Gita 13.26 – Hearing is foundational to the topmost yoga

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Bhagavad Gita 13.26 this is the 13th chapter Kshetra Kshetra Vibhaga Yoga in this chapter Krishna is speaking about the processes about first the analytical difference between the Kshetra and Kshetra Gyan between the the body and the soul and thereafter the experiential methods of yoga for realizing that difference so he uses the word Kshetra and Kshetra Gyan because Arjuna starts with that terminology and later he moves to Purusha and Prakruti which is a standard terminology used in Sankhya metaphysics Sankhya is one of the six systems of philosophy and many of its concepts are taken in the Bhagavad Gita and overlaid with a theistic framework so here Krishna is focusing on how the Purusha can realize one’s identity separate from the Prakruti Krishna has stated earlier that on the 20th verse he starts first he says that how Purusha and Prakruti both are eternal so the changes that happen in Prakruti they are and the moods that are there the Prakruti Sambhava they come from Prakruti but we as both Prakruti and Purusha are eternal and like that the analysis goes on next verse says about how nature is the cause of situations but we are the we are the cause of our emotions kare kare nakar trutve hetu prakruti vichate purusha sukha dukha naam bhok trutve hetu vichate it means that whatever happens in material nature that is caused by the forces within material nature but how those things affect us that is dependent on us and specifically on our enjoyment mentality bhok trutve so for example whatever is happening on a television screen that is determined by the program that is that is determined by the program that is being broadcast and more specifically by what kind of signals are coming into the into the electronic circuits through the receiving antenna and other structures but what kind of emotions are triggered within us depend on what is our definition of enjoyment for example if say soccer is being broadcast and we have no knowledge or interest in soccer then the victory of one team or the loss of another team will not affect us at all but if if cricket is being broadcast and if cricket is being broadcast at that time we are very interested in cricket fascinated by cricket then every ball might be every ball that is bowled might be accompanied with a increase of our pulse with a heightening of excitement and victory and loss may well be devastating may be may be either causing jubilation or devastation if we are emotionally involved in it so bhoktrutve bhoktrutve means the desire to enjoy what is our definition of happiness that depends on us that depends our definition of happiness depends on us and we determine by our definition of happiness what is the effect of those emotions on us purushaya sukha dukha na bhoktrutve he puruchute sukha dukha then going further Krishna talks that this is just not a matter of ok sometimes you get happiness sometimes you get misery see this all below this what this does is cause entanglement purushaya prakriti stho he bhoktrutve prakriti janmanan karanam munasangosya sadasavyoni janmasu purushaya prakriti stho he prakriti stho he that the living being who is situated in prakriti that living being is bhoktrutve prakriti janmanan and the desire to enjoy bhokte and bhoktrutve in the previous verse are similar Krishna says the result of that is karanam munasangosya because of the association the attachment to the modes because of the attachment to the modes one suffers sadasavyoni janmasu it’s not just a matter of watching a program and turning it off things are never that simple, rather the result is that we become bound by our perceptions, not understand, by the kind of perceptions that we have and the emotions that we develop with that, or we have a response to that, those become our patterns of behavior, because they become impressions, they become conditionings, and they shape our behavior thereafter.
So sath asad yoni janmasu, and this leads to our meeting with good and bad in different species in material existence. Krishna is giving an expanded or a mega view of the consequences, where he says the consequences are not just in terms of the emotional entanglement that comes when we let ourselves buy into certain definitions of happiness, certain definitions of enjoyment, but rather those definitions will eventually determine our physical situations also, because nature reciprocates with our desires and gives us the situation that corresponds with our desires. Prabhupada will give the example that if someone wants to eat flesh, then nature says why do you need a human body, take a lion’s body or a tiger’s body, there it will be much easier for you.
Now after describing this, this is 22nd verse, 23rd verse Krishna introduces the concept of the super soul, of course he has talked about the super soul earlier also, but in this particular chapter, through the analysis of Sankhya, this is the place where categorically he talks about there being another Purusha in the body, in prior to this in verses 13 to 18, he has talked about the Purusha, about the existence within and he is referring to the super soul, say from verses 13 to 18, everywhere are his hands and legs, everywhere are his ears, everywhere does he exist, pervading everything, so he is referring to the super soul, but whether that super soul is the same as or different from, the soul is not very easy to infer based on what Krishna has spoken till date, but this verse makes it clear. Bharata Bhokta Maheshwara, he is the protector, he is the enjoyer, he is the great controller, Paramatmetichapyokta, known as the Paramatma, Dehe Smin Purushapara, in the body he is the supreme person, Purushapara, Dehe Smin Purushapara, now, moving onwards, after talking about this, that means there are two Purushas, entangled and Para, another who is transcendental, after talking about these two Purushas, Krishna goes on to talk about the supreme, that is he talks about the means by which one can attain Nithyananda, he summarises what he talks about, three different methods, Dhyanen Atmani Pashyanti, Kechit Atmanam Atmana, Anne Sankhena Yogena, Karma Yogena Chaapale, Dhyanen Atmani Pashyanti, that by meditation, Atmani Pashyanti, once he is within, Kechit Atmanam Atmana, some people use Dhyana to pursue the self within themselves, Anne Sankhena Yogena, others use Sankhya, that is more or less the Prasadam Gyan Yoga, Karma Yogena Chaapale, and others do it through the Yoga of Action, Karma Yoga, after talking about this, three Yogas in one verse, then Krishna devotes one full verse to the next Yoga, others, they may not know about all this elaborate analysis, but they hear from others, so there are two Anyas over here, the first Anya refers to others that are contrasted from those who practice Karma, Gyana and Sankhya, Karma, Gyana and Dhyana as mentioned in the previous verse, and the second Anya refers to others apart from them, that means these people are ignorant, but there are others who are knowledgeable and they hear from them, Upasate, Upasate means worship, devote themselves to, so Upasate is a very devotional word and that indicates that Krishna is talking about Bhakti Yoga over here, they also cross over death, they go beyond death, Shruti Parayanaha, by being devoted to hearing, Shruti Parayanaha is a very striking word here, which conveys how we are all in a state of illusion in material existence, and sound vibration is the means for our deliverance, to the extent we embrace the right sound vibration, to that extent we can go beyond illusion, so our goal is to become Hari Parayanaha, or Narayan Parayanaha, become devoted to the Supreme Lord, Krishna talks later in the 16th chapter about how people who are influenced by demoniac nature, they are Kama Krodha Parayanaha, they are devoted to Kama and Krodha, so we may not be devoted exactly to Kama and Krodha, but we are also controlled by them to quite some extent, and we would like to go beyond that control, and the way to do it is by the cultivation of Bhakti, using Shruti Parayanaha, if we just hear regularly, by that hearing we will be able to transcend, and by that transcending we will be able to attain perfection, Shruti Parayanaha, so Shravanam is an important, in limbo Bhakti, our Bhakti begins by hearing, and it is sustained by hearing, so Chetan Mahaprabhu states, he compares growth of Bhakti to the growth of a Lata, of a creeper in the heart, and just as a creeper needs water for nourishment, Krishna says that I need, that our devotion is nourished by the water of hearing, and it is nourished by the water of hearing and chanting, so these are vital for our growth, and the more we recognize this, the more is our chance of being able to transcend the illusions of material existence by keeping ourselves in the realm of transcendental sound, now Shruti Parayanaha, Parayanaha means to be devoted to, we become Shruti Parayanaha by hearing again and again, and as we hear we get more, we feel illumined and then we want to hear more and more, and in that way our taste for hearing grows, it is not an artificial imposition, although initially some amount of discipline and restraint are called for, we may not feel like hearing, we may think that things are repetitious, but then we all need to find out, we have to individualize the process of hearing, we may find that I like to study a particular scripture, I like to hear from a particular devotee, I like to contemplate scripture in a particular way, as we individualize the process of hearing, we find it becoming increasingly relishable, and thus we will be able to customize our, get a taste for it, so ultimately when you practice Bhakti, you always need to keep it in mind that making spiritual advancement is our responsibility, it is not anyone else’s responsibility, my spiritual growth is my responsibility and your spiritual growth is your responsibility, just as a father may give a large inheritance, a wealthy father may give a large inheritance to his children, but then, and they may not just inherit, they may be a good running business also, but still that person has to run that business oneself, each of the children has to do that themselves, similarly, Krishna, through his devotees, has given us the treasure of Bhakti, the treasure of the opportunity to practice Bhakti, but practicing it, just like running the business, is the responsibility of the child, of the children, similarly, it is our responsibility to do whatever it takes for our business of Bhakti to run, now using the word business for Bhakti may seem unduly commercial, but actually, it conveys the reality that there is a certain amount of transcendental calculativeness that is there in Bhakti, transcendental calculativeness means, when we talk about principles of surrender, it is significant that the Acharya’s focus while talking about surrender, I am not something passive, but the first two actions are very very dynamic, very active, Anukulyasya Sankalpa, Prathikulyasya Varjana, accept that which is unfavorable, so this means that the point here is to recognize that we ourselves are not the only persons who are receiving the treasure of Bhakti, there are others who are receiving and sometimes others seem to make more advancement than us, and that is simply because they exhibit more industry than us, of course, it is possible that some of them may have more, it is possible that some of them may have had more advancement already in the previous life, and that is how So, Bhakti is also a matter of taking individual responsibility to practice the process of absorbing ourselves in Krishna, ultimate success will of course come by Krishna’s mercy, and even the fact that we do get taste in some form of devotional service, that is also Krishna’s mercy, still the point remains that even after Krishna’s mercy is given, we have to take it, and we have to enrich ourselves with it, just as a father may give some wealth, but then growing the business is something which the individual has to do oneself, so similarly, ensuring the growth of our Bhakti is our responsibility, and by the process of diligent, disciplined practice, not just diligent and disciplined in terms of force, but also disciplined in terms of understanding our individual nature, and finding our taste, and maximizing our connection with Krishna through that taste, we can move onwards towards Him and ultimately attain Him, so Shruti Parayan, here Krishna talks about becoming devoted to scripture, becoming devoted to the process of hearing, of transcendental sound vibration, here when Krishna uses the word Shruti, he is using it in a different sense, he is talking about transcendental sound vibration, which talks about our transcendental position, and this sense is different from earlier, in the 6th chapter when he said that शब्द ब्रह्मा अतिवर्तते, शब्द ब्रह्मा refers to the Vedic sound, अतिवर्तते, one goes beyond that, that means one goes beyond the description of Karmakand rituals that are given in scripture, one is no longer captivated by them, but one moves onwards, recognizing that there is a transcendental import to scripture, and that transcendental import is what we should focus on, so here Shruti Parayan refers to, if you look at the whole context, it is talking analytically about Kshetra and Kshetravya, and how the Kshetra or the Purusha is different from the Prakriti, and how the Purusha needs to take steps to become free from Prakriti, so it’s clearly not talking about getting better Prakritic enjoyment, better material enjoyment, as what is talked about in the Shruti, in the Vedas, in the Karmakand section, here Krishna is talking about the ultimate message giving on submissive oral reception, actually Prabhupada would use the word, very profound and insightful word, that it is Krishna who is manifesting through sound, and it is Krishna whom we can worship, Upasate, by giving proper reception to sound vibrations connected with him, is that Krishna whom we can adore, and as adore was a translation that Bhaktasiddhanta Thakur gave for the word Bhajami, ग्रोविन्दमादिः पुरुषम् तमहं भजामी, so adore the primeval person, of course Bhaktasiddhanta Thakur wrote the commentary on the Brahma Samhita, Bhaktasiddhanta Thakur along with some of his disciples translated it, in this way the Transcendental Wisdom has become accessible to us, so essentially here we can become disentangled from material existence, even if we do not have a lot of analytical faculty, even if we had some extent of Ajaanantah, doesn’t matter, if we just devote ourselves to the process of hearing, then by that process of hearing, we will be able to transcend material existence, and go to Krishna, reach Krishna for an eternal life of ecstatic love with him. Thank you.