Gita Overview Mumbai 18.65-72 – Comprehending dharman parityajya and vraja in 18.66

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
It starts from 65 and onwards. Yesterday, or the day before yesterday, we discussed about why this section is the conclusion of the Gita. It is, we discussed how the superlatives Paramam Vachaha and Guhyatamam together with Ishto, Sime, Dhruthamiti and Kittkamaya, all these four superlatives in 64 indicate emphasis that is unprecedented in the full Gita.
Nearest that we have is 10.1, where there is Paramam Vachaha and there is Kittkamaya. But both Paramam Vachaha, the supreme syllables, Guhyatamam, most confidential knowledge, dearly loved by me. In fact, the idea of dearly loved by me is unappreciated in the Bhagavad Gita.
There, Krishna does say that Imajan Tumabh and he says that my devotees will not perish. The emphasis on speaking so emphatically is unappreciated in the Gita. And that indicates what is going to come afterwards is the highest.
So again, we see the affection of Krishna for Arjuna and through Arjuna for all living beings when he is repeating the same word to give the instruction but he is the love aspect. Krishna’s love for all of us, for Arjuna is coming out more emphatically in 9.34, the same verse is there. But the C and D part are different.
So there, the emphasis is on what the devotee should do by which the devotee will return back to me. You will come to me. The whole idea is that there is a promise over there.
You do this and you will come back to me. Even a promise is an expression of love. If you do this, I will give you this.
The parents may say, you come first in there. If you do well in your exams, then I will take you here, I will take you to this place. That’s a promise.
The promise itself is an expression of love. But additionally, in this particular verse, Krishna is telling that I am not only giving you a promise as a businessman may give a promise to another businessman. Here, Krishna is saying that this is the truth.
The previous verse also had an expression of endearment. Now, in 9.31, So there, Krishna had used the word Pratijani. Pratijani means to declare.
You declare that my devotee will never perish. So, there, in order to reassure the world that his devotee will be protected, Krishna wants to use Arjuna’s word. Because he knows that people may doubt his word sometimes, but his devotee’s word he always keeps that.
But here, Krishna wants to assure Arjuna himself that it’s true. And that’s why he is saying, the same word he called upon Arjuna to use, Pratijani, you declare it. Here, Krishna is saying, I declare it.
Pratijani Suryosini. I declare that you are very dear to me. Suryosini.
So, you know, in movies sometimes, the hero and heroine may declare, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, and they will have echoes coming from all directions. I love you, I love you. You know, something like that.
So, that is the dramatised version of the mundane love. But here, these two verses are essentially an expression of Krishna’s love and a call for our love. So, Krishna has expressed his love in 64 and he is also expressing it in 65.
Pratijani Suryosini. And 65 and 66 are actually asking us to express our love. We will discuss these four points and see how they refer to offering our entire being to Krishna.
Manmanai, think of me. Madbhakta is, offer your heart to me. So, our mind may wander here and there.
Even when our heart is at one particular place, the mind wanders. Krishna offers more the mind and the heart. Madhyayahi mam namaskuru.
So, Madhyayahi means worship me. And namaskuru refers to the bodily aspect. Namaskar is done physically with the body.
And Madhyayahi is to offer the, to make, to offer homage to Bhagavata translated. So, that means to make me as the object of reverence, the ultimate object of worship. So, in this way, Krishna is making a call to Arjuna to offer his, to make him the supreme object of love.
And Arjuna should make Krishna the supreme object of love. And Sri Krishna Prabhupada takes this purpose to explain how we should fix the mind on Krishna. Man, man, man comes so many times.
And the idea is, we should fix the mind on Krishna. And Krishna is all attractive. So, it’s duty when we meditate on, then that enables us to become attracted to him and attracted away from the things of the world.
Now, at this particular point, we know the context was, in 63, Krishna told Arjuna, I have finished. Now you decide what you want to do. Nimrishita lakshinisena, ete chittita kuru.
But then when Sri Arjuna laughed deep and thought Krishna, wants to make things simpler and clearer for him. And that’s why he says, I’ll speak the highest knowledge to you. And when he says, I’ll speak the highest knowledge, then he speaks this one mana.
Still, the question may remain in Arjuna’s mind. There are so many other duties. I should just think of you.
In the previous verse, Krishna has told Arjuna that you fix your mind on me, you become my devotee. And the verse before that, Krishna has said that this is the highest knowledge that I’m going to give to you. But still, there are so many other activities that Krishna has talked about.
So, so many other paths, karma yoga, jnana yoga. So what about all those other paths? Are they to be given up? What should Arjuna do about them? So addressing that doubt of Arjuna, Krishna speaks this verse, which Ramacharya has called the Charan Shloka of the Bhagavad Gita. He says, sarva-dharman karit-pityu You of all other varieties of religion and guests, surrender to me.
mametam sharanam vraja You surrender unto me. Now this is a often quoted verse, but it has to be very carefully understood. There are many deep aspects of this verse.
So firstly, let’s start with each line one by one. Dharma and parittvijya, sarva-dharma and parittvijya. Now we often use the word dharma to refer to at least Prabhupada does it to refer to the intrinsic nature, the essential, inimitable characteristic.
The dharma of all living beings is to love and serve. Now, that is definitely one meaning of dharma, but that is not the only meaning of dharma. If that were the only meaning, then this verse would not make sense.
So sarva-dharma and parittvijya, give up all religions, so dharma by nature, then give up your nature. If that which is inimitable, how can we give it up? Therefore, here the word dharma has some other meaning, and that meaning is actually sarva-dharma. Dharma also refers to duty.
Duty is something which we all do, and the word dharma is often used in that sense. This is my dharma. This is my duty.
So Krishna is saying, yes, many other conceptions of duty, but give up all those conceptions and just surrender unto me. Now Krishna has also earlier said that dharma-sustha-panarthaya-sambhavam yuge yuge, that he has come to establish dharma. Then again he is saying that now I am telling you to give up dharma.
So first of all, the idea over here, sarva-dharma and parittvijya means that give up all varieties of dharma so that you can follow the supreme dharma of surrendering unto me. Mahapahikam sharanam vrajanam. So Krishna has also used the word dharma in that last verse of the twelfth chapter.
dharmam ritam ilam ithoktam taripasate ram saddhana madhparamam bhaktasetam vamepriya pratiksha-vagamam dharmam also he has used in 9.2. So in those context dharma refers to bhakti. And there he is talking about it in terms of the supreme dharma. So the idea is not that you give up dharma and become religious but give up lower forms of dharma so that you can embrace the highest form of dharma that is surrendering to me.
Mamekam sharanam vrajanam. Now this sarva-dharma and parittvijya doesn’t lead to spiritual advancement. It is mamekam sharanam vrajanam that leads to spiritual advancement.
Prabhupada explains that even the deities had done sarva-dharma and parittvijya. They had given up their duties to family, to society, to education. They had even given up morality.
But it was only when they got the mercy of Sri Prabhupada and Krishna mamekam sharanam vrajanam. Then that led to tangible spiritual advancement for them. So sarva-dharma and parittvijya is not an isolated instruction.
It is a background for the essential instruction of mamekam sharanam vrajanam. So as I was saying, the word dharma refers not only to inalienable nature, but it also refers to our duty. Now at the highest, purest level in the spiritual world, our natural duty is also our desire.
Normally we say the words duty and desire conflict with each other. There is something which I want to do that we call as my desire. Something which I have my duty to do.
So for example, say, doing a job, earning a livelihood, maybe taking care of elderly family members, we feel this is my duty. But then there is something which I desire. Maybe my person, my hobbies, or those people whom I love and I want to spend time with them, those are my desires.
At the purest level, there is no conflict between our duty and our desires. When to serve Krishna is our duty, but when we are pure, our desire is also to serve Krishna only. So in that sense, at the highest level, when we are pure in the spiritual world, the dharma, the two meanings of dharma, that which is our duty and that which is our nature, they become identical.
Now in the conditioned stage, when we are here in the material world, when our nature is somewhat distorted by our conditionings, at that time, those activities that help us to rise to the highest level of dharma, to the pure level of wanting to serve Krishna selflessly and unconditionally, that is called as dharma. So all those activities that will reinstate us in our pure platform, they are called as dharma. So in that context, the word dharma refers to not just our innate nature, but our duties that enable us to return back to that nature.
And this dharma, as given in the Vedic scriptures, is multi-level. There may be, as you know, there is Kshatriya dharma, there is Vaishya dharma, there is Brahmacharya dharma, there is Sanyasa dharma, Grahastha dharma. So, according to one’s varna and one’s ashrama, one’s social and spiritual positions, one has particular duties.
And those duties are all progressively meant to take us to the highest platform of surrendering to Krishna. Sorry, the purely loving Krishna of becoming reinstated in our original nature as pure servants of Krishna. So, these duties are multi-level.
And for Arjuna, there was a conflict between the Kshatriya dharma and the Kula dharma. That was the defining conflict. Kshatriya dharma said that he had to fight whatever happens.
Kula dharma says that he has to protect his family members, whatever happens. So, which dharma has to be followed? Which dharma is higher? In a sense, Bhagavata’s message till now has been that focus on your varna dharma. Don’t be attached to your relatives.
They are all, they are anyway going to die. And at a spiritual level, they are all souls. They are not going to die.
So, at a material level, you can’t stop their death. And at a spiritual level, to think that they will die is ignorance. On the other hand, all of us, we realise our spiritual identity and become liberated by doing our duty.
So, therefore, do your Kshatriya dharma. So, that’s why previously, this chapter in 18.45 was that to do one’s prescribed duties is better than to do another’s duties. So, Arjuna wanted to give up the Kshatriya dharma and take up the Brahmana dharma, becoming non-violent.
So, Krishna said, Arjuna, don’t do that. That was the whole gist of this chapter earlier, when Krishna was talking about vanashram dharma. But here, Krishna is telling, okay, Kshatriya dharma and Kula dharma, they are both dharmas, but right now, what I am telling you, give up both of them and just surrender into the Imam Ekam Sharanapuraja.
So, earlier the impetus for Arjuna to fight was that he is a Kshatriya. And Krishna reinforced that. But at this point, Krishna is telling, you fight because I am telling you to fight, for no other reason.
So, I am telling you to fight, fight. So, that’s the highest dharma for Imam Ekam Sharanapuraja. So, Ekam, me alone, is for my pleasure.
That is the para dharma which you take up. So, ekam sam paro dharma paro dharma paro dharma So, Kshatriya dharma will be higher than a Kula dharma, but higher than both Kula dharma and Kshatriya dharma is the bhakti dharma, Vaishnava dharma of pure devotional service to Krishna. Follow that.
And by that, you will be protected. Now, Imam Ekam Sharanapuraja when Krishna talks about surrendering to him So, Prabhupada quotes in the purport from Mahabhakta Vilas to explain what is surrender. And Sharanam Often we think of Sharanagati in passive terms.
Hands up. Ok, I surrender. So, we think of Sharanagati as passive.
But here, Sharanagati is described in six activities which are six aspects of Sharanagati and the first two of these are activities the remaining four are described as qualities. So, So, the first two are accept that it is favourable, reject that it is unfavourable. So, this is actually dynamic.
Just like if a person is making stock investments. And the person is constantly monitoring the movement of the stock market. Ok, the prices here are going down.
Maybe I should sell this out. Or if there is a transitional phase and afterwards the prices are going to increase, maybe I should invest over here. And the prices over there are going up.
Maybe I can sell over here and I can get more money. Or when the prices go up, it is confusing. There are no six battles of what to do.
The prices go up or prices go down. But the person is constantly observing and is thinking what will be favourable for my financial interests. And that, whatever is financially favourable, I will do that.
And whatever is unfavourable, I will avoid that. I will give it up. In a sense, these two are the characteristics that underlie all activities that we do.
If a batsman is playing cricket and then a person is, so who is the baller that is coming? Okay, this is a very good baller. And I have to be very careful. He has to be very careful while playing.
Maybe just be watchful and defensive. And then, after that another baller comes up. And I say, oh, this is a rookie.
I can just take him out and hit him for sixes and fours and score a lot of runs what I couldn’t score in the previous over. So, we observe, okay, what is favourable, what is unfavourable. Good baller is unfavourable.
So, respond in a different way. Low quality baller is favourable. So, respond in a different way.
So, this is how we actually actively discriminate in doing all our activities. So, similarly, here it is said that we differentiate while doing our emotional, while practising our spiritual life also, what is uncool to my bhakti, what is practical to my bhakti. And accordingly, accept or reject.
So, for example, if I am attending japa or attending class and I find myself feeling sleepy. So, at that time, if I just lean against a wall and that is practical to my bhakti because by that I will doze off. So, then I will not do that.
On the other hand, if I just walk, maybe stand up or walk or maybe just go and sprinkle some water on my face, then I can wake up again and I can be more attentive. So, that is uncool to my bhakti. I’ll accept that.
So, this same principle applies to so many other fields. In every devotional activity that we do, there are certain small things which we adjust, we can do in future. And there are certain small things which we don’t adjust, if we neglect or if we do the opposite, then things may be worse for us.
So, this brings a sense of dynamism to bhakti. This idea of Anukulyaswara Ankal Bhakti, Kulyaswara Varjunam. Because if we think of Saranagati in terms of total surrender to Krishna’s will, then that often seems very lofty for us.
How can I surrender to Krishna’s will? And surrender is defined as what Krishna has told in the earlier verse, So, always think of, hey, that’s impossible surrender. And we may accept Saranagati as an exalted principle, but an impractical principle. And we may not be able to practise it.
But at our level, doing Anukulyaswara Ankal Bhakti, Kulyaswara Varjunam is always possible for us. And by that, we will move towards by that surrender at our level, we will move towards higher levels of surrender. So, this applies to also the Sangha that we take, the books that we read, the schedules that we follow, the services that we take up.
Ultimately, devotional service, spiritual advancement is our responsibility. The spiritual master does take the responsibility for us to take us back to Godhead. But it’s a cooperative responsibility.
We have to cooperate with him. And cooperating with him is just following his instructions. And following his instructions means being intelligent.
Because we will have to use this intelligence and this avishasa to understand what is favourable and what is unfavourable for our bhakti. And then after that, the remaining four, I described as put in terms of feelings. That we talk about go prevaranam tatha atmanikshepata So, it is prasticity which was that Krishna will always protect me.
Now, we will not have that faith at this stage. But even by doing the favourable-unfavourable bhakti properly, we are in one sense expressing our faith to Krishna. And by doing these activities, we will see how Krishna protects us and our faith will increase more and more.
Prasticity, it is Vishwa. So, it’s that confidence that Krishna is going to protect us. And go prevaranam tatha.
One is when there is danger, Krishna will protect me. Go prevaranam tatha is that Krishna is a maintainer. Actually, it is not only in danger that Krishna protects me.
He is always maintaining me. He is my eternal sustainer. Atmanikshepa karpanya Atmanikshepa means I am helpless without Krishna.
Karpanya means I am the feeling of humility. So, these are feelings and we can try to cultivate these feelings. But in general, doing actions is easier than cultivating feelings.
And gradually, by doing the right actions, the feelings will also come. So, in this way, sharanagati is not made abstract, but it is rendered concrete by these six aspects of sharanagati. Now, mam ekam sharanam mam ekam It is not to any other demigods.
It is only to me. Now, one word is often misconstrued by some people. It is vraja.
So, a common translation of the word vraja is to go. And some translators try to use it to say that actually Krishna is telling that there is some higher truth beyond me. And it is to that higher truth that you have to go by surrendering.
Now, if that meaning were valid, then there has to be some indication in the Gita of what that higher truth is and some indication even in the context. Krishna has just very clearly said that what he is going to tell is the highest truth. And in the previous verse, it is man, man, man, several times.
manmanabhav mad-bhakto madhyadi mam namaskuru mam evai suttam te kutijan priyosini So, mam comes six times. Twice in 65A, twice in 65B, once in 65C and once in 65B main. priyosini.
So, after that, this is on mama and then after that in this verse also that vraja, go is sandwiched between two mam. mam ekam sharanam vraja. And then after that, aham tvam sarvapave So, if Krishna would have been referring to Arjuna that he has to surrender to some other truth beyond me, then it is that that truth would protect him from sinful reaction.
Whereas, if there is something beyond Krishna, then first he surrendered to Krishna and then he goes somewhere else and then when we go somewhere else, again it is Krishna who is going to protect us. It doesn’t make sense logically from the context of the verse. So, the idea that vraja means something beyond is not correct over there.
Something beyond Krishna. Go somewhere else. But then what does the word vraja mean? You know, the word vraja, if you look at Sanskrit, ah, it does not necessarily have to always have to mean go.
It basically means movement. And there is some sort of movement which can be to or fro. But even if you say that, ah, so in that sense, would you just come and surrender to me? But even if you use the word vraja, there are other meanings in the word vraja apart from go also.
The word vraja, as we know, refers to Vrindavan. Vraja dham. And Vishwanatha Thakura explains especially that this verse is also referring to the gopis.
So, Krishna when he is talking here about Vrindavan, sorry, he is talking about pure devotional service and he is talking about constantly thinking about him, he is talking about giving up all varieties of religion and surrendering to him. He is naturally remembering those who have done this surrender in the highest possible way. And that is his Vrindavasi devotees and especially among them, the gopis.
The gopis have surrendered to Krishna completely. Krishna played the flute and he called the gopis. The gopis practive sarva-dharma their duty is to all their other family members.
So, all our relatives, we have left them. Although they tried to stop us, we went beyond the obstacles. We have come to you.
How we have come? Because the loud sound of his flute has attracted us. Krishna’s flute, he plays it very sweetly and softly. But still, by the mystical ring of yoga maya, from a long distance, the flute is heard.
And because it is the call of love, even the softest sound appears extremely loud. Whatever the other family members are talking, whatever they were talking, when Krishna’s flute sound came, they forgot it all and just that sound became the most prominent sound echoing in their minds and hearts and it attracted them, pulled them towards the forest. So now, when the gopis left, they did not know what would happen to their future lives, what would happen to their honour, what would happen to their position in family, what their family members would say eventually when they would return.
They didn’t even know whether they would return or not. That time, they just But Shukadeva Goswami describes towards the end of the Rasa, the past time, that Krishna by yoga maya potency arranged that some shadow forms of the gopis were there with their family members because of which they did not understand. Although initially they felt that the gopis are leaving us and going away, but next morning when the gopis came back, the family members felt that they are just coming from somewhere else in the house or some nearby area.
Because the shadow forms were there somewhere nearby in the vicinity and that made the family members feel that they had not gone anywhere. So in that sense, their family life was not disrupted but it continued on. So that protection came for them.
But at that time, the gopis did not know that the protection was going to come. So Krishna was telling Arjuna that this is the gopis surrendered. So Arjuna remembered the mood of Vraja.
So go mentally to Vraja and remember the gopis and by their example surrender. The surrender that I am asking from you is not greater than what they have surrendered. For a woman to risk her chastity, risk her honour is the greatest risk.
It is the greatest loss in a cultured society. The loss of chastity. But the gopis did that for my sake.
So if you have to give up your kula dharma for my sake, if you have to kill your family members then remember the mood of Vraja and do that. So sometimes when we practise devotional service for example, if somebody becomes a brahmachari, then there is a picture of dharma to the ancestors to the forefathers. We have to follow that and say they get progeny by which the lineage goes on.
We have duty to our parents. Other duties are important. And as much as possible we should follow them.
But sometimes, if somebody wants to renounce the world and focus completely on Krishna’s service, then those duties can be put aside for the sake of Mahameetam Sharanam Vraja. So that is Sharanam Vraja. It is actually referring to surrender in the mood of Vrindavan.
So Krishna is assuring over here that if any papa comes in this whole process that somehow some sinful activities do happen. Do not worry. I will protect you from all those sinful reactions.
And how will Krishna protect from the sinful reactions? That is demonstrated through the Gopis. And may be demonstrated in many other ways. One example of another example in Vrindavan is Krishna protecting the Vrindavans.
He is doing the Govardhan Nila. Of course there are no sinful reactions there actually because they are simply doing a higher dharma. But here we are talking about any problem that comes.
Sinful reactions are used to represent problems. Whatever problems may come up, I will protect you from them. So aham tvam sarva-papem.
So the word sarva comes twice in this verse. Generally speaking in writing one of the guides for writing is never make blanket statements. For example if we say all abortions are simply the result of uncontrolled lust.
If I say that now all sometimes some women may have been raped so the lust is not on their part. They are the victims. And they are the lust of the victimisers, not the victims.
So we can’t just say that in a blanket way that say all abortions are because of the uncontrolled lust of the people in general. So it may not be the lust of the women at that time. So the point here is in general it is said in writing that blanket statements that is all, every hundred percent they are always suspicious.
Because there can be some exceptions which which will prove that what we said earlier was not correct. So Krishna is emphasising over here there are no exceptions. Give up all varieties of religion and I will protect you from all sinful reactions.
In both ways there is no exception. The sarva coming twice is very significant. Because when the absolute truth makes a promise that promise is absolute.
That promise is not relative. And Now earlier Krishna has said in the Gita that in 7.29 that He said you can practise devotional service determinately but you become free from all sinful reactions. But as the Bhagavad Gita progresses Krishna’s compassion for Arjuna heightens.
The mercy becomes greater just like when two people have a heart to heart discussion just spending that time together brings them closer to each other. So similarly here bringing the two of them closer the conversation brings both of them closer to each other. Of course they are all very intimately made as devotee and lord.
But there is always the intensification of devotion that happens. So there Krishna is sort of in contention. So here he is saying whatever situation you are in just surrender to me and I will free you from sinful reactions.
So the idea is that sometimes a parent may as a child is growing up the parent may train the child, the mother may train when you want to respond to nature you should go to the washroom and the child is a little bit silly and careless and the child is in clothes so then the mother gets annoyed and she says don’t come to me, clean yourself. So that is 7.29. Then the child looks at the mother helplessly and Mama, I don’t know how to clean myself. Mother, love overflows in her.
How do you come? I will clean you. So it is like that when the devotee surrenders, then Krishna says Krishna, I don’t know how to free myself from sinful reactions. I will just, please help me.
I will surrender to you. Please come, I will free you from sinful reactions. So sarva-papebhyo is all sinful reactions.
And how does Krishna protect? He has his own ways but essentially the remembrance of Krishna that comes, that can enable us to break free from the sufferings that come because of those reactions. Sufferings may come in themselves but they don’t have to cause suffering to us. As we say somewhere that pain may be unavoidable but suffering is avoidable.
Pain may come at a physical level but suffering at the mental level. If a mind is absorbed in Krishna it informs him that suffering. And of course Krishna frees us from any sinful reactions also.
So Krishna protection is at various levels. He protects us from sinful reactions. He protects us from the effects of sinful reactions and most importantly protects us from sinful desires.
And this way he enables us to transcend all worldly situations and continue steadily and return back to him. And actually this is quite a challenging call to any person. Give up everything and just come with me.
Sometimes in movies they show that when a boy and a girl love each other the boy may tell to the girl but the family members are opposing. So at that time the family members are opposing maybe the two people are from somewhat different cultures and the society is not there so then maybe the boy will tell to the girl just give everything and come with me. And you will start a new life somewhere else.
It begins from scratch. And then there is a don’t be afraid. Come with me.
So in a sense Krishna is our lord. We are all constitutionally we are all righteous servants. We are all meant to be devotees.
So Krishna is talking about a spiritual world and in the material world there will be so many oppositions to what we are trying to do from our own body and mind, from our acquaintances, from the world. So Krishna is telling that come with me from the material world to the spiritual world without fear. I will protect you.
So the whole idea of giving up everything else for the sake of love. It appeals to the human heart in a very deeply resonant way and that appeals because that is what love essentially is at the highest level. When it is expressed at the material level, there may be authentic love also but it is not long-lasting.
Even if it is authentic. Sometimes it is just last mark. But even if it is authentic love it is not long-lasting.
And that’s why the love of this world ultimately ends in disappointment and bereavement. But when that same principle, we understand where it originates from. It originates from Krishna and if I surrender to Krishna then I get the supreme happiness by surrendering to Krishna.
That’s why this is actually giving up everything else so that love can reign supreme. This is the word that essentially talks about that. And now after describing this Krishna will describe what is the glory of this knowledge.
The next few verses are like Phalashruti. In this Phalashruti there is this mercy which comes and sends it down. First he says when you share this mercy with everyone else that person is glorious.
And then before that verse he gives some caveats, some cautions. So let’s look at that verse and then we’ll move forward. So idam tena tapaskaya.
So he’s telling that don’t give this knowledge to those who are not of pure tapaskaya. Those who do not have devotion. Those who do not render service.
That is used in emphatic conclusive sense to end. Especially don’t give it to the envious. Why? It is not that Krishna wants to hide this knowledge but the envious when they hear about his glory their envy will simply increase.
And rather than becoming attracted to Krishna they will become further alienated from him thinking that Krishna is simply bragging. Krishna doesn’t want the good of everyone. He doesn’t want any further harm to come to him.
That’s why he says don’t give the knowledge to them. Now but we may think that if we include these four categories, tapaskaya, bhaktaya, shishru, shayabdhi, suryate, then who is left over here? There is nobody left. But actually the mood of this verse is something much deeper.
Actually a father may have a huge amount of treasure for his children. But in material children are not yet mature and children may get that money. They may spend it arbitrarily or whimsically and they may not value it.
So the children have to grow up. When people are small they just value chocolate. The child values chocolate.
The child may not even understand what a jewel is. But when the child grows up then the child understands what a jewel is. And giving the child a jewel at that time is proper.
So Krishna says all these four categories, tapaskaya, bhaktaya, shishru, shayabdhi, suryate, indicate that people are not yet spiritually grown up. So you cannot give the highest jewel to them. It is not that no knowledge should be given but the highest knowledge of bhakti should be gradually given so that people can value it.
Don’t throw pearls to a swine. If you do too many, too much valuable things to people who are unqualified they will misunderstand and misuse it and they will harm themselves instead of benefiting themselves. Yet sometimes a son acts very responsibly and pleases the father and shows his love to his father by dedication.
Then the father may take the son to the innermost part of the treasury and tell the son these are the jewels that I have and these are all meant for you. Then those two jewels in the heart of Krishna are 65 and 66. Krishna gives those jewels to Arjuna and then the father has affection, devas of affection that are risen in the heart which makes him share those jewels with the son, they subside.
Then the father may say, ok please don’t tell this to your other sons or to your other brothers and sisters, don’t tell it to other people. Why? Because although all that treasure is meant for them ultimately, right now they are not yet mature. So that is the mood of this verse.
It is not to keep something secret for the sake of secret. It is to give people knowledge according to what they will be able to value it. And then Krishna says, but this knowledge actually is ultimately meant for everyone.
And he indicates that by the next three verses. First he will say, please share that knowledge with others. So everybody will say, oh to teach and to share this knowledge is very difficult.
He says, ok, if you can’t do that, then at least study this knowledge. So Krishna is 70 years, it requires so much hard work to study, I can’t do that. Ok, at least, here, just sit in here.
So Krishna is sort of extending the rope of mercy down, down. Somebody has fallen in a well and he throws the rope and tells him, ok, stretch your hands up and hold on to the rope and I will pull you out. So, he says, oh, I can’t do that, stretch my hands and all that.
And he will throw the rope down further and further. And then the person says, ok, now is it easier? Now the rope has come right up to you. Just hold on to it.
No need to stretch your hands and to stretch your muscles. I will do everything. He says, oh, I can’t do that also.
Ok, then I will throw down a rope with a lasso around it. And all that you have to do is tie that rope around your waist and I will pull you out. So, like that, the mercy comes down, down, down.
First is to preach. If you can’t preach, study. If you can’t study, then at least in this way, we see Krishna’s mercy manifesting in extraordinary ways.
So, yadam paramam guhyam. This is the most confidential knowledge. Paramam guhyam.
Again, actually, here, I don’t know what he has expressed earlier, but he is expressing over here. I will, if you speak this to my devotees, those who are devotionally minded, you remember, Madhyamadhikari discriminates. So, those who are envious, don’t give it to them.
But to all others, you can give. So, there are devotees, there are potential devotees, there are envious. So, this parabhakti is a very significant word over here.
The word para with the word bhakti has been referred to this compound, these two word combinations, come only once in the Bhagavad Gita. And that is in 18.54. So, the aspiring transcendentalists, after practising Karma Yoga, after practising Jnana Yoga, after coming to the Brahman platform, they then attain parabhakti. But Krishna is saying, that result, which comes after the perfection of Brahman realisation, that result can be had just by those who share the mission with others.
So, and he says, bhakti mayi param krutva, you will perform transcendental devotional service to me, and ma mayi vaiti asaham jaya ha, you will also come back to me. This is a very strong guarantee that only Krishna will come. And somebody, sometimes, when we are close friends, in the moment of independence, we make a big promise.
If I become a millionaire, I will give half a million dollars. Somebody may say like that. So, is that a sentimental promise like that? Now you make it at the height of sentiment, and then afterwards the friend comes and says, no, I didn’t mean that.
It was just sentiment. It’s not like that. So, Krishna reassures that in the next verse.
So, So, there is no one more dear to me. There is no one more dear to me. And not only that, it is not that this is a sentiment which will go away.
In the future, there will be no one more dear to me. So, So, There is no one more dear to me means that there can be many as dear to me. But there is no one more dear.
The idea is that in spiritual level, in spiritual life, there can be many best. The real superlatives are possible. Krishna is saying that all the devotees who share Krishna consciousness with others, they are all dear to me.
And although the differentiation between say, various devotees according to their rasa. Madhura Rasa I discussed how they are higher than Gopakumar. But anywhere else, except Krishna, this will go down.
So, that is in terms of tattva. But in terms of tattva, all devotees are dear to Krishna. And all devotees who are in the spiritual world, they are purely devoted to Krishna.
And they are purely loved by Krishna. So, Anya presaro bhumi. There is no one more dear to me.
And actually, these two verses illustrate how much Krishna loves and how much Prabhupada will be dear to him. Because what Prabhupada has done to share Krishna consciousness in Bhuta University, what Acharya has done in the past, what Acharya can do in the future. If he was sharing with all the world, only one person can do that.
Starting a movement and spreading it all over the world. Others can solidify it, decimate it, share it more and more. But, actually, Prabhupada is unprecedented.
And it is through his mercy that we understand Bhagavata and we understand Krishna. Let me study it. adhishtate ca yaimam adhishtate ca yaimam dharmyam samvatam avayo dharmyam samvatam avayo jnana yajnena tenahm So, ishta swyam avoid worship ishta ishta devata, the deeper walls, ishta means to worship so adhishtate ca yaimam Study this conversation of ours there are jnana yajna The word jnana yajna has come several times in the Bhagvat 9,5,6,12 of them jnana yajni imti ma sor Miyata maha ambahasa There the word Jnana yajna largely refers to impersonal worship but here the whole context is devotional here the idea is Krishna connects jnana yajna with ushtasyaam that jnana yajna is a way of worshipping you normally worship we often consider that somebody is doing aarti that is worship aarti paraphernalia we have diya and we have agarbatti flowers which we offer aarti to Krishna Krishna is telling that actually when you carry my message you are worshipping me with your intelligence so intelligence is the paraphernalia and we are worshipping Krishna with paraphernalia of the intelligence so in that sense studying the Bhagavad Gita is not merely an intellectual activity it is a devotional activity so if some people study it divorced from the devotional message of the Gita and those people who don’t have either the intention to practise it or they have the intention to deny or downplay the message of the Gita then that may not be devotional service but those who have either open mindedness or better still devotional intention and then they study the Bhagavad Gita and that is actually worship of Krishna with the intelligence and different answers at different time but one day Shri Prabhupada asked if you are all alone on a island left alone which island will you keep it in? so I will keep Bhagavad Gita Bhagavad Gita is not just a preliminary book we sometimes choose that Bhagavad Gita is like the graduation and Bhagavad Gita is like post graduation and Shri Shri is like the lock pick yet as far as any specific information about the various aspects of Krishna Bhagavad Gita Bhagavad Gita tells us the identity of God Bhagavad Gita tells us the activity of God Bhagavad Gita tells us the mentality of God we know who is what he does and how he thinks so there is a progression in that but once we know Krishna then actually the strange beauty of Krishna that is there that can be felt through any manifestation and through the Bhagavad Gita also and Bhagavad Gita is also commented in the Bhagavad Gita quite extensively and it is said that Bhagavad Gita is Sadashwarya Puran Krishna is all attractive, Bhagavad Gita is all attractive and Krishna use the word Amba to refer Amba is mother Bhagavad Gita is mother and she is the nectar of wisdom to all of us that is true, studying Bhagavad Gita is a form of worship and he will describe if you can’t study please hear Shraddhavan Suryasya and he found that exactly they will attain liberation but he said Shubhal Loka and they will attain the auspicious planets so the Acharya described that this is referring to not just heavenly planets because Krishna already said that heavenly planets are for those who are deviate from Bhakti but he said this is Shubhal Loka and the point he refers to planets like Dhruv Loka where the lord is present although it is in the middle of the world going there means to be in the proximity of the great devotee Guru and the supreme lord who is there with him and from there one has very high chance of going back to the spiritual world so in this way studying the Bhagavad Gita enables us to get all these benefits just to hear it so now when Krishna completes this then he asks Arjuna a question so he asks Arjuna a question so Arjuna says Has you Arjuna heard this The consequence of attention because to understand the Bhagavad Gita is complex, we have to be attentive only then you can understand so Arjuna says Actually He asks me, are you attentive, are you hearing me So we may ask that because we are concerned that the other person should understand what we are saying.
If the person doesn’t understand, Bhagavad Gita is ultimately like a road map. If I am describing a map by which somebody can come to meet me, if the person has not understood the map, the person will get lost. Do you understand what I am saying? Am I clear? Have you heard clearly that it is a matter of concern? Are you attentive? Or were you, because of grief or fear or lament or any other emotion, were you distracted? Were you able to hear? And then, it is one thing to hear.
Second, another thing to understand. So have you understood it? If you have understood, the result will be ajnaan sammoha samantiya that your illusion and your ignorance will be destroyed. So what is the difference between ajnaan and sammoha? Ajnaan means to not know.
And illusion means to ma, ya, that which is not. To know something else to be the right thing. Ajnaan sammoha.
So actually, ajnaan is ignorance, illusion is misunderstanding. They are both bad, but illusion is even worse. If I am blind, that’s bad.
But if I am blind and I imagine that I have eyes, that’s worse. I imagine I can see, I am only thinking that I can see, I will just bang into a wall, I will fall off a stair, I will walk off a parapet of a terrace. All these can happen.
So, you know, there is the avaritmaka shakti and avarnatmika shakti and prakshipatika shakti. So avarnatmika shakti covers, that causes ajnaan.