SB 4.9.15 – Bhakti-anukula jnana highlights the difference between us and the Lord and thereby increases our attraction to him
Transcript
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Thank you. Braṣṭāsthitā vadimakaṁ yathiriktaśe tvam nitya-muktaḥ pariśuddha-gubuddhātmār My dear Lord, Dhruva Mahārāja is praying over here, you are eternally liberated, you are supremely pure, pariśuddha and gubuddha, you are supremely intelligent, you are the transcendental, the word ātmā can refer to the soul as well as the super-soul, ātmā, you are the spiritual being, guṭastha, you are beyond all the changes of material existence, the six changes, ādi-puruṣa, you are the original person, bhagavāṁs filled with six opulences, tyādhiśaḥ, you are the master of the three modes, yadbuddhya-vasthitaṁ akhaṇḍitāya sva-driṣṭaḥ, so all the activities of the intelligence, you observe as the super-soul indwelling within the heart, sva-driṣṭaḥ, drishtastha, you are always witnessing the actions of material existence, from your transcendental position, adhimakho, you are the ultimate enjoyer of the results of sakti, and in this way you are different from all other beings. By declaring in so many ways the glories of the Lord, the conclusion is to highlight His difference from everyone else.
The difference between jñāna, the impersonal path, and jñāna, the personal path, is that impersonal jñāna minimizes and eliminates the difference between the living entity and the absolute truth, whereas the bhakti-alakul jñāna highlights the difference between the jīva and bhagavān, so that the jīva understands how wonderful bhagavān is, and thereby falls in love with bhagavān. So therefore, this particular verse, through Mahārāja, is glorifying the transcendental position of the Supreme Lord. His focus is on establishing how the Lord is ultimately so glorious, and it is this Lord whose shelter he has sought, and it is that Lord who has now personally come before him to give him that shelter.
So, when we cultivate knowledge within the path of bhakti of the position of Krishna, the purpose of that knowledge is to help us increase our attraction for Krishna, and attraction ultimately is not just spontaneous, but it also comes by conscious cultivation of connections. When we love someone, we spontaneously think of the wonderful qualities of that person, whatever attracts us to that person. In the case of Krishna, what doesn’t happen spontaneously has to be done conscientiously.
So, when we connect, that’s the holy name that I am chanting, this is the name of that same Supreme Person, who, although entirely transcendental and spiritual, loves me so much that he is akhandika-drishta, he is situated in my heart and is constantly watching me, hoping and waiting for me to turn towards him and ultimately return to him. So, it is that Lord who has been waiting for so many lifetimes for me within my heart, that Lord is now manifesting externally as the holy name, and it is this Lord that I can serve by the attentiveness of my chanting. So, when we recollect in this way, the supreme glory and the love of the Lord, then that inspires us to wholeheartedly take shelter of him.
So, remembering the difference between us and the Lord, our insignificance, we are just one among millions, billions, trillions, quadrillions, zillions of living entities that populate the millions of universes within this material existence, and beyond that there are far more loving entities who are there in the spiritual world, who are all in love with Krishna. So, although we are insignificant and the Lord is so glorious, yet he desires a personal relationship with us, and how great is the opportunity for us, that for such an insignificant living entity, the Lord is personally coming and desiring a relationship and manifesting as the holy name. When we contemplate thus, we can take wholeheartedly shelter of the holy name while chanting.