new new activities however no matter how new the activities that we do ultimately the pleasure available in all new in all material activities boils down to eating, sleeping, mating and defending, so ultimately there is no new pleasure available at the bodily level in material existence there may be some superficially new covering but ultimately this pleasure boils down to eating, sleeping mating, defending so if you want to rise above eating, sleeping, mating and defending then we need to turn towards Krishna we need to love Krishna now in bhakti it seems as if we are doing the same activities constantly we are always just say chanting the same holy names taking darshan of more or less the same deities and then we are doing more or less the same activities it seems although we are doing the same activities then how is it that we get so much thrill that thrill comes we get freshness, we get joy because that is not because of the newness of the activities but newness of the person with whom we are connecting Krishna is ever fresh Krishna is supremely attractive and he keeps revealing his attractiveness more and more and more to all living beings and as his revelation becomes more and more then we start relishing his beauty more and more and that is why even if a devotee had to have darshan of Krishna, the devotee can just relish the darshan of Krishna for all of eternity, there is nothing else required for that, just that darshan can be relished for all of eternity that is the sweetness, that is the glory of Krishna so the same way if we remember the Bhagavad Gita the Bhagavad Gita can give us thrill also actually the Bhagavad Gita is a conversation at multiple levels, multiple levels means, yes it is a conversation between Krishna and Arjuna of course but along with that it is also a conversation between Dhritarashtra and Sanjay so now we see that the same message is spoken by Krishna to Arjuna and same message is repeated by Sanjay to Dhritarashtra so Arjuna was under illusion and Arjuna came out of illusion Dhritarashtra heard the same message that was spoken by Sanjay or rather repeated by Sanjay but Dhritarashtra was not changed Dhritarashtra kept hoping even after that the Pandavas will somehow lose and Kauravas will win of course that hope proved to be futile but he kept hoping and hoping like that so what was the speciality so by which Arjuna was able to understand and have a change of heart Dhritarashtra did not have that is Arjuna was submissive Dhritarashtra might have been inquisitive but he was attached he was biassed so submissiveness alone is not enough, sorry inquisitiveness alone is not enough along with inquisitiveness submissiveness is also required that is why we see Pariprasnena and Pranipatena is also there, 4.34 while describing how we should go to spiritual master, both are described Pariprasnena, inquisitiveness but along with that submissiveness is also required so Dhritarashtra was Dhritarashtra was inquisitive but he was not submissive and that is why his heart did not change and why was he not submissive because he was attached he was very strongly attached to whom to his son Duryodhana and he was attached to the hope of continuing on as the king and because of that hope he was blinded in fact earlier also before the whole Kurukshetra war took place and before the conflict between the Pandavas and Kauravas became severe Krishna had sent Akrura to Vrinda, to Hastinapur to observe what is happening and to warn Dhritarashtra of the consequences of his misdeeds but Dhritarashtra said, oh Vidura what you have spoken is, he said not Vidura, oh Akrura what you have spoken is true it is like their words are like nectar but unfortunately I cannot accept them he said that just as your words are like lightning in the sky in a dark night lightning illumines for a few moments but after that again there is darkness so like that when we are too attached that when we hear the words of wisdom there is temporary illumination but afterwards again there is darkness so as long as we are attached then it is difficult for us to realise the wisdom of the Gita. Of course even if we are attached we can start applying the Bhagavad Gita step by step by step little little whatever within our attachments bind us but they do not completely freeze us.
They give us some freedom and within that freedom we can try to apply the Gita and by that the bondage that is there, that will decrease and eventually we will become free to free of the attachment completely and free to serve Krishna but of course the point of my discussion is here not Dhritarashtra’s mentality but it is Sanjay’s mentality. You know Sanjay in one sense we may say that he was a failure that he tried to explain the message of the Gita to Dhritarashtra but Dhritarashtra did not accept it. So Dhritarashtra did not accept it.
What does it mean? That means that Sanjay was unsuccessful. It’s like a teacher is explaining to a student and the student doesn’t understand. Then what is happening? He says the teacher has failed so has Sanjay failed? Actually Sanjay is not Sanjay is not dejected.
Sanjay is elated. He is jubilant. He is thrilled.
He is charming. So why is that? Because Sanjay is receptively receiving and transmitting the message of the Gita and just by that contact with Krishna he is thrilled. So actually similarly when we try to share Krishna’s message, if we are Krishna conscious then we will relish Krishna’s message even if people are not hearing and changing themselves to harmonise with that message.
So that is the glory of Krishna consciousness that even if we speak and people don’t understand, people don’t appreciate, people don’t change their hearts, it doesn’t matter. Because by speaking about Krishna we become purified. We come in contact with Krishna and we become thrilled by that contact.
So therefore actually there is no failure in Krishna consciousness. At a material level sometimes there may be failures. That means when we try to serve Krishna it is not that this will be successful.
We see in the Mahabharata, Abhimanyu at a material level failed. He fought against the Kauravas and he lost his life. But actually he laid down his life in the service of the Lord and by that he crossed over illusion, he crossed over temptation and Vyasadeva comes to console Yudhishtira at that time and he says all of us, we are still in the world of temptation but Abhimanyu though so young has gone beyond the reach of temptation and he has attained the eternal world.
So rather than lamenting for one who has attained such a glorious decision, we should lament for all of us who are still in this world of temptation. So actually speaking what Krishna is telling, what Vyasadeva is telling Arjuna is that Yudhishtira is that there is no failure. There is ultimately success for a devotee.
So actually when we are trying to serve Krishna, we need to remember that our primary purpose in service is not productivity or popularity, it is purity. We are serving Krishna not so that I have done this much service, this service, this service, this service or it is not even popularity, so many people hear my lecture, so many people follow my instructions. No, our goal is not popularity or even productivity.
Our goal is purity and if we serve Krishna with that attitude, yes Krishna I want to become purified, I want to remember you, I want to speak about you, by that I will come in contact with you and that contact will purify me. So Sanjay, although his transmission of Krishna’s message has not transformed Dhritarashtra’s heart, still he is relishing and he sees Prabhupada for almost 30 years of his preaching, more than 30 actually. Prabhupada started assisting his god brothers in their preaching right from 1932 onwards, 1932-33 when he became initiated and from that time till almost 1965 or even 66 when he went to America, so for more than 33 years, he got practically no success in preaching.
But even during those times, whoever met Shri Prabhupada, they found him to be very cheerful, very jolly and very satisfied and in fact he was having nothing and he was so happy. That was what attracted people to him. What has this Swami got? He has nothing but he is still so he has everything.
He has actually nothing but he has something much more than what I have. I want to know that. I want to have that.
I want to share that. So that’s how people became attracted to Krishna. So as devotees, when we do service, we have to have this clear mindset, even when there is preaching or there is service, that I am doing this primarily to keep myself connected with Krishna, keep myself engaged in Krishna and whatever benefit happens to others, that will happen.
That is Krishna’s grace going through me and I am grateful that there is some contribution to the world also happening. But if you focus too much on the external results of service, then that may dishearten us so much. Oh, the external results are not coming and because of that becoming disheartened, we may not even be available when Krishna wants to give us the inner results.
We may not get any external result of our service but still we may become purified and that will be a glorious result when we become purified. So we should be focussing on the inner result and that inner result is the more we become purified, the more our contact with Krishna becomes richer and sweeter and then we will also experience this. And then after this comes the last verse of the Gita.
So Yatra Yogeshwara Krishna So here Krishna is saying that wherever there is that Krishna who is Yogeshwara, he is the master of all mystic power. Yogeshwara So on the path of yoga people get many mystic powers and when they get those mystic powers they can do wonderful things. All these mystic powers come from Krishna.
So Krishna is Yogeshwara. And Yatra Partha Dhanur Dhara So the significant verse here is Dhanur Dhara Arjuna has raised his bow. So at the end of the first chapter in 1.46 what had happened was Visrujya Sasaram Chapam Shokasam Vigna Manasaha Because of the mind filled with Shoka, what had Arjuna done? Visrujya Sasaram Chapam He had put aside his bow and arrow.
But Ganja is describing now after hearing the Bhagavad Gita Arjuna has picked up his bow and arrow. So that means Arjuna has become ready to follow Krishna’s instructions. Ready to do Krishna’s will.
So the specific of the bow and arrow is not important in the sense that for Arjuna, his duty as a Kshatriya was to fight. For us, our bow and arrow may be different. For us, our bow and arrow if we are devotees, we are doing book distribution.
Then we may put aside the books. But we may pick up the books and say, I’ll distribute the books. For us, our bow and arrow may be quite different.
But the point is, the bow and arrow it is definitely historical real in the sense that Krishna, Arjuna had a bow and arrow. He had a Gandiva bow, famous bow. But it also represents something.
Actually, Arjuna’s Gandiva bow represents the living entity’s determination to serve Krishna. The determination to serve Krishna. So actually, what happened at the start of the Bhagavad Gita is that Arjuna wanted to see.
He says, I want to see. There are several places where he says, I want to see what is the strength of the people who are fighting against me. I want to see.
By that seeing, he did Pratyaksha and then he started speculating. He started doing his own sort of analysis of the mind and that led to Anuman. And by Pratyaksha and Anuman, the result was, his determination to serve Krishna got lost.
But then, when he served Krishna, how? By hearing Krishna’s message, then he picked up his bow again. That means his determination became restored. Similarly in this world, by Pratyaksha and Anuman, our determination to serve Krishna can go away very easily.
There are so many people who are enjoying in this world. There is so much enjoyment available. And I am following the regulative principles, chanting Hare Krishna.
What am I doing over here? And Anuman will say, actually that person is happy. I am not happy. If I become like that person, I will also become happy.
And anyway, this Bhakti, who has seen Krishna, who has seen the spiritual world, when will I become in the spiritual world? I don’t know whether it exists also or not. We will do all sorts of nonsensical reasoning like that and what will happen? We will… We will lose our determination to serve Krishna. But then, when we associate with devotees, when we hear Krishna’s message, we start thinking, oh, people look happy.
But actually, it’s just a facade. People pretend to be happy. But there are so many miseries in life.
There is inevitably old age, there is Adhyatmika, Adhibhautika, there are so many miseries everywhere. So how can there be any lasting happiness? If there is lasting happiness, then there must be a different place. And what is that spiritual level of reality where lasting happiness exists? That is revealed in the Bhagavad Gita.
So the purpose of life is not to try to find lasting happiness in this place where there can never be lasting happiness, but it is to direct our consciousness to go to a place where there will be lasting happiness. That is the real intelligence. This is what we understand from the Bhagavad Gita.
And then, our determination gets restored. So just as our determination can be lost by Pratyekshanandaman, and determination can be restored by Shabda, as it happened for Arjuna, the same can happen for us. And that’s why regular hearing is so important for us.
We will see, in general in our spiritual life, that if our hearing becomes irregular, then our whenever our hearing becomes irregular, then our whole devotional life will start becoming like a burden. Chanting will become a big burden, doing services, we’ll just be battling internally with the mind so much, so much of our energy will go in the internal battle with the mind itself, that we will not be able to do much, and what we do will also not be very enthusiastic in it. Why does this happen? Because we are not nourishing ourselves by hearing.
So just as we get physical energy by eating food, similarly by hearing, we get spiritual energy. Spiritual energy is not something mystical, it’s not some current of electricity, current of light that passes through the head or something like that. Spiritual energy means the desire and the determination to serve Krishna that comes when we hear and we understand how much Krishna loves us and how it is so wonderful for us to have the opportunity to love Krishna in return.
And that day our determination gets restored. So that’s how we will also become Dhanur Dharah. And further he is saying, So he is describing, Now Sanjay has himself become enlightened as he is revealing by the fact that he has become attracted to Krishna.
He is thrilled in remembrance of Krishna. So he is telling that, What is my opinion? That wherever there is Krishna and wherever there is Arjuna, that means wherever there is the Lord, where there is the miracle working Lord and determined devotee. So what will happen, the combination of that? Tatra, Shreer, there will be opulence, Vijaya.
Vijaya is victory. Bhuti. Bhuti is extraordinary power.
Bhuti is a word which is used in the 10th chapter to describe Krishna’s extraordinary power. So Bhuti and Bhuti are similar. And Dhruva, Morality also.
So actually this is an answer to Sanjay, another answer to Sanjay’s question, Dhritarashtra’s question. So he said, What happened? Immediately what happened was that the whole Bhagavad Gita was spoken and that was narrated by Sanjay to Krishna, Sanjay to Dhritarashtra. But the implication of Dhritarashtra’s question was, what happened means who won? That was his concern.
So Sanjay is making a prophecy. He is telling that actually that where there is Krishna and where there is Arjuna, there there will be victory. Tatra, there there will be victory.
And that means he is saying there is no hope for your sons. They are going to lose. It is Pandavas who are going to win.
Tatra, Shreer. There there will be opulence. Shree can also refer to the goddess of fortune.
Shreedevi. So actually this is what both Bhishma and Drona tell Duryodhana when they face, when they are commanders, still the Kaurava army faces severe reversals. And at that time, Duryodhana almost chastises, although his commanders are far more senior to him in age, but still he almost chastises them.
And he says to Drona, you promised me that you will get Duryodhana arrested. That was what they had discussed. So Drona says that we can only endeavour.
The result ultimately depends on destiny. And the lord of destiny is on the chariot of Arjuna. So what can I do? The lord of destiny.
So like that Tatra, Shreer. So actually the goddess of fortune will be there on the side of the Pandavas. Because her lord is also there.
So opulence will be there. And by their opulence there is victory. Now some Dhritarashtra may think, no, but actually there is, there are such formidable warriors on my side.
There is Bhishma, there is Drona, there is Kripa, there is Shalya, there is Karna, there is Ashwathama and my own sons are very powerful also. So how can there not be victory for my side? He says no. Actually, there is Bhuti, there will be extraordinary power.
All the power of all these warriors cannot compare with the supreme power of Krishna. And they will be overpowered by that supreme power. And then some, now actually some people say that, you know, Krishna used immorality.
The Pandavas used immorality to kill the maharathas like Bhishma who was shot arrows by Arjuna from behind Shikhandi. Drona who was killed by Dhrishtadyumna while Drona wasn’t meditating. Karna when he was trying to take a chariot wheel out of the ground, Arjuna shot him.
So some people may say like that, that actually they were killed unfairly. There was no unfairness because they had all participated in far or they consented to far greater unfairness. And Shatoshaktyam.
For the cunning, with the cunning one can be cunning. So there is actually the idea that whatever happened to the supreme morality. The supreme morality is what is the will of the Lord.
Sarva-dharman prithvi-jamam ekam sharanam vraja. So that the Pandavas were ready to do these things. They could have won without using any of these strategies also.
But the fact that they used these strategies and they won thereafter indicates that they were ready to sacrifice morality for spirituality. They were ready to sacrifice morality for devotion. And that commitment to pure devotion is the supreme morality.
So therefore, nitir. So there, where there is the magic, miracle working Lord and where there is a determined devotee, there there is going to be the supreme morality. There there will be victory.
So this is the prophecy by Sanjay at the end of the Bhagavad Gita. And Shri Prabhupada gives a classic purport to this verse. And we will discuss just a couple of sentences from the work.
Professor Prabhupada says that the Bhagavad Gita is the last instruction of Gita is the last word in all morality and religion. So nitir. In all morality and all religion, this is the supreme instruction.
And then Prabhupada talks about how the supreme truth is realised in three aspects, Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagawan. And then he talks about how the most confidential instruction is surrender to Krishna. And then Prabhupada gives a summary of the five tattvas that are talked.
And he concludes over here By proper use of that independence, he refers to the entity comes under the direct order of Krishna and thus he attains his normal condition in the pleasure giving potency. And that is the whole purpose of Bhagavad Gita. That is the whole purpose of Shri Prabhupada starting in his to restore us in our normal position in the pleasure giving potency at the shelter of Radharani wherein we will get the supreme pleasure in loving service to Krishna.
So this is the mercy of Krishna that is manifested through the Bhagavad Gita. So the Bhagavad Gita starts with Krishna’s question to Arjuna’s question to Krishna about what should I do? Please tell me what is dharma? That was in 2.7. And first in the first five chapters Krishna talks about second to sixth chapter Krishna talks about how you should not renounce action. You should do action.
But do action in the spirit of detachment. That is the dialectic that happens in third and fifth chapter. In sixth chapter he talks about when you are sufficiently matured then you can renounce and go to the forest and do yoga.
But at the end of sixth chapter he says the top most yogis are those who are bhaktas. And then he says therefore you also become bhaktamaya sattamana in 7.1. And how to practise bhakti? That is described in the 7th chapter itself. The four kinds of people who surrender to Krishna.
The glory of Krishna’s position and Krishna’s devotion to Krishna is talked about. Then 8th chapter compares ashtanga yoga and bhakti yoga. And established supremacy of bhakti yoga.
9th chapter talks about bhakti yoga even further. And it starts revealing the heart of Krishna in a very intimate way. So 9th chapter talks about bhakti very sweetly.
And then bhakti centres on remembering Krishna. So in the 10th chapter chatushloki bhagavad gita also gives a concentrated essence of bhakti. How devotees love Krishna and Krishna loves his devotees.
And then after that how can we remember Krishna? In the material world the vibhutis are talked about. And to help us understand the divinity, supremacy of Krishna’s position, the vishwaroop is revealed. And then it is conclusively established in the 12th chapter that the personal form, meditating on the personal form is far better than contemplating on the impersonal manifestation.
So in this way the middle 6 chapters talk about bhakti very beautifully. And then the last 6 chapters talk about how gyan leads to bhakti. So Krishna talks about the various concepts purusha, prakriti, kshetra, kshetra, gyan, gyan and gaya.
And he talks about how all these that mad-bhakta etadvijnaya all this can be understood by my devotee. And right in the middle of the jnana section also he talks about mad-bhakta etadvijnaya. My bhakta can understand 13.19. And then he goes into the 14th chapter, further analyses it.
14.22 is the bijya vakya. purusha prakriti sthohi bhunkte prakriti jaan gudaan. That the divinity gets lodged in matter because of the desire to enjoy.
And then the tree of material existence expands. So the tree of the material existence, it is nourished by the water of the mood. So those moods are talked about in the 14th chapter.
Gunasangos. That was mentioned in 13.22. So what is this guna that is talked about in the 14th chapter? And there also again it says that if you want to go beyond the moods, bhaktiyogena sevate. 14.26. And again 14.27 is brahmano hi pratishtaham.
That I am the support of brahman. So again, even in this jnana section, bhakti and bhagwan are very systematically established as supreme. Then after that, the tree of material existence is mentioned in the 15th chapter and is established how Krishna is purushottama.
He is the supreme person to whom we should surrender if we want to get out of this tree. Then the upper and lower extremes of this tree, the divine and the demoniac natures that are talked about in the 16th chapter and then the intermediate parts of the tree. Those who have faith but not in scripture are talked about in the 17th chapter.
And then the 18th chapter is again like a summary of the Bhagavata’s content. So first Krishna talks about how it is better to do action with detachment rather than just giving up action. And then he analyses the five factors of action and then he analyses jnanam, karmam, kartam, dhruti, buddhi and sukha.
And all this analysis is meant to establish how a karma yogi having proper knowledge can stay without bondage. And that is talked about further in the system of varanashram where people act according to their prescribed duties for the sake of the Supreme Lord. For sakarmana tam abhyarcha.
Worship him with your work. And then from there Krishna talks about from 49th verse onwards to 54th verse he talks about dhyan yoga and then from 54th, 55th onwards he talks about bhakti yoga. And then this is a gradual ascending process from karma yoga to dhyan yoga to bhakti yoga.
But from 56th, 57th Krishna says that sarvakarmāṇi pi siddhā kurvāṇo madhyapāśyate. Wherever you are, you just practise bhakti. And then he talks about bhakti very sweetly, talks about how we are controlled by our svabhāva and the way to go beyond svabhāva is by surrendering to the Lord of the svabhāva.
And then Krishna says that I’ll give you the most confidential knowledge. And then he speaks this manmanābhava and sarva-dharmān parityajya. And then there is the phalashruti.
And then there is Sanjay’s ecstatic declaration of the glory of the Gita. So in this way there is a journey which culminates very clearly in the supremacy of Krishna as the most glorious sādhya. And parā, kevala bhakti, pure devotion is the most glorious sādhana.
And that is the essential message of the Gita. That is the essential message that Prabhupāda has given us by his mercy in his Bhagavad Gita as it is. So as it is, what does it mean? The conclusions are made crystal clear.
Not just in the conclusion, but throughout the flow of the Gita. That there is no other supreme reality apart from Krishna. And there is no process as glorious as the process of bhakti.
So this message has been given to us by Krishna and it has been repeated so forcefully and vividly by Srila Prabhupāda for the benefit of all of humanity. So thank you very much. Śrīmad-Bhagavad-Gītā ki Jaya! Śrīla Prabhupāda ki Jaya! Gaurabhakta Vindaki Jaya! Nithāigaur Premānande! We free both.