Bhagavad-gita 8.15
Bhakti Vijnana Goswami · Dubai · 2007
Chapters
Reading Bhagavad-gita verse eight fifteen
Napnu Vandi Mahadmana Samsid Paramankata Samsid Paramankha Mam Mi Upityam achieving Puna Punam Again Again Janma Janma Birth Dukkalayam Place of miseries Asashvatam Asas Temporary No Never Apnuti Attain Mahatmanaha the Great Souls Samsidim Perfection Paramam Param Ultimate Param Gataha Having Achieved Translation
After attaining to me the great souls or yogis in devotion, never return to this temporary world which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection.
Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Since this temporary material world is full of miseries of birth, old age, disease and death.
Naturally, he who achieves the highest perfection and attains the supreme planet, Krishna Loka, Galokavrindavana, does not wish to return.
The Supreme Planet is described in Vedic literature as Adyakta and Akshara and Paramagati.
In other words, the planet is beyond our material vision and it is inexplicable, but it is the highest goal, the destination of the Mahatmas great souls.
The Mahatmas received transcendental messages from the realized devotees and thus gradually develop devotional service in Krishna consciousness and become so absorbed in the transcendental service that they no longer desire elevation to any of material planets.
Nor do they even want to be transferred to any spiritual planet. They only want Krishna and Krishna's association and nothing else. That is the highest perfection of life.
This verse specifically mentions that the person who is devotees of the Supreme Lord, Krishna. Specifically mentions the personalist devotee of the Supreme Lord Krishna.
These devotees in Krishna consciousness achieve the highest perfection of life. In other words, they supreme souls.
So here Srila Prabhupada explains that in the spiritual world or even in the spiritual plan there is no democracy. There are supreme souls and there are inferior souls. Mahatmas.
Introduction to Bhagavad-gita Chapter Eight
Okay.
Namam Vishnu Padaya Krishna Prashta Gutalesrimati Bhaktividanta Swami Nitinami Namaste Saraswati Devi Goravani Prachary, Nevi Shay Sasunavadi Paschatadeshari, Manchat Kaupataru Deshakri Pasindhu Deva Chapati Mamanabyovish Nare Namorama Jai Sri Krishna Chaitanya Prabhunita Nanda Syadvaita Badatara Sivasa de Gora Bhakta Brinda Hare Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Rama Rama Rama Rama Ramay A Krishna Bisna Kisna Hare Rama Rama Rama Vajambam bitapujokana bavada sankirtanaika bitarokama taksa Mamma Peky Punjama Dukalaya Maswadam Nakuandi Mahapma Sam Shidim Paramam Gati Badaha.
After attaining me, the great souls who are yogis in devotion never return to this temporary world which is full of miseries. Because they have attained the highest perfection.
So as I said in this chapter, Prabhupada calls attaining the Supreme. And therefore it's very important. Because it specifically teaching us how to attain the Supreme. What is the means?
What is the way to come closer to the Supreme? But this chapter is basically the answer to Arjuna's question at the beginning of this chapter.
The seventh chapter Krishna finishes in a very enigmatic way, in a very mysterious way.
All of a sudden, he introduces so many different philosophical terms: karma and adhyatma and adhaiva and adhibutta and adhya. All of a sudden he starts speaking and you know shooting these philosophical terms.
Hoping that Arjuna will ask what is this? Because he never mentioned it before. And sure enough, Arjuna being a good student.
He asked in the beginning of the eighth chapter, please explain to me what is this all the storms, karma, deva, brahma, akshara, and yagya.
And then at the end, also at the end of the seventh chapter, Krishna says, if you know this, if you understand this, you will be able to remember me at the moment of death. So this is mystery in itself. Why?
Why Krishna all of a sudden does it?
Philosophical framework for remembering Krishna
And how it relates to the rest of Bhagavad-gītā. So basically, what Krishna wants us to do, and what he wants Arjuna to do. First of all, he wants us to understand the philosophy.
The seven terms which Krishna introduces. It's a framework of philosophy. Which we need to understand to get the question, to the answer to the last question of Arjuna, how to remember you at the moment of death.
For Arjuna it's very important. Because Arjuna is about to die. He knows. Death may come any moment. That's it, finished. He's on the battlefield. We think we we still have a few years to live. But that's a big illusion.
Because nobody knows how much he has. You may have only a few minutes to live. So basically Arjuna asks a practical question. Very, very practical question.
But also, Krishna wants to introduce us to us this practice of how to remember him at the moment of death by giving us the broader picture of philosophy because unless you understand the philosophy, unless you have the proper framework in your mind, proper understanding of proper meditation, you will not be able to practice it.
So the first point, the first very important lesson of this chapter is that we have to have general kind of understanding on philosophy of philosophy, only then our practice will be efficient.
Otherwise, we may practice and practice and practice and practice and practice and get tired and give up the practice because we never understood how to do it properly.
So Krishna first wants and he answers the theoretical questions of Arjuna in a very short way, in a very mysterious way, too. Basically, to push him to understand it himself.
He wants us to meditate on these basic philosophical points. What is Adi Daiva? What is Adiatma? What is Adi Buddha? How life is composed? What we are in relationship to this world and in relationship to God.
Basically when Krishna explains this, he explains what is Brahman, what is Akshara, what is karma, what is Adyatma, Adi Buddha, Adi Daiva, Adi Yajya. He explains everything. But to understand this, you have to think.
It's not that somebody should really chew it and chew it and chew it and you just swallow it. Sometimes Śrīla Prabhupāda does it. He chews and chews it and we and we sleep. We don't understand this.
We have to apply our mind and our intelligence to understand what is my relationship as a living spiritual being, as a living spark with this world, with this creation, and what is ultimately my relationship with God?
Only then our practice will be efficient. And then the rest of the chapter, he answers the last question of Arjuna. And I will not touch this.
This is what is called sambandhaun, and that's very important and big topic to understand who you are and what is your relationship with God, what is your relationship with matter.
Purpose and power of constant remembrance
I will not touch this because I am more interested in touching this the rest of the chapter. Krishna explains the practice. So our practice should be based very firmly on a proper philosophical understanding.
Then only our practice will be efficient. And then when Krishna starts speaking about practice, he explains as I said how to remember Krishna or technique of smaraṇa. Because what is remembering?
Remembering is a special way of tuning your consciousness. Krishna says, now I will teach you how to remember about God all the time. And first he explains why. Why you need to remember about God.
He says, because if you remember about God, it's good for you. You should remember about God all the time, because any time you may die, and then at the time of death you will remember about God, and then that's it.
You're saved. He says, whatever you remember at the moment of death, you will become this. And usually you don't remember anything good at the moment of death.
In the best case, you remember all your unfulfilled desires and plans. So Krishna says, okay, next life for him. He wants to fulfill this foolish desire and this foolish plan. Okay, well, if he wants it, fine.
Usually that's what people remember at the time of death, they're so desperate, you know, I want to fulfill this because they still have the hope. Little hope that I fulfill my foolish plans, I will become happy.
They're dying. All their plans, which they already fulfilled, didn't make them happy, but they say, no, let me do it. Kṛṣṇa says, try it, try it, no problem. You still have a lot of time to do it.
We're not ali life and another life and another life. So usually people don't remember anything good at the moment of death.
But Krishna also explains that you can only remember at the moment of death what you have been trying to remember when you were living.
Sadātatta-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ, he says, this bhāva or this mood which you kept constantly while you were living, uh, you will more or less be in the same mood. It's not that all of a sudden miracle will happen.
You know, sometimes people think, you know, oh this is good, you know, I can just remember about Krishna at the moment of death, I will just remember him.
I will do some nonsense and at the moment of death I will remember Krishna and that's it, you know. I will have best of the two worlds. I will have one nonsense here and then I will have Krishna in my next life.
No, it doesn't work. Kṛṣṇa says, sadātatta-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ, only this mood which you have been cultivating throughout your life. Only this will come to you at the moment of death.
Story of a drunkard saved by Keśava
And again it's very important to remember Krishna because when you remember about Krishna, you're more or less safe because all your sins are eradicated immediately.
I have a very interesting experience in this regard to tell. You know, people when they have near death experience, they usually explain that when they're dying, they see their whole life.
It's often the case when they die, they see the whole life as a movie. And it's a very fast movie. And all of a sudden you remember everything which you have forgotten.
Usually we very conveniently forget all the bad things which we do.
Otherwise, it's a big burden for us to remember all these sins which we, but at the moment of death, somehow or other, very mind a voice tells you: "Well, you're not as good as you think you are. Because you did this and this and this.
So there is a very interesting story, real story from the real life, about one man who was about to die. How he was saved by remembrance of Krishna at the very last moment. He told me personally.
This man, I mean, he told me the story when it just happened. And I saw him. He didn't lie. It was real. You should have seen him in this moment. He was really disturbed. He told me the story.
He said, I'm a drunkard, which is not unusual in Russia. Most of the people in Russia are drunkards. But he was a special drunkard. He was an artist. Artists when they become drunkards, they really become drunkards.
Because they have very fertile brain, whatever. Anyway, he was a he was really hopeless drunkard. Quite a low-class man. And he said at one point I was so drunk. I went completely, you know, I don't know where I was.
And at one point I just realized that I am dying. And not only did I realize that I am dying, I had a very vivid proof that I am dying.
Because all of a sudden I heard a voice, and this voice, very nasty voice, started listing all my sins. You know, he did this and this and this. And after that he did this and this and this. And it was a long list.
And he said I was so scared. Because I knew that this man, this guy knows everything about me. He said the most part of this I have already forgotten, but he remembered about he was right up to the smallest detail.
He was giving the long list of all his misbehavior and misdeeds and everything. And the more he he said that he was he was explaining this or listing to it with such a gusto.
He was really happy about and the more he was speaking, the more scared I was. He told me, and I was really scared. My first desire he said I wanted to run. But I couldn't run. I was I felt that that's it.
And then there was some other voice. This other voice was a good guy, and he was trying to defend him. He said after all he did this good and this good and this good. But unfortunately the list was much shorter.
They didn't have much to say in his defense, you know. So there was kind of argument going on and he was a witness of this argument. He he knew that his fate is being decided now. And he knew that that's it.
This is the moment of death my fate is being decided now and it's not going to be very good because this other guy knows more than this. So he said that something strange that happened at this moment.
Just few days before this experience, he met a devotee on the street. And devotee gave him a book, Ishavanish.
And Russian edition of Íśāvaniṣad and there is the beautiful picture of Lord Keśava, Lord Vishnu playing on Anandadev. Very beautiful, Jadirani's painting. So beautiful.
And because he was an artist, he appreciated the beauty of the world. He just saw this little picture and he was really, really impressed.
He was trying to read the book but he couldn't understand anything because there was some strange letters there which he couldn't figure out.
He didn't train much, you know he basically closed the book from the first page. But this picture which he saw, the image of the Lord, was there in his consciousness.
It was very strong impression upon his consciousness and it left some some scar. Some remembering was there.
He said, all of a sudden, during this mess, during this judgment which was going on, all of a sudden he saw the picture which he saw in this book. And he said, it was not the picture. He was alive, he said.
It was the same person but he was alive. He was he was greedy, you know, you should have seen him at this moment. His his hairs were standing on that. Really.
And he said, I saw this this on this on this snake and the snake was alive. And the snake was breathing the fire. And this, she said, this this lady, because he thought it was a woman, this lady smiled at me.
And when she smiled at me, everything disappeared and I found that I'm still alive. He said this was a happy end. He became a devotee after this.
He said that this see this is the power. This is the power of Krishna consciousness. He just had very short encounter with Krishna consciousness through the media of Prabhupada's books. He saw it.
And Krishna mercifully came to him at the moment of death. He said he smiled at me and you know all these other guys they flee away. He was given second chance, basically.
He said that after that three three nights I didn't sleep because I was trying to find you guys who gave me the book. I was searching everywhere. He came at four o'clock in the morning, he said I was searching everywhere.
Finally I found you because he said you know you saved me he knew it very well so Krishna speaks about this
in the same chapter because he says that you know if you remember me at the moment of death, but he gives a very strong condition to this.
Sadā-tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ, you can remember me in the moment of death only if you were trying to remember me. Not just, you know miraculously.
This story which I told you, there is some miraculous kind of thing, but still he was not saved in the proper sense, because Krishna gave him chance. Krishna told him, now you have to decide. I gave you this experience.
You know what is awaiting for you. But now you have to decide yourself. So he made he for some time he was changing, he was devoted, then he became drunkard again. He died, I don't know what happened with him.
Remembering Krishna while fulfilling daily duties
That's his story. It's real story. But Krishna explains this and he says that you should remember me all the time. Mama Nusmara Yudhyacha, you should fight yudhyacha, you should do your work.
In other words, Krishna says that remembering me doesn't mean that you have to become a monk, that you have to give up everything, that you have to become yogi, go to Himalayas. You still can be in Dubai, no problem. But you can find. But you have to do it by remembering me.
Mām anusmara yudhyasva. And not just remembering me. He said, he said, anusmara. Anusmara means constantly remember. Anusmara means continuously, without any break. So now the question naturally arises, how can I do this?
I have to go to the job and I have to work till, you know, eight o'clock in the evening and then maybe there is some satsang and you know, hopefully I will be reminded about God. But what about the rest of my life?
How can I do it? How can I do it? So Krishna starts explaining this, and this, this is my main kind of message which is very interesting about this chapter.
He first explains the technique of meditation because usually when people are taught about remembering, this is meditation.
And they say, you know, this is usually when you go to some guru or some you know new age person or whatever, they will teach you little technique of meditation.
They will tell you, you know, you put your leg here, you you, you sit in the lotus position, you know, first of all, and then you do some little prāṇāyāma, and then you just put your mind outside. This is little technique I can teach you.
I can also become an esoteric new age guru. Because usually what they teach is this is very childish. That's actually not my conclusion, that's Krishnamurti's conclusion.
So they will tell you, you know, fifteen minutes of meditation a day and then okay, no problem. Fifteen minutes. You know.
You just sit, you put your back straight, you concentrate your mind somewhere here, you know, and then you just just you just close your eyes and you see how the thoughts are flowing through you, and you try to watch and absorb these thoughts.
Because usually when we have these thoughts, we don't watch them, we don't absorb them. We think that's me. You know, some crazy thought is coming to my mind. I think, oh really, this is really far out. That's me.
I should do it. So meditation means you don't have to do it immediately. Just think about it first. Meditation, how they teach, they say, you know, just put it aside. As if it's a book.
Just imagine that your mind is a book and you're reading this book. You know, just you know, something is coming to your mind, and you're reading this and you're reading this.
And ultimately, you have to understand that it has nothing to do with you. And Krishna is teaching this, he says that there is a technique which I will teach you.
He says you have to remember me, aditya-varṇaṁ tamasaḥ parastāt. He gives this verse from Kaṭha Upaniṣad. He actually quotes Kaṭha Upaniṣad. And he says, this is the technique of meditation which yogis do.
They meditate upon the super soul within the heart, and he explains what is the super soul within the heart. He describes it. He gives a very beautiful description by quoting Kaṭha Upaniṣad, saying
that the super soul was in the heart, is bright like a sun. Aditya-varṇaṁ tamasaḥ parastāt. And uh it's very small, it's entering every atom, and it's very big also, it's aṇorīyān mahato mahīyān,
it's smaller than the smallest thing in this world. Krishna is so small, as once Viṣṇujana Swami said that Krishna is so small that he can enter the the atom and then walk within the sun for seven days and didn't reach
the border of the sun. So small he is. Krishna can become smaller than the smallest because atom is the smallest thing in this world.
Atom not in the physical sense, not in the sense of modern science, but in the proper sense of the word. Atom is the smallest. So Krishna enters every atom as the smaller part of it, keeping everything together.
And aṇorīyān mahato mahīyān, at the same time, he's bigger than the biggest. You know, God, at the same time, simultaneously smaller than the smallest and the bigger than the biggest. How he can be, don't ask me, he is God.
He can do it. That's the definition of God. He's smaller than the smallest, bigger than the biggest. He can enter everything, and at the same time he can enter your heart. And he does enter your heart.
He is within your heart. And he is bright as the sun. So this is the description Krishna says. You know, this is the topic for your meditation. This is the image which you said should imagine.
You know, you should really concentrate your mind on this image, quite contradictory image which he describes in the H chapter. And then he explains, you know, how you do it. What you should do to meditate.
He says, you just you just sit again straight, he teaches all this technique. He said, you put your eyes at the tip of your nose. And I think when he speaks about this, he kind of smiles. Because it's a very ridiculous No,
you have to have your eyes half closed and you have to really, you know, try to see the tip of your nose. Which is very it's possible, you know, especially if you put it a little it is difficult.
He says you you put your attention on the tip of your nose, you concentrate your mind between your eyebrows. He says Bruvault Mandier, he says, in the middle of your eyebrows
you really have to concentrate because in the middle of your eyebrows is a natural seat of your mind. Your mind is sitting there. Normally it doesn't sit there, it's it walks everywhere it's normal the situation is here.
So he says you really have to understand where is the seat of your mind. You really have to concentrate on this eyebrow and he said, you know, he he explains all this in in great detail he explains this.
Not for us to follow. It's a very interesting point, because not everything that Krishna speaks in Bhagavad-gītā is for us to follow. Gita is for us to follow.
Sometimes people quote Bhagavad Gita very freely, you know, very conveniently. Whatever they want to prove they prove from Bhagavad Gita.
You know, like in the in the first chapter, Arjuna says, kuladharma-sanātanam, there is a you know eternal religion of my cool, of my family.
And sometimes people say, this is in Bhagavad-gītā, kula-dharma-sanātana, this is my kula-dharma. But even what Krishna says, not everything which he says has to be taken in a face value.
He teaches all this technique not to tell us to do it. On the contrary, he teaches all this technique to tell us not to do it.
Because what he is speaking, what he' exsplaining, why he's explaining all these techniques of yoga, he explains that some people like it. And some people will do it.
Why people really go to all these gurus and everything who explain very simple things in a very complicated manner because you know because people have ego.
And when you have ego, complicated thing becomes easier for you than the simple thing. Because if something is complicated, you feel good, your ego feels good.
You know it's so complicated and I am doing this complicated and I'm so yoga is entirely based on this ego trip. The whole yoga is about ego.
Because you know, in yoga, you know, you really you really feel good about yourself because you are on your own. The whole idea behind yoga is to teach you how to depend on you.
We will give you the technique which will make you perfect, and you will become perfect, and you will attain this Siddhi and that Siddhi. Siddhi means perfection.
You know, and people they they they practice yoga but they remain egoistic selfish. Because there is a very great kind of selfishness behind it and therefore it's so difficult and because uh you know you feel
that I am the doer. Normally, for example when, you breathe, are you proud about it? No, nobody is proud that he is breathing, you know, nobody notices it. I'm just breathing. Yogis are very proud about their breathing.
Because they become the doers of their breathing. They are not the doers of our breathing, it's it's going on on its own accord.
The yogis, they just, even out of breathing, make a big thing. It's called prāṇāyāma. They can't do it in a normal way. They have to do it in a very really, you know, upside down, bent really, being backwards, bent over.
It's it's Krishna's technique. It's good. It's I I don't deny it. It's a very good technique because it calms down your mind and everything. But uh what it doesn't do, it does not undermine your ego.
Your ego only becomes bigger because of your yoga's so-called achievement. But please look at the so-called achievement from Krishna's point of view. Let's say you can put this leg under this ear.
You know, I recently saw some film of Iyengar. You know, he's a famous yoga teacher. He does unbelievable things.
You know, you look at him and you really think, you know, how he does it, and you really become envious of him. You know, I can put this this leg under this.
And immediately you develop a very strong desire that you also want to put this leg under this leg. but from from Krishna's point of view, what is the value of this?
Krishna is not impressed by it, not it's nothing really impressive for him.
It may be impressive if you have material body. Material body is so clumsy, and if you manage to, you know, to do this, this may be impressive, but Krishna is not impressed by this.
And basically, when Krishna explains this, all these kinds of yoga techniques, it's for complicated people who are proud of themselves.
Sometimes this is the problem and big impediment when people read Bhagavad-gītā, they say it's too easy. You know, especially Prabhupāda says it's too easy, too easy.
You know, and when you tell them chant Hare Krishna, they say only Hare Krishna, maybe I chant something else.
I need to learn some kavacha, some diṁsīgha kavacha or you know Nārāyaṇa kavacha. This Hare Krishna is only three words. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna. I need something more complicated. Again, because of the ego.
And Krishna he explains this very diligently. He says ultimately when you sit properly and then you do it, when you concentrate
your mind, when you breathe properly, then you chant Om. And this is actually what he wants us to do. He wants us to chant. He very kind of in a roundabout way explains that ultimately you should chant.
And he says, now when you sit, when you're so proud about yourself, now ultimately chant Om. And chanting basically means surrendering to a certain extent.
By the way, when they chant Om they put this you know jñāna mudrā, it's called jñāna mudrā, this famous mudra when they sit like this. Jñāna mudrā is very simple. This is God. This big finger represents God.
And this finger is called cursing people. That's why we're not touching the beats with this finger. Because some people they chant and curse at the same time. Because it's kind of convenient, you know.
And this middle finger is you. It's your ego. It's the biggest, right? It's the central point, I think. This is you. So jñāna mudrā, jñāna means what? What do you do with this finger? Bowing down. Yeah? You bow down. To whom?
To God. You surrender. This is the symbol of surrender. This is what gyan means. Yang means that now you're so you know so big. But despite being so big, you still bow down to the Lord.
So anyway, when Krishna says this, he says, you chant om and this is what he wants us to do.
Aligning human will with Krishna's desire
But then after saying this, he speaks the previous verse, which is the most important verse of this chapter. And then you chant asatatam yam smarati mam What is this? What the hell is that? Nitya-yuktasya yoginaḥ.
He says, Anany-cintayanto mam ye janah paryupasate tesam nityabhiyuktanam yogakshemam vahamy aham. parta. He says, this is an easy thing, sulabha.
Anany-cintayanto mam ye janah paryupasate tesam nityabhiyuktanam yogakshemam vahamy aham Nitya-yuktasya yoginah. This is the yogi who is constantly engaged and this is an easy process.
Again, as I said in this chapter, there are two techniques at there. One is a difficult technique, technique of yoga, which Krishna doesn't want us to do.
And this is an easy technique which she wants us to do because by doing this thing we become great in the eyes of Krishna. And this is he reveals in the verse which we chanted today. So he says, Tasyaham sulabhah partha.
He says, first of all he says partha and this is a little secret which I wanted to tell you. Whenever Krishna addresses Arjuna as Partha or Kaunteya, it means some intimacy.
It means he wants to reveal to him something very important. It means that now he is about to say something which is important for Krishna himself. He says Partha. He remembers his mother, who is Krishna's aunt.
And by making this connection he says, now partha, because you're so close to me, I'm revealing it to you.
And then the previous verse, which is the pure bhakti, he explains that there is this mixed technique and there is this pure technique. How to remember God constantly. What is the pure technique?
How to remember him constantly? Yeah, Śrīla Prabhupāda says chant his holy name, but he explains in much deeper way in the purport for this verse. How to remember Krishna constantly.
He says to remember Krishna constantly there is a very simple thing. To remember Krishna constantly. You have to constantly think what he wants. Chanting in one sense is a technique which ultimately will
have to bring our consciousness to this level when we ask ourselves, not what I want. Usually this is the question which we always ask, what I want. Let me see what I want now. Let me look at it. Oh, I want this. No.
Krishna says that ultimately, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains here, that ultimately you can remember God constantly. We are self-centered now. We remember about ourselves constantly now. Why? Because we know this technique.
How to remember about ourselves constantly is to remember if what I want, right? You know. I want this and I want this and I want that. And if you are in this consciousness you will always remember about yourself.
And at the time of death you will also remember about yourself and then you will become yourself, in a sense. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that this is the process of surrender. The process of pure bhakti.
Pure bhakti means you surrender. Surrender means surrender means that you know that there is will of the Lord and you surrender to His will. Not what I want, but what He wants.
If you remember, this is actually the end of the gospel. When Jesus Christ was in the garden of Gethsemane, he was also about to die. He knew that I'm about to die. And he didn't want to die. And who wants to die?
Do you want to die? Please raise your hand if who wants to die. Nobody wants to die. Amazing. But he knew, because he was a great saint, he definitely knew that I'm about to die.
And in this moment his heart became became sad. And in this garden, he started praying to the Lord, you know, why do you do something to me which I don't want.
Why do you want me to suffer now? Because he knew I'm going to suffer greatly. But at the end of his prayer, the conclusion to which he came is that he became very happy at the end of the prayer.
Because at the end of the prayer he realized it doesn't matter what I want. What matters is what he wants. And that was the conclusion of his prayer. Not what I want.
Not it doesn't matter what will happen with me, you know the best thing which may happen with me is that this is what he wants. And surrender means I accepted gratefully with grateful heart.
So when Prabhupada explains this second technique, which is the real thing which Krishna wants us to do, he says, you can remember about Krishna constantly.
If you constantly apply this thought in your mind, what Krishna wants. When we want, we always become disturbed.
When because you know when we constantly meditate of what I want, we become disturbed because it always because something else always happens.
I want one thing and somehow or other it always you know, arranged not the way I want.
You know, and we want and want and want and uh everything is just not what I want and uh and I become ultimately frustrated at the end of my life. But Krishna says you try to think what I want.
You try to apply this thought very deeply. You know, whatever happens with you, this is what I want. Try to accept it. And by accepting it, try to accept me because then you will deserve.
Krishna says that ultimately, Sukhri Damasaru Buddhana, I am in the heart of everyone, I'm the closest. And I'm all merciful. I want the best for you.
He says, if you do it, and at the same time if you chant my holy name, and chanting the holy name is to remind ourselves that's what we're supposed to do during our life, what Krishna wants from us.
Then anandi cheka satatam, your mansmaradhi Then your mind will never be deviated.
Whatever you do, you do something, but at the same time you think internally that I am doing it because Krishna wants me to do it. Because this is my situation in life. Because I am doing it ultimately for Him.
And results belong to Him and my heart belongs to Him. If this thinking will be firmly established within your consciousness.
Then Nitya Yogtasya Yoginava, you will be yogi who is constantly connected with Krishna, nitya yogtasya. And he says in this verse which we chanted today, Mao Petya Punajan Madhu Kalai Masashata Samsid.
It says that such a person will not achieve Siddhi. Yogis they achieve Siddhis. He says such a person will achieve samsidhi. Samsidhi means complete perfection. The perfect perfection.
And this complete perfection means coming to me. And he says, such a person, he is great in my eyes. Not the one who sits, you know, in a strange posture and breathes in a very strange manner. He says, Mahatma.
And therefore Prabhupada, purport, he says this verse speaks about personalist because personalist knows God is a person person means will person means desire person means God has desire specifically about me.
He wants me to do something and I surrender my will. I more or less try to harmonize my will with His will. Now our problem is that our will is against God's will.
Or sometimes, you know, sometimes we pretend, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, surrender, let's see what he gives me.
But the process of bhakti, of pure bhakti is described here is that when you don't want anything besides what Krishna wants. And basically it means that you will work in harmony with Krishna's will.
I want what Krishna wants. And I and because I want what Krishna wants, and because anyway, what happens is what Krishna wants, and I want the same that I'm happy.
I am unhappy because I want something and it happens something else. Right? That's why I'm happy.
But everything which happens is what Krishna wants, and I want the same what Krishna wants that whatever will happen with me I will be happy about, right? This is an easy way to become happy.
Would you like to become happy with this? This is of course it's easy to say, it's more difficult to do it. Krishna said, this is the way you can remember about me constantly.
And by remembering about me constantly you become mahātmā in my eyes. You become great soul. You become, as Krishna says, you become a supreme soul. Not just little soul, supreme soul.
Would you like to become a supreme soul? You want to become a supreme soul. This is the way to become a supreme soul.
Miseries of material existence versus spiritual world
This is the way to come to Krishna. This is the way.
Because spiritual world, as Prabhupada explains here, he says that this world, the world of birth, death, old age and disease, why? Did you ask yourself why do you have to die? Have you asked this very important question?
Why do I have to die? Why do I have to get disease? Why do I have to get old?
You know, old age is, I mean, you know, you just look at yourself. At one point you just you don't you just don't want to look in the mirror anymore. So better because you cannot recognize yourself.
I I used to be much better than I am now. So those who are little older they know what I'm talking about. Those who are still young, they they don't believe that they will ever become old, but they will.
So, but what is the reason? Why do we have to die? Why do we have to get older? Why do we have to get disease? There's only one reason. Because I wanted it and because my will is separate from the will of the Lord.
Because I don't want to work in conjunction with the Lord's will, in harmony with the Lord's will.
And Prabhupada explains there is another world which is not perceivable for us, and this other world is there is only one difference between the other world and this world.
The difference is that in that world everyone works in harmony with the Lord and we are working against his will. And ultimately, therefore, this world is temporary. Therefore, this world is duḥkhālayam.
Therefore, this world is full of sufferings. Therefore, everything has beginning and end in this world. But Krishna wants us to achieve this highest perfection and he says, this is the highest perfection.
It's achievable and it's easily achievable. Śrīla Prabhupāda. This is an easy process. And Prabhupada explains practically in every verse of this chapter, in the purport Prabhupada puts Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.
Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Because this is the way how you can reach this platform when you surrender your will to Kṛṣṇa. If you do it properly again.
As I said in the beginning, you can chant mechanically as a technique. But if you do it properly, then you will achieve this platform when you chant. And you not only chant, you chant with your heart.
I today told a story that you know there was a godbrother of Śrīla Prabhupāda. His name was Akinchan Krishna Das Bhagujanaraj, who was a great devotee. He was constantly changing.
In fact, once Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda said that if somebody wants to chant constantly, we will give him free boarding and free life.
He doesn't have to do anything, he doesn't have to work, you know, he will have to do everything. And he said, you put this advertisement in a newspaper.
Whoever wants to chant constantly he doesn't have to worry about anything else, we will take care of him. Nobody came. Akinchan Krishna das Babaji, he was the only one.
He was famous in Golokhadham for his great taste for chanting. He was chanting constantly. So when he was old, was very old. He became sick. And they called Kaviraj Ayurvedic Doctor.
An Ayurvedic Doctor, he puts a diagnosis by taking pulse. So he was trying to see his pulse and then the pulse when they take
your pulse they see this is kapha, this is pitta, this is vata, this is this is air, this is phlegm, this is your bile. So this doctor was trying and trying and trying, and then he said he doesn't have kapha, and he doesn't have pitta, and he doesn't have vata.
The only thing which he has inside is Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna. This is what I hear in his pulse. Because his heart is chanting. The heart is pumping the blood, but the soul is in the heart.
And because the soul is totally surrendered to the Lord, the heart is chanting.
So ultimately, when Prabhupāda explains in this verse, in the purport of this chapter, that you have to chant, you have to chant with the view of coming to this platform. And chant always.
When your mind is not deviating to anything, when your mind is totally concentrated upon Krishna by trying to fulfill his will, and in this way it's not your tongue will be chanting.
In the beginning we are chanting with the tongue and then with the lips. And now mind is going, you know, everywhere else besides the Hare Krishna mantra. Everything else is much more interesting.
But you know, when we do it properly with the proper understanding, ultimately you will understand this is the most important thing which we have to do, because this is the way how we can understand what Krishna wants: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Rāma Rāma, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna,
This is the way.
This is how we can understand and this is how we can surrender. This is how we can understand what Krishna wants from me. And this is how we become great in the eyes of God. You know, we shouldn't become great in our own eyes.
But Krishna himself very generously praises us. He says, Mahatma, such a person becomes great soul, supreme soul, the best of all the souls, because he does what I want and because he's doing it willingly with love.
And this is basically the mystery of the eighth chapter.
And in the eighth chapter Krishna gives into great details about this yoga and you know how to do it and what is the path, the Pitri Yana and Devayana, how you leave this world, this and that.
But ultimately he wants us to follow the simple process, which is the most difficult because the simple process implies that we have to relinquish our ego. We have to get rid of our ego. And that's why it's so difficult.
But ultimately it's simple because the only thing which you have to do is to chant the holy name, which is pleasant. But you know, don't be too foolish to be in a hurry. Because Krishna, Krishna is very tricky.
You have to always say Mamma. Krishna is not so simple. Like he says, you know, he says, you know, patram pushpam phalam toyanityam prayacchati, give me one fruit. Specifically says, patram. He doesn't say patragi.
He says pushpam. He doesn't say pushpani. He doesn't need the garland, he just needs one flower. And then he doesn't say patram pushpam phalam phalam, just one fruit, one, one leaf. So he he asks simple things.
But then next verse he says, yat karoṣi yad aśnasi yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat, give me everything. So be careful. He says this is easy. And it is easy in one sense. But it means a lot.
It ultimately means that you will have to give up your ego. And that's not easy. That's painful. You know, it's easy in the beginning, if you chant the holy name, it's easy. And it's blissful.
But it also implies a great amount of pain on our side because we really have to really have to give it up at one point.
At one point we become really fed up with our ego and we don't know what to do, but you know, we cannot surrender; we feel it.
So this is actually this eighth chapter I was inspired by the Matajis to speak again about this subject matter with a slightly different manner. But it's a very interesting chapter.
This chapter teaches us the great lesson. And then the simple thing in this world is the most difficult thing in this world. And we should follow the simple process.
Sometimes people say that this bhakti yoga is just for women, women. This is just for housewives. I'll do something, some really great thing, I'll do something to be intellectual. No.
Krishna doesn't want you to do anything intellectual. Krishna wants you to surrender to him. And that's simple and not simple at the same time.
Sanskrit as the language of demigods
So thank you very much. Is there any questions? Maybe, maybe repeat, Prabhu, what language does the Deva and Devata speak, Prabhu? Oh supposedly Sanskrit. Sanskrit.
I don't know, maybe by now they already know some Arabic language. Sanskrit is the most perfect language. Because Sanskrit is the most it's basically it's the most philosophical language.
Actually any language which you take, it's designed for a certain purpose. Like English language is designed for business basically. It's not philosophical language at all.
You know, there's nothing philosophical about English language, especially in the American version of it.
And I remember for the first time I came to America and I was in the airport and I saw American couple, old couple, they were probably 70 plus years old, you know. He was in the shorts and she was in a mini skirt or something like this.
And they were speaking their language and I just I just I was mesmerized by listening to their language because they they spoke like fourteen years children, you know. All the intonations were like this.
It's a very childish kind of thing. Prabhupada said that every language has a certain purpose. He said that you know the the German is is to speak with the dogs. English is to speak with the horses.
And French is to speak with your girlfriend. There is certain idea behind each language, more or less. And you know, and Russian is famous for being a very dirty language.
It's a very has a very elaborate kind of lexicon for full language.
Anyway, Sanskrit is the most elaborate language in the sense that it's most philosophical. It's the language where you can express yourself in the most philosophical way, the most and the most in the deepest way and there's a lot of philosophy in the language itself and therefore you know so I I guess you know the culture demigods they speak Sanskrit and some non-culture they may speak some other language. It depends what they want to express.
Performing daily work as devotional offering
Some chance they want to express something which is not expressible in Sanskrit, they may use some other language.
What you said, like whatever job I am doing, I should inquire what Krishna really wants. Krishna really wants.
Yeah and uh how to correlate with the the job what I'm doing because basically what you Krishna explains what he wants. He explains it in Dharmasastras. He explains how you know you should perform your duty.
This is his will.
But the main point is that whatever you do, according to your position, to your situation, and maybe you know maybe not everything which modern people have to do is described in Dharmashastras, most probably.
I don't think computers are mentioned in Dharma-shastras, or you should perform your duties in the software business. But the point is that you still have to inquire yourself deep in the heart what Krishna wants me to do.
And do it as as your offering. Like it is explained by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. That your devotional service starts early in the morning when you brush your teeth. How is it devotional service when you brush your teeth?
You know there are two ways of brushing teeth. One is mundane and one is spiritual. If you just brush your teeth because it's necessary, because it's good or whatever, it's mundane.
But if you brush your teeth with the understanding that Krishna wants me to brush my teeth and Krishna does want you to brush your teeth because Krishna doesn't want to have that smell from your mouth and you chant his holy name because he's dancing on your tongue when you chant holy name and if your teeth are not clean at that time it's not good.
Anyway, if you brush your teeth, this is explanation of actually Sanatana Gosvāmī also. And with this idea that this is what Krishna wants me to do.
And I'm giving this simple example because even to the smallest detail, it can be applied to Krishna consciousness. I'm doing it because Krishna wants me to do this. It's my duty, I have to do it.
Not with this false egoism or ego. I'm doing it because I'm so great. Because I'm so intelligent, because this is, you know, this is the way I will prove to the world how good I am.
But with this humble idea in mind, that this is I'm doing it because Krishna wants me to do I'm in this situation. I'm trying my best, I'm doing it as best as I can. And I I dedicate this as my service to Krishna.
This is the way for you to remember about Krishna constantly. And it's not that it's not that you have to consciously think about it 24 hours a day, no.
Like when Arjuna was fighting, Prabhupāda explains that it's not, you know, it's not that, you know, while fighting in a in this situation of fighting, it's not that you have to constantly meditate on Krishna.
But internally, bhakti-yoga is work with your consciousness. Internally you dedicate yourself, your heart to Krishna. And you remind about this when you chant. Remind yourself. You chant and you remind.
I am doing it for Krishna, I am Krishna's servant. This is my constant eternal position. I am servant of Krishna. I am servant of the Lord. That's what mantra, that's what holy name means.
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna. I'm your servant. Please engage me in your service. This is Prabhupāda's translation of the holy name.
So if you remind yourself and do the rest of the day, you know this consciousness will be in your mind and it will help you to ultimately completely understand the will of the Lord. You will understand.
Stages of chanting from lips to heart
You will the perfection, this glorious perfection which comes, you will know perfectly well what Krishna wants from you to do. You will have no doubts about it whatsoever.
Um, you first start with the lips and then it gradually sinks down. You know, you start with the lips and tongue. And then you know then then try to engage the mind.
Initially, and this is called offensive chanting when we chant only with the body, not with the mind. This is not good. When the mind is engaged in something else and the body is mechanically doing this, this is offensive.
So you chant with the body and then try to engage your mind in the chanting process. If the mind chants also, together with you. You sit and chant and the mind sits and chants for a change.
It's not running anywhere, but chants with you. Then you come closer to this level. And when the mind chants and the body chants then at one point you invest some feeling into your chanting because what is soul?
Of course we know feeling is coming from the mind, but at the same time, what is soul? Soul is the center of all of all feelings and desires. It's coming initially from the soul.
So Śrīla Prabhupāda explains how to chant by the heart, with the soul, by the heart. He says you should chant as a child, calling for the mother.
It basically means you invest your consciousness within this chanting process. If you do it mechanically, your mind is somewhere else.
If you do it with the mind, it's still mech It's still technique. You know how to do it with the mind. Hare Rāma Hare Rāma. Sometimes, you know, you really work on the gong like this.
But ultimately, you know, if you want to invest complete consciousness into chanting, then it has to be done with the feeling.
And Śrīla Prabhupāda explains what kind of feeling it is. It's like a child crying for the mother. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Krishna, Krishna, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma.
Dāsa bhāva, he had a very interesting technique. He was chanting while laughing.
His chanting was, Govinda Mahārāja, he describes it very beautifully because he had some personal encounter with Kṛṣṇa and Krishna. He was chanting usually like Hare Krishna. Krishna Krishna.
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma, Hari Hari. He was His soul was laughing because he was so in bliss, the bliss of Krishna. But basically, Kṛṣṇa means to invest complete consciousness in the chant.
Because you're feeling, not only with some mechanical parts. Thank you very much. Thank you for your service, for everything you're doing for Śrīla Prabhupāda. Thank you.
Very, very great fortune of every one of you that you have this chance to serve Śrīla Prabhupāda in this most difficult circumstances, and Śrīla Prabhupāda is your perfect leader and guide.
You have to always never take for granted that you have such a good leader. It's it's a rare thing, it's not it's not common thing.
So he's he's very you know intelligently engaging over here, probably service and this is the greatest fortune for everyone to see. So thank you very much. She would probably