Gita 09.01 – Krishna’s glory can be appreciated by the devoted, not the envious
Bhagavad Gita 9.1 9th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita Krishna is speaking and in the previous chapter the way in which Yoga that enables one to remember Krishna at the time of death and for that purpose throughout one's life that Yoga has been recommended that Yoga is Bhakti Yoga and now there is no question that starts off chapter 9 rather what Krishna has spoken in the last verse of the 8th chapter that will be continued here when Krishna describes how actually by practicing Yoga that all this is attained and more is attained by the Yogi who gets the supreme destination so how the practice of Yoga specifically Bhakti Yoga can give such an extraordinary destination will be discussed by Krishna here now in this chapter so we will see in this chapter he talks about how the results from other things like Karmakant, from Deity God Worship from impersonalism all these are superseded by the results from the practice of Bhakti Yoga thus truly it will be established that Bhakti offers the topmost results that most confidential knowledge I am speaking these means to those who are non-envious Krishna is referring to Arjuna you are a non-envious so I am speaking this to you that there is knowledge and realization therein that knowing this means liberation from Ashubhadra from the inauspiciousness so the 9th chapter and 7th chapter are in many ways similar in structure and in the 9th chapter like in the 7th chapter Krishna begins by describing the glory of what he is going to speak so the first three verses 9.1 to 3 speak the glory of what is spoken in 7.1 to 3 now here Krishna says I will be speaking the most confidential knowledge Krishna will repeat that same point in the next verse also when he will say so there is superlative there that is good better and best so guhya will be the good guhyatarra will be better and guhyatamam will be the best Krishna has used the superlative earlier also in 6.47 when he stated that is most intimately united with me most closely connected with me who are they? they are the people who are practicing who are practicing yoga with their consciousness fixed on me so there so there was superlative there in 6.47 here we have a superlative in 9.1 now there are levels of confidential knowledge as our acharyas have explained that in general most people are caught up in materialism pursuing sense gratification but beyond sense gratification is beyond the knowledge that facilitates sense gratification is the knowledge of Krishna is the knowledge that enables us sorry is the knowledge of the atma not Krishna is the knowledge that enables us to move closer to Krishna and to attain Krishna that is guhya guhyatarra is one level higher now this can be explained in different ways one is to know the other is to know the process by which one can realize the soul or be elevated, elevate the soul help the soul to move towards liberation that is the general process of yoga guhyatama is the knowledge of bhakti which is the more easiest way for liberation of the soul and which is the knowledge of the supreme soul Krishna you will see the chapter 7 and chapter 9 talk about similar concepts but chapter 9 goes into much more details than the chapter 7 I am speaking this to you who are non NBS Krishna has talked about this theme you are my friend and you are my devotee so the devotion to the lord is the opposite of envy of the lord in envy we detest the other person's greatness in devotion we adore the other person's greatness so here means that Krishna is not speaking about his glories just because he likes to because he is self indulgent because he is an egotist who likes to talk about himself no Krishna wants us all to be benefited to be attracted to him love him and thereby to become liberated but he will speak his glories to those who are interested in them just as a person who is wise who is shrewd that person knows how to deal with others inappropriately so for someone who is admiring that person may tell a little bit more about himself but a person who is sceptical rather than speak his own glories a shrewd person will why fuel his envy further so envy acts like a perception blocker acts like a knowledge choker which prevents us from perceiving Krishna's position and disposition properly, how great Krishna is and why and how Krishna is still so loving despite being so great these things we can't perceive and then so speak this to the non-envious that means that when one is devotionally inclined one can appreciate the glory of Krishna and not just appreciate it but relish it that there is knowledge and there is theoretical knowledge and there is realized knowledge and both of them are there one knows this one is liberated from material existence which is so what Krishna talks about in 9.1 even contrasted 9.3 when he will say that that those who are those who do not have faith.