Gita Overview 12.12-20 Unraveling the mysterious hierarchy of 12.12

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So today we will discuss what is one of the toughest verses from the Bhagavad Gita. 12.12 Shreyo hi jnanam abhyasa Shreyo hi jnanam abhyasa Jnanat jnanam vishishyate Jnanat jnanam vishishyate Jnanat karmapala tyagam tyagat tyagat tyagat tyagat while this was confusing because there is a hierarchy going on and the progression didn’t seem to make much sense over here. Shreyo normally means better.
Like we have Shreya and Preya. So Krishna is telling that as compared to Abhyas, Gyan is better. Shreyohi Gyanam Abhyasat and then as compared to Gyan, Dhyan is better.
Which is fine you know. In Gyan Yoga we could say that person is trying to meditate on the Atma. On Dhyan Yoga one is meditating on Parmatma.
So you could just logically say that Dhyan is higher than Gyan. Which is good enough. Now the word Abhyas can mean many things.
We’ll have to find out what it means. But the real problem comes up Dhyanat Karmaphala Tyagam. Better than Dhyan is Karmaphala Tyag.
Actually Karmaphala Tyag is normally correlated with Karma Yoga. And Karma Yoga is below both Gyan Yoga and Dhyan Yoga. So when Krishna says that Dhyanat Karmaphala Tyagam, then that seems to be a little messy.
What does it mean? And then he says what is the result of Karmaphala Tyagam? Tyagas is not talking about Mukti or Premayam. It is Shanti Ranajataram. So Shanti is not considered to be an exalted goal.
It is an important goal no doubt. But it is not considered to be a particularly exalted goal. Especially from the devotional perspective which is being discussed in this chapter and in the preceding verses as well as the succeeding verses.
So actually speaking every Acharya has given somewhat distinctive analysis of this. So we will focus. I have gone through almost 12 Acharyas commentaries on this.
So it will require three classes to take all the 12 Acharyas commentaries. Because every commentary is distinctive almost practically speaking. But I will focus on three Acharyas commentaries.
Chakravarti Paths, Maldevi Jayamukshan and Shila Prabhupada. So it is not very complex what they have given. But first of all I hope the dilemma is clear here.
What is the problem that we are trying to solve? The problem we are trying to understand is why should Karmaphala Tyag be considered higher than Dhyan? The normal progression is there is Karmaphala Tyag, then there is Dhyan, then there is Dhyan and then we could have something like Mukti or attainment of the spiritual world. That would be the normal progression. So here there is Dhyan and Dhyan.
But below Dhyan and Dhyan is Abhyas. And above it is Karmaphala Tyag. What does that mean? So Vishwanath Chakrathapur’s analysis before we get into that.
Vishwanath Chakrathapur actually uses a lot of technical categorisation of various stages. That’s why his book, we see that especially in Madhuri Kadambani where he gives a lot of stages of the sub stages of the nine stages of Rukti. So for example in Anarthani Rukti he will give Ghantarla and so many other stages like that.
So like that he is preceding this verse also. He has analysed into some stages. So basically he explains, 12.8 he categorises and took at it.
Two basic levels. 12.8 is Mayeevamanaagatsvamaibuddhimnevaishaya. So he says these two are referring to two distinctions of Bhakti.
So basically 12.8 and 9 talk about internal Bhakti. When Bhakti has been internalised. And 12.10 and 11 talk about external practise of Bhakti where the Bhakti has not yet been internalised.
So 12.9 he says that the first line Mayeevamanaagatsvamai, where the mind is fixed on Krishna, that is Smaranatmika Bhakti. That is where the mind is constantly attached to Krishna and is doing remembrance of Krishna. And this is correlated in one sense with 7.1 which started the Bhakti section.
That was Mayee Asakta Manaha. Now Mayee Asakta Manaha was the ultimate goal of Ashtang Yoga also. Yoginavisarveshamadgatinankaratna.
6.47. If you remember the flow of the Gita, Krishna says that by Ashtang Yoga one can ultimately has to come to the stage of always thinking of Bhakti. That’s the highest Yogi. And then Arjuna has said that oh this process is very difficult.
So then Krishna starts giving an alternative process. And as an alternative he gives the process of Bhakti Yoga. So to fix the mind on Krishna is considered the highest Yogi.
And not just fix forcibly, but to let the mind be attached to Krishna. That is actually in a sense perfection of Bhakti. Now Chakravarti Parth says that the second part of the verse Mayee Buddhim Niveshaya, it is a different level and it is a slightly lower level.
Why? Although we normally consider intelligence to be higher than the mind, but in the process of purification, actually it is the intelligence which gets spiritualised earlier than the mind. That means I can become intellectually convinced. Okay, there’s no happiness in this gratification.
Real happiness is in Krishna Consciousness only. Although my intelligence is convinced, my mind is not yet convinced. And that’s why the mind keeps going back again and again and again.
And in fact all the preaching, all the education primarily happens to the intelligence. And as the intelligence gets convinced, by that conviction of the intelligence we practise Bhakti. And by the practise of Bhakti over a period of time, the mind gets purified.
And when the mind gets attached to Krishna, then practically speaking our mortal existence is over. Because we will just happily practise Krishna Consciousness. We will not go away from anywhere.
Because normally what takes us away from Krishna is the mind. So often the example is given that the mind is like a child and the intelligence is like the parent. So we have to parent the childlike mind with our intelligence.
We have to take care of it. So that’s why he says, mannana in a sense means conscious contemplation. Mannana kar rahe hain.
It’s consciously contemplating, deeply thinking about something. So because there is not, mannana is not, it’s conscious contemplation. It is not spontaneous recollection.
Smarana is spontaneous recollection. And that’s why it’s considered higher. So he says that these two levels are talked about in 12.8. First higher is where the mind spontaneously remembers Krishna.
The second is intelligence consciously contemplates on Krishna. Then when even this is not possible, you know, how long can we continuously study scripture or think about philosophical truths, we need to do some other things also. So then there is Abhyasa Rupa, that is the 12.9. Atah chittam samadha tum nishakno sima isthiram, abhyasa yoge nitato, maam iccha tam dhananjaya abhyasa yoga.
By the practise of Abhyasa Yoga, you try to fix your mind on me. Try to develop your attraction to be Krishna conscious. So that is a third level.
Then he talks about external bhakti. That means one does activities. So that we discussed yesterday.
Madh artha karma, so he differentiates between these two. In 12.8, Krishna is telling that madh karma paramo bhava, work for me. So that is madh artha karma.
And then, now madh artha karma, what is the characteristic? At least one serves Krishna with the senses, even if the mind is not there. In Abhyasa Rupa, one is also trying to get the mind. So, now we may do seva for Krishna, we may do daily back up or we may distribute books.
As we are trying to think of Krishna and we are also doing service to Krishna. Some people may just, they may do some service because of some whatever obligation or ritual or piety, but they may not at all be thinking about Krishna. At least they are doing some work for Krishna.
That is a slightly lower level. And then in Nishkama Karma Yoga, he characterises in a slightly different category. That although in 12.11, Krishna doesn’t explicitly mention that he is to be offered to me.
But Chakravarti Patil, if you look at the overall context he is talking about, sarva karma phala tyaga is there. If you remember 12.11, what was 12.11? So, sarva karma phala tyaga, there is no direct Krishna in this. Mam is not there.
But Chakravarti Patil, because the whole context is Bhakti Yoga, so this is sarva karma phala tyaga is for Krishna’s sake only. There is nothing else that is being talked about. And the context, the connection is also 12.6. There also the reference was that the karma is to be offered to Krishna.
So, then 12.11 refers to doing the work that one likes to do, but offering the fruits to Krishna. So, is this hierarchy clear now? This is like setting the scene for the analysis of 12.12. Direct work for Krishna. Order or basically it’s seva.
It’s not that we are doing our work and offering the fruits to Krishna. In 11, we are doing our work and giving the fruits to Krishna. 10 is we are just doing Krishna’s work.
So, it could be something like, say, we do book distribution. So, that would be madartha karma. But, say, somebody sells bags and that person says, okay, you devotees want some bags for book distribution, I will give them to you for free.
Or whatever, I will, this is a part of my business, I will make some bags and give them to you. So, that person is not doing what Krishna wants him to do. That person does what he wants to do, but he does it for Krishna’s sake.
Correct. Similar. Is this clear now, this part at least? So, now let’s come to Chakravarthy’s path analysis of 12.12. So, he says, the abhyas, so what is the verse? So, gyan is better than abhyas.
So, he says this abhyas refers to 12.9, which we could juxtapose to slides, but we can’t. 12.9. So, abhyas is sadhana bhakti. So, he says, better than sadhana bhakti is jnana.
So, jnana is what is done with the intelligence. So, that’s why he correlates that with mayi buddhim niveshaya. So, as compared to jnana, as compared to abhyas, that jnana is better.
So, this jnana has got nothing to do with jnana yoga at all. In Chakravarthy’s path analysis, there is nothing apart from bhakti being talked about over here. Because the whole context is bhakti.
Prior to this, bhakti was glorified. After this, the qualities of bhakta are being talked about. So, even if the words jnana and dhyana are used, they have to be understood in a bhakti context.
Which is a reasonable inference. So, jnana refers to mananatmika bhakti. Why mananatmika? Because jnana involves intelligence and manan involves intelligence.
And then, jnana dhyanam vishishyate. As compared to jnana, dhyana is higher. Why? Dhyana refers to sort of more spontaneous.
You just get absorbed in it, lost in it. So, that dhyana he correlates with smaranatmika bhakti. So, because the mind gets absorbed in it.
And jnana dhyanam, so better than focussing the intelligence, is letting the mind get absorbed. So, this is, that means, jnana dhyanam vishishyate refers to 12.8a is greater than 12.8b. Mayyeva mananatsu is greater than mayyeva mayi buddhim niveshitam. Now, there is a critical point over here.
So, till now, it’s like a hierarchy. Shreyo and vishishyate. There are two very clear words which indicate superiority or hierarchy.
But in the third line, dhyana karma phala tyagam. So, there is no explicit word which indicates superiority. That means, rather than a hierarchy with superiority, what Chakravarti path says is, this is causality.
Causality means, dhyana leads to karma phala tyagam. He doesn’t say karma phala tyagam is higher than dhyana. See, hierarchy of superiority means, if A and B are there, so B is greater than A. And there are explicit words which are there in 12.
Okay, I’ll show the verse. You see the verse now? Shreya is there. There is an explicit word which indicates hierarchy and superiority.
That means, shreyo hi jnanam abhyasat. That is, abhyas is greater than jnana. And then, jnana dhyanam vishishyate.
So, dhyana is greater than jnana. So, there are words indicating hierarchy in shreya and vishishyate. But there is no such word in the last two lines.
So, now tyaga shanti ranantaram. There is a clear causality over there. Tyaga, it is not that shanti is higher than tyaga.
Rather, shanti will result from tyaga. When one has renunciation, one will become peaceful. So, this is a causality.
So, first line is hierarchy, second line is hierarchy, fourth line is causality. So, chakravarti path says the causality is there in the third line also. That means, he doesn’t say that karma phala tyaga is higher than dhyana.
Rather, dhyana will lead to karma phala tyaga. Just as tyaga will lead to shanti, similarly, dhyana will lead to karma phala tyaga. So, what does that actually mean? Let’s look here now.
So, he says, when one actually practises dhyana, at that one level, one is practising bhava bhakti. So, one is completely absorbed in Krishna. All of you know those stages of bhakti.
We have sadhana bhakti, then we have bhava bhakti, and then we have prema bhakti. Bhav bhakti means one is absorbed in Krishna. So, at that stage, when he says karma phala tyaga means, there is no desire for the fruits of one’s work.
What could be the fruit? Bhukti, mukti, siddhi. All those are the fruits that one desires. So, one doesn’t need, one doesn’t desire mukti at all.
So, that’s the meaning of karma phala tyaga. Once one is absorbed in Krishna, one doesn’t need anything else. Therefore, one becomes free from the desires of bhukti and mukti.
And then he correlates that with the famous CC verse, Bhukti, mukti, siddhi, kami, sakaleya shanta. Krishna bhakta nishkama ata eva shanta. So, same word there, shantir anantaram.
So, when one becomes free from all material desires, one becomes peaceful. One can still have spiritual desires, and spiritual desires bring ecstasy. But the agitation, the sense of incompleteness, sense of misery that is there, that all goes away.
Is it clear what has been discussed till now? So, I will quickly summarise, then we will go to Baldev Indiabhuji’s analysis. So, essentially the critical way that Chakravarti Path resolves this is, he reassigns meanings for all these words according to the context. And then he removes the hierarchy from the third line, and brings about the causality between the two terms.
So, shreyo hi jnanam abhyasat. So, jnana refers to the stage of fixing the intelligence in Krishna, that is paranatmika bhakti. And that 12.8 is higher than 12.9. That is 12.8b actually.
And then jnana dhyanam visishyate, that is fixing the mind on Krishna is higher than fixing the intelligence on Krishna. So, 12.8a is higher than 12.8b. And then, when there is dhyana, when there is absorption in Krishna, there is so much inner satisfaction, that you don’t have any other desires. That’s why the desire is for the karma phala.
Essentially, when we do karma, we want bhukti or mukti. When you are doing some activity, that is the primary desire. We don’t want that, and that’s why a person becomes peaceful.
So, here you will see this hierarchy, the abhyas is lower than jnana, jnana is lower than dhyana. But rather than dhyana being lower than tyag, there is a causality over it. Dhyana leads to tyag, and tyag leads to shanti.
Okay, is it clear? Let’s move to the Baladevidyabhushan solution. So, Baladevidyabhushan sort of, in his analysis, he inverts the hierarchy. What he says is, it’s easier, so, when shreya and vishishyate, these words refer to better.
So, he says that this better is, in the sense that it is easier to perform for the unqualified. So, it is not that it is higher in the sense of spiritual progression, but it is easier. In the sense that it is more accessible, even the unqualified can perform it.
And that’s why it is better for them. It’s not higher in the hierarchy, but it’s higher, you could say, in the accessibility. It’s easier for others to perform.
So, let’s see how this works out. So, shreyo hi jnanam abhyasat, jnana dhyanam vishishyate. So, actually we’ll have to start from here, from below.
So, in this hierarchy, when he says shreyo hi jnanam abhyasat, what this means is, that actually, if one does not have the qualification to practise, to do abhyas, one doesn’t have the qualification to sadhana bhakti, then it is easier to do jnan. If one cannot do jnan, then it is easier to do dhyan. And if one cannot do dhyan, then it is easier to do karma yoga.
So, now, of course, he uses the word jnan in a different sense. For him, jnan is not just theoretical knowledge, but it is realised self-knowledge. So, if one is able to remember Krishna, that is a very advanced stage.
But if one is able to remember Krishna, that is a very advanced stage. Actually speaking, even sadhana bhakti, it is an advanced stage. So, if one cannot practise sadhana bhakti, at least let him realise that I am not the body and the soul.
So, his progression is, first you realise that you are the soul, then you realise that, there is God and I have to meditate on Him. So, if you cannot meditate on God, then at least have the sakshatkar, realising that I am not the body and the soul. If one cannot have that, then let that person practise spiritual tools.
So, dhyan here is not dhyan on parmatma, it is just meditation on higher spiritual tools. And if one cannot do that, then let that person practise karma yoga. So, by sort of inverting the ladder, then the normal hierarchy comes up.
So, we got the normal hierarchy, karma yoga is there, then there is dhyan, then there is bhakti. That is the normal progression which we go through. So, the only difference over here is about dhyan, because here dhyan refers not so much to dhyan yoga, but to realise self-knowledge.
This verse leads to yoga ladder chapters 1 to 6, which eventually lead to bhakti. This is basically describing the whole progression which has been described in the prior 6 chapters. Dhyan means meditation on higher spiritual tools, basically.
Meditation on spiritual principles, like say, aham brahmasmi, one has not realised that I am brahman, but one is contemplating on that, or contemplation on om also. Meditation on higher spiritual tools. Okay, now let us, is this clear or should I repeat this once? Okay.
I think there is not much desire to make it clear, or it is too technical. This is not dhyan yoga, but dhyan is not dhyan yoga. No, no, dhyan is realise self-knowledge, and dhyan is also not exactly dhyan yoga.
So, dhyan and dhyan, in a sense, redefine their terms. Not redefine, they basically explain that these words mean something different from their normal meanings. We have discussed earlier that words in Sanskrit are multivalent, and not only in Sanskrit, even in English there can be words that are multivalent.
Same words can have many different meanings depending on the context. As per the sequence, dhyana is considered better than apyasa. No, no, no.
So, his meaning of the shreya is entirely different. Shreya means, it is not superior, but it is easier for the unqualified. So, shreya dhyana is better.
So, dhyana is for those who are not qualified for apyasa, dhyan is better. Apyasa is better. Yeah.
That’s why you have put this apyasa as higher. Yeah, in the sense that it is higher in terms of level, but higher in terms of accessibility. So, only for first A, A bar? No, for all, for all.
Okay, then dhyana? Dhyana is easier for the unqualified than dhyana. That means trying to think that I am the atma is easier than to realise that I am the atma. And if one cannot even think that I am the atma, okay, just offering the fruits of the work is higher if you, I mean, it is a little too difficult for you to remember now, but in the 5th chapter, there is one stage, 5.17, where the meditation changes from the soul to the supersoul.
So, generally speaking, in the first 4-5 chapters, Krishna doesn’t talk about paramatma at all. He just talks about atma. You know, karma yoga is centred on atma, but 5.17 is tad buddhaya sadatma nastannistha sadparayanah kacchantya punaravrttin jnana nirdhuta kalmashah But this tad refers to the absolute truth, So, till then, the meditation has been just become detached from understand that you are not the body and the soul and renounce the fruits of the work.
But here, Krishna starts something more significant, start meditating on the hierarchy of chapters 1-6 which is going on. That same hierarchy, which is being retraced in this one verse. So, this verse is like a summary of the first 6 chapters and the progression that one went through.
Not a summary in a systematic technical sense, but in a very summarised condensed sense. Now, Generally, dhyan is considered to be higher, isn’t it? Yeah. Correct, correct.
Fine. Dhyan would just mean contemplation of some higher spiritual truth. That’s true.
It will work. Now, let us see how Srila Prabhupada explains this. Now, it’s not really evident from Srila Prabhupada’s paraphrase that this is what he does.
But, it’s Guru-jin’s rule of understanding that this is what Srila Prabhupada does. So, anyway, according to Srila Prabhupada, or according to Guru-jin’s rule of understanding of Srila Prabhupada, basically, when Krishna is telling Shreyo hi dhyanam abhyasad, so, he is referring back to intermediate level between 12.11 and 12.10. Because, actually, the gap between 12.11 and 12.10 is huge. 12.10 was what? To offer the fruits of the work to Krishna.
And suddenly, 12.10 is practically mundane social welfare. Isn’t it? Just give up the fruits of your work. 12.11, rather.
12.10 is offer the fruits of your work to Krishna or work for Krishna. No, it’s not even offer the fruits of your work to Krishna. It’s actually work for Krishna.
12.10. And, 12.11 is just sacrifice the fruits of the work. So, it seems to be a huge gap between the two. So, this interpretation is that actually, when Krishna is referring to this level, these are in between these two levels.
So, how does it fit now? So, So, here, the abhyas, basically, everywhere, we have to reassign the meanings of the words. Here, abhyas, the word abhyas, essentially, means practise. Normally, we use abhyas to mean sadhana bhakti.
But, it doesn’t have to mean sadhana bhakti. Abhyas, essentially, means practise. So, here, if abhyas, we say, refers to 12.11, that is, do the practise of renouncing the fruits of your work.
Practise of renouncing the fruits of your work. By that, what will happen? One will move forward and one will develop gyan. What happens is, when one renounces, through that renunciation, gradually, one acquires knowledge.
Oh, I am not the body and the soul. That’s the essential principle of, say, sacrifice. One gets knowledge by that.
And by that knowledge, or higher than that knowledge, is meditation. By that knowledge, one will develop in meditation. And, by dhyana, eventually, one comes to bhakti.
So, the first stage of bhakti is offering the fruits of our work to Krishna. So, you could call it karma yoga offered to Krishna, which becomes one level of bhakti yoga. So, in this case, abhyas refers to just vishkama karma yoga, without offering to Krishna.
And, sarva-karma-phala-tyaga refers to work offered to Krishna. So, shreyo hi jnanam abhyasat. So, instead of just doing karma yoga, this is referring to 12.11. Then, higher than that is dhyana.
Higher than that is dhyana. So, this is straightforward enough. Beyond that, dhyana-karma-phala-tyaga, tyaga-shanti-ranantara.
So, what is this karma-phala-tyaga? This is actually referring to mad-arma atahita-dapya-sattva-kartum mad-yoga-mahasita. What are the words? atahita-dapya-sattva-si mad-karma-paramoha. This mad-karma-paramoha is referring to.
So, if it is not clear, you can ask me personally afterwards because I can’t spend more time than this on this. It is a little technical. And, basically, just by having the reference go back to one verse further, this becomes quite reasonably resolved.
So, this sort of analysis you will find over abundantly Vedanta-sutra. Vedanta-sutra I did the editing of Govinda Bhashya for Manu Maharaj. So, he said, probably, he said, as of now, we think there are five people in ISKCON who can understand Govinda Bhashya.
Only five people, as of now. So, other people cannot understand it only. Of course, we can if we want to, but it will require a lot of effort.
So, in Vedanta-sutra, for example, what happens with the word na? So, na iti yatra something like that. Let it not this. So, sometimes that one word na is used, the economy of the use of word is so much that one word na applies to next five sutras.
So, now, if that na is not applied to the next word, then the meaning completely changes. If na is applied, then the meaning changes entirely. So, like that, actually, the context centric, now, it’s not just an arbitrary imposition that na has to apply over here.
Actually, if you look at the thread of thought, it’s logical. But still, even though this say, now, suddenly, the Vedanta Sutra assumes so much knowledge of the past. example, a sutra may say that Varuna is not referred to.
Now, suddenly, who was referring to Varuna at all? Actually, what it means is, in the Mundaka Upanishad, there is a conversation between Indra and Brahaspati, and in that conversation, the word Varuna is used. But this Varuna doesn’t refer to Varuna, this Varuna refers to Vishnu. So, Vedanta Sutra will not give the context only.
Like, in exams, you have to give reference to the context, in English, you may have heard that. So, it’s expected that students have read all the books, and then you just give a passage, okay, this is from this. So, Vedanta Sutra is not, it is actually, we have to explain the statement, but there is no reference given.
Just statements are given, the Varuna is not referred to, then you have to actually refer, what does it refer to? Okay, this refers to Mundaka Upanishad. And, surprisingly enough, although it’s so obscure, none of the Acharyas generally debate about what is being referred to. All the Acharyas, Shankaracharya, Ramacharya, Baldev, whoever, they all agree that this passage is referring to this particular passage from this particular book, then they may have debate about what it means.
So, in that sense, it’s actually scholarly analysis is a lot of hard work. It is not, it is so much of a hard work that most people just skip it. And that’s why in the past, books were in general written for scholars.
The idea of writing books for common people is a modern offshoot which Prabhupada has tapped. In the past, whether in India, Indian culture or in western culture, for example, the Bible, it was not accessible for all people. The Protestant revolution happened because Martin Luther and Calvin, all of them, they sort of made the published Bible in vernacular and it became accessible to everyone.
So, actually, those who want to seriously study philosophy, sooner or later, they can start understanding things. And scholarly analysis is primarily for people who are Brahmanically inclined. Prabhupada’s books, he gives adequate content for people who are intellectually inclined also, but he doesn’t go too much into intellectual polemics.
He focusses on outreach to the common people also. And that’s why Prabhupada’s books also include a lot of social commentary, lot of explanation of social situations. This is my Vyasapuja offering, I explained that, Prabhupada’s Vyasapuja offering, I explained how Prabhupada is the first acharya to include social commentary in scripture.
Vishwanath Chakravarti Thakur wrote his Sarartha Darshan, his commentary on the Bhagavatam, just soon after Aurangzeb had devastated all of Vrindavan. Now, when the Goswamis were there, at the time, just Akbar and after that. And they, because Akbar was relatively benevolent, they were able to build beautiful temples in Vrindavan.
But soon after that Aurangzeb came, he devastated everything. And then Chakravarti Path went from Bengal to Vrindavan and he re-established Vrindavan, practically speaking, from the ruins. But, although that was such an important task and obviously it must have weighed on his mind, but now nowhere does he refer to Aurangzeb or anything of the devastation in any of his commentaries.
Either it’s Bhagavatam commentary or Bhagavidha commentary or whichever commentaries he has written. Why? Because his audience is clear. His audience is other scholars.
And other scholars, you don’t have to talk about social issues to them. Social issues they know they have to be dealt with and they will be dealt with. So that’s why he sticks to scholarly analysis.
But, Prabhupada’s audience is much broader and that’s why he includes social commentary. That’s why he doesn’t go too much into technical details. When Srila Prabhupada came to Chennai, when he was travelling India, at the airport only some reporter asked him, Swamiji are you a Dwaitavadi or Advaitavadi? Prabhupada said, what is the use of this discussion? Unless you do yajna you won’t get any rates.
We have come to teach you to do yajna. So, Srila Prabhupada did not want to get sidetracked in these perpetual debates that are there. Of course, he has criticised impersonalism and pointed out scholars in many places.
But in general, for the masses, what is important is people have to practise some level of dharma. So that’s a very interesting answer. What is the use of all this? We have to practise yajna.
Srisila Prabhupada was quite focused on what he was trying to achieve through his books. His aim was to get people to practise dharma and especially dharma centred on chanting of the holy names. Okay.
Yes, go. Okay. This transition from scholarly to common people started from Bhaktivinoda Thakur.
That is definitely true. But neither Bhaktivinoda Thakur nor Bhaktivinoda Thakur included social commentary in their scriptural commentary. They may have written other books which do social commentary.
No, like tomorrow morning is Bhaktivinoda Thakur’s appearance. I’m going to talk about some of his books. So, Bange Samajikta is one of his books.
So, he’s not in his Gaudiya Bhashya or in Bhagwat Vivrutti. He doesn’t talk about these things. Surely, social analysis has been done but that has been done in separate books.
Yes, go. What was Ramanandji’s reply? Of course, that time the level of scholarship was quite high. And it’s not only Gaudiya Bhashya that is difficult to understand.
Even Sri Bhashya is difficult to understand. Even Sharika Bhashya is difficult to understand. Sri Bhashya is Amacharya’s commentary.
Sharika Bhashya is Shankaracharya’s commentary. in general, Vedasutra is difficult to understand. So, essentially, at the end of the whole discussion and the presentation of the Gaudiya Bhashya, basically, the Gaudiya Sampradaya was recognised as authorised Sampradaya.
In that sense, we became validated. It’s not that we were accepted as a sub-part of the Madhava Sampradaya. No.
That was, see, there were two primary arguments that were One argument is that there is no need for a commentary because Bhagavatam is the natural commentary. But that was not accepted because that was just seen as intellectual evasiveness. You don’t have a commentary and you’re justifying like that.
So, then what is your affiliation? And he said, actually, our affiliation is that we are a part of the Madhava Sampradaya. But then Madhava Sampradaya doesn’t do Radhakrishna worship. They do Rukmini Darpanesh worship.
He says, yes, but Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is God himself and he has come and he has instituted Chaitanya If you are following the Madhava, you should worship the way Madhava is worshipping. If you say that you are following Chaitanya, then you have to have your own Mahasaya. Then, when he produces Vaksha, actually in Govinda Vaksha, he never refers to Madhavacharya.
Only one concept of Madhava which is called as Vishesha. Vishesha means the characteristic of an object is intrinsic to that object. That’s a complex concept called Vishesha.
Technical Vishesha. Now, what is speciality? It’s basically his rendition of Mahachintya Veda. So, that is the only concept he uses for Madhava.
But apart from that, he doesn’t refer to Madhavacharya. He is not in Govinda Vaksha trying to establish that our philosophy is similar to Madhavacharya’s. Actually, when a Sampradaya has to write a book, sources.
What is the meaning of primary sources and secondary sources? See, for example, sources which are used by our Sampradaya, books which are sacred to our Sampradaya, they are secondary sources. Secondary for outside people. For example, if I want to prove that the soul comes from the spiritual world.
The soul has actually come from the spiritual world to this world. Then, to his contribution, I want to prove, then I will just give Prabhupada’s quotes. But if I have to prove to outside people, then Prabhupada’s quotes will not be enough.
You have to prove to other Sampradayas. They will need something from Sita Shraddha Upanishad or from the Rig Veda or whatever. Prasthantara, from directly.
So, when Govindavasya is written, he primarily does it by using primary sources only. So, he quotes Bhagavatam and Bhagavad Gita occasionally, but that is also primarily the Upanishads. So, he doesn’t even refer to Chakravartapa’s commentary or the Sandarbha, the Yugaswami, nothing from our Sampradaya.
Because our Sampradaya authenticity cannot be established by quoting our Sampradaya’s quotes only. It becomes like a self-referential logic. I am great because you say that I am great and you are my friend only.
So, you don’t do my greatness in that sense. So, if I say I am a doctor, I don’t have any certificate that I am a doctor. He says I am a doctor because he has said I am a doctor so I am a doctor.
I have to have a neutral third party so that’s what he does. So, basically through his own connection he gave us the affiliation of our Sampradaya. So, we are in a sense you could say institutionally or officially affiliated with Mala Sampradaya but doctrinally we are different.
Doctrinally, our doctrine is quite different and actually our doctrine is much more, is much closer to the Sri Sampradaya than the Mala Sampradaya. This wishes to Advaitabad and a slight development of that is Achintya Veda Veda. Advaitabad is radically different.
So, now let’s move forward. So, now Krishna has completed his analysis and now he will describe the qualities of those of his devotees or those qualities which endear a person to him. So, somebody may say that okay, the person is a devotee, that’s wonderful.
Krishna says yes, the common line goes to this verse, So, actually the significant point over here is Krishna says yes, such a devotee is dear to me. That means a devotee who has these qualities is dear to me. It’s not that just being a devotee is sufficient.
You should be a devotee and you should also have these qualities. But of course, in the last verse, Krishna will give something very significant. So, let’s see how much we can do.
Advaishta Sarva Bhutanam Maitra Sarva Devacham Nirmamo Niraham Aarah Nirmamo Niraham Aarah Samadukha Sukhakshami Samadukha Sukhakshami Santushtha Satatam Yogi Santushtha Satatam Yogi Yathatmadhura Nishchayaha Yathatmadhura Nishchayaha Mayyarpita Manobuddhe Mayyarpita Manobuddhe Yomat Bhakta Same Priyaha Yomat Bhakta Same Priyaha So, clearly describing adveshta sarva-bhutana maitra is not envious of anyone, he is friend of everyone and how can he be a friend of everyone because he doesn’t have any sense of I or my because when I have sense of I and my then naturally oh that person will take that away that person has more than me all those things come out and because he doesn’t have this I and my then he has equal points sama-dukha-sukha-kshami and that requires that santushtaha, one is self-satisfied. How is that possible? One is actually constantly connected with Krishna and that constant connection requires one is self-control and one is determined. What is one determined for? So all these sort of qualities lead to the point of dedication to Krishna.
When one is offered one’s mind and in devotion to Krishna, mind and vigilance to Krishna then all these qualities would emerge from it. Such a devotee is dear to me. Srila Prabhupada described this quality we won’t go into that now.
So by him others are not agitated and he is not agitated by others. So basically it’s talking about equanimity. So Krishna had talked earlier about equanimity for the brahmavadis.
When he talked about sarvatra samabuddhaya because a lot of you memorised the verses. Nice. So first two lines are talking about how much a person is equipoised towards people and the last line talking about equipoise towards event.
Even though there is no harsha, there is no rejection, there is no fear like that. It’s talking about equanimity. Then it talks about sarvarambha parityagi yo mad-bhakta same priyaha So anapeksha means expectation.
Apeksha actually comes from paksha. When one takes one paksha. Anapeksha means one who does not have any apeksha or one who does not take any paksha.
So prabhupada translated as one who does not take any paksha, neutral. So the meanings are very clear and I will not go into the description of all these qualities but I’ll just give the context to this bhakti. To the bhakti where it’s in direct context.
So this the essential denominator that Krishna is talking about over here is that all these qualities are defined not so much in terms of positive attraction to Krishna as they are defined in terms of equanimity towards material things. All that is a common denominator you will see in all these verses. Why is that? The positive connection with Krishna he has talked about He’s talked about 9.14. In 10.9 he has talked about but in this context what he wants to emphasise is that it is not as devotee does not have these qualities.
Even the devotee does have to transcend the material situation. Even the devotee, if the devotee gets shaken up and down of material things then the devotee cannot really be fixed in devotion. So just as the path of bhakti is complete in the sense that the path of bhakti offers one whatever is offered by other path and more.
Just as the supremacy of bhakti has been established. Now here the supremacy of the bhakta is established. Supremacy of bhakta is not by fiat because bhakta is the highest.
No, the supremacy of the bhakta is because he has the qualities that all others transcendentals also have. So in a sense this is a mandate to a devotee that he should also try to develop these qualities. Sarvaram parityagi that means that the devotee gives up all material endeavours.
So this is related with what Krishna talked about in 4.9. Sarva samarambha kaama sankalpa vargita. Sarva samarambha he gives up. So like that.
So again equanimity, no ups and downs, no lamentation, no jubilation, no anchoring and he says bhakti manya same priya. Bhakti man like we are dhanwa. He says such a person is filled with bhaktis.
He is very dear to me. Samah shatravucha mitrecha, tatha manap manayo, shi toshna sukha dukheshu, samah sanga vivarjitaha, tulya ninda sutir mauni, santushto yen ke nache, anike tah sthir mateer, bhakti man me priyo naraha. There is some repetition of the qualities because Krishna wants to emphasise that the devotee has to have these qualities.
Now here the last line is significant. Anike tah sthir mateer. Aniketan means place of residence.
Aniketan means he has no place of residence but his heart has found the residence. Sthir mateer. His consciousness is fixed in me.
So that is a characteristic. When a devotee does not need any material residence but his heart is fixed in Krishna. When Narasila Prabhupada went to America, Narasila Prabhupada did not leave Vrindavan and go to America.
He carried Vrindavan with him in his heart when he went to America. He said that we can take a devotee out of Vrindavan but we cannot take Vrindavan out of a devotee. Vrindavan always resides in the heart.
The devotee always resides at the feet of Krishna. Anike tah sthir mateer. And Narasila Prabhupada in that Machitta Madgatha Pranaha 10.9, he translates Machitta very interestingly.
He doesn’t say that my devotees think of me. He translates that as the thoughts of my pure devotees dwell in me. Thoughts dwell in me.
They are the residing place. And Bhagavatam also says that for a pure devotee Krishna’s lotus feet are like the Aum. Dhautatma Purusha Krishna.
Pada Moolam Namunjati. Mukta Sarva Pariklesha. Pantha Swasaranam Yatha.
So Pantha Swasaranam Yatha. Just like a traveller. When he returns back home, he feels relieved.
So like that, a devotee who has been purified, the devotee may think of other things but as soon as thought of other things are over, immediately he starts to come back to Krishna. Pada Moolam Namunjati. He doesn’t give up thoughts of the lotus feet of Krishna.
For him, those thoughts are like his Aum. Mental Aum. Inner Aum.
It stays over there. And then Krishna will tell, I have to develop all these qualities. How will I develop all these qualities? It’s a huge task.
You just have faith and practise Bhakti. If you have that much faith, then also you are dear to me. Shraddha Dhaana Madh Parama Shraddha Dhaana Madh Parama Bhaktas te Thevam e Priyaha Bhaktas te Thevam e Priyaha Theva.
Theva means extremely. Extremely dear to me. So, the defining quality of a devotee is not having all these qualities.
A devotee does have these qualities and we should also try to develop these qualities. But, even in there is a Sarupa Lakshana and Tatastha Lakshana. So, the Sarupa Lakshana of the devotee is Krishni Ksharanam.
And all their qualities are Tatastha Lakshana. They should also develop but they are not defining qualities. Krishna over here says that if you just have Shraddha Dhaana Madh Parama if this Dharma this Dharma of Bhakti that I have talked about with you, if you have faith in that if one who has faith in that and tries to practise it as he has heard as I have spoken, Paripasa, they try to practise it just that faith will make that person very dear to me.
This is the first time in the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna correlates faith with his affection. Earlier he has said several times he has talked about faith and he says those who don’t have faith, they will continue to suffer in cycle of birth and death. He has talked about 9.3 Shraddha Dhaana Purusha Dharma Syasya Parantapa and twice he has talked about faith in 3rd and 4th chapters in two coupling verses 3.31-32 and again in 4.39-40 when he has talked about faith so there is given faith with its consequences but for the first time Krishna correlates faith with his affection just by having faith we actually become dear to Krishna just like sometimes if somebody loves us how do we express love towards someone one way we express love is by expressing faith in that person if you are telling me to do it, I will do it and just that faith also endures to that person whenever we express faith in somebody our expression of faith also endures to that person.
In the Adi Purana it is said that one who Krishna says to Arjuna that one who holds my name in his heart Krishna says I hold that person’s name in my heart whoever chants my name that person becomes dear to me so even the Shraddha towards Krishna if you can somehow get it then Bhakta Steti Vane Priya Devotee is also very dear to me so with this we complete the Bhakti section and from here onwards Arjuna will start a different subject like Arjuna’s theme was basically getting various concepts from the Vedic cultural context clarified. So then he will introduce some other terms which he will ask in the next chapter of starting and then Krishna will answer those terms Thank you very much