Bhagavad-gita 4.3

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya Narayanam Namaskritya Naramcaiva Narotamam Devim Sarasvatim Devim Sarasvatim Devim Sarasvatim Devim Sarasvatim Devim Sarasvatim Devim Sarasvatim Devim Sarasvatim Devim Sarasvatim Devim Sarasvatim Devim Sarasvatim Devim Sarasvatim Devim Sarasvatim Devim Sarasvatim Devim Sarasvatim Devim Sarasvatim Devim Sarasvatim Devim Sarasvatim Tatojaya Mudiraya So I will read the verse number 3 from the fourth chapter of Bhagavad Gita entitled Ajnana Yoga or Transcendental Knowledge. Sa eva ayam maya te adya yogaha praktaha puratanaha Vaktaha Asimessakha Chā iti rahasyam ki etat uttamam saivayam mayate dhyā Saivayam mayate dhyā Yogah prakta purātanah Vakta Sīme Sakha Cheti Vakta Sīme Sakha Cheti Vakta Sīme Sakha Cheti Rahasyam heta tuttamam Saivayam mayatedyam Yogah prakta puratanah Bhaktosime sakacheti Rahasyam heta tuttama Saha the same You will read Hindi? Okay Eva Nischahi Ayam Yah Mere Dwarah He Tumse Adya Aj Yogaha Yoga Vidya Rakhtaha Kahigai Uratanaha Atenta Prachin Bhaktaha Asi Me Sakha Chha Iti Rahasyam He Niscerahi Etat Yaha Uttamam Divya So I will read the translation and purport you can read straight. 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 transcendental mystery of this science. No translation also. You can understand this vision of the divine. That is why humans are two friends. Bhakt and Asur. Bhagavan has Arjun to this vision of the father of this vision, because it was his wife. But for Asur, this vision of the divine vision of the divine vision is not possible. foreign is the purpose of the divine. But, we do not believe that Krishna's own way. Krishna's own mind-baths and Krishna's own mind-baths and Krishna's own mind-baths and human beings. This is a great way to live with the human beings. Manishwaka chahi ke Arjuna ki parampara ka anusarun karit Aushimad Bhagavad Gita ke is param vijyan se labham nidhu. Śrīla Prabhupada Gīja Saeva yam mayate diya yugah prakta Puratanaham bhaktosime sakaceti Rahasyam heta tutamam Namam Vishnu Padaya Krishna Prashtaya Bhutale Shri Mathe Bhaktivedanta Svamini Tinamini Namaste Sarasvati Devi Gauravani Pracharine Nirviseisha Sunyavadi Paschatyade Shatarine Mancha Kalpatarubhescha Kripa Sindubyevaca Patitanam Pavanabhyo Vaishnavaybhyo Namonamah Jai Sri Krishna Chaitanya Prabhu Nitananda Sri Advaita Gadadara Sri Vasadi Gaur Bhaktavrinda Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Yantah praviśyam amavacimim amprasuktum Sanjivaya tequila shakti dharah svadhamna Anyam ścahasta caranā śravanā tvāgādim Pranannamo bhagavate purushāya tubhyam Swasyas tu viśvāsya kalah prasīdatam Dhyāyantu bhutāni śivam mitvaudhiyam Manasca badram vajatā tadokṣadja Aveścetam nomati rabya hai tukhi Today I am very happy to be with this event. But my Hindi is not good, so I will speak English. I have to switch English button in my mind. Okay. In the previous verse, Sri Krishna said that this yoga, this science of yoga, this yoga, This yoga was broken by the influence of the great time. And Srila Prabhupada very aptly translates the word yoga in the word by word and in translation as the science of God. Vigyan Bhagavanka Vidya, the supreme science, Paramvigyan. And in this purport and in translation again, he translates this phrase, he says that this ancient science of relationship with the Supreme Today he is told by me and then he again repeats the supreme science of Bhagavad Gita. This is one of the most important features of Srila Prabhupada's preaching. He was preaching Krishna consciousness as the science. And the science has universal appeal. Science is not divided according to our nationality, according to our citizenship, according to any external things. When the Vedic is done, they are not the same as the Dharam, Jat, Pati, and the Vibhajit. There is no American Physics, German Physics, Russian Physics, there is only Physics. Physics is only one meaning. American Physics and German Physics is not that. So, why? Because science is universal. Science is speaking about universal principles. And these universal principles, they are true in any country, and at any time, supposed to be true at any time. Therefore there is no division. And therefore, Srila Prabhupada again and again stressed that Krishna consciousness is not a religion, because religion is something different. Dharma is a good word, religion is not such a good word. But nevertheless, Srila Prabhupada even... Vishwas, yes. Because religion is a part of my ego. Yes. You know, I have religious affiliation, I have some country affiliation, some other affiliations, it's all upadhi, it's all external. And therefore, Śrīla Prabhupāda said that you can change your religion. He says this very clearly in the introduction to Bhagavad Gita. Bhagavad Gita's pranambic introduction. Bhumik. Bhumik. Bhumik. Bhumik. Bhumik. Bhumik. Bhumik. Bhumik. Bhumik. Bhumik. Bhumik. Bhumik. Bhumik. Bhumik. Bhumik. Bhumik. Bhumik. Bhumik. Bhumik. Bhumik. of quarrel between people. Whenever ego is involved, there will always be a clash. If there is some tinge of ego, there will always be some sort of quarrel. Because ego means I want to be the first, I want to be the most important. And it means that whatever I identify myself also has to be the best. My country is the best. and we are the good people, everyone else is evil. I was speaking with some American devotees and Americans said to me, we always thought we are good guys and you are Russians are bad guys. And I said, we thought the same. We are good guys and you are bad guys. It's all ego play, ego game. And because our religious affiliation becomes also part of our ego, it becomes the source of religious wars, religious quarrels, all kinds of unpleasant things. My religion is the best. Why is it all stressed? Because it's mine. That's the only reason. And therefore, Śrīla Prabhupāda very carefully was avoiding this sort of connotations while presenting Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That's why, the Kushantapurva Krishna Prabhupada Ji has no such a sambhadhan and sambhasan. Again and again and again he was stressing this, that Krishna consciousness is universal. It has nothing to do with our hankara or our body or any other upadis which we have. That's why, Vāra Mahār, Punha Punha, Krishna Prabhupada Ji has given this word that Krishna Bhavana is a sattva-bhavam. and that's why his mission was so successful. He could explain these universal principles to anyone and people would accept this without any resistance. any resistance. Krishna Prabhupar Ji, we could have all the knowledge and all the knowledge and he also said in the first mission of ISKCON, the first purpose of ISKCON, which is the most important purpose, is that Krishna Consciousness Movement is there to eliminate all the quarrels which are there in the world and bring people together. to bring people together to eliminate all kinds of quarrels this is very much the spirit of Vedic culture We all know that on the Parliament of India there is this Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam phrase from Hittapadesh. The whole world is one family. one family. And this is the greatness of the Vedas. And the very word Vedas means science. Because Vedas means knowledge. Vedas doesn't mean religious book. From Vidhatu. Vidhatu means to know, Jnan. And therefore, this is a very important idea which Prabhupada invested into his teachings. And therefore, so many people who were atheists accepted this. Nastik Jalok hai. Yeah. Voh bih svikar karsake. Koi bat nahi hai. Koi samasi nahi hai. Karan ye hai ki... Anyway, I'll speak in English. The reason is that, you know, Śrīla Prabhupāda presented Bhagavad-gītā in a very rational way, logical way. Krishna Prabhupada, Krishna Prabhupada, Krishna Prabhupada, Krishna Prabhupada, Krishna Prabhupada, Krishna Prabhupada, Krishna Prabhupada, Krishna Prabhupada, Krishna Prabhupada, Krishna Prabhupada, Krishna Prabhupada, Krishna Prabhupada, Krishna Prabhupada, Krishna Prabhupada, Krishna Prabhupada, But not many people can really do what Śrīla Prabhupāda did. After Śrīla Prabhupāda went to America, so many Swamis after him are going to America. Krishna Prabhupada Ji ke America jane ke paschat bhot sarai anya swami jane lagi bahan but mostly they are preaching to Indians who are there in the west I once was speaking with Mukhyaswane of Swaminarayan group in London One time Maharaj Ji, you said that in London, Swami Nara and Samsthal, one piece of Pramukh Swami. Not... yeah, Pramukh Swami. Yeah, there was... Pramukh Swami was the name of their leader, but anyway. So, they had a beautiful temple there in Nisden, Nisdan, right? Nisdan temple, Swaminarayan temple in Nisdan in London. And I asked him, do you have some English people who are coming who are part of your group? And he very proudly says, yes. One or two. So that's basically what it is. They are not even trying to reach to the hearts of people who have different upadis, different ego. I am trying to say that the only prakriti and upadhi should be reached. But Śrīla Prabhupāda thought that it is a humiliation of the Vedic culture to present it in this very specific way, not in a very universal way. Śrīla Prabhupāda Ji has said that, to do Vedic sabhyata, to do Vedic sabhyata, because in the years, the group has not been done with the group. And therefore, we have to very clearly understand what is the difference in approach, because now, when Krishna consciousness undulened, the movement of Śrīla Prabhupāda has become so big, we kind of again turning Krishna consciousness into quote unquote religion. We do have religious angle of our practice. There is no doubt about it. There is a certain way. we have Tilak, we have all these external things. But again, all these things, they are scientific by nature. Why do we dress this sort of clothes? It's called dhoti, right? and dhoti means pure, it's clean because it's very easy to wash it it's just a piece of cloth you know, you try to wash your jeans every day it's not going to work it's very difficult jeans are not clean they're not dhoti They are jeans. They are meant to be washed once every three months. So, what I mean to say is that even though we look like something who belongs to a very specific kind of face, But actually, this is all scientific. This has very important meaning behind it. But we ourselves have to very clearly understand that this is a great science, as Prabhupada says. And here, in this particular verse, Sri Krishna says that, Arjuna, I will explain to you this science because you are qualified to receive it. Shri Krishna spashta rup se Arjuna ko kahte hai, ki, mein tumhe ye jo yoga ka vijyan hai, ye me tumhe padan karunga, kyunki tum iske yogi ho, kabil ho. Bhaktosi me sakha cheti, you are my bhaktta and you are my friend. Kyunki tum mere bhakt ho, or mere mitra ho. Again, this is a very specific point. Shri Krishna is speaking here about the qualification to receive the signs. For example, if we are trying to become a doctor, we have to prove our Yogyata, we have to prove our qualification, our adhikar. To understand the medical science, we have to fit certain qualifications. We have to have certain qualifications. Of course, now I will say something not very politically correct. Now in India there is all these quotes for, you know, Harijans for untouchable people to become this special quota for their education. I once met, I was in South, in Kerala, and there was one man who was working in a beach. How do you call these people who are there to save drowning people? Lifeguards. He was working as a lifeguard. One time, Maharaj Ji was in Kerala, and in Kerala, and in the ocean, the waters of the sea, were talking about him. And I started speaking with him this and that, and I found out that he is a philosopher by education. He has university education as a philosopher. He got this quota to become lifeguard on a beach. So what I mean to say is that to understand any science, you have to have certain very precise qualification. And here Krishna very clearly deletes. This is the qualification which you have to have to understand the science. Otherwise, you will not be able to understand it. You will not be able to really deal with it. And Srila Prabhupada in the purport, he explains that those people who are envious of Krishna, they will never understand Bhagavad Gita. He clearly says that you have to be non-envious means that you are my friend, means you don't have a suya towards me. And Srila Prabhupada says that all these people, they may write very learned scholarly commentaries on Bhagavad Gita, only misleading other people. So the qualification to understand this science is the purity of the heart. So what is Yogita for understanding this knowledge and understanding this? Hridayah or Shuddhata? Shuddhata, yes. And there are two qualifications. You are Das, you are my Bhakta. It means that you have the desire to serve, you are humble. Kabalyat or Yogita is here in two categories. So these two qualifications, the humility and non-enviousness, is very much required to understand this science. Yes. If we try to understand this science without having these qualifications, Vinamrita and Nirmatsaratha. If these two qualifications are not there, then we may study the whole Bhagavad-gita by heart, we may know it, we may teach other people, but there will be no result, there will be no change of the heart in other people. And there will be no change of our heart. So, if these two yogi-gitās are Vinnamrita and Nirmatyā, if we don't have the whole Bhagavad Gita contest, read and understand, then we will not get any fun in the vast form, because we don't have the same work, the Swami. We don't have the same work. Srila Prabhupāt used to say that if you have a snake and the snake has some jewel on her head, this jewel doesn't make this snake less poisonous. On the contrary, this snake becomes more dangerous. So if we have this snake-like nature and we know this jewel-like Bhagavad Gita, we become more dangerous than the normal snakes. So the main point to understand this science, we have to have certain qualities within our heart. The first and foremost is humility and non-enviousness to really be able to understand the science of Bhagavad Gita. If we don't have these two qualities, then we study Bhagavad-gita and we become even more proud by studying Bhagavad-gita. Bhagavad-gita will become the cause for inflating our ego. So, if we are not in Bhagavad Gita, we will be more efficient. This is the reason for studying Bhagavad Gita is to be more efficient. And by inflating our ego by knowledge of Bhagavad Gita, we will commit more offenses. If we are more efficient, we will be more efficient. Look at me, how knowledgeable I am. I have Bhakti Shastri degree. Of course, nowadays everyone has Bhakti Shastri degree. No one who doesn't have Bhakti Shastri degree. We produced more Bhakti Shastris than anyone else in the history of humanity. Anyway, so again what I want to say is that I want to elucidate one more characteristics of the science which is opposing the religion. When people join a religion, they make a choice and it's a very serious choice. When people have a religious religion, they do it with a vicious religion. They may think, sometimes they don't think, they just do it because of the parampara, because of their tradition, of their affiliation. But in any case, they join certain religions and from then on, they consider themselves Hindu, Christian, Muslim or whatever. When people are in any aspect or bhaudic, they will be in this way, that they are Hindu, Muslim, Italian. So they do this one-time choice. They take this one-time choice. But when we are talking about the science, We understand that the choice which I do, I do every day. I'm making my choice every day. Do I really... sometimes, you know, Prabhupada... You know, somebody said to Prabhupada, you know, I'm a Vaishnava. Sri Prabhupada said, no, you're not Vaishnava. Vaishnava is too high. You know, when we are treating Krishna consciousness as a science, we have to always ask ourselves, do I really meet the mark? Do I really follow this properly? Did I live this day as a Vaishnava? Or I lived it as a gnostic person, as an atheist? So when we see the Krishna's vision, we have to see this in your own, that today's life, was it in the vascular group of Vaishnav Bhak or in the agnostic group? Do I really formally belong to Krishna consciousness, or am I really conscious of Krishna, or I really understand that Krishna is there within my heart, and He watches everything which I think, everything which I speak, and everything which I do? Do we believe that we are a Krishna-Bhavana-Amrit, or have we been born in a true way? Or do we direct this direction from the truth? Do we believe that I have been born in a true way? I am feeling that Krishna is in my head, and He is listening to me, and He is watching my actions, and I am living in that way. Yeah. Pahut Mahatapurna Bhat He, Rosh, Pratidin, Ham, Mirikshan, Karnachaya. And another point which is also very important and which is also very much different from the religious approach, which distinguishes religious approach from the scientific approach, is the understanding who is responsible for what will be happening with me. When I have religious attitude, I agree to follow certain rules of a particular religion. But I will follow only the minimum which is required for me to still be considered as a part of this religion. Sometimes when people take initiation, they give the vow. And they say that, you know, I give the vow that from now on I will chant 16 rounds every day. I always ask when they say this, and if you change 17 rounds, you will break your vow. So the point is that when we have religious attitude, we just follow the bare minimum which is required. Whereas if we have scientific attitude, we try to do more and more and more. Therefore, Srila Prabhupada says, at least 16 rounds, not 16 rounds, at least 16 rounds every day. And actually he said, actually you have to chant 24 hours a day, not 16 hours, 24 hours a day. If we understand the science, we try to do more to bring about the desired result. But if we are a member of a religious cult, we just follow the minimum and we expect the miracle at the end of our life. If you get more or more, that doesn't work. We do the bare minimum just to somehow rather to consider ourselves Vaishnavas and then at the end we will go to Divine Vrindavan and we will serve the rest of eternity to Divine couple in complete ecstasy. How is that possible? Our Acharyas, they explained with such precision this science. Sheila Rupagaswamy explained this in Bhakti Rassamrita Sinti, with such a precision and such a beauty. And we are just following this religious cult. and eat pizzas in Mayapur and think that everything will be alright at the end of the life. There are no pizzas in the spiritual world. Maybe by now there is, I don't know. The point I'm trying to make is that when I'm following the science, I understand that responsibility is on me. Whatever I will do, the result will be proportional to what I do and how sincerely I do it. But if I follow some religion, then responsibility is not mine. If we are in the form of the dharam, we will do the same thing. So, the responsibility is not on me. The responsibility is somebody else. Shila Prabhupada is responsible, my Guru is responsible, they will have to save me. I am doing the bare minimum of what I can. The rest is their responsibility. I would say that I would like to learn more about this mark, but my burden is not my burden. It's about Siddha Prabhupada, Gurudev, or someone else's virtue. You know, the most favorite story about Siddha Prabhupada, everyone, everyone tells this story, how Siddha Prabhupada says, to get to the spiritual world, you have to be 100% pure. I love Siddha Prabhupada. I love Siddha Prabhupada. In Los Angeles he said, sitting on Vyasa-san, to get to the spiritual world you have to be 100% pure. And then he looked at the audience and the audience was looking at him with gloomy faces. And then Prabhupada says, okay, 70% pure. Saptapratisat didn't work either. He said, okay, 50%. No. And then Prabhupada said, okay, you know, just keep the, you know, the end of my doughty and I will take you through the back door to the spiritual world. And from now on everyone is saying, you know, Prabhupada has a special key from the piche dwar and somehow or other will get there. That's fine, it's Prabhupada's greatness, but it doesn't absolve us from the responsibility to try very sincerely as much as we can. It is okay. There is no harm in this matter. But our responsibility is reduced. We have to take our responsibility to keep our own. Because again, we are corrupting the beautiful science of changing the consciousness, of transformation of the consciousness, according to the principles of this Vedic science. and we are making it into some mystical cult. I remember some time ago, you probably also remember, twenty years ago, I don't remember when, you know, all Ganeshas started drinking milk. And it has become a big deal, big news. Everyone was picking, you know, and feeding the, you know, Ganesh with milk. And everyone was so happy, you know, Ganesh is a drinking meal. And then, you know, Srila Radhanath Maharaj, she told the story that some brahmacharis in Chowpati temple they also had Ganesh Murthy. So at night, secretly they went to Ganesh with some milk. But in Chowpati temple Ganesh refused to drink them. Because he didn't want to make these cheap miracles. It's a science. Don't make it into some miraculous cult, you know, like Sai Baba or whatever, who creates some miracle. That was Śrīla Prabhupāda's approach and we have to follow him and to maintain the dignity of Krishna Consciousness movement. And for that we have to understand very clearly this science under the proper guidance, with the proper attitude towards this great science. And then for sure the result will be there. For sure we will transform ourselves and we will come to the spiritual world. This is the guarantee of our Acharyas. And if the need to take us through the back door will be there, Śrīla Prabhupāda is always there, no problem. But we have to be very honest. I did my best. I did what I could. I got rid of my pride and I got rid of my matsarya, of my envy that is in the heart. Okay, thank you very much, Hare Krishna. Shila Prabhupada ki chai, Gaurapri Manande. Okay. Have to go? Okay, Vānat, Vānat. Hare Krishna Mahārāja, thank you so much for your enlightening lecture here. I will understand. 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This problem that our pride will become bhartha, bhartha head that it will increase, is definitely there. But if we are practicing within the society of devotees, and, you know, then, especially if we are practicing it within ISKCON, you know, then it will be not such a big problem because there will always be somebody who will somehow or other put you down. If we live in the Sahaja, especially in the Sahaja, we will live in this land, then there will be no one who will be in the right direction. I have a little practical anecdote story in this regard. I know one person, he is from Radharaman Goswami families. He is not serving the deity but he is from this family and he is very knowledgeable, he is very refined from this Goswami background. And all of sudden he came to Bhakti Rasa Amrit Maharaj and he started asking, can I take sannyas in Niscon? I want to take sannyas in Niscon. and Bhaktriya Samarit Maharaj started talking him out. Why do you want to take it in ISKCON? It's so difficult in ISKCON. Don't do it in ISKCON. Don't you know that ISKCON has so many problems? I don't have any questions for my body. I don't have any questions. I don't have a lot of questions. He said, I know, I am from Vrindavan. I know all the problems of ISKCON and I know all the problems of other groups which are there. I am from Vrindavan. I know that in ISKCON there is something that is in ISKCON. I know everything that is in ISKCON. But the reason why I want to take sannyas in ISKCON is because if you take sannyasa in this con, you will never imagine yourself to be the self-evulgent acharya. You will remain humble. I will always be making a number in the Bhakti. Therefore, Krishna Dasgaviraj Goswami says that the society of devotees is like the protecting fence against our creper of devotion. Krishna Dasgaviraj Goswami says that the Bhakti, which is Sangha, is Samudaya, is our raksha. Yes, so we have to definitely try and obviously our nyunu ahankara or karta bhava as you said will increase. But if we do it in the society of devotees where we always have somebody who is more senior than us, then we will still be safe and that the balance will be naturally found if we remain in this society, in this song. And devotees are the best psychologists. And they will always tell you, you know, you have a problem in your heart. They will read your mind before you know it. Okay, thank you very much. I have to go. Śrīla Prabhupāda Kīcā.