How can knowledge alone free us from karmic bondage, as Gita 4.14 says?
From Ankur Sharma Prabhu
Srila Prabhupada says in the purport of verse 4.14, “Anyone who is fully conversant with all the intricacies of this law of karma, or fruitive activities, does not become affected by the results of his activities.” Similarly thing is said in 4.9.
How can simply knowing something free one from the bondage of karma?
Answer Podcast:
Transcript
This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
beauty comes from within.
It is stated that knowing the intricacies of karma will free us from the bondage of karma. And similar thing is said in 4.9, how can knowledge alone bring liberation? Answer, here Krishna is not talking about simply theoretical knowledge, he is talking about transformational knowledge. Now, in 4.14, he says, So, one who understands that I am not bound by karma, that I do not seek the fruits of work.
Then, one who knows like this, this person is not bound by karma. So, essentially Krishna is stating that one who understands his transcendental position, that person will not be bound by karma. Now, what does understanding him mean? So, that he is pointing out in 4.9 and then in 4.9 says, So, those who understand the transcendental nature of my appearance and activities, understand in truth, such people, they will not take birth again, but will attain me.
And what is the process by which they attain me? That is described in the next verse, So, becoming free from attachment, fear and anger, fixing their mind on me, taking shelter of me. Many have become purified by this knowledge and purified by the austerity of obtaining such knowledge. They have become purified.
They have attained me. So, essentially Krishna is telling here that by knowledge they have become purified. So, what Krishna talks about that when they come to know, what does that knowledge mean? That means that they become So, Prabhupada explains in the purport of 4.10 that these are three phases of mental dispositions that can obstruct us from taking shelter of Krishna.
Raga is, Oh, this world is a wonderful place. I don’t need anything else. Bhaya is, Oh, I had such terrible experiences and relationships.
So, I will not, I don’t want any relationship at all. I just want to merge into an impersonal absolute. And Krodha refers to frustration and skepticism and nihilism.
Here Krodha refers to Oh, there are so many people with so many different thoughts. It’s impossible to find what is right. Just forget the whole business and just don’t get into this philosophy business at all like that.
So, these are all three mental dispensations that can obstruct us in our pursuit of, in our pursuit of Krishna, in attaining Krishna. So, he is saying that the person will become weaker. So, Tattvataha, when we get knowledge of Krishna, then we will put these aside and Manmaya Manu Parshuddha.
We will not only fix the mind on him, but we will take shelter of him. Our heart will seek refuge in him. And this kind of knowledge of Krishna will purify us.
And that knowledge, Puta, then Madbhava Mangata, we will attain transcendental emotion, transcendental love for him by this kind of intense devotion. So, the important point that Krishna is making here is that this is transformational knowledge. So, if our heart is redirected from the world to Krishna, then we are not emotionally invested in the world.
And what causes bondage is not action, but motivation. If our motivation is selfish, then what the action that we do cause bondage. But the motivation is selfless.
The devotee lives in this world and acts in this world. But devotee does that for the sake of serving Krishna. And when a devotee acts in this way, there is no, because there is no selfish motivation.
Because of the selfless motivation, one moves onwards towards Krishna even while living in this world. So, that same thing is talked from the point of view of karma over there in the, what is talked about in 4.9 and 10, is talked about in 4.14, from the perspective of karma, where it says that, namam karma nirupanti, that again when it says that Krishna doesn’t desire the fruit of work, Krishna is not entangled, attached or entangled by work. The point is that Krishna is transcendental.
So, if you understand Krishna’s transcendental nature and understand how Krishna at a transcendental level reciprocates love with his devotees and we aspire to enter into that world of love, then we also will no longer be acting with the selfish intention that cause bondage of karma, that cause bondage by karma. So, it is that transformational knowledge of Krishna which redirects our heart from the world to Krishna that enables us to become free from karmic bondage. Thank you.