Bhagavad-gītā As It Is

Bhagavad-gītā 7.1–2

Prabhupāda: [sings Jaya Rādhā-Mādhava] [prema-dhvani] [devotees offer obeisances]

Haṁsadūta: [aside to tape:] Śrīla Prabhupāda will lecture from Kṛṣṅa book.

[06:04]

Prabhupāda:

om ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave-namaḥ

[I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, who with the torchlight of knowledge has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance.]

śrī-caitanya-mano-'bhīṣṭaṁ sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ dadāti sva-padāntikam

[When will Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhupāda, who has established within this material world the mission to fulfill the desire of Lord Caitanya, give me shelter under his lotus feet?"]

vande 'haṁ śrī-guroḥ śrī-yuta-pada-kamalaṁ śrī-gurūn vaiṣṅavāṁś ca śrī-rūpaṁ sāgrajātaṁ saha-gaṅa-raghunāthānvitaṁ taṁ sa-jīvam sādvaitaṁ sāvadhūtaṁ parijana-sahitaṁ kṛṣṅa-caitanya-devaṁ śrī-rādhā-kṛṣṅa-pādān saha-gaṅa-lalitā-śrī-viśākhānvitāṁś ca

[I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master and of all the other preceptors on the path of devotional service. I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaiṣṅavas and unto the six Gosvāmīs, including Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Jīva Gosvāmī and their associates. I offer my respectful obeisances unto Śrī Advaita Ācārya Prabhu, Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and all His devotees, headed by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura. I then offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṅa, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṅī and all the gopīs, headed by Lalitā and Viśākhā.]

nama oṁ viṣṅu-pādāya kṛṣṅa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktisiddhānta-sarasvatīti nāmine

[I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī, who is very dear to Lord Kṛṣṅa, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.]

he kṛṣṅa karuṅā-sindho dīna-bandho jagat-pate gopeśa gopikā-kānta rādhā-kānta namo 'stu te

[O my dear Kṛṣṅa, ocean of mercy, You are the friend of the distressed and the source of creation. You are the master of the cowherd men and the lover of the gopīs, especially Rādhārāṅī. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.]

tapta-kāñcana-gaurāṅgi rādhe vṛndāvaneśvari vṛṣabhānu-sute devi praṅamāmi hari-priye

[I offer my respects to Rādhārāṅī, whose bodily complexion is like molten gold and who is the Queen of Vṛndāvana. You are the daughter of King Vṛṣabhānu, and You are very dear to Lord Kṛṣṅa.]

vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo vaiṣṅavebhyo namo namaḥ

[I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaiṣṅava devotees of the Lord. They can fulfill the desires of everyone, just like desire trees, and they are full of compassion for the fallen souls.]

śrī-kṛṣṅa-caitanya prabhu nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

[I offer my obeisances to Śrī Kṛṣṅa Caitanya, Prabhu Nityānanda, Śrī Advaita, Gadādhara, Śrīvāsa and all others in the line of devotion.]

hare kṛṣṅa hare kṛṣṅa kṛṣṅa kṛṣṅa hare hare hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare

[My dear Lord, and the spiritual energy of the Lord, kindly engage me in Your service. I am now embarrassed with this material service. Please engage me in Your service.]

[08:44]

Ladies and Gentleman, I thank you very much for your kindly participating in this great movement of Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the inaugurator of this movement five hundred years ago, although He is accepted as Kṛṣṅa Himself, still, He says that "Alone, I have no power or strength." Ekākī āmāra nāhi pāya [Ohe Vaiṣṅava Ṭhākura]. This is the humble submission of us, who have taken this movement very seriously, that we alone cannot make this movement perfect. You have all to join this movement.

Because it is everyone's interest. It is not that a particular party or particular society or a particular country's interest. No. Kṛṣṅa is for everyone. He is the original father of all living entities.

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā [Bg 14.4]

[It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kuntī, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father.]

These Europeans and Americans, and other countries also, they are accepting Kṛṣṅa not as a Hindu god. Of course, in the dictionary it is so written, "Kṛṣṅa is the name of a Hindu god." But people of the world, they are accepting that He is the God. God is one. There cannot be any Hindu God or Muslim God or Christian God. God is for everyone, both for the human society and less than human society, animal society. There are 8,400,000 species of life, and all of them are supposed to be the offspring, sons of Kṛṣṅa.

So we are talking about Bhagavad-gītā. Last night we talked from the Seventh Chapter, the first verse. Mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ.

mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṅu [Bg 7.1]

So in order to understand asaṁśayam... Asaṁśayam means "without any doubt." At the present moment we have got many doubts whether actually there is God or not. In Europe and America, when I first went there in 1965, I was informed even by some clergymen that "God is dead." Then again, when I was chanting in the Tompkinson Square in New York, they admitted, and they published a very big article in one of the important papers of New York. They admitted that "We thought God was dead, but actually now we see God is there in the saṅkīrtana movement started by Swāmījī." They admitted.

So these are saṁśayam, or doubts: whether there is actually God or not, whether God is dead or alive. But here Kṛṣṅa says that if we develop our attachment for Kṛṣṅa... Take Kṛṣṅa as a historical personality. Still, if you develop your attachment for Kṛṣṅa by the prescribed method, then you will understand God without any doubt. Asaṁśayam. And samagram. Samagram, "in fullness." Not partially. The Absolute Truth, samagram Absolute Truth.

The Absolute Truth is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:

vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate [SB 1.2.11]

The Absolute Truth is understood in three features, although all of Them are one. The first feature appreciated by the philosophers as Brahman, impersonal Brahman. The next feature is appreciated by the yogīs as Paramātmā. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg 18.61],

[The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.]

the portion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is distributed everywhere. Aṅḍāntara-stha-paramāṅu-cayāntara-sthaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi.

That feature, Paramātmā feature, Antaryāmī, that is described in the Brahma-saṁhitā:

eko 'py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṅḍa-koṭiṁ yac chaktir asti jagad-aṅḍa-cayā yad-antaḥ aṅḍāntara-stha-paramāṅu-cayāntara-sthaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi [Bs 5.35]

[He is an undifferentiated entity as there is no distinction between potency and the possessor thereof. In His work of creation of millions of worlds, His potency remains inseparable. All the universes exist in Him and He is present in His fullness in every one of the atoms that are scattered throughout the universe, at one and the same time. Such is the primeval Lord whom I adore.]

One portion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead... Racayituṁ jagad-aṅḍa-koṭim. In order to manifest or create millions of universes... The universe which we are experiencing within our present knowledge is only one. There are many thousands of universes, innumerable universes clustered together.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu said it is just like a bag of mustard seeds, and this universe is only one seed. So Kṛṣṅa in His one plenary portion, Mahā-Viṣṅu, He is lying on the Causal Ocean, and during His breathing period, exhaling period, innumerable universes are coming out. These are the statements of Vedic literature, Mahā-Viṣṅu.

yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṅḍa-nāthāḥ viṣṅur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi [Bs 5.48]

[Brahmā and other lords of the mundane worlds, appearing from the pores of hair of Mahā-Viṣṅu, remain alive as long as the duration of one exhalation of the latter [Mahā-Viṣṅu]. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda of whose subjective personality Mahā-Viṣṅu is the portion of portion.]

So here it is stated by Kṛṣṅa, mayy āsakta-manāḥ. How we can become attached to Kṛṣṅa? You have to think over. Kṛṣṅa's different features, His name, His quality, His pastimes, His form, His entourage—so many things—you can simply think over. That is practical and actual meditation. If you study Vedic literature, you get so many information about Kṛṣṅa. And all these will be revealed to you. Svayam eva. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.234].

[No one can understand the transcendental nature of the name, form, quality and pastimes of Śrī Kṛṣṅa through his materially contaminated senses. Only when one becomes spiritually saturated by transcendental service to the Lord are the transcendental name, form, quality and pastimes of the Lord revealed to him.]

We cannot understand Kṛṣṅa by our speculative knowledge. If we try to do that, then we can approach up to the impersonal Brahman feature of Kṛṣṅa. Brahmeti. That is not full Kṛṣṅa. That is Kṛṣṅa's partial realization. Brahman realization means Kṛṣṅa's partial realization. Kṛṣṅa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, brahmaṅo 'haṁ pratiṣṭhā: "The Brahman, the all-pervading Brahman, impersonal Brahman, is situated in Me." That's a fact. That is also stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā:

yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṅḍa-koṭi- koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam tad brahma niṣkalam anantam aśeṣa-bhūtaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi [Bs 5.40]

[I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose effulgence is the source of the nondifferentiated Brahman mentioned in the Upaniṣads, being differentiated from the infinity of glories of the mundane universe appears as the indivisible, infinite, limitless, truth.]

So those who are practicing this bhakti-yoga, Kṛṣṅa consciousness, their first position is that they are attached to Kṛṣṅa. Mayy āsakta-manāḥ. Āsakti means attachment. We have got to increase our attachment for Kṛṣṅa. There is process, recommended process. If we adopt that process, then naturally we'll become Kṛṣṅa conscious, and gradually we shall understand what is Kṛṣṅa.

Mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. Mad-āśrayaḥ, I explained yesterday, taking shelter unto Him under different rasas or mellows, transcendental mellows. Accept Him as your master. Accept Him as the Supreme. Accept Him as your friend. Accept Him as your son. Accept Him as your lover. In whatever way.

Of course, this eternal relationship is already there. With every living entity there is an eternal relationship with Kṛṣṅa. But we have forgotten that. That is our position. But if we practice this yoga, as Kṛṣṅa recommends, mayy āsakta-manāḥ... If we become attached, then our original relationship will be revealed. That is called svarūpa-siddhi. How we are..., how I am related with Kṛṣṅa, that will be revealed.

I have got a relationship with Kṛṣṅa eternally. Now it is covered. So practice this yoga means reviving our original relationship with Kṛṣṅa. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said,

nitya-siddha kṛṣṅa-prema 'sādhya' kabhu naya śravaṅādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya [Cc Madhya 22.107]

[Pure love for Kṛṣṅa is eternally established in the hearts of the living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source. When the heart is purified by hearing and chanting, this love naturally awakens.]

It is simply awakened. Not that artificially we are imposing some impression to the minds of our students that they are hankering after "Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa." No. It is a process to remove all the dirty things from the heart. Ceto-darpaṅa-mārjanam [Cc Antya 20.12].

[Let there be all victory for the chanting of the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṅa, which can cleanse the mirror of the heart and stop the miseries of the blazing fire of material existence. That chanting is the waxing moon that spreads the white lotus of good fortune for all living entities. It is the life and soul of all education. The chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṅa expands the blissful ocean of transcendental life. It gives a cooling effect to everyone and enables one to taste full nectar at every step.]

And as soon as the heart is cleansed of all dirty things, material contamination, then we can see what is our relationship with Kṛṣṅa.

Therefore, Kṛṣṅa recommends that "Somehow or other, you try to be attached to Me." And the Gosvāmīs also, Rūpa Gosvāmī recommends, yena tena prakāreṅa manaḥ kṛṣṅe niveśayet: "Somehow or other, try to apply your mind in Kṛṣṅa." It is not very difficult. Here is Kṛṣṅa's form, arcā-mūrti. If you constantly see Kṛṣṅa's form, śyāmasundaram acintya-guṅa-svarūpam... Acintya-guṅa-svarūpam. Kṛṣṅa is acintya-guṅa-svarūpam; therefore He is nirguṅa.

Generally, guṅa means these material qualities: sattva-guṅa, rajo-guṅa, tamo-guṅa. But when we speak of nirguṅa, that means we transcend the guṅas of this material world. Guṅamayī mama māyā. We transcend the guṅas or qualities of māyā. That is called nirguṅa. But Kṛṣṅa is acintya-guṅa-svarūpam. Because Kṛṣṅa does not possess these material qualities, therefore it is acintya, inconceivable by us.

But He has that guṅa. He has guṅa. His guṅas are not material qualities. Just like even the leader of the impersonalist school, Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya, he said, nārāyaṅaḥ paraḥ avyaktāt. Nārāyaṅa is transcendental, para. Bhagavad-gītā also, paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyaḥ [Bg 8.20].

So there is another nature, spiritual nature, that is not created. Here in the material world, everything is created. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate [Bg 8.19]. Anything created in this material world, it has got a period, a date, historical date of creation. And again it is annihilated, again it is created. That is the nature of material world. But transcendental to this material sky, there is another sky, which is called paravyoma. That paravyoma is called, in English word, "the kingdom of God." Of course, it is not perfectly expressed, but there is word, paravyoma, or Vaikuṅṭhaloka. That is Kṛṣṅa's dhāma.

So that is existing eternally. So therefore the creative feature of this material world and the spiritual world are different. They are not created. They are existing eternally. So we have to cultivate such knowledge that we can be..., we may be transferred to the spiritual world, because Kṛṣṅa belongs to the spiritual world, acintya-guṅa-svarūpam.

So in order to think of that acintya-guṅa-svarūpam, we have to undergo certain process. Certain process. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.234].

This process is sevonmukhe hi jihvādau. I cannot ask Kṛṣṅa that "Please come before me. I shall see You." And even if He comes, I cannot see Him, because my eyes are not so prepared to see Him. Just like when Kṛṣṅa was present upon this planet, not that everyone understood Kṛṣṅa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Māyāśritānāṁ nara-dārakeṅa. Those who are under the influence of material energy, they thought Kṛṣṅa as ordinary person, nara-dārakeṅa. Kṛṣṅa also says, avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam [Bg 9.11].

[Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be.]

So we want to see Kṛṣṅa, but we have to make our eyes prepared to see Kṛṣṅa. Aprākṛta, transcendental platform. And that transcendental platform is recommended by Kṛṣṅa here in this first verse of Seventh Chapter: mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha.

Now, how to become āsakta, attached to Kṛṣṅa? The first beginning is śravaṅam, to hear about Kṛṣṅa. Just like you are kindly present here and trying to hear about Kṛṣṅa. This is the process. This is the process. Śravaṅaṁ kīrtanam. Caitanya Mahāprabhu also reco... [break] ...process was first stated by Prahlāda Mahārāja. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, we get information:

śravaṅaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṅoḥ smaraṅaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyam ātma-nivedanam [SB 7.5.23]

[Prahlāda Mahārāja said: Hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of Lord Viṣṅu, remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia, offering prayers to the Lord, becoming His servant, considering the Lord one's best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him (in other words, serving Him with the body, mind and words)—these nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service. One who has dedicated his life to the service of Kṛṣṅa through these nine methods should be understood to be the most learned person, for he has acquired complete knowledge.]

This śravaṅaṁ kīrtanam, especially, is very essential for understanding Kṛṣṅa. Our this śravaṅa-kīrtana process, hearing and chanting, is helping us, recruiting members in Kṛṣṅa consciousness all over the world. It is practical.

So there is a formula, I have stated many times, that in order to increase our attachment, our dormant love for Kṛṣṅa... We should always remember that we have got dormant love for Kṛṣṅa, but it is now covered. We have to uncover it by cleansing the dirty things.

That is the method. So for that purpose, ādau śraddhā, that with some faith, with some conviction, you have come here. This is called śraddhā. "Let us see what this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is going on." Out of curiosity or out of faith, somehow or other, with little faith you have come here. This is called śraddhā stage. Ādau śraddhā.

Then if you increase your śraddhā... Suppose this function is going on. If this function continues and if you come continually, then gradually your attachment for Kṛṣṅa will increase. That's a fact. We have seen it in the Western countries. When I began this movement, I never said that "Only such-and-such persons will be admitted." No. There was no such restriction.

Anyone could enter in our meeting room. And they, simply they were given chance for hearing. So gradually, they developed, they awakened their Kṛṣṅa consciousness, and now you see how they are chanting and dancing in ecstasy. It is possible for everyone. It is possible for you also. That is mayy āsakta-manāḥ, always thinking of Kṛṣṅa. This is a particular type of yoga which is called bhakti-yoga.

So Caitanya Mahāprabhu also says the same thing. Because sādhu, śāstra, guru, they will say the same thing. And we have to make it confirmed in three ways. What we hear from the sādhus, we shall have to consult whether these things are spoken in the śāstra. And whether the statements of śāstras are confirmed by guru, by the direct spiritual master. Sādhu-guru-śāstra-vākya tinete kariyā aikya. A sādhu will speak nothing which is not stated in the śāstra. A guru will state nothing which is not stated in the śāstra.

So in this way Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that,

ei rūpe brahmāṅḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva guru-kṛṣṅa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja [Cc Madhya 19.151]

[According to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going down into the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Kṛṣṅa. By the mercy of both Kṛṣṅa and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service.]

The śravaṅa-kīrtana is the beginning of Kṛṣṅa conscious life. One who is very fortunate, he's in meeting, he meets somebody who is a pure devotee and accepts him as his spiritual master. Therefore here it is stated..., it is stated, mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. One has to take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master. Mayy āsakta... Mad-āśrayaḥ.

Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, āśraya loiyā bhaje kṛṣṅa tāre nāhi tyaje āra saba more akaraṅa [Song 43—Vaiṣṅava-mahimā]. And he says that one who takes the shelter of a bona fide spriritual master—a spiritual master is always bona fide—and if he cultivates this Kṛṣṅa consciousness under the direction of a spiritual master, āśraya loiyā bhaje kṛṣṅa tāre nāhi tyaje, Kṛṣṅa does not reject him. Kṛṣṅa accepts him.

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says, yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasyā prasādān na gatiḥ kuto 'pi. That, Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says, that "If you can please your spiritual master, then Kṛṣṅa is automatically pleased. And if you cannot please your spiritual master, then there is no way to understand Kṛṣṅa."

So therefore Kṛṣṅa says particularly here, mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan... We have to execute the Kṛṣṅa consciousness yoga system under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master. Mad-āśrayaḥ. Then asaṁśaya, without any doubt; samagram, in fullness. In fullness means brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti [SB 1.2.11].

Kṛṣṅa is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha [Bs 5.1].

[Kṛṣṅa who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes.]

Brahman is sad-aṁśa, the part which is eternal; and Paramātmā is cid-aṁśa; and Bhagavān is ānanda-aṁśa. Bhagavān is full, sac-cid-ānanda. And we are all seeking after ānanda. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt [Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12]. The Vedānta says that a living entity, or Kṛṣṅa... Any living entity...

Kṛṣṅa is also the supreme living entity, and we are small living entities. So every one of us are seeking after ānanda, transcendental bliss. So when we join together, the living entities and the Supreme Lord, that becomes ānanda, rāsa-līlā. That is wanted. That we are seeking.

But we are seeking in a different way in the material world. That is not possible. Kṛṣṅa therefore says, mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī also, in his Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, he says, ādau gurvāśrayam. "If one is interested in Kṛṣṅa consciousness, or God consciousness, he must approach a spiritual master." Kṛṣṅa also says, mad-āśrayaḥ. Tad viddhi praṅipātena paripraśnena sevayā [Bg 4.34].

[Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.]

These are all Vedic injunctions. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet [Muṅḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.12].

[To understand these things properly, one must humbly approach, with firewood in hand, a spiritual master who is learned in the Vedas and firmly devoted to the Absolute Truth.]

So if we take this process... And the beginning of the process is hearing, śravaṅaṁ. Kīrtanam. When there is kīrtana there is śravaṅa. Unless there is kīrtana, where is the opportunity of hearing? So śravaṅaṁ kīrtanam. Or one who has heard very nicely, perfectly, he can chant also nicely, perfectly, or describe the glories of the Lord. Kīrtana does not mean that with musical sound we chant and dance.

Kīrtana means describing about the glories of the Lord, kīrtanam. Just like Mahārāja Parīkṣit and Śukadeva Goswāmī. Śukadeva Goswāmī was chanting. He was describing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And Mahārāja Parīkṣit was hearing. This is śravaṅaṁ kīrtanam. And śravaṅaṁ kīrtanam about whom? Viṣṅu, not others. Śravaṅaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṅoḥ. Harer nāma. The śāstra says, harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam [Cc Ādi 17.21].

[In this Age of Kali there is no other means, no other means, no other means for self-realization than chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name of Lord Hari.]

Of course, Hari, or Kṛṣṅa, or Viṣṅu, has got many thousands of names. Any name will be profitable. That doesn't matter. But because we have to follow the footsteps of great personalities, great devotees, therefore, as we are following the footsteps of Lord Caitanya, He chanted the Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra: Hare Kṛṣṅa, Hare Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa Kṛṣṅa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

So by this chanting, immediately, as soon as the chanting is offenseless, immediately we shall remember Kṛṣṅa. Mayy āsakta-manāḥ. It is so easy. You chant. There is no expenditure; there is no loss. But the gain is very great. You can gradually become attached to Kṛṣṅa.

So if we chant and hear, śravaṅaṁ kīrtanam, this is the first stage of sādhu-saṅgaḥ. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ [Cc Madhya 23.14-15].

[In the beginning there must be faith. Then one becomes interested in associating with pure devotees. Thereafter one is initiated by the spiritual master and executes the regulative principles under his orders. Thus one is freed from all unwanted habits and becomes firmly fixed in devotional service. Thereafter, one develops taste and attachment. This is the way of sādhana-bhakti, the execution of devotional service according to the regulative principles. Gradually emotions intensify, and finally there is an awakening of love. This is the gradual development of love of Godhead for the devotee interested in Kṛṣṅa consciousness.]

Or this can be taken as bhajana-kriyā. And as soon as it is perfectly done, this chanting process, Hare Kṛṣṅa, Hare Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa Kṛṣṅa, Hare Hare, bhajana-kriyā, then anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt, all unwanted things are rejected. Anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt.

Just like these boys and girls, Europeans and Americans, they had many anarthas. We have forbidden them. They have forsaken altogether. Take, for example, drinking of intoxicants. They were trained up for drinking from the childhood. They were trained up for meat-eating from childhood.

[break] This is called anartha-nivṛtti. Nobody is dying without drinking. Nobody is dying without meat-eating. But we have made a habit of eating such things.

Similarly, we can give it up also. That is possible when there is right bhajana-kriyā. In this way, when anartha-nivṛtti is finished, perfect, then he becomes firmly stuck up in Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Tato niṣṭhā tato ruciḥ. Then taste. The taste is so nice that one cannot give up Kṛṣṅa consciousness. One cannot give up chanting of Hare Kṛṣṅa. It increases the transcendental taste. And after taste, there is āsakti.

Kṛṣṅa is speaking from that stage here. Mayy āsakta-manāḥ, āsakti, attachment. When there is attachment of Kṛṣṅa, that is the almost final stage of your perfectional life.

mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi [tac chṛṅu] [Bg 7.1]

"You will understand Me. If you follow this principle, then," Kṛṣṅa says to Arjuna, or anyone follows this principle, then "without any doubt one should understand Kṛṣṅa in fullness." Samagram.

So Kṛṣṅa is recommending, next,

jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānam idaṁ vakṣyāmy aśeṣataḥ yaj jñātvā neha bhūyo 'nyaj jñātavyam avaśiṣyate [Bg 7.2]

This devotional service, or the understanding of Kṛṣṅa, is jñānam. First of all, we have to understand. Kṛṣṅa will explain how Kṛṣṅa is present before you in different features. Just like originally He is present before us as impersonal Brahman, localized Paramātmā and personally also, Supreme Personality of Godhead. They are all the same. There is no difference, Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān. There is no difference. The same thing, but it is realized under different angle of vision.

Those who are trying to approach Kṛṣṅa by philosophical speculation, by theosophical understanding, they go up to the impersonal feature of Kṛṣṅa, brahma-jñāna. And those who are trying to understand Kṛṣṅa as the localized Supreme Soul within one's heart... Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ [SB 12.13.1].

[Sūta Gosvāmī said: Unto that personality whom Brahmā, Varuṅa, Indra, Rudra and the Maruts praise by chanting transcendental hymns and reciting the Vedas with all their corollaries, pada-kramas and Upaniṣads, to whom the chanters of the Sāma Veda always sing, whom the perfected yogīs see within their minds after fixing themselves in trance and becoming fully absorbed in thoughts of Him, and whose limit can never be found by any demigod or demon—unto that Supreme Personality of Godhead I offer my humble obeisances.]

The yogīs, they are trying to find out Kṛṣṅa within his heart by meditation.

So these are the different features of Kṛṣṅa knowledge. Brahmeti bhagavān iti... Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate [SB 1.2.11]. The Absolute Truth is one, but one who is trying to understand Him by the dint of his personal knowledge, he approaches up to impersonal Brahman; one who is trying to understand Him as the localized Paramātmā feature, by the yogīs, He is known to them as Paramātmā, or Antaryāmī; but those who are in direct contact with Kṛṣṅa, they are realizing as the most lovable object, the most beautiful personality, most opulent personality, Kṛṣṅa. But the object is the same.

The example is generally given: just like the sunshine, the sun globe and the sun-god. The sunshine is all-pervading, all over the universe, and the sun globe is localized. But within the sun globe there is a person who is called Sūrya-nārāyaṅa, or the sun-god. These are facts. Don't think that there is no living entity in the sun planet. There is. Their body is fiery body. That's all. Just like our body in this planet is earthly body, their body is fiery. Out of the five elements, the fire element is very prominent in the sun planet. But there are living entities.

Otherwise, how Kṛṣṅa says, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam [Bg 4.1]:

[The Blessed Lord said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvān, and Vivasvān instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Ikṣvāku.]

"First of all, I said this philosophy of Kṛṣṅa consciousness to the sun-god"? If there is no living entity, how Kṛṣṅa says there is a sun-god? And if we are to believe Kṛṣṅa and the Bhagavad-gītā, we have to accept it that the sun globe is not without living entities. It is also the same, just like we have got hundreds and thousands, millions of living entities here.

So in this way, we have to acquire the knowledge of Kṛṣṅa. That is brahma-jñāna, paramātma-jñāna and bhagavat-tattva-jñāna. And when we realize... Not only hear theoretically, jñānam... That is... Theoretical knowledge is jñānam. But sa-vijñānam, when we actually perceive, when we actually understand what is the position of Brahman, what is the position of Paramātmā and what is the position of the Personality of Godhead, that is called vijñānam. Jñānaṁ sa-vijñānam. Jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānam idaṁ vakṣyāmy aśeṣataḥ [Bg 7.2]. Aśeṣataḥ, descriptive, not summarized.

So yaj jñātvā, "If you can understand this knowledge, then," yad jñātvā na iha bhūyaḥ anyaj jñātavyam avaśiṣyate, "then you will finish your all knowledge." Yasmin vijñāte sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati [Muṅḍaka Upaniṣad 1.3].

[If one can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the controller of all controllers, one can understand everything else.]

The Vedic injunction is that. If you understand Kṛṣṅa, then all knowledge becomes revealed to you. Yasmin vijñāte sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati. That is stated here. Yaj jñātvā neha bhūyaḥ anyaj jñātavyam avaśiṣyate.

Then it is very nice to understand Kṛṣṅa. If by understanding Kṛṣṅa... One may say, "Oh, I have understood Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa was born at Mathurā as the son of Vasudeva and Devakī, and then He went to Vṛndāvana. And He became a friend of the cowherd girls or the boys, and He was playing there. So I have understood Kṛṣṅa." Anyone can say like that. But Kṛṣṅa says that "I am not so easily understood." Kṛṣṅa says that it is not so easy.

Therefore those who try to understand Kṛṣṅa very easily, they are sahajiyās. And if one understands Kṛṣṅa very easily, then he derides at Him. Just like generally, people remark against Kṛṣṅa, "Oh, He was so, I mean to say, characterless, that He, I mean to say, mixing with the cowherd girls. So many. He married 16,000 wives." In this way, there are so many remarks, as if they have understood Kṛṣṅa.

But Kṛṣṅa says that "I am not so easily understood." Of course, if anyone understands Kṛṣṅa, then his life becomes successful. Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ [Bg 4.9].

[One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.]

Anyone who understands Kṛṣṅa, then he becomes immediately a liberated person. Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ. But one must understand in truth what is Kṛṣṅa. Tattvataḥ.

So anyone who understands Kṛṣṅa in truth... What becomes? Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti [Bg 4.9]: then such person, after quitting this material body, he never comes back again in this material world. Punar janma. Here in this material world, the trouble is that we have to accept one type of body and again give it up and again accept another type of body, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate [Bg 8.19].

Yāvaj jananaṁ tāvan maraṅam. This business is very troublesome. We do not understand. We forget. Under the influence of māyā, we forget what is the trouble of taking birth, what is the trouble of death, what is the trouble of old age and what is the trouble of disease.

Therefore Kṛṣṅa says that "Anyone who can understand Me, about Me." Not "about Me," but "about Me." We can understand Kṛṣṅa by His activities, something about Him. Otherwise, He has immense potencies. It is impossible for us to understand. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate [Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8].

[The Supreme Lord has nothing to do. Nothing is equal to Him or greater than Him. He acts in different phases by manifesting His parts and parcels, which are all simultaneously differently situated by His unlimited, variegated potencies. Each potency acts quite naturally in sequences, providing Him full knowledge, power and pastimes.]

There is unlimited energies of Kṛṣṅa; therefore He is called acintya-śakti. Acintya-guṅa.

Acintya-śakti, "which is inconceivable." But anyone, if he somehow or other, according to his capacity, tries to understand in truth, then he becomes immediately liberated so that after quitting this body, he doesn't have to come again in this material world. Then where does he go? Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti [Bg 4.9]: "He comes to Me."

[One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.]

Therefore Kṛṣṅa knowledge is so perfect. And if we take the real process, śravaṅaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṅoḥ smaraṅaṁ pāda-sevanam [SB 7.5.23],

the devotional service... Because Kṛṣṅa says, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ [Bg 18.55].

[One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.]

Here... In the Fourth Chapter, He says that yo jānāti māṁ tattvataḥ. Now here, in the Seventh Chapter also, Kṛṣṅa says again: tattvataḥ. The tattvataḥ word is very much used about understanding Kṛṣṅa. Not superficially, but in truth one has to understand.

But that is very difficult. That Kṛṣṅa says here: manuṣyāṅāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye [Bg 7.3].

[Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.]

This is the business of this human form of life, to... This is a chance to make our life successful, siddhaye. Siddhaye means to become successful. And what is that success? That success...

Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti [Bg 4.9], that is success. Not that I earn millions of dollars and amass in the bank, and I think I am successful, but I do not know what is my next life, where will be my..., this amassing of bank balance, my skyscraper building. I will have to accept another body, unwilling, although I have created that body.

Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṅāni guṅaiḥ karmāṅi sarvaśaḥ [Bg 3.27]: as I have associated with the three guṅas.

[The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature.]

Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ. If I associated with the sattva-guṅa, then I will be promoted to the higher planetary systems. Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthā madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ [Bg 14.18].

[Those situated in the mode of goodness gradually go upward to the higher planets; those in the mode of passion live on the earthly planets; and those in the mode of ignorance go down to the hellish worlds.]

If I have associated with rajo-guṅa, then I shall remain in this planet, middle planetary system. And jaghanya-guṅa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ: and if we have associated with the tamo-guṅa, the quality of darkness, ignorance, then I will be gliding down to the animal life.

These things are stated. We have to understand through śāstra. We cannot see our past, present and future, but if we see through the śāstras... Śāstra-cakṣusā: "You should try to see from the śāstra." Actually, we understand everything through śāstra, not directly. Just like we understand in modern science from the newspaper that somebody is trying to go to the moon planet. I do not go personally to the moon planet, but I accept the newspaper.

Similarly, we have to accept śāstra, how things are going on beyond our experience. Without that, we cannot have knowledge. That is called Vedic process. Śruti-jñānam. Śruti means hearing from authorities. That is real knowledge. Śrotra-panthā. It is called śrotra-panthā.

So how we can understand Kṛṣṅa, how we can fulfill our mission of life, how we can become liberated, all these things are stated in this Bhagavad-gītā. And if you try to understand as Kṛṣṅa is speaking or try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is, without any malinterpretation, then your life is successful.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṅa. [applause] [end]

Bhagavad-gītā 7.1–2

Referenced verses