SB 11.07-09 – Subordination to the Lord brings supreme satisfaction

Transcript

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Srimad Bhagavatam 11.7.9 Tasmād yukta indriya grāmo yukta-citta-idhaṁ jagat ātma-niṣya-svayadatāṁ ātmānaṁ mayy adheśvareṇa Here, Lord Krishna is instructing Uddhava in detachment based on philosophical insight, because he is leaving the world, everybody that is dear to Uddhava is going to be lost to him, at least in terms of direct association. Krishna is instructing him to rise to a philosophical level of understanding, and here he is talking about the hierarchy of matter, spirit, and supreme spirit. So, he is telling, Tasmād yukta indriya grāmo, the previous verse was talking about ayuktasya, when a person is disconnected from the absolute truth, then nānārthasya, when a person ascribes meanings to different things, therefore, to avoid this sort of ascribing meaning to that which is meaningless, one should become yukta, one should become connected with the absolute truth, and thereby regulate, control, what? Tasmād yukta indriya grāmo, so, connect the senses with the absolute truth, and thereby regulate them, and similarly, yukta chitta id, similarly, regulate the consciousness also by connecting it to the absolute truth, the word yukta is connected with the word yoga, it means connection, and for the sake of connection with the higher reality, there is some disconnection with the lower reality, that’s why there is pratyahara, as one of the sayings of yoga, similarly, here, yukta chitta idam jagat ātmanikṣya suvidatam, understand that this world is expanded from the self, so, the ācāryas explain that ātmanikṣya suvidatam means that actually the world is pervaded by the self, the world is created for the self, so, Mr. Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita, the soul is present everywhere throughout the universe, that means, souls are capable of living everywhere, similarly, in this world, all over the universe, all over the creation, there are living entities, and in the Bhagavad Gita also, in 7.5, Krishna says, that the living entities are maintaining the material world, that means, that the living entities, it is for the living entities, the material world is maintained, so the jail is maintained for the residents of the jail, so, ātmanikṣya suvidatam, that means, one understands that this world is a facility provided for the living entities to try out their desires for material enjoyment and to reform when they realize the futility of that material enjoyment, and at that time, what happens? ātmāna mayi adheśvare, so, one understands that the ātmā is mayi adheśvare, is under the subordination of the Supreme Lord, so, Krishna is telling ātmāna and mayi, they are different, so, this is not referring to Mayavada, as white people might think, when ātmanikṣya suvidatam, when ātmā is pervading the jagat, it is said, or the universe is expanded from the ātmā, because it is clearly said that the ātmā is subordinate to the Supreme Lord, so, this subordination is not meant for domination, but is meant for cooperation, reciprocation and satisfaction, so, we cannot get real happiness by controlling, manipulating, dominating that matter, we need relationships, we need love, and Prabhupāda writes that the relationship between the Lord and the servitors is the most intimate and congenial form of intimacy, so, when we say adheśvare, the Lord is our master, actually it is a very sweet and intimate relationship, which brings the greatest joy to the living entity, greater than any joy that anything else can ever provide, so, by this philosophical vision, when the living entity understands that this material world is provided for my experimentation and rectification, experimenting in this world, how all I can enjoy, and then when seeing that actually so-called enjoyment doesn’t make me happy, then there is rectification, and to turn back to the Lord thereafter, when one understands this, then one starts exploring what is the nature of the relationship, ātmānam mayy adheśvare, so, it is actually, when we pray to Krishna, when we meditate on Krishna, when we try to develop our devotional life in relationship with Krishna, it is important to recognize that the subordination, which is implied in, say, the chanting, when we say, Krishna, please engage me in your service, the subordination that is implied when we admit that Krishna, I am your servant, jīvera svarūpa hoye, Kṛṣṇe yara nitya dāsa, this subordination is nothing to be ashamed of, this subordination is nothing to indignify us, it doesn’t take away our dignity, because actually that subordination brings the greatest satisfaction, brings the greatest intimacy, and that subordination is the source of the greatest satisfaction for us, so by remembering this, that subordination brings satisfaction, we can give up our reluctance, our hesitation to surrender to the Lord, to accept His servitorship, and then thereby put our whole heart in calling out to Him through prayer and meditation.
Thank you.