Does bhakti lead to brahman, as Gita 14.26 says or does brahman lead to bhakti, as Gita 18.54 says?
So, 14.26 seems to say that bhakti leads to Brahman platform whereas 18.54 says that from Brahman platform one gets bhakti.
So, what is it actually? Actually, there is a particular flow going on over there. So, the 14th chapter is about the three modes of material nature and how one can transcend the mode, that is the primary question. So, you know, the process that is described over there is that by practicing bhakti in an undeviated way one can transcend the modes and one can come to the Brahman platform.
Now, there are the word Brahman has a technical meaning within Gaudiya Vaishnavism but in the Vedic literature Brahman is not always used only in that sense. That means when we use the word Brahman we use it to refer to Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagwan and we use it to refer to the impersonal aspect of the absolute truth. But if you look at the broad Vedic literature the word Brahman is quite often a generic reference to spiritual reality.
For example, Athato Brahma Jijnasa there it is just saying inquire about spirituality it is not saying inquire about the impersonal effulgence. So, basically Brahma Bhuyaya Kalpate in 14.26 simply stating that one will go beyond the modes and attain the spiritual level. It is not necessarily the impersonal level that one will attain.
It is simply saying that by practicing the bhakti-bhakti one can transcend, because the question was kailinga is tinguna nitha nathito tipro kim aachar katham chaitans tinguna nathivartate what? kim aachar katham chaitans tinguna nathivartate in 14.21 Arjuna had asked how can one transcend the modes? So, in a discussion about the modes Krishna is not really talking about the technical differences between different aspects of the absolute truth such as Brahman, Paramatma, Bhagwan. Krishna's thrust of the discussion is simply that that he is talking about how to transcend the modes and come to the spiritual platform. So, Brahma Bhuyaya Kalpate can refer to the impersonal aspect but it doesn't have to refer to because it doesn't have to refer only to the impersonal aspect.
It simply refers to the spiritual aspect. The impersonal Brahman is also at the spiritual level. So, it can refer to that but it doesn't necessarily have to refer to that.
Let me complete this. The next verse states brahmano hi pratishtham amrutasya avyasya Now, Krishna is saying that means that the question may come up that how is it that by worshipping you by becoming devoted to you one can attain the Brahman? What is the connection somebody may ask? So, that is the answer that is given in the next verse. Krishna says I am the sustainer of Brahman.
So, that means the brahmano hi pratishtham this verse can also mean two things. It can refer to how the impersonal effulgence comes from Krishna. That is the way Prabhupada explains it.
But other Acharyas have also explained it generally as Krishna is saying I am the sustainer of the spiritual level of reality. So, because if you see the rest of the verse brahmano hi pratishtham amrutasya avyasya shashvatasya dharmasya sukhasya ikantikasya So, when he talks about that So, I am the sustainer of the spiritual platform which is eternal, which is indestructible and which is the abode or the level of the ultimate happiness. So, that sukhasya ikantikasya that actually if it were just referring to Brahman Brahman platform is not necessarily the platform of the highest happiness.
The bhakti platform is when we realize Bhagwan that is the time when we get the highest happiness. So, if you look at the full verse this reading of the verse that Brahman here is simply a simply a reference to spiritual reality and spiritual level of reality is the level where we experience the ultimate happiness. So, Krishna is saying that I am the sustainer of the spiritual reality.
And because I am the sustainer of the spiritual reality therefore, by worshipping me you can rise from the material bones to the spiritual level. So, that way we can see the continuity between these two verses. So, here Krishna is talking about by practicing bhakti you can attain the spiritual level of reality.
You can transcend the bones and come to the spiritual level. Now, when we go to 18.54 the context there is that there is a whole series of verses starting from 18.41 where Krishna talks about varnashram dharma and then he talks about karma yoga. Then from 18.49 to 18.53 he is talking about jnana yoga.
And after that in 18.54 he says that means by this process of gradual elevation from karma yoga through jnana yoga the culmination is bhakti. So, Krishna is not talking about this as a trajectory for devotees. Krishna is saying that basically here he is saying that even if one goes through this laborious process of karma yoga, jnana yoga ultimately one has to come to bhakti.
And that bhakti is parabhakti, that is pure devotion. mad-bhaktim labhate param And then this is 18.54 in 18.54 he says that bhaktya mam abhijanati So, then by bhakti one can know me. And then from 18.56 onwards Vishnu Acharya Kathakur explains that Krishna is talking about another level of reality.
Sorry, not another level of reality, an alternative path to rising up on the spiritual trajectory. And he says sarva-karmanya-pisadha kurvano mad-vyapashrayah mat-prasadha davaapnoti shasvatam padamoghen So, he says sarva-karmanya-pisadha Whatever work you may be doing, if you just take shelter of me, you'll attain me. So, the Acharya has explained here that that means Krishna is telling whether you be at the karma kanda level, whether you be at the karma yoga level, even if you be at the vikarma level, if you just take shelter of me by that you can attain the same perfection that has been attained by going through karma yoga, jnana yoga, getting to brahman realization, then coming to bhakti.
So, Krishna is giving that alternative rapid trajectory over here. When he talks about this. So, in that case, 18.54-55 So, the important message over there is that it is not that brahman leads to bhakti, it is rather that bhakti is the the level of parabhakti lies above the brahman level of realization also.
That means people who say that bhakti is a means to mukti. And when you practice bhakti to become impersonally liberated, that is clearly refuted by Krishna over here when he says that those who are actually mukta, those who are brahma-bhuta-prasanna-atmana-succhina-kankshati samaha-sarveshu-bhutah they are every way free from material contamination because they see everything equally, all people and all things equally. That means they are for all practical purposes mukta, but they attain bhakti.
So, that is a very strong refutation of the idea that bhakti leads to mukti. Rather it is that bhakti is the perfection after liberation. Exactly, yeah.
So, I think the two verses are in a very different context. And we could put it another way is that 14.26 says that bhakti is the best sadhana. And 18.55 says bhakti is the ultimate sadhya also.
Of course, bhagwan is the ultimate sadhya, but the means to approach bhagwan is always bhakti. So, that means from the lowest level of spiritual realization where we are caught in the modes, to the highest summit of spiritual realization where one goes to the post liberated stage, through it all bhakti is there with us. And bhakti is what can elevate us from the lowest level of consciousness to the highest level of spiritual realization.
That's the understanding.