Gita 07.16 – Approaching Krishna for any reason is auspicious

To the lord.

Thank you. … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … So those who surrender to him are Sukruti, those who don't surrender to him are Dushkruti, Krishna is saying. They are doers of good and they have done good credits.

That is Sukruti. Now, interestingly, Prabhupada translates Dushkruti not just as people who have done bad activities, but he focuses there also in the Purport and Self-Portrait on Kruti. Kruti means capable of doing.

So those who are capable of doing certain things and Dushkruti are those who use their capacity for doing things to do bad things. Whereas Sukruti, Shrila Prabhupada and the Brahmacharyas also translate primarily as those who are not just in terms of talents, their capacity to do great things, but they translate in terms of those who have done some Punya. Sukruti.

Dushkruti, in that sense, what Shrila Prabhupada translates over there is a contextual translation to drive home the point that sometimes people may be talented and yet misdirected away from Krishna. And Sukruti here focuses on the point that they have done some pious activities. And the question will come up that are pious activities enough to come to Krishna? Can anyone come to Krishna through pious activities? Of course, the answer to that is no.

And Aracharya has explained that the pious activities referred to here are actually the activities of, it's not the Sukruti in general, but it is Bhakti Unmukha Sukruti. That it is those pious activities which help a person to come closer to Krishna. So, for example, these pious activities include the activity of, I'll say, accidentally watering Tulsi, accidentally serving a Vaishnava, and in this way, moving onwards.

This is Sukruti. Now, of course, if a person is in goodness, if a person has a pious nature, then that person's approaching Krishna is also more likely. So, if a person has a sinful nature, then when some suffering also comes, the solution to suffering that a sinful person thinks of is, let me drink, let me have sex.

And that is the primary solution that sinful people think about. But the pious can think about the positive solution. So, the positive solution is, when we come to start worshipping Krishna.

So it's interesting that while Krishna has used prapadyante na prapadyante. So, they don't surrender to me for dushkruti in the previous verse. Here he is not using prapadyante.

He is using bhajante. So, prapadyante is surrender, bhajante is to worship. So, actually bhajante, to worship, to serve, devotionally, that is actually the beginning of surrender.

Krishna will talk about surrender in 7.19 when he says, bahunam janmanamante jnanava imam prapadyante. That after many lifetimes, those who become knowledgeable surrender unto me. So, surrender is actually quite an advanced stage.

And the beginning of surrender will be to start the process of devotion. So, Krishna says over here, these four categories of people, they approach him to start the process of devotion. And by starting this process of devotion, they move onwards towards Krishna.

Now, what are the reasons why they approach Krishna? So, Krishna gives those four reasons that, arato, distressed. Now, interestingly, at one level we could say that, because this world is dukkhalayam, as Krishna will state in the next chapter, 2.15, that this world is a place of misery, so won't everyone be distressed? And yet, Krishna considers distress as only one of the categories. So, yes, this world is a place of misery, but it is not that there is constant misery.

Or rather, often there is some tolerable misery that we get used to. So, for example, say, you have to go to office every day, and then there is traffic. So, the traffic is an irritation.

But then, in time, one gets used to it. And one does not feel that as an acute distress. Of course, if someday there is a traffic jam, and things don't move forward for hours, then one may get agonized by that.

And that may become a source of distress. The point is that, overall there is distress, but that does not mean that everyone has to be constantly distressed. That's why Krishna uses one of the categories of people as Artau.

And the Acharyas give the example of Artau. The example for Artau, they say, is Gajendra. He was in distress, being caught by the crocodile, unable to free himself, and he called out to Krishna.

Now, it's quite likely that most of the people who come to God are Artau. It is distress that pushes them, that impels them, to come towards Krishna. And it is good, that somehow or the other, coming to him is good.

As he mentions in the next verse, So, Jigyasu, the second category, is the people who are inquisitive. Now, these people, their inquisitiveness is not exactly metaphysical. It's not exactly Athato Brahma Jigyasa.

That is not the category of Jigyasu. Although they can also be, but they will more appropriately fit in the next category, the fourth category of Jnani. Jigyasu here means that they have enquiries, they have questions.

So, it can range from simple curiosity. So, why do you people worship Krishna? Why do you people chant? Why do you people wear this kind of dress? So, even that can get one to know about Krishna. And once one comes to know about Krishna, then one may start worshipping him, because one finds something attractive in the process of bhakti, in devotees and in Krishna.

So, the Jigyasu, just let me try this out. And it's more of a casual curiosity than an existential urge, existential need to know about the higher side of existence. But still, whichever way it is, Jigyasu.

And the example for this that is given is of the Saunaka and other sages who asked questions. Some of them were very serious, all of them were serious transcendentalists. And the questions led them to come.

By the questions, they came to know about Krishna and then they were elevated. Many of them eventually surrendered to Krishna. Artharthi is those who are in need of money.

And the example for this is Dhruv Maharaj. When he needed a kingdom greater than his father's, greater than anyone in his dynasty, then he was directed by Narada Muni to worship the Supreme Lord. Significantly here, Krishna does not forbid this kind of people from coming to him at all.

Yes, these are one of the category of people who come to him, Artharthi. And although this is not recommended as a path of pure bhakti, to come to Krishna for wealth, but the important thing is, even if they come for wealth, Krishna says they are Sukruti and Udara, as we'll see in the next words. So, Krishna appreciates that.

And then the next text. The last is Jnani. Jnani means those who have knowledge and those who have understood that the absolute truth is a person and therefore they associate the absolute truth for developing a relationship with him.

And approaching this is extremely helpful because it enables them, because these people, because they are already having the basic knowledge that I am not the body and the soul, this world is not a place of enjoyment. So, their bhakti is much stabler. And the example of this is usually, you know, the Kumaras, who were already very pure hearted and they smell the fragrance of the lotus of of the Tulsi on the lotus feet of the Lord.

They are completely captivated by the Lord and they became devoted to Him. So, in this way, there are different categories of people who may come to Krishna and begin the process of devotion. Thank you.