In2-MeC

Auckland, New Zealand
28 November 2003

Yesterday I began the seminar on Kalisantarana Upanisad with a yajna. Since the Upanisad is composition of Vedic mantras, it is appropriate that the attendees of the seminar chant it before the Lord in the form of the sacrificial fire. I will end the seminar with another yajna.

Bhagavad-Gita in Essence
(continued from yesterday)

The Third and Fourth Essences:

The Gita-rahasya and the Caran-sloki
(Bg 18.65 & 18.66)

The Essence of Devotion and the Essence of Surrender

Focus on the Purport of Bg 18.65

The most confidential part of knowledge is that one should become a pure devotee of Krsna and always think of Him and act for Him. One should not become an official meditator.

Notes:

1. The rahasya or secret of the Bhagavad-gita is revealed by Krsna only to His devotees.

Bg 4.3:

That very ancient science of the relationship with the Supreme is today told by Me to you because you are My devotee as well as My friend and can therefore understand the transcedental mystery of this science.

2. The secret of the Bhagavad-gita is this: although Sri Krsna summarizes for Arjuna the karma, jnana and mystic yoga systems, His purpose in instructing Arjuna is to establish bhakti-yoga as not only the "topmost yoga system" but ultimately the only yoga system that returns the jiva to His original eternal position in the spiritual world.

Bg 6.47:

And of all yogis, the one with great faith who always abides in Me, thinks of Me within himself, and renders transcendental loving service to Me-- he is the most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all. That is My opinion.

Bg 12.2:

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Those who fix their minds on My personal form and are always engaged in worshiping Me with great and transcendental faith are considered by Me to be the most perfect.

Bg 18.55:

One can understand Me as I am, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of Me by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.

SB 11.14.25:

Just as gold, when smelted in fire, gives up its impurities and returns to its pure brilliant state, similarly, the spirit soul, absorbed in the fire of bhakti-yoga, is purified of all contamination casued by previous fruitive activities and returns to its original position of serving Me in the spiritual world.

3. The other yoga systems outlined in the Bhagavad-gita are meant to prepare an unqualified person for the path of bhakti-yoga.

Bg 18.67:

This confidential knowledge may never be explained to those who are not austere, or devoted, or engaged in devotional service, nor to one who is envious of Me.

Quotation from Srila Prabhupada:

So drdham iti, isto'si me drdham iti tato vaksyami, "I am not speaking to the rascals. I am speaking to you because you are My most confidential friend." What is that? Man-mana bhava mad bhakto mad yaji mam namaskuru, mam evaisyasi satyam te pratijane priyo 'si me. "You are My dear friend." This is... Sarva dharman parityajya. "Whatever I've spoken, they are all nonsense. There is sense, but the truth which I am speaking to you just now, 'You just become My devotee, just think of Me, just offer your obeisances unto Me, just work for Me,' this is the most confidential." But those who are not able to understand, they are not to be spoken. They are to be instructed that you become a yogi, you practice your breathing, you sit like this, you sit like that. Because he's unable to understand. Therefore He says, idam te na atapaskaya. One who has not undergone severe austerities, don't speak this final knowledge. He'll not understand. He'll misunderstand. Just like scholars, like Radhakrishnan, misunderstands because he has no tapasya. It requires tapasya to understand this philosophy. Therefore Bhagavat says tapo divyam putraka yena suddhyed sattvam. "My dear boys, just accept austerity voluntarily. Restrain."

One should always act in such a way that all his daily activities are in connection with Krsna. He should arrange his life in such a way that throughout the twenty-four hours he cannot but think of Krsna.

Notes:

1. Bhagavad-gita 8.6-8 explains why we should always think of Krsna.

Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, oh son of Kunti, that state he will attain without fail. Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Krsna and at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you will attain Me without a doubt.

And the Lord's promise is that anyone who is in such pure Krsna consciousness will certainly return to the abode of Krsna, where he will be engaged in the association of Krsna face to face. This most confidential part of knowledge is spoken to Arjuna because he is the dear friend of Krsna. Everyone who follows the path of Arjuna can become a dear friend to Krsna and obtain the same perfection as Arjuna.

Notes:

1. "The path of Arjuna" refers to the path of practical engagement in devotional service as given in this verse. There are four items of practice mentioned--"Always think of Me", 'become My devotee", "worship Me" and "offer your homage to Me." From these four the nine processes of devotional service expand.

Quotations from Srila Prabhupada:

Sravanam kirtanam visnoh. Smaranam, also "always thinking of Me." Yoginam api sarvesam mad-gatenantaratmana, sraddhavan bhajate yo mam sa me yuktatamo matah. Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru. That is sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam, always thinking of Krsna."

The simple thing is that you follow the instruction of Krsna, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru. So this is very natural. This temple worship is meant for that purpose. Actually, when we see the Deity, immediately our mind become Krsna conscious. At least, we think of Krsna, "Here is Krsna." So that is man-mana. Chanting also, chanting, that is Krsna-mana, man-mana. In this way you become bhakta. Regularly chanting, you become bhakta. Without becoming bhakta, nobody can chant. So man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji. And worship Deity. He has come very kindly to accept your service. You just dress Him, just bathe Him, just decorate Him with ornaments, with garland, with nice thing."

And what is that bhakti? Mad-bhakta. Devotional... Devotion means service. Mad-yaji. You render some service to the Lord. Just like we are engaged here always. Whenever you'll come, you find us engaged some duty. You see. We have manufactured some duty, just to think of Krsna only. Therefore our Society's name is Krsna Consciousness, Society for Krsna Consciousness. We have got so many literatures. Each and every boy is engaged. Somebody's printing, somebody's writing, somebody's typewriting, somebody's dispatching, somebody's attending letter, somebody's cooking. Twenty-four hours, we are thinking of Krsna. How? Because we are engaged in the duties of Krsna. So mad-yaji mam namaskuru. And what is that duty if you have no obedience? You have to obey. Therefore it is said namaskuru, you offer your respect. So bhakti minus respect, that is not bhakti. With love, with respect, with designated duties, if you be engaged in Krsna consciousness, then your life will be successful.

Quotation from SB 7.5.23-24, Purport:

Arcanam means worshiping Lord Visnu as one does in the temple, and vandanam means offering respectful obeisances. Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru. Vandanam means namaskuru--offering obeisances or offering prayers. Thinking oneself to be nitya-krsna-dasa, everlastingly a servant of Krsna, is called dasyam, and sakhyam means being a well-wisher of Krsna. Krsna wants everyone to surrender unto Him because everyone is constitutionally His servant. Therefore, as a sincere friend of Krsna, one should preach this philosophy, requesting everyone to surrender unto Krsna. Atma-nivedanam means offering Krsna everything, including one's body, mind, intelligence and whatever one may possess. One's sincere endeavor to perform these nine processes of devotional service is technically called bhakti.

Quotation from Srila Prabhupada:

Question: What is the business of Krsna consciousness society?

Prabhupada: Always thinking of Krsna. As Krsna says. Man mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru. These four principles. Always think of Krsna, become Krsna's devotee, worship Krsna and offer your respect, obeisances to Krsna. That's all. This is Krsna consciousness. They are doing that. Nothing more, nothing less. These four principles.

These words stress that one should concentrate his mind upon Krsna--the very form with two hands carrying a flute, the bluish boy with a beautiful face and peacock feathers in His hair. There are descriptions of Krsna found in the Brahma-samhita and other literatures. One should fix his mind on this original form of Godhead, Krsna. One should not even divert his attention to other forms of the Lord. The Lord has multiforms as Visnu, Narayana, Rama, Varaha, etc., but a devotee should concentrate his mind on the form that was present before Arjuna. Concentration of the mind on the form of Krsna constitutes the most confidential part of knowledge, and this is disclosed to Arjuna because Arjuna is the most dear friend of Krsna's.

Notes:

1. Quotations from Prabodhananda Sarasvati's Sri Vrndavana-mahimamrta:

(2.19) Within the boundless, all-pervading effulgence of the brahmajyoti is the extremely blissful and effulgent realm of Lord Visnu. Within that realm of Lord Visnu is another effulgent realm of immeasurable transcendental bliss. Within that place is this forest of Vrndavana.

(14.22) When moon-faced Lord Krsnacandra places the flute to His splendid smiling lips and plays very sweetly, Sri Radha fixes her eyes upon Him, and the residents of Vaikuntha feel ecstasy and the hairs on their bodies stand erect with joy. However, when Lord Narayana, the master of Vaikuntha, fixes all His senses in meditation on this scene, He faints in the ecstasy of love. At that time the goddess of fortune becomes unhappy, and the residents of Vaikuntha cannot find the slightest happiness anywhere.

2. Quotation from Srila Jiva Gosvami's Sri Krsna-sandarbha 29.23:

The reason some people maintain that Krsna is a partial expansion of the Original Personality of Godhead, and not the Original Personality of Godhead Himself, is described by the Lord in Bhagavad-gita (7.25):

I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My eternal potency (yogamaya), and so the deluded world knows Me not, who am unborn and infallible.'

Sri Krsna only partially reveals Himself to the ordinary living entities. Because of this partial revelation, ordinary people believe that Krsna is merely an expansion of the Original Godhead.

(To be continued tomorrow, focusing on the Purport of Bg 18.66, the Caran-sloki)

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