Gita 09.13 – Krishna’s attractiveness is original and inexhaustible
Bhagavad Gita 9.13 Krishna is speaking here about those who surrender to him.
The structure of Chapter 9 runs in many ways parallel to that of the structure of Chapter 7. In Chapter 7, there is a central defining word that is 7.14. And those who surrender to me, they cross beyond the ocean of material existence. And then after that, Krishna talks about first the people who don't surrender to him, then the people who surrender to him. And then the people who surrender to something other than him.
Similarly, the defining words we could say of 9 Chapter 9.10 Material nature works under my control. So he is not under material nature, he is the supreme controller of material nature, the overseer. And then in Chapter 11.12, he talks about those who misunderstand his position and what happens to them.
And then from Chapter 13.14, he will talk about those who surrender to him. So, of course, in the 7th Chapter, Krishna talks about people who approach him and gradually come to the level of surrender to him. So, the word Mahatma is used in the 7th Chapter also to describe those who surrender to him.
But that is the last word in the sequence from 7.16 to 7.19. The people with four different motives, Artha, Jigyasur, Artharthi, Jnani, they approach Krishna. And then 7.19 describes that they become Mahatma when they surrender to Krishna, understanding Vasudeva is Sarvamiti. So, there Krishna talks about a progression from initial approach to ultimate surrender, whereas here Krishna focuses primarily on those who surrender.
So, this verse, we could say, talks about the internal characteristics of those who accept Krishna's position as Mayadhyakshina Prakriti and surrender to him accordingly. And the next verse will talk about their external characteristics. So, in this verse, they are definitely Mahatmas.
They have taken shelter of the divine nature. What is the divine nature? That is from the context, we can understand, previously Krishna has spoken that, just in the previous verse, there is, those who don't surrender, the defiant, those who misunderstand or misrepresent Krishna's position, that was talked about in the previous verse, 9.11. And 9.12 said that, 9.12 that they take shelter of the Mohini Prakriti, the illusory energy of the Lord. This verse focuses then next on the Daivi Prakriti.
So, your Daivi Prakriti is contrasted with the Mohini Prakriti, divine nature. Now, Krishna has used the word Daivi also to refer to Maya. In 7.14, but there clearly he is talking about the Maya potency.
Whereas here, he is talking about, not the Maya potency, he is talking about the potency which uses the shelter of Krishna. Daivim Prakritim Ashutaha, they have taken shelter of the divine energy. What is the divine energy characterized by? Or those who are sheltered in the divine energy, what are they characterized by? Bhajante Ananya Manaso, Bhajante, they worship how? Ananya Manaso, Ananya Manaso, without any distraction.
They understand that, they know, Bhoot Adi, Krishna is the origin of all of existence. He is imperishable. Now, in our family, there may be a grandsire, who is a great grandsire or some ancestor who is said to have started the dynasty.
But then, he may be the Adi in a limited sense, but then he is not Auvya, he is long gone and dead. Some people worship ancestors in the Vedic sense. In addition also, there is the worship of the ancestors, Pitra.
And Pitra Pooja or Pitra Loka is there. But it is understood that these are souls who have gone elsewhere. And they are not Auvya, they are dead.
People often write Svarga Vasi or Kailash Vasi, but we don't really know where that person has gone. Wherever that person has gone after death, at least the person is not here now. So, Krishna is not like that.
He is Bhoot Adi and he is Auvya. He is the origin of everyone and he never gets old. He is imperishable.
Purana Purusham Navayauvanam Ja. The Brahma Samhita says that he is Purana Purusham, the original person. He is ever fresh, ever young.
Such is the extraordinary characteristic of Krishna. Now, when we understand that Krishna is beyond the range of time, Krishna is not under the influence of time. That is hinted because time is also a characteristic of the material world.
Destructive time at least. Kaalo Smiloka Kshetra Pravruddho. Krishna will tell in the 11th chapter.
And here he said, Mayad Dakshena Prakriti. So, Prakriti, he is the master of Prakriti. Kaal in the destructive manifestation is also his feature.
So, he is not controlled by Kaal. So, we are all attracted to various things in this world. But the attractiveness of those things, it doesn't last forever.
It doesn't last for long. And the very forms and things whose beauty we find irresistible now, 20, 30, 50 years down the line, that very beauty will seem not at all irresistible. You know, if the relationships are sore and if we are not, the relationship, if the affection is, the attraction is based only on the bodily level, then what seemed irresistible in youth, that same thing might seem intolerable in old age.
Only if the relationship has matured and gone beyond the bodily level, and there's a connection of the hearts based on proper understanding of the essence of a person, then the relationship can be sustainable. So, Krishna is not like that. His attractiveness never decreases.
Once we are attracted to Krishna, once we understand who Krishna is, then we understand that I don't have to look for anything beyond Krishna. Ananya-manaso, ananya is other, ananya is the negation of the other, that means no other. But the mind doesn't have to go anywhere apart from Krishna.
It can just stay fixed in Krishna constantly and therein we can find everlasting satisfaction everlasting fulfillment and that will be pointed out in the next verse and Krishna will say that how the internal ecstasy, the internal connection of the devotee with the Lord is expressed through outer glorification of the Lord. So, inner attraction, expression of inner attraction through outer glorification is not exhibitionism. Some people say that, okay, you can always chant the names of God in your heart.
Why do you have to make a big show and chant in front of everyone else, make loud, do loud kirtans? Why do you have to exhibit? Well, the point is not exhibition, the point is expression. In any and every field, we see that people express their love. Yes, expression should not be an imposition.
It is not that say some, even in material fields, if there is a whole society or a whole nation or a whole community that is infected by cricket mania, then if the country wins, they will blow firecrackers and they will express their happiness, express their jubilation. And others, even if they do not have that much level of attraction for cricket, they tolerate it. Why? Because then, okay, this is their love, they are expressing it now.
So, one of the biggest reasons why relationships often do not work, even when there is affection between the two people, is because that affection is not expressed. So, affection needs to be expressed, an expression of affection should not be mistaken as exhibitionism. It is natural.
Whatever is in our heart, we will express. And that Krishna will say in the next verse, when he says, So, this verse talks about the internal conception of the exalted devotees, who when they understand that Krishna is the master, they understand it properly, then their Mahatmas, their Atma is devoted completely to the Mahan Atma, the supreme Atma, that is Krishna, supreme person, Krishna. They take shelter of Krishna, Daini Prakriti and they understand that there is no object beyond Krishna that I need to be attracted to.
Krishna is original and inexhaustible and in him all my heart, longing for happiness will be eternally fulfilled.