Prabhupada: ...sri-bhagavan uvaca
means the supreme authority. Mattah parataram nanyat kincid asti dhananjaya [Bg.
7.7]. If you learn from the supreme authority without any deficiency, then the
knowledge is perfect. Ordinary person, they have got four deficiencies: they
commit mistake, they are illusioned, their senses are imperfect, and with
imperfect knowledge they try to speak -- that is cheating. Therefore we have to
receive knowledge from the person who knows past, present, and future. So the
best personality -- there are so many others -- Krsna and His representative,
both of them are perfect because Krsna is perfect, there is no doubt, and one
who speaks according to Krsna, he is also perfect. A human being or a living
being is not expected to become as perfect as Krsna. That is not possible.
Therefore, if a person sticks to the instruction of Krsna, does not make any
addition and alteration, he is also perfect. Unfortunately, at the present
moment especially... It was done formerly also five thousand years, that they
make addition and alteration on the version of Krsna. Just like Bhagavad-gita is
misinterpreted by so-called scholars and politicians. Just like in the
Bhagavad-gita it is said, dharma-ksetre kuru-ksetre samaveta yuyutsavah [Bg.
1.1]. Somebody interprets, "This dharma-ksetra is this body." Why? Why one
should interpret in that way? Interpretation is required when things are not
very clear. Dharma-ksetre kuru-ksetre is still there. People go to Kuruksetra
for executing religious rituals. And in the Vedas it is stated, kuru-ksetre
dharmam acaret. So why it should be interpreted as "body"? And where is the
dictionary where dharma-ksetra means "body"? So in this way, if we interpret
Bhagavad-gita, then we spoil the whole thing. I spoil myself and spoil others.
Therefore the conclusion is we shall accept Bhagavad-gita as it is, as it is
spoken by Krsna.
So here the bhagavan uvaca, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is speaking. So we shall take it without any interpretation. The Bhagavan says, mayy asakta-manah.
mayy asakta-manah partha
yogam yunjan mad-asrayah
asamsayam samagram (mam)
yatha jnasyasi tac chrnu
[Bg. 7.1]
So Bhagavan says, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the supreme authority, says that "You require to transfer your asakti, attachment, to Me." Everyone has got asakti. Asakti means attachment, this material attachment. Someone has got attachment for his family, some to society, some to nation, some in business and so many things. Asakti is there. But to make your life perfect, you have to transfer the asakti to Krsna. In the Western countries, I have seen, most of them, they have got no family, no asakti family, but because the asakti is there, every one of them keeps a dog. So they are accustomed to place their asakti to cats and dogs. That means asakti cannot be finished. That is not possible. So you haven't got to learn what is asakti. Asakti is there. Everyone has got experience. Simply that asakti, that tendency of attachment, should be transferred to Krsna. That is Vrndavana life. In Vrndavana the center of asakti is Krsna. There is Nanda Maharaja, Yasoda -- they have asakti to Krsna. The young girls, they have got asakti to Krsna. The cowherd boys, they have got asakti to Krsna. The trees, they have got asakti to Krsna. The fruits, flowers, they have got asakti to Krsna. The water, Yamuna River, the asakti to Krsna. So if we make our central point of asakti, then you can create Vrndavana everywhere. So this is the success of life. We have to change the asakti to Krsna. That is the highest form of mystic yoga. Krsna has already explained in the previous verse,
yoginam api sarvesam
mad-gata antaratmana
sraddhavan bhajate yo mam
sa me yuktatamo (matah)
[Bg. 6.47]
Aneka yogis... There are many yogis, many form of yoga practice, mystic, but the yogi who is always thinking of Krsna, he is first-class yogi.
So our this Krsna consciousness movement means to educate people how to become attached to Krsna. But if one does not know what is Krsna, there is no question of increasing his asakti for Krsna. So to understand Krsna, Krsna personally appears to draw our attention to Krsna. When we forget our asakti, that is material life, forget our asakti for Krsna, that is our material life, or we struggle for existence in the material life. That is said by Krsna:
yada yada hi dharmasya
glanir bhavati bharata
tadatmanam srjamy aham
[Bg. 4.7]
This dharmasya glani, deviation from the occupational duty... Dharma means occupational duty. Then Krsna, out of His causeless mercy, He appears to teach us how to divert your attention and asakti to Krsna. So dharmasya glani, deviation in the path of religious system, means to forget our eternal relationship with Krsna. Therefore Krsna ultimately, at the end of the Bhagavad-gita, He says, as the Supreme Person, He orders, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. Therefore He did not come to establish the so-called Hindu dharma or Mussulman dharma or Christian dharma, this dharma or that. He came to establish the real dharma, that is, to surrender to Krsna. So Srimad-Bhagavatam is establishing also in the beginning, dharmah projjhita-kaitavo atra: [SB 1.1.2] In the Srimad-Bhagavatam the so-called cheating ways and cheating type of dharmas are kicked out, projjhita, thrown away. Srimad-Bhagavatam is explaining what is real dharma as it is established by Krsna, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. So according to dharma-sastra, material dharma-sastra, it is said, dharma artha kama moksa [SB 4.8.41, Cc. Adi 1.90], up to moksa. In this connection Sridhara Swami, the great commentator of Srimad-Bhagavatam, he says, atra moksa-vancha api nirasta: "In the Srimad-Bhagavatam there is no chance or opportunity for thinking of so-called liberation." The purpose is that if one fully surrenders to Krsna, he immediately becomes liberated. The Bilvamangala Thakura, he says, muktih mukulitanjali sevate asman. Why... For a devotee, why he should be anxious for mukti, because mukti is always standing on his door to give him service, mukulitanjali-seva, with folded hands. So a devotee hasn't got to endeavor separately for mukti. As soon as he is engaged in devotional service, mukti is already there. Just like if a person becomes rich man, automatically his poverty is gone away. So a rich man does not require to endeavor separately to drive away poverty. So therefore the central point is, Krsna is advising here, "Just increase your asakti, attachment, for Me. Then everything will come."
So He recommends, mayy asakta-manah partha yogam yunjan mad-asrayah. This word mad-asrayah is very important, because you cannot increase your attachment for Krsna without being mad-asrayah. Mad-asrayah means to be directly under the direction of Krsna or to be directly under the direction of somebody who has taken shelter of Krsna. Therefore He recommends mad-asrayah. You cannot execute the yoga system, devotional service, bhakti-yoga, without being under the control of somebody who is under the control of Krsna. Srila Sukadeva Gosvami has recommended therefore, yad upasrayasraya. One has to take shelter of a pure devotee; then he becomes purified. Yad upasraya. Upasraya means to take shelter of a pure devotee. And in that case,
kirata-hunandhra-pulinda-
abhira-sumbha yavanah khasadayah
ye 'nye ca papa yad-apasrayasrayah
sudhyanti (tasmai) prabhavisnave namah
[SB 2.4.18]
So not only those who are highly elevated brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra... Sudras... Less than sudra, they are called kirata, huna, andhra, pulinda, pulkasa, abhira, yavanah, khasadayah. They also can be purified if they take shelter of a pure devotee. Krsna also says in the Bhagavad-gita, mam ca...,
mam hi partha vyapasritya
ye 'pi syuh papa-yonayah
striya vaisyas tatha sudras
te 'pi yanti param gatim
[Bg. 9.32]
Means that "Anyone, even if he is born in the papa-yoni, the papa-yoni, kirata, huna, if he takes shelter of Me, then he also gets the supreme perfection." Te 'pi yanti param gatim. Now it is the duty of a devotee of Krsna to expand this progressive march toward devotional service. Otherwise, how the papa-yoni will learn? This is para upakara. This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission,
bharata-bhumite manusya janma haila yara
janma sarthaka kari kara para-upakara
[Cc. Adi 9.41]
That every Indian who has taken birth in India as a human being, he should first of all make his life successful by understanding Krsna, and then he must preach outside to render service to others as welfare activities.
So Krsna appeared as Caitanya Mahaprabhu to teach us practically how to preach Krsna consciousness and how to deliver persons from the papa-yoni. Sri Narottama dasa Thakura, a acarya of the Gaudiya sampradaya, he says in his song, sri-nanda-nandana yei, nanda-suta haila yei, saci-suta haila sei. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He appeared as the son of mother Saci. Narottama dasa Thakura sings, "The same Personality of Godhead who appeared as the son of Maharaja Nanda," nanda-suta haila yei, saci-suta haila sei, "He has now appeared as the son of mother Saci." And balarama haila nitai: "And the same Balarama has appeared as Nityananda prabhu." Now, what is Their business? That is described: papi tapi yata chilo, hari-name uddharilo. So papi tapi yata chilo, harinam..., ta'ra saksi jagai and madhai. Then he is giving evidence how the papi and tapis are delivered. "Here is the example of Jagai-Madhai." This Jagai-Madhai, they took birth in a good brahmana family but by bad association they became drunkard, thief, woman-hunter, and so on, so on. But they were also delivered by Caitanya Mahaprabhu to become first-class Vaisnava.
So our aim should be how to increase our attachment. The attachment is there. It is not artificial. It is said in the Caitanya-caritamrta that,
nitya-siddha krsna-bhakti sadhya kabhu naya
sravanadi-suddha-citte karaye udaya
The Krsna bhakti, attachment for Krsna, is quite natural. It is already there. Simply it has to be awakened.
nitya-siddha krsna-bhakti sadhya kabhu naya
sravanadi-suddha-citte karaye udaya
If you engage yourself to hear about Krsna, then your heart will be purified and your original Krsna consciousness will be awakened. For this purpose Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu also advises, param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam, "All glories to the sankirtana movement," because simply by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra, everything will automatically come in. The complete instruction of Caitanya Mahaprabhu is,
ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam
sreyah-kairava-candrika-
anandambudhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamrtasvadanam
(sarvatma-snapanam) param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam
[Cc. Antya 20.12]
So the sankirtana movement, Krsna consciousness movement, the more you chant Hare Krsna maha-mantra, your, the heart disease, material enjoyment, that will decrease, and then you will understand what is your position and you will be gradually attracted by Krsna. Bhaktih paresanubhavo viraktir anyatra syat [SB 11.2.42]. This is the test of bhakti, that if you engage yourself twenty-four hours in devotional service, then immediately you become liberated. Bhaktih paresa... Liberation means to become detestful to material enjoyment.
So Krsna attachment is so nice that... Dhruva Maharaja, he was in the beginning attracted by material enjoyment. He wanted a kingdom more than his father, and he went to the forest for meeting the Supreme Personality of Godhead to get this benediction. So Dhruva Maharaja actually, when he saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he refused to accept any benediction. Svamin krtartho 'smi varam na yace [Cc. Madhya 22.42]. This is the benefit of Krsna asakti. If you actually become attached to Krsna, then you'll think yourself completely filled up. There is no more asking for any material benefit. Therefore in the sastra it is recommended,
akamah sarva-kamo va
moksa-kama udara-dhih
tivrena bhakti-yogena
yajeta paramam purusa
[SB 2.3.10]
Even if you have got material desires, sarva-kama, still you be attached to Krsna so your material aspiration will be fulfilled; at the same time, you'll get Krsna. When Dhruva Maharaja refused to take any benediction, Lord Visnu informed him that "Don't bother. You had some desire for material fulfillment, so there is Dhruvaloka. You enjoy, and after your life is finished, you'll come to Vaikuntha." So Krsna is so nice, so liberal, that if you have got a little tinge of aspiration He will fulfill you, and at the same time, you'll go back to home, back to Godhead. Therefore it is recommended, yajeta paramam purusa. If you have got some material desire, still you worship Krsna. He'll fulfill; at the same time, you will be able to go back to home, back to Godhead. Krsna is all-powerful, almighty, full with six opulences. So if you have got any material desire, that also Krsna can fulfill, but you stick to Krsna so that your asakti will be increased. If you divert your attention to other demigods, then this asakti will fail. Therefore for a devotee who sticks his faith in Krsna, he has no chance for worshiping other demigods. So the Narottama dasa Thakura says, anya devasraya nai, tomare kahinu bhai, ei parama bhakti karana. For a devotee of Krsna there is no scope for worshiping other Deity, because that will not help him to increase his attachment for Krsna. But if we want our asakti, attachment, to increase for Krsna, then absolute...
anyabhilasita-sunyam
jnana-karmady anavrtam
anukulyena krsnanu-
silanam bhaktir uttama
[Brs. 1.1.11]
We have to give up all other material desires, simply stick to Krsna to serve Him, always ready to serve Him. Anukulyena krsnanu-silanam [Cc. Madhya 19.167]. Just like Arjuna. He was ready to serve Krsna. Similarly, everyone should be ready to serve Krsna. That is the perfection of life.
So one has to execute this process of devotional service. As Krsna said, mad-asraya: "Take shelter of Me, or My devotee." Now, at the present moment, in the teachings of Bhagavad-gita Krsna is personally instructing, so let us take shelter of His personal instruction and make our life successful. And not only he becomes a devotee, but a pure devotee understands Krsna as it is said here, asamsayam samagram, not partially but fully. It is, of course, not possible to understand Krsna fully. Still, almost fully a devotee can understand Krsna. That is also confirmed in the last paragraph, last chapter,
bhaktya mam abhijanati
yavan yas casmi tattvatah
tato mam tattvato jnatva
visate tad-anantaram
[Bg. 18.55]
So if we want to go back to home, back to Godhead, then we must increase our attachment for Krsna, and by that process we can understand Krsna, what He is. Bhaktya mam abhijanati [Bg. 18.55]. Then our door to go back to home, back to Godhead is clear. The conclusion is, therefore, that we should take to the bhakti process as it is enunciated in authoritative sastra, by Krsna, by the acaryas. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. That is the way, only, for our perfection of life.
Thank you very much. (end)
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
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