Gita 10.03 – Understanding Krishna’s position frees us from sins

Verse. Bhagavad Gita 10.3 Krishna is now continuing to describe his supreme position as a stepping stone towards inspiring focused single-minded devotion towards him and he says that त्वयिता नर्दान्या higher level and he says that he presents the counter to the concern about papa through a reflection on the on the potency of devotion so he says one will become freed from all sins if one stays devoted to him and for that devotion one needs to understand his position so Krishna has talked similarly earlier in 4.9 when he stated that जन्म करमचमे दिव्यम् एवं यो वेति तत्व तः त्यक्त्वा देहं पुनर जन्म नैति मामे तिसो वर्जुना so he stated there that those who become devoted, those who understand the transcendental nature of his activities and past times, they in truth, those who understand like that they will not take birth in this world they will attain his abode.

Here the promise that Krishna is making is not exactly that they will attain his abode. He is saying that they will सर्वपापई प्रमुच्चिते become free from all sins so there is a progression in the promise from 10.3 to 10.7 and we will discuss when we come to 10.7 what is the second half so liberation from material existence liberation from sins is not the primary purpose of devotion and it is not the perfection of spiritual life either yes, liberation from sins is important for minimization of suffering but that is not normally the purpose for which people practice spiritual life spiritual life is practiced for for at least in the in the Vaishnava understanding for becoming attracted to the Lord. So it's interesting Krishna is not talking about attraction to him over here he will talk about that also no doubt so Krishna is not here about his actions his fast times, his leelas his love for his devotees.

He is just talking primarily about his position here those who understand his position to be that he is unborn and he is beginningless actually we may say that but doesn't that apply also to the soul the soul is also ajay anadi ajo nityah shashato yam purano Shraddha Upanishad 2.20 is the soul anadi actually we could say the soul is anadi in the sense that the soul is also the eternal in a sense of ontological dependence the soul is sometimes said to come from Krishna all living beings are said to come from Krishna but that is not in terms of chronological precedence it is in the sense of ontological dependence so ajay and anadi these two characteristics can apply even to Krishna even to the souls but the next characteristic that is described Lok Maheshwaram that cannot apply to the living beings now it is only Krishna who is Lok Maheshwaram living beings living beings they may temporarily have some position of great influence in this world either or even in or even in but still they are not Lok Maheshwaram it is Krishna alone who is that who has that position Krishna has talked about this particular position of his first time in 5.29 when he says so there he stated that Sarva Loka Maheshwaram those who understand him to be the master the proprietor, the lord of all the Lokas and all the people they those who understand him like this they can attain peace so here Krishna is saying that same point of Lok Maheshwaram he is the lord of all all places of all people and all places of course this theme has been talked about earlier in the Bhagavad Gita for example when Krishna talks about himself in 9.11 at that time says Bhuta Maheshwaram so the word Maheshwara has been used there in connection with Bhuta now Bhuta can mean living beings Bhuta can also mean existence so he is the Maheshwara supreme lord, supreme controller of of all Lokas and all people so Bhuta Maheshwara and Loka Maheshwara are in that sense quite similar and further Krishna has talked about it in his being the supreme that is not specifically about Lokas but about all the Yajnas which are offered to different Devatas in different Lokas, Krishna has said over there that he is the that he is the enjoyer and the master of all the Yajnas now this point has been stressed over here it has been stated over here it has also been stated earlier so the understanding of that position in the previous verse Krishna stated that even the Devatas don't know him even the Maharshis don't know him but in this verse he states if you come to know me, if you understand my position what will happen? such a person will become free from delusion so normally both the Maharshis and Devatas are considered to be higher than the Martyas but the Martyas those who are destined for death even they will become free from all sins by understanding his supreme position in this way Krishna is very fundamentally stressing the point that by becoming devoted to him we all can become liberated from material existence and that he will stress further when he comes to 10.7 but he states just by understanding his position we can become free from sins Krishna has talked about this in the 4th chapter also when he speaks that those who understand that he is beyond karma that he is not bound by karma, such people become free from the bondage of karma in 4.14 he stated that those who understand that he doesn't desire the fruits of work he is not attached he is not affected by any work such people themselves will not be affected by work similarly those who understand that he is transcendental he is the lord of everything they will become free from sins Thank you.